Sunday, March 27, 2011

Week of March 28 - April 1

Announcements for this Week:

Gateway to Art
Our next Gateway to Art session will be on Tuesday, March 29 at 1:30 PM in the Art Room. If you are interested in volunteering to assist with the project, please contact Mrs. Pedroza and plan to arrive at 1:00 PM to help with set-up.

March Awards Assembly
The Awards Assembly for March will take place on Thursday, March 31 at 8:00 AM on the Backyard.

Tardy Policy
Due to a recent surge in tardiness, the administrators have decided to modify the Tardy Policy for the remainder of the school year. This revised policy will go into effect on Friday, April 1. From that point on, when students accumulate THREE tardies, they will have to serve a Morning Detention. The Detention will be served the following Thursday at 7:10 AM.

Please remember that on Mass Days (every Friday, except when otherwise noted on the calendar), the arrival time for students is 7:45 AM. Students arriving later than 7:45 AM on a Mass Day will be considered tardy.

Reading Logs and Card Calendars
The March Reading Logs and Behavior Card Calendars will be collected on Friday, April 1. Please be sure that your students have these materials in their Homework Folders on Friday. Students will be issued new Calendars and Reading Logs for the month of April. These materials should be kept in the Homework Folder at all times.

Our Star of the Week is: Indigo Mapa

Curriculum Update:
Reading: Transportation, Comprehension Skill: Fact and Opinion
Phonics: Schwa Sound (Unstressed Syllables), Sound of "ue" as in "blue"
Math: Money, Coin Values, Counting Coins, Comparing Amounts, and
           Making Change
           (penny, nickel, dime, quarter, half dollar, change)
Religion: Chapter 18: We Listen and Pray (ambo, Bible, Gospel, homily)
English: Proper Nouns and Abbreviations
Social Studies: Unit 5: America's Past, Lesson 1: First Americans (history)
Science: Life Cycle of a Butterfly, Observation and Reflection

Looking Ahead:

Fundraisers for Japan
The week of April 4 - 8 has been designated as a week of charity for the people suffering in Japan. The Student Council has initiated this week of fundraisers, and the students have some great ideas about how to motivate the school community to raise money for the Japanese people affected by the recent natural disasters. One such is the "Pajamas for Japan" Day, set to take place on Thursday, April 7. On this special day, students can donate $2.00 to wear their pajamas to school. (Since this will be a P.E. day for us, please be sure that students are wearing appropriate shoes to school with their PJs. I will need to check with Mrs. Childs and Mrs. Klasila about whether students should bring their P.E. uniforms to change into for that part of the day.)

More information about fundraisers for the week will be forthcoming!

Lenten Confession
On Tuesday, April 5, students who have made their First Reconciliation, will be invited to meet with Father Samuel for confession and penance in the spirit of the Lenten season.

Anticipating Holy Week
We will have a special school Mass on Thursday, April 14 at 11:15 AM as we prepare as a parish community for Holy Week. Students should be reminded to wear their regular dress uniform on days that we celebrate Mass together. We will not have P.E. on that day, and P.E. uniforms should not be worn. This special Mass will take the place of our usual Friday Mass for that week.

On a personal note, this will be the Mass at which I celebrate my First Communion and complete my full initiation into the Catholic Church. I am very excited to be celebrating these Sacraments with the school community, and I would welcome any second grade families who are able to take part in the Mass with us on this special day.

Tea and Tour
On Friday, April 15, St. Jerome School will be hosting a Tea and Tour of the school campus for prospective families from 9:00 - 11:00 AM. If you are interested in assisting with the preparation or volunteering on the day of the event, please contact Mrs. Heppell.

Homework for This Week:

Monday
Practice Book pp. 117 - 118
ABC Spelling Words
Math pp. 81 - 82
English p. 39

Tuesday - Gateway to Art
Practice Book p. 124
Spelling Clues
Math p. 83
English p. 40

Wednesday
Practice Book p. 130
Spelling Words 3 Xs
Math p. 84
English Worksheet

Thursday - Assembly
Spelling Scramble
Math pp. 85 - 86
Social Studies p. 33
Study for Spelling and Phonics Test

Friday - Mass, Spelling and Phonics Test, Reading Logs Due!

Spelling Words:

after
brother
flower
over
sister
summer

course
hear
things
which
years

glue
statue

Dictation Sentence:

Sue's brother broke his mother's statue and had to glue it back together.

Monday, March 21, 2011

Week of March 21 - 25

Announcements for this Week:

Run for Bucks Make-Up
The Run for Bucks Make-Up Run will take place on Tuesday, March 22 at Lunchtime. Since it will be on a Tuesday, our students should already be wearing P.E. uniforms and appropriate running shoes.

Portals to Science
Our next Portals to Science session will be on Wednesday, March 23 at 2:00 PM in the Science Lab.

Spaghetti and Bingo Night
The Eighth Grade is hosting a night of food and fun on Saturday evening. Tickets for the Spaghetti Dinner can be purchased at a cost of $7. There will also be a Dessert Bar and Bingo Cards available. Proceeds will benefit the Class of 2011 Graduation Ceremony.

Our Star of the Week is: Kevin Antoine

Curriculum Update:
Reading: America's Past, Comprehension Skill: Character
Phonics: Schwa Sound (Unstressed Syllable), -s and -es Plurals
Math: Making Tables, Story Problems, Review, Chapter 5 Test Friday
Religion: Chapter 17, Jesus Invites Us
Science: Life Cycles Review, Chapter 4 Test Thursday

Looking Ahead:

Gateway to Art
Our next Gateway to Art session has been rescheduled for Tuesday, March 29 at 1:30 PM in the Art Room.

March Awards Assembly
The Awards Assembly for March will take place on Thursday, March 31 at 8:00 AM on the Backyard.

Homework for this Week:

Monday
No School

Tuesday
Practice Book pp. 101 - 102
Math p. 67
Spelling Scramble
Science Vocabulary Review

Wednesday
Practice Book p. 108
Math p. 68
Spelling Sentences
Study for Science Test
     -Chapter 4: How Living Things Grow and Change
     -Science Book pp. 97 - 127
     -Chapter Review pp. 126 - 127
     -Study Vocabulary and Life Cycles of Various Living Things
     -Think about Similarities and Differences between their Life Cycles
     -Use Homework to review Main Ideas

Thursday - Science Test
Practice Book p. 114
Math Review Sheet
Rainbow Spelling Words
Study for Spelling and Math Tests
     -Math Chapter 5: Subtraction
     -Finding Differences (with and without regrouping)
     -Rewriting Subtraction Sentences
     -Estimating Differences
     -Adding to Check
     -Chain Operations
     -Making and Using Tables
     -Story Problems

Friday - Spelling and Math Tests

Spelling Words:

blouse
blouses
place
places
race
races

behind
only
sure
upon
word

people
apple

Dictation Sentence:

Mary and Laura wore purple blouses with red apples upon them.

Sunday, March 13, 2011

Week of March 14 - 18

Announcements for this Week:

Spring Pictures
On Monday, March 14, Bartolo Photography will be on campus for Spring Picture Day. These portraits are optional, and students will not be required to wear their uniforms for the pictures. On Friday, Sister Judy announced that students may wear their portrait attire all day on Monday.

Report Cards
The Second Trimester Report Cards will be sent home on Tuesday, March 15 in the Family Envelopes. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact me by phone or email.

St. Patrick's Day Mass
On Thursday, March 17 at 11:15 AM, we will celebrate a school Mass in honor of St. Patrick and St. Joseph. Please be sure that students wear their dress uniforms to school on Thursday. They will not have P.E. this Thursday.

Religious Education Congress
There will be NO SCHOOL on Friday, March 18 and Monday, March 21 as the St. Jerome faculty and staff attend the Religious Education Conference in Anaheim for professional development.

There will be no Star of the Week this week!
Next week's Star Student will be: Kevin Antoine

Curriculum Update:
Reading: Unit 4: All Aboard! What can we learn by traveling?
                 Topic: Space, Comprehension Skill: Main Idea and Details
Phonics: Short U Sound spelled "ou", Multisyllabic Words
Math: Order of Operations, Story Problems, Making a Table
Religion: Chapter 17, Jesus Invites Us (altar, genuflect)
Social Studies: Unit 3 Review and Assessment
Science: Plant Life Cycles, Human Life Cycles

Looking Ahead:

Portals to Science
Our next Portals to Science session is scheduled for Wednesday, March 23 at 2:00 PM.

Gateway to Art
The Gateway to Art project for this month has been rescheduled for Tuesday, March 29 at 1:30 PM.

Awards Assembly
The March Awards Assembly will be held on Thursday, March 31 at 8:00 AM on the Backyard.

Homework for this Week:

Monday
Practice Book p. 85 - 86
Math p. 64
Spelling ABC Order
Science p. 49A

Tuesday
Practice Book p. 93
Math p. 65
Spelling 3 Xs
Social Studies Review
Study for Social Studies Test
     -Unit 3: p. 112 - 147
     -Unit Review: p. 152 - 154
     -Study Vocabulary and Main Ideas
     -Use Reading Guides and Homework to Review

Wednesday - Social Studies Test
Practice Book p. 98
Math p. 66
Spelling Sentences
Travel Paragraph

Thursday - St. Patrick's Day Mass at 11:15 AM
Spelling and Phonics Test
Vocabulary and Comprehension Quiz

Friday
No School

Spelling Words

camera
suddenly
carry
follow
lesson
pretty

began
Earth
ever
remember
try

cousin
double

Dictation Sentence

My cousin began using her camera to take pretty pictures all over the Earth.

Sunday, March 6, 2011

Week of March 7 - 11

Announcements for this Week:

My Family Timeline
The Family Timeline project is due on Monday, March 7. Students will present their timelines to the class this week. I hope that this project provided an opportunity to students to learn more about their families and their cultures. I am really looking forward to finding out what they discovered about their family backgrounds.

Ash Wednesday
There will be a special Mass on Wednesday, March 9 at 8:00 AM as we join St. Jerome Parish in celebrating Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent. Parents are welcome to join us for Mass on Wednesday morning. This will take the place of our usual Friday Mass for this week.

Green Theme Dollar Day
On Friday, March 11, the Student Council will be sponsoring a Green Theme Dollar Day. Students may donate $1 for one piece of non-uniform apparel or $2 for two non-uniform items. Students are encouraged to wear St. Patrick's Day Green for their non-uniform choices.

Our Star of the Week is: Ifeoma Chukwura

Curriculum Update:
Reading: Unit 4 Assessment, Review Comprehension Skills
               (Steps in a Process, Plot, Theme, and Making Judgments)
Phonics: Unit 4 Assessment, Review Sound Spellings from this Unit)
               (Long e spelled ee and ea, Short e spelled ea, /oi/ spelled oi and oy,
                /aw/ spelled a, au, al, aw, and ough, Silent Consonants,
                -ly, -ful, -er suffixes)
Math: Two-Digit Subtraction with Regrouping, Estimating, Adding to Check
Religion: Celebrating God's Love (Passover, Last Supper, sacrifice)
English: Rhymes and Poetry, Unit 4 Test
Social Studies: America's Symbols and Holidays
                       (President, landmark, monument, memorial, 
                        national holiday, religious holiday)
Science: Animal and Plant Life Cycles (seed coat, germinate, seedling)

Looking Ahead

Spring Pictures
On Monday, March 14, Bartolo Photography will be on campus for Spring Picture Day. These portraits are optional, and students will not be required to wear their uniforms for the pictures. They may change into their portrait attire when they are called for their photos. Spring Picture Day Information and Order Forms will be sent home shortly.

Report Cards
The Second Trimester Report Cards will be sent home on Tuesday, March 15 in the Family Envelopes. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact me as soon as possible.

St. Patrick's Day Mass
On Thursday, March 17, at 11:15 AM, we will celebrate a special school Mass in honor of St. Patrick. Please make sure students wear their regular dress uniforms to Mass. They will not have P.E. on Thursday this week.

Religious Education Conference
There will be no school on Friday, March 18 and Monday, March 21 as the St. Jerome faculty and staff attend the 2011 Religious Education Conference in Anaheim.

Homework for this Week:

Monday
Phonics Review Sheet
Reading Comprehension p. 20 - 21
Math p. 60
Social Studies p. 20

Tuesday
Reading Comprehension p. 24 - 25
Math p. 61
Social Studies p. 21
English p. 36

Wednesday - Ash Wednesday Mass at 8:00 AM
Suffix Review Sheet
Reading Comprehension p. 32 - 33
Math p. 62
Science p. 47A

Thursday
Reading Comprehension p. 44 - 45
Math p. 63
Science p. 48A
English Review Sheet
Study for English Test
     -Unit 4: Adjectives (pp. 126 - 135, 146 - 147)
     -Optional Review (pp. 160 - 161)

Friday
English Test

No Spelling Words or Dictation Sentence This Week