In the first grade classroom works continues each and everyday. In November the first graders attended the “Body Walk” in Washington. The first graders also continue to work with their “Book Buddies” on Thursday mornings. They just recently finished their books that they wrote together. I Know its Fall When…. The class also had a Thanksgiving tree in their room where they hung leaves that tell what they are thankful for. They also made cornucopias, turkeys, and then they discussed the Pilgrims, Indians, the Mayflower, and the Squanto. As the month went on they started to practice their Christmas play.
     In December, they have continued to practice their Christmas play. That is called “Christmas is Love.” They also have got a new student in their class, Braedon Barker. They will discuss Advent, St. Nicholas, and Christmas traditions. The first grade will also go Christmas caroling to the long- term residents. Then before break, the students will make ornaments to take home and decorate their Christmas Trees.

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Since Christmas the 2^nd grade has been working on cursive alphabet. The kid are very excited abut the nice weather. We have also been practicing our multiplication facts. The are also very anxious about there up and coming First Communion that is on May 7^th.

^{Until the end of the year we will be preparing for the First Communion. They will also be going on a class field trip May 11. All of the kids will be participating in the track and field day at the end of the year. The are also studying our government. We are still trying to get those Multiplication facts down.}                             

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  5, 4, 3, 2, 1! The 3^rd graders are counting down the days until school is out. They are very excited about the upcoming events that are going to take place, especially the track meet. Also, they are going to be going to a Kansas Kids Fitness Day in Topeka. On top of all of that, they are taking a class field trip and have a music program coming up.

Now, I will tell you what they have done since Christmas. About a week ago, they took class pictures and are still doing the Great Mail Race. But, further back, they made a quilt for the auction, served for Ash Wednesday, and had a spelling bee. Also, they had a lock down drill, Catholic Schools Week, and Spring Break. Most importantly, they took State Assessments and did very well.

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    Since Christmas the 4^th grade has been studying pronouns and descriptive writing in English. The 5^th grade had been studying energy and motion in Science Also, the 5^th grade went on the annual visit to the Shrine Circus on Friday, April 21^st in Salina. Both of the classes have been preparing for State Assessments. They had a State Assessment “fun day” and played games to review along with taking many practice tests on the computer. For Easter they had an Easter “Sundae” party. To contribute to the auction they made a CD which they practiced for and recorded on the computer. In math they made geometry posters to learn transformations.
 
    The kids cannot wait until the end of the year. The 4^th grade will be reading the book Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing. The 5^th grade is reading the book The Secret Garden. Along with the 3^rd grade the two classes will be going on their field trip to the Homestead National Monument in Beatrice on May 15^th.

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 See the fourth grade story.

Reading
    So far in reading the 6^th grade has been reading out of their textbooks. To go along with the stories they have been doing worksheets and answering questions. The reading unit they are on is called “Reach Out.” All of the stories are based on this central theme. They have also been spending a long f time preparing for the Christmas play. For the play Mrs. Baker needs elf and Santa hats. If you have any she asks that you please send them to school with your name on it.
    In December they will finish Unit 2. At the end of the unit they will be having a big vocabulary test. To study they will use flashcards that they have been making throughout the unit. They will begin Unit 3, “Proving Yourself.” This will be a good time to discuss ways in which the students can prove themselves in a positive way.

English
     In November the 6^th grade have learned about “How to articles” and pronouns. How to articles teach us how to do something. We discussed different examples and wrote a few short articles ourselves. Pronouns are words that take the place of nouns. Examples of pronouns are he, she, it, they, us, ourselves, myself, and herself.
    In December they will begin studying descriptive writing and adjectives. Adjectives are describing words. In writing descriptive papers using adjectives is very important. The reader of your paper should be able to “see” the object without seeing it. In writing we should try to use words that appeal to the 5 senses. They will write short descriptive pieces and play games to guess what the student is describing. This is when the kids can use their creativity. 

Math
    In math the 6^th grade has been working on decimal numbers, expanded notation, dividing decimal numbers by whole numbers, and simplifying and comparing decimal numbers. They have also been working on the powers of ten.
    In December they will be studying circles, mixed numbers, and more decimal work. They will learn about circumference and area of a circle.

Geography
    In geography the 6^th grade had been studying water climate, vegetation, and landforms. For the most part they have been studying the earth in general.
     In December they will be learning about people, different cultures, and different customs. They will be studying a lot about North America and the land and people living there.


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Reading                                                                                                           

Since Christmas the 7^th graders have been working in their textbooks. They also read the Wringer, by Jerry Spinelli. They did a lot of work to prepare for the state assessment. The kids did a good job and stayed focused for the 3 days of testing.
English

            They studied descriptive writing. We also spent a lot of time studying participles, gerunds, and infinitives. They also did a lot to review on similes, metaphors, idioms, hyperbole, and persuasive writing.
Reading

            Until the end of the year they will continue reading their textbook. They’re last book promotion is due May 9, 2006. They will begin the trade book project. The students get to create a unit for a trade book.
English
         They will continue in our textbook. They will study sentences and correct sentence form and punctuation. They will also study creative writing.

The major project in English will be a current events project. The students will need to write a paper on a current events problem. They also will need to watch the news on the topic.
          
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    The eighth graders have been very busy in the past months and will be busy until the end of the year. In the past months the 8^th grade has continued to work in their textbooks.  They also read  The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton. After they completed that book the class watched the video. The eighth graders enjoyed this book. Their last book promotions are due on May 8, 2006 and it is a biography promotion. In English the eighth grade studied different types of reading. The class studied words for state assessments. They also studied verbs and different tenses. 

       In Math the eighth grade has been doing math lessons over combining like terms, triangle angles, and the distributive property. In History, the class has been watching a movie called, “Schindler’s List”. 

       At end of the year in Reading, the 8^th graders will finish work in their textbook. They will work on their yearbook too. In English the eighth grade will be doing a research paper and will study the correct way to cite information. The class will also write their own play and they’ll act it out too. 

       In Math, The eighth grade will be taking a local assessment and will be doing math lessons. In History the class will be writing Schindler’s List papers. 

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