Chistmas Program Time

Just a reminder: Students need to be in the classroom to prepare for the Christmas program at 6:30 PM on Thursday evening.

Thanks For the Canned Goods, and Asking For More.

It's always something this time of year, isn't it? We collected five bags of nonperishable foods to be given to parish members who are in need. Thanks a bunch! Now, we are collecting paper items for Seeds For Hope, a women's shelter run by St. Joseph's Church. If you could donate paper towels, Kleenex, toilet paper, etc., it would be greatly appreciated. "There are those who pile up riches for themselves, but are not rich in God's sight." Luke 12:21

Canned Food Still Needed

We have been collecting canned food donations and will be putting the bags of canned food together on Friday These bags will be given to the people who are in need of food during the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Ten items will be placed in each bag. In our homeroom, we have collected about two bags worth. Please continue to send donations until Friday.

Room 4 Progress Reports, Pledge, etc.

All students received their 2nd quarter Progress Report last Monday. Each student wrote a short response to whether they met one of their goals on their ISSP. Many students wrote a goal to raise their math grade by spending time on ALEKS or First In Math. Please encourage your child to follow through on their action plan. For example, if they said they would spend 20 minutes on ALEKS twice a week, remind your child of their plan and work the time into your evening activities. Also, each family was asked to sign the commitment pledge that came home with the Progress Report. Keep this posted at home and refer to it frequently. If you sent yours back to school, I will return it to you this week. Thanks for being an involved parent.

Happy Thanksgiving

I am very thankful for the wonderful families at Holy Spirit School. Have a great Thanksgiving, and God bless.

Room 4 News, etc.

Look for your child's 2nd quarter progress report to come home today with a letter from Mrs. Parsons and a pledge paper. See Mrs. Parsons' letter for further explanation. This is a follow up from the PTO meeting last Tuesday. Our classroom collected about $10.00 in donations for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. We are supporting Mrs. Ahonen's marathon run. Don't forget to send canned food to help with food baskets for parish families who need a little help during the holiday season. Any non-parishable food item is acceptable: peanut butter, boxed cereal, macaroni and cheese, etc. as well a canned goods.

Uniform Pass and Dress Code

Students received a uniform pass from Mrs. Parsons today if parents attended the PTO meeting last night. Thanks to all parents who were able to attend. Dress code reminders: -belts are part of the uniform -shirts must be tucked in -shoes must be tied -girls need to wear skirts to Mass: pants may be worn under skirts and taken off for Mass -no boots with skirts -pants can not be tucked into boots -tights must have feet, socks may be worn over tights

Reminders for online Math

Don't forget about ALEKS and First in Math programs. All students are required to complete five topics each week on ALEKS. This is part of their Math grade. Also, Room 4 had no "Player of the Day" on Tuesday. That means not one student was on First in Math on Monday. Please encourage your child to spend some time on these programs each evening.

Room 4 News

Last Wednesday, 4th and 5th Grades traveled to the James Whitcomb Riley house and Crown Hill Cemetery. It was fun to see the house where "Indiana's Poet" spent most of his life. Crown Hill was very educational as well. There are several famous Hoosiers buried on the crown of Crown Hill. James Whitcomb Riley's tomb is on the very top of the hill. The view of Indianapolis is fantastic. It's the highest elevation in Marion County. Google Crown Hill Cemetery for a complete list of famous Hoosiers and celebraties buried there. 5th Grade students interested in band will be given an instrument preview on Wednesday at 7:45 AM. A representative from Music Repair will be here with demonstration instruments for any student who would like to try out the instruments. Room 4 will be leading the Rosary before the all-school Mass on Wednesday at 8:10 AM. Everyone is welcome to attend. A big THANK YOU goes out to Mrs. Keith and all who contributed to our Halloween party. What a success!

Room 4 Reminders

Our trip to the James Whitcomb Riley home and Crown Hill Cemetery is this Wednesday, October 31st. We will leave Holy Spirit around 9:30 AM and return around 1:00 PM. All students should wear their school uniform and bring their lunch, unless a sack was ordered on the permission slip. Students should dress for the weather. We will be outside at several points during the day. Our original plan was to eat lunch outside at the Riley Home, but it sounds as if the weather will not be cooperating. Plan B is to eat lunch back at school after visiting the cemetery. Since we will arrive back at school later than our usual lunch time, student may bring a snack to eat before we board the bus. Information will be coming home from our room mom, Mrs. Keith, on Tuesday about our Halloween activity.

4th Grade Social Studies Salt-Dough Maps

All 4th Graders will be making the salt-dough Indiana maps tomorrow, Wednesday. Many students "volunteered" their parents to make a batch of salt-dough. In case you can't find the paper I sent home last week, the recipe is: 3/4 cup of flour 1/2 cup of salt 1 and 1/2 teaspoons vegetable oil 3/4 teaspoon cream of tartar (in the spice aisle) 1/2 cup boiling water Combine the flour, salt, and cream of tartar in a bowl. Add the oil and boiling water. Mix the ingredients well. Store the dough in a Ziplock bag. Do not add any food coloring. Each recipe makes enough salt-dough for two Indiana maps.

Room 4 News

Thanks for scheduling a conference time for Wednesday, October 17th. The "signupgenius" was new for us and I think it was very successful. The students wrote their conference time in their planners today. If you need to change your time, their are still open slots available. All students must attend the conference. We spent time in class today going over Benchmark and ISTEP scores. The students wrote a goal for each while working on their ISSP (Individual Student Success Plan). They have not seen their report cards yet, hopefully, tomorrow. Award certificates will be given on Wednesday at 10:30 AM. New altar server training begins this Tuesday, October 16th from 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM. There will be additional training session on Tuesday, October 23rd from 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM and on Sunday, October 28th from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM. This is a grreat opportunity for all 5th Grade students to be of service by taking an active role in the Mass. Students only need to attend one of the training sessions.

Study Trip Permission Slip

All 5th Grade students will be going on a study trip on Wednesday, October 31. We will be visiting the James Whitcomb Riley home downtown and Crown Hill Cemetery. No money needs to be sent, but each student must have a permission slip, which were sent home today. Lunch options are listed on the permission slip. We will return to school around 1:30 PM before our class Halloween party. Students will need to wear their school uniforms that day.

Student-led Conferences

Just a reminder to sign up online with www.signupgenius.com to reserve your spot for conferences. Students must attend the conference with a parent. Conferences are next Wednesday, October 17, from 1:00 PM to 8:00 PM.

Room 4 News, etc.

Room 4 students have really taken off on the 1st In Math program! We still have several students in the top ten out of the whole school. Let me know if your child has trouble logging in. Mrs. Parsons has offered a challenge of no late homework this week. Any student with no Homework Notices this week will be able to participate in the spirit day this Friday. I appreciate the feedback comments on the Progress Reports. It's good to know I have your support. This is truly a great group of students with involved parents. Thanks, Mrs. McMahon

Room 4/First In Math

Room 4 has four players in the top ten in the school in First In Math! Demetrio Constantino is the #1 player in points out of all Holy Spirit students. Vinny Constantino is in second, Ian Brown in in fourth, and Abby Nagel is in seventh place! Well done, Room 4!

Room 4 News

The mass email didn't work out so well, so I am back to the Blog. Rumor has it that My Student Progress is coming this week, so our communication problem should be a thing of the past. Please sign and return your child's progress report by Friday. If you would like a copy, let me know and I will make a copy and return the original to you. This should be the last paper grade report this year. I you have any questions about your child's grades, please contact the teacher this week.

Reminder from the art room for 5th Grade

Mrs. Chappelow would like to have all the fist-sized rocks and $1.10 to purchasse picture frames by Friday, September 7th. Thank you.

Room 4 Newsletter

I will be sending a classroom newsletter home with each child weekly until My Student's Progress up and running. The current newsletter (9/04/12) was given to each student today. Please refer to the Room 4 Newsletter for updates and reminders. **All Entertainment books and orders are due back tomorrow, Wednesday, September 5th.

Room 4

Please check your child's homework planner daily. There are reminders and notes from me and the other teachers, as well as the daily homework assignments. Please see the note from Mrs. Chappelow concerning Art supplies for 5th Graders. Reminder: Reading Calendars need to be turned in each Friday. A parent is required to sign the calendar. I would like to have the Family Information Sheets back as soon as possible. Duplicate copies were sent today. We talked about the dress code requirements for 5th Graders today. Please refer to the Cultural Guide or ask if you have any questions.

Room 4 News

Welcome to a new school year! We have had an extremely busy few days. -On Monday, all the students were involved in the "Holy Games", which were a series of teambuilding activities. Fr. Chris gave a great talk about being a light for others. We have been keeping with that theme this week, and the class has been watching for examples of being a light and examples of blowing out someone's light. -On Tuesday we spent the morning in homeroom getting organized and going over procedures. The students spent the afternoon practicing their schedule and visiting each of their classes. -On Wednesday (today) we attended Mass for the Holy Day of Obligation. The readings for Mass were done beautifully by Abby Conway, Ian Brown, Mackenzie Woods, Caleb Land, and Sydney Geibel. -Just a couple of reminders: Room 4 has PE on Mondays and Thursdays. Everyone needs to bring $5.00 to pay for their assignment notebook (planner) by next Friday. Family Information Sheets were sent home yesterday and should be returned as soon as possible. Scholastic book order forms were sent home today. Orders are due next Wednesday. I have a great group of students in Room 4, and I know we are going to have a great year! Mrs. McMahon

BizTown Thanks

The 4th and 5th Grades completed their day of work, banking, economics, citizenship, and banking today with our trip to Junior Achievement's BizTown.  Eight of our ten businesses were successful in paying off the bank loans for their start-up costs. The day would not have been possible without our parent chaperones.  Many thanks to:
Mrs. Aebly              Mrs. Beidelman
Mrs. Conway          Mrs. Land
Mrs. Rubalcava      Mrs. White
Mrs. Aull                 Mrs. Carr
Mrs. Nagel              Mrs. McRanor
Mrs. Burck              Mr. Gleason
Mrs. Begley            Mrs. Golab
Mrs. Woods            Mr. Lacy
Mrs. Vastag            Mr. Clifford
Mr. Lay    

BizTown Trip on Friday

Just a few BizTown reminders:
-students will wear their school uniforms on Friday
-all students will ride the bus to BizTown arriving around 9:00 - 9:15 AM
-volunteers need to arrive at the Junior Achievement building at 8:30 AM for a short training session
-students and adult volunteers will need to bring their lunch
-the cafe will have ham, turkey, or pbj sandwich available as part of a sack lunch (lunch tickets will be punched)
-students will return to school around 2:15 PM
The students are really excited about this trip, and should have lots of information to share.

BizTown Update

All students received their job assignments for BizTown on Tuesday, and met with their coworkers in shop meetings yesterday and today.  Final preparations are being made for our trip to BizTown on Friday. 
The CEO and CFO of each shop has filled out loan papers for their shop's start-up loan which will include salaries, taxes, interest, and other expenses.  All employees worked on their shop's radio, newspaper, and web-page advertising, and will be responsible to run the best business possible in order to pay off their business loans.
Students are also preparing their bank account by filling out their deposit slips for their first paycheck, writing a check to open a savings account, and entering this information in their check register.

***All students and adult volunteers need to bring a lunch on Friday.  Drinks will be sold at BizTown.  The students do not need to bring money.  They will pay for all purchases with their BizTown salary.  Students should wear their school uniforms on Friday. 

Overdue Library books

Students who have late library books were given a listing paper today for their missing book.  Please return these books to the library as soon as possible.

BizTown Updates

Congratulations to Hannah Burck!  She was elected mayor of BizTown in our general election today.  
The students were interviewed for their jobs this morning, and will receive their BizTown job assignment on Tuesday.  Also, on Tuesday, the students will gather for the first of two shop meetings with the other employees to complete business readiness training for their job.
Remember our BizTown trip is next Friday, April 13th.  All students and parent volunteers need to bring a sack lunch that day. Drinks may be purchased at BizTown.  Adult volunteers will be driving or carpooling to the Junior Achievement building, but the students will be riding the bus.  Also, students will be wearing their regular school uniform.

BizTown Trip

Permission slip and $25.00 fee for BizTown are due Friday, April 6th

Students should dress in business type clothing for their BizTown job interviews on Friday. 
Boys: dress shirts and ties
Girls: modest length skirts or nice slacks

**No jeans, shorts, or flip-flops

BizTown Updates

The students are getting a good lesson in the basics of government and the election process this week while preparing for BizTown.  Eight students turned in an "Intent to Run For Office" form stating their intention to run for mayor of BizTown. The students also recruted their own campaign managers.  Since there was a high number of candidates for office, a primary election was held today.  All 4th and 5th grade students, who had registered to vote,  selected their top four choices. As a result, the field has been narrowed to four mayoral candidates: Jay Carr, Nate Bowman, Maddi Woods, and Hannah Burck. The selected candidates will start their campaigns on Tuesday.  Posters and signs may be hung in the 4th and 5th grade hallway.  After an introduction by their campaign manager, the students will give their speeches and convince the other BizTown citizens why they would be a good choice for mayor.  The election will be on Friday.

Also on Friday, the students will interview for their BizTown jobs.  Each citizen has filled out a job application which will be given to their interviewer.  Each student will be given a time for their interview, and we have volunteer business people coming to school on Friday morning.  Students should dress in business type clothing this Friday, April 6th. Girls should dress in skirts or nice slacks, no jeans, shorts, or sandals please.  Skirts should be a modest length. Boys should wear a dress shirt and tie if possible, no jeans, shorts, or t-shirts please. 

Permission slips with the fee are due this Friday.

Conferences

Thanks to everyone who attended student-led conferences with your child.  The students did a fantastic job explaining their grades and winter benchmark scores.  It was a pleasure meeting with your family.
Have a great spring break, and be safe.

Student-led Conferences on Wednesday

Student-led conferences are scheduled for this Wednesday, March 21.  Students must be present at the conference.  Family conference forms were sent home with the oldest child in the family on Friday.  If you did not receive the form or you need to change your conference time, please contact your oldest child's teacher as soon as possible.

Room 4 students spent some time this afternoon preparing for their conference.  The students added their winter Benchmark scores and their 3rd quarter report card grades to their ISSP (Individual Student Success Plan).  The students also compares their winter Benchmark scores with the mid-point scores to mark their progress.  You will hear more about this at conference.

Conference Forms

Conference forms were sent home today with the time of your scheduled conference for Wednesday, March 21st.  If there is a problem with the scheduled time, please let your child's homeroom teacher know as soon as possible.

BizTown Information

The parent volunteer information and permission slips were sent home today.  If you would like to accompany the 4th and 5th Graders on their study trip to Junior Achievement's BizTown please return the volunteer sheet as soon as possible.  We can take 20 parent volunteers, and the spots generally fill up quickly.  Volunteers must be VIRTUS trained and have a current background check on file.

The permission slips are not due until April 6th.  These were sent home early because of the cost.  If  the cost is prohibitive, please let the school office know as soon as possible.

Save the date for BizTown

4th and 5th Graders will begin preparing for their April 13th trip to Junior Achievement's BizTown.  For those not familiar with this program, BizTown is a day-long simulated city where students work at a job, maintain their pay in a bank account, learn about government and economics, and purchase products.  This requires about 4 weeks of preparation during our Math, Social Studies, and Language Arts classes.
We will need about 20 parent volunteers for spend the day at BizTown with us.  More information will be coming home this week.

Regular Schedule

ISTEP testing was completed by all students last week, so we are back on our regular schedule for class times and specials classes.  Being flexible is one of our Lifelines, and all students displayed their flexibility last week.

Picture return, etc

All-school Mass and Stations of the Cross starting at 8:10 tomorrow.

Please return your spring picture package or the order by Friday, March 9th.

Please return your spring conference request form by Tuesday, March 13th.

First day of ISTEP and change in Mass schedule

We had a very succssful first day of ISTEP testing.  The students completed the applied skills portion of Math and the writing section of Language Arts.  Two tests down, two to go!

The all-school Mass and Stations of the Cross will be on Friday instead of Wednesday this week.

Change in PE schedule and ISTEP

Due to ISTEP testing, Room 4 will be attending PE class on Monday and Friday next week, instead of Monday and Wednesday.  Please have your child dress in regular school uniform on Wednesday and PE clothes on Friday.

4th and 5th Grades have ISTEP tests scheduled for Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday morning.  Please make sure your child has a good night's sleep, a nutritious breakfast, and  arrives at school on time.

4th and 5th Grade ISTEP schedule

Part 1 of ISTEP testing, the applied skills section, begins on Monday, March 5th.  The applied skills section  is the written part of testing.  Part 2 of ISTEP, the multiple choice portion, is in April. We will be testing Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday morning.  Please do not take your child out of the classroom during testing times.  Also, please ensure your child has a good night's sleep and a healthy breakfast so they are able to "show what they know" on their tests.

Room 4 Ash Wedesday Mass

Our class is planning the 8:30 AM Mass on Ash Wednesday for Grades K-5. 
Also, our class will plan the Friday class Mass with Fr. Paul on Friday, March 2.  Everyone is welcome to celebrate the Eucharist with us.

Our Spelling Super Star

Good luck to Julia Donlan tonight!  Julia is representing Holy Spirit School in the Marion County South spelling bee at Franklin Township Middle School.

Valentine Party

Room 4 would like to thank the Vastag family and Mrs. Landers for the awesome pizza, treat bags, and other goodies they served us this afternoon.  We appreciate your generosity.

Room 4 Mass

Room 4 will be planning the Mass for Ash Wednesday, February 22 at 8:30 AM for grades K - 5.   There will also be an 11:00 AM Mass for grades 6 - 8.

Room 4 Reverse Raffle basket

Just a reminder to send donations for Room 4's "Irish Basket" for the Reverse Raffle.  The raffle is this Saturday evening.  Irish items or cash donations may be sent to Jessica Landers or sent to school by Friday.

Freedom Essay Contest

All 5th Graders are invited to enter the "What Freedom Means to Me" essay contest sponsored by the Sertoma Club.  The students were given instructions last week.  Our school winner will advance to the east district contest and be honored at a luncheon.  Holy Spirit has had many winning essays over the years.  Please encourage your child to enter the contest and write an essay, less than 500 words, describing the importance of freedom in their lives.

Spelling Bee Champion

Congratulations to Julia Donlan!  She is our new all school spelling bee champion.

School Spelling Bee

The all-school spelling bee will be held this Wednesday, January 25th.  Everyone is welcome to attend.

Family Connect homework

The 8th Graders have taken on the role of Student Ambassadors by being a LifeLine teacher in one of the K-8 homerooms.  Our Room 4 Ambassador is Lauren Cavanaugh, and she is an excellent teacher and leader.  About once a month, the Ambassadors assign 'homework' to the students which requires them to
talk about the LifeLines at home. 
Please take the time to talk with your child about these important life skills, sign the form, and encourage your child to return it to school on time.  The Wellness homework is due this Friday, 1/20/12

Red Dress Out Day

The student council is sponsoring a $3.00 dress out day for next Monday to benefit Riley Hospital for Children.  Students may dress in all or part red  clothing.  Each classroom is challenged to collect change to donate as well.

Talent Show

Many students have signed up for the "Rams Got Talent" talent show. Auditions are on January 18th from 3:00 to 4:30.  The deadline for applications is Monday.  Students must audition their act to be in the show.
The talent show is on February 1st at 6:00 PM.  Students are also needed to help with the set up of lights, sound, and decorations.