Posts
November 27-December 2, 2022
Hi STM families! I will plan to be back to school this week and am definitely looking forward to seeing your students! "It has been a long three weeks" is all I can say! The gift deliveries and sweet cards were definitely highlights!
6th Grade LA: The students had a variety of Thanksgiving-related writing assignments to complete on Nov. 21 and 22. In PowerSchool, the status of the assignments completed will be noted with a green checkmark if it has been turned in, or an orange exclamation point for "missing". A downside of being out for an extended time will unfortunately be attempting to gather in many of the assignments which have not been completed. It is the beginning of a new trimester, so it will be best to start off on a strong note! Please note the Extra Credit offered for posting a photo or video of setting the table. This assignment is posted in the LA Google Classroom. This week we will be getting back into Word Study and our next Grammar unit. Adjectives. Our writing units will be a bit compressed into short Descriptive (Christmas sweater activity) and a simple How-to flow chart units, to be ready to begin Verbs and Persuasive Writing when we return in January. A yearly overview of the Voyages program is here: https://www.voyagesinenglish.com/images/VIE18-lesson-plan-G6.pdf
6th grade Bluebirds: The students will be finishing Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie within the next 10 days! We will be initiating a research paper and see it through to completion before the holidays. ALL assignments are posted in Google Classroom under "Bluebirds". The status of the completed assignments in PowerSchool will be noted with a green checkmark if it has been turned in, or an orange exclamation point for "missing". A downside of being out for an extended time will unfortunately be attempting to gather in many of the assignments which have not been completed. It is the beginning of a new trimester, so it will be best to start off on a strong note!
6th Grade Kestrels: The students will be reading their chapter assignments in The Bronze Bow for the remaining 1/3 of the book. Each assignment for the book is in the "Kestrels" page in your student's Google Classroom. The status of the collected assignments will be noted with a green checkmark if it has been turned in, or an orange exclamation point for "missing". A downside of being out for an extended time will unfortunately be attempting to gather in many of the assignments which have not been completed. It is the beginning of a new trimester, so it will be best to start off on a strong note!
7th Grade C. S. Lewis: The 7th graders are nearing the final 1/3 of The Seventh Most Important Thing. There are a LOT of assignments for this group. ALL of the assignments are located in your student's C.S. Lewis Google Classroom, along with chapter read-alouds and the Reading Schedule. The status of the assignments will be noted with a green checkmark if it has been turned in, or an orange exclamation point for "missing". A downside of being out for an extended time will unfortunately be attempting to gather in many of the assignments which have not been completed. It is the beginning of a new trimester, so it will be best to start off on a strong note!
Religion has been graciously coordinated by Mrs. Meehan for the past few weeks, so I anticipate that we will picking up with Chapter 8. https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/lpress-craft/files/col2016-files/Christourlife2016-study-gd-g6-ch8.pdf
Re: scheduling "Fall" conferences for my homeroom: the dates have to be adjusted from the planned dates of Dec 7-9 to January and we'll call them "Mid-Year Conferences". My radiation treatments are in the morning Dec. 5-9, and late days after school for in-person and virtual conferences are not feasible at this time. Thank you for your understanding!
Best wishes for a wonderful week!
Mrs. Morgan
November 14-18, 2022
Dear Families,
This Week at School:
Please keep an eye out for your student's Homestead Studies folder and be sure that it is stored where it won't be "lost" when your student needs it. Thank you!
Wednesday, Nov. 16 - students go to Confession
Friday, Nov. 18 - wear House shirts, House meeting day!
Thanksgiving Holidays begin Wednesday, November 23
Academic Classes I Teach:
In Reading 7 C. S. Lewis, the students are reading Shelley Pearsall's The Seventh Most Important Thing. All assignments, including Chapter Questions, the Reading Schedule chapter pages and due dates, and a link to a set of video presentations for the book chapters, are posted in Google Classroom. The video links were also included in last week's weekly newsletter post for your reference.
In Reading 6 Bluebirds, the students are reading Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie, by Jordan Sonnenblick. Students have Chapter Questions, the Reading Schedule chapter pages and due dates, and a link to a set of video presentations for the book chapters, all posted in Google Classroom. The video links were also included in last week's weekly newsletter post for your reference.
In Reading 6, Kestrels are reading Elizabeth George Speare's The Bronze Bow. Students have Chapter Questions, the Reading Schedule chapter pages and due dates, and a link to a set of video presentations for the book chapters, all posted in Google Classroom. The video links were also included in last week's weekly newsletter post for your reference.
For LA 6, the students have completed the Pronoun Review pgs. 50-51 and the optional extra credit Pronoun Challenge on pg. 52. These assignments are posted on the LA Google Classroom. There is a Pronoun Test this week.
Religion 6, the students prepared for Confession and the lessons are being coordinated between 6-7 and my substitute teacher by Mrs. Meehan.
Conferences and Grades: Since the PowerSchool portal has closed, and I am unable to schedule conferences until December 5th-8th, I will provide a screenshot of your student's progress at your request, to mitigate any surprises at report card time. Feel free to send me an email to inquire about the status of any grade.
Signup Genius: The signup genius link for conferences will be provided this weekend to my room parents, Karen Nimerick and Julie Donovan, to send an email and begin scheduling your conferences. In-person and video conferences are the choices. Priority will go first to homeroom parents since the Fall Conferences are mandatory, and as spaces are available I am very happy to meet with any other families who wish to meet with me!
Have a lovely week,
Mrs. Morgan
Monday, November 7-Thursday, November 10, 2022
Happy rainy weird warm Sunday!
I am home and resting, and wanted to give you an idea of what to expect this week in classwork/homework/etc. It is a joy to have Mrs. Stuver back at STM during this time! She and Mrs. Meehan are 100% on top of things in the classroom, and while I am out Mrs. Stuver will be teaching your students in the classes I teach:
Reading 7: The students will be reading and completing daily page assignments and written work for their novel, The Seventh Most Important Thing, by Shelley Pearsall. This is a great book, and a teacher recorded reading the entire book at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDMntku__sU
The neatest thing about this book is that it is a true-ish/fictionalized story about a piece of art that was created in DC and is currently on view at the Smithsonian American Art Museum.
The Monkey's Paw trial was hilarious and engaging. The students worked so hard and they did a great job. I have made a Google Slideshow with their video clips that I will share with their teachers.
Reading 6: The students are reading two challenging novels during this time. The Kestrels group is reading The Bronze Bow by Elizabeth George Speare,https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jgQkjTAmTfw if you would like a free video audiobook and the Bluebirds group is reading Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie by Jordan Sonnenblick.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pg4oDx8yhSo is a free video audiobook. There are daily page reading assignments and a reading schedule.
LA 6: The students will be completing the Pronouns unit between this week and next week. Please be sure you're aware that there is extra credit available by completing the Pronouns Challenge on pg. 52 in the Voyages textbook.
Religion: The class will begin Chapter 7 Jacob is Chosen By God
When I can, I'll be updating older assignments and catching up with missing student work, particularly with the trimester quickly coming to an end. I love and appreciate all of your support and prayers more than words can say! Thank you!
Mrs. Morgan
October 31-November 4
Happy Halloween! Although it's a rainy, yucky night, I hope everyone was able to get out to do a little trick-or-treating!
Race for Education last week was so much fun, and Trunk or Treat was an awesome time as well. What a great week! Thank you to Mrs. Donovan and Mrs. Nimerick for the pirate hats and eye patches!
Speaking of...thank you for the meals - I am pretty excited about the options and the fact that they are pre-portioned to eliminate having too much on hand. Thank you for your contributions to ease what will be a long couple of weeks, with something very yummy to look forward to each day for dinner!
This week, be prepared that on Wednesday your students who wear shorts will need to be wearing long pants. A v-neck sweater or a cardigan sweater will be a must, depending on the temperature fluctuations in the building: some rooms might be a little warmer, and some areas might be a bit chillier as we head into cooler weather. Remember that there shouldn't be bracelets, necklaces, dangling earrings, and nail polish.
November calendar items: Please note the following:
Nov. 1, Mass for All Saints Day
Nov. 2 birthdays get a dress-down day and shorts to become pants
Nov. 10th conferences in the gym (not with me, though)
Nov. 11 no school.
Nov. 14th PowerSchool portal closes
House meeting on Nov. 18th, so your student wears his/her new House t-shirt to school that day.
Nov. 22-25 no school for Thanksgiving Holidays
Dec. 2 report cards go home
I'll plan virtual and in-person conferences for Dec. 7-9.
Academically, in LA 6 the students are working on pronouns and word study. In Reading, the Kestrels are creating book talks with skits related to Gary Paulsen's Hatchet and Scott O'Dell's Island of the Blue Dolphins to be presented on Thursday, Nov. 3rd. It will be so much fun! The Bluebirds are studying Gary Paulsen's hilarious book Crush and looking at characterization. In Reading 7, the students are using text evidence and honing their lawyer-y persuasive skills in a Mock Trial to convict or exonerate Mr. White in The Monkey's Paw by W. W. Jacobs. In Religion, the 6th grade will complete the study guide and take the Chapter 6 test, Abraham is Our Father in Faith.
Ms. Hickey (Stuver! Stuver! Remember she is Mrs. Stuver now!) will be here on Friday to support Rm. 9 while I am out. 1991 is the last time I left a class for any type of mid-year absence, and that's because of having a baby (who will be turning 31 soon) and which was way more fun and exciting. This one is a bummer, and I appreciate all the positive prayers and good vibes coming my way (plus, those yummy dinners!) are much appreciated while I heal up and prepare to come back to school.
Have a great week!
Mrs. Morgan
October 24-28, 2022
Happy Sunday! Enjoy this week/weekend, because it's THE HOLIDAYS already, according to the stores. In only five weeks, it's the first Sunday of Advent, so in my world, at least, it's still autumn for quite some time!!!!!
This week: Race for Education on Wednesday, and early dismissal/Trunk or Treat on Friday! After that, be sure to have Winter Uniform items beginning Nov. 2nd. As comfy as sweatshirts are, your student needs a navy STM v-neck or cardigan over the polo shirt. Additionally, if you are in Rm. 9, your safeties month is almost at an end and Rm. 7 takes over for November!
Academically, we are moving back to a grammar unit in LA 6 (Pronouns) and finishing the class reading in Kestrels and Bluebirds this week. In Religion, the students had weekend homework (Chapter 1 take-home test) we will begin Chapter 6 Abraham is our Father in Faith. https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/lpress-craft/files/col2016-files/Christourlife2016-study-gd-g6-ch6.pdf Reading 7 has finished Guy duMaupassant's 1884 classic short story The Necklace theme essays, Ray Bradbury's All Summer in a Day, and will begin The Monkey's Paw by W.W. Jacobs this week.
The House meetings on Friday were a ton of fun. The students are really getting into the spirit of the houses and gathering their house points. Be sure that on Thursdays the uniform is "spit-spot" as Mary Poppins would say!
Conference schedules will be going home soon - homeroom families only will receive a Google Meet link to sign up for virtual homeroom conferences - if you prefer a virtual conference, you may sign up for Wednesday, and if you prefer an inperson conference with your student's "other teachers", we will be in the gym all day on Thursday.
Based on a quick check-in call with my surgeon, I anticipate (finally!) that I'll have a surgery date soon. When I know, you'll know!
Have a great week!
Jodie Morgan
October 17-21, 2022 - A Normal Week!
Weekly update for October 17-21, 2022! I hope everyone enjoyed this gorgeous weekend!
Rm.9 led a wonderful Mass on Friday. I will email the file of photos to the Rm. 9 families. For your calendar notes, this upcoming Wednesday, Oct. 19, there is a picture make-up day if your student missed picture day or you didn't love the photo your student brought home last week. (I thought they were were such great pictures! Those smiles! You can't help but smile back.) On Friday the 21st, there are House meetings, so have your 6th grader wear the regular uniform with the pin, since the new shirts (polo-style) are on order. The Social is after school on Friday as well! I am excited to be there, since I missed the Neon social! Next week, Race for Education is Wednesday the 26th. Friday the 28th has an early dismissal so we can do DFE tasks, and in the evening we have Trunk or Treat! Looking ahead to November, be sure that your student has pants and a sweater for the Winter Uniform change on November 2.
For academic notes, this is the week that Word Study will join LA 6 classes. Each student was assessed in SJ and DC levels and I have a starting point and routine for everyone. If your student placed out of Word Study, he/she will have Vocabulary which may occasionally be referred to as Word Study. We will do two sorts in ten day rotations, all beautifully planned in an organized way by Mrs. Stocker. Additionally, the recent Nouns test will have an opportunity for an extra credit assignment, which will reinforce and practice the skills. In Reading 6, we will be moving this week to literature circles with our class books and will finish our studies of these books in two weeks. Next, we will be reading Unplugged by Gordon Korman as a 6th grade community read. Reading 7 will finish the trimester with analyzing the short story genre. Their first five-paragraph theme/text evidence essays are amazing! In Religion 6, we are reading Chapter 4, https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/lpress-craft/files/col2016-files/Christourlife2016-study-gd-g6-ch4.pdf and take the quiz this week. A Unit 1 take-home test will be assigned on Thursday to be returned on Monday.
That's it for the classes I teach! Be sure to check Mrs. Meehan's, Mr. Baxter's, and Mrs. Pacheco's STM webpages as well for current information.
Have a great week! Please know how much I appreciate all of your kind emails and notes. It's because of you and your students (as noisy and chaotic as it can be sometimes!) that I grateful for my STM community!
October 10-14, 2022
Dear families,
Thank you for all of your continued good thoughts and prayers for me! I am positive that is what is powering me through the past two weeks of consultations and testing. No surgery date set yet, but I will be sure to let you know.
Calendar notes: this week, our class Mass is on Friday, October 14th at 10am in the Cathedral. We hope that you are able to join us!
Academic notes: In Religion, the students took their Chapter 3 quiz on Wednesday and we will begin Chapter 4, God Offers Love and Mercy. In Reading 6, the students are reading and working on their classwork assignments, and in Reading 7, the students are tackling their first five-paragraph essay with excitement. In LA 6, our Personal Narratives are shaping up to be memorable writing pieces, and I'm looking forward to celebrating all of these pieces with publishing parties!
Have a great rest of your week!
Jodie Morgan
October 3 - 7, 2022
Dear parents,
Thank you so much for your patience while we enjoyed a pretty autumn wedding and came home to begin the round of appointments for this diagnosis. On a subject I previously knew very little about, I am gaining some expert knowledge!
Classroom items:
Confessions: The 6th graders went for confessions today in the Cathedral. I was sad not to join them for this sacrament, but I know with sincere hearts they received their forgiveness and the will to keep growing in wisdom and love. They also had an 8 min. lockdown drill, which sounds like was a success.
Dress down days for Birthdays: Today the students who had summer birthdays or October birthdays could have a dress down day. The November birthdays dress down is on Wednesday, Nov. 2nd.
Race for Education - October 26th! Our theme is (I hope!) Pirates. Our room parents will look into some pirate-y headwear (scarves, eye patches come to mind) that we can wear while we run. If you haven't created your PledgeStar account yet, it's easy and you can do so from the link on today's STM email blast. Any donation helps us on the leaderboard and helps the school meet it's goals.
School Reviews - If you can, please take a moment to drop a favorable comment on Great Schools and/or Niche. It's completely anonymous. I'll send the links to the room parents and they can email them to you. No pressure, though!
Friday, October 7: On the 7th, we have a half day, and we'll be sending home blue behavior interims stapled to the green sheet. Please sign the interim and return it to school next week. 1/6th of the school year has whooshed by!
Safeties: Rm 9 is doing GREAT! Super proud of their hard work! And just think of how few days they'll work in December...and how cold Mrs. Meehan's class will be in January...
Monday, October 10, we have no school, and on Oct. 14th our homeroom will lead the liturgy at Friday school Mass.
House meetings: The next house meeting will be October 21 and there will be a Halloween Social that afternoon.
October 28: An early dismissal and Trunk or Treat!
So, that's calendar updates out of the way, so what is everyone doing in class?
Academic items:
LA 6 is finishing the personal narratives and will begin Unit 2 Pronouns next week. The pronouns unit is short and fun, and will include the introduction of Word Study to the weekly lesson plan.
Reading 6: Kestrels are spending two weeks reading classic favorites (for a reason) Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell and Hatchet by Gary Paulsen. In two weeks they'll flip books and read the other, and the Bluebirds are reading Game Changers by Mike Lupica. (While I am not his target demographic, I am one of Mike Lupica's biggest fans. He writes a great book that makes sports interesting on all levels!)
Reading 7: The C. S. Lewis group is reading from the short stories genre and learning literary terms and theme. Last week the students studied The Landlady by Roald Dahl and this week they are studying The Necklace by Guy deMaupassant. We will be moving to some other favorites as well, such as All Summer in a Day, by Ray Bradbury, The Monkey's Paw by W. W. Jacobs, Song of the Trees by Mildred D. Taylor, Ransom of Red Chief by O. Henry, The Possibility of Evil by Shirley Jackson. We will most likely read The Lottery by Shirley Jackson and The Most Dangerous Game by Richard Connell.
In Religion 6 we finished reading Chapter 3, Everything God Created is Good.
Have a great week!
Mrs. Morgan
September 19-23, 2022
Happy Sunday! A few updates for this upcoming week:
For 6th grade, this is a relatively "normal" week. We are finished with MAPS Growth testing and life will return to a normal schedule! The only "not-normal" aspect of this week is that Mrs. Luna Miguel, an STM parent, will be substitute teaching in Rm. 9 while we are out of town for our daughter's wedding on September 24th. I will still be able to check emails, Google Classroom, and of course check in frequently with the middle school team to hear how wonderfully everything is going!
Fun things for this week for you:
Please order your student's FREE Race for Education shirt using this link:
On Friday the middle school students will enjoy a Neon Dance Party after school. Info on this was sent home via our room parents last week. These are such fun and I am sad I won't be there! There will also be House meetings on Friday afternoon as well.
Academic News:
7th Grade Reading: The students in the CS Lewis group will be working for the next week on stand-alone lessons each day in class. I posted information on the C.S. Lewis Google Classroom page re: turning in scheduled reading assignments. The students should finish the scheduled page number reading assignments and turn them in on the due dates. However, the daily lessons will be unrelated to Towers Falling while the students finish reading the book.
6th Grade Reading: Similar to 7th grade, during my absence I will be providing stand-alone daily assignments for Mrs. Miguel. They will be unrelated to Nine, Ten for the duration of my absence, and we will pick back up again when I return.
6th Grade Religion: The students will take the Chapter 2 quiz. A quick click here gives you an overview of the content in this chapter: https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/lpress-craft/files/col2016-files/Christourlife2016-study-gd-g6-ch2.pdf
6th Grade LA: The students will take the Nouns test on Friday. Extra credit available by completing the Noun Challenge, due by Friday. Time in class on Wednesday and Thursday can be used to complete this assignment as well. The Noun Challenge and Noun Review study guide will be posted on the LA Google Classroom page.
Have a great week!
Mrs. Morgan
September 12 - 16, 2022
Happy rainy Sunday! Thank you for your attendance at Back to School Night on Wednesday evening. We appreciate your attendance, recognizing that it is a lot of information presented in a short period of time. My hope is that you left school that night with confidence that your students are in good hands!
Green sheets are going spectacularly well! Thank you for diligently signing these even though you are happily seeing that assignments are being turned in. If your student does NOT have his/her hardcover textbooks covered with book socks this week, I will be adding a missing assignment but will delete it once the books are covered.
This week, we begin standardized testing with a new system, MAPS Growth NWEA. You can learn a little more about it at www.nwea.org. The schedule has set aside Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday for a class period of testing, and Mrs. Meehan has worked her magic to ensure that a balanced week of classes are scheduled for anything missed due to testing and the early dismissal on Friday for DFE.
The routines of the new school year appear to be going smoothly. In LA, the students took a miniquiz on checked homework from halfway through the Nouns unit and we have started on a review of possessive nouns. In Bluebirds and Kestrels, we are finishing Nine, Ten by Nora Raleigh Baskin. In 7th grade C.S.Lewis the students are preparing text evidence for an upcoming structured essay, creating What is the American Dream slideshows, and examining survivor stories from 9/11 as part of our Towers Falling by Jewell Parker Rhodes novel study. In Relgion, we are taking the Chapter 1 quiz on Tuesday. There was a chapter question study guide for an assignment last week so everyone should be well-prepared!
Have a great week!
Mrs. Morgan
June 6-8, 2022
A three-day school week? Why was that again? OH! I remember...Wednesday is the last day of school!
Calendar-y Things for this week:
Monday and Tuesday are pretty normal days. The students in 6-7 and 6-9 will have Junior Achievement both days (thank you, Cate and Kyle Bell!) and a super-fun activity afterwards on Tuesday morning. Tuesday afternoon we'll have a little end-of-the-year party in our homeroom. Most of their crate items will be going home between Monday and Tuesday, so it's a good idea to send a second backpack, duffel bag, or similar item to carry things home. If you subscribe to Yay Lunch, please check if that option is or isn't available for order; you'll need to be sure that your student has a lunch on Monday and Tuesday.
Wednesday I'll collect the safety belts and check that their number matches the number assigned in September. Computers and chargers have already been collected. Mr. Chris will perform any updates and maintenance to prepare the devices for 7th grade. The laptops for 6th graders are brand new and intended to serve their academic needs through 7th and 8th grade.
Wednesday, we'll have a nice homeroom time in the morning and then attend Mass together. Dismissal is at 11:30am. If your student attends Extended, please confirm if Extended is offering childcare that day.
Academic Things for this week:
Reading 7 will be presenting their mock trial for The Monkey's Paw by WW Jacobs. Reading 6-7 will complete their end of year spelling assessment on Monday and Tuesday. The LA 6 class period for both traditional and intensified is given over to Junior Achievement for the next two days, which is great for the students. In Religion 6 we have a few end of the year activities lined up as well.
If you come across any classroom and/or library books at home, please return them to school. Thank you so much!
Mrs. Morgan
Tuesday, May 31-Friday, June 3
Dear STM Families,
This week will be pretty busy for middle school and Rm. 9. A few things in order of importance:
1.) If you have a morning safety, be at school tomorrow morning at the assigned time. I have our assignments and have included them in this email if I can figure out how to attach it, or they can find out tomorrow. If you have an afternoon safety, they'll be done after cones, etc. Good job on a year of safeties, everyone!
2.) The students have the end-of-year "House" gathering tomorrow afternoon. Uniform or house shirt is fine, either one, depending on your laundry situation.
3.) Our class is masked through Friday. This includes masking on the bus to kayaking on Thursday. So far, everyone is doing a great job. Please pack extra masks in the backpack.
More about kayaking in the attachment!
4.) Kayaking: A screenshot was sent home to parents. *Note a change to the instructions: please have your student enter via the cafeteria doors, not Door 2. The attestation still needs to be completed and the staff at the morning Extended Care will verify that Magnus has been completed for your student.
5.) The PowerSchool portal is closed, but we are busily entering grades and final redo's, tests, quizzes, classwork, etc. It might be closed for viewing to keep it open for the teachers' purposes but I'm happy to provide a score printout to your student to check their grades.
6.) I'm excited about all of the students running for Student Council! We can vote on Thursday after we return from the kayaking trip. Winners will be announced on Friday, so there is time. Voting is done via Google Form.
Academic News: LA 6 is finished with Sentences and we'll begin some diagramming fun and a few "carnival/camp" activities to review our LA year. Reading 6 is completing literary elements and characterization for Book of Boy and finishing The Inquisitors Tale. Reading 7 is focusing on The Monkey's Paw by W. W. Jacobs and prepping for a mock trial. Religion 6 will take a Chapter 21 test on Wednesday during our second Reading period (house activity on Wednesday during Religion, kayaking on Thursday)
Have a wonderful, warm, sunny week!
Mrs. Morgan
May 23-27, 2022
Good morning! Happy Sunday!
Things to know for the week ahead:
Nothing too wacky schedule-wise for Rm. 9 this week! On Tuesday we are having Class Photos taken, and Mrs. Meehan and I are asking you to have your student pack their PE uniform and shoes, and come to school in a nice, neat, clean regular summer uniform. I know there aren't many school days left but we are still in school so please keep the uniform policy in mind when your student gets in the car to come to school. Belts are required, shirts are required to be tucked in, if a classroom is chilly they can wear an STM sweater, and a note about shoes and socks: the no-show socks are a no-go; socks need to come up over the ankle and shoes are a solid black color or Sperry-type two-color shoe. About jewelry and hair: there are guidelines for these! If your student needs necklaces, they need to be tucked into the shirt. Hair: if your student is resistant to haircuts, blame the school and go get that hair cut! Pretty soon it's going to be summer and it won't be a battle. Thank you in advance for your help! On Wednesday, Mrs. Meehan's class is on the kayak trip. The two 6th grade classes go on separate days. My homeroom class goes on Thursday, June 2nd. The PowerSchool portal is going to close on Wednesday. Most of the grades are updated and current. Thursday night at 7pm is Arts Night! Please join us! Last, 11:30 Dismissal on Friday and No School on Monday, May 30th.
Academically, we are learning and working until the last day. In LA 6, students are taking the Unit 6 Test on Thursday. We studied 6.11 Adverb Clauses and will complete the Lesson Review on Tuesday in class. Extra credit is always given for the Challenge activity. We will review in class on Wednesday over all of Unit 6 and take the test on Thursday. When we return we'll get our letters ready to mail, assemble our writing portfolios for the year, and enjoy a carnival/camp atmosphere during class while rewinding parts of speech and punctuation throughout our LA year. In Reading 6, students are reading The Book of Boy by Catherine Gilbert Murdock with me/Mrs. Pacheco and The Inquisitor's Tale by Adam Gidwitz with me. In Religion 6, we are beginning Chapter 21 on Monday, Elijah and Amos Speak for the Lord. Reading 7 with me finishes Woods Runner by Gary Paulsen this week and will begin a Short Story unit: The Lottery by Shirley Jackson, All Summer in a Day by Ray Bradbury, The Necklace by Guy de Maupassant, The Monkey's Paw by W.W. Jacobs, and my personal favorite, The Possibility of Evil by Shirley Jackson.
It's going to be a great week! Please contact me at [email protected]
with any questions or concerns.
May 9-13, 2022
Dear Families,
Quick Calendar Updates, Community News, and Academic Items for your reading pleasure!
Calendar Updates:
-End of the Year Scantron assessments will be Wednesday, May 11 (Reading), Monday, May 16 (Math) and Tuesday, May 17 (Language).
-Battle of the Books is on Tuesday, May 17 - it is a virtual Battle this year (the past two years it was cancelled, so this is a big deal!) and the Battle students will take the Scantron at a different time (Language is usually the shortest test so that works out pretty well for them.)
-The traditional May Procession (a lovely tradition, I might add) will be Monday, May 16 at 8:30am in the Cathedral.
-LET THEM EAT CAKE is also BACK! It will take place on Wednesday, May 18th. Oh, how we have missed it! "Let Them Eat Cake" is a fundraiser that was brought to STM by STM parent Mrs. Jill Fahey (of Sugar, Inc. fame). Parents purchase tickets (I'd advise buying 10 or 20, or 5, whatever is in your budget) and students put their tickets in a collection bag in front of the cakes they'd like to win and take home. At the end of the day the cakes are (usually) brought to the students in their classrooms with lots of fanfare and excitement. It is such a fun event. A form is REQUIRED for ticket purchases. You can access the form here: https://www.stmschool.org/apps/news/article/1605059 and I will send home copies of the form at the end of the week.
-The STM Band trip is Friday, May 20th. That day is also an 11:30 am dismissal.
-Arts Night is May 26 at 7pm!
-Early dismissal for Memorial Day weekend is 11:30am May 27, with no school on May 30
-Kayaking trips for 6th grade: Mrs. Morgan's class will go on Thursday, June 2.
Community News:
Last week was a tough week, and certainly not the norm (is there a norm anymore?) I'm not sure how many of the readers of this newsletter are on the Parent FB page but Jen Daulby and Nurse Burnside pretty much summed up that it was a bit of a tough week. However, we (as we do) persevered and we are doing so well with middle school Covid numbers- I think it was 4% or something happily low. I am grateful to PTO and the class for the sweet gifts, lunch, minibundt cake, and gift card - thank you. For the present, we are masked and once the rates go down I'm sure more information will be sent. I will be out Wednesday and Thursday this week for a (non-emergency!) surgery for my husband (right arm bicep rupture). I am not usually out so this has been a change in routine for the students.
Academic News.
In 7th Grade Reading, the "small groups" are reading the fiction novels Woods Runner by Gary Paulsen and Lord of the Flies by William Golding. Please check PowerSchool by May 15 for accurate updates on assignments.
In 6th Grade Reading, the classes are split between The Inquisitors Tale by Adam Gidwitz and The Book of Boy by Catherine Gilbert Murdock. Please check PowerSchool by May 15 for accurate updates on assignments.
In 6th Religion, we have completed Chapter 18, The Kings of Israel, and will begin Chapter 19, David and Solomon.
In 6th LA, we are working on Unit 6, Sentences. This is a very difficult grammar unit for the students as the skills they have been learning in isolation (locating parts of speech, punctuation, etc.) are all included. Again, please look for updated assignments in PowerSchool.
A note about PowerSchool: My "screen" when I enter assignments and grades looks like a basic spreadsheet. I have seen the parent app screen and it looks TERRIFYING as it generates a letter grade for your student. FYI: If there is a 0 entered, it doesn't mean an F. I understand that PowerSchool generates a percentage grade, which is irrelevant unless it's apparent that the assignment is lost/missing, etc. It means its a 0 until the work is found, completed, etc. and turned in. Also, late work gets graded when I get to it. If it's late I get to it as soon as I can. For my part I know that there are Reading assignments which need to be entered and test retakes in LA that need to be entered. I'm working on it!!!
Thanks so much for your time!
Mrs. Morgan