As a new year begins, we reflect on the previous one. Before Christmas break, the 5th grade worked together to present the Jesse Tree. The students did a fantastic job in showing everyone the true meaning of Christmas. Here are a few photos…

English

We will be applying our Shurley English when we start our research paper. The students will be given a topic and see what it’s like to research, make note cards, avoid plagiarism, and combine their thoughts to make a research paper. It will be interesting to see how the students can bring all of their previous knowledge of grammar and sentence structure together.

We will also be using our poetry talents to make our treasure books. There are so many creative writers in this class, and I could not think of any better way of showcasing them than in the treasure book.

Reading

We are wrapping up The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe and will be moving on to Number the Stars by Lois Lowry. This is a touching and solemn novel about friendship during World War II in Nazi-occupied territory. Students will read about a story that is much different than their lives over here in 21st century Texas. This is still one of my favorite books from elementary school, and I cannot wait to share it with the students.

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Math:

5^th Grade - We are working on the world of fractions.  We are adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing fractions.

6^th Grade – We are working on fractions, ratios, proportions and percents.  We are using our new knowledge to price groceries and figure out sales tax.

Science:

In science we are working on our science fair experiments.  5^th grade is the first year we present our work to the judges for ribbons, so the competition is really heating up! In February we will be moving on to Earth Science and the changes to the Earth’s crust.  Excitement is building as we get closer to our trip to the Pines in May.

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Reading & English

We have just finished our novel, Loser by Jerry Spinelli. Both the students and I enjoyed the book as it told a story that we can all easily relate to. To celebrate the ending of the novel, the students created pop-up scenes that display their favorite scene. They were really enthused and excited to show off their creativity. I have posted some pictures below to show them hard at work.

We are now moving on to The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis. This beloved children’s classic is being met with anticipation and excitement by the students and me, as well. Students will be pulled into the world of Narnia and the Penvensie children’s adventure of talking beavers, centaurs, and a faun named Mr. Tumnus, to name a few.

We are also diving back into Shurley English to continue working on our grammar. The Shurley English we have focused on so far has helped improve the students’ writing skills in paragraphs. This will also help them write a research paper in the new year.

It has been an eventful and rewarding first half of the school year. I look forward to learning more from the students by seeing them grow into engaging readers and writers.

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In science we have ended our unit on ecosystems with our owl pellet dissection.  We were fascinated to see the food chain in action.  Next we will be looking at biomes and writing our Eco-tourism Brochures.  As soon as we get back in January we will be jumping into Science Fair.  The fifth grade enters the competition this year, and will be presenting their projects to the panel of judges.

In math we are continuing our journey through fractions.  We will be adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing fractions.  We will also be converting fractions to decimals and decimals to fractions.This will keep us busy for awhile!

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Reading

We are fully engrossed in our novel, Loser. In addition to comprehension quizzes, we have been learning and testing numerous vocabulary words from the book. For a new and fun way of retaining vocabulary, the students created vocabulary cards. Each student picked a word and illustrated it in a drawing and presented it to the class. This technique was met with positive feedback from the students. I look forward to implementing this lesson again. As we come to the end of this book, we will complete a project that will culminate all of the aspects of Loser.

Spelling

After we completed the list of 100 most common misspelled primary words, we began spelling words from a program called Spellography. In this program students learn spelling rules to help them understand why words are spelled certain ways. These rules will aid them when they encounter new words and want to know how it is pronounced. They are tested every week on their words as well as rules.

English/Writing

With our Shurley knowledge, we are applying it in our writing. Students have created color poems that express how a color smells, tastes, feels, sounds, and looks. They have had a great time exploring their minds and thinking deeply about how a color affects our five senses. They impress me everyday with their unique and creative expressions.

We are beginning to write three-point paragraphs and using them as a way to answer comprehension and critical thinking questions relating to our reading. It will be interesting to watch these writers come alive.

Reading Counts

Students should be reading Monday-Thursday for 30 minutes a night. In the Second Quarter we will have a project due for their book.

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Math

We just finished a multiplication unit. The kids did an amazing job! Yea! We will begin a unit covering division and decimals. Keep up the hard work.

Science

We are continuing our study of cycles and ecosystems in nature. We have looked at how plants adapt to their environments with a study of the traits of leaves. We will now look at the bigger picture of how plants and animals fit in their environments.This unit is a lot of fun with many hands- on labs.

Please be sure to send in all Pines information!!!!!

Thank you in advance for all the hard work that goes into the Halloween Carnival. It is a huge fund raiser and we couldn’t do it without your help.

As always, keep checking the web site to stay  on top of all class happenings!

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Fifth graders at St. Elizabeth are in full swing with the new school year as we have already been drawn into the book Loser by Jerry Spinelli, opened our hearts to poetry, challenged ourselves to common misspelled spelling words, and continuously growing in our grammar.

Reading

We have started reading Loser by Jerry Spinelli. We are all thoroughly enjoying it. Students are laughing as we discover what the main character, Zinkoff, will do next. We are also using new vocabulary from the book, and students are encouraged to use it in their everyday life. To help us with vocabulary, we have played a fun game called Taboo.  Students have had so much fun trying to get their teammate to shout the correct word, by describing the word without using the vocabulary word. They frequently ask to play this game again and again.

Spelling

We have begun this school year by learning the correct spelling of 100 most common misspelled primary words. These words may seem easy, but as we have taken this journey we have found that they are harder than they seem. By remembering the right context and spelling rules, students have started to master these words.

English

We are using the Shurley Method for learning grammar. Veteran students are familiar with the set-up and jingles. As a new family member of St. Elizabeth, I am still learning, but am catching on as the students want to sing them often. We have a great time marching through the classroom singing about nouns, verbs, and sentences.

Poetry

On Fridays, we open our minds and hearts to poetry. We have discovered what “Heart Mapping” is as the students have explored what is important to them and what has had an effect on their lives. By filling in their hearts, they are given an endless list of topics to write about. We look forward to seeing these writers bloom.

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In science we are investigating the world of plants.  We will be learning how plants are structured for survival, and how we need plants for our own survival.  I want to thank everyone for their donations to keep our experiments running.  Look for information to come home about our trip to ecology camp this spring.

In 5th grade math we are moving into multiplication and division of decimals.  In 6th grade math (R) we are moving into multiplication and division with decimals and exponents.  In 6th grade math (H) we will be looking at decimals, integers and algebraic expressions.

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It is hard to believe the school year is almost over-and what a great year we’ve had!  It has been such a pleasure to have your children in our classes.  We also want to say thank you for such a terrific set of parents,  too.  Thank you for all your help and support all year.  Please make sure you check the website for the summer reading assignment, and make sure it is finished before the first day of school.  Thank you and God Bless all of you!

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The students completed the branches of government chapter and did a great job on the three branches of government project. The Civil War was a successful chapter, and the students showed their knowledge on the chapter test and did a great job overall. We will be covering the Reconstruction period as well as more modern history in the textbook. The students have worked very well all year long, and I appreciate all the hard work they have done and how much they have grown over the year. Thank you to everyone for making it a great year, and I hope everyone has a great summer!!!  See you next year!!!

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The students reenacted the American Revolution, and they all did a great job on their skits.  I was very impressed with how they worked in groups and performed.  The students then studied about the Constitution and were tested over the material.  The Civil War has also been studied and the students will be tested over thatmaterial soon.

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We are all so excited that our trip the Pines is almost here.  We will leave from the school on May 10th and will return to the school on May 13th.  Please watch for information to be coming home on a regular basis.  We are looking forward to some hands-on science field work!

In reading we are moving on to our new novel “A Wrinkle in Time” which is always a favorite.  Our research papers are moving forward.  We are also looking forward to the visit from Mr. Jacobs, a holocaust survivor, during Young Authors Day.

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Change for Change

Dear St. Elizabeth Community,

Our fifth grade class is currently reading the novel Number the Stars by Lois Lowry.  The novel takes place during World War II and the troubles of the Jewish people.  In order to really understand the novel, we began by learning about the Holocaust. We were shocked to hear how many people lost their families and their lives; six million Jewish people lost their lives, as well as three million Catholics, and many other peoples! What surprised us the most about the Holocaust was that people seemed to know what was going on, yet it took so long for many people to try and help. We were so sad.

We, then, watched a documentary called “Paper Clips, “ which was about a school in Tennessee that also studied the Holocaust. The students there had a difficult time understanding how many 6,000,000 was. They decided to collect 6,000,000 paper clips so that they could see just how big that number was since it is hard to imagine it until you see it with your own eyes. We asked our teacher if we could do a project and collect six million of something. Our teacher told us that that was a good idea because many forms of oppression and genocide are still occurring today.

Most of us didn’t know this, and we want to do something to stop it.

After talking about it, we came up with a new project which we are calling “Change for Change.”  We want to collect 6,000,000 pennies.  We want everyone to see what this number looks like. We figured out that 6,000,000 pennies is $60,000.00!! We want to donate this money to stop oppression, poverty and genocide throughout our world today.  We have made a pie chart to show how the money will be donated, and we will donate every penny collected!!

The 6 pillars of Catholic Social Teaching to helped us to decide where the money will be sent, and they are:

1. Dignity of the Human Person,

2. Community and the Common Good,

3. Rights and Responsibilities Towards Others,

4. Option for the Poor

5. Dignity of Work, and

6. Solidarity.

After doing some research we have chosen to send the money to Catholic Relief Services and The Merida Foundation.  People all over the world are oppressed and suffering and we want to help.  In fact, our whole school decided to get involved with our project!

As individuals, we can do a little bit, but when we work together, we can do a lot!  So, please send us a penny.  It isn’t much by itself, but when our pennies are pooled together, they become dollars which help to save so many lives. We will be keeping records and maps of all the places our pennies come from, and the pie chart of where the pennies will go.  Please tell everyone you know about our project! Please drop your donation by the school – we will have a donation jug on the front desk, or  you may mail your penny to the address listed below with a short note telling us why you decided to get involved in our project.  We really appreciate your help. We want so much to accomplish our goal and make the world a safe place for all people. God bless you all.

Thank you,

St. Elizabeth of Hungary Catholic School
4019 S. Hampton Rd.
Dallas, TX  75224
(214) 331-5139

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Due to all the bad weather that occurred, Chapter 6 was given as a take home test.   Chapter 7: The American Revolutionary War, went very well. The students showed their knowledge from what they read by re-enacting the American Revolutionary War in class. Chapter 12 over the World Wars and Holocaust was studied. The class has jumped a few chapters to coincide with the Holocaust and WWII and with other studies in their other classes.  After the test over WWI, WWII, and the Holocaust, Chapter 8 will be continued.

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We would like to thank everyone for such a wonderful Christmas party and such generous Christmas gifts.  5A will host Mass on 1/14 and 5B will host Mass on 1/21.

Students will begin their poetry Treasure books.  Please watch the website for the necessary supplies.  These books are quite beautiful and a tremendous learning experience.  The students love to see themselves as published authors!

We are looking forward to many exciting events during Catholic Schools Week.  The 5th grade will be going skating.  Please look for permission slips, due dates and fees.

Science Fair will be very exciting this year.  5th grade Science projects will be judged on Wednesday, February 2.  All of the 5th grade students will stay after school that day to set up for Science night.  Parents and families will join us in the evening to view all the projects from the whole school and hear the results.  5th grade also runs the cafe to raise money for our trip to the Pines.  The more money we raise, the less the trip will cost.  Please be generous with your time and contributions to help pay for the trip.  There will be information coming home about this.

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After the Christmas break we presented our colonial projects that were due before the break. The students did a great job on all of their projects and presenting them. They had fun doing the project as well.  “Chapter 6: The Colonies Unite” is the next section in our book. We took notes on the vocabulary words and important people of each section as well as tested our knowledge of the vocabulary words. As with all the other chapters, we took our chapter test and now are working on the next chapter which is “The Revolutionary War.” For this chapter the students will read the chapter to get an understanding of the material and then will act out the war as an assessment.

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There will be a project over the thirteen colonies. We will begin in December and will be due the 16^th of December before we leave for Christmas break. More details on the project will follow. The next unit will be over the American Revolution.

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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!

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November will be a busy month for us. 

In Religion we are finishing up our unit on the Rosary.  Hopefully, all the students have a deeper understanding of the meanings of the mysteries.  Both classes did an excellent job of presenting our Friday Liturgy. Next we will look at the lives of selected Saints with our Saint Book project. 

In Math we will spend the month working on division.  Keep practicing those multiplication facts! 

In Science we will be looking at systems and interactions in nature.  We will look at different cycles and ecosystems.

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The students are continuing to work hard. Students are using new strategies to help them succeed and perform well on their tests. The students will start studying more vocabulary words and definitions, charts, and taking notes on the important people in each chapter.  This will give them something to refer to when test time comes around.

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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.

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Math: in math we will be moving through multiplication into division.  The children really need to have their multiplication facts memorized.  Please practice with them a little every night. We will have a “mad minute” multiplication quiz every Friday for a grade.

Religion: There are some big occasions coming up in 5th grade religion.  Both classes will have the opportunity to receive the sacrament of reconciliation.  In October both classes will be in charge of Friday Liturgy.  5A will have their turn on 10/8 and 5B in 10/15.  We would love to have parents join us for these occasions. In October we will explore the mysteries of the Rosary and we will also look at the four Gospel writers.

Science:  In science we will finish looking at plant and animal systems and look at the bigger picture-ecosystems where the plants and animals interact.  There will be a project assigned dealing with ecosystems.

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We have gotten off to a great start to the new school year. As most of you know by now I took over the 5th Grade Social Studies class after the first week and a half of classes.  I am excited about the opportunity to work with your children in a different environment other than in PE.  We had a Chapter 1 test at the end of August and now we are currently working on our Native American tribe projects for Chapter 2 in the book. Projects were presented in class.  Next we will be covering the Age of Exploration.

Just a reminder: parents, you can always check on the 5th grade website for up-to-date information.

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Our 5^th graders are getting ready to go on a most wonderful adventure to The Pine’s Catholic Camp. We will be learning about Entomology, Orienteering, Archaeology, Forestry, Meteorology, and Limnology. We hope to master the high ropes, canoeing, and so much more!

The 5^th Graders are well into the American Revolution learning about Colonial America.

In Science the 6^th graders have adopted an atom and we are onto Molecules and Bonding.

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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!

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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!

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Fifth Grade

In Science, the fifth graders will conclude the chapter on Exploring the Oceans.  Our next Unit is to Infinity and beyond! AKA Learning all about our Solar System and Beyond!

In Social Studies the fifth graders will conclude the Unit: The Land and Early People. We will make the smooth transition into Exploration and settlement!  Please have your student study the names and locations of the 50 United States along with each State’s Capital.

Sixth Grade

In 6^th grade Science we have succeeded learning the metric system ways of measurement along with the Scientific Method.  All students were given a package with all of the Science Fair Project information. If you have any questions, please e-mail or call me with any and all questions.  The 6^th graders will also learn and master the General Properties of Matter.

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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!

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In Science, the 5^th graders are wrapping up Their Unit on Earth Science. We will begin learning about “The Solar System and Beyond.”

In Social Studies we are continuing to learn about our Native Americans.  The 5^th graders are enjoying learning their current events in their Scholastic News!

The 6^th graders have begun learning about Physical Science.  We are learning how to apply the Scientific Method as a way of problem solving.  The metric system will be used to make calculations, applying concepts, identifying relationships, and interpreting information.  The students are also learning the working knowledge of prefixes and suffixes used in science vocabulary.

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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.

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