School News 4-27-15

INTERNET ISSUES

The school internet has been down all week, so we apologize for the lack of communication. The phones are up and running so if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to give us a call. We apologize for the inconvenience.

THIS WEEK

Tuesday: Music Classes/ Art for 3-6

Wednesday: Spring Sing All City Choir Concert 7:00 at LHS

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

Friday: P.E. and Music Lessons (Bring books and instruments)

FIESTA

The committee chairs have your phone numbers and emails so they will probably be contacting you this week to tell you when they need you. Please be generous with your time and talent.

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!

FIESTA MEETING

All committee chairs and anyone else helping with various aspects of Fiesta are asked to attend a meeting on Wednesday, April 29 at 9:00 at the school.

FIRST COMMUNION EVENTS

Congratulations to our Second graders for receiving Jesus on Sunday. Now they will join us at the table on Thursday. Thanks to Mrs. Van Heule for making this a meaningful experience for everyone. Thanks to Mr. Van Heule for being the unofficial photographer.

OPEN HOUSE

If you know of someone who planned to come but was unable to make it, please tell them that it is fine to stop by for a visit. Just have them call 742-6363 ahead to make sure that the child’s teacher is available to visit.

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.

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!

Reservations due today. Stop by the office to reserve a spot

May 15

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 4-24-15

April Showers Bring May Flowers ( we hope J)

April 27-May 1, 2015 Grade One/Two News

Greetings! So far we have celebrated two First Communion Masses and only one major mistake. Bummer, but life happens and sometimes we just mess up, right? Thanks again, parents, for all your loving support in our journey to Jesus. Speaking of coming to Jesus, our sweet Audra will be baptized at school Mass this Thursday! We rejoice!

In reading, firsts will read a fun reader’s theatre story about May Day, while seconds read a sort of Earth Day story (sorry, a week late). Our skills are: writing paragraphs, bossy r, ow that sounds like long o, and for second graders, the tion word ending that sounds like shun.

We are still working on telling time in math. Firsts are doing a great job subtracting larger numbers and seconds are rocking subtracting 3 digit numbers with and without trading.

Now that our big Sunday event has passed, we can jump into our dinosaur display with both feet, this week finishing plant life and beginning to place animals!

I religion, we have many people to thank for First Communion and a couple of things about the Mass that I forgot to mention earlier.

Spelling words:

First Grade only

summer flower dancer grow low show

snow flow blow below

Second Grade only

our hour sour flour scour *Earth action

vacation creation fraction

Homework:

Monday: Spelling sort as usual

Tuesday: math

Wednesday: Pray for Audra and if you are a second grader, pray with your family in thanksgiving for having received Jesus on Sunday!

Thursday: spelling

School News 4-20-15

THIS WEEK

Tuesday: Music Classes

Wednesday: Art and P.E.

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

Friday: P.E. and Music Lessons (Bring books and instruments)

FIESTA

Have you turned in your work times for assisting with the Fiesta coming up on May 9^th? The committee chair will probably be contacting you by next week at the latest finding out the times you plan to work. Please consider giving some extra hours as that lightens the load for the chairperson who already giving more than 10 times the required amount.

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.

FIRST COMMUNION EVENTS

First Communion is happening at St. Laurence Church at the 8:00, 12:30, and 5:30 Masses this Sunday April 26^th. Let’s all pray for those students as they prepare this month.

OPEN HOUSE

Thanks to the parents who braved the snow to attend our open house last Thursday. If you know of someone who planned to come but was unable to make it, please tell them that it is fine to stop by for a visit. Just have them call, 742-6363, ahead to make sure that the child’s teacher is available to talk to you.

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.

TURN IN YOUR INTENT FOR NEXT YEAR FORMS

Take a minute today, if you haven’t already, to return the intent form for the 2015-16 school year (sixth grade parents are exempt). It helps us in planning for next year.

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 15 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 24

Deadline for Principal Applications

April 26

First Holy Communion

Interfaith Run-Walk Pledge Sheets available in the office.

April 29

All City Choir Event Morning Practice and Evening Concert

May 6

Field Trip K and 3-6 Terry Bison Ranch Cheyenne

May 8

Field Trip Grades 1-2 Young Ranch (tentative)

May 9^th Fiesta!

Need an invitation for family or friends? Stop by the office to request one or two.

May 15

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

May 29 Last Day of School Graduation Mass and Class Awards at 8:30 then dismiss at 11:00

Grade 1-2 News 4-20-15

Snow and Rain, bless the Lord!

Grade One/Two April 20-24, 2015

Oh my goodness, a snow day (or half day) in Laramie; such a rare occurrence! I hope you enjoyed the snow; I loved every flake!

We are back to work this week on our dinosaur unit with both literacy and science tasks. Firsts will read a story, If You Invite a Dinosaur to Dinner while seconds will read Digging Up Dinosaurs by Aliki. Spelling will look different for the groups this week. Both will discuss doubling the medial consonant but then firsts will learn about final y that sounds like i, and seconds will learn about adverbs with the ly ending.

We will complete our geometry unit this week with symmetry and ordered pairs. We will then move into telling time. We continue to work on addition and subtraction facts and strategies.

Our dinosaur hall display is a work in progress. Each child has selected a time period to study and show. This week we should be able to get the plant life representations up.

Thank you for your responses re: a spring field trip. There were 2 votes for the Terry Bison Ranch and 7 for Young Ranch, so we will go to my sister and brother-in-law’s ranch near Saratoga on May 8. More information will come to you soon. Please begin today to pray for good weather!

Spelling words first grade

dinner winner dry cry shy spy sky

my why fly

Spelling words second grade

digging putting badly sadly madly gladly quickly

bravely proudly happily

Homework

Monday: Spelling sort

Tuesday: math

Wednesday: religion, ask your child about the 4 parts of the Mass. Which is his/her favorite part of Mass? Draw it in your home journal.

Thursday: spelling

Second grade parents, please remember the required practice for First Communion on Saturday, April 25. Please check your time and attend the respective practice. Thanks!

Principal Position Announcement

 

St. Laurence O’Toole Catholic School

Laramie, Wyoming

The St. Laurence O’Toole Catholic School Commission is seeking applicants for the position of Principal. A coeducational elementary school (grades PK – 6) located in Laramie, WY. Founded in 1951, the guiding principles for St. Laurence O’Toole are faith, academics, and service. The school’s mission is to “integrate strong academics with moral and spiritual values.” Working with the St. Laurence O’Toole community the school instills “a passion for lifelong learning and service to others” and prepares students for continued success. The principal of the school should be an experienced, energetic, and innovative person of integrity who will be an educational and pastoral leader who continuously builds and maintains a school community of teachers, students, parents, and parish. We are looking for a relationship-builder who has good communication skills, is adaptive to change and active in planning for the future, and can communicate the mission of the school to constituencies in the parish and throughout Laramie. We require the applicant to be a practicing Catholic with at least five years of teaching experience at the elementary level. Demonstrated administrative experience is preferred.

Interested and qualified candidates are asked to submit electronically the following three items:

1. A letter of introduction that relates the applicant’s qualifications to the qualities articulated in this position announcement.
2. A full resume including three letters of recommendation.
3. A statement that presents a vision for St. Laurence O’Toole Catholic School.

Send all materials to: Principal Search Committee, St. Laurence O’Toole Catholic School Commission, at contact@stlos.com.

Deadline for complete applications: April 24, 2015

In-person interviews will follow. Salary and start date to be negotiated with the School Commission.

School News 4-13-15

THIS WEEK

Tuesday: Music Classes / UW Students Test Students 1-6 8:10

Wednesday: Art and P.E.

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

Friday: P.E. and Music Lessons (Bring books and instruments)

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.

FIRST COMMUNION EVENTS

First Communion is happening at St. Laurence Church at the 8:00, 12:30, and 5:30 Masses on Sunday April 26^th. Let’s all pray for those students as they prepare this month.

LENTEN JOURNEYS

We have completed Lent so we are asking you to turn in your Rice Bowls.

Thanks to all who brought them in last week. Thanks to the many of you who contributed to our 40 Cans for 40 Days for Interfaith Campaign. Thanks to our First and Second Graders who used their hard earned class money to buy items for the needy throughout Lent.

OPEN HOUSE

This Thursday April 16 the school will be holding an Open House. The teachers will be on hand to answer questions and talk about their classroom for next year. Be sure to tell all your friends and neighbors to stop by. We will be here till 6:00 that evening. We would like to increase our enrollment by 20 students for next year. If any of our returning parents want to come by at that time to talk to your child’s future teachers, you are welcome to do that as well. So spread the word about the great things that are happening at St. Laurence School.

FATHER JAMES LEAVING

It occurred to me that some of you might not have heard the news that Father James is leaving us at the end of June. He will be the pastor at Holy Rosary in Lander. The current Pastor in Lander, Fr. David Erickson will be coming to Laramie this July.

TURN IN YOUR INTENT FOR NEXT YEAR FORMS

Take a minute today, if you haven’t already, to return the intent form for the 2015-16 school year (sixth grade parents are exempt). It helps us in planning for next year.

MR. JIM’S NIGHT

This Wednesday, April 15 is St. Laurence night at Mr. Jim’s Pizza. Your purchase, either delivery or from the store, generates a 10% kick back to the school. Just turn in the bottom of your flyer so we get the credit. Thanks.

ADAM’S TEAM STARTS UP

Permission forms went home last Thursday. 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.

FIESTA SIGN UP

Last month we emailed you a sign-up sheet with the opportunity to help with making the 2015 Fiesta a success. Please print it off and return it to school this week. There are extra copies on the table near the front offices.

You all received an invitation to the Fiesta. It will be a black and white photo copy of the original. It went home last week with the oldest child at school. Additionally, if you know of a family member or a friend who would like to receive an invitation, please let Anita know. This could be a relative who lives out of town, but has shown interest in supporting the school. Additionally, you, or someone you know, might have a business or a hobby or service that you would like to offer as a donation to the Fiesta. This is good way to grow a business or increase name recognition. Contact the school for more information.

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 will be going home with PreK students today. 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 15

St. Laurence night at Mr. Jim’s Pizza. Check those backpacks for flyers.

April 16

Open House from 2:00 till 6:00 Invite all your friends and relatives with school-aged children

April 26 First Holy Communion

May 9^th Fiesta! Get those sign up forms in so you can get your choice of jobs.

Grade 1-2 News 4-13-15

Divine Mercy Sunday

Grade One/Two News April 13-17, 2015

Greetings on the Second Sunday of Easter! While the stores put Easter items on clearance, in the church we get to celebrate Easter for 50 days! Woohoo!

As you know, we have begun our unit on dinosaurs. In reading/language we will read a fiction story about dinosaurs and read it as a reader’s theatre. I hope that we can perform it later in the week; I will get back to you on that as things develop. Our sounds are the prefixes un, re, and dis.

In math we continue the geometry unit and discuss congruency and coordinates. Firsts will learn more about place value, while seconds subtract 2 and 3 digits with and without trading.

Religion’s focus is the Mass, of course, and the Eucharist. Thanks to all who helped make our retreat such a wonderful event! Special thanks to the Mrs. Adams and Hague for cutting out all those pesky letters. J

We will learn about the 3 time periods in which dinosaurs lived and begin our famous hall display which shows that. Our virtual field trip is Tuesday. If you have not had an opportunity to send your child’s $5 for that special event, please do so. I am sorry, but this time I just feel I need to ask your help with some of the cost for this worthwhile event. Thanks much.

You may have heard that my husband’s mother died last week. Three of my children and I are headed to Casper right after the retreat today for her Monday funeral. Please pray for the repose of her soul and peace for my husband’s family as they deal with the loss. And I hope you can excuse some of my disconnectedness which has been pretty apparent the last few days. J

Spelling words

undo untie dislike rerun retie exit

Second grade: unhappy unlucky disagree disappear

reread repack

Homework

Monday: spelling sort

Tuesday: Math

Wednesday: name and draw your favorite gospel story

Thursday: none, Open House

Grade 5-6 News 4-13-15

This Week in Class:

Spelling:

Unit 20 Spelling: adding -ion. The suffix –ion can change verbs into nouns. A great spelling strategy is: if the verb ends with e, drop the e before adding –ion. If the verb ends in de, drop the de and add

-sion.

History:

We are busy designing our own factories. We will finish on Friday and present to the class on Monday.

Science:

Here are some pictures from our chemistry lesson on Tuesday, April 7^th with Trevor LeValley . It was fantastic and all the kids had a great time!

Our next K-kids meeting will be Monday, May 18^th at 2:30pm

Earth Day

Wednesday, Aril 22^nd is Earth Day! Please have your child bring work gloves to help beautify our school!

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!!

Drivers Needed!!!

We need drivers for two field trips:

· April 21^st (Tuesday) Ag Expo

from 9:00-1:30am

· May 6^th (Wed.) Terry Bison Ranch

all day

Open House-April 16^th

We will have an Open House on Thursday, April 16^th from 2pm-6pm. Please come by to discuss enrollment for next year! Snacks are provided!! Hope to see you there!!!

This Week’s Spelling List

Test 04/16/15 Retest 04/17/15

Unit 20 Vocabulary

1. instruct
2. instruction
3. graduate
4. graduation
5. confuse
6. confusion
7. conclude
8. conclusion
9. oppose
10. opposition
11. explode
12. explosion
13. affect
14. affection
15. suggest
16. suggestion
17. discuss
18. discussion
19. except
20. exception
21. correct
22. correction
23. express
24. expression
25. substitute
26. substitution
27. exclude
28. exclusion

*25-28 are extra credit words

Next Week’s Spelling List

Test 04/23/15 Retest 04/24/15

Unit 21 Vocabulary

1. consumer
2. control
3. constitution
4. comment
5. confront
6. compete
7. conference
8. computer
9. conflict
10. commotion
11. conquer
12. content
13. concert
14. contact
15. confirm
16. composition
17. conversation
18. community
19. contest
20. complicate
21. compare
22. contain
23. concern
24. complex
25. convince
26. consequence
27. comprehensive
28. commission
29. compensate
30. compliance

*25-30 are extra credit words

Reading Group Updates:

The Giver: This group is working on a final project and will start a new novel next week.

Dragon of the Lost Sea: This group is working on a final project and will start a new novel next week.

The Penderwicks: This group has started a new novel.

Principal Position Announcement

Principal                                                                            

St. Laurence O’Toole Catholic School

Laramie, Wyoming

The St. Laurence O’Toole Catholic School Commission is seeking applicants for the position of Principal. A coeducational elementary school (grades PK – 6) located in Laramie, WY. Founded in 1951, the guiding principles for St. Laurence O’Toole are faith, academics, and service. The school’s mission is to “integrate strong academics with moral and spiritual values.” Working with the St. Laurence O’Toole community the school instills “a passion for lifelong learning and service to others” and prepares students for continued success. The principal of the school should be an experienced, energetic, and innovative person of integrity who will be an educational and pastoral leader who continuously builds and maintains a school community of teachers, students, parents, and parish. We are looking for a relationship-builder who has good communication skills, is adaptive to change and active in planning for the future, and can communicate the mission of the school to constituencies in the parish and throughout Laramie. We require the applicant to be a practicing Catholic with at least five years of teaching experience at the elementary level. Demonstrated administrative experience is preferred.

Interested and qualified candidates are asked to submit electronically the following three items:

1. A letter of introduction that relates the applicant’s qualifications to the qualities articulated in this position announcement.
2. A full resume including three letters of recommendation.
3. A statement that presents a vision for St. Laurence O’Toole Catholic School.

Send all materials to: Principal Search Committee, St. Laurence O’Toole Catholic School Commission, at contact@stlos.com.

Deadline for complete applications: April 24, 2015

In-person interviews will follow. Salary and start date to be negotiated with the School Commission.

Grade 5-6 News 4-8-15

This Week in Class:

Spelling:

Spelling test on Thursday—please make sure your child studies!!!

Unit 19 Spelling: adding “ion” or “ation”. The suffix –ion or –ation can change verbs into nouns. A great spelling strategy is: if the verb ends with e, drop the e before adding –ion or –ation.

History:

We will finish reading Chapter 17 this week and then design our own factory instead of taking a test over this chapter!!

Science:

Our Chemistry lesson on Tuesday, April 7^th was fantastic! Trevor LeValley, a chemical engineer at UW, taught us about chemical reactions. It was incredible! Be sure and ask your child what experiments we did. And ask your child if an “atom” is the smallest particle. You may be surprised at their answer.

Our next K-kids meeting will be Monday, April 13^th at 2:30pm.

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. I will send home another reading log today. Please sign your child’s reading log—they must record the book, page numbers and time spent reading first.

Reminder

Please have your child bring back Rice Bowls from Lent

Open House-April 16^th

We will have an Open House on Thursday, April 16^th until 6pm. Please come by to discuss enrollment for next year. Bring anyone who may be interested in enrolling their child next year with you! Hope to see you then!

This Week’s Spelling List

Test 04/09/15 Retest 04/10/15

Unit 19 Vocabulary

1. construct
2. construction
3. connect
4. connection
5. combine
6. combination
7. cooperate
8. cooperation
9. attract
10. attraction
11. admire
12. admiration
13. situate
14. situation
15. examine
16. examination
17. contribute
18. contribution
19. explore
20. exploration
21. inspect
22. inspection
23. locate
24. location
25. excavate
26. excavation
27. insulate
28. insulation

*25-28 are extra credit words

Next Week’s Spelling List

Test 04/16/15 Retest 04/17/15

Unit 20 Vocabulary

1. instruct
2. instruction
3. graduate
4. graduation
5. confuse
6. confusion
7. conclude
8. conclusion
9. oppose
10. opposition
11. explode
12. explosion
13. affect
14. affection
15. suggest
16. suggestion
17. discuss
18. discussion
19. except
20. exception
21. correct
22. correction
23. express
24. expression
25. substitute
26. substitution
27. exclude
28. exclusion

*25-28 are extra credit words

Reading Group Updates:

The Giver: This group did a comparison and analysis of the novel vs the movie and has now begun their final project.

Dragon of the Lost Sea: This group will finish reading the novel by the end of next week.

Dragon Rider: This group is working on their final project.

School News 4-7-15

URGENT! FIESTA HELPERS NEEDED

We need help Wednesday starting at 3:00 with getting the invitations out for Fiesta. We will be meeting in Room 6, so come on down anytime between 3:00 and 5:00 to get these ready for the mail. This will count toward your 4 hours of work for the Fiesta.

THIS WEEK

Tuesday: Music Classes / Science Posse in Ms. James Class

Wednesday: Art and P.E.

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

Friday: P.E. and Music Lessons (Bring books and instruments)

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.

FIRST COMMUNION EVENTS

Second grade parents should know that there will be a retreat for the students coming up on Sunday April 12^th with First Communion happening at the 8:00, 12:30, and 5:30 Masses on Sunday April 26^th. Let’s all pray for those students as they make prepare this month.

Please be aware that there is an error on the April calendar. Students will not be singing at the 5:30 Mass on April 26^th due to First Communion. Sorry.

LENTEN JOURNEYS

We have completed Lent so we are asking you to turn in your Rice Bowls.

Thanks to all who brought them in last week. Thanks to the many of you who contributed to our 40 Cans for 40 Days for Interfaith Campaign. Thanks to our First and Second Graders who used their hard earned class money to buy items for the needy throughout Lent.

OPEN HOUSE

Next Thursday April 16 the school will be holding an Open House. The teachers will be on hand to answer questions and talk about their classroom for next year. Be sure to tell all your friends and neighbors to stop by. We will be here till 6:00 that evening. We would like to increase our enrollment by 20 students for next year. If any of our returning parents want to come by at that time to talk to your child’s future teachers, you are welcome to do that as well. So spread the word about the great things that are happening at St. Laurence School.

FATHER JAMES LEAVING

It occurred to me that some of you might not have heard the news that Father James is leaving us at the end of June. He will be the pastor at Holy Rosary in Lander. The current Pastor in Lander, Fr. David Erickson will be coming to Laramie this July.

TURN IN YOUR INTENT FOR NEXT YEAR FORMS

Take a minute today, if you haven’t already, to return the intent form for the 2015-16 school year (sixth grade parents are exempt). It helps us in planning for next year.

ADAM’S TEAM STARTS UP

This Thursday the school’s running club, Adam’s Team, kicks off the spring season. 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). She will probably have a permission slip available for those who want to join for the first time this spring. Reminder: Pre-Kindergartners must be accompanied by a parent.

FIESTA SIGN UP

Last month we emailed you a sign-up sheet with the opportunity to help with making the 2015 Fiesta a success. Please print it off and return it to school this week. There are extra copies on the table near the front offices.

You will all receive an invitation to the Fiesta. Additionally, if you know of a family member or a friend who would like to receive an invitation, please let Anita know. This could be a relative who lives out of town, but has shown interest in supporting the school. Additionally, you, or someone you know might have a business or a hobby or service that you would like to offer as a donation to the Fiesta. This is good way to grow a business or increase name recognition. Contact the school for more information.

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 will be going home with PreK students today. 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.

SURVEY

You still have a couple of days to turn in your surveys for Chris’s college class. Don’t forget to sign the consent or he will be unable to use your information. Thanks for helping him out.

DENTAL HEALTH CHECKUPS

Dental screenings will take place next Monday and Tuesday. A letter about the screenings is going home this week with an option for you to opt out of having your children screened.

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

April 12

First Communion Retreat in the Gym 1:30 – 3:30

April 16

Open House from 2:00 till 6:00 Invite all your friends and relatives with school-aged children

April 26 First Holy Communion

May 9^th Fiesta! Get those sign up forms in so you can get your choice of jobs.

Grade 1-2 News 4-7-15

Christ is Risen! He is risen indeed!

Grade One/Two April 7-10, 2015

Greetings this Easter week! Easter is such a big deal in the church that we get to celebrate it for a whole week! I hope you had a lovely and faith-filled weekend. The cherubs did two amazing performances of the Holy Week play last Thursday. I was super proud of them!

The time has finally come: we will begin our dinosaur unit in science! We will read non-fiction stories in reading/language this week, the firsts reading Dinosaur Babies and seconds will read Let’s Go Dinosaur Tracking. Our sound is the sounds of e: short e, e with bossy r, and long e spelled ee. We will learn about main idea and the schwa sound (didn’t get to it last week. J)

We will consider slides and flips in our math geometry unit while we learn more about subtraction. Seconds will add money with trading.

As stated above, our dinosaur unit kicks off this week. Next Tuesday we will participate in a virtual field trip with the Atlanta Center for Puppetry and Arts and each child will create a dinosaur puppet during that presentation. I need to ask your help financially for this event; may I ask each child to bring $5 for this exciting event? Thanks so much.

We will begin the dinosaur unit by considering myths and realities about these creatures, realizing that paleontological knowledge is growing by leaps and bounds at this time. Our focus will be the three time periods in which dinosaurs lived, the types of bodies they had, number of legs, and types of teeth.

Our long-awaited book party will take place this Thursday from 2:30-3 PM. You are most welcome to join us as we read these delightful books about places on God’s lovely Earth!

We are thinking much about the Mass and Eucharist in religion as we prepare for our big day on April 26. Our retreat will be this coming Sunday, April 12 @1:30 PM in our school gym. It is most important that all the children join us if at all possible. You are welcome to come, too. It’s lots of fun! If you have not yet selected a Mass on April 26, please do so this week if you can. Again, we will use the 8 AM, 12:30 PM Spanish Mass, and 5:30 Sunday evening Mass on that day. Just select one of those Mass times for your family. Thanks.

Spelling words

egg herd seed weed

need green

Second grade: breed bleed seen teeth

Homework

Tuesday: spelling sort

Wednesday: religion family journal: please discuss and write about how Jesus showed us his love through his death, and more importantly, his resurrection

Thursday: spelling

Grade 5-6 News

This Week in Class:

The kids have had a fantastic time pulling “April Fools” pranks today…be careful!

Spelling:

Unit 19 Spelling: adding “ion” or “ation”. The suffix –ion or –ation can change verbs into nouns. A great spelling strategy is: if the verb ends with e, drop the e before adding –ion or –ation. We will work on this unit Wednesday and Thursday of this week and then Monday-Wednesday of next week. Our Unit 19 Spelling Test will be Thursday, April 9^th.

History:

We are continuing with Chapter 17: The Beginning of the Industrial Age. This chapter examines how industrialization changed the way people lived and worked. Discuss with your child what kind of economy the United States has: traditional economy, command economy or market economy?

Science:

On Tuesday, April 7^th we will have another Science Posse lesson! Trevor LeValley, a chemical engineer at UW, will teach a chemistry lesson on that date.

Our school- wide reading incentive is underway!. Your child will travel 100 miles for every 20 minutes they read. Your child can use these minutes for Book It as well. I will send home another reading log today. Please sign your child’s reading log—they must record the book, page numbers and time spent reading first. I will highlight in yellow the minutes I record so we can keep using the reading log until it is filled up.

Reminder

No School on Friday, April 3^rd or Monday, April 6th

No Class Supplies Needed!!!

NO CLASS SUPPLIES NEEDED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE!

This Week’s Spelling List

Test 04/09/15 Retest 04/10/15

Unit 19 Vocabulary

1. construct
2. construction
3. connect
4. connection
5. combine
6. combination
7. cooperate
8. cooperation
9. attract
10. attraction
11. admire
12. admiration
13. situate
14. situation
15. examine
16. examination
17. contribute
18. contribution
19. explore
20. exploration
21. inspect
22. inspection
23. locate
24. location
25. excavate
26. excavation
27. insulate
28. insulation

*25-28 are extra credit words

Next Week’s Spelling List

Test 04/09/15 Retest 04/10/15

Unit 19 Vocabulary

1. construct
2. construction
3. connect
4. connection
5. combine
6. combination
7. cooperate
8. cooperation
9. attract
10. attraction
11. admire
12. admiration
13. situate
14. situation
15. examine
16. examination
17. contribute
18. contribution
19. explore
20. exploration
21. inspect
22. inspection
23. locate
24. location
25. excavate
26. excavation
27. insulate
28. insulation

*25-28 are extra credit words

Reading Group Updates:

The Giver: we finished our novel, answered questions and discussed each chapter. Today we will begin watching the movie version of “The Giver”.

Dragon of the Lost Sea: we have read the first sixteen chapters, answered questions, and will be discussing them.

Dragon Rider: we finished the novel and will begin a final project.