2314 Third Avenue, Scottsbluff, Nebraska 69361 (308)632-2541

Mailing address: PO Box 349, Scottsbluff, NE 69363-0349 Fax: 308-632-2146 Website: www.st-agnes-church.com

Parish Office Hours: Tuesday-Friday, 9am - Noon & 1pm - 4pm

Rev. Vincent L. Parsons

Pastor

Sr. Vera Meis, C.S.J. Pastoral Minister

Mass Schedule:

(October - May) Saturday: 4:00 pm

Sunday: 8:00 & 10:30 am (June - September) Saturday 6:00 pm

Sunday: 8:00 & 10:00 am Mon, Tues, Wed, Friday 7 am

Sacrament of Reconciliation Saturdays one hour prior to evening Mass or by appointment (632-2541)

Sacrament of Baptism Please call the Parish Office

Page 2 Year A January 12, 2020

The Baptism of the Lord

Today is BAPTISM OF THE LORD SUNDAY! Since there were neither digital cameras nor videos during Jesus’ time, St. Matthew recorded his baptism ceremony in this fashion: After Jesus was baptized, he came from the water and behold, the heavens were opened for him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming upon him. And a voice came from the heavens saying, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” “THIS IS MY BELOVED SON, WITH WHOM I AM WELL PLEASED!” What a powerful affirmation this is; so powerful that it singled out JESUS as the BELOVED SON” and “GOD-WITH-US.” BAPTISM! There is nothing magical or automatic about this sacrament. During our baptism, when the priest was pouring that water on our heads and saying: “I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,” the same powerful affirmation was told to us by a loving God: “THIS IS MY BELOVED SON/DAUGHTER, WITH WHOM I AM WELL PLEASED!” We are God’s BELOVED CHILDREN! And no one can take that identity of ours, not even the devil. Satan might want to snatch us through our sins, but Jesus’ blood will always redeem us. We ran away, but God’s forgiveness wins us back to his embrace. Since baptized children are “BELOVED CHILDREN OF GOD” baptism then is a “call to parents…to choose constantly for the LIGHT in the midst of a dark world and for LIFE in the midst of a death-harboring society.” The following insights might teach parents and the Christian community to struggle in providing a loving and compassionate environment for children:

“If a child lives with criticism, the child learns to condemn. If a child lives with hostility,

the child learns to fight. If a child lives with shame,

the child learns to be guilty. If a child lives with tolerance, the child learns to be patient.

If a child lives with encouragement, the child learns confidence. If a child lives with praise,

the child learns to appreciate. If a child lives with fairness,

the child learns justice. If a child lives with security,

the child learns to have faith. If a child lives with acceptance and friendship, the child learns to find love in a

family, community and world.”

REMEMBER, WE ARE GOD’S BELOVED CHILDREN.

S a i n t A g n e s

C a t h o l i c C h u r c h

Today’s Readings Isaiah 42:1-4, 6-7

Psalm 29 Acts 10:34-38

Matthew 3:13-17

Parish Administration (308) 632-2541 / (308) 632-2146 (Fax)

office@st-agnes-church.com www.st-agnes-church.com

Pastor Rev. Vincent L. Parsons (ext. 2)

pastor@st-agnes-church.com

Church Office Manager Theresa Trevino (ext. 3)

office@st-agnes-church.com

Pastoral Minister Sr. Vera Meis (ext. 4)

srvera@st-agnes-church.com

Director of Religious Education Mrs. Terri Calvert (ext.5) dre@st-agnes-church.com

School Head Teacher Mrs. Julie Brown (632-6918) office@st-agnes-school.com

School Office Manager Teresa Johnson (632-6918)

office@st-agnes-school.com

Prayer Chain Coordinator Jean Ahrens - (308-672-4632)

Page 3 January 12, 2020

Monday, January 13, 2020 Daily Mass (7:00am) Intention: †Eleanor Wolf by Robert Wolf Communal Rosary (4:45pm) Liturgy of the Hours (5:10 pm) Tuesday, January 14, 2020 Daily Mass (7:00am) Intention: Keith Porter by Eileen Young Tuesday Discussion Group (8-9 am) Liturgy of the Hours (5:30 pm) Wednesday, January 15, 2020 Daily Mass (8:15am) Intention: Tom Wlaschin by Julie Brown Liturgy of the Hours (5:30 pm) Contemplative Prayer Group (6:00 pm)

Thursday, January 16, 2020 Daily Mass (10:00am) Scb Care & Rehab Liturgy of the Hours (5:30pm) Friday, January 17, 2020 Daily Mass (7:00am) Intention: †Jerry & †Don Young by Eileen Young Liturgy of the Hours (5:30pm) Saturday, January 18, 2020 Weekend Mass (4:00pm) Intention: †Felix Koenig by Koenig Family Sunday, January 19, 2020 Weekend Mass (8:00am) Intention: For the Parish Weekend Mass (10:30am) Intention: †Don Overman by Eileen Young

This Week’s Schedule

Important Dates To Remember In 2019

Jan 26-31 Catholic Schools Week Feb 26 Ash Wednesday March 1 St. Agnes Penny Carnival April 9 Holy Thursday Mass - 7pm April 10 Good Friday Service - 12pm April 11 Easter Vigil Mass - 8pm April 12 Easter Masses - 8am & 10:30am

Finance Corner Sunday Collections

& ATW Giving

January Totals Actual $5641.80 ATW $4070.00 Budget $9000.00 Surplus (Deficit) $711.80

Next weekend’s 2nd collection is for Latin America

Thank you for your continued

giving!

Server Schedule Jan 18 4pm Traxton Adams Ethan Gion Jan 19 8am Zach Mark Jacob Mark 10:30am Emma Casillas Jed Zulkoski

Lector Schedule Jan 18 4pm Diana Rohrick Jan 19 8am Neal Brady 10:30am Mark Loose

Monday: 1 Sm 1:1-8; Ps 116:12-19; Mk 1:14-20 Tuesday: 1 Sm 1:9-20; 1 Sm 2:1, 4- 8 abcd; Mk 1:21-28 Wednesday: 1 Sm 3:1-10, 19-20; Ps 40:2, 5, 7-10; Mk 1:29- 39 Thursday: 1 Sm 4:1-11; Ps 44:10-11, 14-15, 24-25; Mk 1:40- 45 Friday: 1 Sm 8:4-7, 10-22a; Ps 89:16-19; Mk 2:1-12 Saturday: 1 Sm 9:1-4, 17-19; 10:1a; Ps 21:2-7; Mk 2:13-17 Sunday: Is 49:3, 5-6; Ps 40:2, 4, 7-10; 1 Cor 1:1-3; Jn 1:29-34

This Week’s Readings

Young at Heart Young at Heart meets this Tuesday,

January 14th at noon in the Garden Room. Everyone of retirement age is invited to attend. Please bring a covered dish to

share.

January 2020 100 CLUB WINNERS

$200: Jan Shetler; $100: Tom/Brenda Pszanka, Abel/Laura Garcia, Troy/Carol Herman; $75: Michelle Johnston; $50: Gayle Rojas, Francis/Mary Heumesser,

Jim/Cathy Kearney, Tina Delgado, Brooke Brown Tran, Connie Kirchner,

Mark/Marsha Neifert, Lucien/Margaret Kicken, Larry/Chris Burbach,

Margaret Ann Pickering

CONGRATULATIONS!

THIS IS MY BELOVED SON This Sunday’s celebration of the Baptism of the Lord closes the Christmas season. In the scriptures we see one more epiphany, or manifestation, of the Spirit of God in Jesus—but this time it is as an adult, rather than as a child. Jesus’ baptism also serves as the inauguration of his prophetic mission and the messianic age. Today’s reading from Isaiah describes God’s chosen Messiah, upon whom God’s spirit rests. In the Acts of the Apostles Peter says that “God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power” (Acts 10:38). Finally, in the proclamation from Matthew’s Gospel Jesus’ baptism in water goes almost unnoticed. The crucial moment comes when the Spirit of God comes upon Jesus and a voice from heaven echoes the words of Isaiah: “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17). Copyright © J. S. Paluch Co.

That Man is You will restart meetings on Thursdays, beginning on

January 16th from 7:00pm -9:00pm. We will focus on the upcoming Lenten season. All men are welcome to attend.

Page 4 The baptism of the lord

L i v i n g O u r C at h o l i c Fa i t h

SAINT HILARY (c. 315-367) January 13

Born in Poitiers, France, whose populace would later elect him bishop, Hilary, married and a father, was converted from paganism to Christianity through his reading of scripture. The focus of his prayerful study was the Prologue to the Gospel according to John, which portrays Jesus as the divine Logos, eternally begotten of the Father. As a result, Hilary became in the words of the biblical scholar Jerome, “the Latin Trumpet against the Arians,” heretics who believed Jesus to be merely human, not divine. In defense of Christ’s divinity, Hilary was not only eloquent in debate but utterly fearless in the face of relentless persecution and even exile. Thus by the witness of his own discipleship, Hilary taught that faith in Jesus as the divine Son of God has consequences. Reflecting on Jesus’ challenge to his disciples, “You are the salt of the earth” (Matthew 5:13), Hilary notes that, as salt both preserves from corruption and adds savor to food, so must the faithful disciple bear a witness that, by word and example, leads others to immortality and virtuous living. —Peter Scagnelli, Copyright © J. S. Paluch Co.

Who’s In? Who’s Out? The book of Leviticus in the Old Testament contains a long list of rules for Jewish people to become “pure” and to maintain that purity. This purity has nothing to do with simple cleanliness. The rituals to ensure purity guaranteed a worthiness to be in contact with sacred things. The code for the priests who officiated in the temple ceremonies required the highest degree of purity. The Pharisees would only eat with others who were keeping those strict laws of purity. Social exclusion was the Jewish norm. The elite mixed only with the elite and the pure with the pure. Some Jews, the Essenes, took themselves off to a desert settlement to be even more pure and exclusive. So, along comes John the Baptist. He walks around in animal skins, eats grasshoppers, and doesn’t seem to care all that much about the laws of Moses. He knows the Messiah, the Savior, is at hand and he says that all must repent and be baptized—men and women alike, and regardless of social status. No wonder the Pharisees, Sadducees, and other elite people are shocked and enraged. Jesus appears and insists on being baptized, just like everybody else in the crowd attracted by John. John reluctantly agrees, knowing that Jesus is the expected Savior. Jesus breaks even more rules: he heals on the Sabbath, forgives sins, and invites all sorts of people to his table. He shares meals with tax collectors and prostitutes, as well as respectable, even wealthy, citizens. Is it any wonder that people were shocked? Jesus was a scandal. He was inclusive of all people without any limits or preconditions whatsoever. Jesus not only loved them, he made them feel wanted, cared for, and included. Should we not do the same? Remember, Jesus did say to follow him. Copyright © 2010, World Library Publications. All rights reserved.

Reflecting on God’s Word

Margaret left the massage therapist feeling released from the stress of the last few months, renewed and energized. It was as though the memory in her muscles was erased and their power was unleashed by the therapist’s healing touch and aromatic oils. The Rite of Baptism includes a kind of symbolic “massage” that has a similar purpose. The newly baptized are anointed with fragrant chrism and empowered by the Holy Spirit to live as members of Christ, who was anointed priest, prophet, and king. This connects Christians, the new Israel, to ancient Israel, in which priests, prophets, and kings were anointed to show that the Spirit of God was with them. It also connects us to Jesus, as today’s scriptures show. In the second reading we hear that “God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power,” after which he “went about doing good, for God was with him” (Acts 10:38). Matthew shows Jesus being symbolically anointed with the Holy Spirit as God’s chosen Son, and the first reading describes what Jesus was chosen to do: establish “justice on the earth . . . open the eyes of the blind . . . bring out . . . those who live in darkness” (Isaiah 42:1, 7). In short, Jesus was chosen as the Messiah, or “Anointed One,” of God who would inaugurate the messianic era. The baptized are chosen and anointed as well, to continue Christ’s messianic mission in the church. —Virginia Stillwell Copyright © 2013, World Library Publications. All rights reserved.

Page 5 January 12, 2020

THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW from the DVD Gospel Collection by Selva Rasalingam will be shown at St. Agnes, garden room, at 7:00 pm beginning Monday, January 20th and will continue for the following four Monday evenings. This first-ever word-for-word adaptation of the gospel using the original narrative as its script, sheds new light on one of history’s most sacred texts. Beautifully shot, wonderfully performed, and informed by the latest theological, historical, and archaeological research, The Gospel O Matthew is something to be enjoyed and treasured. The Gospel of Matthew was the most popular gospel in the early Christian centuries. Written for a Christian community as it begins to separate from the Jewish world, Matthew’s Gospel goes to great lengths to show that, as the Messiah, Jesus is the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies referring to God’s Savior. We will be hearing readings from the Gospel of Matthew during the Liturgical Year which began with the first Sunday of Advent. In conjunction with the film, we will be using a study guide from Liturgical Press. The guide costs $9.95 plus shipping. A guide is not necessary for viewing the film. If you wish to purchase a guide, please contact Kathleen Roehl 632-7407 by Monday, January 13th.

Women’s Retreat Feb 7th-9th 2020 Triple Header Women’s Retreat: Spirituality of Womanhood, Fortifying Your Marriage, and

Strengthening Your Family come together to uplift and motivate in a way that gets right to the heart of our roles as Catholic women, wives, and mothers.

Marge Fenelon is an award-winning author and journalist and nationally-known speaker who has written several books on Catholic spirituality and Marian devotion. Audiences love Marge’s authenticity, warmth, and unique ability to blend faith and life. They appreciate her way of putting complicated Catholic teachings into simple concepts that can be easily grasped and immediately applied to daily life. Her Marian devotion shines through in her presentations as she guides others into a deepening relationship with our Blessed Mother, Mary and her Son, our Lord Jesus.

Registration Form Name: . Phone Number: . Friday: Saturday: Sunday: $15 Registration (Sunday Lunch Included) **Payment to parish office or day of event** **Make Checks Payable to: St. Agnes Altar Society*** Please register by February 2nd, 2020. For any questions please contact: Kristin Schiff at 308-765-0213 or email Kristin.Schiff.9@gmail.com REGISTRATION AVAILABLE ONLINE: www.st-agnes-church.com

We look forward to seeing you at the retreat!

Celebrating Sunday for Catholic Families

Feast of the Baptism of the Lord Gospel: Matthew 3:13-17

On the Way to Mass: Do you see yourself as a beloved child of God? On the Way Home From Mass: What can we learn about the life of the Trinity from the baptism of Jesus? Living the Word: Share memories of your family members’ Baptisms. Show pictures or videos, candles and baptismal garments. Ask your children what they think it means to be a son or daughter of God. Add an icon of the baptism of Jesus to your prayer table. (Use the Keywords “religious icon” and “baptism of Jesus” to search for icons to purchase online. ) Read this Gospel again as the family looks upon the image and discuss how Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are represented.

Celebrating Sunday for Catholic Families 2019-2020

Find Us On

Facebook Twitter: st_agnes_church

Instagram: st.agnescatholicchurch Parish Website

www.st-agnes-church.com myParish App

In the App Store on your phone or tablet

Page 6 Feast Of the Baptism of the Lord

R_ligious E^u][tion Progr[m Email—dre@st-agnes-church.com Religious Education Office—308-635-1362

Wednesday Formation Sessions 7 p.m. - 8:15 p.m.

8th - (6th-8th grades) Formation Sessions (9th-10th grades) Formation Sessions (11th grade) Confirmation Formation 15th - (6th-8th grades) Formation Sessions (9th-12th grades) Ignite Night

22nd - (6th-8th grades) Formation Sessions (9th-10th grades) Formation Sessions (11th grade) Confirmation Formation

29th - (6th-8th grades) Formation Sessions (9th-12th grades) Ignite Night

Sunday Formation Sessions

9:15-10:15 a.m.

12th - (Pre-K-5th grades) 19th- (Pre-K-5th grades) 26th - (Pre-K-5th grades)

Meet the 2020 Confirmation Candidates

Tori Bogus My name is Tori Bogus. I live with both my parents named Jim and Peg. I currently a junior at SHS. My parents are both teachers my dad as a high school Science teacher and my mom was a fourth and fifth grade teacher at Geil Elementary, but now is retried. Some of the extracurricular actives I do include Show Choir, Link Crew, Unified Bowling, Educators Rising, and Youth Alive, and Track. My goal for Confirmation would be to try and develop a better bond with my faith and God. I would share my time by helping out with Religious Education on Sunday mornings, help set-up for the fall dinners, and to wrap Christmas presents for the Toys for Tots program at the Knights of Columbus.

Parent’s Meeting Sunday, Jan. 12th at 9:30 a.m.

Learning Center of the school

Page 7 January 12, 2020

The Confirmation Retreat will be held on Sunday, January 19th. This year five local parishes; St. Agnes, Our Lady of Guadalupe, Christ the King, St. Theresa’s and St. Ann’s will be involved in a combined retreat here at St. Agnes! Also new is the sponsors will be participating in the retreat with their candidate. We are expecting around 170 people! Our parish has 20 candidates that will be participating in the retreat. Please pray for a spirit-filled retreat for all involved.

Why Do Catholics Do That?

Why do Catholics practice Works of Mercy?

Catholics are called to show their love for God by their love of neighbor. “The works of mercy are charitable actions by which we come to the aid of our

neighbor” (Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) #2447). Our Lord considers any kindness done for love a personal favor. Once, when asked the reason for her charitable work, Mother Teresa answered, “You did it to me” (Matthew 25:40), quoting Christ. In caring for others, we communicate God’s love for them.

Partners in Faith - January 2020

Raising faithful Catholic disciples All parents want their children to be successful, hardworking, happy adults. The best way to ensure true happiness and

lasting success, however, is to raise children to be disciples of Christ. And the best time to begin creating faithful disciples is now. Connect. Discipleship is a relationship. It begins with responding to Jesus’ call to know and love him. When our children connect with Jesus personally, they learn how valuable they are to God. Their identities are complete in him. Listen. Scripture is God’s direct message to us. It tells us who God is, what he thinks, and his will for us – all we need to know to be best friends. Regularly reading the Bible with children helps us to know God better and better. Serve. St. Teresa of Avila said, “Christ has no body but yours, no hands but yours, no feet but yours. Yours are the eyes through which Christ’s compassion must look out into the world.” Disciples of Christ know that we must put others’ needs before our own - the poor, the lonely, the most vulnerable. Encounter. Sacraments are opportunities to directly encounter Christ. Ensuring that children receive their Sacraments of Initiation (Baptism, Eucharist, Confirmation), attend Mass weekly, Confession frequently, marry in the Catholic Church, are all ways they connect directly with Jesus – soul to Creator.

Partners in Faith - January 2020

Thoughtful Moments: St. Thomas Aquinas

Born in Italy, St. Thomas persevered against his family’s attempts to make him a

Benedictine monk and became a Dominican instead. He was a brilliant student, but his humble, quiet manner earned him the nickname “the dumb ox.” His mentor, St. Albertus Magnus, rightly predicted he would be a famous scholar. Thomas later taught in several universities, wrote many treatises about the faith, and even advised popes and kings. He is the patron of students and schools. Self-esteem When children understand they

are "fearfully and wonderfully" made by God with a purpose for their lives, their self-esteem is not derived from society. It comes from

knowing how much God loves them. “Even youths shall faint and be weary ... but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint” (Isaiah 40:30-31).

Partners in Faith - January 2020

Page 8 January 12, 2020

Connecting Students and Families through Faith January 5, 2020

School Newsletter

St. Agnes Catholic School 205 E 23rd, Scottsbluff, NE

Ph: 308-632-6918

Monday, January 13th HSA Mee ng - 6:00pm Tuesday, January 14th

5th Grade to Midwest Theater for Fry St. Quartet - 1:00

Wednesday, January 15th Mass @ 8:15

3rd Grade Leads

December Virtuous Students The December Golden Rule / Virtuous student ceremony was held on Tuesday, January 7th. Matilda Kosman (K) and Tristan Hoesing (1st) were recognized as the virtuous students of the month and received a certificate and rosary from Knight Jerry Arnold. A total of 105 golden rules were

given for good deeds done during the month of December.

Leader in Me Students of the Month December had St. Agnes students working on the Leader in Me habit, Win-Win. Students who think Win-Win can problem solve when an issue comes up with another person. They think about what others want, not just what they want, working to be kind and considerate of

other’s opinions and needs. The following students were recognized as Leader in Me students of the Month: Pre-K – Charlie Vath, K – Holly Polk, 1st – Eliana Merrigan, 2nd – Solarah Gould, 3rd – Connelly Ascherl, 4th Morgan Celli and 5th – Ayla Ellis.

What’s Happening at St. Agnes School………...

Monday, Jan 13 Pancakes Sausage Patti Potato Triangle Spinach Orange Wedges Helpers: Charissa Gould Katrina Gonzales

Tuesday, Jan 14 Chicken Nuggets Steamed Carrots French Fries Grapes Roll & Margarine Helpers: Clemente Enriquez Shannon Sierra

Wednesday, Jan 15 Pulled Pork Sandwich Green Beans Steamed Broccoli Chips Pears Helpers: Paul Renteria Laura Garcia

Thursday, Jan 16 Fried Chicken Mashed Potatoes /gravy Peas & Carrots Wheat Roll Pineapple Helpers: Melissa Dudley Toni Warburton

Friday, Jan 17 Soft Shell Tacos Lettuce, Cheese, Salsa Refried Beans Churro Apple Slices Helpers: Kika Godinez Robyn Dendinger

Hot Lunch Menu for January 13th - January 17th, 2020

Nativity of Our Lord Kindergarten students presented the Nativity of Our Lord as the closing advent celebration on Friday, December 20th. Narrators Carson Windhorst, Holly Polk, Audrey He, and Mason Warburton read the nativity as their classmates re-enacted the night our Christ was born. A caroling party followed. It was a great final preparation for celebrating Christ’s birth.

January 2020 100 Club Winners

$200: Jan Shetler; $100: Tom/Brenda Pszanka, Abel/Laura Garcia, Troy/Carol

Herman; $75: Michelle Johnston; $50: Gayle Rojas, Francis/Mary Heumesser, Jim/Cathy

Kearney, Tina Delgado, Brooke Brown Tran, Connie Kirchner, Mark/Marsha Neifert,

Lucien/Margaret Kicken, Larry/Chris Burbach, Margaret Ann Pickering

CONGRATULATIONS!

Lunch Helpers Needed As the 2nd semester begins, we have numerous openings for lunch helpers. There are a few still open in January and a multitude in the following months. Please be reminded that each school family is asked to assist with serving lunch at least 4-5 times during the course of the year. The duty involves arriving by 11:30 to help serve the meal followed by helping with clean up. The helper is typically done by no later than 12:30. If you have not already completed your shifts, please sign up on the clip board outside the school office. Your help is greatly needed and appreciated.

Scrip Star Cards We are excited to report that a total of $35,185 has been sold in Star cards as of the end of December. This resulted in rebates of $1730.11 coming back to the school. Thanks to all who have purchased Scrip. We hope you will continue to use the program even after the Christmas shopping rush. If you have not participated in the program, we invite you to look into participating. It is convenient, easy and a great way to generate funds for the school without having to spend extra money or do extra fund raising. Please contact Jody Windhorst, Beth Merrigan or Mrs. Brown with questions. Cards are available online, in the school office, and will be sold the last weekend of each month at church.

Classroom News………...

Kindergarten Class By Teri Ramirez

Happy New Year! We hope the New Year brings you great joy, health and happiness. We pray that your Christmas time with loved ones and friends was everything you prayed for and more. A big "thank you" to our parents for spreading Christmas joy last month. The giving spirit was alive and flourishing throughout the entire month. We are so fortunate to have such a great group of families at St. Agnes.

This is a special time of the school year because the children have learned all the basics and are begining to put them together. Most of the children, who were just writing their name in

September, are now writing sentences, reading words, and learning to be independent and great problem solvers! It is quite amazing to see the growth in my students!

When the students returned from the break, we had our own New Year’s celebration. We called it Happy Noon Year, so when noon came around, we celebrated with a ball drop and a noon year toast! We also had a morning of fun learning activities. We are moving in to a new year with limitless possibilities in learning!

Fourth Grade Class By Kristi Becker

Fourth grade is excited to begin the new year! The students will be starting some new academic activities this semester. To focus more on their writing process, students will be writing a paragraph of the week. They will follow steps of the writing process and produce a fun paragraph every Friday. Students will also begin work on our language wall. Here, students can work on labeling different parts of a sentence and expanding their grammar skills.

In math, we are still going to work on becoming more fluent at multiplication facts. We will also start dividing with remainders and work more with fractions. Students have still been enjoying our Word Problem Wednesday’s and the times we

get to work with math manipulatives and play small group math games! The start of January means the start of learning states and capitals! This is always an exciting unit for students as we travel across the United States, learning a little bit about each state. Students will also complete projects for each region of the United States. As we closed out December, the class enjoyed Christmas celebrations, working on Christmas activities in our classroom, and making brightly colored reindeer for the hall. Students also enjoyed a STEM activity in science that had them design the highest Christmas tree using only toothpicks and gumdrops.

Happy New Year from the 4th Grade!