“Kindergarten’s Corner”

In January, many important assessments were given to track individual student progress within the classroom including the DIBELS test for reading skills, G-MADE test for math skills, and assessments on various skills for the end of the second grading period. The students also learned and wrote about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. during the month of January. In the beginning of February, the students enjoyed celebrating the 100th day of school. The students got to make 100th day hats, string 100 fruit loops to make necklaces, make a classroom paper chain with 100 rings, stack 100 cups, and make 100th day portraits of themselves using 100 charts. The students also had an awesome time at their Valentine’s Day parties!

In the rest of February and March, kindergarteners will be learning how to compose and decompose numbers in math. They will continue to blend sounds to read and write 3-letter words with short /a/, /i/, and /o/ as the middle sound. Students should also begin working on memorizing their home address and phone number to prepare for assessments at the end of the 3rd grading period. Kindergarten’s field trip to Disney on Ice will be on Thursday, March 5, 2015. More information will come home with your child soon.

What’s Happening in Second Grade

Here are February’s tips and updates from Second Grade:

Our word lists for Reading and Spelling are changing! Robust Vocabulary lists now have ten words. Spelling lists are much more difficult now, too! Students should practice spelling their words every night in addition to doing their spelling homework. Extra practice is very helpful!

Second graders are telling time and counting money! Please continue to practice double-digit addition and subtraction at home! Even if we take a test, we cannot forget these important skills! Remember to use www.firstinmath.com for fun math practice and games. We will use these two skills for the rest of the year, so we have to keep them fresh in our brains!

It’s almost time to celebrate Read Across America Day. This is a great time to visit with one of our favorite authors, Dr. Seuss, and to take extra Accelerated Reader tests. Keep reading, second grade!

We hope winter is almost over! Please remember to send a jacket with your student each day in case it is warm enough to go outside for recess!

What’s Fabulous in First Grade?

In English Language Arts we will be finishing February with Lesson 18, and the story “Snow Surprise” This is also a Theme Review Lesson. Remember that your student is now able to begin taking Accelerated Reader Quizzes on the Weekly Story. Just a reminder that AR builds fluency and comprehension. Please continue to encourage your child to read and build an enjoyment for reading.

In Math, we have Recognized Number Patterns, Compared Measurements, and Solve Addition and Subtraction Problems. Looking ahead we will begin to Identify Coins and Geometric Figures. Remember First In Math (FIM) is online and provides immediate feedback so practice is meaningful and engaging. FIM is available 24/7, from school, home, or a public library and would provide a fantastic reinforcing activity.

In Social Studies and Science we’re in the process of completing the Unit: “Plants and Animals” Also, this time of year we get excited to watch the Decorah Eagles in Iowa and our very own Pittsburgh Eagles. Below are the links for you to follow them at home as well.

http://www.ustream.tv/decoraheagles - Decorah Eagles http://www.ustream.tv/channel/pittsburgh-bald-eagles - Pittsburgh

In Social Studies we’re getting ready to begin Unit 4, “Our Changing World.” We also just wanted to write all of you and thank you for all of your generosity and your sweet treats

this past Valentine’s Day. I can’t begin to tell you how grateful and loved we all felt! Thank you to everyone who helped organize the party, donated their time to be here and to those that sent in a

special treat to make our party such an awesome time!

3rd Grade March NewsThe third grade would like to say a special “Thank You” to all of our Homeroom moms; especially the lead homeroom moms for organizing our holiday parties. Each of you did an outstanding job preparing crafts, games, and yummy snacks for our parties and we appreciate all of your hard work. Thank you again!

In Composition class, we are

expecting that all third grade students are able to begin a sentence with a capital letter, use the proper punctuation to end each sentence, write multiple sentences about a topic, and indent the first line of a paragraph. Think about making a sandwich when you write a paragraph. By including the top bun and bottom bun you will remember to write a topic and concluding sentence. The meat, cheese, and all the fixings will be

the juicy details that support your topic Soon, we will write multiple paragraphs, and build many sandwiches, on a topic. Please reinforce these skills at home by reminding your child to use capital letters, punctuation marks, and neat penmanship on daily homework. Third Grade Continues to prepare for P.S.S.A.! Third-graders are practicing many skills for the upcoming P.S.S.A. Tests. Please continue to ask your children to see their homework and hold them accountable for completing it neatly, correctly, and to remember to take pride in their work. The most important thing is to TRY YOUR BEST ON THE TEST!! The tests will be administered in April….more information will be coming. On a positive note, most of our third-grades improved on the last CDT Tests and we are extatic!!! Keep it up boys and girls!

"Nyuk Nyuk Nyuk!"

4th Grade Newsletter4th grade is excited to be 100 days smarter! We had a great time at our Valentine’s parties.

Thank you parents! We are also very proud of our 100 acts of kindness hanging in our halls. Here is what we have been up to:

Reading- We are working in Theme 4, which was all about Imagination at Work! We are working hard to get ready for PSSA reading tests. We have been studying figurative language, identifying theme, and narrative forms. We have also been writing responses to literature.

Math – We have been working hard on measurement in mathematics. We have worked in standard units as well as metrics. The students have worked hard on perimeter and area as well.

Science- We are still working in Earth Science! Currently we are working on changes on Earth’s surface. Soon we will begin a weather unit. We will then test Earth Science, and then move on to Physical Science.

Social Studies- Fourth grade students continue to learn about the 5 regions of the United States. If you have memorabilia from vacations or photographs from different states, we would love to share and learn more! We are also writing “What Does Freedom Mean to My Family” Americanism Essay for the 2015 Contest.

Itinerant News

Students in Grades 4/5 Computers have been introduced to computer programming. In December we celebrated computer science week by participating

in the “Hour of Code”. This was a brief introduction to code and programming. Students enjoyed creating snowflakes with Frozen characters Ana and Elsa using the code.org website. Throughout this marking period we are continuing to learn

code with a program called Scratch. It is web based and free! Students can create games, interactive art, or stories, but it’s the first step in learning & understanding

computer programming and getting the computer to do what you want it to do! Students are enjoying being creative and making great things in class!

Every week in the Fifth Grade’s English Language Arts classrooms, students have WOW Around the WORLD Wednesdays. Students learn more about the world around them by reading and

responding to nonfiction. One student, Zachary Dillie, voluntarily used his resources, an informational book and DVD set about the Three Stooges, to create a nonfiction article about the actors portraying Larry, Curly and Moe with accompanying short answer comprehension questions. Zachary also

graciously brought in popcorn to make the lesson extra fun!

Amazingly Creative Fifth Grade Valentine’s Day Boxes

From top left: SpongeBob by Colten Clark , Monster by Caleb Toland, Minecraft by Seth DeBlasio, Olaf – by Faith Amos, Tractor by Ty Harmon, and Tank by - Kaleb Hancher

Math RtII students are preparing for the PSSA

Students who are in 3rd, 4th and 5th grade who participate in Math RtII are preparing for the PSSA Assessments which occur the week of April 20. Along with reinforcing skills that are needed to be successful, test taking strategies are also being taught to help students when taking the PSSA. There are many easy strategies that can be used to help a student chose a correct answer or eliminate choices to determine the correct answer.

One of the most common strategies is called “Jail the Detail”. Jail the detail encourages students to highlight, underline or circle the details in a math word problem. This helps the student focus on exactly what the question is asking. For example:

List the set of numbers in order for the greatest to the least.The second test taking strategy is called “Plug it in”. Students are encouraged to write the given answers into the equation and then solve to see if the answer choice makes sense.

The last strategy being used is called “Slash the Trash”. Students are asked to slash the answers that could not possibly be correct. For example: 257-35=? The answer cannot be larger than the first number in the subtraction problem, therefore the student would slash any answer that is larger than 257. Using these strategies at home when completing homework or during a test in class will help students practice and become better test takers.

February Tech-Tools

Joe Walker and Claysville ElementaryCareer ExplorationThe following websites are wonderful career exploration tools for elementary students.

PAW's in JoblandPAW's in Jobland from BRIDGES is a super fun career exploration site that is easy to navigate and narrates the user throughout their activities.

Bureau of Labor and StatisticsThe Bureau of Labor and Statistics includes a student site for career exploration in grades 4-12. Teacher resources and student games are also included to increase knowledge about our economy.

Career ViewCareer View offers a variety of resources for grades K-8 on career exploration including games, career clusters, self-exploration, books, and much more!

It's My Life - PBS KidsIt's My Life, from PBS Kids, offers several great educational games about money and balancing

Kids WorkKids Work is a virtual community of workplaces for elementary career exploration.

The NED ShowThe NED Show   You Tube Playlist offers lessons, songs, and videos about career exploration and test prep.

finances (spending, saving, and managing money).

Ben's Guide to US GovernmentBen's Guide to US Government for Kids   is a great tool for grades K-12 to learn about citizenship, neighborhoods, and government.

Career AisleCareer Aisle, from Kids Work, includes coloring pages, links, videos, and games for career exploration.

Career Jeopardy GameThe Career Jeopardy Gameis organized around 16 career clusters. Each career cluster offers a job list and a plan of study.

More Great Resources Marissa's Blog from ElementarySchoolGuidance.org offers a great color quiz, adapted from Myers

Brigg's personality type indicator, in addition to an informative power point presentation.  Click to access  "My Occupation Coloring Book". Click to access Career Exploration Guides and Resources for younger students, provided by the

Vocational Information Center. "I Believe In Me"   career awareness resources and lessons. Career Bingo  for grades K-3. "Careers are Everywhere"  booklet. Job information for kids on Kids.gov. Teach the Children Well  hosts a variety of K-8 activities on career exploration.