Webberville Elementary Galaxy Gazette February 2012 · 2012-02-09 · Schafer, Brennan...
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Transcript of Webberville Elementary Galaxy Gazette February 2012 · 2012-02-09 · Schafer, Brennan...
A Hallway Encounter/Research Based By Mrs. Slater I spend a good part of my day in the hallway. I enjoy walking by classrooms and listening to the staff teaching and students responding. I enjoy the many interesting displays created by the students that grace the walls. But I especially enjoy interacting with the students who cross my path on my journey through the school. Today I had one of my best encounters yet, when I ran into Mrs. Glover and her student, Bradley Davis. Bradley Davis is an afternoon kindergarten student who told me recently that he likes to be addressed as “Mr. Davis.” He is at least a third generation native Webberville resident. I know his grandma and I enjoyed working with his aunt, uncle, and dad when I was a teacher. As it turned out, Mrs. Glover was bringing “Mr. Davis” to me to show me something amazing-THIS KINDERGARTEN STUDENT CAN READ! I’m not talking about a simplified text but a real book! I asked him how he had gotten to be a good reader at such a young age and without hesitation he said, “My mom always reads to me.” I honestly know that Mrs. Glover must have had something to do with the development of this skill, but Bradley would only acknowledge the contribution of his mother. “Mr. Davis” confirmed for me what researchers have been saying for years. “When parents are involved in their child’s education at home, children do better in school, and the sooner the parental involvement starts, the more powerful the effects.” Based on these two statements, I expect that Bradley Davis will have a bright future based on his parental “involvement.” What does “involvement” look like at your house? Obviously, this involvement changes as children age. Reading a story to a 10 year old might not be as well accepted as reading to your 5 year old. But a 10 year old can have a more in depth conversation about what he/she read independently-when an involved parent asks some questions. Early elementary students need involved parents to review spelling words and math facts when students are just learning these skills, but upper elementary kids, who have yet to master these tasks, need that same drill. A parent who purposefully checks a planner and then the assignments noted will demonstrate involvement and will tend to have better news at conferences as a bonus. And all kids need to be sent out the door in the morning with a “Do your best today” message and greeted in the evening with “Well, did you?” My hallways are full of bright children like Bradley Davis and this community is full of involved parents. Let’s never forget the important connection between those two and make it our common purpose to never let a day go by without promoting and practicing both!
Student Council sponsors ‘Twins Day’.
Webberville Elementary School
Student Council sponsors many student
activities during the school year. On
Friday, January 20th students enjoyed
dressing alike for ‘Twins Day’. It was fun
to see all the students who looked like
twins for a day!
The 2011-2012 Student Council
members are Collin Jones, Ashton Lott,
Olivia Estep, Dalton Brown, Carson
Nolan, Xavier Pressel, Mackenzie
Schafer, Brennan Slick-Robinson, Seth
Wisuri, Nathan Walker, Branden
McGowan, and Eden Elzerman.
Hunter and Max
Carson and Olivia Brendan and Hayden
WEBBERVILLE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Kindergarten Round-Up Friday, March 9, 2012 Please call the Elementary Office
at 521-3071, ext. 200 between 9:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. to reserve your registration time.
Children turning 5 years old on or before December 1, 2012 are invited to enroll.
~ COME AND JOIN THE FUN ~
We look forward to meeting our newest STARS!
Ladies & gentlemen, get your dancing shoes ready! It’s time again to take those special little ladies out for a memorable night on the town. Please join us for an evening of fun, which includes great music, refreshments, a
gift bag & a keepsake photo. Don’t miss this chance to spend some special time on the dance floor with your girl(s)!
Purchasing tickets in advance helps us to properly prepare for food & gift bags. Tickets may be purchased at the door. *Payments of cash, check or
money order payable to WEB, will be accepted. Sponsored by Webberville Elementary Boosters
Date: Thursday February 16, 2012 Time: 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Place: Webberville Elementary Multi-Purpose Room Cost: $12 per couple & $3.00 each additional child.
Tickets – teachers, please send orders directly to the office, thank you!
To purchase tickets, please return this stub with payment no later than Monday, February 13th. Please make checks payable to
W.E.B. *Prepaid tickets will be available for you at the door. Students Name: __Gr:____Teacher: ___
Number Attending: Amount Enclosed:$ ___
Volunteers – any questions? Please call Treva at (517) 388-2761. If you can help with any of the following for this dance, it would be greatly appreciated! Just place a check next to items you would like to help with,
and return it with your ticket stub/payment. Thank you!
Snacks (what kind?): ______
Decorating: Set up: _ Clean up: __
Name______________________ Phone #_________________
February is
2-3 7:00 p.m. Family Movie Night ~
Kung Fu Panda:The Kaboom of Doom
2-6 6:00 p.m. Boosters meeting in Library
2-8 STUDENT COUNT DAY – BE HERE!
2-14 100th Day ~ HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY!
2-16 *Daddy/Daughter Dance*
2-17>2-20 No School ~ President’s Day Weekend
2-23 4:00-7:00 p.m. Parent/Teacher Conferences
2-24 2:15 p.m. Awards Assembly
SAVE THE DATE
Webberville Elementary
Mini Relay for Life
Thursday, April 12, 2012
More information to come!
BLACK HISTORY MONTH
2012 WES yearbook
orders are being
accepted through
the month of Feb.
Order forms were sent
home with students.
Yearbooks are $15
and checks should
be made out to
Webberville
Elementary (WES).
WES Preschool News
We have been very busy in the
preschool classroom! We are building
friendships and learning to
participate in large and small groups.
We explore letters, numbers, shapes
and colors on a daily basis! Preschool
is an important time to improve our
social skills as well as learn some important skills for Kindergarten! We
have been working hard on writing our names! We love to sing songs,
especially the Bear Hunt! Some of our favorite activities to do with
friends are building in the block center and playing in the kitchen!
===================================================================
Mr. Weaver’s World…
The fitness unit is now in full swing
for the elementary physical education
classes. The whole unit will consist of
timed runs, push-ups, sit-ups and
various other exercises. The exercises
they are learning over the next few
weeks will stay with them for life, so
feel free to have your son/daughter
practice with you at home. They
should be able to tell you what
exercises we have done so far.
*Please send gym shoes with your
son/daughter-they are essential for
their gym activities.*
The following is the timed run for each
grade level:
1st Grade - 4 minutes
2nd Grade - 5 minutes
3rd Grade - 6 minutes
4th Grade - 7 minutes
5th Grade – 8 minutes.
I have already seen improvements
from the first day we started the run.
With continued practice, I believe
that each student will be able to
complete the runs without stopping
or walking.
Noteworthy Well, a lot has happened since the last time I’ve written a newsletter article!
Alexia “Lexi” Hope Filipiak was born on November 21, 2011. She was 9 lbs, 7 oz.
and 22 inches long! I can’t resist sharing a couple of pictures Thanks for all of
your well wishes—she is a bundle of fun! On to musical news—
Kindergarten students are learning about high and low sounds. They are also
learning about mallet technique on the “big kid” instruments.
1st grade students are learning how to identify and write quarter and eighth notes.
They are also working on notating Sol and Mi in the songs we are singing.
2nd
grade students have been learning about Sol, Mi, and La and now they are
adding Do into the mix. They are also continuing to explore different uses of
ostinati (short, repeated musical patterns) in our songs.
3rd graders have just touched their violins for the first time and are having a blast!
We have learned the “Eek Song” to help name the notes on the violin, and have
also played songs on open strings in guitar position. Next up is adding fingers to
change notes and putting the violins on our shoulders.
4th and 5
th grade students are auditioning to find out their roles in Rats! Students
will be learning blocking and choreography over the next few weeks to prepare
for their show. Please note the concert date change below.
It’s great to be back teaching your wonderful children. Catch you next time we have
something noteworthy! ~ Mrs. Filipiak
Upcoming Music Dates
4th/5th Grade Musical—DATE CHANGE--Tuesday, March 20th and Wednesday, March 21st
(required for grade)
Kindergarten-2nd Grade Spring Concert—Tuesday, May 8th
Lexi's first day at home! Lexi loves to smile in her sleep
Mrs. Glover’s news… February is a LOVE-ly month for
learning in kindergarten! In math the children have been working on writing numbers to twenty, solving addition word problems, and finding number bonds up to
five. The K-Pals literacy program has been completed in reading; the children are excited to begin learning Daily Five routines which form the structure for reading instruction in grades one through five. In writing we've
working on adding detail sentences and are slowly replacing capital letters with lowercase letters. Science has brought a study of earth materials - the children are in the middle of an experiment to determine if soil, pebbles, or sand is the best material for growing grass. In social studies we've been exploring economics; the children are learning about the difference between goods and services as well as the difference between a need and a want.
News from the First Grade
The first graders will be learning more about folktales and fantasy stories this month. We will
continue to discuss the elements of these two genres and enjoy the activities that go along
with these stories; this includes reading, writing, making puppets, retelling the story and
other projects. Look for a variety of projects in our first grade hallway. We have been noticing
many students need additional practice on sight words, math facts, and reading fluency. As
we continue the year, the students will learn new skills and need to know the skills already
taught to be successful. Please help your child practice the skills he/she needs to continue
learning and to do their very best.
In Science we are beginning a unit on sorting and classifying
objects. We will be sorting by size, color, shape and texture. We
will be using magnets to classify, work on floating and sinking
and end the unit by building a boat that must move across a tub
of water. In Social Studies we are working on our core
democratic value of Patriotism by learning about important
United States symbols, including the American flag, the Statue of
Liberty, the eagle and the seal of the United States.
Mrs. Fitzgerald’s February News
February is a short month, but a busy one. We are focusing on our work as we look forward to our Valentine exchange and the one hundredth day of school.
This month in Reading, we will be meeting regularly in our reading groups where students will read texts at their own grade levels. Students will also have many opportunities to read independently while we practice using reading skills such as making predictions, sequencing, summarizing, and making connections. We will also practice fluency through the repeated reading of Reader’s Theater scripts and word family poetry.
In Math, we will complete our unit on multiplication. The concept will be presented in several different ways so students may choose the problem solving strategy best suited for them. We will
practice multiplication math facts in class and encourage students to practice at home. We will also explore the measurement concepts of time and money during the month of February.
Our Writing will focus on the trait of word choice. We will learn about the difference between antonyms and synonyms, how to write and recognize similes, and how to use alliteration to enhance our writing. We will practice using adjectives, “colorful” words and “fancy” words. We will also work on answering who, what, when, where, and why questions as we write.
We will continue our study of measurement in Science as we measure the volume of liquids and solids and use a bucket balance to measure the weight of objects. We will also investigate how substances are mixed and if mixtures can be separated.
The topic of Social Studies this month is government and famous presidents.
Have a fabulous February!
Second Grade News from Mrs. Mrowka
This might be a short month, but
February is very busy for our class.
First, after five months of addition
and subtraction, we are looking
forward to doing something
different in math. It’s
MULTIPLICATION and DIVISION! But
please, continue to practice addition
and subtraction math facts at home.
We are so proud of our efforts on
timed test every week. Ask your
child to share his/her results with
you.
Next, in Writing, we will be working
on Word Choice and Sentence
Fluency. This will include writing
sentences of different lengths using
connectives and exploring ways to
begin sentences.
We have finished studying the
second grade red words as spelling
words, so every student should
know how to read and spell them.
We keep reviewing them in class,
but they need more practice at
home.
What does Abraham Lincoln keep in
his hat? What did George
Washington like to do when he was
little? These are some presidential
facts we will learn in Social Studies.
Finally, we will be celebrating 100th
Day by writing a paper on “What
will I do with
$100.00?” I
can’t wait to
read the
children’s
responses.
Third Grade News
Happy February to everyone! February is a short month, but a very busy one for third graders!
In language arts, 3rd grade students have learned about fables and their story elements. We are continuing to work on reading fluently and smoothly. Both third grade classes have been working on reading rate and how to “change gears” to match the text that they are reading. We are now adding dialogue into our stories along with stronger, more interesting verbs and adjectives. Later this month students will begin research of a president of their choice. As always, please encourage your child to read 15 minutes every night.
In math, we will be learning about fractions and decimals. We will start first with comparing and ordering fractions. By the end of the month we will be able to correctly place fractions on a number line. We will next move into equivalent fractions. Please continue to encourage your child to practice their math facts. By the end of the month we will be moving into our data and probability unit. We will learn how to use, read and solve bar graphs.
Mr. Kubiak’s class
Mrs. Mayes’ class
In science class we are beginning our forces and motion unit. We will have many hands-on activities that will test how different forces act on objects. We will also be observing how objects move and why they are moving the way that they are. Students will be constructing their own objects and observing the motion of their objects.
In social studies we have learned about the French arriving in Michigan and beginning the fur trade. Ask your child what types of items the French were trading to the Native Americans for furs. We also discussed why French explorers and missionaries were coming to this area. We will next move into the British settling into this area and the interactions that they have with the French and Native Americans. Big changes are on the horizon for Michigan as a result of this meeting!
A special shout-out to Mrs. Pam Fraley and the Williamston Kiwanis Club for donating dictionaries to our third grade students. The students were so excited to receive their dictionaries. They have been learning about how to use them for school as well as everyday life.
Should be a fun, exciting, busy month for our wonderful 3rd Graders!
What’s new in 4th Grade?
The month of February is going to be packed with fun and excitement. We will have our 1ooth day celebration, Valentine’s Day, and our field trip to Jiffy. We are also working towards accomplishing our New Year’s goals. The students are hard at work memorizing their multiplication and division facts 0-12. This is even more important now because we are multiplying two and three digit numbers and working on long division in math right now. We will move into
fractions and decimals for the second half of the month. The young scientists are having a great time studying matter. Our scientists are conducting experiments to study the properties of solids, liquids and gases.
The government is our next unit in Social Studies. The students will learn about the three branches of the government and how that impacts our daily lives.
In Language Arts we are turning into great young writers. We are continuing to use the Write Steps program and work on editing and revising our own writing. The students will specifically focus on writing conventions and word choice this month. They will also work to incorporate similes and metaphors into their own writing pieces. When it comes to reading, comprehension is key, so in order to build our comprehension, the reading strategy for the month will be summarizing. The students will work on summarizing a book in their own words, looking for all of the important details in the reading.
Perry’s Preview
The 100th day of school is on Tuesday, February 14th. We will combine activities associated
with 100 with our Valentines’ Day celebration. Students are encouraged to bring in a collection of 100
to share with the class. Parent teacher conferences are on Thursday, February 23rd, so please begin
thinking about whether you would like a phone, email, or meeting conference. The trimester ends on
March 2nd and report cards will be sent home Wednesday, March 7th.
We are continuing to work on voice, word choice, and organization in writing. Students are
writing an essay about their special place using the 5 squared paragraphs organizer.
In science, we will continue to work on objects in the sky; creating
models to help us understand the motion of the planets in the solar system. We
will also be attending the planetarium at MSU later this month or in March.
Colonial living is the topic of study in social studies. Students will choose a colonial job and
construct an artifact for that job. Western World Domination is also starting to heat up and groups are
forced to decide whether attacking is the right strategy or laying low is the way to go.
Cloudman’s Corner
We have welcomed Mr. Vogel into our learning community.
He is completing his student teaching with us to earn his
teaching degree from University of Phoenix. He has already
transition to lead teacher in the areas of Spelling/Greek and
Latin Roots, and newly this week, Read-a-Loud and math. If
you have any questions, please feel free to contact us.
Science is out of this world. We have begun our unit on
“Objects in the Sky.” This unit begins with the understanding
of seasons. Ask about the land of the midnight sun. When is
the Earth closest to the sun and in what season does that
occur?
Photos:
Students are
investigating
how the
angle of light
affects the
brightness and the surface area covered.
Computer connection: We have begun our study of the
keyboard. We will hone in on these skills without
looking at the keyboard --- a true typist.
January Special Guest Stars~ WHS Girls Basketball Team
Front row; Emily, Kaleigh, Jordan, Taylor & Amanda.
Back row; Jackie, Kayla, Lynsey, Bailey & Kelsei.
Reading Awards~
Baylee,
Garrett,
Braylen
Flag Raisers ~ Zack, Justin, Christopher, Hunter, Collin,
Cole, Matthew, and Carson.
Safeties of the Month
Nolan
&
Zoah
Math Awards ~ front row; Rebecca, Hunter, Olivia, Zack, Eden, and Tyler R.
Back row; Aidan, Ashlee, William, Brennan, Tyler N., and Carson.
Music Awards ~ Ashlyn, Grace, Collin, Bradley, and Rebecca.
Students of the Month ~ Jacob, Garrett, Jason, Sarah and Amber.
Students of the Month ~ Emma, Molly, Anakin and Kolson.
Students of the Month ~ front row; Griffin, Ian, Davin, and Joel.
Back row; Kate, Alyssa, Lucas, and Nate.
Students of the Month ~ Zoah, Austin, and Malaena.
Students of the Month ~ front row; Olivia, Camden, and Melanie.
Back row; Rachel, Nolan, and Alaia.
Students of the Month
*****
Gracie Lou & Jacob