Religion:  Students have learned about the wanderings of the Israelites.  Now they are off to see how Canaan (the Promised Land) was conquered.

Reading:  Our students have finished all work on the novel, Single Shard, and in the weeks ahead will be starting, Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry.  A great novel about the plight of an African American family of the ’30′s and the struggles in trying to keep their family farm.  We read much in class due to the dialect, which is typical of the times.  The story is told from the viewpoint of the 10 year old daughter. 

Review work on various skills in both reading and English continue in preparation for the Terra Nova tests.

Vocabulary:  Back to Greek/Latin words and roots.

Writing:  Clerihew poetry and then the sixth grade will be learning how to write and assemble a research paper.

English:  Still on pronouns, going into possessives next.

Thank you for attending our Open House.  It is always a pleasure to see the children and their parents at such successful events.

Be Aware:  Field Trip to COD on Thursday, Feb. 2 to see Willie Wonka, Jr.  A good preparation for the play-they will be Oompa Loompas!

The sixth grade, along with the rest of the student body is looking forward to some special activities next week, 1/30-2/3,  including a pajama day and the always exciting Red and White all-day volleyball game.

However, along with the fun, we will also be showcasing why Catholic schools are very special places.  We look forward to seeing all of you at the Open House on Sunday, January 29, from 10:30 AM – 12:30 PM in the school building.

As part of the Open House, the sixth grade will be displaying the wonderful exhibits they prepared for the Consumer Fair.  A great deal of work and creativity was put into the projects, and the students can be very proud.  Thank you to the parents for all their help and support.

It is hard to believe that we are into the third quarter of the school year already.  The students have been hard at work, and I look forward to visiting with the parents and students at our conferences in a couple of weeks.  See you soon.

CONSUMER FAIR   There are only two major events left to the Consumer Fair:  the students’ oral presentations and showing the boards at the Catholic Schools Week open house on January 29.  The presentations are scheduled, and we look forward to having as many parents visit as possible.  Feel free to bring other family members, if you like.  The students have worked hard and are anxious to show off their work.

MATH   In our math classes we have been working hard on the skills that are building blocks to using fractions.  We are currently adding and subtracting fractions, and we will soon move on to multiplying and dividing them.  As the work has gotten more challenging, a few more students have been staying for extra math practice.  However, there are a few more that would benefit from a little extra practice time.  Again the time is from 3:00-3:30 on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays.

SOCIAL STUDIES   Having recently finished our unit on Ancient China, we have now begun studying about Ancient Greece.  We have found it interesting to see the connection of the democracy in early Greece to the democratic government in our own country.  We see that there are similarities and differences.

SCIENCE   In science these days, we are very excited to be studying Inside Earth, exploring why the Earth’s surace is constantly changing.  Our study includes the always-fascinating earthquakes and volcanoes.  The students have also found interesting the extremely slow changes to the earth’s crust as evidenced by plate tectonics.  They just wish they could see more of the changes!

Be Aware:  Test-Chapter 9-  on 1-19-12

                        Final 2 Service Hours due  1-18-12

Reading-Students are continuing their reading of the ancient novel, Single Shard and have completed a brief internet research on Korea to compare ancient to present day Korea.   We might possible complete this novel by the end of the coming week.

Beginning this week, we will refer to the basal reader and work on standardized testing procedures in preparation for the Terra Nova.  As we approach March, they will have additional practice works in comprehansion, English, and writing.

English-The students have completed their unit on Prepositions and been tested on them.  They will take a brief break and concentrate on diagramming sentences afterwhich we will proceed to pronouns.

Writing-We are now turning towards writing “How-to’s” in the next two weeks.  Also, we will then  concentrate on personification, imagery, and review of poetry pattern.

I would like to again thank all for their generocity at the Christmas time-you will be blessed!  Thank you.   Mrs. Bialas

Before we all go home for the holidays, I want to take this opportunity to thank you all for your enormous generosity and thoughtfulness during this Christmas season and all year long.  I truly appreciate and cherish each card and gift.  Thank you, too, to all those who contributed to the teacher’s gift fund.  It is greatly  appreciated, and I’ll try to use it wisely.

I feel very fortunate to be teaching in a school with so many wonderful parents and students.  Even after all these years, I am constantly amazed that the children make each day new and different and fun.

May you and your loved ones have a very happy and blessed Christmas – and a New Year filled with love, laughter, and all good things.

                                                                                          Sincerely,

                                                                                          Mrs. Pat Dalsin

 Vocabulary-will be working on review for our cumulative vocab test to be given  on 1-19-12. 

English-our first week back will still be devoted to prepositions and we will then begin pronouns and some additional verb study.

Religion-the students have lived through the plagues in Egypt, and are now venturing with the Israelites to the promised land of Canaan-not with much ease.

Writing-though the students have already written a persuasive essay, they will be adding transitional words.

As we leave school on this Thursday, many of us will be thinking about gifts, traveling, and visiting with loved ones.  When we think of the first  Christmas , it too was a time of traveling (going to Bethlehem), gifts (the WiseMen), and visiting with loved ones (the Holy Family).  Let us always keep these events both in the past and now in our hearts and keep the real meaning of the holiday.  I pray all our families at St. Cletus cherish this time together and keep love in their hearts.  As I said at Thanksgiving, I always pray for my students and their families and the families of the St. Cletus community.  May your have a MERRY CHRISTMAS and a HEALTHY and PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR. See you in ’12!       Mrs. Cheryl Bialas

CONSUMER FAIR UPDATE:   The taste testing for our projects went wonderfully!  Thank you so much to the parents for being so helpful and supportive.  I think we all enjoyed ourselves…and the afternoon snacks, too.  Watch for a few pictures in the Sunday Canticle on 12/17.

The taste testing is really the core of the project because it provides the data for the rest of their work.  Students are currently working in the computer lab on graphs that will display their data.  Then they will also be writing up their results and conclusion.   Work on putting together the exhibit boards will be done on their own at home.  In January each student will do an oral presentation on their project.  These will happen during the school day, and parents are invited.   You will be notified of the day and time.  Then, of course, the exhibits will be displayed at the Open House for Catholic Schools Week on January 29.

OTHER NEWS:   We have also been busy in our other subjects as well, studying India in social studies, plate tectonics in science, and fractions in math.  Just a reminder that math help sessions are on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays from 3:00-3:30 and are open to any sixth graders.

UPCOMING TESTS and QUIZZES: 

Math Quiz – Lessons 5.1-5.3 on Tues. 12/6

Social Studies Test – Chapter 4 on Wed. 12/7

Science Test – Chapter 1 on Fri.12/9

Be Aware-Religion test on Chapter 4-Dec. 13

Reading-The students will be completing their novel, Flying Solo, and will be tested upon completion.  They will also have a project in conjunction with the story, which dealt with an array of characters , feelings, and bullying.   All testing and projects will be completed before the holiday.

Be Aware:  final test on novel -Dec. 8

                          Flying Solo character project due-Dec. 16

Vocabulary-tested on Unit 4

Be Aware:  Vocab test-Unit 5-Dec.9

                        Vocab test-Unit 6-Dec. 20

English-We are still working on prepositions both as adjectives and adverbs.  We will complete it after the holidays with a test to follow.

Writing-Wintertime is here, and we need a new poem for our “poe-tree”, therefore we will be writing snowflake simile poetry for the hall.  They should be festive, colorful, and creative.  The students will be applying their skill of similes to good, creative use.

click to enlarge this photo- retrieved from wikispaces.com

Since the world of technology is constantly changing and more and more technology applications are based in the cloud; students are encouraged to explore Web 2.0 tools and teach the class how the Web 2.0 tool of their choice works.

Technology tools provide oppurtunities for learning to go beyond the walls of the classroom. St. Cletus recognizes that technology integration can and will make learning more exciting while meeting the needs of diverse (visual, auditory, etc.) learners. 

Web 2.0 extra credit is offered all year long. Your child will be given 10 minutes to teach the class about something they learned independently online. If your child is interested in showcasing a Web 2.0 tool they can access this Web 2.0 wiki site or Google “Web 2.0″. Click here for the extra credit rubric and see how their presentation will be scored. For more information on Web 2.0 and their impact in schools read A day in the Life of Web 2.0

Please contact me with any questions, and happy surfing!     ~Mrs. Flickinger

Be Aware:  Religion test-Chapter 4- November 22

Vocabulary-After the holiday, we will go back into our Sadlier Vocab book, Unit 4.

English-Continuing in the area of prepositions, the students will differentiate between using prepositions as adverbs or adjectives.  They will then create colorful images using mostly prepositional phrases.

Reading-In our novel, Flying Solo, the students had to be a character, be interviewed by a newspaper reporter, and respond to questions based upon the character traits of his chosen person.  This allows  them to be a more active participant in the story.  They will also pretend that they are actually in the classroom and write “flashdrafts” as their character did.  Another way to feel “at home” in the story. 

Writing-We will concentrate on learning to write similes and metaphors.

Thanksgiving is a time to be thankful.  Here are my thanks:

• A many thanks to all who attended Parent Teacher Conference.  It was very insightful. 
• contributions to the sixth grade walkathon for the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospitl.  What an outstanding amount-$1141.25!!
• The families and their children at St. Cletus School

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL AND GOD BLESS!!