Category Archives: 6th Newsletter

Grade 6-119-Mrs. Bialas: May21, 2010

By Cheryl Bialas | Published: May 21, 2010

RELIGION: Having completed the stories of the prophets, we are concentrating on the Israelites exile in Babylon and their return home.  A solid concentration on the Blessed Virgin and her role as the mother of Jesus will also be examined.   We will also study additional information on angels and the part they played in God’s work.  Additional topics and work:

  • Bible work on angels
  • illustrating various stories of wisdom and their importance to today
  • role playing selected New Testament stories of  Our Lady

BE AWARE:  RELIGION TEST-CHAPTERS 17-18   tentatively- Week of  May 24th

ENGLISH: Concentrating on all aspects of prepositions, including:

  • identifying
  • prepositional phrases
  • correct use of pronouns with prepositions
  • prepositional phrases as adjectives/adverbs
  • diagramming prepositional phrases

BE AWARE: PREPOSITION TEST- tentatively the last week of May

We also will incorporate the use of conjunctions and interjections in our studies, and finalize the year with  capitalization, a variety of punctuation instruction and the use  of  reference sources and skills

WRITING:  limericks and story writing using animal finger puppets

READING: Students have completed  Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, and have worked and finished their powerpoint presentations.  Nice jobs!  They have begun and will conclude reading Where the Red Fern Grows in lit groups.  In conjunction with writing, they will create and demonstrate an animal story with a similar theme as shown in Fern book.

VOCABULARY:  Have completed and tested the 15 units this year.  It has been amazing how they have used some of the words in their speaking and writing.  It is also to my amazement how delighted and proud they are when they use it in class.

END OF YEAR: At the end of the year I always like to take the time to thank the parents of my students for the opportunity of having met and taught them.  The enjoyable, happy,  and fun-filled days will always be a part of me.  Thank you too, for letting me have them for part of the day.  It has been a joy!  I hope both you and your children have a relaxing and safe summer.  See you in the fall or at Jewel,

As always,

Mrs. Bialas

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Grade 6-118, Mrs. Dalsin May 21, 2010

By Pat Dalsin | Published: May 21, 2010

It’s hard to believe that the end of the school year is almost here.  It has gone by so fast!  The sixth grade has had a very good year, and I have enjoyed getting to know each one of them.  They are going to be an excellent seventh grade, and I will enjoy watching them grow. 

MATHEMATICS 

  • We recently worked with ratios and proportions and we are now learning about integers in preparation for our math work in seventh grade.
  • A coming  special treat:  Before the end of the year, Mrs. Rotunno will invite the sixth grade into her room for a class so they can begin to get to know each other.  Thank you, Mrs. Rotunno!

SCIENCE 

  • The sixth grade had a great trip to the Adler Planetarium on May 11, and the rain did not dampen the enthusiumm for all the amazing exhibits.   Seeing Chicago’s “Night Sky Live” in the Sky Theater was a big hit.  Thank you again to all the parents who volunteered to share their time with us. 

 

 

SOCIAL STUDIES 

  • Students recently completed their study of some of the early civilizations in the Americas, such as the Maya, the Inca, and the Aztecs.  Also included were the “mound builders” of North America, some of whom lived right here in Illinois (Cahokia).
  • We have now moved back across the Atlantic to visit the Middle Ages, the period of knights, lords, ladies and castles. 

WORTH NOTING….. 

  • Tues., May 25      Eighth Grade Awards
  • Wed., May 26      Room 118 to 8:00 Mass
  •                                   NO HOT LUNCH
  •                                   Science Test – Chapter 4
  • Thurs., May 27   6th Grade Scoliosis Screening
  •                                   8th Grade Graduation 7 P.M.
  • Wed., June 2        Dress Down Day
  • Thurs., June 3     Picnic Day
  • Fri., June 4           Dress-up Day
  •                                   Mass 9:00 A.M.
  •                                   Dismissal  10:30 A.M.

 

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Grade 6- 118 Mrs. Dalsin: May 9, 2010

By Pat Dalsin | Published: May 6, 2010

MATHEMATICS

  • We have completed our study of fractions, and the students did quite well on their recent test.
  • Over the next weeks we will be learning about ratios, percents, integers, and anything that will help prepare us for seventh grade math.

SCIENCE

  • As expected, the sixth grade very much enjoyed the visit of Dr. David
    Aguilar, who spoke of the mysteries of the universe and shared with us his amazing illustrations.  The 6th grade is now the proud owner of a signed copy of his book on the universe.
  • After spending considerable time on the study of our solar system, we are now learning about the many different stars in our sky.
  • We are anxious to take all of our new found knowledge with us to the Adler Planetarium (Tues., May 11) so that we can make the most of our visit.

SOCIAL STUDIES

  • As this newsletter is published, students are putting the finishing touches on their maps of  “The Ancient World”.   The maps pulled together many of the early civilizations that we have studied thus far.  The students have worked hard on them, and I am anxious to see the finished product.
  • We have now moved to the Western Hemisphere to study some early civilizations closer to home, including the Maya, the  Aztec, and the Inca, as well as the native peoples of our own area.

WORTH  NOTING….  

  • Mon., May 10      Ancient Map is due
  •                                   Progress Reports
  •                                   Student Council Elections
  • Tues., May 11      6th Grade to Adler Planetarium
  • Mon., May 17      Student Council Installation Mass 9 A.M.
  • Wed., May 19       Spring Concert
  • Fri., May 20         Dress Down Day

 

 

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Grade 6-119-Mrs. Bialas: May 7, 2010

By Cheryl Bialas | Published: May 6, 2010

RELIGION:  We have almost finalized the era of the prophets and will continue learning of new prophets and how  God helped the people live and worship through them.  Additional attention/work :

  • modern day ways in which God works through his people
  • prophets:  Tobit, Judith, Jonah,  and the Maccabees: interpretation/illustrations of the Bible stories
  • ways to show respect for religious beliefs of others
  • Chicken Soup for the Souls series: discussion groups
  • Second Step:  continuation on bullying:  how to react
  • three minute prayer retreat-/daily

ENGLISH: finalizing adverbs in these areas:

  • avoiding double negatives
  • differentiating good/well
  • expanding sentences with adverbs
  • “walking” charades
  • adverb acrostic-similar to adjective acrostic
  • diagramming adjectives/adverbs

BE AWARE: ADVERBS TEST-Tentatively  May 13

WRITING: composing rhyming riddles, “hinky pinky”

READING: completed Roll of Thunder,  next will be Where the Red Fern Grows. A story of a boy’s determination to own, raise, train coon dogs.  A real tearjerker for animal lovers, but a great story!

BE AWARE: Roll of Thunder and Vocab #14 test scheduled for May 7 has been rescheduled for Monday, May 10 due to the Sports Awards on Thursday, May 6.

Look What’s Coming:

  • 5/10-St. Council Election
  • 5/11- 6th Grade Field Trip-Planetarium
  • 5/12- Room 119   8 a.m. Mass
  • 5/17-St. Council Installation Mass-9 a.m.
  • 5/19-Spring Band Concert
  • 5/21-Dress Down Day
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Grade 6-118, Mrs. Dalsin: April 23, 2010

By Pat Dalsin | Published: April 21, 2010

MATHEMATICS

  • Students accepted the challenge,  and they performed well on our study of lines, angles, and shapes.  For example, learning the formulas for measuring the area of various shapes was a bit daunting, but students were up to the task.
  • We are now continuing our work with fractions,  including multiplication and division.
  • Math help sessions continue on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays, unless sudents are otherwise notified.

SCIENCE

  • Our study of astronomy has included some history such as early astronomers Copernicus and Galileo.
  • We have also been examining our solar system and all of its parts.
  • By the time this is published, we will have had a visit (thanks to Mrs. Delaney) from Dr. David Aguilar, an author and scientist who has written several books on astronomy for young people.   Also, thanks to Mrs. Delaney, we have had three of  Dr. Aguilar’s books in our classroom during our study of astronomy.   They are amazing.
  • Another event which we are eagerly anticipating is our field trip on May 11 to the Adler Planetarium on the lakefront in Chicago.  While there we will tour the planetarium’s many exhibits and see the Sky Show.
  • Thank you to the many parents who have volunteered to chaperone.  Because we are limited to the number we can take, we will have to draw names.  Please stay tuned…….

SOCIAL STUDIES

  • After studying about ancient Greece and its city-states of Athens and Sparta, we have now also studied about ancient Rome and the legacies left to us by the Romans, among them their architecture, and ideas about  government and the law.
  • Students will shortly begin creating an historic map incorporating many of the places that we have studied.  Watch for information to be coming home soon.

WORTH NOTING….

  • Wed., April 28        8th Grade ribbon Mass  9:00 AM
  • Thurs., April 29     Science Test    Chapter 3
  • Fri., April 30           Room 6-118    8:00 Mass
  •                                       Planetarium Field Trip Fee and Permission Slip due
  •                                       8th Grade Day (Volleyball and Basketball)
  • Mon., May 3             Math Test   Chapter 7
  • Tues., May 4             May Crowning Mass 9 AM   
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Mrs.Bialas, 119: April 23, 2010

By Cheryl Bialas | Published: April 19, 2010

Religion:  We continue the story of the prophets and their message for today’s world.  Additional work:

  • Interpretation via drawings to symbolize the return to the Promised Land
  • Acting as modern day prophets and texting the message of  “hope” to someone
  • Practicing 1 good deed that follows in the teachings of Jesus
  • Daily silent meditation
  • Second Step-continuing communication strategies
  • Test-tentatively the first week of May chapter 17

English: Tested out of Adjectives, moving on to Adverbs in the following areas of:

  • Modifying verbs, adjectives/adverbs
  • Comparing adverbs
  • Differentiating adjectives/adverbs

Writing: completing Research paper Due: April 28-students must follow format! See and sign packet.

Reading: completing Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry

  • Project work  for assessment – done in school in the computer lab -powerpoint
  • Test- tentatively the first week of May for novel
  • Vocabulary-testing every Friday on the lessons beginning the week of April23-May 14;one lesson per week
  • Pen pal letters

Look What’s Coming:

4/26  Student Council applications

4/28  Mass-8th grade ribbons

4/29  Student Council applications due

4/30  Student Council applicants notified

5/4  May Crowing-Mass

5/7  Student Council primary


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Grade 6-119: March 26, 2010

By Cheryl Bialas | Published: March 25, 2010

Religion: completing the stories of the prophets.

  • Note: test on Chapt. 15 -March 29

Reading:  We are continuing  to read Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, and the boys and girls seem to enjoy it.  Quizzes will be given periodically following discussion of some, not all, chapters.  Concepts developed thus far:

  • vocabulary-via dictionary and primary source pictures
  • attribute maps
  • novel-Chapters 4-6
  • quizzes periodically on read material-announced or unannounced

Vocabulary-Gr./Latin roots, -bio and -viv have just been tested and we are returning to our Sadlier vocab text Unit #10.

  • Note: Unit 10 test-March 30

English: concept  working on:  Adjectives

  • proper
  • predicate adjective
  • demonstratives
  • comparing

Writing: Research paper-concentrating on the following:

  • thesis (focus) statement
  • outline
  • bibliography cards
  • plagiarism

Due dates to be given to students in class

  • Note: Parents need to sign for each step in their child’s paper

Note: Mark in your calendar:

  • March 29- Reconcilliation  9-1:00
  • April 1-Triduum Prayer Service 2:00p.m.
  • April 2-11- Easter Break
  • April 13-Report Cards home; School Mass 9:00
  • April 20-St. Council Mtg 7:15
  • April 23-Room 119 attends 8 a.m. Mass
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Grade 6-118: March 26, 2010

By Pat Dalsin | Published: March 25, 2010

MATHEMATICS

  • We worked hard on triangles:  parts, measures of angles, types of angles and triangles.
  • Now we have been working on finding the area of parallelograms and triangles and seeing the relationship between the two.
  • While we are studying geometry, we will also learn about finding the measurements of circles (circumference, diameter, radius), and the use of pi.
  • There will be a math quiz on Tues., March 3o on Chapter 10.1 – 10.4.

SCIENCE

  • We have completed our study of  “Inside Earth” by creating cartoons of our trip on the “rock cycle”.  They were informative and fun at the same time.
  • Students have received their texts on “Astronomy”.  Our study begins with examining the motions of the Earth and the moon and their gravitational forces.

SOCIAL STUDIES

  • Students recently each tracked a “musher” ( the driver of a dogsled) in the famous Iditarod race from Anchorage to Nome, Alaska.   The class had fun and learned somethings about a competition that was quite new to them.
  • We have completed our study of Ancient Greece nad have gone slightly west to explore Ancient Rome.
  • One of the major concepts we will be stressing are the legacies left by the Greeks and the Romans that are still evident in our world today, including architecture and government.

WORTH  NOTING:

  • Fri., March 26 – End of 3rd Quarter
  • Fri., March 26 – Stations of the Cross 2 PM
  • Mon., March 29 – Reconciliation (Students)
  • Thurs., April 1 – Prayer Service 2 PM
  • Fri., April 2 – Fri., April 9 – Easter Break
  • Mon., April 13 – Mass 9 AM  and Report Card Day
  • Thurs., April 22 – Health Fair
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6th Grade: 3/12/10

By Pat Dalsin | Published: March 8, 2010

MATHEMATICS

• While doing the Terra Nova tests, we still managed to get in a few  math classes.
• We did some work on lines, rays, and angles, and we are now  working on finding the areas of geometric shapes such as parallelograms, triangles and circles.
• Then we will be continuing our work with the multiplication and division of fractions and mixed numbers.

SCIENCE

• We have completed our unit on Rocks with the test on Fri., March 12.  Please watch for it to be signed.
• A recent highlight was having Dr. Jim Hagen display and explain his extensive and varied rock collection.  Each child was allowed to choose a small rock to take home as a souvenir.  Thank you, Dr. Hagen!
• We are now moving into a new  field of science – astronomy.  We look forward to seeing wonderful things in the night sky.

SOCIAL STUDIES

• Our current study of Ancient Greece has included researching the history of the Olympics and their Greek origins.  The students also wrote wonderful essays on the winter event in which they would have liked to participate.  We will also be discussing whether we would have preferred to live in Athens or Sparta.
• The students are now prepared to track another famous winter event— the Iditarod sled dog race in Alaska. The race starts on Saturday, March 5, and can be followed online.

WORTH   NOTING…

• Fridays (Lent) – Stations  2 PM
• Mon., March 15— No School
• Fri., March 19— Room 6-118  to
                                8:00 Mass
• Mon., March 22— March Madness Dress-down Day
• Wed., March 24— Spring Play  4 PM
• Thurs., March 25—Spring Play 7 PM
• Fri., March 26— End 3rd Quarter

RELIGION

During the week of Terra Nova, the students have been finishing the story of Solomon and his wisdom.  Testing was done on March 9. We will now go on to learn about the division of Solomon’s kingdom and the role of the prophets during this time.  They are continuing to work on mapping out the land where Moses once walked and locating various responses in their Bibles. This is all done in their Venture supplemental magazine.

READING

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry  is the newest novel being read by the sixth grade.  As mentioned previously, it deals with racism, prejudice, and the love of a  Negro family in the 1930’s.  The students have previewed clips dealing with segregation and  prejudice.  It will give them insight into the minds of our world during this era.  We will be able to incorporate  many literary elements while reading this.

Our two new  Greek/Latin roots will be -bio (life), and vit, viv (live;life).  I feel that the study of these will truly help the students in the years ahead. Test on 3/19.

LANGUAGE ARTS

The children have completed their unit on pronouns, tested on March 11, and will now move on to adjectives. 

The following weeks will be devoted to developing and researching material for their research paper.  All concepts will be explained and given an example. Students are encouraged to take additional notes.

Reminder: Thursday mornings after 7:30 are now designated for Language Arts help.
 

COMING EVENTS

March 15-No school
March 16-Student Council meeting
March 18-Room 6-119 attends 8 a.m. mass
March 22-March Madness Dress Down Day
March 24-Spring Play 4 p.m.
March 25-Spring Play 7 p.m.
March 26-end 3rd Qtr.

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Sixth Grade: 2/26/10

By Kathy Lifka | Published: February 24, 2010

Mathematics

  • The students tested well on the adding and subtracting of fractions and mixed numbers.
  • We are now taking a break from fractions and are studying some geometry ( lines, segments, angles).
  • A reminder:  Math Club (help sessions) are on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays from 3:oo-3:30 in room 118.

Science

  • We have been studying about the rocks in  the Earth’s  crust.  On Monday, March 1, we look forward to a visit from Dr. Jim Hagen, (a former St. Cletus dad) who will share with us his extensive rock collection.  He has some amazing specimens.

Social Studies

  • It feels appropriate to be studying about Ancient Greece during the Olympics.  The students have shown great interest in the many different events.  They have  each chosen an event in which they would like to participate and which they will research and illustrate.
  • By the end of testing week, we will also be exploring and tracking the famous Iditarod sled dog race in Alaska.  Stay tuned….  

Worth Noting

  • Mon., March 1— Fri., March 5, TERRA NOVA testing.
  • Please be sure students are here each day, well-rested and with a normal breakfast.
  • Because of testing, normal class time will be reduced.
  • Fri., March 5— Stations  2 PM
  • Wed., March 10—   Mass  9 AM
  • Fri., March 12— Stations  2 PM

Religion

During this time of Lent, the students have made a commitment to a sacrifice that will be worked on during the next 40 days.  They are posted on the bulletin board so they can reflect on this daily along with our 3-minute meditation.

We will be finishing our study of the kings of Israel, namely Solomon.  Though he was given the gift of wisdom and granted many requests, he could not leave well enough alone. Toward the end of his reign, he violated his covenant to worship God.  They will recognize his lack of fidelity as well as other excesses.

Reading

We have completed our novel The Single Shard, and our next novel will be Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry.  The story takes place in the 1930”s in the deep south, and reflects the sad prejudice of the time and the love and support of a  Negro family.  The dialect is very authentic and a bit difficult to read and understand; therefore, we will read the majority of it in the classroom.  The book lends itself very nicely to deep discussions of right and wrong, and the students will be able to see how the Negro culture was treated at that time in history.  We will start this after Terra Nova.  Right now they should be reading their book for their research paper.

In vocabulary I try to vary one week with Greek/Latin roots, and a week and a half using the Sadlier vocabulary book.  We will be working on two new Greek/Latin roots the week of Terra Nova and will be testing, tentatively, the next week.

Language Arts

Due to the Terra Nova testing, class work will be a bit “gentler” than usual.  The students will be completing their study of pronouns.  As mentioned last newsletter, we will now be working on possessive and indefinite pronouns.  The majority of work will be done in the classroom, not at home.

PLEASE NOTE: any student wanting extra help should come on Thursdays beginning the week of March 8 NOT Wednesdays in order to accommodate all students.

The week following Terra Nova will be the start of our research papers.  Children will need a 2 pocket folder for all materials.

Coming Events

Feb.25-Rm. 119 attend 8 a.m. mass

Feb. 26 -stations of the cross

Mar.1-5 –Terra Nova testing

     Please make sure students get plenty of sleep,  have a good breakfast, two #2 pencils with erasers, and are at school on time.  Testing will be done during the morning.

Mar. 2-Student Council Meeting

Mar.5-stations of the cross read by the sixth grade

Mar. 10– School Mass 9 a.m. 

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