March 22, 2024
Preschool
Kindergarten
This week back together in kindergarten has been a blast! We had so many fun Spring Break adventures to share with classmates! We have been so excited for the HES Art Show. Each student worked so hard on their art show project! Please check out the pictures from this week!
1st grade
First graders have been learning how to count the number of faces, edges, and vertices on 3D shapes! They are getting really good at it!
2nd grade
Mrs. Baughman: Second graders have been working on adding 3-digit numbers with and without regrouping this week! In Social Studies we started a new unit on Native Americans and the past. Students had fun working in groups reading about different Native American cultures. We have been working on our BEABLE Me Trees in class. Students are loving getting to explore and think about their future, jobs, hopes and dreams, challenges and their values as they complete this project.
Mrs. Rawlings’ class had a great week back from Spring Break. We have been learning how to add 3-digit numbers in Math and have really enjoyed learning about Mary Blair in Reading. We love all of her modern, vibrant artwork. We thought it was really cool that she was the first woman employee for Walt Disney. She was the one who created all of the vibrant scenes at “It’s A Small World,” in Disney Land!
3rd grade
We can’t believe we are in the last nine weeks of third grade!!! We have grown so much this year and are excited to finish out the year strong!
In reading we are learning about theme. In writing we are going to be reviewing the three types of writing in preparation for ILEARN. In math we are finishing up our fractions unit. It’s been a great week in third grade!
4th grade
4th Grade had a great time this week learning how to measure angles using a protractor! Yes, it was challenging, but we all persevered! We started the week learning all about lines, line segments, rays, and points. Then, we learned all about different types of angles: acute, obtuse, right, straight, and reflex. We ended the week trying out those protractors. We still have a lot to learn, but we are growing stronger each day!
Mrs. Sechler came to tell us stories this week. This is always a favorite time for us!
We are drafting our persuasive essays about world issues. We learned how to write a solid introduction at the beginning of the week. We learned about the parts of an introduction. We did an activity where we had to reassemble an essay. The introduction had been cut into multiple pieces, and we had to put it back together. We are excited to finish our essays and begin making our commercials!
We’ve had a great time this week, and we’ve learned so much!
5th grade
Fifth grade students took the pledge to become a BIzTown Citizen! Students are learning about civic virtues and civic responsibilities, and about natural, human, and capital resources. Spelling words are all about BizTown this week!
In Math, students are focusing on converting units of measurement, both customary and metric.
In Reading, students are working on a novel study, making text to text, text to self, and text to world connections as they read. Morphology has students decoding words to understand meanings. Students are getting very good at creating words by putting together prefixes, root words and suffixes.
In Social Studies, students can be heard chanting, “No taxation without representation!” The Revolutionary War has piqued their interest, and the causes leading up to the war have helped them understand the colonists’ unrest.
It has been a great week in Fifth Grade! We have our March Madness brackets filled out, we were honored by a visit from Mrs. Martha Sechler as she shared wonderful stories with us, and fifth graders picked green beans from our Tower Garden!
Happy Spring!
Science
Scientist of the Week: Judson Barnes
Fifth grade students developed a model to explain how water cycles from the Earth’s surface to the atmosphere and back again. In the activity, Make It Rain, students created simple models of the ocean and sky to see how these two systems interact. Students compared how the temperature of the ocean and the temperature of the sky affect evaporation and condensation.
Fourth grade students learned that we use the energy from food to make our bodies move just like cars use the energy from gasoline to move. In the activity, Twist-o-matic Tester, students built paper models of an amusement park ride called the Twist-o-Matic. The ride stores energy in rubber bands and spins around when the energy is released. Students compared the speed of the spins when they used a thin rubber band versus a thick rubber band.
Third grade students examined how physical traits can be influenced by the environment. In the activity, Astronaut-in-Training, students analyzed how a NASA astronaut’s traits changed during his “year in space.” Then they measured some of their physical traits (arm strength, height, and balance) and predicted how their own traits might change after living in space.
Second grade students investigated the mystery of the koa tree, a type of tree that grows in only two places—islands halfway across the world from one another. In the activity, students developed three different physical models of seed structures. They observed how structure affects the seed’s function in dispersing away from the tree. Then, they used these observations to evaluate whether koa seeds are likely dispersed by wind, water, or animals.
First grade students explored all of the different shapes of the Moon that can appear on different nights. In the activity, My Moon Book, students observed photos of the Moon taken over the course of four weeks and drew pictures of the Moon’s phases in their book. They used these observations to discover patterns in how the Moon’s shape changes and predicted when the next full moon will appear.
Kindergarten students began a new science unit this week called Sunny Skies. In this unit, students make observations to explore how sunlight warms the Earth’s surface. The Sun’s energy heats up the pavement, keeps us warm, and can even melt marshmallows. Using what they learn, students think about ways that shade and structures can reduce the warming effect of the Sun.
PE
March Madness has begun! Grades 3-5 started their tournament play this week. There is some tough competition! Each grade was split into teams of 5-6 players and they will face off against the other teams in their class. Each class winner will play the winner of the other class to determine an overall grade winner. The overall grade winners will face off to see who will be the overall Helmsburg Champion!
Grades K-2 got to learn a new tag game this week called Spot Tag. Poly dots were placed around the gym and 2 taggers were chosen. Players then raced around the gym to find a spot. Each spot is a safe zone that keeps you safe from being tagged for 3 seconds. Once your 3 seconds is up, you must race to another spot. If you are tagged before reaching a new spot, you must complete 5 jumping jacks to re-enter the game. This game was a big hit and made us work up a sweat!
Speech
Did you know that you can teach basic concepts with a train set and descriptive language and semantic skills using an ISPY book? Now you know!
