School News 5-18-15

THIS WEEK

Tuesday: Music Classes / Mass at 8:30 /1^st grade to Library at 9:00 with Mrs. O.

Wednesday: Art Classes 1-6

Thursday: Music Performance 1:30-3:00 Gym / Adams Team 3:10 to 4:30/Music Recital St. Laurence Gym 7:00 Grades 3-6

Friday: Math Breakfast 7:00 to 8:00 AM School Gym

RETIREMENT PARTY

Thanks to all who in any way helped to make Sunday a very special “surprise” retirement party for me. I was truly surprised and touched by your gratitude and kindness. Thanks to all who contributed to the retirement gift (my own outdoor rocking chair ) . I’ll try to get to Home Depot before school is out so I can take it to Field Day.

FIESTA AND KIDS FIESTA

Thanks to all of you who helped make the the 2015 Fiesta a success! We have a gross revenue of about $45,000, but we still have some outstanding bills for program printing, catering, and table rentals. I’ll try to update you on our net profit next week in the newsletter. The money from Fiesta is used to pay for teacher salaries and benefits along with operating costs through the summer.

The Kids Fiesta by all accounts was a fun time for the kids. Thanks to all for bringing healthy food and drinks and staying to chaperone. We took in about $75 for earthquake relief in Nepal. We will send the money off to Catholic Relief Services who have people working first-hand with the victims and their families. Thank you so much.

Invoices were sent home last week to those families who did not complete their four hours of help during Fiesta. Payment is due upon receipt so please get your check into the school.

NEW PRINCIPAL

The new principal is Doug Spriggs from Fayetteville, Arkansas. I have sent home, with your oldest child, the letter from Mr. Spriggs that was in the St. Laurence Church Bulletin.

REGISTRATION PACKETS

The Registration papers for next year went home last week with your oldest child. Make sure that you get them returned by the last day of school and we will waive the $100 registration fee. So take a few minutes to complete the papers and return them by May 29^th. You will find next year’s school calendar and supply list at the end of the packet. Tear those pages off and place them in a safe spot. Invite your friends and relatives to get enrolled.

SUMMER BIBLE CAMP

If you haven’t signed up for the Our Hands Are Jesus’ Hands Bible School from June 8-12 from 9-12 each morning, please do it today. The deadline was Friday, but you may be able to get in. You can register online at www.fbclaramie.org or by calling 745-4106.

MATH MORNING

Join us for a Math Breakfast on Friday, May 22^nd from 7:00 AM till 8:00 in the school gym. We will play math games while enjoying bagels and cream cheese along with fruit and your favorite morning beverage. Summer packets will be also be available so students can maintain their skills over the break.

MUSIC DAY

Please make plans to attend our All School Music Program coming this Thursday, May 21^st in the school gym. It will start at 1:30 with performances the youngest children and then moving on up to the oldest. Allow about 10 minutes for performance. That evening at 7:00 the Instrumentalists from grades 3^rd through 6^th will take the stage with a recital. Parents plan to bring your child at 6:45 to get tuned and ready.

KINDERGARTEN STEP AHEAD PROGRAM

Albany County School District offers a free summer program to all children who live in Albany County and who will be attending kindergarten next fall. Information letters went home after Easter. This program is open to all Kindergarten students regardless of what school they attend.

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

May 19

Laramie Reads for 1^st Graders at the Albany County Public Library 9:00

May 21

Music Day 1:30 Pre K through 6 Classroom Music Show 7:00 Instrumental Concert Grades 3-6

May 22

Math Breakfast 7:00 to 8:00 in the Gym. No Music Lessons this day

May 26-27 Fifth-Sixth Field Trip to Snow Mountain Ranch (Letter was sent home last week)

May 28^th

Field Day at Undine Park starting at 12:00 till 2:30 (weather permitting) There will be games and activities for all the kids. If it is rainy or cold we will use the school playground and the gymnasium.

May 29

Last Day of School Graduation Mass at 8:30; then Awards for PK through Fifth in the school Gym at 10:00. Dismiss at 11:30. Deadline for Free Registration for 2015-2016 school year.

Grade 1-2 News 5-18-15

Time Flies When You’re Having Fun…

Grade One/Two May 18-22, 2015

Oh my, how can we only have two weeks left together? We’ll really make the best of our precious time, I promise.

We have yet another reader’s theatre this week, this time “Stone Soup!” We hope to present it Thursday morning since we do not have school Mass. There are some fun activities to go with it, including considering steps in a process and ordering events. Our sound this week is the bossy r sound found in are and air.

Our exciting measurement unit begins in math, beginning with linear measurement and quickly moving to liquid measurement. This is lots of fun and is a really hands-on facet of our instruction and learning.

Dinosaur mania continues with our trip to the Geological Museum on Monday and studying fossils all week. We have chosen a dinosaur about which to write a quick but informative report.

I had a little play about Pentecost a few years ago; I am trying to locate that and we’ll talk lots about Pentecost and the coming of the Holy Spirit.

Homework

Monday: spelling sort

Tuesday: math

Wednesday: stick religion. Think of one thing that has happened this week at school, share it with your family. On the other side of your stick is the name of a classmate you’d like to pray for.

Thursday: spelling

Spelling words

care rare hare dare mare stare share

flare

Additional second grade words

air pair hair chair

School News 5-11-15

St. Laurence Eagle Eye News

THIS WEEK

Tuesday: Music Classes / Mr. Jims Pizza Night for St. Laurence

Wednesday: Art Classes

Thursday: Mass at 8:30 / Music Classes / Adams Team 3:10 to 4:30

Friday: Tentative Grades 1-2 Young Ranch near Saratoga / Music Lessons (Bring books and instruments) Kids Fiesta! 6-8

KID’S FIESTA THIS FRIDAY

This Friday from 6:00 till 8:00 we will hold the 3^rd Annual Kid’s Fiesta Dance in the Gym. We will need chaperones for the Fiesta as well as snacks. This year the money raised by the Kid’s Fiesta will go towards the earthquake victims in Nepal. The cost is $2.00 per student with a cap of $5.00 per family. (The fee will be waived if you bring snacks to share). Of course, if you can pay and bring snacks (since it is for a good cause), it would be much appreciated. We are looking for munchies like cheese, pretzels, a fruit or vegetable tray, or fruit drinks. Please be creative. We are trying to avoid a lot of sugary treats. Children preschool age and younger must have a parent on site. Friends and family not attending St. Laurence are cordially invited.

FIESTA

Thanks to all of you who helped make the the 2015 Fiesta a success! We have a gross revenue of about $45,000, but we still have some outstanding bills for program printing, catering, and table rentals. I’ll try to update you on our net profit next week in the newsletter. The money from Fiesta is used to pay for teacher salaries and benefits along with operating costs through the summer. There are some families who didn’t do their 4 hours of work. According to the contract, every family is to work for 4 hours on the Fiesta or make a donation of $250. We obtained that $250 number by figuring the income of the Fiesta and reducing your tuition by that amount. If you want to avoid the additional fees please see me about alternative work.

FAMILY PICTURES FOR ST. LAURENCE

Due to the low turnout for the pictures and and the lack of advance notice, we will not be doing the family pictures for a Parish Directory this spring. Instead the date will be in September. There will be notification in the St. Laurence Church Bulletins about the Directory in August.

REGISTRATION PACKETS

The Registration Papers for next year are going home today with your oldest child. Make sure that you get them. If you get your Registration papers completed before the end of school, we will waive the $100 cost. So take a few minutes to complete the papers and return them by May 29^th. You will find next year’s school calendar and supply list at the end of the packet. Tear those pages off and place them in a good spot.

MR. JIMS PIZZA

Tuesday is Mr. Jims Pizza day for St. Laurence School. The school receives 15% of every order. If you can’t order tomorrow, they will accept the slips that went home today through Sunday May 17^th.

MATH MORNING

Join us for a Math Breakfast on Friday May 22^nd from 7:00 till 8:00 AM in the school gym. We will play math games while enjoying bagels and cream cheese along with fruit and your favorite morning beverage. Summer packets will also be available so students can maintain their skills over the break.

MUSIC DAY

Please make plans to attend our All School Music Program coming May 21^st in the school gym. It will start at 1:30 with performances of the youngest children and then moving on up to the oldest. Allow about 10 minutes for performance per grade. That evening at 7:00 the Instrumentalists from grades 3^rd through 6^th will take the stage with a recital. Parents plan to bring your child at 6:45 to get tuned and ready.

KINDERGARTEN STEP AHEAD PROGRAM

Albany County School District offers a free summer program to all children who live in Albany County and who will be attending kindergarten next fall. Information letters went home after Easter. This program is open to all Kindergarten students regardless of what school they attend.

KINDERGARTEN SCREENING

Kindergarten screening for St. Laurence Kindergarten students will be help on Friday, August 7 from 8:00 – 9:15. You must have a scheduled time and fill out the paperwork to attend. We encourage all Kindergarten students to attend. Please see Anita for more information and to schedule a time. If your child is going to do the Step Ahead program (see above), there is no need to screen as that is part of the program.

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

May 15

Living Rosary in the Grotto (weather permitting) 2:30

Kid’s Fiesta and Dance 6:00 till 8:00 in the school gym

May 21

Music Day 1:30 Pre K through 6 Classroom Music Show 7:00 Instrumental Concert Grades 3-6

May 22

Math Breakfast 7:00 to 8:00 in the Gym No Music Lessons this day

May 26-27 Fifth-Sixth Field Trip to Snow Mountain Ranch (Letter will be sent home this week)

May 29

Last Day of School Graduation Mass at 8:30; then Awards for PK through Fifth in the Gym at 10:00 dismiss at 11:30. Deadline for Free Registration for next year.

Grade 1-2 News 5-11-15

April Showers Bring May Flowers;

May Snows bring… wind ???

Grade One/Two May 11-15, 2015

Happy Mother’s Day in the snow and wind! I hope you had a wonderful day with family and loving children. J

I am still praying/hoping for a trip to Young Ranch on Friday of this week. Maybe God can hold any rain till Saturday or even Friday night?!

In the meantime, let’s use our remaining time together well! We will read more about the sea this week. Firsts will complete Fish is Fish by Leo Lionni. There is a lot to explore in that little book! Seconds will read about a ferry boat captain. Skills are: pronouns, fact/opinion, plural nouns, and the sounds of ish and long u spelled ue.

We are moving into probability in math, a really fun way to explore fractions and the likelihood of a result. First graders are doing a great job adding tens and ones, while seconds are mastering adding and subtracting 3 digit numbers.

Our Mesozoic Era display is 99% complete; all we need is a couple more Archaeopteryx’s to get finished and hung, and the diagram of the continents in each period. This week we can engage in other activities related to dinosaurs, like nests, eggs, fossils, and an intro to our dinosaur report. And yes, all this happens with only 3 weeks of school remaining! We won’t stop working hard till it’s all really over!

Religion focuses on the Acts of the Apostles and the early Church.

Spelling words

First graders

fish wish dish true clue glue due

blue

Second graders

true clue glue due blue argue

influence rescue undue untrue

Homework

Monday: Spelling sort as usual

Tuesday: Math

Wednesday: none

Thursday: spelling

Grade 5-6 News 5-6-15

This Week in Class:

Spelling:

I will not be teaching any more spelling units this year because of all our May activities. Each week has several interruptions. Our focus will be on History and Science.

History:

We began Chapter 18: Growth of Nationalism and Imperialism. We have been discussing Primary and Secondary Source documents. Lesson 1 concluded with a focus on nationalism. We are currently discussing imperialism in Lesson 2.

Science:

We are beginning a research unit with Beth Fitzpatrick, a UW Doctoral Candidate, involving Greater Sage-Grouse in Wyoming.

· Our last K-kids meeting will be Monday, May 18^th at 2:30pm with snacks and ice cream!

School- Wide Reading Incentive

I have attached an airplane decorated by your child in the hallway so look to find it! Your child will travel 100 miles for every 20 minutes they read. Your child can use these minutes for Book It as well. Everyone is making progress!!

Bi-monthly Newsletters!!!

I have decided to send bi-monthly newsletters for the rest of the year. My last newsletter will be May 20^th.

No More Spelling Units this year!!!

Since we have so many activities in the month of May, I do not feel it will be productive to have Spelling Tests. After much consideration, I have decided our class time will be better spent getting as far in our history textbook as possible.

This Week’s Special Activities:

· Tuesday, May 5^th - Lab 7 for UW Collaborative Teaching with physical education students from UW. This is our FINAL day.

· Wednesday, May 6^th- Field trip to Terry Bison Ranch in Cheyenne from 8:00am – 2:00pm

· Thursday, May 7^th –12:30pm – 1:45pm Day 1 of our Greater-Sage Grouse Research Project with Beth Fitzpatrick

· HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY on Sunday!!!

Next Week’s Special Activities:

· Monday, May 11^th - 8:15am – 9:30am

Day 2 of our Greater-Sage Grouse Research Project with Beth Fitzpatrick

· Monday, May 11^th – 2:30pm Arbor Day Presentation

· Tuesday, May 12^th – 11:45am – 1:00pm lunch at Altitude with the Laramie Kiwanis Club (they want us to steal the gavel again!)

· Thursday, May 14^th –12:30pm – 1:45pm Day 3 of our Greater-Sage Grouse Research Project with Beth Fitzpatrick

· Friday, May 15^th – 2:30pm Rosaries

Reading Group Updates:

NEW NOVELS!

The Secret Garden: reading novel and discussing content

Where the Red Fern Grows: reading novel and discussing content

The Penderwicks: reading novel with Mrs. Williams

School News 5-4-15

THIS WEEK

Tuesday: Music Classes

Wednesday: Kindergarten along with Grades 3-6 Terry Bison Ranch Cheyenne

Thursday: Mass at 8:30 / Music Classes / Adams Team Starts 3:10

Friday: Grades 1-2 Young Ranch near Saratoga Music Lessons (Bring books and instruments)

INTERNET PROBLEMS LAST WEEK

If we haven’t responded to your emails, it’s because our internet was knocked out by last Tuesday’s power outage. Our regular Network Guru, Tim Gaddis, was out of town all week. We thank John Van Heule and Jason for their valient effort on Friday to get things going.

FIESTA

This is the week to decorate, finalize donations, (see Parent Baskets below), and get all the last minute details worked out. We are hoping to set up the Raffle Tables by Friday after school for those who aren’t coming but would like to buy some chances. They sell for $1 a ticket or 25 tickets for $20. It just gives you a way to help the school if you can’t make it to Fiesta.

If you have not been contacted by a committee chair about your Fiesta hours, or you have not signed up for one, please let us know.  Remember if you do not work your hours, you will be charged the $250 buyout fee. If you are on the procurement committee, please turn in all donations by tomorrow morning so we have current information for the program. 

This is the school’s biggest fundraiser which brings in over $50,000 for the school. This is where we get the money for paying teacher salaries and buying books and supplies for the next school year. So, let’s all pitch in to make this event a success.

PARENT BASKETS

Don’t forget that every family is obliged to contribute to one of the three baskets for the Fiesta. The three Baskets we are asking you to contribute to are the Reading Basket, the Man Cave Basket, the Gardening Basket. Just drop them off at the office. Thanks for contributing!

FAMILY PICTURES FOR ST. LAURENCE

Members of St. Laurence Church are cordially invited to have a family picture taken for a new directory that will come out this summer. This directory will greatly help Fr. Dave our new priest to get acquainted with you. It will also help you to get a portrait done by a professional photographer. They are doing the portraits starting Tuesday (tomorrow) through Friday at the Parish office across from the school. You can sign up online by visiting the parish website or by calling the Parish Office at 745-3115.

FREE PROGRAMS

The Counselor Education Training Center (C.E.T.C) is offering free and confidential counseling services for individuals, couples, families, and adolescents. We encourage all families who are struggling with parenting or personal issues to take advantage of this service. Also being offered is a Child-Parent Relationship Training (CPRT) which is also free to families. Please take advantage of all these free programs. Information on both programs went home with the oldest student last week.

Please check to see that your child is bringing a coat to school. The weather can change quickly, and it can be cold on the playground during recess.

ADAM’S TEAM

The club meets every Thursday this spring from 3:10 till 4:30 and is headed up by Mrs. Lyford our music teacher. Bring a water bottle, some running shoes, and your Adam’s Team Shirt (should you have one). Reminder: Pre-Kindergartners must be accompanied by a parent.

ENCHILADAS FOR SALE

We have dropped the price. Now you can purchase the last few dozen of the Enchiladas at $15 per dozen or 3 dozen for $40! Get them while they last. The price will never be lower. There are still about 10 dozen left. Stock up for summer or grab some for supper tonight.

KINDERGARTEN STEP AHEAD PROGRAM

Albany County School District offers a free summer program to all children who live in Albany County and who will be attending kindergarten next fall. Information letters went home after Easter. This program is open to all Kindergarten students regardless of what school they attend.

KINDERGARTEN SCREENING

Kindergarten screening for St. Laurence Kindergarten students will be help on Friday, August 7 from 8:00 – 9:15. You must have a scheduled time and fill out the paperwork to attend. We encourage all Kindergarten students to attend. Please see Anita for more information and to schedule a time. If your child is going to do the Step Ahead program (see above), there is no need to screen as that is part of the program.

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

April 29

All City Choir Event Morning Practice and Evening Concert 7:00

May 6

Field Trip K and 3-6 Terry Bison Ranch Cheyenne

May 8

Field Trip Grades 1-2 Young Ranch

May 9

Fiesta by the Sea 6:00 till 11:00

May 15

Living Rosary in the Grotto (weather permitting) 2:30

Kid’s Fiesta and Dance 6:00 till 8:00 in the school gym

May 21

Music Day 1:00 Pre K through 6 Classroom Music Show 7:00 Instrumental Concert Grades 3-6

May 29

Last Day of School Graduation Mass and Class Awards at 8:30 then dismiss at 11:00

Grade 1-2 News 5-4-15

In the Merry Month of May

Grade One/Two May 4-8, 2015

But how can it be May already?! Oh my, this happens every year, May sneaks up on me! But we will use every moment of every day and make them all count toward effective learning.

In reading we will tie in what is happening in our gym and read stories about the sea; fun, eh? Our skills are: using our gifts and talents, friendship, paragraph writing, using charts, pronouns, and the long a sound.

In math we wrap up telling time and begin a quick unit on fractions. There is not much in standards for first and second regarding this concept, but we want to introduce concepts and language as a foundation. Firsts will add two digit numbers while seconds are having fun adding and subtracting 3 digits with and without trading.

We really need to get more dinosaurs up in the hallway and that will happen this week. Roberto has the distinction of putting up the first dinosaur; congrats, Roberto! Our focus for this display is to learn about the 3 time periods in which these creatures lived: Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous.

In religion we are wrapping up the year, considering even more about the Mass. Sacraments call us to service so we made May Day baskets on Friday and took about 20 of them to Interfaith Good Samaritan. The people there were very pleased and the cherubs were rightfully proud. Me too!

Spelling words

First Grade

tame game came blame shame

take taken awaken

Second Grade

sleigh weigh weight veil reins reindeer

neighbor neighborhood

Homework

Monday: spelling sort

Tuesday: Math

Wednesday: Please pray for your child’s godparents, who pray for them as well

Please remember our trip to Young Ranch on Friday. I need permission slips from most children. Please note the clothing that is needed; no shorts or sandals and shoes that can get soiled. Children need a sack lunch, water, sunscreen, insect spray, and a jacket. We will not take the interstate highway so there is nowhere to stop on the way to buy lunch or other items. This is a pretty remote ranch. J My husband comes and leads the way, so no worries about directions. I will have info for drivers this week. If you are not driving and can donate $2 for those who are, that would be appreciated. Thanks!