FAQ 

What subjects do Mrs. Rahali and Mr. Schlachter teach?

Mrs. Rahali teaches math, reading,language arts and religion to fourth 
graders and math and reading to fifth graders.
Mr. Schlachter teaches science and social studies to fourth graders and 
science, social studies,language arts and religion to fifth graders.

My first preference is that you email me at 
dschlachter@stcatherineofsiena.org and generally I am able to respond 
sometime during that day.
Other acceptable ways of communicating are to send a note with your child, 
leave a message in the office or make an appointment to see me. In all cases, 
I will reply quickly as I value parent - teacher communication.

Are extra credit opportunities available in Mr. Schlachter's classes ?

Students who have made a low grade on a science or social studies test

(we call it a come in grade) are eligible to study some more for a make-up quiz the

next day at recess time.They should bring their corrected test in to school the 

next day and they will be quizzed orally on the questions they missed.

All students may receive extra credit at anytime of the year by doing science 

experiments at home and bringing in the write-up according to the scientific 

method. They may also do reports on famous scientists, providing they do the 

reports in their own words and cite any sources they use. 

Students may also do reports on famous people or events in social studies, 

also in their own words and cite any sources they use.

If a student would like to propose an extra credit project beyond the scope of 

those listed above, they are welcome to consult with me before they do any work.

What are the early morning routines done in fifth-grade?

All students gather in the gym before school. The teachers on duty will dismiss 

students to the classroom. Once the students have lined up quietly in the hall,

outside our classroom I invite them into the classroom. 
Students will automatically hang up their coats, book bags and place all their 
books and supplies in the appropriate places.  If they have any notes for me 
or the office they turn them in at this time.  
 
This is also the time when we take attendance and lunchroom count.  
 
While we are waiting for announcements, students take out their religion 
notebook and they copy from the Smart Board the saint of the day, and the 
quote of the day (selected by students). They also write in their religion 
notebook/journal their private entries for how they will be the best version 
of themselves that day (we stress day by day self-improvement, not 
comparing yourself with others but striving to be the best you can be) and 
most importantly they write a note to Jesus thanking him for any specific 
blessings they have incurred as well as asking for specific prayer requests.
 
Once the daily announcements, school wide prayer and Pledge of Allegiance
 have been completed, we say our class prayers, which are led by students 
and offer any prayer intentions that children may have.
 
We then discuss the quote of the day and any other classroom 
announcements that need to be made.  We discuss any special events, 
changes in schedule, etc. that may be going on that day or in the very near 
future and then move into our first subject, which is usually science.

I understand that my child set some summer goals at the end of the 

fourth grade year.  Will he/she be setting goals as a fifth grader?
 
Yes.  We believe that goal setting is a very important skill to learn, so we 
started at the end of the fourth grade and then continue it into the fifth-grade.  
Students will set three goals, one personal, one for school, and one religious 
and appropriate action steps to help them meet those goals.  The goals must 
be reasonable, measurable and student generated.  Periodically throughout 
the year, we will check in with each other and share the progress we’ve made
 on our goals.
Goal setting can have many positive effects on children not only now, 
but later in life.  Our “goal” in doing this is to help children see that they can 
achieve anything they want, if they will set out a plan for achieving it and 
follow their plan. You can help your child in achieving their goals and in so 
many other things in life, by asking them how they’re doing from time to time 
and showing an interest in their progress.
 
 
What is the science fair all about?  Where can I get additional information?
 
At St. Catherine of Siena, we have an annual science fair for all students in 
grades five and eight.  Students are given a timeline of all action steps, 
complete with due dates in early October.  These action steps should be 
initialed by parents as they are achieved.  In turn, Mr. Schlachter will initial 
steps for each child after the parent has done so.  This helps children, 
parents and teacher to stay on track throughout the project.  Normally, the 
projects are due by 7:45 am on the last Tuesday in November in the cafeteria.
They are then judged and left on display for the remainder of the day and at 
night so they can also be seen at the PTO meeting that evening. Students do 
receive a science grade for this project, but we do not award first, second, 
third place ribbons.  We feel this lessens the competitive factor and 
encourages children to do the best they can on their given project. Many 
more details, suggestions and websites will be emailed to you in early 
October, but you can also see them on this website by going to my home 
page and clicking on the appropriate icon.
 
 
Every year my child tells me that fifth-graders come to his or her classroom 
dressed up as saints and give speeches.  Now that my child is in fifth grade, 
can you give me more details?
 
Our “saintly” fifth-graders do dress up and give a speech in two other classes 
on their favorite saint.  The speeches and mass are done on or near 
All Saints Day. The students will pick a saint in early September and have it
 approved first by their parents and then by their teacher.  It can be on any 
one recognized as a saint by our church.  Perhaps the saint he/she was 
named after or perhaps someone the child has always admired or has an
 interest in.  Next the children will research their saint and begin building their 
speech.  Initially it will be in a rough draft form in which they can get feedback
 from both their parents and teacher.  They will be expected to practice it 
several times at home and will also do it in front of the class at least twice. 
The first time they are allowed to do it with notes, but after a certain date, all 
children will be expected to know their speech without notes in front of them. 
This is probably the part that causes them the most anxiety, but it’s also the 
part that they are proudest of after they have accomplished this feat. 
 Perhaps the biggest part the parents play is helping the child to make a 
costume that’s appropriate for the big day, remembering that they will wear it 
in church and also for the speeches themselves in the classrooms.
 
This project gives them lots of opportunity to do research, practice giving 
speeches and really builds their self-confidence.  It also helps to give them a 
special connection with a very special saint.
 
 
Do the children do any other speeches?
 
Yes.  They do lots of “mini” speeches in class. Some are of a very impromptu 
nature and require no preparation. Many are connected to specific 
assignments that we do in our language arts classes in which they write 
about a specific topic and then read their essay to the class. We called these 
our writing applications or writing apps for short.
 
Another major speech opportunity is done through the 4-H program.  
Students prepare a 2-3 minute talk on the subject of their choice.  We practice
it in class several times and they are required to practice at home 
frequently also.  This gives them the confidence to perform on the “big day”, 
which is usually sometime in February.  Judges for this speech are secured 
by the 4-H people and they are typically experienced at dealing with children 
this age giving speeches.  There is a standard scoring sheet that they use 
that will be given to the children well in advance of their speech.  This is also 
a great opportunity to practice public speaking, building that confidence in 
the skill that many adults fear.
 
 Tell me about the fifth grade vocabulary program.
 
 We have 16 separate units of study that we will cover during the school year. 
 Each unit consists of 12 vocabulary words, definitions, synonyms and 
antonyms and more.  Each unit has six pages of work that must be 
completed.  We do this work on a very regularly scheduled basis.  The 
six pages of each unit are assigned for homework and are due the next 
Friday at which time they will be corrected in class and discussed.  The 
following Friday we will have their spelling test and vocabulary test.  
Throughout the two weeks study of each unit, students are expected to study 
these words both in and out of class.  We keep the words posted in the 
classroom and use them at various times within our normal classroom 
procedures.  Additionally, we have developed PowerPoint presentations that 
will be part of our regular instruction and will help students connect not only 
the word and their pronunciation and spelling but also a visual picture as well
as synonyms.
 
 I understand the fourth and fifth graders to a charitable work every year.  
Can you give us more details?
 
Actually, being consistent with the school and parish’ philosophy, our fourth 
and fifth graders are involved in several works of stewardship and charity. 
One of our favorites happens every December.  We join the Big Stef 
organization every year to help bag groceries for the needy and the elderly 
of our community. Imagine for a moment a big warehouse, with palate upon 
palate of grocery items and 500 empty bags needing to be filled. Then 
imagine our children and parent volunteers entering this warehouse and the 
energy they bring to this assembly line task. It’s very important that our 
children have hands-on learning experiences and learn the meaning of 
helping others and that it becomes an important part of their daily lives. 
The Big Stef organization has been giving to the needy and elderly of our 
community for many years and they’re a wonderful example about the 
importance of giving to others. You can go to http://www.bigstef.org/ to learn 
more about this wonderful organization.
 
 
What sort of classroom jobs do the fifth graders do?
 
For the successful running of any organization, there must be a sense of 
teamwork and cooperation.  Whether were talking about a family, office or a 
classroom, it’s important that everyone contributes to the well-being of each 
other.  With that in mind, the fifth graders will brainstorm and come up with a 
list of jobs that they will undertake throughout the school year.  Typically the 
jobs might include positions such as door holders, messengers, typing 
homework on the Smart Board, turning computers off at the end of the day, 
making sure the classroom is clean, etc. These jobs not only help with the 
successful running of the classroom, but also give the children a sense of 
responsibility and ownership in their classroom.
 
Do fourth graders really learn all the states, abbreviations and capitals in 
our country?
 
They sure do!  We will study the 50 states in geographical order, 
starting in the East, and then moving south, then to the Midwest, South West 
and finally the Pacific region.  Map skills are a big part of the fourth grade 
curriculum and so as we study the 50 states in a geographical order. We 
also emphasize their location in relationship to each other.  The children will 
be given a two-page handout that includes the states, capitals and 
abbreviations in the order we will study them.  They are hung on the wall in 
the classroom for easy reference.  Often we practice learning the states as 
children walk in and out of the classroom answering questions on them, 
which is always great fun.  They achieve such a sense of accomplishment 
as they do well on a test of a particular region.  To support this goal, we do a 
number of activities on the computer going to sites such as 
www.NationalGeographic.com and other resources to learn our states in a 
fun way.  From time to time we will go outside and play games that students 
from previous years have devised on the huge United States map painted on 
our playground.  Many times students will make up their own games and also
 play them on this map during recess. For many students, spelling the names
 of the states and capitals is the biggest challenge, but with steady practice, 
that can also be accomplished.  I’m always impressed with how well the 
children retain this information years after they’ve left fourth grade and how 
they’re able to use it in many other facets of their life.
 
 
What is the fourth grade states project?
 
All fourth-graders will be required to pick a state to research.  No two students
 can pick the same state.  As we study the region in which the child’s state is 
located, he or she will be required to give a presentation on that state for the 
class.  The children may do the presentation in any format they choose.  
Some like to do PowerPoint presentations while others collect brochures and 
make them part of a poster board presentation.  Other children like to dress 
up as a particular character known in their state.  They will all be given 
opportunities to write a letter to the Chamber of Commerce in their capital city
 requesting information as part of their research.  They will also be given a list
 of websites that they can access for information, such as www.50states.com.
  The only definite requirement is that the report must be presented some time
 while we are studying the states in that geographical region. Additionally, 
students will be required to bring a poster board presentation of their state 
(it can be the same one they used for their classroom presentation if they 
chose that method) in May when we join the sixth graders for their
International Day Fair.
 
 
I remember when my child was in kindergarten they had a fifth grade book 
buddy.  Will we be doing that again this year?
 
We will absolutely be participating in book buddies again this year.  It’s 
always so delightful to see how the “older” fifth-graders take care of their 
kindergarten buddies.  Students will be assigned to either a morning or 
afternoon kindergarten student and they will visit them as a group on 
Mondays.  They will help them with a variety of tasks such as learning their 
letters and some basic sight words.  From time to time we are asked to bring 
some items such as index cards to help support this program.  We will on 
occasion sit with our buddies at Mass to help them learn how to behave in 
church.  We also do several other fun activities throughout the year and it’s 
really special to watch the bond that develops between the fifth grader and 
his or her buddy.
 
  

I understand the fifth graders are required to keep a checkbook register.  
What is that for?
 
All fifth-graders do in fact keep a checkbook register both paper and 
electronic). This is part of a behavior modification program in which students 
receive “money” for good behavior and lose money as a consequence for 
negative behaviors.
 
First students are taught how to use a checkbook register.  We emphasize 
the fact that it’s very important that they keep up with all deposits and 
withdrawals from their account.  That just like adults, if they make an addition
or subtraction mistake in the register, it can cost them money.  Once the 
basics of keeping a check register up to date are learned, students than begin
 to receive money.  No it’s not real money, but some call it 
“Schlachter Bucks.” Students can receive money for any number of positive
things such as keeping their desk clean, being well organized, being kind to 
others, a quiet line, a good report from special teachers, parents, etc. 
The only rule is that they cannot ask for money.  They can however report 
good behavior or helpfulness by another student and that student may or 
may not get money.  Just as in life, sometimes you get rewarded and 
sometimes you don’t.
 
Every two months, we have a classroom auction and however much money 
a student has accumulated to that point may be spent at our auction.  Lots of 
odds and ends are donated to our auctions.  Many people are very generous 
in contributing items for these auctions.  We go on the theory that one man’s 
junk is another man’s treasure.
If you have small items that you would like to donate to our auction box, 
please feel free to do so. The auctions are lots of fun and the children are 
learning a real-life skill in how to manage their money.

 I understand the children will do lots of short and long 

term projects. What are some of them?

4th grade
 
Outdoor garden - ongoing
States -September-May
Indoor Plants-September/October, March-May
International Day - April/May
National Geographic Bee - December
 
5th grade
 
Outdoor garden - ongoing
Saints (September-October)
Indoor Plants-September/October, March-May
Science fair (October-November)
Various writing assignments- September-May
National Geographic Bee - December
 4-H speech-January/February
Famous person report - February - April 
Fantasy vacation -February-April