Old Friends

     We had a quick visit from one of our old classmates and her mom.  Sarah Bandhauer and her family moved to Maine last summer but returned to say hi and deliver the newest letters from our pen pals in Maine.  She told us a little about her new school and caught up with her old friends.  I asked her what she missed most about DeSales and she replied, "My friends, my teachers, and the school."  :-)

 I am happy to report that everyone received 100% on the +5 timed test today!  Thanks for practicing at home.  If we can do the same with +6, 7, 8, and 9, we'll have a party!

     Mrs. Flynn, a reading specialist from Newfane (and a mom), came in to give us a writing lesson.  We wrote an opinion piece about a favorite story character and learned to support that opinion with details from the story.  I love inviting experts in to help me teach!  Thank you Mrs. Flynn!

    
   We compared/contrasted two versions of the same fairy tale using a Venn diagram.  We read Kate and the Beanstalk and compared it to Jack and the Beanstalk.  The students appreciated the surprise ending.

 Patricia Polacco is the subject of our author study this month.  We read and discussed my favorite book of hers, Thank You, Mr. Falker.  Please ask your child what he/she liked about the book.  

     We also got together with both of our reading buddy classes this week.  It's so nice to see these friendships grow around reading books together.  

   Please plan on attending the Challenge for Charity event to raise money for Catholic Charities on Monday, 4/28, in the school gym.  There will be a volleyball and basketball game between the 8th graders and the faculty and refreshments will be available for purchase.  I hope to see you there!

       



     

Happy Easter!

We had a fun time celebrating during our Easter party on Friday.  The students each made a woven Easter basket (it's an old-fashioned craft, I know,  but the kids still love it and it's a great fine motor workout!)  Thank you everyone for sending in an extra treat for our visitor.  She had a great time and was surprised and pleased that there was a basket for her too.

The students wrote and presented Cinquain poems about the object in space they had researched.  The format is a little unusual compared to the poems we usually read but the students did a great job with them.

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About half of our Flat Stanleys have made it back to DeSales.  If you are talking to the recipient of your Stanley please remind him/her to send it back soon so your child can share in the fun.

We had some excitement right outside our window on Thursday.  A tall tree was being trimmed.  We all lined up at the window to see some big branches coming down.

The room is ready and waiting for our return on Tuesday, April 22nd.  We will use the regular reading series with spelling and vocabulary that week.

We sent another letter to our pen pals in Maine this week.  The students are enjoying corresponding, especially when we receive it!

I spent the first day of vacation with my grandson at the Buffalo Science Museum.  If you haven't been there in awhile, it has changed a lot and offers many hands on activities for all ages.  It might be a fun thing to check out over vacation.   Whatever you do next week I hope you enjoy it with family and friends.  God Bless and Happy Easter!

Busy Week!

There was so much going on this week!  I hope everyone received and read our "bread book" that we finished up this week.  The students really love hearing themselves read. 

 The last two weekends have been Maple Weekend in Niagara County.  A few students told me they went to the local maple farms to get their syrup but I like to bring in sap and syrup every year for the students to try.  They are always surprised that the syrup looks and tastes so much like water and that it takes 40 cups of sap to make 1 cup of syrup!


We had a lot of fun on Wednesday going to UB to see Sid the Science Kid.  We learned a lot about our 5 senses and the factors that enable us to experience our world through our senses.  As always, the students were well behaved, I am very proud of them.  Thank you to the many chaperones who came and helped out!  

It was a packed house but UB always does such a nice job organizing our arrivals and departures.  We are sending a thank you note from the students to express our thanks for giving us a free bus every year.

Each year a friend of mine who is a member of Niagara County Farm Bureau comes in for Agriculture in the Classroom week to read a book and talk to the students about farming and agriculture.  Below is a photo of Mr. Emerson reading Who Grew My Soup?  The book has been donated to our library for the students to enjoy.  Below is also a link to the Kid's Zone of the Agriculture in the Classroom  website.

Kids' Zone 

The students have been researching planets, stars, comets, etc. and learning to take notes.  We put some of those research notes on a Prezi to present to the class.  Click on the link to go to the Prezi.  Advance the presentation with the arrows at the bottom of the page. Space Prezi

Next week we will NOT be using our reading series.  There are no spelling or vocabulary words and no reading test.  We will spend the time on reading and writing projects as well as concentrating on some math concepts.  We are fast approaching the final quarter and we need to get those math facts down.  Please continue to study every night at home.  The students need to know their facts fluently without using a number line or fingers.