What's Up in Upper Elementary?

Just Getting Started!

By Andrew Thampoe
Technology Editor

The fourth graders this first quarter were adjusting to the new teaching style used by the teachers. Most students adjusted fast, while some are gradually learning. While Mrs. Ziegel and Mrs. Riley have two computers in their classrooms, Mrs. Condara’s class has four computers. The students use them for research, and they use BrainPOP, a website for learning about topics with short videos, and take quizzes on what was showcased in the video.
In science, Mrs. Ziegel covered the scientific method and technology. They are starting physical science. In math, the students covered place value, numbers to 1,000,000, rounding numbers and ordinal numbers. They reviewed addition, subtraction, and estimation. They will soon start using Chromebooks in math for IXL.
With Mrs. Condara, the students made travel brochures about their travels during the summer. They also presented them to the class. In religion, the students learned about the Exodus story, and they watched a movie about it.
In Mrs. Riley’s class the students learned about the four types of sentences, and subject and predicates. They read Miss. Runphius, a book by Barbara Cooney. They wrote an essay about how they could make the world a better place, and they used Alphawriters, too. They also performed a play called The Power of W.O.W., based off a book that they read. They will be starting Because of Winn Dixie, a book by Kate DiCamillo. The fourth graders are already on the path to success.

















Third graders learn about measurements in science.

Third Grade’s Gift

By Caitlyn DeCorte
News Editor

The third graders have gotten off to a great start! During religion class, they learned about Mary and have started preparing for the Living Rosary. Mrs. Denton has also checked in with their seminarian, Justin Cormie. The teachers want the new third grade students to see Jesus in themselves as well as in each other.
Mrs. Love taught the third graders about rural, suburban, and urban communities in social studies. In science, the students completed a variety of projects incorporated with their lessons. They learned about how to be a scientist as well as the importance of communicating. The third graders also studied measurement, and the differences between models and real life.
The students learned about money in math this quarter. They were also taught how to compare and order numbers. In language, they began learning types of sentences and punctuation. The third graders learned about run-on sentences, sentence fragments, and complete sentences.
In reading, the students presented oral reports on their Who Was? books they read during the summer. The students wrote recipes for something they wished they could change about themselves to go along with their book Frecklejuice. The third graders have also read stories out of their Journeys books, including Destiny’s Gift and A Fine, Fine School. The third grade students worked hard this quarter!

















Fifth graders learn about geography during social studies.

Sailing into Fifth Grade

By Andrew Staerker
Photo Editor

The fifth graders have started the school year on a good note by following the school’s mission and becoming the leaders of the elementary. In math, the students worked on place value, decimals to the thousandths, and coordinate grids. The homework for math usually consists of Simple Solutions and sometimes work sheets about the concepts they learned. In the similar subject of science, the students have performed many experiments including creating a boat out of clay and adding paper clips until it sinks. They also used the scientific method to help with upcoming experiments. The students also learned about food webs, and the sun and the stars. In their language class, the pupils have studied nouns, verbs, sentences, and personal narratives. They have also worked on book talks about books that the students picked out themselves. For homework, they keep a reading log, read every night, work on grammar, and complete work sheets about the lesson from class that day. They have also completed a group project for the summer reading books. The groups made Facebook pages for one of the characters. Finally, in social studies, the students have studied Native Americans, explorers, and the original colonies. The only homework they had in the class was reading in the textbook and completing assignments about the concepts. The only project they had was the symbols of the USA project where they created apps that included the symbols. The fifth grade teachers are excited to keep helping the children get ready for middle school.