Hello! Welcome to fifth grade in Room 206! My name is Ms. Kathryn Stirk. This is my first year teaching, and I am sure that it will be the first of many! I am a graduate of University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign with a major in Elementary Education and an area of concentration in Mathematics as well as endorsements for middle school in Mathematics, Science, and Social Science. I am very excited for this school year at St. Edward! I have a lot of fun activities and units planned that will teach your children to love learning. Furthermore, it is my goal to create a nurturing, respectful, and safe classroom environment so each and every student can learn and grow to their full potential as both Christians and young citizens.
Below is further explanation of a few procedures for various subjects in Room 206:
5th & 6th grade Science: In Science this year, both 5th and 6th grade will focus on three different major units: Life Science, Earth Science, and Physical Science. It is my hope that we will work our way through one major unit per trimester. In each unit, students will work collaboratively with each other to explore science concepts and ideas. Completing class work, homework, and lab work will help them prepare for chapter and unit projects and/or tests. Chapter and unit test dates will be announced as far in advance as possible. Students will also be given a sufficient amount of time to complete any major projects assigned. If students are required to use specific supplies for a project that may not be easily accessible at home, I will be sure to provide them with the necessary supplies. I am looking forward to exploring science through a variety of hands-on activities and whole-class discussions with your children. With their cooperation, I am sure that Science will be enjoyable and reward this year!
In 6th grade, we will be exploring natural disasters and plate tectonics through an inquiry-based unit later in the year. Inquiry-based learning is a process beginning with gathering information and data followed by using that data to discover knowledge and the truth through further questioning. Our unit on natural disasters and plate tectonics will be taught as directed by the Archdiocese of Chicago. I am looking forward to implementing their suggested activities and inquiry-based learning ideas! As the unit approaches, I will provide you and your children with more information about the unit.
Reading: We will be reading, as a class, one novel during each trimester. The students will practice a variety of skills, such as making predictions and using context clues, while reading these novels. As an additional part of your child’s reading grade, all students will pass five Accelerated Reader tests for five different books during each trimester.
Spelling: A different unit will be covered each week. Typically, on the first day of each week, we will take a pre-test for the new unit. If your child gets two or less wrong on the pre-test, I will not require them to take the post-test at the end of the week. However, if they get two wrong, this would earn them a 90% towards their spelling grade for that week’s unit test. Throughout the week, students will be required to complete the practice workbook pages as homework before their post-test on Friday. It is recommended that the students complete two pages per night. For the first half of the school year, I will be assigning two specific pages per night to help the students learn how to pace completing these pages. For the second half of the school year, the students will simply be told to complete all of the practice pages for each unit prior to the test on Friday. It is my hope that students will pace these homework pages out throughout the week rather than leaving them to be completed last minute on Thursday night. As their parent and/or guardian, I would like to ask for you assistance at home in simply encouraging your son or daughter to complete their homework on time throughout the week as well as encouraging them to study for each Friday’s spelling test. If there is no school on a Friday, the test will instead be on Thursday of that week.
Religion: As a part of the Religion curriculum, all St. Edward School students will perform service hours throughout the school year. The students in room 206 will be asked to earn five hours of service each trimester, for a total of 15 hours for the school year. I hope this project will be worthwhile for you and your child, helping them learn responsibility and the value of helping those in need.
Please remember:
- Check your child’s assignment notebook every night.
- Encourage your child to read for at least 20 minutes every night. After lunch, they are given 15 minutes for silent reading each day. It is very important that they are reading outside of school as well.
- If you have any concerns or questions, either send a note to school with your child or shoot me an email for a quicker response at kathryn.stirk@gmail.com
Thank you, in advance, for your help and continuous support!
