Dear STM Families,

 

Happy Halloween Weekend!  Tomorrow begins November 1-5 and lots of to-do actions and notes for your calendars. Please read the entire post!

 

Tomorrow, Nov. 1 is the changeover to Winter Uniform. Basically, a changeover to pants, if your student has been wearing shorts. Students must have a blue STM sweater. Zipups, pullovers, hoodies, etc. can be worn to school and outside at recess but not in the classrooms. The STM sweater long-sleeved v-neck, buttonup cardigan, vest, etc. is the only item that can be worn over the STM polo shirt. There are long-sleeved polo shirts as well and an undershirt can also keep your student comfortable during the school day. Quick reminder that jewelry needs to stay home - necklaces, bracelets, dangling earrings - not for school. Please take a look at your student when he/she is  getting dressed for school and make sure that the uniform is correct. 

 

 

Fall Conferences!  A letter will be going home tomorrow explaining the Fall Conference procedure. Thursday. Nov. 11th is all-virtual conferences, beginning at 12:30pm. On Friday, Nov. 12th, all Middle School teachers will be in the gym for in-person conferences from 8:30am - 11:30am and 12:30pm - 3:30pm. For the Friday option, parents have the opportunity to meet with any and all of the Middle School teachers rather than just the homeroom teacher. For the virtual conferences on Thursday,  I have created 24 slots for my homeroom only. To create 24 slots for virtual conferences, the times are 15 minutes from 12:30 - 6:30pm. The Zoom link will post on the morning of conferences. I'm not expecting all of the families to choose the virtual option but wanted to leave the opportunity open to you. 

The signup genius link for homeroom teacher (me, Mrs. Morgan) conferences is https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30E0B4EABA729A5F94-fall

 

All Saints Day Mass: Tomorrow at STM we will be attending All Saints Day Mass in the Cathedral at 10am. You are welcome to come to Mass and sit with your student if you would like to attend Mass for All Saints. It is not a Holy Day of Obligation this year due to it falling on a Monday, but it's always great to see parents attend Mass with us!

 

Homestead Studies!: Your student's Homestead Studies folders will be going home this week. Please (x1000) put this folder somewhere it can be accessed quickly and easily, preferably not in the recycling or under a bed.  There is a letter explaining the process for Homestead Studies and the matrix of options for student work is included as well. It will save you and your student a lot of time if you can have this folder READY TO GO. I will personally oversee each student putting the folders in their backpacks but once they get home it's very important to put the folder somewhere it won't be lost. 

 

For next week: make up pictures are scheduled for Nov. 8th, Thursday and Friday are Conferences, Friday the 12th the first trimester ends, and there is an Open House at STM on November 14th. There is no school Nov. 22-26. There will be asynchronous instruction provided for Nov. 22-23 to be completed in lieu for two school days, and more information will be provided after conferences.  

 

Reading 7: Our second fall novel, Towers Falling by Jewell Parker Rhodes, has a focus on discovering that we belong to individual, local, and national communities, told through the lens of a homeless family in Brooklyn, NY. It is a 9/11 book written for students for whom 9/11 is past history and for many for whom it is recent history. It's a fast read for any adult, if you happen to see the book at home and have two hours or so to read it for yourself. Student classwork is focused on the skill of character development through quotes analysis.  

 

Reading 6: Students are working on non-fiction text structure in a Storyworks article about invasive species, beginning List 5 (we are right on schedule with Vocab, which is great!) in Vocabulary in Action, writing our Life Lists. We are enjoying Thursday "blessed Reading time". Students also have a "small group reading" book to be reading in preparation for a book club discussion.

 

LA 6: We have finished the Pronouns unit and took the Pronouns test last week. Extra credit was the Pronoun Challenge. This week the students will be creating instructional graphics for a how-to activity (flow charts, diagrams). 

 

Religion 6: This week the students will complete the Chapter 6 Abraham is our Father in Faith chapter and begin Chapter 7 Jacob is Chosen by God. The Chapter 6 test will be on Thursday. 

 

Have a great week!

 

Mrs. Morgan