ANGELVILLE NEWS

BON DIA

Friday, December 19th

4th Graders you are officially on Christmas Vacation!

How does it feel???

I want to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Your only assignments over the break are to enjoy your family's and complete the "stretch my brain" purple packet!

I will be posting pictures on the blog in the next few days.

Miz Schmutz

ANGELVILLE NEWS

BON DIA

Week 16

Monday 15, 2008

Welcome to the week of Freezing Cold!!

Make sure that you are watching the weather channel as to the conditions and school closures through-out the week.

I want to CONGRATULATE 4th grade for exceeding their goal in the FOOD DRIVE! We had a goal of 210 cans of food and we brought in 276 cans of food!! A special thanks to Johnathan, Maggie and Brianna for bringing in over 3times their amount. This really took us up over the edge!

This week:

Wednesday at 10am - The Sacrament of Reconciliation in the Church

Thursday 1-3pm - All school practice for the Christmas concert

Thursday 7pm - Christmas Concert in the Family Center/ Students need to be in their classrooms at 6:40pm

Friday 12:45pm -All are invited to hear the 4th graders Folk Tales that they have been working on for the past few weeks! If you want to hear them come to our room.

Friday 1pm-ish - Christmas Party and a farewell to our good friend Lindsay.

Academics:

This week we may see some interruptions in our regular class schedule, but we continue to read and learn about the season of advent in religion. In Language Arts we have almost completed typing our Folk Tales on the computers, and are reading our very own selected, just right for me, chapter books and in math we are working on multiplication and division story problems.

Please make note of the events happening this week, and I hope that you all stay dry and warm this week. Please make sure your children are properly dressed for the weather. Thank You!!

Angelville News

Bon Dia

Week 15

Decmeber 8, 2008

I want to start this week with one huge CONGRATS and HATS OFF to the 4th graders for doing an outstanding job on their prayer service last Friday morning. WAY TO GO, and I will bring cookies to school tomorrow!!! I will do my best to blog some pictures this week. If anyone took pictures of the service would you please let me know. I would like to post them if possible.

THIS WEEK:

This week each student is reading a "Just Right for ME" book in reading. Each student has a different book chosen from the library that they will read for the next two weeks. They chose books at their individual reading levels. Once the new year comes we will break into reading groups.

In math we continue to work with division/multiplication/and algebraic expressions. Long division and multiplication can be a challenge at times for all of the students, but a challenge they seem to enjoy.

We took our Social Studies Chapter 2 test today. Each student was supposed to take their SS books home on Friday to re-read chapter 2 and study the regions in Washington. I could tell those that did study and those that did not. We will begin a unit on Energy this week.

In religion we continue to learn about advent. We are now in the 2nd week of Advent. We had a wonderful service at mass today for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. The organ and singing was magnificent.

Reminders:

Holiday Hoopla -- This Friday from 9-12noon. Send change with your children so they can shop for family and friends at the Hoopla.

Happy Holidays!!!

ANGELVILLE NEWS

BON DIA

Week 14- 1st week in Advent

December 2, 2008

I hope everyone had a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving. I know I did with most of my family on the East side of the mountains.

In the NEWS/Reminders:

This week we are working on our Prayer Service which will be on Friday, December 5th at 8:45 am in the auditorium. All of the students will be performing in the Prayer Service and all families are welcome to attend.

The food drive continues to go on and 4th grade has agreed to pledge 10 items of canned food per student. This is not a goal of mine, this was strictly a goal they came up with. I am very proud of them and I hope to reach our goal so that we can have a no school uniform day, and I have another little hidden plan as well. The FOOD DRIVE WILL END ON DECEMBER 10th!! BRING THOSE CANS IN.

Non-uniform day on Friday, December 5th

School Mass will be held on Monday, December 8th next week instead of the 9th for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception.

Christmas Concert will be held on December 18th at 7pm in the Family Center. Please join us!

Schools out December 19 for Christmas vacation!

Complete homework packets and return on Friday. Make sure all of your children are reading each night.

Academics:

In reading we are all working on Folk Tales, we will begin using the computer lab to type out our stories. Some students have worked very diligently on their stories and I am very proud of them. In religion we are working on our prayer service and the meaning of Advent.

In Math we have groups working in long multiplication, division with remainders, and mean, medium and mode. In Social Studies we will finish up Unit 2 talking about the 5 different regions in Washington State, and have a chapter quiz on Friday.

ENJOY YOUR WEEK!!

ANGELVILLE NEWS

BON DIA

November 25th, 2008

This week in the news!

We will celebrate our Thanksgiving dinner at school tomorrow at 11am. All students will be dismissed at noon. Prior to the Thanksgiving dinner the 4th grade will be putting on a puppet show for the younger students in our classroom at 10:30am.

I will have a substitute teaching for me on December 1st. I have a doctors appointment in Spokane and will return on Tuesday.

I hope that you all have a wonderful and safe Thanksgiving. We have no spelling or homework packets this week due to the short week. We wrote Thanksgiving prayers in Religion, and continue our study of Washington State in Social Studies. In reading this week we have been working on our Puppet Show. If you want to attend our puppet show you are welcome. I will talk more about our December Prayer Service next week.

Blessings to All,

Miz Schmutz

REMINDERS

Wanting to remind all families that the last day of the tri-mester is Wednesday, November 26th. No work will be accepted after that day.

Thanksgiving school dinner is on Wednesday, November 26th beginning around 11am, school will be dismissed at noon.

4th grade Prayer Service will be held at 8:45am on December 5, 2008. All students will be participating in the prayer service, so please come and support them.

Thank You!

ANGELVILLE NEWS

BON DIA

Week 12

November 17-21st

I want to extend a special thanks to all who helped with the school Auction. A very special thanks to the moms who spent many hours in the art room helping with the class projects. Our projects went for great prices. Thank You!!

Thanksgiving is upon us and I am gearing up to head to the mountains to cut down my Christmas tree. This is a tradition we have in our family and one that we look forward to each year. Keep in mind that next Wednesday is our school Thanksgiving Dinner. Dinner will begin around 11am and the students will be released from school at noon. Hope you all have a safe and relaxing Thanksgiving.

This week in school:

In school this week we continue to work on algebraic expressions in math. All math groups are taking math tests or have just taken one. Groups Green and Blue will take their chapter tests this week. We have completed our Maniac Magee Book in reading. We took our final test on Monday and those will be coming home for you to see this Friday. In Language Arts we are beginning to learn about Folk Tales. We will brainstorm our own Folk Tales and organize then on graphic organizers. Once that process has been completed we will write final drafts and publish them in a book. We have the prayer service the first week in December. The class is going to preform a play, sing in Spanish and English, talk about Our Lady of Guadalupe, and light the first candle on our Advent Wreath. All are welcome to attend and more information will follow.

Enjoy the rest of your week!!

Missing Work

I wanted to alert all families that the grading period is coming to an end. The last day that I will be taking class work is Tuesday, November 25th. I have gone through my grade book today and alerted students of missing work, or work that was never turned in. After the 25th I will no longer accept work from this tri-mester. It is important that if your child is ill, he/she is making up all of their work and getting it turned in. Thank You!

maniac magee book review

Here is the Review Sheet for the Maniac Magee Test that will be held on Monday, November 17th

Characters to know:
Jeffrey
Amanda
John McNab
Mars Bar
Hester and Lester
Mrs. Beale
Grayson
The Cobras
Mr. George McNab

Vocab to know:
Orphan
Trolly
Hoisted
Slithered
Bellowing
Flinched
Solitude
Tangle
Frayed
Pallbearer
Solitary
Trestle
Diverged
Satchel
Mourned
Shenanigans
Ludicrous

Chapters 1-6
How did Jeffery become an orphan?


Where did Jeffery live with his Aunt and Uncle?
What was the time Jeffery was gone between Hollidaysburg and Two Mills called?

Who was the first person that Jeffery net in the East End? What did Amanda give to Jeffery?

Chapters 6-16
After Jeffrey eats at the Pickwell’s the children follow him outside and find him running on what?

What is a ‘frogball’?

What was John McNabs gang called?

Why was everyone so silent when Maniac took a bite of Mars Bars candy bar?

Before Maniac goes to sleep at the Beal’s House what does he do?

What was Maniac allergic to?

Chapters 18-21
What was the prize for untangling Cobble’s Knot? How is this ironic?

How long did it take Maniac to untangle the knot?

What had Hester and Lester torn up for confetti?

Chapters 22-26
Who found Jeffrey and took him to the baseball equipment room?

Why didn’t Maniac go to school?

Why did Maniac not go stay at the YMCA with Grayson?

Why did Grayson never make it to the major leagues?

What did Grayson want Maniac to do for him?

Chapters 27-32
What was the first book that Grayson read?

Why did Mania paint 101 outside the door?

What was the most important thing Grayson gave Maniac at Christmas?

Chapter 33-36
Who was at Grayson’s funeral?

Who did Maniac hear in the log cabin next to him?

Where were they going? Where were they from? Who were they related to? Where did Maniac take them?

Where were Piper and Missing Tooth going?

What was so strange about the McNab’s house?

How did Maniac convince them to go to school?

Chapter 37-46
What was the toughest challenge Piper and Russell thought they gave Maniac?

What did Maniac do that caused some trouble when he was racing Mars Bar?

In July, Maniac was running and felt like someone was following him. Who was running at the same time?

What happened to Russell?

Why did Maniac not save him?

Who took Amanda to the Buffalo pen to get Maniac?

What did Amanda tell Maniac he WOULD do?

ANGELVILLE NEWS

Bon Dia

Wednesday, November 12

Week 11

Welcome back to school! Yesterday I kept thinking it was Sunday. A break in the week is such a nice little treat. I was able to accomplish so much that I am usually not able to do during the regular work week. I hope you all had a nice day with your children as well.

Thank You Charlotte and Gail for taking care of the JELL-O for our Thanksgiving Dinner, much appreciated.

This Week In the NEWS:

In Religion we are writing about times we have broken promises and kept promises and what the consequences were, from broken promise. We are also going to make collages illustrating how the commandments are broken in society today.

In math we are working on multiplying 2 and 3 digits, decimals, and algebraic expressions, this all depends upon which group your child is in. Each group will be taking a chapter test in the next few days. Either Friday, Monday or Tuesday.

In Social Studies we are locating regions of Washington. The students will be creating their own maps and keys. I have spoken with my Uncle who is in the shipping business here in Seattle and in San Francisco. I am in talks with him about taking the kids on a Field Trip down to the shipping yard. I will let you know as things progress.

Maniac Magee has come to an end, or will on Friday. I will give the students a review guide over the book and there will be a final test on Monday. From there we are going to do some Creative Writing based on Fables next week, and then we will break up into reading groups and each group will begin a new book.

Enjoy the rest of your week! Hope to see you all at the AUCTION GALA!!

NO HOT LUNCH THURSDAY OR FRIDAY!

Veterans Day

Happy Monday 4th grade families. Tomorrow is Veterans Day and there will be no school. I will see your children again on Wednesday.

Today we celebrated our Veterans with an assembly and in our classroom we created a word back regarding our Veterans and those who have served for our country and those who are currently serving our country. The students used our word bank and created their own poems.

Veterans Day Poem
by, Cayce

Love, strength, and hope we pray
to these special people on this
special day.

Air Force, Army, Vietnam war too.
These people made freedom just for you.

Veterans day is a time to say "hey"
and recognize these important people
so many wars that so many people fought
from the many thanks that they got.

So Thank You Veterans for this day,
to CELEBRATE you
to CELEBRATE Today.

Maniac Magee Chapters 42-46

Maniac Magee Chapters 42-46 (162-184)
For the Week of November 10-14th

Chapter 42 (162-166)
Word Wizard voltage(163) gauntlet (165)

1. Why doesn’t the author create a happy birthday party scene?
2. Other than Maniac, who would you choose as a friend? Explain
3. Compare John McNab and Mars Bar

Chapter 43 (167-169)

1. How did Maniac survive after the birthday fiasco?
2. What would you have done if you were in Maniac’s shoes in chapter 43?
3. Fill in “An Award for Maniac”

Chapter 44 (170-173)
Word Wizard trestle (173) diverged (172)

1. Who were the appleskin hour cruisers?
2. What happened when Piper asked Maniac for help to save Russell?
3. Predict the ending of the book?

Chapter 45 (174-180)
Word Wizzard amplified(177)

1. How was Russell saved from the train track?
2. Why was Russell so attached to Mars and his mother?

Chapter 46 (181-184)

1. Who is snickers?
2. Who won’t accept “can’t”?

Masks

The students worked really hard last week making their paper mache masks for Halloween. They are all truly creative individuals who enjoy hands-on projects. I love this about them! Great work kids!

ROCK STAR

Johnathan is the new Rock Star of the Week! Johnathan is an excellent contributor to the Angelville community, and is always willing to help those in need. He values is role in the classroom and is extremely compliant. He is a joy to have in 4 grade. Keep up the excellent work Johnathan! You are treasured!

ANGELVILLE NEWS

BON DIA

November 3, 2008

WEEK 10

I Believe We are LICE FREE at St. Alphonsus this morning! YAY!!

A special THANKS to Mr. Nordale for helping with our Halloween Party. Musical Chairs was a hit. And when you have so many students who are so into sometimes feelings get hurt.

Last week was some-what of a hectic week at school with the lice interruptions and Halloween. We are back on track this morning and looking forward to a great week ahead.

REMINDERS:

Sister Schools comes on Wednesday to take the donated items to Uganda. Please bring in anything/buckets you would like to donate.

The 4th grade is going to be responsible for serving JELLO at the Thanksgiving Lunch on November 24th in the Cafeteria. I will let you know in the recent future how we are going to go about serving 225 people with Jello. If there are any parents who would like to help with this process please let me know.

Tuesday is early release 2:00pm

THIS WEEK IN ACADEMICS:

Religion: we are making 10 commandment books. We will also be discussing about which ones have to do with loving God and which ones have to do with loving each other.

Science: The salmon life cycle groups will present their posters on Friday.

Social Studies: The Geography of Washington and reading maps.

Reading: Maniac Magee chapters have been posted on the blog as of last week for this week, Chapters 38-41, and yes we are almost there.

Rocket Math: The students seem to be clicking right along in their Rocket Math. If your child is bringing home multiplication or division practice sheets please take some time each night to work with them on this, thank you!

English: nouns/antonyms/pronouns

Math: Last week we spent the entire week with story-problems. The more we practice the better we become.

Hope all have a wonderful week! E-mail me if you have any questions.

mizschmutz@gmail.com

SISTER SCHOOLS

Sister Schools will be here on Wednesday to collect the donations for Uganda! If you still want to donate something please bring it in!

MM Week 10 Work

NAME:
NUMBER:

Maniac Magee Chapters 38-41 (143-161)
Due Friday, November 7, 2008

Chapter 38 (143-148)
Word Wizard smirky(145) mossy(147) exuberance(148)
Marooned (143)

1. What was interesting about the Mars-Maniac race?
2. Who saved Maniac from his embarrassment at the end of Chapter 38?

Chapter 39 (149-152)
Word Wizard Ludicrous(150)

1. Quote the interesting way that Spinelli lets us know that the weather turned cold?
2. What does it mean to be “pure July inside” (pg. 149)
3. What smelled so bad to Maniac at the end of Chapter 39?

Chapter 40 (153-157)
Word Wizard
Extort(154) shenanigans(154) protruding(156) satchel(157)

1. What role did Maniac play with Russell and Piper?
2. Why did Maniac reject the role of father to Russell and Piper?
3. Why did Maniac leave the McNabs?
4. Prediction: Will Maniac attend the birthday party and what guest will be bring?

Chapter 41 (158-161)

1. Who was Maniac’s guest at the McNabs birthday party?
2. Explain the description “blackest of the black.”How did Maniac convince Mars to attend the party?
3. How did Maniac convince Mars to attend the party?

ANGELVILLE NEWS

BON DIA

October 29, 2008

WEEK 9

GOOD DAY ALL! I was out for a few days last week so I feel as though I am playing catch up. This Friday will be our Halloween Party! The students have been busy making their Halloween Masks which they will try and finish in Art class today. Please send in what you are willing to donate to the Halloween Party by Thursday - Thank YOU!

This week in Math we have been working on story problems and will continue with them for the rest of the week. It is important that the students create a picture/number sentence/image so they can make sense of the problem and organize the information given.

In reading we continue with our Maniac Magee. It must seem that we have been with MM for many weeks, and you are right. However, we are coming to the end. I spoke with the students yesterday as to how important it is to look back in the book if they are unsure of a comprehension question. I'm noticing that some will just guess instead of taking the time to look back. Another skill that is important to practice.

In religion we will begin the 10 commandments. In Science we are trying to complete our Salmon posters, hopefully by the end of the week.

*Sister Schools will be here on Wednesday to pick up the donated items for students/children in Uganda.

Let me know if you want to come to the Halloween Party!

Halloween Party Plan

COMING HOME WITH KIDS
HALLOWEEN PARTY
1:30pm October 31st

Activities:
Costume contest (prize)
(students can wear their costumes to school, no masks, swords)

Cookie Decorating (prize)

Paper Mache Mask Showcase (prize)

Play Halloween Games (prizes)

Please sign up for one of the following and send to school
1. Dry Ice for Punch ____________
2. Punch/Soda ____________/ ___________________
3. Paper Products (cups/napkins/plates) _________________/ _____________________/ _____________
4. Sugar Cookies Plain ___________________/_____________
5. Decorations for cookies ________________/ _____________________/ __________________
6. Parent Helpers _________________/ _________________
7. Snacks (chips, crackers, popcorn, up to you) ________________/___________________/ _________________

Week 9 M.M.

Name:
Number:

Maniac Magee Chapters 32-35
Week 9 – Due October 31, 2008

Chapter 32
Word Wizard; pallbearer vaguely

1. What woke Maniac on December 13th?
2. Who were the pallbearer’s waiting for at the funeral?
3. When did the funeral take place?
4. What did Maniac do at the end of Part II?

Chapter 33
Word Wizard: Solitary

1. Maniac could not bring himself to stay at the band shell. He returned only to pick up what?
2. Where were some of the places that Maniac stayed since he did not return to the band shell?
3. Where did Maniac end up at the end of Chapter 33? What was he waiting for?

Chapter 34
Word Wizard: Hearth

1. When Maniac went outside his cabin, what did he feel down his back? Where did he go?
2. Where was Screecher and Missing Tooth going? Where were they from?
3. Who did Maniac tell the boys he was?
4. What happened a block past Cobble’s Corner after Maniac feed Piper and Russell his free pizza? Explain

Chapter 35

1. What are your feelings toward John McNab now?
2. What did Maniac notice about the inside of John McNab’s house? Explain
3. What were the things that looked like raisins?

HALLOWEEN PARTY

HALLOWEEN

If there are any parents who are willing to help put together a Halloween Party for the afternoon of the 31st, please e-mail me at mizschmutz@gmail.com

Sister Schools

I wanted to inform all of the families to let you know that the deadline for donations to Sister Schools is November 5th, about 2 weeks away. The man who is running this program will be taking pictures of the students and their donated items. I would love to see one with all of 4th grade and their donations/buckets. Thanks!

LICE

Dear Parents,
There have been many cases of lice that have been reported at school in the past week. I would advise that each parent check their child's head each night to look for lice and or nits. We want to stop this problem before it becomes an outbreak throughout the school. The school will be bringing in nurses to do head checks. If you find that your child might have lice or nits please keep them home. If you have any questions please call the office at school. Thanks!

ROCK STAR

Our New Rock Star is Maggie

The Best Part of Me

by, Maggie

My ARM

My arm is strong. It is my favorite part of my body.

You watch my arm plummet the football into the sky.

My arm helps me write and turn pages in books I read.

My arms win Karate tournaments. Without arms

I couldn't grab, poke, nudge, hug, pray,

play instruments, reach or play the same way.

I train my body to take on great challenges,

but my arm is the one that's the most fit.

My arm is light tan and is full of muscles.

My arm lifts things heavy and light

and if my arm wasn't mine it would be gold medal gymnast Nastia Lukin's arm.

My arm has eleven freckles on it.

I sleep downstairs so I get a lot of mosquito bites on my arm.

I love my right arm, it will always be my favorite.

THE BUCKET CLUB

After watching the Uganda video as a class, we came up with the "Bucket Club" idea. Since the children take showers outside and pump their water from a well into a bucket, we thought this a nifty idea. We also brainstormed and come up with some items that could go into the bucket to help make their shower experiences richer. Some of the items students are bringing in their bucket are supplies the children need: soap, wash-cloths, toothpaste, tooth brushes, shampoo, conditioner, maybe a book and what ever else you see fit. This is a voluntary idea, yet I hope that we can spread our wealth to those who have very little in Uganda.

ANGELVILLE NEWS

BON DIA

October 21, 2008

I hope all of the students enjoyed their 5 day mini-vacation last week. On Friday I enjoyed a trip to the pumpkin patch with my children and nephews. I love this time of year, the colors and smells of Fall.

This week we will continue working on our Maniac Magee book. As soon as we finish the book we will break into guided reading groups in the classroom during reading time. We will focus on different reading strategies to strengthen certain areas of reading.

This week in Religion we are talking about our Conscience and using our conscience to make moral decisions and follow God's teachings. We began writing stories where we used our conscience to make a good decision or helped someone else make a good decision.

This week we are also going to begin making paper mache Halloween masks. We will start the process today and hopefully finish by Friday. This process has multiple steps so may take some time. I've asked each student to think about how they visualize their Halloween mask to look. This shall be a fun exercise.

Yesterday, all of the students took Pre-math test for the next chapter. This gives me a good idea as to what strategies we need to hit hard in the chapter and which ones we can skim over.

We will continue to complete our Salmon posters in groups. Hoping to make some computer time so that the students can type our their reports and put together their posters. Each group needs one poster.

Enjoy your Fall Week!

Maniac Magee Chapters 28-31

I wanted to post week 8 of Maniac Magee. The students receive this at the beginning of the week and each day is a new chapter with a comprehension quiz over the chapters on Friday. This should be placed in their 3-ring binders under READING.



Maniac Magee Chapters 28-31 (pgs. 103-114)
For week of October 20-25th

Chapter 28 (103-105)

1. How did Maniac celebrate Grayson’s reading?
2. What was special about Grayson staying overnight in the equipment room?
3. Read The Little Engine that Could, how are Maniac and Grayson like the Little Engine? Explain

Chapter 29 (106-109)

1. Describe the Thanksgiving that Grayson and Maniac shared? (pages 106-107).
2. Why was Maniac so proud to paint the numbers 101 on the door outside the baseball equipment room?
3. Draw and color a picture of what you think the baseball equipment room looks like.

Chapter 30 (110-111)

Draw a picture of Grayson and Maniac’s Christmas decorations.
Make a Christmas card that Maniac could have sent to friends from his new home with Grayson. Decorate it with pictures and write a message signed with Maniac’s name.

Chapter 31 (112-114)

1. Why was this Christmas wonderful and why did their Christmas make you smile?
2. Why was Chapter 31 sad?
3. Write about one of your hero's. Describe what this person means to you and what character traits he or she has that you admire.

ANGELVILLE NEWS

BON DIA

October 13-17th

Conference Week

We have a very short week here at school. I am looking forward to seeing all of you again or possibly meeting some of you for the first time. Please make sure you check your child's planner for conference times or they are posted on the window of the office.

This week we will be working on some review in math. We took Math Chapter Tests last Friday and saw where we needed extra practice. We will continue to work on 2 chapters of Maniac Magee (chpt. 26-27) during reading time. We are also taking more time with possessive singular/plural nouns. There may be a few students that are bringing those worksheets home tonight. We will not have a homework packet or spelling test this week. We will resume both of those next week.

I look forward to seeing all of you, and if there are any parents interested in helping plan a Halloween party for the 31st, please let me know at your conference.

Thanks, Miz Schmutz

Maniac Magee Chapter Work 22-25

Name: Number:

Maniac Magee Part II
Chapters 22-25 (pages 79-95)
Work for the 6th week of school

Chapter 22 (79-83)
1. Where did Jeffrey live after he left
2. Who found Jeffrey and took him to the baseball equipment room.
3. Complete Missing Poster!


Chapter 23 (84-86)
1. Why didn’t Grayson take Jeffrey to his room at the YMCA?
2. What did Grayson do with Jeffrey’s clothes?
3. Why wouldn’t Jeffrey attend school?
4. Write a jump rope song.


Chapter 24 (87-90)
1. What was “worm of a notion” mind?
2. Why did Grayson laugh when Maniac said Grayson was a liar?
3. Complete the Grayson Personality Web.
4. What would the buffaloes say if they could talk about Maniac?


Chapter 25 (91-95)
Word Wizard
Frayed (91) robust (92) rickety (92)
Sleazy (94)

1. Draw a picture of Grayson and Maniac on a typical day working together.


*ALL WORK IS DUE FRIDAY, October 10th

ANGELVILLE NEWS

BON DIA

Week 6, October 6-10th

This week Daniel will be the Rock Star of the Week. Daniel has been a great role model in the classroom and is eager to help his peers. Daniel is interested in his classmates and their talents. He has been a joy!

We are well into the year now and routines seem to be running pretty smoothly. This week we will be working on the Descriptive Writing, using our senses as we write. The students will be writing about "The Best Part of Me," modeled after a book written by students who have written short descriptions about themselves. These will be on display during parent/teacher conferences.

We have started the second part of Maniac Magee. I will post the weeks Maniac Magee assignments as well. We continue to enjoy Jeffrey's journey through life as a young boy living primarily on the streets. I have also completed my reading assessments and will have those to share at parent/teacher conferences.

In religion the students have found New Testament stories in groups where Jesus shows forgiveness and is living out the Beatitudes in his life as an example for us.

In Social Studies we have located different cities on maps using longitude and latitude. This week we will begin working in groups starting the Five themes of geography in Washington. In Science we continue to complete our Salmon unit. Each group has taken one of the life cycles of the salmon and will present this cycle to the class in more detail based on physical characteristics and where the salmon is living or traveling during each life stage. We have used the computer lab to gather information and pictures of each stage. I have asked each group to bring in one poster board to present their stage with pictures, information, and a life-like visual representation. This will be completed in class.

Parent/Teacher conferences begin Wednesday, October 15th and will continue through the 16th. There will be no school October 15th - 17th.

Being that we do not have the Internet in our classrooms, I try and check my e-mail in the staff lounge each day. I try to check my email during lunch or after school when computers are available. Once I receive your email I will try and get back to you within 24 hours. I appreciate all of your support for your child and our school. Please send me an e-mail or note in the student planner if you have any questions, or the best way in which I can contact you. My e-mail is mizschmutz@gmail.com

I look forward to meeting all of my families,

Miz Schmutz

The Beatitudes

The students finished their Beatitudes Tear Art projects last week and are now on display in our classroom. They look wonderful!

RECIPE OF ME

At the beginning of the year the students wrote about themselves through recipes. We talked about what kinds of words and measurements went into recipes. They came up with a variety of things that described themselves through measurements and words that one would find in cook books. We call this "Creative Writing"

Recipe of Lindsay

A cup of love followed by a mixture of friends and talent

Shake up a balance of loving parents

throw in a sibling, a pinch of hope, and a spoonful of dreams.

Throw it all in the microwave and warm for exactly 10 minutes.

Then put them in a bowl of hope diamond.

Recipe of Nicholas

Mix 2 cups of brain with 1 gal. of video games

Then whisk with a little brother

Add 1 gal. of soccer

1 cup of swimming and a dash of baseball

Then cook at 650F to make my temper

Then add 1 lazy eye and a buzz cut, and you've got me.

Recipe of Maggie

Add 2 cups of brain to 2 little brothers

Stir until odd,

Add 1 gal. of football, and extra sharp cheddar chocolate chip cheese,

stir until German.

Then bake in the oven at 365F for 20 min.

Then sprinkle on swimming and serve on a turquoise platter.

ANGELVILLE NEWS

BON DIA

September 30, 2008

We had a busy week in Angelville last week. The students completed their Beatitude's and tear art project that went along with their symbol of how we live out the Beatitudes in our St. Al's community. They look magnificent and are up in the classroom to remind us each day of how we can continue to live them out in our community.

We also completed our FRONT PAGE NEWSPAPERS. The students wrote personal narratives in class and then typed them out in the computer lab. We seem to enjoy using the computers, we will do more of that in the future. I plan to have pictures of the beatitudes and the new papers up on the blog spot later today. The new papers are on display in the hall and I will keep them up through parent conferences. If you have not signed up for a time to meet with me for parent conferences please do so in the office at school. Teacher/Parent conferences will be held October 15 and 16th.

As a reminder I ask that you check your child's planner each night. If anything is circled it means that your child did not complete that assignment in class and needs to complete it at home or in homework club after school on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday. Homework club is $4 for the hour. I want to thank everyone for getting their Friday Folders back to school on Monday. Homework packets went home and are due back this Friday, October 3rd. Please make sure that your child is completing all of the tasks on the front page of the homework packet. I noticed last week that many were missing a few pages of their homework packet.

This week our ROCK STAR of the week is Hanna! Hanna has been an excellent Administrative Assistant in Angelville and I have really enjoyed all of her help these past few weeks. Thanks Hanna!!

Enjoy the wonderful blue sunny days,

Miz Schmutz

Angelville News 2

BON DIA

September 23, 2008

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MAGGIE!

Hope everyone is enjoying this final week in September. May our fall be just as joyous as our September.

We have had 3 great weeks of school thus far. I have been very impressed with all of my students. They are a creative group who seem to enjoy hands on projects and spending time in the computer lab working on their Newspaper articles. We are hoping to complete those this week and have them on display in the hall for all to enjoy.

Conferences are coming up here in a few weeks and I want to remind everyone to send in their top 3 time picks to meet with your child's teacher.

This week in Angelville:

Reading: I have posted on the blog what we will be doing in Maniac Magee this week. The reading work should be done in the classroom. If your child is bringing home reading work it is because they are not using their time wisely in the classroom during reading time.

Math: We have started Rocket Math. If your child does not pass their level of Rocket Math on the 4th try they will be bringing it home for you to sign. Please practice the multiplication and division facts with your child at home. This can be done, in the car, taking a walk and making dinner. We completed our bar graphs and they are on display outside our room.

LA: Front Page Newspapers

Religion: Finishing up how we use the Beatitudes in our St. Alphonsus community. Then, showing this in a Tear Art Design Project.

Social Studies: We will begin learning about the 5 themes of geography and using the 5 themes to better understand Washington.

Science: Life Cycle of a Salmon. Creating our own visual Life Cycles.

Reminders: Homework Packets are due Friday morning.

Hope you all enjoy this sun we have today!

God Bless,

Miz Schmutz

Picture Day

Today was picture day at St. Al's. The kids were in their best dress. They love this day where they do not have to wear their uniforms. They have spirit and enjoy showing off that article of clothing they have been waiting to wear. We had our first auction in Angelville and it went well. I plan on having auctions every two Fridays. The kids are aware that not all auction items will be auctioned on auction day. I thank those who have donated to the Angelville Auctions and will gladly accept more for future auctions.

MANIAC MAGEE- WORK

MANIAC MAGEE – Chapters 12-17 (pgs.41-63)
Reading work for the 4th week of school, September 22 – 26th.

Chapter 12 (41-44)
1. Describe Amanda’s family with one-sentence descriptions for each character, Mrs. Beale, Mr. Beale, Hester and Lester.
2. How did Maniac get an address?
3. Do you think Maniac is a good name for Jeffrey Magee? Why?
4. If you had a nickname what would it be and why?

Chapter 13 (p.45-49)
1. How did the Beale house change once Maniac joined it?
2. What strange allergy did Maniac have? Why did he have this allergy?

Chapter 14 (50-53)
Word Wizard
Solitude (50) converged (51)

1. Why did Maniac love being with the Beales?
2. What did Maniac observe about the East End colors? (51)

Chapter 15 (54-56)
Word Wizard
Poleax (54) aardvark (56) unbeknownst (56)

1. In chapter 13, Maniac says that, “lying on a mattress gave him a weird feeling of slowly rising on a scoop of mashed potatoes.” (Draw a picture to illustrate this thought) p. 46


Chapter 17 (59-63)
Word Wizard
Croaking (61) ranting (61)

1. Draw a picture of the fire hydrant at Green and Chestnut on the hot day in August that was depicted in Chapter 17.
2. How did Chapter 17 end?

Rocket Math

Rocket Math Up-Date

Rocket Math has started. If your son/daughter did not reach his/her goal on a rocket math level he/she will have to re-do that level the following day. If your son/daughter does not reach his/her goal by the fourth day, you will need to sign their rocket math sheet and return it to school. This way I know you have been practicing at home and realize that your child is on their 5th try for that particular level. You will begin to see rocket math practice sheets coming home. When they do it is your clue that your child did not reach their goal for that level. Please call me at school if you continue to have questions concerning rocket math. Thanks!

The Locks/Salmon Ladder

We had a wonderful field trip. The kids were in great spirit and very well behaved. I felt so lucky that we could walk from school and have such an incredible experience. Please talk to your son/daughter about their trip to the locks and salmon ladder.

ANGELVILLE NEWS

BON DIA

September 15, 2008

Our trip to Hiram M. Chittenden Locks and Lake Washington Ship Canal Fish Ladder was a hit last Friday. We had an excellent tour by one of the guides in the park. She explained how the locks work, why we need the locks, and then gave us a wonderful informative presentation about the salmon from the salmon viewing room. What a great way to learn, hands on. I want to give a very special THANK YOU, to Mrs. Bjolstad and Mrs. Martin for taking time out of their day to be with us on our field trip. The day could not have been brighter!

A special THANKS to all of our 4th grade families who attended Back To School Night. I enjoyed getting to meet most all of you. Please call me at school or leave me a message on my e-mail if you have any questions or concerns.

REMINDERS

*Friday the 19th are school photographs. Your child will take their individual photos and will need to be in their best dress.

*Homework packets went out today and will need to be returned Friday morning the 19th.

*If work during the day is not completed it needs to go home and returned the next day. If it is not returned the next day it is considered late. If it is not returned the following day I will no longer accept the work. Students who are absent due to illness will get a few extra days to complete all of their work.

WEEKLY PLANS

Math: We are reviewing in multiplication, division and fractions, depending on the math group that your child is in. Tomorrow we will begin some time on graphs. I will go over a graph sample and how you collect data to show in a graph. This week your child will need to collect data on a topic and show in a graph the results. Rocket Math will also begin.
Reading: We are reading Maniac Magee. We will finish up with chapter 11 this Friday and have a mini comprehension quiz.

Spelling: If your child received 100 on their pre-test they do not have to take the test on Friday. However, they do need to complete the homework packet.

Social Studies: This week we will begin talking about longitude and latitude. Students will use their birthdays as coordinates.

Science: Life Cycle of a Salmon.

Religion: How we can live out the Beatitudes in our St. Alphonsus community.

Writing: Working on Personal Narratives and their Front Page Newspapers.

Salmon

by, Serafima

We jump

we skip

we leap, like trout

It's hard

no reward, up the salmon ladder

to spawn

Finally we spawn

Salmon

Bon Bini

Dear New 4th Grade Families;

As your children’s new teacher I wanted to take this opportunity to introduce myself and share with you some of the things that you can look forward to seeing coming from 4th grade this year. With that said WELCOME, or BON BINI! Bon Bini means welcome. It comes from the native language Papiamento, from the Island of Aruba, about 14 miles north of Venezuela. My husband, Steve, also a teacher, our two children, Houston and Sydney and I, spent two years in Aruba teaching at the International School of Aruba. It was a great experience for all of us, and one that we will cherish for years to come.

Following our experience in Aruba we moved to Seattle where I obtained a job at St. George Parish School in the Title 1 room. For the past two years I have been working with students from Kindergarten through 5th grade in reading and writing. This experience has given me a great opportunity in working with assessments and knowing where students need to be by the end of each grade level. I will assess each student three times this year to make sure they are meeting standards. After each assessment you will receive a report of your child’s progress based on reading fluency, accuracy, rate, and comprehension. If there are any concerns for either you or myself we will schedule a meeting where we can discuss further strategies that may help your child so he/she can feel successful and meet standards for the end of the year. If you have further questions concerning assessment we can schedule a meeting through the office towards the beginning of the year.

Now for the fun part, the motto for this year is going to be, ONE HAPPY CLASSROOM. Fourth grade will be known as Angelville. The students will be put into neighborhoods or table groups in the classroom/village. Each group will come up with their own neighborhood name. Each member of the village will apply for a job in the village. They will apply for 3 jobs at the beginning of the year and after going through their applications I will assign village jobs. The application form will have a job description and salary. Each student will need to write one paragraph stating why they feel they would be suitable for that particular job in the village. Job assignments will change over the year where they can apply for new jobs.

Each week the students will be paid by the accountant. Each week the students will also need to pay rent for their space in the village to the banker. If rules are broken in the village penalties will have to be paid to the security guards who will then give the money to the banker. After 2 weeks we will have an auction. Students will be able to bid on items in the auction with the money that they have saved/made in their job. Fewer penalties mean more money to be spent at the auction. I could use some help from you parents with auction items. Any ideas you might have of things to donate would be awesome. If you have questions concerning items we can chat about it at the beginning of the year.

I am hoping to get a link from the school website to Angelville. I will be setting up a blog spot or website where you can see and read about the kinds of things that we are doing in Angelville. Each week the Bon Dia will be posted on the site. Bon Dia means ‘good-day.’ The Bon Dia will explain what we have done during that week and what you can look forward to in the future.

Homework! I am not a huge homework advocate. I am also a parent and realize how busy families are and the many activities students are involved in these days. A small homework packet will go home at the beginning of the week and need to be returned each Friday (this will mainly be spelling and a possible math sheet). The administrative assistant and postmaster in the village will help manage the comings and goings of the homework packets.

School work will be done in school. I always give ample time for school work to be completed in class. Occasionally it takes some students longer to get started than others, and so they fall behind in their work. Break time will be used to complete work that has not been completed in the time allotted. If break time is not sufficient enough time, this work will be coming home at the end of the day, and need to be returned the following morning. There are always exceptions to the rule. I will notify you if outside work coming home is an exception.

I ask that you send to school at the beginning of the year a picture of your child, and a picture your child’s hero, or someone your child looks up to (I do not mean celebrities, ex. Friend, family member). These do not need to be large pictures, smaller is better. These pictures will not be returned to you. I also ask that each student bring a journal to school, you can get them at Fred Meyer for around $2.

I am very excited about the start to this New Year. I do not have a school e-mail address yet, but will get one sent out as soon as I do. If you need to get a message to me you can call the school and leave one with the secretary--I have been in my classroom getting ready the past few weeks.

Enjoy the rest of summer,


Miz Stephanie Schmutz