Saint Ann School News

KINDERGARTEN NEWS
May 14-18, 2012

Dear Kindergarten Families,

I hope everyone had a wonderful Mother’s Day! Thank you to everyone for attending the Mother’s Day breakfast on Friday. Students were excited to sing songs and read their books to you! Please see me asap if I haven’t taken your picture with your child yet!!!
Thank you SO MUCH for the delicious taco lunch last Wednesday. All the teachers enjoyed it! We would also like to thank Irma’s aunt for donating the taco bowls for the lunch.
THANK YOUS also go out to Felipe Jauregui, Temple Kelly, Lisa Williams and Ricky Lugo for helping with our K Hot Lunch last Thursday. We have another K Hot Lunch this Wednesday. A sign up is on the white board, on the classroom door. Thank you again and again for your continued support !
THANK YOU also for coming to the ice cream social last Tuesday. The students had fun performing their songs.
We finally released our butterflies and ladybugs before Mass on Friday. Students enjoyed seeing them fly away and be FREE !
May 16 will be the last day to check out books on student’s library day.
This Friday, May 18 will be the crowning of Mary at 8:15a.m. Mass. Please come and join us.
With this warm weather students are THIRSTY! Please make sure to send 2 water bottles with your child. I have been having them take quick drinks throughout the day to keep hydrated.
Big HAPPY BIRTHDAY wishes go out to B who turns 6 on May 19!

Have a wonderful week and God Bless! Belia Chávez

This is what we’ll be working on this week in Kindergarten:

Language Arts: We will work on reading, listening to syllables, sound blending and listening for beginning, middle and ending sounds. We will be polishing our skills and I will begin testing. We will also continue writing in our writing journals. We will be reviewing ALL of our high frequency words. Our Decodable is #23: Jake and Quin.

Math: We will end our chapter on subtraction and take our test on Tuesday. We will begin chapter 9 which deals with geometric shapes and fractions.

Religion: This week, we will learn about being a good neighbor as well as the importance of taking care of ourselves. We will be talking about how our lives are gifts from God. We will do a decade of the rosary as a class everyday. On Wednesday we will pray the rosary in the Grotto at 7:30a.m. You are welcome to join us.

Science: We will finally begin our ecosystem book. We will also be learning about different animals you would find in the zoo. We will make our own small zoo!

Social Science: We will continue to talk about community workers and what they do. We will then talk about what they want to be when they grow up.

P.E: We will run, ride the plasma cars, jump rope, hula hoop, etc.

Our Students of the Week are:
B W and S K!

P.S. Make sure to check your child’s homework packet after I have checked it and sent it back home. Sometimes I make comments on the papers, and other times you will see where and why I have made corrections. If the homework is incomplete, I will also note that and ask that the student complete the homework and turn it back in again. Thanks for making sure your children complete their homework every week. I truly believe the help you give them at home helps the kids to be more successful students in the classroom.

KINDERGARTEN NEWS
May 7-11, 2012

Dear Kindergarten Families,

Thank you for attending our cinco de mayo mini performance. I truly hope you enjoyed it. The students had a wonderful time working together and celebrating the Battle of Puebla! I would also like to apologize to anyone who missed the student’s mini performance on Friday. They will be performing again at the Senior Luncheon on May 24 along with another song. BIG THANK YOUS also go out to Caroline Eisenbraun for preparing our delicious meal and to Temple Kelly for the waters and napkins! The students enjoyed it all!!! BIG THANK YOUS also go out to Siena Martin, Ann Taylor and Charles Williams for helping get the students ready for their performance. They were the reason for why we were ready on time !
More THANK YOUS go out to Temple Kelly, Caroline Eisenbraun and Sara Spindler for helping with our K Hot Lunch last week. This Thursday, May 10 is another K Hot Lunch. We are in need of help! If you are able to help, please sign up on the whiteboard on the classroom door. THANK YOU for your continued support. I am not able to do all that I do without you!
Students’ work last week was AMAZING! They were truly giving me 1st grade work! Thank you for your support with this. I can’t believe they are 25 days closer to being big 1st graders!!
All of our butterflies have come out of their chrysalises. We noticed that every time students left the room, a butterfly would come out of its chrysalis. On Friday, during our morning centers, students helped each other stay quiet and focused. Due to this, they were able to witness the forth butterfly come out of its chrysalis. It was an amazing experience, which I’m sure they will never forget!
We are inviting our Kindergarten Mothers to the classroom for some muffins, coffee/ tea/ juice/ water, reading and a song at 7a.m. On Friday, May 11. I will also be taking a picture of you with your child. If you are unable to attend that morning, please let me know because I still need to take the picture .
I am sending out a small statue of Mary with prayers in a plastic box. Please do the prayers as a family and return the following day. I will be sending it home with a new family daily. More information will be enclosed in the box. If you would like to decorate the box please let me know!

Have a wonderful week and God Bless! Belia Chávez

This is what we’ll be working on this week in Kindergarten:

Language Arts: We will work in our unit “Windy Days” in Open Court. We will work on phoneme blending: final sounds, listening for initial, medial, and final sounds, pronouns and reading words to complete a sentence correctly. We will also work in our writing journals. We are reviewing ALL sounds. We are reviewing ALL high frequency words. Our Decodable is #22: A Box.

Math: We will continue Chapter 8, which deals with subtraction. I am teaching students subtraction using manipulatives such as cubes, fingers and number line. Please practice having your child doing subtraction and addition problems. When looking at a problem have your child explain what they need to do. With subtraction they are taking away from a group, while in addition they are putting two groups together.

Religion: This week, we will learn about how we show our Love for God. We will also pray the rosary. Please come and join us on Wednesday at the Grotto at 7:30a.m. as we pray the rosary together. Join us on Friday, May 11 for school Mass at 8:15a.m.

Science: We will continue observing our butterflies and ladybugs. We will also begin working on our Ecosystem book.

Social Science: We will look at our community and different jobs that people have. Please talk to your child about your own profession. Why did you choose to go into your field of work, etc.? Let me know if you would like to come in and share what you do with the class. Props are always great too:)!

P.E: We will run, stretch, jump rope, hula hoops, dribble, etc.

Our Students of the Week are:
A R and B M!

Tuesday: High Frequency Spelling Test; Recorder
Wednesday: Library Book; Incorrect Words from Pre-Test 34 written 3 times each; Mission Report Due
Thursday: Recorder
Friday: Spelling Con. Test 34
Next Monday: Spelling Con. Unit 35 Pre-Test

Mission Report Due Dates
May 16th – Final Report Due
*For students whom I am meeting with today and tomorrow, their final report will be due by Tuesday, May 22.
Project and Oral Presentation Due: May 29th #2-7; May 30th #8-13; May 31st #14-19; June 1st #20-25

Mission Report
A title page, bibliography and table of contents must also be included. Your child has created a table of contents that is only missing the page numbers. The title page located in your child’s yellow folder may be used as well. If your child would like to create their own title page, they may do so. It needs to have their name, date, and mission stated. Your child’s yellow folder contains many different resources that may have been in the Purple folder. Please enter the name of the Mission in the series by Mary Null Boulé in your child’s bibliography page. If your child’s report is typed, it needs to be typed in Times New Roman with a 12 pt. font.

Rough Drafts, Purple Folders, and Yellow Folders with Notes must be handed in with the Final Report. I will expect to see the changes that are indicated on the rough drafts.

Math
Group T & N will continue to combine fraction concepts when they add and subtract like and unlike fractions.
Group M needs work on understanding the definition of vocabulary terms: range, mean, median, mode, and outliers. The focus for this week is on making predictions, representing outcomes, and using data and probability to solve word problems.

Social Studies
We will be learning about the education system, the uniqueness of our state, the United States Constitution, and CA’s Constitution. The letter about the Walk Thru program went home last Tuesday – if you need another copy, let me know.

Religion
The students will discover the different ways that the Catholic Church prays.

Science
Students will start learning about magnetism.

Thanks for all you do!

Mrs. Lloyd

Tuesday: High Frequency Spelling Test
Wednesday: Library Book; Incorrect Words from Pre-Test 33 written 3 times each
Thursday: Recorder; Spelling Con Workbook 33
Friday: Religion Quiz; Spelling Con Test 33

Mission Report Due Dates
May 16th – Final Report Due
Project and Oral Presentation Due: May 29th #2-7; May 30th #8-13; May 31st #14-19; June 1st #20-25

Mission Report
I will have met with everyone by Wednesday. Some of the students are still working on parts of their rough draft. I will make sure that I have time throughout the week to meet with them. Rough Drafts, Yellow Folders with Notes, and Purple Folders must be handed in with the Final Report due on May 16th. I will expect to see the changes that are indicated on the rough drafts.

Science
The students will be learning about fossil fuels and the rock cycle. We will also be starting Unit D on magnetism and electricity.

Social Studies
Students will finish learning about twentieth century industries in CA.

Religion
The students will discover how the Seventh, Eighth, and Tenth Commandments teach us how to live as Jesus taught. The test is on Friday.

Math
The focus for Group T & N is on tying what we have been learning about fractions together. A small test will be announced in your child’s planner.
Group M will continue to work with probability and statistics.

Ice Cream Social
Come to the ice cream social on Tuesday, May 8th at 6:30 pm.

Basketball Uniform Return: Please return your clean basketball jersey and shorts this week. Thank you.
Coaches’ Gifts Donation – If you have not yet had a chance to donate for the coaches’ gifts, please feel free to do so by tomorrow

Spaghetti Lunch
This Friday, May 11th, is our last Spaghetti lunch. We will be having a bake sale as well.

Science Center
We will be going to the CA Science Center on Thursday, May 10th. We will be traveling in private vehicles. Drivers, please turn in your gas receipts so that you can be reimburse you for your driving expenses. The permission slip is enclosed – please sign & return it tomorrow!

Walk Thru America Program
Information for Walk Thru America will be going home tomorrow. Please make sure that your child gives the info to you.

Thanks You,
Mrs. Lloyd

Tuesday: High Frequency Spelling Test 92
Wednesday: Library Book; Incorrect Words from Pre-Test 32 written 3 times each
Thursday: Bring Recorder; Spelling Con Workbook 32
Friday: Rough Draft Mission Report Secularization & Today; Religion Quiz Ch. 22; Spelling Con Test 32

Mission Report Due Dates
Double Space Rough Drafts
May 4th – Rough Draft Your Mission (Secularization & Today)
May 16th – Final Report Due
Project and Oral Presentation Due: May 29th #2-7; May 30th #8-13; May 31st #14-19; June 1st #20-25

Religion
This week we will discover how the Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, and Ninth Commandments teach us to live as Jesus taught.

Science
We will finish studying the rock cycle including the three types of rocks: igneous, metamorphic and sedimentary.

Math
Group T will spend the week reviewing what they have learned about fractions. They will have a test, but the test will be announced in their planner. The students need to have a better grasp of simplifying, adding, and subtracting fractions before they take the test.
Group M will be starting Ch. 9 on probability and statistics.
Group N will be focusing on simplifying, adding, and subtracting fractions.

Social Studies
We will discover what CA’s role and industries were in the twentieth century.

Mission Report
I will be meeting with the last few students today and Tuesday to go over their first rough drafts. If your child is having a difficult time finding information on a particular category or for ten paragraphs let me know and I will help them out. I am also available to work with students after school.

Up-Coming Events
• May 10th CA Science Center – This will be an all day event. I will be sending home permission slips in next week’s Monday Envelope. We will be traveling in private vehicles. I will be calling all of our parent volunteers today.
• June 1st Walk thru America – 4th & 5th grade will be participating in the Walk Thru America program. Your child will be receiving a part that he/she will have to memorize. You are invited to attend and watch your child perform. The program lasts for 2.5 hours. Fifth grade will be starting at 9:30 AM, as soon as Mass is over. Fourth grade will be starting at 1:30 PM and ending at 3:30 PM.
• June 4th is our Penny Pool swim party. We will need chaperones to walk and watch us from 12:00 noon to 2:30 PM.

Enclosed are the brackets for our up-coming basketball tournament. Our teams play on Thursday (girls at 5:30 PM; boys at 6:30 PM). If the girls win, they play again on Saturday at 9:00 AM. If the boys win, they play again on Saturday at noon. Please come and cheer on our teams!

Girls’ Team Photo – all 5th/4th Gr basketball players – please bring jersey/shorts this THURSDAY . . . Miss Rossi will be re-taking our team photo at lunch.

We’re in our final month and the year has just flown by. I would like to thank you for all of your hard work this year. The programs that we participate in are very costly and due to your hard work and time we have been able to pay for all of our programs this year. We have one spaghetti lunch left. The money from this lunch will be going to our end of the year scrap booking, luau party. Please sign up on the enclosed sheet.

Thank You,
Mrs. Lloyd

Tuesday: High Frequency List # 90 Spelling Test
Wednesday: Library Book; Incorrect Words from Pre-Test 31 written 3 times
Thursday: Spelling Con Workbook 31; Recorder & Music Book
Friday: GM: Math Ch. 8 Test; Religion Test Ch. 21; Spelling Con Test 31
Next Monday: Spelling Con Pre-Test 32

Mission Report
I will continue to meet with students this week to go over their rough drafts. Please continue working on the second rough draft, (secularization and today).

Religion
Students will discover how the first three Commandments teach us to love God as he deserves. I still have students who have not memorized the Beatitudes. The students who have not made an attempt to say them have 0/18 pts.

Math
Group M will be finishing Ch. 8 and their test will be on Friday.
Group T is struggling with simplifying fractions. All answers must be simplified. Please check your child’s homework to catch any mistakes that they are making. The goal for the week is to be able to recognize the common factors between the numerator and the denominator so that simplifying a fraction is easier to do.
Group N is focusing on equivalent fractions, improper fractions, mixed numbers, and simplifying fractions.

Science
The focus for this week is on how rocks are classified.

Social Studies
Students will discover how the arrival of so many different people affected our state.

Riley’s Farm Parent Chaperones
I would like to thank all of our chaperones for coming with us to Riley’s Farm. I need all of our parent drivers to turn in their gas receipts for reimbursement. Please turn in your receipts, our class can afford it!

Spaghetti Lunch
This Friday, April 27th, is our Spaghetti lunch. We will be having a bake sale as well.

Thank-you,

Mrs. Lloyd

Tuesday: High Frequency Spelling Test #89
Wednesday: Library Book; Incorrect Words from Pre-Test 30 written 3 times
Thursday: Recorder; Spelling Connection Workbook 30; Spelling Connection Test 30
Friday: Riley’s Farm

Math
Group M will be learning about the relationship between fractions and decimals.
Group T will compare and order fractions, write mixed numbers, and choose how to write a quotient.
Group N will represent fractions as a part of a whole, identify fractional parts of a number, and model equivalent fractions.

LA
Reading: The students will start reading the book, Dear Mr. Henshaw.
Writing: Students will continue to take mission notes and work on writing their second rough draft. During the week they will be meeting with me individually to go over their first rough draft.
Grammar: The students will be focusing on verb tenses, subject-verb agreement, irregular verbs, and demonstrative and reflexive pronouns.

Field Trips
On Friday, April 20th, we will be going to Riley’s Farm. We will be leaving the school at 6:15 am. Please have your child here by 6:00 am so that we can do attendance and load the vehicles. We will be leaving Riley’s Farm at 2:00 pm and we expect to be back by 5:00 pm. Please have your phone with you from 4:30 pm on. You will receive a phone call if your child will be arriving earlier or later than expected. If you receive no phone call then your child is on time and you need to be at the school by 5:00 pm.

Social Studies
Students will focus on how the Gold Rush changed CA’s economy.

Spaghetti Lunch
Friday, April 27th is our next spaghetti lunch and we definitely need volunteers. Please sign up below for the times that you can work.

Science/Health
This week’s focus is on how Earth’s major ecosystems differ.

Religion
Students will discover the story of the Exodus and its meaning for the life of God’s people.

Classroom Help
The students and I need help this week in the mornings during our Language Arts period. During this time period I will be meeting with students individually. We need interested adults to help students with finding information, taking notes, and writing the second draft of their mission report. If you are interested please sign up below.

Thank you for all of your support,
Mrs. Lloyd

Week of May 14, 2012 – Fifth Grade Newsletter

Dear parents and students,

Congratulations to Ryan on his first Holy Communion this weekend. What a blessed occasion!
We had a wonderful day at the California Science Museum thanks to the parents serving as incredible chaperones and drivers and delivering and picking up their students when we arrived home ahead of schedule. The students’ enthusiasm and outstanding behavior were icing on the cake! We cannot thank everyone enough. Another highlight of the week was the beautiful messages and flowers from our thoughtful students. Thank you so very much. It means more to us that you realize! Please join us at Mass for the Feast of the Ascension of Jesus at 8:15 am. This week will follow a regular schedule…phew.

Math: This week students will learn about scale drawings and how they relate to the actual size of things, including map scales. Students will apply these skills to problem solving activities. They should be getting pretty comfortable converting from fractions, to decimals, to percents and vice versa.

Science: Review the periodic table. Students should know that a chemical symbol is one or two letters that stand for the name of the element. Students should be able to name the four groups elements are classified into: metal, non metals, semimetals and noble gasses. An element is a substance that cannot be broken down into any other substance. Elements can be arranged in a periodic table in order of increasing atomic weight and physical and chemical properties.
Physical Education: This week we will time (one minute each) the maximum number of pushups, sit ups, pull ups, air squats and box jumps. They will have a three minute rest and be timed on a 400 meter run. We will use this as a base and retest at the last week of school. The kids are fit. I will keep the data and would like to track the improvements as they progress through the sixth grade.

Religion: We will study Chapter 23: Love Your Neighbor as Yourself. We will focus on the commandments that teach us how to treat others. We have been praying the Rosary in class. My hope is to have the students grow to love this incredible devotion.

Language Arts:

Reading/Language: We will finish In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson. We will take comprehension quizzes on the remaining chapters. Students will be responsible for taking the AR test for the book. We will start our last chapter book. It is called The View from Saturday. It is about a 6th grade class that works together to compete in an academic competition.

Spelling: The spelling words for this week are: citizen, profession, companion, governor, solution, mention, common, senator, mission, section, million, oven, differ, bother, mayor, copper, dozen, motor, onion and remember. (Bonus words are: lighten, major, thicken, tractor, water, carbon, diameter, emotion, mirror and permission.)

Social Studies: Students will get their assignments for the upcoming “Walk Through the American Revolution.” We will research the roles and discuss costume ideas.

God bless,
Mrs. McMahon and Mrs. McDonald

Saint Ann First Grade Newsletter
May 14, 2012
Dear Families,

Mrs. Anders and I would like to thank everyone for all the wonderful gifts during Teacher Appreciation Week! I am proud to be their teacher and see such growth in every child.

This week in phonics we will blend, spell, and read words with long and short /e/, consonant blends (bl-, br-, cl-, cr-, dr-), consonant digraphs (ch, sh, wh), and r-controlled vowels (ir, ur, er, ear, or, ore, ar). The students will continue to learn how to compare and contrast.

In math, the students will learn how to tell time to the half hour on both the analog and digital clock. They will also make a simple paper clock craft. Please help your child tell time at home using the phrase “half past.” Example 5:30- half past 5.

We will continue to focus on nutrition and learn about the Food Pyramid. We will emphasize on eating healthy.

The students will read about how Jesus performs a miracle and feeds 5,000 people. We congratulate the second graders on meeting Jesus in a special way for the first time in First Communion last Saturday.

Math: time (half-hour)
Language Arts: long and short /e/, consonant blends, digraphs, r-controlled vowels
Science: nutrition, food pyramid
Religion: miracles
Social Studies: bald eagle
Physical Education: Skillastic (fitness program)
Activity: paper clock
Upcoming Events : First Grade Play (May 30)

God Bless You,
Mrs. Nguyen

Third Grade News

May 14, 2012

Dear Families,

I hope you all had a restful and wonderful Mother’s Day.

Many thanks to Mrs. Tharp and everyone who contributed to THE BEST TEACHER APPRECIATION WEEK EVER! I received flowers, gifts, food (yummy) and touching art and notes from the students. Talk about pampered … I appreciated every minute of it!

Reminders:
Monday, 5-14 (tonight) Advisory Council mtg, 7 p.m. SL
Wednesday, 5-16 Rosary in the Grotto, 7:30, Please join us!
Thursday, 5-17 Hot Lunch – 3rd grade will host our last hot lunch.
Ascension/Holy Day School Mass 8:15 Please join us!
Friday, 5-18 School Mass and May Crowning, 8:15 Please join us!

Week Agenda:

Religion: We will continue to discuss who the saints of the church are and what the meaning of Communion of Saints is. We will read the Pharisee and the Tax Collector (a scripture story) and talk about what parables are.

Language Arts: We will read “McBroom and the Big Wind”, a Tall Tale by Sid Fleischman. We are practicing to improve phonics, fluency, accuracy and comprehension. Our vocabulary words are: deny, common, shingle, barge, battered, gust, huddled, haste, tuckered and calculate.

Spelling Words:
wreck rewrite unwrap final finish finite knack precook mistreat biceps midnight dislike judge homeless beautiful scenery nonfiction huddled

We will take our spelling pretest on Monday. Missed words need to be written 5 times each and returned on Tuesday. 100 % on the Monday pretest means no spelling test on Friday.

Math: We are working on multiplication and division fact families, 1 through 9. We will review and practice writing our numbers in standard, expanded and written format.

Science: What is energy? How can stored energy be changed to energy of motion?

Call/text/email me if you have any questions. Tina Rockdale - 760 793 4498