April 7, 2023
Preschool
Preschool knows how to make the most of rainy days – we bring the activity inside! We love to dance and we always find ways to have fun. We’ve also managed to take advantage of the warm weather this week, and get outside when we can. It was fun this week to listen to the kid’s conversations. They remember when some of them weren’t tall enough to even reach the swing, let alone get themselves going. Oh, how we’ve grown!
Kindergarten
We had a wonderful 1st week of April! During the month of April we will learn about Earth Day and talk about ways we can help the Earth. This week the students created robots with their families for our Earth Day show and tell project! The robots are AMAZING!
In OG,
- We are learning about the short and long vowel sounds for letters a, e, i, o, and u.
- We are learning how to blend and segment words with the vowels a, e, i, o, and u.
- We are reading, spelling and writing words with the vowels a, e, i, o, and u..
- We are learning the red words: they, any, fish
In Math,
- We are taking apart numbers from 5-7 in more than one way to show all the ways to make the number. We are learning how to write addition sentences and equations.
- We are learning -1 math facts. We are taking math fact timed tests.
In Writing,
- We are writing How-To books.
In Reading,
- We are learning how Avid Readers make predictions about what will happen next in their stories and show evidence for their thinking.
1st grade
First graders are learning how to add the suffix -ing to words in OG. They each created their own “King of -ing”. They wrote -ing words describing what their king likes to do!
2nd grade
2nd Graders have been reviewing fractions, measuring and area and perimeter in Math this week. Kids are having a great time measuring around the room and solving problems. In Reading, we have been reading the book “Ten Beautiful Things” and focusing on drawing conclusions in our reading. We learned about a new app this week called “Novel Effect”. 2nd graders LOVE the sound effects that go along with stories! We had a book share and celebration for the completion of our All About Nonfiction Animal Books. We had a great time sharing our books with one another while enjoying ice cream sundaes. We took a field trip to WonderLab in Bloomington. The kids played games, watched and studied animals, learned all about physics and magnets, and had some good old fashion FUN!
3rd grade
This week third graders are working really hard on finishing up their portfolios for our student- led conferences. They have put a lot of work into making these binders into a showcase of their amazing work! They’ve practiced presenting their binders to a partner in preparation for the conference. They are excited to share all their growth and successes with their families!!!
Next week we will have a new update on our cow, Darcy!
4th grade
Mrs. Joy’s class has been spending extra time in small groups sharing their reading. Students are using discussion prompts to think and talk deeply about their books. They are reading favorite parts to their friends and comparing and contrasting their books.
This week in Mrs. Middleton’s 4th grade, we finished our measurement unit! We celebrated by making fruit tarts. We discussed how cooking requires a lot of measuring skills. Students measured cups of milk and tried to cut their fruit into 1cm pieces. They did a great job and made delicious treats!
5th grade
This week, we got to enjoy the power of storytelling with stories from Lotus Blossom, as well as Ms. Sechler with the BC Public Library. The students loved listening to the stories and discussing the qualities that made them interesting. In math, we have been doing hands-on activities with data, as well as geometry. Students can now name a variety of different 2D and 3D shapes based on the number of sides, angles, and vertices, and they can identify them in the world around us. In social studies, we’ve learned all about the Revolutionary War and the founding of our country. We have studied many important people who played a role in the war such as Crispus Attucks, John Hancock, Mercy Otis Warren, George Washington, and several others! We are also working on final preparations for our Biztown trip next week! Students have been working in their business groups to figure out their business costs, as well as create advertisements that will be displayed at Biztown. We are so excited to head to Indianapolis next week and see their hard work in action!
Science
Scientist of the Week: Persayis Fox-Allee
This week in science, second students investigated how plants need sunlight and water to grow. Half of the students grew radish plants in light and the other half in the dark. A few days later, they compared their seedlings and recorded their observations.
In third grade, students made flower models out of paper and bees with pipe cleaners to learn how and why flowers are pollinated. Students flew their bee from flower to flower to make observations. There were two different pollen varieties used, coffee grounds and cinnamon. They also made a “sticky stigma” out of labels for the bee to land on with the pollen.
Speech and Language with Mrs. Williams
We are hopping into April with books about bunnies! We are working on answering questions and retelling story events! Muncha! Muncha! Muncha! and Big Mean Mike are two of my favorite books!
5th grade Ambassadors
Music with Mrs. Quackenbush
Masanko Banda from Malawi performed for us yesterday! Thank you Lotus Blossoms for bringing us such great performances! The kids really enjoyed him!
The World of Work
2nd grade had an awesome time this morning at their Student Led conference sharing their portfolios with family, school staff and other students! So proud of the amazing job and work they put into them.
