Happy December!

We’ve started the 3-week stretch to Christmas! Over the next three weeks, I’ll be sprinkling in some fun ELA Christmas activities to get students into the holiday spirit.

 

5th & 6th Language Arts

We’ve started The View from Saturday, and will continue with the novel study through break and a little bit after. Homework for this novel study is nightly reading and vocabulary, which is on Google Classroom under the Homework section in Classwork. Please remember that there is no reading log during this novel study, but students are still encouraged to have their own book to read for silent reading and finishing early. In addition, students may have to finish novel study classwork or writing lab prompts for homework. This will be in their planner. For writing, students are continuing with expository writing, and are currently working on an expository 3-paragraph essay in which they teach somebody else about something they love. 5th grade is also working on a diocese-wide Catholic Schools Week essay contest!  Essays will be due the week of Dec. 15th. Be on the lookout for a form to sign that will allow your 5th grader’s essay to be submitted to the diocese. The information is also on Google Classroom.

 

7th & 8th Language Arts

We’ve started To Kill a Mockingbird, and will continue with the novel study through break and a few weeks after. For those of you who are familiar with it, you know how much we can talk about and learn from it! This week, our focus is getting to know the characters and the town of Maycomb, Alabama during the Great Depression. Homework for this unit is nightly reading and vocabulary (on Google Classroom) and unfinished writing lab prompts. For writing, students will continue to write argumentative paragraphs based on To Kill a Mockingbird, and will also do some Christmas creative writing.

 

Art

7th and 8th graders are working on a piece to submit to MCA’s Christmas Art Contest. Final pieces are due on Dec. 13th. You will receive a permission form that will need to be signed in order for us to submit your student’s artwork.

 

Looking Ahead:

All This Week: Scholastic Book Fair
Fri. 12/7: Early dismissal
Wed. 12/12: Early dismissal; Our Lady of Guadalupe at 9am after Mass
Thurs. 12/20: Class parties after recess
Fri. 12/21: Christmas pageant; early dismissal (you may pick your student up from the classroom after the pageant) *no extension, students must be picked up by 12:15
Sat. 12/22 – Mon. 1/7: Christmas break!!!
Tues. 1/8: School resumes