Current Events Introduced At Last!

Today, being the last Friday of the month, we teamed up with our 7th and 8th grade class for another special activity! A new project called "Current Events" has been introduced to our 3^rd and 4^th graders. Our 4^th graders have been anxiously awaiting the chance to begin Current Events as it is one of their favorite subjects! The students will now be responsible for finding a news article each week, writing a report about it, and then sharing their research with their classmates on Fridays. This is an independent assignment- I do not give them time in class to work on this- so 3^rd and 4^th graders are learning to be responsible and work towards handling assignments with a longer deadline. Our 7^th and 8^th grade friends worked with one or two 3^rd or 4^th graders, reading through either Scholastic magazines or online visiting approved websites searching for interesting articles. Then the 7^th and 8^th graders helped their younger partners write informative reports describing the major details of the article.  The 3^rd and 4^th graders will use these reports as a model for writing their own reports before next Friday’s discussion.

This week, we also took our first Social Studies test. It was a tough one, but the students are learning how to study a little bit each night and pick out the most important information in preparation for their tests. Some of the students have even taken me up on our “Map Quiz” extra credit opportunity. This class is determined to work hard and give their best work! On Monday, we will take a science test over Chapter 2. The children plan to study this weekend!

Be sure to check out our ever-growing Writer’s Wall in the hallway outside our classroom. The students are very excited to show off their work and take every opportunity to spice up their writings with “WOW Words” (Wonderful Outstanding Words) as we call them. Most recently, we wrote “How To” papers teaching our audience how to do something. This involved using time words like “first, second, then, next, later, and finally,” and writing directions in the correct sequence. Today we will sketch diagrams to go along with our “How To” writing.

Blessings for a relaxing weekend. Join us for worship Saturday at 6:00pm or Sunday at 8:00am and 10:30am.

Mrs. McLaughlin & Class

Reminders, Memory Work & Spelling Words: Sept. 24-28

Pizza Hut Tonight
Saint Paul's Youth Group is holding a fundraiser tonight at Pizza Hut in Troy from 5:00 - 9:00 p.m. Pizza Hut will donate up to 20% of their sales to help Saint Paul's Youth Group attend the National Lutheran Youth Gathering this summer. Hope to see my students and their families there!

Picture day is Thursday September 27th
A note and envelope were already sent home. Please let me know if you didn't get one (or they didn't make it home with your child). NO UNIFORMS that day, unless you want your child's picture taken in their uniform. Students can wear a dress, jeans, etc. If your child doesn't want to wear their outfit all day they can change into their uniform BUT they don't have to. 

Upcoming Tests
Social Studies: Ch. 1 Test Thursday 9/27
Science: Ch. 2 Test Monday 10/01
Students should study a little bit each night by rereading the lessons in each chapter and answering the questions at the end of the lesson. They should learn all of the vocabulary words and know how to read the maps, charts, and tables.

___________________________________________________Memory Work: Last Week for Books of the Bible

56. Titus (TY-tus)
57. Philemon (fye-LEE-mun)
58. Hebrews (HEE-broos)
59. James
60. 1 Peter
61. 2 Peter
62. 1 John
63. 2 John
64. 3 John
65. Jude (jood)
66. Revelation (rev-uh-LAY-shun)

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Spelling Words-3rd Grade
Week 6: Celebrating Traditions Reading-Writing Workshop

1. now
2. off
3. for
4. almost
5. also
6. can’t
7. cannot
8. about
9. always
10. today
11. until
12. again

Challenge Words:

1. February
2. January
3. Saturday
4. Wednesday

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Spelling Words- 4th Grade
Week 6: Journeys Spelling Review
*4th graders are moving from 15 words to 20 words now that the mid-quarter has passed.

1. safe
2. kept
3. gray
4. grown
5. wrote
6. blind
7. suit
8. crumb
9. wait
10. creak
11. steep
12. gain
13. still
14. gold
15. crime
16. few
17. trunk
18. steal
19. weight
20. meat

Challenge Words:

1. descent
2. graceful
3. rigid
4. newscast
5. knead
6. remind
7. continue
8. pour
9. slumber
10. pore

Memory Work & Spelling Words: Sept. 17-21

Memory-Books of the Bible 44. Acts
45. Romans
46. 1 Corinthians (kor-IN-thee-unz)
47. 2 Corinthians (kor-IN-thee-unz)
48. Galatians (guh-LAY-shunz)
49. Ephesians (ee-FEE-zhunz)
50. Philippians (fil-LIP-pee-unz)
51. Colossians (kuh-LOSH-unz)
52. 1 Thessalonians (THES-uh-LO-nee-unz)
53. 2 Thessalonians (THES-uh-LO-nee-unz)
54. 1 Timothy (TIM-o-thee)55. 2 Timothy (TIM-o-thee)
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Spelling Words-3rd Grade
Week 5: The Keeping Quilt

1. paint
2. clay
3. feel
4. leave
5. neighbor
6. eight
7. seem
8. speak
9. paid
10. lay
11. need
12. weigh

Challenge Words:

1. needle
2. crayon

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Spelling Words- 4th Grade
Week 5: By the Shores of Silver Lake

1. steel
2. steal
3. lead
4. led
5. wait
6. weight
7. wear
8. ware
9. creak
10. creek
11. beet
12. beat
13. meet
14. meat
15. peek
16. peak
17. deer
18. dear
19. ring
20. wring

Challenge Words:

1. pour
2. pore
3. vain
4. vein
5. vane

REMINDER: MELHS FIELD DAY TRIP TOMORROW

Dear Families of 3rd & 4th Grade, 

Our class will be attending the annual Field Day for 3rd & 4th graders at Metro-East Lutheran High School in Edwardsville tomorrow, Tuesday, September 18, with a rain date scheduled for the following Tuesday, September 25. Registration begins at 9 a.m. so we will leave the school at 8:45 a.m. and our day will wrap up at 1:30 p.m. The children will participate on teams of four in various competitions throughout the day. Heather DiRosa, Dana Proffitt, and Katie Milano have volunteered to chaperone the field trip and transport the students. As far as lunch goes, only Jayden and Claire have turned in money for a prepaid lunch ($3). Jack has ordered a prepaid lunch, and Logan and Brayden have signed up to buy concessions. Please send this money with your child tomorrow. Cayla and Emily have signed up to bring their own sack lunch. Please have your child wear a red shirt uniform for the day. They may wear athletic shorts or pants instead of their uniform bottoms. We’re looking forward to our trip!

Thank you!

Upcoming Week: Sept. 10-14

Reminders:

• Saturday: Tomorrow is Fall Fest up at the park. Stop by Saint Paul's booth, say hello, and grab a "walking taco"! Tomorrow is also our annual Golf Scramble.
• Sunday: First day to drop off items at the park for the Rummage Sale from 1-3pm. Please make a point to stop by and help out at some point throughout the week if possible. It's a HUGE fundraiser for our school and takes LOTS of volunteers!
• Monday: Goshen Rotary visits to deliver dictionaries to our class
• Tuesday is September 11: We will be remembering the events of that tragic day with various activities
• Thursday: Mid-quarter. Reports will go home the following Thursday.
• Friday & Saturday: Saint Paul's Rummage Sale. Hope you can stop by and help out. You might find a treasure!

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Memory Work: Books of the Bible

33. Micah (MY-kuh)
34. Nahum (NAY-hum)
35. Habakkuk (huh-BAK-kuk)
36. Zephaniah (zef-uh-NYE-uh)
37. Haggai (HAG-ee-eye)
38. Zechariah (zek-er-EYE-uh)
39. Malachi (MAL-uh-kye)
New Testament
40. Matthew (MATH-yew)
41. Mark
42. Luke
43. John
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Spelling Words-3rd Grade
Week 4: The Waterfall

1. smoke
2. huge
3. save
4. life
5. wide
6. come
7. mine
8. grade
9. smile
10. note
11. cube
12. love

Challenge Words:

1. escape
2. slope

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Spelling Words- 4th Grade
Week 4: Finding the Titanic

1. brush
2. juice
3. fruit
4. tube
5. lunch
6. crumb
7. few
8. true
9. truth
10. done
11. suit
12. pump
13. due
14. dull
15. tune

Challenge Words:

1. newscast
2. commute
3. continue
4. attitude
5. slumber

7th and 8th Grade Class Joins Us for Science Explorations

Today, we had the privilege of having Mr. Cluck’s 7^th and 8^th grade class join us for science explorations. We’ve been looking forward to the last Friday of the month for this reason! The students were divided into groups of one 7^th or 8^th grade student and one or two 3^rd and 4^th grade students. Each group was given the task of attaching straws end to end using only Scotch tape, and then one person from each group had to drink water from a cup through all of the attached straws. Mr. Cluck reminded the students to check their straws frequently so they could quickly catch a flaw in their design if the water could not be sucked through the straw consistently. Jayden and Abbi were successful in attaching 17 straws and drinking the water from the cup! We will look forward to next month’s explorations!

Next week, third and fourth grade will take our first English and Science tests. We are learning good study habits by rereading our lessons at home in preparation for our upcoming tests. In reading class this past week, we read personal narratives written by last year’s 3^rd and 4^th grade class. We’ve noticed they used descriptive words to make their writing come alive and we are trying to replicate that in our own personal narratives. We’ll look forward to sharing them next week and then hanging them outside our classroom on the Writer’s Wall for all the school to enjoy. Yesterday, we belted out our favorite praise and worship songs by bands like Casting Crowns, Chris Tomlin, Third Day, Newsboys, and Hillsong United. Our theme verse for the school year is, “Serve the Lord with gladness. Come into His presence with singing” (Psalm 100:2) so we sang with all our might to our great Creator! We’re still studying the Psalms in our Friday Bible studies and therefore, are being constantly reminded of His desire to hear our lovely voices “make a joyful noise”!

Have a blessed weekend and start if off right with some fried fish at our Fish Fry tonight at the VFW!

Mrs. McLaughlin & Class

Upcoming Week Reminders: Sept. 3-7

Tests: Students should reread each lesson and practice the questions at the end of each lesson. They should learn the vocabulary definitions and the main ideas of each lesson.

• English: Wed. over Chapter 1
• Science: Thu. over Chapter 1

Memory Work: Books of the Bible

 22. Song of Solomon (SOL-o-mun)
23. Isaiah (eye-ZAH-uh)
24. Jeremiah (jair-uh-MYE-uh)
25. Lamentations (lam-en-TAY-shunz)
26. Ezekiel (e-ZEEK-yul)
27. Daniel (DAN-yul)
28. Hosea (ho-ZAY-uh)
29. Joel (jole)
30. Amos (A-mus)
31. Obadiah (oh-buh-DYE-uh)
32. Jonah (JO-nuh)
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Spelling Words-3rd Grade
Week 3: The Ballad of Mulan

1. pond
2. luck
3. drop
4. lot
5. rub
6. does
7. drum
8. sock
9. hunt
10. crop
11. shut
12. won

Challenge Words:

1. dodge
2. dusk

________________________________________________________________________

Spelling Words- 4th Grade
Week 3: Grandfather’s Journey

1. snow
2. grind
3. still
4. coast
5. odd
6. crime
7. gold
8. wrote
9. flight
10. build
11. broke
12. blind
13. folk
14. grown
15. shock

Challenge Words:

1. remind
2. approach
3. rigid
4. recognize
5. continent