5-2 Mrs. Maureen O'Loughlin

The holy season of Lent is upon us and we are called away "to the desert". The traditional "Three R's" of  academics become for Christians the "Three R's of Lent": Reflection, Repentence, and Renewal.

Little did I know when writing the above words how literally we all would be "called to the desert" this Lent. Due to the current situation with the pandemic, we have all been called away from our classrooms and forced to retreat into isolation. These are certainly challenging times for our St. Agnes school communuity, but we are so blessed to be able to turn to God and to trust in His promise to always be with us.
On a more practical level, we are also blessed to have so many resources to help us continue teaching and learning during this time of "social distancing". The technology and support we have at our fingertips will enable us to provide online instruction and to communicate with our students on a daily basis. The fifth grade students have been using Google Classroom since September and are well able to use this online platform to receive and submit assignments. We will now be using it for instruction as well.

 The Church reminds us of the three disciplines of Lent: Prayer, Fasting, and Almsgiving. As we devote more time to prayer, we are encouraged to fast from negative behaviors and distractions (not just give up candy) and to perform works of charity. We can look to the Corporal Works of Mercy for specific ways to "do for the least of our brothers and sisters".

Our forty-day observance of Lent recalls the forty days 
that Jesus spent in the desert preparing for His public ministry.  As we journey through Lent , let us be fortified by Jesus' words in response to temptation: We do not live on bread alone...Worship only the Lord, our God...Do not put God to the test. And let us pray especially for healing and grace during these challenging times.

 In Math we are working through Chapter 7, Multiplication of Fractions. All notes and assignments as well as video tutorials are posted daily on Google Classroom.

***Please remember to check Google Classroom daily for class notes and upcoming asignments.***