Assam Anchor - Brandon Valley High School
Transcription
Assam Anchor - Brandon Valley High School
December, 2014 Fred Assam Elementary School Brandon Valley School District Assam Anchor Important Reminders: December 18 District Elementary Orchestra/Band Concert @ 6:45 Performing Arts Ctr December 23 End of 2nd Qtr Early Dismissal at 2:00 Tuesday, December 23 Winter Break December 24—January 5 January 6 Back to School Tis the season . . . for Acts of Kindness! Students display kind gestures, smiles, laughter, and generosity every day! They share their high-fives, knuckle bumps, and thumbs up with each other as they play on the playground and walk the hallways of our building. Students learn at a young age what Acts of Kindness are all about through modeling from parents, grandparents, siblings, teachers, and other special people they know. Acts of Kindness CARING/KINDNESS and EMPATHY. Caring/Kindness means to show interest and concern for others – to be friendly and considerate. Empathy is understanding and caring about another person’s thoughts and feelings. It’s like putting yourself in their place. What are some ways you can show others you care? How do being kind, sharing, and helping relate to caring? Think back over your week and put yourself in someone else’s place who may have had a difficult time. Discuss how you may have thought or felt if that were you. Share how you can help and show the person you care. What is your plan for this week to show others you care? Give the Gift of Kindness . . . During the month of December, I encourage you and your child(ren) to share the Gift of Kindness. *do a chore for someone else without them knowing; *write a note to someone to let them know how much you appreciate them; *smile at people; *secretly clean out someone’s car; *make a plate of goodies for someone; *pick up trash you might see; *prepare a meal for someone; *do homework without being asked; *visit a neighbor (not just a friend); *draw a picture for someone; *do something nice like holding a door open or giving a compliment; *read to another person; *speak kind words all day long; *no complaining allowed; *help someone with work; *sit by someone new at lunch; *help someone who has dropped something; *give up your seat; *give a silent wave; *share positive comments with the people around you – let them know you care about them! I BELIEVE IN THE MAGIC OF KINDNESS! The holiday season brings family and friends together. It helps us appreciate the love in our lives we often take for granted. May the true meaning of the holiday season fill your heart and home with many blessFred Assam Elementary School ings. I hope your holiday season is filled with Acts of Kindness and Special Moments! Telephone: 605-582-1500 Susan Foster – proud principal Fred Assam Elementary School Important Phone Numbers Fred Assam Elementary Office Nurse at FAE Transportation Child Nutrition Manager 582-1500 582-1502 582-3514 582-3926 IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER: Tuesday, December 23 - Early Dismissal at 2:00 Wednesday, December 24 - Winter Break begins Tuesday, January 6 - School Resumes Orchestra Notes: The 5th Grade Orchestra is busy preparing for their Holiday Concert on December 18th. Come and join us at the Performing Arts Center at 6:45 p.m. for some wonderful music. See you there! The 4th Grade Orchestra is learning the new skill of playing on their bows. They will have a performance to be scheduled after the holidays. Patti Nelson Brandon Valley District Elementary Orchestra http://pn023.k12.sd.us Remember our school day ends at 3:00 p.m. Supervision ends at 3:15. Please make every effort to pick up your child on time. Please send your student with hats, gloves, snow pants and an appropriate coat for going outside. The weather has changed, and recess is much more fun when the students are dressed warmly. Our “Lost and Found” is HUGE!!!!! Coats, sweatshirts, hats, gloves...if you are missing anything, we probably have it. Please either stop in the office or have your child come down and go through our collection. Starting January 6, 2015, we will be accepting registrations for the 2015/2016 kindergarten screening process. Any family who has a child who will be 5 years old on or before September 1, 2015 will be eligible to start kindergarten next fall. Screening will be held on Tuesday, March 3 and Wednesday, March 4, 2015, at Fred Assam Elementary. Please call the proper attendance center that your child will attend to register. Robert Bennis Elementary Fred Assam Elementary Brandon Elementary Valley Springs Elementary 582-8010 582-1500 582-6315 582-2948 REMINDER! 2ND SEMESTER BEGINS RIGHT AFTER CHRISTMAS BREAK WHICH ALSO MEANS THAT 2ND SEMESTER BUS PASSES ARE DUE. PASSES CAN BE PURCHASED AT ANY TIME BY STOPPING IN AT OUR OFFICE, SENDING A CHECK WITH YOUR STUDENT, MAILING A CHECK TO US OR GOING TO OUR WEBSITE! BUS PASSES ARE $75 PER SEMESTER WITH A FAMILY MAXIMUM OF $175. CALL THE TRANSPORTATION OFFICE AT 605582-3514 WITH ANY QUESTIONS. THANK YOU! Physical Education at Fred Assam Elementary “EVERYONE plays, EVERYONE gets a turn, EVERYONE tries. We are not here to develop just the talented, BUT EVERYONE. We are not the minor league for athletics. In physical education, EVERYONE WINS." --- Lisa Dorato The 3rd-5th graders have been participating in “cooperative learning” activities this month in Physical Education class. Cooperative learning is an educational term meaning small teams, each with students of different levels of ability working together. This learning style utilizes a variety of activities to improve their understanding of a sport/activity. We have been very impressed with the leadership, strategies, and teamwork that has been displayed by our students during class this month. K-2nd graders have been working on eye-hand coordination. Ask them to show you and tell you how they throw OVERHAND (Strongman, Shoe, I Want You) and UNDERHAND (Tick, Tock). Don’t forget to keep moving during this season. Many fun activities take place in the winter months. You can go sledding, skating, shovel snow, or make a snowman. Enjoy your kids and their abilities. ELL has been having extra fun and keeping extra busy as the weather is changing from cool to cooler. It is hard to imagine in only a short month the holidays will be here and the kids will have extra time on their hands! Here are some fun ideas that you can do with your kids at home that we will also be trying here at our special Fred Assam home. Wrap 25 books (new or used) and each night have your child unwrap a book to read. There are 26 letters in our alphabet. See if your child or children can come up with a word that relates to Christmas or the holidays for each letter of the alphabet. For example: A-Angel, B-bell, C-cookies etc…each day they can color a picture and write the word on the calendar for December. Have the kiddos decorate Dixie cups to look like trees and practice lining them up and counting them for 25 days before Christmas. Each day stack one on top of the other, unstack, or line up beside each other. Write letters to Santa and his elves before and after Christmas! Santa always loves to receive a thank you card along with those aunts, uncles, grandparents, and friends. It is great writing practice and a nice gesture to those we care about during the holidays. Extra fun on those days 0ff! Have students measure the amount of snowfall overnight. Practice multiplication with grouping snowballs. Count how many seconds it takes to get up and down the sledding hill. Compare with friends. Have kids practice measurements or converting measurements making holiday cookies. Put food coloring in spray bottles and spray snow; write letters, numbers, draw pictures, give your snowman clothes. Image from: http://sandbergsmartyarties.blogspot.com Reading Fluency Fluency is defined as the ability to read with speed, accuracy, and proper expression. In order to comprehend (understand) what they read, children must be able to read fluently whether they are reading aloud or silently. When reading aloud, fluent readers read in phrases and add expression appropriately. Their reading is smooth and has expression. Here are some ways parents can help develop fluency at home: * Read aloud to your child to provide an example of how fluent reading sounds. * Read aloud with your child having them match their voice to yours as you read. * Have your child read aloud to you. Record their reading and listen to it together and listen for reading speed, reading smoothness, and reading expression. Happy Reading! Mrs. Van Dyke Reading Specialist Dear RBE and FAE students, parents, and friends, Winter is settling in and the Holiday season is at hand! We will be starting our Christmas/Winter Holiday projects before the Thanksgiving break. We have just finished our fall projects. Your kindergarteners should be bringing Pete the Cat home, first, second, and third graders will be showing up with cornucopias, blended chalk pumpkins and Thanksgiving turkeys, and glue pumpkins colored with oil pastel crayons. The 4th graders made waving USA flags using oil pastel crayons, and the 5th grade is working on a fall/winter Mosaic using colored construction paper. Be looking for our Holiday projects to come home before the Christmas break. The kindergarteners will make a Reindeer Collage, the first graders will be assembling Fringy Wreaths and Trees, the 2nd graders will be making Translucent Ornaments, the third grade will be wrapping God's Eyes, the 4th graders are creating a greeting card with a winter/holiday Print, and the fifth graders will be planning and assembling a holiday banner using burlap and felt. Have a great end to 2014 and Merry Christmas! Mr. Gibbons Art Cookie Dough Sales Written by: Katelynn Bills The sales for this year were off the charts, thanks to the people who sold or bought it. Our profit is over $10,000! There were so many, Student Council had to help. First, they had to get all the boxes inside and help get them unwrapped. They then had to get all the boxes to the right classes. It was a lot of work! At the end of the day, some of the Fred Assam students helped to get the boxes to the right people. At last all the cookie dough was taken home and given to the people who bought them. I hope they are all happy. Thank you again if you sold or bought cookie dough. You can keep other people happy if you sell again or just started selling. Sell again and get more happy people each time. I hope you had fun selling. Next time, try selling to even more to get happy people that you can sell to again and again. Selling cookie dough can be for fun and for making people happy. Now just remember that the more cookie dough you sell, the more happy people there will be. Hello! My name is Ben Livingston and I am in student council for FAE. I am a room representative for 3rd grade Mrs. VanLeur. We plan assemblies, fundraisers, and fun days to make FAE a great school. We have meetings every other Friday. We do service projects like collecting items for the humane society and for the food pantry. My favorite things about student council include sledding in the winter and meeting people in student council. Thank you for participating in our fundraisers! Fall Book Fair Success! By Carin Griffith Sales and Rewards: The total sales were $7730! (That is almost $2,000 more than last fall!) This generated $3835 in Scholastic Dollars for us! What a profitable fair for us! We spent $2202 in Scholastic Dollars at this Fair, which went toward books for our teachers’ classroom libraries as well as the school library. Lunch with Someone Grand: We had over 150 “grand guests” at lunch! Grandparents, parents, friends, and students all enjoyed this event. Thank Yous! A big thank you to all of the volunteers! (in no particular order): Teresa Matthies, Jill Reindl, Amy Van Es, Linda Schoby, Becca Johnston, Jennifer Klein, Leah Hofer, Emily Holmquist, Kelly Caron, Sue Harms, Amy Hieb, Gretchen Jepperson, and Sharon Wentzy. We also had some awesome kid-helpers who came along with their moms! I appreciated everyone’s help so much! Thanks to the EAs for helping during set-up and at the “Lunch with Someone Grand” sign-in table. Thanks to Gay Anderson, Heather Schreiber and the kitchen staff for making the “Lunch with Someone Grand” possible! Also, a huge thank you to Sue Foster, Debbie Arrowsmith, and Barb Langner for the help they provided in making the Book Fair possible! Thanks to everybody for supporting the book fair! We’ll be having a Buy-One-Get-One Free Book Fair in the spring! The Student Council from Fred Assam Elementary is sponsoring an Angel Tree for the Humane Society this holiday season. Any donations ~ such as dog food, cat food, litter box supplies, toys, leashes, collars, anything to help them at the Humane Society – is welcome! Simply send or bring your items to school and place them under the Christmas tree in the Commons Area. Be sure to check out the tree, too! Each classroom is providing ornaments and decorations for our “Animal” Christmas tree this year. A Day in the Life Of a Junior Kindergartner Learning-Growing-Creating Making Friends and Memories We Are Ready to Read! Students in Mrs. Feenstra’s Kindergarten class are very excited to READ! We learned some strategies to help us be a successful reader. The first tool we need to read is a pointer. It can be a pencil, popsicle stick, our finger, or even a witches nail (our favorite!) This helps us keep our eyes on the words and point to each one. Next we look for popcorn or sight words. These are easy and we can read them quickly. Then we use the pictures to give us clues on what the words say. Finally we try to sound out words we don’t know. We try to think about a slinky that can stretch out the sounds and put them back together. Use these strategies at home and have fun reading! Mrs. Nuebel’s kindergarten class learned all about owls. Did you know that owls can’t digest the fur and bones of the animals they eat? After they eat they regurgitate the remains into an owl pellet. Our class investigated sterile owl pellets and discovered different bones of the prey the owl ate. We had so much fun! 1Be is Thankful We would like to share with you what the students in Mrs. Becker’s first grade class are thankful for. Bryce-my monster truck toy Sylvia-for having a little sister named Stella Addison-my house and my mom and dad Adelyn-my family and my dog named Marmaduke Talen- my family and my dogs Brek-for helping people do their chores Raegan-God and my family Alexa-for my family, my house and water Malik-my toys and my bed to sleep in Tobias-for sharing a room with my brother Yahye- my mom and dad Susanna- my sisters Yana and Anita Jackson- my house and food William- my mom, dad, brothers, grandpa and grandma Claudia- my family, toys, and my pets Brody- for having a home and a family Riley- for my food, house and my toys Calvin- my toy cars and Transformers Mrs. Bisbee’s 1st Grade We have had a very busy month! We learned about Veteran’s Day, fact families, the Mayflower, the Pilgrims, and the First Thanksgiving (it lasted 3 days!). We learned how to draw the Mayflower! The Pilgrims sailed on it for 2 months! Our Veteran’s Day Mural– Thank you Veterans! We became fact family masters! Check out our cool fact family turkeys! Gobble, gobble! We’re meeting new people and going new places in 2nd grade! In Social Studies, we have been learning about the three branches of government and the people that are involved. After discussing the many government workers that keep our country running, we decided it would be fun to research the buildings and monuments they spend so much time in and around. Before we begin our research, we will take a virtual tour of the White House and Washington D.C. We will then be using PebbleGo to look up interesting facts about the White House, the Jefferson Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial, the Washington Monument, and the U.S. Capitol. During American Education Week, we were lucky enough to get a visit from a woman who works in a museum and knows all about Laura Ingalls Wilder. Everyone was sitting still and quiet to hear stories about the pioneer girl. This visit was an exciting way to learn about someone that many of us have read about. Some classrooms are choosing to read a Laura Ingalls Wilder book to get more of a feel for life on the prairie. Mrs. Hunsaid, Mrs. Jones, Mrs. VanLeur and Mr. Ganschow DECEMBER, 2014 3rd Grade Review Fred Assam Elementary—Brandon Valley School District Special points of interest: LET THE ADVENTURE CONTINUE! Spelling pre-tests are Mondays and tests are Fridays! Remember to study your words at home! Reading Selection Tests are on Friday, also! Remember to study your vocabulary words at home. Be sure to practice using the words in sentences as the vocabulary tests are tough! Reread the story online at Think Central! Our Halloween party was a huge success thanks to our parents organizing the fun event! Check out the 3rd grade websites at: http:// dj002.k12.sd.us/ and http://cv033.k12.sd.us . Vocabulary & Spelling lists! As the weather turns colder, please make sure your student is dressed appropriately! Keep working on reading books for AR points! To look up the level and point amount for a book, go online to www.arbookfind.com. It’s very easy to use! You can check your student’s AR goals and points by logging onto the FAE webpage and clicking on Students, WebLynx, and Accelerated Reader. On Monday, November 10th, the students were involved in and attended our 2nd annual Veteran’s Day Program. The students were able to invite Veterans to join them for breakfast in the morning and then attend the program which entailed Ms. Foster welcoming the Veterans, the Pledge of Allegiance, a poem from the student council, and last but not least, a speech from Bill Miller, a Veteran and former teacher. 3rd grade classes attended the play “Frog and Toad” put on by Brandon Valley High Schoolers on Wednesday, November 12. Junior Achievement this year has started in most of the 3rd grade classrooms! The lessons this year is “Our City”. Mrs. Reiter’s 4th Grade class has just finished reading the book There’s a Boy in the Girl’s Bathroom by Louis Sachar. He is also the author of Holes, The Wayside School series, and the Marvin Redpost series, among others. There’s a Boy in the Girl’s Bathroom is a story about a boy named Bradley Chalkers. He tells enormous lies, picks fights with girls, and according to his teacher, he has serious behavior problems. Absolutely nobody likes him—except the new counselor, Carla. She knows Bradley can change, if only he weren’t afraid to try. He is the most hated kid in school and he doesn’t believe it is possible to get people to like him. Through the help of his counselor and a few of the other kids in school, Bradley goes through a complete transformation. We found a script for the play based on the book. Parts have been assigned and now we are practicing them daily. If all goes well, we hope to present the play to the other 4th grade classes sometime next week. My plan is to tape the play and make it available to parents through my webpage. Practicing our parts Making our scene signs What’s Up in 4 Harte? We have started our journey across the United States in Fourth Grade Social Studies. Our first stop was the Northeast Region. We explored each individual state, their economy, and their geography. We also spent some time touring Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. 5th Graders in Mr. Peters’ class are reading the book “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”. As part of their reading each student was assigned a different character from the story and had to create a character map of them. They then created these wonderful projects and inside each character is a description of who they are and how they relate to the story. We have had a great time reading this story and enjoying all of the Willy Wonka’s treats! A special thanks to Ryan and Sam for providing breakfast to the staff during American Education Week. Notes from the Band Room…. Holiday Concert Time! It is hard to believe that we are thinking about our Holiday Concert already! The time has gone so fast! Please mark your calendars for Thursday, December 18, at 7:30PM at the Performing Arts Center for the District Elementary Band Holiday Concert. The students have been busily preparing a wide variety of instrumental selections for this concert. The band students will be going to the PAC that same afternoon to rehearse on the stage. The rehearsal will take place from 1:30-2:30. Parents/guardians/grandparents are invited to attend this dress rehearsal if they are not able to attend the evening performance. I am looking forward to having the students perform their first concert as I am very proud of the work that they are doing and all they are accomplishing! Please continue to encourage their practice time at home – this is crucial for their success as beginning instrumentalists. The time they spend on their instrument at home reinforces all of the concepts that we are introduced to in the full band rehearsal and their private/small group lesson. The practice time also builds up and strengthens their lip muscles and increases their breath endurance – techniques which set them apart from other ‘beginner groups’ as they sound much more advanced when these techniques are reinforced! I will be sending a note home with the band students regarding the final details for the concert as the date approaches – watch for it and ask them about it! As always, please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions regarding our beginning instrumental program. Also, check out our blog at http://hubersbandstars.blogspot.com for updates and information. Until next month, keep practicing….. Mr. Hubers MUSIC NEWS! December 2014 Mrs. Verburg, Teacher It’s been a busy first half of the year in the music room! In November all the students sang “My Country Tis of Thee” for our veterans. It was awesome to have over four hundred students singing at the same time! Great Job- 3rd Grade on your HATS concert! Ask your Child: To sing for you! Concerts! In the High School PAC March 17th-1st grade @7pm. April 14th -5th grade @ 7pm -4th and 5th graders have been learning about the Star Spangled Banner -2nd graders have been learning to draw treble clefs -1st graders have been singing songs about squirrels. -JK and K have been singing and working on Steady Beat. National Standards for Music Education 1. Singing, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music. 2. Performing on instruments, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music. 3. Improvising melodies, variations, and accompaniments. 4. Composing and arranging music within specified guidelines. 5. Reading and notating music. 6. Listening to, analyzing, and describing music. 7. Evaluating music and music performances. 8. Understanding relationships between music, the other arts, and disciplines outside the arts. 9. Understanding music in relation to history and culture. Look at These Characters!! Character Classroom of November Mrs. Becker’s 1st Grade Class Students below demonstrated HONESTY during the month of November by playing HONESTY BINGO. Bingo cards contain activities that promote the trait of Honesty. Once seven of nine are completed, they are submitted to Mrs. Rus for a chance at a prize!! Character Award winners for Honesty. One student from each grade is selected as a role model to their peers for each character trait. CONGRATULATIONS!! 12 Ways to A Healthy Holiday Season Brighten the holidays by making your health and safety a priority. 1. Wash hands * Wash hands with soap & water, scrubbing at least 20 seconds 2. Bundle up for warmth 3. Manage stress * Balance work, home, and play. Get support from family and friends. Keep a relaxed and positive outlook. Make sure to get proper sleep. 4. Don't drink and drive 5. BE SMOKE-FREE 6. Fasten belts while driving 7. Get exams and screenings * Exams and screenings can help find potential problems early, when the chances for treatment and cure are often better. 8. Get your vaccinations * Vaccinations help prevent diseases and save lives 9. Monitor the children 10. Practice fire safety * Most residential fires occur during the winter months. Keep candles away from children, pets, walkways, trees, and curtains. Never leave fireplaces, stoves, or candles unattended. Don't use generators, grills, or other gasoline- or charcoal-burning devices inside your home or garage. Install a smoke detector and carbon monoxide detector in your home. Test them once a month, and replace batteries twice a year. 11. Prepare dinner safely * Wash hands and surfaces often. Avoid cross-contamination by keeping raw meat, poultry, seafood, and eggs (including their juices) away from ready-to-eat foods and eating surfaces. Cook foods to the proper temperature. Refrigerate promptly. Do not leave perishable foods out for more than two hours. 12. Eat well and get moving * Choose fresh fruit as a festive and sweet substitute for candy. Limit fats, salt, and sugary foods. Find fun ways to stay active, such as dancing to your favorite holiday music. Be active for at least 2½ hours a week. Help kids and teens be active for at least 1 hour a day. Marian Cramer - Laura Ingalls Wilder Presentation V E T E R A N S D A Y December 2014 Sun Mon Tue 1 Wed Thu Fri Sat 2 3 4 5 6 9 10 11 12 13 16 17 18 19 20 26 27 6:30 PTA Meeting 7 8 BOE Meeting @ 6:30 14 15 District Elem. Band & Orchestra Holiday Concert @ 6:45 p.m. 21 22 23 24 No School – Winter Break End of 2nd Quarter Early dismissal at 2:00 28 29 25 30 No School – Winter Break 31