March 30, 2017 Volume 5, Issue 5 March newsletter -Elementary News- I love the family/culture we have at the FORT! There are no words that can explain the unique experience you will receive that meets student’s and your needs. We do this through several different avenues, but one is maintaining a purpose. This could look like building projects or may look like walking by a classroom and hearing purposeful instruction happening. We love what we do on a daily basis and that is what you will see. Here are a few activities around the school that demonstrate our purposefulness. Our preschool program has introduced a new plan for getting incoming students acquainted with the preschool environment and staff. On March 17 we kicked off our “Little Pioneers Playgroup” day. These days are set up to ease the minds of students and parents. This provides an outlook of what is entailed for the next school year. What another great way of being purposeful by inviting all stakeholders to get involved. Shout outs to Mrs. Deanna Royuk, Mrs. Cheryl Miller, and Mrs. Veleka Prunty for introducing such a creative way to get all involved. Nice job! April 21 will be the other day this is happening. Dr. Seuss week was full of fun activities from door decorating to guest readers to our school assembly that wrapped up the week. These learning activities come with a purpose. We all understand that literacy is the foundation for student success. It was nice to have a week where students could enjoy some fun-filled alternative activities that incorporated not only learning, but also the community. I wanted to say “Thank you” to Mrs. Hallberg and Mrs. Clausen for arranging this fabulous week. Last item of discussion is our building project. Each week you will see the transformation of the building. Currently there is a great deal of work being done that can’t be seen, such as sewer and water lines. Don’t worry, there will start to be items you can see soon enough. Meanwhile, please continue to be patient in this process. I have heard a saying, “Be flexible like a rubber band” and that truly fits this purpose. I will continue to keep everyone updated as we continue this project. That is it for now! Thank you for all you do for your student and your support! Be thankful, stay positive, and encourage a growth mindset. Take care! Go PIONEERS! Respectfully, Drew R. Wagner Your proud elementary principal Fort Calhoun Elementary 402-468-5714 1020 Monroe St Fort Calhoun, NE 68023 Your Principal: Mr. Drew R. Wagner [email protected]“Education is not the learning of facts, but the training of the mind to think!” -Albert Einstein
Social/Emotional:-Worked on solving our own social problems-Practiced different ways to calm down when we get upset-Had positive play interactions with peers during center play Literacy:-Created representations of the four seasons and labeled each picture-Identified and wrote letters Z, C and O-Identified story-related problems in stories read -Used emergent reading skills by pointing to each word being read in a repetitive story-Practiced rhyming words
Math:-Identified numbers (AM- #’s 1-10) (PM- #’s 10-20)-Celebrated our 100th day of school and practiced counting to 100!-Measured different objects with cubes, paperclips and linking chains Science/Social Studies:-Learned about different types of animals that live in the wild and in the ocean-Learned about the four seasons-Had a variety of community helpers visit our classroom
Reading Concept of the Week: Baby Animals Pet Pals Animal Habitats On the Move My USA Essential Question: How are some baby animals alike and how are they different? How do you take care of different kinds of pets? Where do animals live? What can help you go from here to there? What do you know about our country? Category Words: animal parts, pets, animal homes, vehicles, and ordinal numbers Vocabulary Words: appearance, behavior, responsibility, train, habitat, wild, transportation, vehicle, country, and travel Phonics: u, g, w, x, v, j, qu, y, and z High Frequency Word: for, have, they, of, said, want, here, me, this, what Comprehension: compare/contrast, character, setting, plot, cause/effect, and sequence
Math Focus: Count Numbers to 20 We learned to count, read, and write numbers 11-20, and count forward from any number to 20. Focus: Compose and Decompose Numbers 11-19 We learned to ways to show numbers as the sum of 10 ones and some more ones. We also learned to write equations to show these numbers in different ways. Focus: Count Numbers to 100 We will learn to work with large numbers through 100. We will continue counting numbers through 100. We will also use a 100’s chart to find patterns in numbers counting by 1’s and 10’s.
Preschool
Language Arts*Comprehension skill – Problem/Solution & Cause/Effect*Vocab strategies – Synonyms and Homophones*Possessive Pronouns & Contractions*Reading fluently with expression and intonation*Using Text Evidence to locate information in a bookMath*2 & 3-digit subtraction with regrouping*Comparing 3 digit numbers using <, >, =*Place Value to the thousands *MEMORIZE FACTS
Social Studies*Revolutionary War*Civil War, Slavery, & Underground RailroadScience*Water Habitats*Taking Care of the EarthWe would like to thank you for all of your donations during Dr. Seuss week and for participating in the fun dress up days! The kids looked awesome and were so excited to participate in all the fun! We would also like to thank Stacey from the Fremont Crisis Center for her presentation this month, reminding us about the importance of being kind to one another!
2nd grade-Mrs. Benoit and Mrs. Hallberg
“The Adventure Awaits”The state assessment, NeSA, will be given April 25-28. Math:We can practice the state test using C4LWe can memorize our multiplication and division factsWe can find equivalent fractionsWe can use graphs to solve problems*Check with your child to see if they have memorized the multiplication and division facts.Reading:We can practice the state test using C4LWe can tell the main idea and details in a reading passageWe can answer questions about informational textsWe can make predictions while readingWe can identify the problem and solution in a storyWe can identify the cause and effect in sentences, passages, and storiesWe can use text features to help us comprehend a storyWe can understand figurative language to help us comprehend Grammar:We can identify verbs, nouns, adjectives and adverbsSocial Studies:We can explain the Westward MovementScience:We can study Earth Science
In Language Arts we have focused on narrative poetry, historical fiction, figurative language, pronouns, and we are constantly reviewing our previous skills.
Math skills have included reducing fractions, adding and subtracting fractions, and constant spiral review on earlier concepts. Students enjoy and learn from our IXL online practice. Remember to practice at home, too!
After wrapping up the regions in the US, fourth graders are now discovering our fabulous Nebraska History, including a virtual Nebraska History Tour from the Durham Museum! On April 12th, we will travel to Lincoln for our capitol and Morrill Hall tour, which is always a memorable event!!
Fourth grade scientists delved into the complexities of ecosystems, including the six major biomes. They’ve also discovered how organisms are linked in food webs!
All fourth graders are working hard! We are proud of their progress!
4th grade-Mrs. Pemberton & Mrs. Schleifer
March Newsletter Page of 3 7
3rd grade-Mrs. Leishman & Mrs. Szlachetka
Math--Students will be reviewing concepts learned this year in preparation for the NeSAand NWEA testing in April and May.
Reading/Language Arts--Students will review comprehension skills: theme, sequence,cause and effect, point of view, problem and solution, compare and contrast. Studentswill recognize different genre: realistic fiction, biography, narrative nonfiction,informational text, tall tale, drama, legend. Students will review figurative language,point of view, parts of speech, and analogies in preparation for the NeSA and NWEAtesting in April and May.
Social Studies--Students will be working on the Post Revolutionary War era.
Science--Students will complete a unit on heat, sound, light, electricity, and magnetism.They will also begin reviewing concepts learned this year in preparation for the NeSAscience test.
5th grade-Ms. Carlson & Mr. Joslin
We are three-fourths of the way through the year. Hopefully, your student(s) finished the third quarter as well as they planned at conferences. Please feel free to share your thoughts on student-led conferences. We will put the feedback to good use.
In Math, we finished up our work with percents. Next, we will be working with geometry and doing some NeSA prep.
In Reading, we are continuing to do story quizzes and cold read tests. The best advice for success is to read the story and study the vocabulary multiple times before the actual test. When they are taking the cold read, they should make sure to slow down and break the question apart while looking back at the story.
In Spelling, we have recently finished our Unit 3 Spelling test and will be moving on to our next unit. Practice spelling words at home, please, to enhance retention!
"Today's History is Tomorrow's News!" Time has "flown" in Social Studies, and we have ended our time of experiencing the cultures and history of Medieval Africa, China, India, and Japan. We plan to move towards our next time periods dealing with Imperialism and WWI. Be on the lookout for any assignments dealing with map making, book reading, or any other miscellaneous items. I will be sending out a separate letter pertaining to an end-of-the-year project, so be on the lookout for this item as well!
In Science, we are dividing our attention between Earth Science (“Changes Over Time”) and our trout. Trout in the Classroom continues now that the tank population is hopefully stabilizing. Our release day at Aksarben Aquarium is set for April 26.
In Language Arts, we are again using the trout as a chance to invest ourselves. We've written a trout mini-research report and participated with 24 other schools in a Quilt Project letter exchange. Next up is practice with identifying and using a variety of text structures. We'll also focus on responding with text evidence for NeSA preparation.
Be watching for notes about the end-of-the-year video and upcoming field trips.
-21st Century Learners (Collaboration, Communication, Critical/Creative Thinking)-March Madness Bracketology Project (Researching Data, Creating Bar Graphs, Percentages, Statistics)-Structural Engineering Project (Time Management, Researching, Drawing to scale, Labeling bridges, Budgeting)-Remix Project (Creating, Planning, Prioritizing, Illustrating, Outlining, Comparing, iPad Trailers, Movie Posters)-Robotics Program (Problem Solving, Testing Theories, Trial/Error, Measuring, Comparing)
*I would like to take a minute and thank Sam Genoways. Sam presented our progress with our robotics program to the board of education. He did an excellent job demonstrating his programming skills.
*I would also like to thank Dale Smith. Dale donated his robotics competition table to our program. This is where the program is headed. We would like to become skilled enough in programming and teamwork to go and compete in a competition. Thank you so much, Dale!
Mr. P.J. Mallette
From the Guidance Counselor:
Happy Spring! We are in full swing in our bullying unit for guidance. In our unit, we focus on the bullying as a behavior and not as a specific person. We are doing a range of activities including what to do if you are being bullied, how to be a helper if you see bullying happen, and making up role plays to practice our skills. The 6th grade is even doing a rice experiment to see if positive and negative words have a different effect. As always, if you have any questions please contact me!
Wonderful turnout at our most recent PFE meeting! Thank you so much for coming and providing all the wonderful ideas and feedback. Thank you to Anna Gepson, Jessica Gravert, and Mandy Hansen for providing childcare for our meeting! PFE meeting minutes can be found on the school website under the PFE page. The PFE just recently was able to purchase seven document readers for the elementary school. Now there enough document readers for each grade level. Next fall, PFE will purchase six additional document readers so that each teacher will have their own for their classroom.
There were great turnouts at Mornings with Mom & Donuts with Dad. I think the parents enjoy the donuts just as much as the kids do! Thank you to Michelle Tjardes and Wendi Henrichs for coordinating these events and huge shout out to RE/MAX Results, Seal Rite Insulation, Scooters, and Family Fare in Blair for your donations. We couldn’t do these fun events without your help and support.
Current/Upcoming Events… We are wrapping up the One Book, One School event. The kids have really enjoyed reading “How to Eat Fried Worms.” Join us March 31st from 5:30pm-8:00pm at the High School for our annual School Carnival. Information and order forms for presale tickets will be sent home in Thursday folders.
PFE Scholarship applications and service hours are due to Micki Hernandez by no later than April 24th. PFE scholarship winners will be announced May 2nd at the awards ceremony.
Staff Appreciation Week will be May 1st- May 5th. Please let us know if you would like to help out with events this week to let our FC school staff know how much they are appreciated.
It’s that time of year again for our Summer Bridge Reading Program. Order forms will be sent home in a few weeks so you can reserve your child’s Summer Bridge book. Cost to parents is only $5 a book. PFE and FC schools will fund the remaining portion of the total book cost.
Original Works art program will be ending soon. Thank you to all the students who participated! We have some very talented students and I saw some beautiful artwork going home. Final products will arrive to school around April 21st and be sent home with the students. Look for more information to come home closer to delivery time.
PFE is funding another School Assembly at the elementary school on May 15th. UNO science department will be putting on their science show C.A.P.O.W. (Chemistry & Physics on Wheels. What a fun, exciting way to end a successful school year!
Next PFE Meeting will be May 10th 6:45pm-7:45pm at the high school.
Summer Kids Club This is an all-day program where your child will be provided a fun, enriching environment which includes both mental and physical activities. Operating hours are Monday through Friday from 6:30 a.m. until 6 p.m. In the morning, Kids Club students will work on their reading and math skills as well as receive Summer Bridge Book assistance. In between learning time, students will just have fun! There are enrichment activities for the students to work on which include art projects and fun games. It is also an excellent opportunity for students to interact with their peers in a non-classroom setting. In the afternoon, Kids Club students will attend the Summer Jam Camps which will be based on a weekly theme.
Summer Jam Camps The Summer Jam Camps are an exciting opportunity for your child to experience new adventures this summer. Each weekly camp will be based on a certain theme. Examples of themes include Robotics, Weather, Animals and Their Habitats, and many others. Each day students will learn something new about the weekly theme through discussion and learning activities. The end of each camp will culminate with a field trip related to that week’s theme. Summer Jam Camps will be from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Thursday and from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday.
Please watch for more information regarding rates and enrollment coming home soon in the Thursday folders. If you have questions in the meantime, please feel free to contact me at [email protected].
March 24 and 31: Kindergarten Roundup March 31: School Carnival, 5:30 to 8:00pm (Old High School Gym) April 3 - 7: NWEA testing, K-2 April 3 - 5: Dibels testing, 3-6 April 6: Kindergarten Field Trip April 10 - 12: Dibels testing, K-2 April 12: 4th Grade Field Trip April 13: Talent Show (Community Building) April 14 and 17: No School - Easter Break April 20: 5th Grade Field Trip April 24: Spring Music concert; 7pm (High School) April 24 - 28: NeSA testing, 3-6 April 26: 3rd Grade Field Trip April 26: 6th Grade Field Trip April 27: 1st Grade Field Trip April 27: 2nd Grade Field Trip April 28: Band Concert; 7:30pm (High School) May 5: Field Day May 8 - 12: NWEA testing, 3-6 May 11: Preschool Celebration - 10:00am and 2:00pm May 12: Field Day in case of inclement weather
