January update

I have been cleaning, reorganizing and pulling outdated material in the library. It will be ongoing through out the rest of the year. We are working on updating the library with new books. We really need biographies and many of the non-fiction categories and of course interesting fiction and fiction series books. If you have books, new or in good used condition, please feel free to drop them off in the office or school library.
Each class is reading something be it a book, magazine, handouts and assignments or games of knowledge.
I am working with teachers so that library and computer time can be used to work on lessons or research. The 5th grade has been working hard on Biographies. They completed them and are moving on to study Lewis and Clark this week.
Kindergarten through Third grades have enjoyed stories, coloring, and sign language. Ask them what they learned to say with their hands!
Fourth grade has been studying library usage. We enjoyed learning about airplanes and their history. We made paper airplanes and had a race to see who's design could fly higher and farther. Congratulations to Madelyn, Ashley and Mathew as the top three. We will continue our talk and study of famous aviators.
Sixth through Eighth grades are learning proper library usage and indulging in the game cranium. I encourage everyone to use the library to enhance their classes.
January has also been a celebration and look into the life of Dr.Martin Luther King Jr.

In computers I am getting to know what they know as well as what they do not know. I have found basic keyboarding techniques are needed. The school has in place the Type to Learn system for each class. In addition to this, I am giving them extra keyboarding drills to enhance their use of the computer.
In addition to this we are learning the following:

Kindergarten: Turning on the computer and proper shut down, basic terms such as monitor, printer, keyboard, mouse. They are working with penguin paint for mouse control by drawing and writing. I will be introducing them to simple programs and continuing with computer knowledge.
First and Second grades: They are learning computer terms and how the computer components work, mouse control, home row, internet usage and safe sites and using educational sites to enhance computer skills such as abcya.
Third and Fourth grades: They are studying terms, input and output devices, internet usage and safe sites. We have been using the site abcya for fun exercises in keyboarding, mouse control, creating with computers as well as looking for sites using search engines and the address bar.
Fifth grade: has been using and learning Word and researching sites for information on their Biographies. They will move on to Lewis and Clark.
Sixth, Seventh, and Eights grades: They have been studying advanced keyboard lessons, perfecting the use of programs such as Word, researching on the internet, the use of search engines, bibliographies for internet research, proper sites for educational use, creating folders and saving their work to their own folders.

Every class are using the type to learn and have had studies and done research on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. There is much to learn and much to look forward to in the Computer Lab.

Have a safe a happy week!
Mrs. Parent

HI!


My name is Renee and I am new in Library and Computers here at Our Lady of the Lake Catholic School. I am so excited to learn the names of all the students and find out just what they know and need to learn during our library and computer time. This month we have been studying Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The classes have been doing research in computers and in library as well. We have also been hard at work learning and reviewing computer basics.