It’s hard to believe we are at the end of another year! I want to encourage all parents to enroll their children in a summer reading or library program. Many children lose skills over the summer. There are so many ways to avoid this. There are many great summer programs for children, and tons of great computer programs. I would like to recommend Starfall for the early readers grades PK-2. Next year, St. Elizabeth will continue with pull out and push in programs for readers needing additional help. I would also like to encourage parents of Dyslexic students to take time over the summer to obtain audio textbooks for next year. Remember they are free!!!! Thank you for the opportunity to work with your precious children.

Have an amazing summer!

Miss Vercillo

 Print

This is always my favorite time of year! April and May have so many exciting events for parent, students, and faculty to share. I am so excited about Young Author’s Day which will be held on May 10th. For new families, this is a unique day!  It is basically a literary field day. It is a day filled with student performances, visiting performing artists, book shares and many other exciting events. This year I will be doing a performance with the sixth grade girls. As the day approaches you will hear from your child’s classroom teacher when your child will be performing. Parents are welcome to spend as much of the day with us as they desire. We will also have a staggered picnic lunch. (Be sure to note lunch times will be different this day). Students will be able to purchase concession items from the Booster Club, similar to the monthly Snack Sales.  No hot lunches will be available that day so be sure to send a lunch or send cash with your children. Field Day, Silent Auction, and Spring Fest are also just around the corner! Thank you in advance for all your hard work in these important community building endeavors!

 Print

Its almost that time of year again, Student Treasure Books! Students in grades Pre-K 3 through 5th will write and publish a book!  This is a fantastic way for students to incorporate the steps of the writing process. Watch for permission forms coming home March 20th.   Be sure to sign the form even if you do not order a book so that your child can be published. Student Treasure Books are shared on Young Author’s Day scheduled this year on May 1oth.  Be sure to mark your calendar for Young Author’s Day. It is always a great time! As the date approaches we will be sending out additional information.

 Print

I want to thank all the parents who came to our first Parent Reading Workshop! The feedback was terrific! I will definitely be scheduling a second session soon!

The reading intervention classes are going well ,and we will be hosting a Take Flight Parent day on January 17th. If you are interested in seeing what this is all about please feel free to drop in.

Happy New Year and keep those kids reading!!!!!!

 Print

WOW! I was so impressed with the turnout for our first Parent Reading Workshop! The parents that attended were amazing! The feedback was excellent, and we will definitely have additional workshops in the future. Parents were given a tremendous amount of background information regarding reading. With this solid background in place, we can now move into workshops where we actually practice the skills you’ve learned with your children. I want to base these future workshops on parent interest and need, so please e mail me to let me know what topics you would like to learn and practice. I feel so blessed to work with parents that take time out of their busy schedules to support their children. Mrs Kuterbach is helping me set up a wiki-space so that we can communicate and include information that we cover in all workshops. Again, thank you for your support.

 Print

I have been absolutely enjoying my new position this year. It is very rewarding to help children who are experiencing reading difficulties, and watch them bloom! Just a reminder to all parents of  Take Flight students: Remember to complete homework WITH your child. Also, remember that reading with, and or, to your child is time well spent! This activity increases fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, and procity! Grab a book and READ!!!!!!

 Print

I am so excited to teach The Scottish Rite Take Flight program at St. Elizabeth!  This a a multi-sensory reading intervention program designed to assist children with learning differences.  This year, I get to work with students in several grades as well as with intervention students. I am fortunate to read with Kinder, First Grade, and Fourth Grade. I look forward to hosting a Parent Reading  Night soon.  I have many ideas regarding reading strategies you can use at home to assist children in all grades. If you have any ideas or questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me!

 Print

It has been a very busy month! The students have written some exquisite poetry. They have impressed even themselves, and are feeling quite proud. Please feel free to come read our poetry hanging in the hallway. Please continue to check our web site daily with your child.

English

We continue to review sentences, subjects, and predicates as we finish unit 1 in our text books. We will continue working with conjunctions, combining sentences, and compound subjects and verbs. Grammar has been difficult for a few students especially students that are new to St. Elizabeth. Please be sure to send students to tutoring if they need help.

Reading

We are finishing our class novel, Loser. We will begin working on a project as soon as we have finished it. Shortly, I will be sending home directions and a grading rubric in your child’s binder; please watch for them. We will work on parts of the project in class. We will learn about important literary elements such as: setting, character study, summary, main idea, and book report format. I can’t wait to see the final projects!

 Print

Fifth Grade is off and running! We have been working very hard! Thank you for being so diligent about checking our web site. Please remind students to check their planners so they do not forget to do important homework assignments, and to study for tests.

Spelling

We continue to use Spellography. The students are getting used to the new routine of learning spelling rules. This will really improve their spelling in all classroom work.

English

We have been reviewing complete subjects and predicates, the four types of sentences, helping verbs, and ending our first unit with simple subjects and predicates. This is a bit difficult for some new students so be sure to encourage them to come to tutoring if necessary. We are using the Houghton Mifflin textbook and students are encouraged to bring it home to review.

Reading

We began the year brushing up on comprehension, context clues, and vocabulary skills using retired fifth grade TAKS Tests. Needless to say, the kids were very excited to move on and get into our new novel, Loser. They are really enjoying the story. We are learning about characters, main idea, setting ,and mood using this novel. Be sure kids are reading at home, they need to get used to this routine as they will have book reports due next quarter! Keep signing those reading logs! I want to thank everyone for their support; St. E parents are the best.

 Print

It is hard to believe that Spring Break is already here! We have so many wonderful things happening in fifth grade. The students are getting ready to head to the Pines. This will be a wonderful experience for them. I will not be able to make this trip, as I have to attend sessions for my last class at SMU, but my thoughts will be with them. We are getting ready to begin a play, “The Three Samurai Cats.” I will be asking for help with costumes and props, so please let me know if you can help. We will perform this at Young Author’s Day (May 14^th) as well as the Spring Art Show (May 15th). More details will be forthcoming.

The kids worked very hard on their Student Treasure Books; I can’t wait to see the hard cover finished products in May! Please be sure to continue checking the web site since we have so much going on. Also, be sure to keep checking your child’s planner so that you and your child develop a good routine for middle school. We continue to work very hard on behavior and I would like to thank Mr. Goza for his help in the classroom. Have a safe and fun holiday!

 Print

Happy Holidays!

December is always an exciting month with several fun events!

Please be sure to join us for the Christmas Concert on December 17, and the fifth grade’s presentation of the Jesse Tree December 18^th at 9:00 am in the gym.

Religion

This month our focus is on Advent, and the birth of Jesus. We made a class Advent wreath and an individual one for your family to enjoy at home.

Math

The multiplication facts are really coming along! We are working hard on fractions. Students will have math homework more frequently to assist in their learning, so be sure to check the web site!

ELA

Students are working hard on their 3-dimensional Book Reports on the novel, Loser. Their writing has improved so much! We look forward to beginning our Student Treasure Books of poetry next month. Thank you to the Rosa Family for the donation of colored dry erase markers, we use them for color pencil editing!

We welcome any parent to volunteer to assist in the classroom. Let me know if you are interested.

Happy Holidays to you and yours!

 Print

I would like to thank everyone that donated items and their precious time for the fall carnival! St. Elizabeth parents are the best! A good time was had by all. It’s hard to believe the holidays are just around the corner. Just a few reminders:

Students need a binder to keep all their papers. This will help them be ready for middle school.
Mad minute tests are every week. We will begin fractions in a few weeks and students must know their facts cold!
All announcements, tests, projects, homework, and more are on my web site. Please check it with your child daily!
Reading logs need to be signed nightly. Reading Counts tests begin 3rd quarter.

Language Arts
We are in the middle of our second novel, Loser by Jerry Spinelli.  The students have really been enjoying it!  We will do a three dimensional book report when we finish the book.  Watch for details on the web site. We learned the 49 prepositions and are moving on to the 23 helping verbs.  We have also studied the correct use of quotation marks, article adjectives and the use of me and I in a sentence.  Our next novel will be Where the Red Fern Grows.

Math
We are finishing up our unit on division and will be moving on to fractions!  Remember tutoring is on Tuesdays and Thursdays if your child needs help in Math or Language Arts.  Parents are always welcome to attend tutoring sessions in order to better assist the kids at home.  A few kids are still having a difficult time with their multiplication facts.  Please use flashcards at home!

Religion
November is the moth we study saints.  By now all of you have seen the Saint Project directions.  I included a rubric so that my grading procedures would be clear. The kids are enthusiastic about learning as much as they can about their saint.  I can’t wait to see projects and hear the children’s presentations.  In December, the fifth grade will host The Jesse Tree Service.  It is scheduled on Dec.18th at 9:00 am.  Please arrange your schedule early you won’t want to miss it.

I look forward to visiting with you at parent conferences!

 Print

It’s hard to believe we are already heading into the month of October! I want to thank everyone who donated an exercise ball to the classroom. The kids love them and they are a great incentive for good behavior. Please remember to check your child’s red folder and check the website every night.

Math
We successfully completed our unit on place value. We have begun our unit on double and triple digit multiplication. Many of the kids are struggling with their facts. I can’t stress enough how important it is for the kids to know these facts COLD. I have gone light on written math homework so the kids will have time studying math facts. Remember Mad Minute tests are every Friday and do count as a grade.

Religion
We began the year reviewing the Sacrament of reconciliation. The students went to reconciliation as a class this past week. Fifth grade will be hosting mass on October 9th. The kids always do a beautiful job. Please come join us at the school 8:00 mass if you can.

Reading
We are finishing our class novel No Talking, by Andrew Clements. Students will work on a book review project in class. The final project will be due in mid October. Watch the website for due dates. We will be working on comprehension passages over the next few weeks. These passages will give students an opportunity to improve reading skills such as: main idea, context clues, identifying details, and vocabulary. Our next class novel will be A Wrinkle in Time. I know the kids will enjoy this novel. Please keep signing Reading Counts reading logs.

English
We have been working diligently on The Shurley Method, and it shows! The kids are doing really well. We have also spent time journaling. The kids have produced some amazing creative writing pieces! I am so proud of them. Stop by the classroom anytime, we have these pieces hanging up.

 Print