The Exercise is coming!!!!!

We will be taking a Religion Exercise on Thursday.  Woohoo!  We will be reviewing the Chapter 11 today.  Other than that, Math exercise today and Friday.

Busy! Busy! Busy!

This week is going to be filled with joy, laughter and..... oh, who am I kidding.  We are going to be working hard the next few weeks.  We have a bunch of stuff yet to cover.  I am jumping to the Civil War in Social Studies.  It is a huge unit that must be covered.  I have some videos, but they are - shall I say - boring.  If you have any at home that we could borrow, I would be most appreciative.

Sherlock:  I promise I will start that this week.  It is a fun lesson that really gets them to sleuthing!  This lesson will be a combination of reading a few stories and then really diving into The Red Headed League.

Shakespeare is ramping up.  The play is in 8 DAYS!!!!!!  Yes!  PANIC!  I would enjoy some company!  The kids are doing great.  Most have their lines memorized.  It is always amazing how well the little actors do on stage.

What other important stuff is there?  Oh, the art show.  That is this Friday night!  Remember your baret, scarf and haute attitude!  Luuuuuvvvvv you dawling!  Tah tah for now!

Holy Week.

Really?  Holy Week?  hmmmm, what does that mean?  EASTER BREAK!!!!  Woohooo!!!!!  uhum.  Well, I might be a little excited.  Not as much as your children, but I am excited.

This week we will only have a math exercise.  We will go over Holy Week in Religion.  History we will wrap up England and the Glorious Revolution.  Please encourage your children to study for the exercise over the break.  I want to take the exercise on the Wednesday we get back.  I know.  I am a kill-joy.  Sorry.  At least it will give them something to do.  (There is always a bright side.)

Sixth grade will continue work on the French Revolution.  I have some Learning Masters for supplemental work in class.  Seventh grade is quickly approaching World War II.  From boom to bust followed by the introduction of Hitler.

Oh!  I almost forgot!  Report Cards will go home on Holy Thursday.

What's on deck for this week.

This week will be a busy one for the fifth graders.They have a quiz in science on seeds tomorrow.  Two math exercises - one on Tuesday and one on Friday.  Vocabulary exercise on Thursday.  We will have a pre-exercise on Wednesday.  Encourage your children to start studying NOW.  Social Studies this unit is all about England.  We will read, discuss, and take notes in class as well as complete review questions and learning masters.  These are all tool designed to help you child understand and retain the information presented.  PLEASE help them by asking questions on what they have read, what they understandand where they might be confused.  Have them bring in their questions and we will discuss.  They will not be the only one with questions.  Please reinforce this mind set.

I will begin showing "Jesus Christ Superstar" this week.  It should take about three showings to complete.  I plan on having a mini Socratic Seminar with them discussing some of the issues presented and the questions that are always raised.

Auditions for Shakespeare are going well.  We have a huge talent pool this year.  We have lots of budding actors that far exceed our ability to cast.  We will do our best to include all who want to participate.  Please reinforce the idea that not everyone can be Caesar!  Also, that selection of actors is purely based on who exhibits the best skills during the auditions and nothing more.  It is not a popularity contest or favoritism.  Mrs. Valenti-Turskey and I are having a difficult time culling through all the talent this year.  Pray for us.

Sixth and Seventh:  Sixth grade has just begun "The French Revolution."  I am searching for some videos on the revolution as a help in reviewing the material.  If anyone has or knows of some good videos out there, please let me know.  Seventh grade we will be covering the Great Depression and then entering into World War II.  Oh what fun!

I look forward to a wonderful week.

It's been a while.

Sorry.

Here we go again!  No sense covering the past, so lets look ahead.  In the Fifth grade we are taking our Unit Assessment on The Reformation tomorrow.  England and the Glorious Revolution is up next.  A new queen, a new night, and a new government are unveiled for the whole world to see. Sherlock Holmes' mysteries will baffle the class for the next couple weeks.  We will delve deeply into Sir Arthur Conan Doyle twisted web of hidden clues.  English is progressing well with Mrs. Valenti-Turskey.  Ms. McQuade has planted seeds of curiosity in the fifth grade as well.  Also, remember to encourage your child to read twenty minutes a day!  What ever book they want!

Lets turn the focus onto the sixth grade.  We have just completed the Age of Enlightenment and are taking up arms with the French in the French Revolution!  Viva Liberte! (I that how you spell it?)

As for the Seventh Grade, we are plodding through changes in the American psyche and trying to understand how we go from "Roaring" to starving then on to war.  A lot can happen in thirty years.

That is all for now.   Check in later for more information.

Ho! Ho! Ho! So much to do!

As promised, this week is full of stuff to do.  Pageant practice, 5th Grade's all school mass practice, Secret Santa, and....one more thing?  What is it?  Its on the tip of my tongue!  That's right!  School!

My schedule has been shot full of holes.  The only thing I know for sure is that we will be having our Maya, Aztec, and Inca Unit Exercise tomorrow.  Also, we will have a Math exercise on Thursday.  Yeah!  It will be a blast for all.

If you have any questions, you can always call someone who cares. Mr Saavedra.  Mrs. Covey.  Florence Nightingale.  And of Course, Bob Barker.  If you are really desperate, go ahead and give me a jingle.  (Get it?  A "jingle?"  Christmas?  jingle Bells?  I crack me up!)

Seventh Grade Social studies has been "postponed" by Christmas activities for this week.  We will meet on Thursday to get back into the swing of World War I.  as for the Sixth graders I will see them twice this week:  Today and Thursday.  No exercises.  Just reading and reviewing and annotating.

TAKE CARE ALL!

Change! Glorious Change!

Well, I knew it would happen.  I need to change my plans on Exercises.  Here they are:

First, we will be taking the Religion Exercise on ADVENT Thursday, tomorrow.  No Vocabulary this week.  Social Studies will be pushed to Friday - With a slight chance to move it to Monday.  If I feel the kids are not ready, we will not take it on Friday.  Fair?

Thanks for your patience.