Dear Families,

Papers that came home:  Read to Succeed (students can earn a free Six Flags ticket) Due Feb. 1st

Field Trip form-Due No. 18th.  Opportunity to beat the record for the most students being read to by an adult.  Students will receive a t-shirt, have their name in the book, and receive a book.  Two chaperones were selected and if other parents wish to attend they can carpool and meet us at the arena.  We are going with 3rd and 4th grade also and there is limited bus seating, however, I encourage having parents there to join in the fun if they wish.

Great Education News:  The Archdiocese will be incorporating the Common Core State Standards that were approved last year for public schools in Wisconsin.  What does this mean for our children at St. Matthew's?  These higher standards for math and language arts define the knowledge and skills students should have so that they are prepared to compete and succeed in the global economy and in college.    This also will help make sure school children around the country are learning  the same grade-by-grade information.  You can read more about this on the Department of Instruction website.  We are being very proactive in fifth grade by attacking our comprehension at the fifth grade level.  These new standards will expect about two levels higher meaning "on-level" students should  be performing on the current six-seventh grade levels.  How will we get there?  Strategic mini lessons in comprehension and intensive math curriculum.

Conferences folder to preview before conferences

Report Cards and student goal sheet

Standards focused on this week:

Math: Place value review and exponents, perimeter and area architect work

L.A.:  Inferencing practice in guided reading groups

Science:  Sound vocabulary and lab

Social Studies:  The Aztecs are conquered!  Columbus perspective paragraph, current  events with Scholastic News

Religion:  Mass on Friday, sacrament quiz, presentations were amazing :)

Art:  shape art

We also earned our first "Responsibility" celebration.  Students were able to play games and enjoy a snack from 2:00-3:00 on Friday

See you at conferences next Tuesday or Thursday.