May 2015 - Van Hise Elementary School

May 2015
Editor: Beth Coppoc Gunshor
A NOTE FROM OUR PRINCIPAL
Dear Van Hise Families,
The month of May is a very joyous time of year at Van Hise. We have a
number of events happening to bring together our creative community.
On May 5th, I will give updates and gather input about our School Improvement Plan from 6:30-7:30 pm in the cafeteria.
The Van Hise Instructional Design for 2014-15 delineates how students,
staff and resources are organized for optimal student learning. With this
in mind, please understand that the information I am providing now may
change based upon a number of factors including how our enrollment
changes, etc. I will provide information about who is teaching at each
grade level in the June newsletter. Here’s some information about the
number of grade level sections as it stands now. For our 2015-16
school year, we will have:
MAY
SAT 2
Spring Garden Work Day
SAT 2
Art and Craft Fair
10am-4pm
TUES 5
PTO Meeting, 6:30 pm
FRI 15
Talent Show, 6:30 pm
3 Sections of Kindergarten
4 Sections of First Grade
3 Sections of Second Grade
3 Sections of Third Grade
3 Sections of Fourth Grade
3 Sections of Fifth Grade.
Teachers and I have been reviewing parent input forms and will use this
information in addition to other criteria for placing students into classrooms. We want to ensure that every classroom is organized so that
students have flexible learning groups and positive peer connections.
“Looping” is the process by which a classroom of students remain with
their current homeroom teacher(s) for the upcoming school year. This
year we will have some Kindergarten classrooms loop up to 1st grade,
and the same holds true from 4th grade to 5th grade. Some students
may not “loop” up to the next grade with their current teacher based upon input from myself, teachers and/or families. In addition, staffing may
impact whether a classroom stays with a teacher. We also organize our
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
2015-2016 PTO Board .............…2
VHE Art and Craft Fair............…3
PTO Meeting ............................ …3
Jottings from the Gym ............…4
Talent Show…….. .....................…5
Music Notes…….. .....................…5
Outdoor Classroom…….. .........…6
REAP Family Food Fest…….. ..…6
Walk ‘n’ Roll…….......................…7
Lessons from the Library…….. …5
Teacher Appreciation Week ....…6
Advanced Learner Listening ..…7
NOTE FROM THE PRINCIPAL, CONTINUED
classrooms so that Special Education, English as a Second Language services can be delivered in the most
inclusive, seamless ways to our students. As you can imagine, this is a complex process and we appreciate
your trust in our perspectives as our teachers collaborate to organize our classrooms for next year. As usual,
families will be told who their child(ren)’s general education teachers are at the Enrollment Day held at our
school on Friday, August 22nd. If you have any questions about this process, feel free to talk with your
child’s teacher or contact me.
This sure is a busy time of year, and it takes a great deal of energy and vision to prepare for the upcoming
year as we simultaneously stay focused on the present. I appreciate how our learning community works together to make sure all of our students are thriving. Our common focus on our children is what supports me in
this important work. Thank you for all that you do for our school now and throughout the year. I wish you a fun
and healthy month of May with your family and friends.
Sincerely,
Peg Keeler, Principal
2015-2016 VHE PTO BOARD
President - Wendy Crabb
Secretary - Eileen Snyder
Treasurer - Dana McCloskey
At- Large (Communications) - Afan Ottenheimer
At-Large (Events) - Kristin Ruedi-Krause
At-Large (Fundraising) - Shelley Schmidt
At-Large (Volunteers) - LeAndrea Vernon
At-Large (Volunteers)- Jodi Beck
At-Large - Carousel Bayrd
At-Large - Jolynne Roorda
At-Large - Maggie Hogan
PTO
Tuesday, May 5th
6:30p.m
VHE Cafeteria
Mrs. Keeler will share
the "big picture" for next
school year.
A brief business meeting will
follow with the elections of the
new PTO Board for 20152016. (Childcare provided)
PTO OFFICERS
2014-2015 School Year
Shelby Connell, President
([email protected])
Eileen Snyder, Secretary
([email protected])
Dana McCloskey, Treasurer
([email protected])
Jolynne Roorda,
Communications Coordinator
([email protected])
Save the Date!
Last PTO Meeting of the Year
Tuesday, June 2 at 6:30
in the Art Room
Kristin Ruedi-Krause and
Heidi Weitzman,
Event Coordinators
([email protected])
Carousel Bayrd,
Outreach Coordinator
([email protected])
Rachel Betzen
At Large Executive Board Member
Jodi Beck and LéAndrea Vernon
Volunteer Coordinators
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JOTTINGS FROM THE GYM
We have been rocking and rolling in the gym! Kindergarten and Ms. Butler’s class has just
started rollerblading and all the rest of us have just finished. It was a great three weeks of
gliding, jumping, swizzling and squatting our way around the gym. Wearing a helmet and
safety equipment is a big part of the unit and we hope students continue these good habits
at home as they head outside for biking, skateboarding and rollerblading!
All classes also participated in the Jump Rope for Heart week (April 27May 1) and had a great time strengthening their heart and raising funds to
save the lives of others! Challenges included jumping rope for 1-5
minutes, jumping 100 times in a row and jump rope tricks. We even did
some pogo jumping! Thank you gifts will arrive in 4 weeks.
Kinders and Ms. Butler’s class just finished and Ms. Koval’s classes are just starting our
Circus Unit which includes a variety of balance, tumble, juggling, and strength related stations. Ask your child how many panels on the wall they can climb or have them show you
their favorite roll or tripod. Trying new things - like juggling, rolling upside down or climbing a
wall - are great ways to develop confidence and courage. Keep it up, Hedgehogs!
WALKING SCHOOL BUS ON SEGOE ROAD - THURSDAYS IN MAY
The walking school bus that departs HyVee and continues down Segoe Road will start up
again in May on THURSDAYS. We will meet behind the HyVee at 7:45 am and continue
down Segoe Rd. We will walk rain or shine! If students join me for all four walks in May,
they will earn the May “toe token” - a plastic foot or flower!
Friday May 15, 6:30pm
Van Hise Cafeteria
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Music Notes
With the nicer weather approaching, music classes are taking every opportunity to take advantage of the nicer weather and garden spaces and take our classroom outdoors!
In many parts of the world, singing is never separating from moving. In second grade we
spent two weeks with a music movement expert, Diana Popowycz, learning about how to
really listen to what the music was doing and respond with movement to the different cues.
Now, all grades are looking at various folk songs that have specific dances and learning to
add harmony, instrumental accompaniment and dance. The circle on the playground is a
great marking for our outdoor dances!
Even things like note practice (chalk lines, outside), guitar study and recorder playing really
benefit from an outdoor classroom. Kids have the room to move and BE the notes on the
staff, hear themselves better as they play guitar and practice at their own speed on the recorder. We are so looking forward to the day when we have even more designated outdoor classroom space!
May Events
•4th graders head to Overture Hall on May 14th to play and sing with the
Madison Symphony
•5th graders (Strings and Music Class) will perform a short concert for parents and the
school on May 26th at 9:30 am.
June 1-5
Grades K-4, you will be invited to come and watch your
child's music class! Stay tuned for
specific times and days.
Wheee!
As always, feel free to email me if you have questions
about our music curriculum or would like to
visit/assist with a class.
[email protected]
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VHE Outdoor Classroom/Garden Update!
If you haven't ventured over to our new outdoor
classroom/garden space lately (located on the north
side of the playground) please stop by to see all the
progress. Over the next few weeks you will continue
to see many changes: new garden boxes will be built
May 3rd between 9 &12 (feel free to come lend a hand),
after that we will be planting fruit trees, spreading mulch, filling the new garden boxes with dirt, planting plants, erecting a
bat box and building archways. Many families have stepped
forward to volunteer to help in these steps. Thanks to everyone who has helped so far! As always, we would love to have
more volunteers as lots of work remains to be done. This
space will provide VHE teachers and students a very dynamic
space in which to learn. If you have questions or want to volunteer to help create this exciting new space, send an email
to Chris Frakes [email protected].
REAP Family Food Fest May 17
This fun, all-ages event will feature delicious food, fun games, contests,
and more – all with FREE ADMISSION! REAP is coming together with teachers,
school administrators, and local organizations and businesses to celebrate the best
in delicious, nutritious food for children and families. Students are also invited to
enter a recipe contest and video contest!
For more info visit: http://www.reapfoodgroup.org/events/family-food-festival
Where: Lincoln Elementary School, 911 Sequoia Trail, Madison
When: May 17th, 12-3pm
Cost: FREE
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Lessons from the Library
We will stop checking out books from the Van Hise library at the end of May in order to make
sure we collect books on time for the end of the school year. Students will continue reading in
the library. If you find any VHE books at home over the summer remember to return them in
the fall. Start looking for your overdue books now please!
Kindergarten:
During the month of May students will listen to a variety of fiction/non-fiction book pairings and complete activities that compare
and contrast the selections. For one of the parings students will listen to Hot Rod Hamster by Cynthia Lord and the non-fiction
selection I Drive a Street Sweeper by Sara Bridge. A computer lesson is planned where the children will us a software program in
our library portal to “Create a Car” and drive it! Students will practice controlling the mouse (clicking, dropping and dragging)
and finding and using specific keys on the keyboard.
First Grade:
During the beginning of the month of May we will finish the last chapters of Snot Stew by Bill Wallace. Students will give their
personal opinion and rational in regards to why they would or would not recommend this book to a peer. Later in the month
we will use Microsoft Word and review text formatting techniques; text selection, size of font, and style of font. Students will also
review how to insert, resize, and copy/paste clipart.
Second Grade:
In May we will use the book, The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt. Using details from the story, students will consider
each crayon’s point of view, and then choose a crayon color that they feel “deserves their support.” Next, using Microsoft Word
graphics (copy, paste, insert and edit clip art) and word processing tools (text selection and formatting) students will create a
document that promotes the color’s importance. Near the end of the month students will have the opportunity to share their
work with their classmates and give persuasive opinions as to why their color choice deserves appreciation and support.
3rd Grade
Spring has sprung at Van Hise! Third graders will be working on an “appreciation” project. We will also review how to use the
electronic catalog to search for fiction chapter books, fiction picture books (or everybody reader books) and non-fiction
books. We will read and discuss several garden books as well.
4th Grade
We appreciate our spring weather! Fourth graders will be working on an “appreciation” project. We will also
review how to use the electronic catalog to search for fiction and non-fiction books. We will read and discuss
several books about gardening as well. Please remind students to look for any overdue library books.
5th Grade
Check out the 5th grade blog for information on Library/Reach class.
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