Campus News 10-9-09

Campus News Lower Division Newsletter October 9, 2009 Junior Kindergarten Language Arts We will study the –at word family and continue with our theme, “My Five Senses.” We will also continue to work on rhymes. Our new Alpha friends will be for the letter X, and we will continue to practice the letter T. Our High Frequency Words (HFW) will continue to be “I,” “see,” “a,” “my,” and “like.” We will also go over the color words “red,” “blue,” and “yellow,” and add the color “purple.” In handwriting (HWT), we will practice making the letters “I,” “X,” and “T.” Social Studies We will read about and discuss the virtue of Compassion. Science We will learn about the five senses. Math Students will work on the AB and ABC patterns. We will also work on calendar patterns, as well as learn how to create our own patterns and extend other patterns.

Senior Kindergarten Language Arts The children will be reading the book, Pumpkin, Pumpkin. They will review the story elements of characters, setting, events, and problems. The reading strategy will emphasize the use of picture clues, trying to sound out words, and checking to see if the words make sense in a story. They will also work with rhyming words and CVC patterns and review the vowels (a) and (i). Students will be introduced to the letter Ee. Handwriting practice will focus on first and last names, proper spacing, and letter formation on the letters Jj and Kk. The children are now working on developing their organization skills as well as expanding their ideas when writing. We are so proud of our great young authors! Science

The children will be watching their pumpkin seeds grow. They are adding entries into a journal as they record their observations and the seeds’ growth. We are also having a pumpkin vine growing contest. A few pumpkin seeds will be coming your way soon. The students will continue to read and discuss nonfiction stories about pumpkins. Math Students will continue to work on complex patterns, numbers to 20, graphing, probability, problem solving, and addition. The math centers will provide individual practice with odd/even numbers, measuring with non standard units of measure, and recording tally marks. Munchie Math next week will be sorting and graphing with Halloween crackers. Virtues Children will read stories, role play, and discuss the virtue of Compassion.

Grade 1 Language Arts In the next two weeks our reading strategies will focus on comparing and contrasting story elements using a Venn diagram. Our phonics and spelling skills will focus on vowel pairs and the diagraphs, ch, sh, th, and wh. Our writing will continue to focus on writing complete sentences, applying capitals and punctuation marks, organizing our thoughts, doing pre-writing, and learning how to write a paragraph. Social Studies If you have not yet done so, please send in an index card with the following information: Name, home address, phone number We need to have a card for each student in order to complete our First Grade Class Phone Book. Science We will continue our unit on Health and nutrition. Students will create a class food pyramid and plan a healthy meal. Math In the next two weeks, students will learn the sums of ten chart and use it to add to 10. We will also begin subtraction strategies. Subtraction Clue words: find the difference, subtract, how many are left, minus

Grade 2 Language Arts We have begun our reading theme “Nature Walk.” We will continue to focus on poetry as we read fiction and nonfiction stories about nature. As we read these selections, we will monitor/clarify, compare and contrast, sequence events, evaluate, and discuss fact and opinion. Our phonics and spelling skills focus will be more practice with long vowels, consonant clusters (r, l, s), and sounds of “g” and “c”. Our writing will focus on developing a character sketch, adding details, writing dates, and writing a paragraph. In grammar we will work on identifying nouns and verbs, correcting run-on sentences, and using capital letters, periods, and question marks correctly. Social Studies We will continue to learn the concept of a community, focusing on a few Native American tribes. The children will thoroughly enjoy leaning about Native Americans and communities long ago as we read The Magic Tree House book, Buffalo Before Breakfast. Science We have enjoyed learning about “The Life Cycle of Butterflies.” It was a wonderful experience releasing the Painted Lady butterflies into our second grade garden. It was a joy to watch and listen to the children’s excitement and observe their curiosity. We will discuss how butterflies are insects and investigate our insects and other life cycles. We are finishing our class reading of The Magic School Bus, Butterfly Battle. What a great science reading adventure! Math We will continue working on data, graphing, and probability before focusing on place value of numbers through 100. The children have enjoyed taking surveys, as well as reading and making pictographs, bar graphs, line graphs, and coordinates on a grid. The students will continue to practice problem solving skills and addition and subtraction facts.

Grade 3 Language Arts After ERBs, we will return to “Time for Kids” to practice our comprehension skills using the Listener’s Check List. Students will also be building vocabulary with Wordly Wise. With each new month we add new words to our Word Wall and students are eager to make up new cheers. We have had fun learning about words to use in our writing that make sounds like buzz and whack! The use of such words is called onomatopoeia. Most third graders can even spell that word and that’s pretty impressive! Our creative writers will be moving into the genre of fictional narratives; they may even create something spooky for Halloween!

Social Studies After completion of our longitude and latitude skills, we will zoom in on map skills by marking some of the major cities of Florida. Science Our inside Fast Seeds plants are in bloom! Our study of the jobs of the different parts of the flower will complete our study of parts of a plant. We will then move on to the important role and jobs of the honey bee. Our outside garden looks impressive with our plants and hay paths. Students are thoroughly enjoying and taking full responsibility for weeding and watering their garden. We have used collars to protect plants from cut worms and will be using a spray of soap and water to ward off recent invaders. Math After our chapter test for addition, students will work on the rules of subtraction and subtracting two to four digit numbers with and without regrouping.

Grade 4 Next week students will be taking the ERB assessments in the morning and participating in production rehearsals in the afternoon. Please make sure the children are getting plenty of rest and beginning their day with a healthy breakfast. Following this busy week, our schedule will include the following: Language Arts Students will work on utilizing context clues to decipher the meanings of unknown words and enable them to gain greater comprehension of higher levels of literature. In writing, they will finalize and print their free verse poetry on the colors of autumn. We will continue our vocabulary lessons reinforcing the understanding and usage of words with multiple meanings. Looking ahead further, November will mark the start of reading groups beginning with the works of Kate DiCamillo. Social Studies The students will practice reading information on a line graph. Next, we will learn about important natural resources in the United States and assess our knowledge of Chapter 1. Science To conclude our study of land and water, groups will work in pairs to discover the three ways in which the direction and flow of water is changed. Following their investigations, they will present their models and discoveries to the remainder of the class. We will begin Animal Studies in November.

Math We will continue with our chapter on multiplication and division. I am encouraging students who are not yet proficient with their facts to dedicate extra time in order to master facts 0-9. I am utilizing the Mad Minute multiplication quizzes each week to gauge their improvement in this area. They are eager to be successful and your support is greatly appreciated. Flash cards are an easy way to practice at home and in the car.

Did You Know…. Lower Division voted for their Giraffe Club officers via computer in a special arrangement made with Pasco County. Students were assigned voter registration numbers that they had to enter into the computer. Then they scrolled through different screens to vote for the different officers. After voting, all the students got a special sticker that identified them as having voted. Special thanks go to the high school students who helped our little ones exercise their right to vote. Congratulations to Miss Twila for making the special

arrangements with Pasco County and Mr. Kapetanis for making all the technology work so the voting day could be successful! Way to go, team! Our new officers for 2009-2010 are: President Brielle Weiss, Vice-President Cecilia Beedie, Secretary Quinn Atkinson, and Treasurer Cassidy Fowler.

Upcoming Events….. October 12, 2009 No school – Founders’ Day October 13, 2009 ERB Testing for Grades 3 and 4 – 9:00 – 11:30 a.m. October 14, 2009 ERB Testing for Grades 3 and 4 – 9:00 – 11:30 a.m. October 15, 2009 ERB Testing for Grades 3 and 4 – 9:00 – 11:30 a.m. October 16, 2009 ERB Testing for Grade 4 – 9:00 – 11:30 a.m. Report cards go home in home school envelopes LD production – 6:00 – 7:30 p.m. – McCormick Gym (please read announcements regarding that day)

Homecoming Week Events: Monday, October 19, 2009

PJ Day

Tuesday, October 20, 2009 Class Pictures and Picture make-ups – dress uniforms Crazy Hat Day (Students may bring hats and wear them after pictures) Wednesday, October 21, 2009 Blue and White Day (wear Academy blue and white with school uniform bottoms) Pep Rally from 12:15 to 2:45 in McCormick Gym

Thursday, October 22, 2009 Twin Day (come dressed up in similar attires with a friend, doll, or

stuffed animal) SK goes to Performing Arts Theater 9:00-12:00 – dress uniforms Friday, October 23, 2009 favorite

Baseball Jersey Day (to celebrate the World Series, come in your team jersey with school bottoms)

Special Notice: On Monday, October 26 all students will have their vision checked by Walesby Vision Center. We also have a speech and language therapist and learning specialist on hand that day to support our teachers by providing additional evaluations on some students. There is no charge for any of the screenings that day. Should your child need a more comprehensive test in any area, you will be notified by your child’s teacher.