Mrs. Manfred’sClass News

January 6, 2023

“And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us, and we saw His glory, the glory as of the Father’s only Son, full of grace and truth.”

-John 1:14

Happy New Year! I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas with friends and family!

Upcoming Events:

• January 12th Epiphany Mass, 9:30 at church

• January 16th No School, Martin Luther King Jr. Day

• January 29th-February 3rd Catholic Schools Week

• Sunday, January 29th Parish Appreciation Mass, 11:00 at St. Al’s Church

• Friday, February 3rd Friends and Family Mass, 9:30 at church

Homework:

• The children have packet #13 due on Friday, January 13th.

• Spelling Test: Friday, January 13th

• Silverwood Reading Log: Please keep the Silverwood reading log (attached to the homework packet) at home until it is completed. To receive a free Silverwood ticket, students must read 10 hours and keep a log of those hours. If you need more logs, please let me know. Logs are due by March 31st.

Important Information:

• MAP Testing: We will begin MAP testing again next week. Please look at the following schedule so you are aware of the days we will be testing this month. Please try your best to have your child at school and ready (fed & well rested) on the following days:

Tuesday, January 10th (Language)

Tuesday, January 17th (Math)

Tuesday, January 24th (Reading)

• PE Shoes: Over Christmas break, our gym received a beautiful new floor shining which cost us thousands of dollars. To keep our gym looking beautiful, please send your child to school with P.E. shoes on our designated days (Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays). If you would like to keep an extra pair of tennis shoes here, that also works. Just send them in a bag and they can keep them on their coat hook. We have found that running around the gym floor in anything other than tennis shoes (ex. boots or dress shoes) ruins the floor more quickly. Thank you for your help with this!

• Uniform: Once again, this is a gentle reminder that children must wear uniform sweatshirts or sweaters inside our classroom. Our temperature in the room fluctuates and the children need long sleeves at times. I can’t allow them to wear non-uniform jackets or sweatshirts in the building. Our uniform closet downstairs is full. Check it out if your child needs additional uniform pieces.

• Snack Donations: Your children need more snacks donated to class. Thank you!

• New Smart Boards: We are very grateful for the new Smart Boards which were donated by a generous donor and delivered over Christmas break to all of our K-8 classrooms! Check out the pictures above.

• Annual Fund: Please consider making a donation to our Annual Fund this year. It plays a vital role in our operating budget. Thank you to those of you who have already made a donation!

Highlights from our Week:

• 3 R’s: Our student learning expectations (3 R’s) are Respect, Responsibility, and Reflection. Since coming back from Christmas break, we have been reviewing our classroom rules regarding the 3 R’s. We have discussed the importance of following these rules, especially in our multi-age class when there are independent times during our day. Please ask your child how he/she is respectful, responsible, and reflective during the school day.

• Math: Both grades began new units and number corners. The 3rd graders began a unit on elapsed time, measurement, and fractions. Their Number Corner Calendar Grid is on geometry and fractions, and their Collector is elapsed time. The 4th graders began a unit on fractions and decimals. Their Number Corner Calendar Grid is on area and geometry, and their Collector is on fractions and decimals.

• Religion: We began our new unit on the Beatitudes this week. We read about the Sermon on the Mount in our Bibles in the book of Matthew. We talked about Jesus teaching his followers about the Beatitudes. During this unit, we will learn all of the Beatitudes.

• Grammar: The 3rd graders continued learning about pronouns and that they are substitutes for nouns. The 4th graders began a big review of action & being verbs. Although they learned about this last year, I have noticed their need to go back and do an in-depth review. So, we are taking the time to do this.

• Writing: With the new trimester, we are learning about essay writing. We are in the planning phase of our first essay about Christmas break. They have planned out their thesis statements, as well as their first few paragraphs. They are learning that each paragraph is about one of their reasons and provides at least three details.

• Word Work: In addition to small group word work (explicit phonics & spelling instruction) for some students, I am also focusing on a couple of whole group lessons each week. When looking at the children’s writing, I have noticed that they need more explicit instruction on multi-syllabic spelling, as well as parts of the words (affixes and roots). So, we are doing short lessons on this whole group each week

• Reading: Both grades began new Lit Circle books this week. The 3rd graders began reading “My Father’s Dragon,” and the 4th graders began reading “Hatchet.” Both are wonderful books! As a whole class, we also began learning about a new comprehension strategy, determining importance. We determine important parts of text when we read to help us understand.

• Science: We began our new unit on energy. We lit up our own lightbulbs using circuits we built!

• Social Studies: We are continuing our study of Washington State but are now learning its history. This week, we activated our schema by comparing what we learned last year about the Spokane Tribe to the coastal tribes of Washington.