I graded the Math tests (adding decimals) this weekend and I am beyond thrilled with the results!  ALL THE STUDENTS PASSED!  I have not one grade below 80%!!! I am SO PROUD of all the students!

Since we are in the holiday season & we strive to serve others the way Jesus did, the faculty is working on some service projects that we would like the students & their families to be part of.

I understand that everyone is focused on their own families, bills, gift buying, & cooking this holiday season, but as a Catholic school, helping & giving to others is the core of what being a Christian is all about.  Being witnesses to Christ is part of our faith.  These service projects benefit those who truly need our help.  This benefits us too...it feels good to brighten someone's day!  Helping others gives us that happy feeling, which is nice among all the holiday chaos!

Please know that no one is being forced to donate anything.   Give whatever you can.  Any small donation is appreciated by those who truly need it.

Thank you so much to those who have donated to our drives.  It is truly appreciated!

1) Animal Shelter Donations - please send in pet food, toys, blankets, towels, & cleaning supplies.  This benefits Hi Tor Animal Shelter in Pomona, NY.  This is due Tuesday, December 9.

http://www.hitor.org/

2) Blanket Drive - Ms. Saglimbeni is collecting new blankets.  This benefits the Children's Hospital at Montefiore.  This is due Monday, December 15.

3) Toy Drive - Mrs. Diaz is collecting new, unwrapped toys.  This benefits the children who must stay in the hospital during Christmas due to their illness.  This is due Monday, December 15.

I want to thank the parents and relatives that went to the report card conferences last night.  The majority of the students did a wonderful job First Quarter and are on General Honors.  All of the parents were so nice and the compliments I received were definitely appreciated.  This is why I do what I do - I love teaching and knowing that the parents and students are happy with me, makes me a very appreciative and blessed teacher.

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

Welcome November!  Here are some reminders...this Friday, November 7, is 12:00 dismissal and a Bake Sale.  Please pick up your child on time!  If your child is after school, please send them in with lunch.  The Bake Sale will support the Susan B. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.  The 5th grade is responsible for bringing juice boxes/pouches.  Please send in the juice boxes/pouches either Thursday or Friday

Remember that there is no school on Monday, November 10 and Tuesday, November 11.

Academically, the students are doing well.  They took another Math test and did very well on it.  The students seem to enjoy and do well in Math class.  Math isn't everyone's cup of tea, so seeing the students enjoy working on math makes me very happy.

One thing I am concerned about is the Scholastic News I give every week.  Some students aren't reading the articles as carefully as they should.  The students are expected to read each article and question, including the answer choices, carefully.  They have FIVE DAYS to complete this assignment!  I want them to do well and bring up their Reading grades.

I hope the students are working hard on their Invention/Inventors projects!  It is due November 21st.  Please don\'t wait until the last minute to ask me any questions or ask me to check a rough draft.  I hope all the students have chosen the inventor they want to research and write about.  PLEASE REMEMBER that the students must write this paper in their own words.  I will not accept any papers that are copied from the Internet or a book.  Yes, I can tell.  So please tell your child to summarize what he/she has read in their own words!

Speaking of grades, report card season is upon us!  I will meet with the parents on Friday, November 14.  I am available from 12:30-3:30 and 5:00-7:00.  I will send a letter out this week so the parents can indicate which time is most convenient.  I expect that ALL PARENTS attend this meeting!

Since it is November and almost Thanksgiving, we are once again asking the students and parents to donate non perishable food to our annual Thanksgiving Food Drive.  Some families in our community do not have enough to eat on a daily basis, let alone to celebrate Thanksgiving.  As Christians, we are follow in the footsteps of Jesus Christ and help those in need.  Anything you can donate is greatly appreciated.

Speaking of donations, please start sending in any donations to Hi Tor Animal Shelter.  I want to bring the donations to the shelter before Christmas.  Remember, this is the 5th grade service project for this year.  Every class is expected to complete a service project each year.  We are a Catholic school and want to help those less fortunate than we are, both humans and animals.

Thank you for all your support and cooperation! 

The students will take the interim (benchmark) exams on Monday, October 20 and Tuesday, October 22.  We will take the ELA and Math exams, respectively.  These exams show me what the students need help with so I can plan my lessons better.  The scores do not count against the students, but I told them to do the best they can and that it's ok if they don't know something.

Because of these exams, I had to push back the Social Studies Chapter 15 test.  The students will take the test on Wednesday, October 22 instead of Monday, October 20.  I apologize since I know the students studied hard this weekend.  But on the bright side: they have two extra days to study!

The next set of interim exams will be given in the beginning of February.  The actual New York State Exams will be given in April, right after Easter vacation.

The scores are used to help me help your children the best I can.  So please don't worry too much about these exams!