TerraNova

Beginning next Monday, we will be taking the TerraNova tests in school. The last day of our testing will be March 10. During this time, there will be no homework assigned to make sure that students are well-rested and ready to answer the questions to the best of their ability. We have spent the past few weeks reviewing the material, and we will continue to review it this coming week; however, there are several things you can do to help your child prepare. Please make sure that your child:

1. Has at least three sharpened #2 pencils.

2. Goes to sleep early and eats a good breakfast.

3. Brings a healthy snack to school, such as apples, pretzels, or half a sandwich.

4. Arrives at school on time.

Thank you for all your help!

Week of February 9-13

This week in class, students enjoyed an apple tasting presented by the Chicago Tribune. They got a chance to taste four different varieties of apples (Cameo, Fuji, Golden Delicious, and Granny Smith), compare their sweetness, tartness, and firmness, then vote on their favorite. All the students enjoyed this activity and loved eating their apples, a healthy treat. They also received a coupon for $3.00 towards apples. Students have also learned about our new President Barack Obama and wrote an essay comparing him to either Langston Hughes, a famous poet we read about, or Jean Baptiste Pointe DuSable, the founder of Chicago.

We're at the halfway point of the third quarter! Progress reports will be sent home next Friday. Any work that has not been turned in as of Tuesday will count as a zero. Missing assignments have been noted on responsibility reports. This includes reading logs. Please make sure your child's work has been turned in.

There is no school on Monday in honor of President's Day. There will be an English test on adjectives next week on Friday, and a social studies test on the Northeast towareds the end of the last week of February.

Catholic Schools Week

Catholic Schools Week was a great time for our school to come together. We had opportunities to play games with our buddies and compete in the Olympics with the rest of the school. We celebrated an all school Mass at the end of the week and a prayer service and pep rally in the beginning. Students wore pajamas to school and dressed like twins, and had extra reading time with blankets and pillows. We even several people from our class honored: Javier won the award for most effort, Jessica for being the classroom peacemaker, and Alicia for a schoolwide poster contest. Congratulations!

This past week allowed us to have some fun as a class, and it hopefully marks a turning point for the rest of the year. Very few people got to participate in the bead activity last Friday, due to lack of attention, people being unprepared for class, and work not getting completed. Mr. Bennett came into the room today to talk to students about how we have high expectations for them and do not give them any work we do not think they can complete, and we expect to see them put in the effort to meet (and hopefully exceed) our expectations. Their only homework from me for this past weekend was to study for science, yet only three people filled out the study guide to prepare for the test today. Only five people last week had all of their homework turned in on time last week, and only four had all the papers they needed to get signed returned to me today. I am hoping that as we continue in the third quarter, that the students' work ethic and responsibility improves.