Check here for this week's newsletter.

6th grade parents and students--                                                                                                                                                                       05/24/2023

Happy Last Day of School!  Thank you for being a part of St. Gregory School--it's a special place.  It is truly a blessing to be a teacher here and to have my own children part of it as well along with your children.

Please take some time and look through the pictures from the last few days--we had a lot of fun.  We also have a few pictures of the kiddos saying good-bye to James.  He will be missed!  You can navigate through the site and look back at all the pictures from the year--these are for you!  Please feel free to download, share, and/or print them.

These students have been working so hard all year long!  Please continue to do something this summer to help avoid the summer slide.

First and foremost--READ!  Continue reading 20 minutes a day.  There are so many great books out there--find something you truly like and enjoy.  Parents-read with your child.  No matter the age, kids like to be read to.  The Maryville Public Library has a great selection all for FREE!

Continue logging into Reflex--great way to keep up with the basic math facts.  Login information is in with report cards if your student doesn't have theirs memorized.

These summer workbooks are so great--we don't want to frustrate the students, but at least keep them working on their skills.  I would suggest at least one of the following:  Math Workbook  or  Mixed Review Workbook

For math, the students need to continue to be confident and fluent with operations of fractions, decimals, and percent.

And--keep writing!  Maybe find a new pen pal--a cousin, an aunt or uncle, a grandparent.  Snail mail is so much fun to send and receive!

May this summer be full of fun and many, many memories.

See you back in August!!

-Mrs. Nielson

Happy Friday! 05/05/2023

We honored Mary today at Mass, and the students spent a little bit of time reflecting over how special it is that God gave them their own mother.  They each came home with a very sweet letter written for their mom...if they haven't handed it to you yet, please ask them to grab it out of their backpacks. 

It's hard to believe the end is so near--we have enjoyed discussing Where the Red Fern Grows and the determination and grit the main character has.  Encourage your student to keep reading so we can wrap the book up by the end of next week.

Here is our class calendar for the week and a few pictures from Night at the Museum.  We would like permission slips and info form for the field trip by the end of the week. 

Today was the last day of before and after-school SACC.  Please be mindful and patient of the extra people in the carline in the morning and after school.  If you wait in the parking lot for your student after school, please be sure to get out of your car and come to the grass so we can see them going home with you.  

Have a great weekend!

Mrs. Nielson

Hello 6th grade students and parents! 02/25/2023

I just wanted to be sure you all have a few things on your calendar as we wrap up 3rd quarter and begin 4th quarter soon!  A detailed class calendar can be found here--but here are some dates I really want to point out.

There is XSTREAM on Monday from 3-4:30.

Mass on Friday with our FFF--be sure students wear their FFF shirts!

Thursday, March 9--end of the Third Quarter--students need to have at least 17 AR points by then--be sure they are asking to take their AR tests in school once they finish a book.

Thursday, March 16--6th graders will have the Mass roles...there will be a 3rd Quarter Achievements/Awards program following Mass.

Monday, March 27-- School of Economics field trip, bus leaves at 7:15am and will return by 3:30.

Wednesday, April 5--6th Grade Reenacts the Stations of the Cross at 9am in the church.  They'll work with Mrs. Casteel to prepare this--please plan to attend!  It's a beautiful service every year!

Finally, we plan to do the 5th/6th Field Trip on Monday, May 15.  More details to come soon.

Good afternoon! 02/17/2023

What a week we just had!  Next week may be back to normal (fingers crossed!).

Just wanted to quickly touch base regarding next week--

--the students will take their final IOWA Flex assessments for Reading and Math--Mrs. Gastler and Mrs. Ackley will administer these tests for the 6th graders.  These are benchmark tests which help prepare both teachers and students for the IOWA Assessments which the students will take at the end of April.

--Parent-Teacher conferences will be held in the gym from 3:15-5:30 on Wednesday.  Neither Mrs. Byland nor I will be there, but all the other teachers will be available for you to conference with.  We encourage all 6th graders and their parents to see Mrs. Casteel first to get their 3rd quarter midterms.  Detailed comments were left for Reading and Math class, but please feel free to contact Mrs. Byland or myself if you have further questions.

Here is a link to the class calendar for this week and beyond....also, looks like they still need some students to fill in for the Mass roles at Sunday's 10:30am Mass--you can sign up here.

Have a great long weekend!

Mrs. Nielson

Good evening-- 01/29/2023

I hope you have all had a great weekend.  It sounds like the students had a great end of the week--I was really hoping I would make it through the week, but Baby Harlynn had different plans.  Mrs. Byland said all has gone well so far--thank you to your children for their help and flexibility during this time of transition!

I just wanted to touch base on a few things as Mrs. Byland steps in.  The students will get their Watsons Go to Birmingham-1963 tests back.  I put a note at the bottom of each test to let the students know how many AR points they currently have for the quarter--they need to get 17 points for the third quarter, which will end March 9.  Many have a good start.  For Reading class, the students will be working out of the Wonders textbook and workbooks.  They need to continue reading at least 20 minutes a night and work through novels on their own....I know they have many, many teachers they can talk to about good books for them to read if they aren't sure which one to start.  They can then ask Mrs. Byland during the morning or at Study Hall to get their AR tests taken as they complete a book.

I only had math videos made up to Lesson 46--so the remaining lessons will be taught during class.  They'll still get note sheets to take notes on, but they won't have videos to watch.  We encourage them to continue logging into Reflex a few times a week to work on their math fact fluency as well.

Here is a link to the class calendar for the week and beyond....we will try to get continue to update it each week.  

Thanks for everyone's well wishes as we adjust to a family of seven--I attached a picture for the students to see--Harylnn is ready for the Chiefs game!  Go Chiefs!

Good afternoon! 01/20/2023

We had another great week in 6th grade.  The students worked hard with their descriptive writing unit in ELA.  We are finishing up the Watsons Go To Birmingham-1963 in Reading.  Our essential question that we focus on while reading this book is "Why do people change?".  The students will have to write a two-paragraph essay on this question as a part of their final test with the book on Wednesday.  Talk about it at home with them!

Please take a look at the calendar for the week--our class has Thursday's Mass roles.

Picture forms were sent home today, along with an order form for a Crush Gram that you can send to your child on Valentine's Day.

We had the pleasure of having Mrs. Byland shadow us for a couple of days this week--she is going to be a great addition here at SGB while I am on maternity leave.  Her email is bbyland@stgregorysschool.org if you need to contact her at all while I am out.

Have a great weekend.

 Mrs. Nielson

Good afternoon! 01/13/2023

The sixth graders had a GREAT week!  I think we have had a full class once since we came back due to trips and/or illness....but everyone has done great staying on top of their work and taking care of their responsibilities.  They have worked through a Christianity unit in Social Studies, and a descriptive writing unit in ELA.

Please check into what is happening next week---I have tried to put many dates on the calendar as I prepare for my maternity leave.  Mrs. Becky Byland will be my sub--she was a middle school math teacher for years and years--she actually taught Saxon Math for most of that time so it should be a great transition for all.  I am due February 4--I am hoping to make it at least another week or two :)

Remember--there will be a hot chocolate bar on Tuesday morning so the kids can bring $2 for a cup of hot cocoa--all proceeds will benefit The Source here in Maryville.

Enjoy the long weekend!

Mrs. Nielson

Good afternoon! 01/06/2023

We had a great week back from Christmas Break. The students enjoyed starting our new book The Watsons Go To Birmingham-1963.  This is set during the Civil Rights Movement which we'll cover while we read the book.  It's another book that teaches tolerance and respect of others.  So far it has been enjoyed by all.

Yesterday, Nurse Hann took their heights and we calculated many different statistics and graphed different parts of our findings.  The students had a great time with this activity.

Please take a look at what we have coming up next week and beyond.  

The students did a great job writing about their break in their journals--it sounds like everyone really enjoyed the break and the time with their families.

Have a great weekend!

Mrs. Nielson

Good afternoon-- 12/02/2022

We made it through the week!!  Hopefully the sickness has run its course so all can enjoy these few weeks before Christmas!

Please take a look at what we have going on next week--lots and lots of fun activities for our students.

Also, we will be starting a new book called Number the Stars.  It is set during WWII after the German occupation of Poland.  It is about a young Polish, Protestant girl, and her friend who is Jewish.

This is really the first interaction the students have had with WWII and the Holocaust.  While we don't dive too deeply into it through this novel, it still can lead to deeper discussions and just questions on their end.  

Please don't hesitate to reach out with any questions.  Have a great weekend!

Mrs. Nielson

Good afternoon! 11/18/2022

Please take a look at what we have coming up this week and into the next week....

Today marked Midterm for the 2nd quarter--grades will be sent home Tuesday.  The students should have a good idea of what their grades are, especially in Math and Reading as they received assessments back with updated grades.

Stay warm this weekend!!  Hope to see you at the Dinner Auction tomorrow evening.

-Mrs. Nielson

Happy Veterans Day! 11/11/2022

Wow--the students had a wonderful day today.  I sure hope they have told you about the neat things they were able to experience at the Veterans Day event at Northwest.  They spent some quality time talking to the soldiers and going through some of their training activities.  Then we were able to celebrate veterans with our school and church community--our sixth graders wrote really nice thank you notes to the veterans and handed them out at the assembly this afternoon.  I am so proud of their letters and their manners when handing them to the veterans.  There are some great pictures here for you all to enjoy.

Please take a look at what we have coming up next week.  

Have a great weekend--stay warm!!

Mrs. Nielson

Happy Friday! 11/04/2022

We had a great week in sixth grade--the students worked hard on some group projects in both ELA and Reading.  In ELA they were exploring the writing process and in Reading, they did some research on the events of 9-11 and the building of the Twin Towers that had begun in the 1960s.  They also displayed some great work with their Sarcophagus project in Social Studies--those were fun to look at as they were handing them into Mrs. Frederick.  

I handed out Maniac Magee to them at the end of the day today--I would like for them to get started on it over the weekend.  We'll start talking about some of the key elements of the book next week, including social injustices and tolerance of others.  It's another book that the students really enjoy each year. Thank you for encouraging your child to read at least 20 minutes each night.

We have two new programs here at SGB that were implemented this week to help keep the students more accountable with their reading and their math fact fluency.  Renaissance Reading will only be accessed while at school, but it's a program that the students will log into after they are finished reading a book.  They will be given a small quiz over the book to check their comprehension.  All books have point values that correspond with the book level, the amount of pages, and the depth of the content.  Sixth graders will be encouraged to earn at least 14 points to finish out the second quarter--they have already had an opportunity to earn 4.5 of these points today and will be able to earn at least 9 more through the books we read as a class.  This just means they'll have to read at least one more book on their own.  This program is also used at MHS, which will be nice for them to have experience with before they hit 9th grade.

Reflex Math is a program to help with fluency of math facts--especially multiplication and division.  The students will be encouraged to log into this program and complete adequate math fact practice at least three times a week--many of their sessions will be done at school, but they may have to complete a round at home (which means they need a full green light).

Please take a look at what we have going on next week--it's another full week, but still has some fun activities to look ahead to.  I also have some pictures from Halloween that you can take a look at.

Have a great weekend!  Lots of great football games to look forward to this weekend--please consider helping out with trash pick-up on Saturday after the Bearcat game if you are available--many hands make light work!

Mrs. Nielson

Good afternoon-- 10/27/2022

We made it through another short and productive week!  We had great discussions in Reading this week about Towers Falling and how we are all affected by history.  

Please take a good look at our schedule for next week.  We are thick into the quarter so there are many units getting wrapped up and assessments going on, mixed into the fun of Halloween and the celebration of All Saints Day on Tuesday.

Thanks for encouraging your kids to dress up this week--here are a few pictures of the fun themes.  Thank you for taking the time to make it in for conferences--the students have all really settled well into sixth grade--I look forward to seeing them continue to progress and grow throughout the year.

Enjoy the weekend!

Mrs. Nielson

Happy Friday! 10/21/2022

I hope everyone is enjoying this extra day off!  Happy birthday to Gavin today!

The students worked hard this week--there was a lot to fit into this short week.  They had an opportunity to read to the preschoolers.  Please take a look at the pictures of the sweet moments that were captured.  There are also a few pictures from XSTREAM.

We have another full week ahead, that will be packed into the four days.  Please take a look at our schedule--there are parent-teacher conferences along with the celebration of Red Ribbon Week and our annual Stocktoberfest Food Drive...our class is encouraged to bring purple foods (Jello, grape jelly, canned plums, grade juice, raisins, etc...)  

Once again, there is a Northwest football game at 2pm this Saturday--please sign up and help us out if you are able.

For those who sold Red Wheel, you can pick it up from the gym at dismissal time on Tuesday.

Thank you for all getting signed up for Parent-Teacher Conferences--see you soon.

Mrs. Nielson

Happy Friday! 10/14/2022

The students worked hard to wrap up the first quarter.  We will be celebrating First Quarter achievements after Thursday's 8am Mass.  You are all welcome to join--we will do this in the church.  Many made great progress on their Peace Posters.  We also were able to start our new book Towers Falling.

Here is what we have coming up this coming week--please note all the things going on--there will probably be an ELA test this week as well as they are finishing up their verbs unit with Mrs. Gastler.

The students worked hard with First Grade yesterday to explain the Holy Days of Obligation to them--they created slideshows to highlight each of the six Holy Days.  There are some great pictures of them working here--along with some pictures from a Social Studies activity.

If you are free, we could still use help with trash pick-up after the NW game on Saturday.  There is the Youth Mass on Sunday that still has spots available to sign up for.  If you took a Red Wheel form, order forms are due Monday.  And finally, we have XSTREAM on Monday from 3-4:#0 as well.  Students can be picked up by the gym doors at 4:30.

Enjoy the extra day together this weekend--Jayden and Braleigh will both be celebrating birthdays over the weekend--enjoy!

I look forward to meeting with you all in a couple of weeks for conferences.

Mrs. Nielson

Good afternoon-- 10/07/2022

We are nearing the end of the first quarter, which will be next Thursday.  The students have many tests throughout the week to wrap up the quarter---they have been sent several study links that they can be using to help them prepare.

We will begin Towers Falling next Thursday, which is about a 5th grader who lives in Brooklyn and struggles to find any reason why they need to be learning about the Twin Towers.  It's a great book with a strong message of empathy and that we are all connected in one way or another.

Please take a look at our upcoming week.

Enjoy the weekend!

Mrs. Nielson

Good afternoon!

We had another great week--accomplished a lot and worked hard along the way.

Please check out what's coming up this next week and throughout the month--October is a very busy month with some exciting days to look forward to!

A note went home about XSTREAM today--this is an afterschool club that meets once a month for some extension activities that focus around science, technology, engineering, religion, reading/ELA, art and math.  We strongly encourage all the students to participate as we also work on team building skills across our middle school group.  Our first meeting is October 18 (not the 17 as indicated on the form that was sent home).  Mrs. Ackley has also note below as she is hoping you can help gather some supplies she needs for this first session.  Homework loads are typically lighter on the evenings of XSTREAM.

There is also a note below from Lori Tally at the Tech School here in Maryville regarding a Hunter's Safety Course--please take a look at it if it is something that interests your child.

Please continue to encourage your kiddo to bring their independent reading book back and from from school each day and over the weekend--their only assignment for the weekend is to get some reading in as they will have reading letters to write again next week.

Have a great weekend--enjoy the beautiful weather!   

Mrs. Nielson

XSTREAM NOTES:

Please send the following items to your child's homeroom teacher:

ALL SHAPES AND SIZES OF CARDBOARD BOXES (no bigger than cereal boxes)

* Cereal

* Kleenex

* Granola bars

* Crackers

* Mac & cheese

* Pudding & Jello

* etc, etc, etc,...

CARDBOARD PAPER TOWEL & TP TUBES 

Hunter Education (Firearm Safety) Skills Field Day – 22FGOHE

Anybody completing online hunter education can participate in the skills field day.  Register on-line for the course. If you need more information contact the St. Joseph regional office at 816-271-3100 or www.mdc.mo.gov .  You will receive your hunter education certification after completing the online hunter education course and the skills field day.  This class is for any person 11 or older needing Hunters Education Certification.  This is the skills portion only. 

Instructor: MO Conservation Department

Starts:  Saturday, October 8

Length: 1 session 9:00 am – 1:00 pm

Fee:  free

Registration is open for the Hunter Ed Skills Session we will be having on 10/8/22. Participants can register at the following website: Events | Missouri Department of Conservation (s3licensing.com).

Good afternoon-- 9/23/2022

The students really enjoyed the Wonder watch party to end a great week!  They had a big week with tests, projects and papers due in many different classes.  They also used this afternoon to create their class project for the Dinner Auction--they put together a really neat project which you'll get a preview to soon!  

Please take a look at what we have coming up next week--there are a few links on the calendar for them to use to prepare for Monday's Social Studies test.

Here are pictures from the week.

Please remind your kiddos to bring their independent reading book back and forth as we will have some time each day for them to read a little out of their own books..

Have a great weekend--enjoy the cooler weather!

Mrs. Nielson

Good afternoon! 9/16/2022

Midterm grades were submitted this morning and were mailed out to families.  Today's math test nor the spelling test and packet would have been included on the Midterm grade.  The students were shown their grades, along with the opportunity to read through the comments.  I hope they can share with you where they stand and what some goals are as we go into the second half of the quarter. 

Please take a look at what we have coming up--we'll be ending our Wonder unit and then we'll begin working out of our Reading textbooks throughout most of our reading classes.  It's important that they start a new book (of their choice) as they need to continue to be reading at least 20 minutes most nights of the week.  We'll begin another book as a class in two weeks.

We had a great visit from Dr. Gregory Mary who shared some great knowledge and wisdom with the students regarding their faith and their Catholic education.  They also had a chance to see and learn more about relics.  There is a picture from that presentation along with a few other pictures from the week.

Enjoy your weekend!

Mrs. Nielson

Good afternoon! 09/09/2022

It was a joy to end the week with our Grandparents/Special Friends Day! 

Please take a look at next week's calendar.  I also got a few pictures taken this week...the students clearly were working hard in PE as you'll see in a couple pictures.  Today, they were working together to sort through different phrases and identify which type of figurative language was being used.

Next week has a few extra things happening--we will be completing our Circle of Grace program.  We will also be taking a benchmark test in both Math and Reading.  These tests are taken on Chromebooks and are aligned to the IOWA Summative Tests that are taken each spring.  Results are pretty instant for us to analyze and help adjust teaching accordingly.  They will take another benchmark test in the winter and then the final round in the spring.

Please be sure to help remind your students to be looking at their planner each night while they complete their homework---planners are being written in each day at school, but also need to be verified at home while they complete their assignments and their reading minutes.

Enjoy the weekend--hopefully the kids enjoyed an afternoon with their grandparents/special friends!

Mrs. Nielson

Good afternoon-- 09/02/2022

Please take a look at our class calendar for next week--they have a few tests as they are coming to the end of their first units.  They also received their Wonder Book Report guidelines this week and can start working on those as September 23 will come upon us quite quickly.

I also have added a few pictures from the week....thanks for having them here on time for our first Falcon Faith Family Mass--they had a chance to play around in the gym with their Faith Families while Mrs. Casteel took pictures of each family for the yearbook.

Next week is a short week that ends with Grandparents/Special Friends Day!  Please let me know if your child is planning to go home and with whom they'll be leaving with.

I hope everyone is able to have a great weekend!  

Mrs. Nielson

Good afternoon-- 08/26/2022

The students really were exposed to some great things today with the Middle School Retreat--we really focused on "Presence" and the Eucharist...whether that's the presence of Christ around them at all times, or at Mass with the Eucharist.  We also really tried to focus on their own presence while at Mass and what they can do to really feel Christ's presence.  We had some great presentations from Mrs. Starke, Mr. Casteel, and a FOCUS missionary student from Northwest.

We have another full week of school coming up--I have attached our weekly calendar here and just a few pictures from the day.

The kids are working hard on getting used to being back in school and the expectations that come with it---I hope they can enjoy their weekend and gear up for another full week ahead!

-Mrs. Nielson

Good afternoon!

We have had a great start to the year, but I think we can all agree that it's nice to already have the weekend here for a couple more days of summer life.

Please take a look at what we have coming up this week.  I also took a few pictures from the first day of school for you to enjoy--please know you can download and share the pictures from this site as I take them for you! 

Finally--here is a link to the Sign-up for Trash Pick-up which is a fundraiser through Northwest where the students pick up trash after the home football games.  I had mentioned this in my back to school letter as well---7th and 8th graders use money from different fundraisers to help pay for their bigger class trips.  We encourage the 6th graders and families to help with the trash pick-up as it helps build up some funds for their 7th and 8th grade years.  Please sign up for a game or two if you are able to.  There is more information regarding meeting times and locations within the link.

It's a joy to be a part your children's life!  It's going to be a great year!  Please know you can always reach out with any questions or concerns.

Have a great weekend!

Mrs. Nielson