Monday, November 6, 2017

December 2017

COMING SOON

December 5:           Electric City Christmas Parade -  "Run, Run Rudolf"
December 12:         NO SCHOOL
December 14:         Pajama/Stuffed Animal Day!
December 19:         Cancelled!  PAC Meeting 6:00 - 7:00 PM
December 21:         Holiday Color Day! Wear your favorite holiday colors. (Christmas, Kwanzaa, Hanukah, etc.)
December 22-
January 1:               NO SCHOOL - WINTER BREAK


In the Distance...

Character Traits Color Week:
         January 15:  Red
         January 16:  Orange
         January 17:  Green/Yellow
         January 18:  Blue
         January 19:  Purple
January 19:        1/2 day, 11:30 Dismissal
January 22:        No School
January 29:        PAC Meeting



KNAPP'S NOTES

Happy Holidays Electa Quinney Students, Staff, Parents, and Families! We are enjoying a wonderful school year and are looking forward to the holidays! I want to take a moment and thank all of you for all of the work you do to assist the students and staff here at Electa Quinney.

We are fortunate to live in a giving community. At school, our student body collected 1,507 items for the community food drive sponsored by KHS National Honor Society in October/November.  This is the smallest school population we have had in 7 years and yet the largest amount of collection in 7 years. In December the Cougar Council is sponsoring a service project of CARING. Students are invited to donate cash (coins and/or dollar bills) which will be donated to the Ronald McDonald House in Milwaukee. We are so blessed to be part of such a wonderful school and community.

I hope you had a chance to review the Electa Quinney Elementary School Accountability Report Card that was released in mid-November. I am proud to see the successes we have had in continuing to Exceed Expectations.  I look forward to focusing on our School Improvement Plans (SIP) and the addition of our Academic Support Teacher, providing additional intervention to even more students, this year to make Electa Quinney even better!

I want to wish you all a very happy and safe holiday season. Be well and be happy!



Summer School 2018 Information

KASD is already busy planning for summer school!  Thank you to all the parents who responded to the survey following Summer School 2017.  The combination of parent and staff feedback as well as a large amount of maintenance work to be done within the district this summer, the following decisions have been made regarding Summer School 2018:

Location - Classes will continue to be held at Kaukauna High School.
Dates - All courses will be offered in one session, Tuesday June 12 - Friday June 29, Monday - Friday.
               Strength and Conditioning and Music Lessons/Band Camp will also be held in July.

Other Valuable Information:
We will again offer an Open House prior to the start of summer school for families to become familiar with the location and rooms that classes will be taking place in.

Busing/transportation will continue to be an option for families for a fee.



Penny War: All for Ronald McDonald's House!

Each year the Cougar Council does a community CARING project in the month of December.  The proceeds from this year’s project will go to support the Ronald McDonald House in Milwaukee.  The Ronald McDonald House provides a place for families to call home so they can stay close to their hospitalized child at little to no cost.

Here’s how the Penny War works: 
  • This is a friendly competition amongst grade levels to see who can get the most positive points at the end of the week.
  • Each silver coin/dollar bill is worth the positive point total of that coin/bill—for example, a quarter is 25 points and a one dollar bill would be 100 points.  Silver coins and dollars will be placed in grade level buckets.
  • Pennies count as negative points for OTHER classrooms. In other words, dropping 40 pennies into another classroom’s container takes 40 points from their total—so save up those pennies!
  • As an extra boost in our fundraising efforts, on Wednesday, December 6th, if as a class the students donate $15.00 or more in cash or checks, that class will earn a game hour where students can bring in electronics or board games to play with their classmates!
Start saving your change—it can make a big difference!



PAC NEWS

The Parent Advisory Committee (PAC) had successful October and November meetings. The Tuesday, December 19th PAC meeting is CANCELLED in light of the busy holiday season. Our next meeting will be Monday, January 29th at 6:00 PM. We hope you will consider attending if you are able.




Nurse News from Mrs. Sundelius

Teaching your child how to shampoo their own hair...

Although each child may be ready to shampoo their own hair at a different time, it is appropriate to have your child assist you with washing their hair at an early age.  This early experience will help them learn how to do it correctly while you are still assisting and supervising them.

Follow these steps to help them develop healthy hair-care habits. 
  1. Wet hair and scalp with warm water. 
  2. Pour a quarter-size drop of shampoo in the palm of your child’s hand. Putting the shampoo in the hand first makes it easier to apply.
  3. Tell your child to massage the shampoo gently into the scalp. When shampooing, it’s important to wash the scalp rather than the entire length of the hair. Washing only the hair often leads to flyaway hair that is dull and coarse. 
  4. Rinse well with warm water until the hair is suds-free. Rinsing well washes away shampoo and dirt.
  5. Cover hair with a towel. Help your child wrap a towel around the wet hair. This helps to absorb the water. Rubbing hair dry with a towel can damage the hair, causing it to break.
  6. Comb out damp hair gently. Use a wide-tooth comb, especially on curly hair. Don’t yank or pull the comb through the hair because that can pull out hair or break the hair.
Additionally, children with dry or curly hair should use a conditioner with each shampooing.
Although every child is different, in general, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children under the age of 12 years wash their hair 1-2 times per week.  Once children are 12 years of age or when puberty starts, they may need to shampoo more often; daily or every other day.

Also, remember to check for lice each time you assist your child with shampooing.  



Library News with Mrs. Wolf






Second Grade: Last month, second graders practiced Trash and Treasure note-taking on a web to help them remember what they read about bats.  This month, they used their webs and wrote sentences about bats.

Second graders are doing learning about the author and illustrator, Tomie dePaola.  Students watched a video and learned where Mr. dePaola gets his ideas and watched him paint a picture.  They also heard his most famous story, Strega Nona.  During checkout time, second graders heard Bill and Pete, Sleep, Big Bear, Sleep, and A Turkey for Thanksgiving.

Third Grade:  Third graders reviewed the rules for online safety.  They also learned about cyberbullying: What it is, what it looks like, and what to do if it happens to you or someone else.  We learned that the best way to stop cyberbullying is to NOT be a cyberbully ourselves! For more information on Internet safety and cyberbullying, check out the library web page.  Students, click on the Digital Citizen tab.  Parents, there’s lots of information on the Parent tab.

Fourth Grade:  Fourth graders reviewed the use of the online catalog to find books.  They are also practicing finding nonfiction books on the shelf by their Dewey Decimal Classification number.  Fourth graders LOVE, The Dewey Rap!





Mrs. Krueger's Music

2nd grade
The 2nd graders are making great progress with their singing skills!  They enjoyed singing many songs in November. Some of them include: The Gobble Song, I Want Some Pumpkin Pie, and We Are Thankful, and Thankful Most of All For Me. They also continued to work on rhythm. They are getting very good at counting and clapping simple rhythm patterns!

3rd grade
The 3rd graders continued to work on rhythm during the month of November by practicing how to count and clap simple rhythm patterns. They also started learning about the instruments of the orchestra. They had fun practicing their singing with several songs: Pumpkin Pie Polka, Mashed Potatoes, Cranberries Forever, and The Thanksgiving Blues. They enjoyed learning about the Blues and that it is a form of jazz music.

4th grade
The 4th graders are going great with their recorders and the Recorder Karate Program. They have been focussing on three notes so far, B, A, and G. Almost everyone has earned their 1st Recorder Karate belt already! Way to go! The 4th graders also enjoyed learning about different instruments this month.




Art News From Mrs. Siegel

Second graders formed a snow person head sculpture with newspaper and tape that was papier-mached with a newspaper and then a white layer.  Students then chose one color family to decorate their snow person with their best craftsmanship.  A variety of mixed-media items were available to use: model magic clay, felt, buttons, ribbon, yarn, and more. These ornaments will decorate the tree in the office, and then will come home for a gift!
Third graders used newspaper, tape and a cardboard base to create their snow person sculpture form.  Their structure was papier-mached with a newspaper and then a white paper layer.  Mixed-media objects (yarn, Model Magic Clay, felt, buttons, and more) were used to decorate their snow people in one color family with students’ best craftsmanship.  


Fourth graders drew and outlined a portrait from the “old days” with lines and shapes.  After reading the book, The Color of Us, by Karen Katz, students mixed red, yellow, black, brown, and/or white to watercolor a skin tone for their portrait.  A variety of brown crayons (monochromatic) were used to color the rest of the portrait.  The portraits were cut and glued to a neutral colored chalk background, and a “frame” was added. Some students made theirs into a “wanted” poster!



ARTSONIA
You should have received an email from “Artsonia” for parent permission.  This is an online art gallery.  Students will leave Electa Quinney with a digital gallery of most of their work from wherever they began at Electa Quinney. You can also order items online with artwork printed on them, just like Square1Art.  A percentage of these purchases go towards the art room.  Fourth graders even use iPads in the art room to upload their own work and to write an artist statement!



Mr. Halloran's Busy Bodies

Mr. Halloran's classes have been working on their soccer skills this past month.  They have been learning dribbling, passing, trapping, and shooting.  They have played several games working on their soccer skills including pin soccer and sideline number soccer. 2nd-4th graders were also able to learn and play the game 'Battleship' which was a giant version of the board game Battleship.




Play by Play with Mrs. Stratton

4th grade- 4th grade worked hard in November with their volleyball skills.  By the end of the month we were playing games and some groups had great volleys back and forth! We worked mainly on forearm passing, setting and underhand serving.  This year we work hard on understanding how to score!   

3rd grade- We started to play some volleyball games at the end.  Teams were working on rotating and calling out the ball.  Next year we will focus more on scoring! 

2nd grade-We did some fun volleyball skills, and played a few different type of games with the volleyball nets.  We also had some skill centers where we were working on many different skills like jumping rope and tossing and catching.

December is going to bring some fun fitness and wellness lessons.  We are going to all work hard to keep our bodies moving and learn the importance of why we move...along with having a great time of course! 




Counselor's Corner: Ms. Duda

CLASSROOM GUIDANCE FUN!!
During the month of December, I will be visiting all classrooms to talk about and celebrate our differences and diversity! In each grade level, we will discuss how we are individually unique and together complete. As always, feel free to call me at 766-6116 Ext. 3309 or email me at dudaa@kaukaunasd.org  with any questions or concerns. 
INDIVIDUAL COUNSELING
Can be provided on an as-needed basis for short-term social/emotional concerns.  Students may be referred by self, teacher or parent.

SMALL GROUP COUNSELING
We currently have Social Skill/friendship groups going and we will be starting more with different age groups in the weeks to come.  If your child is invited to participate in the great opportunity, you will receive a letter home in their take-home folder describing the group and our goals!



Music Notes From Mrs. Nimmer

(for the homerooms of Ebben, McKinnon, Dercks, and Rosenbeck):

Each month, we celebrate the birthday of a famous composer.  We learn facts about the composer's life, and we listen to music written by that composer.  For the month of November, our birthday composer was Aaron Copland.  We learned about the life and music of this American composer.  Copland called himself a “cowboy from Brooklyn” because he liked to include the sound of the Wild West, fiddle tunes, and American folk songs in his works.  We listened to one of his most famous pieces, called "Hoedown" from the ballet Rodeo.   We labeled the A, B, and C sections of the piece with cowboy hats, lassos, and cowboy boots.  We used these symbols to count the beats and follow through the piece.  We also watched a short video clip of a ballet performance of this piece.

In 2nd grade music, we practiced playing the bells to a steady beat with the song “Over the River and Through the Woods.”  We will be having a “beat test” in December!  We also learned how to draw quarter notes, eighth notes, and rests, and used our dry erase boards to notate rhythmic patterns we heard clapped.  We heard several more pieces from The Carnival of the Animals, including the “Swan” and “Hens and Roosters.”  One of our favorite songs this month was the “Pumpkin Pie Polka.”  We learned what a polka dance looks like, and watched a video to see what the accordion looks like, which is a popular instrument in polka music.  Did you know the polka is Wisconsin’s state dance?  We also learned a good old-fashioned barn dance to the old folk song called “Turkey in the Straw.”

In 3rd grade music,  we learned a song called “Any Turkey Can Tango.”  Did you know the tango is a dance?  We watched a video of two young dancers who have mastered the tango.  It is a very dramatic dance!  We reviewed rhythmic patterns and beats this month with a new game called “Rhythm Toss.”  We also used our dry erase boards to practice rhythmic dictation.  We added tambourines to the song “Harvest Time,” and got to learn how to speak some of the words in Hebrew for this Israeli folk song.

In 4th grade we have been working hard at our first 3 notes on the recorder:  B, A, and G.  We learned how to hold our recorders, and how to play several simple pieces with our first 3 notes.  We continued studying the brass family and heard a live demonstration of the French Horn and the trombone.  We had fun learning about Beethoven’s 9th Symphony (did you know he was completely deaf when he wrote it?) and hearing the famous “Ode to Joy” melody from that symphony.  We then sang a Thanksgiving parody called “Ode to Thanksgiving” that is a tongue twister of all different foods we eat during the Thanksgiving holiday! 












Thursday, November 2, 2017

November 2017


Coming Soon...

November 6:          Go Pack Go!  Wear your PACKER gear to support the Pack!
November 10:        Wear RED, WHITE & BLUE to show support for our Veterans
November 14/16:   Parent-Teacher-Student Conferences & Book Fair 4-7:30 PM
November 17:        11:30 Dismissal
                               Parent-Teacher-Student Conferences & Book Fair 12:30-4 PM
November 20:        PAC Meeting 6:00 - 7:00 PM
November 22-24:   NO SCHOOL

In the distance...

December 5:           Electric City Christmas Parade -
                                "Run, Run Rudolf"
December 12:         NO SCHOOL
December 14:         Pajama/Stuffed Animal Day!
December 19:         PAC Meeting 6:00 - 7:00 PM
December 21:         Holiday Color Day! Wear your favorite holiday colors. (Christmas,
                               Kwanzaa, Hanukah, etc.)
December 22-
January 1:               NO SCHOOL- WINTER BREAK




KNAPP'S NOTES

Greetings Quinney Families;

It is hard to believe that we are one quarter through the school year already (November 3).   There are a number of great things that have occurred already this school year or are in the works for the upcoming month.  Please be sure to review this blog post to read more about these items...
  • Parent / Student / Teacher Conferences
  • PBIS and Assembly Update
  • PAC Update
Electa Quinney is once again participating in the Kaukauna High School National Honor Society Food Drive. The drive began on October 30th and will end on Thursday, November 9th. Quinney has kept the trophy at our school building winning the competition amongst the other schools since 2011.  Thank you for any donations to help keep the trophy tradition alive for Electa Quinney Elementary but even more, thank you for supporting our community and the NHS food drive efforts.
    ~Mrs. Stacy Knapp  ~  Principal



FALL CONFERENCES


The evening of Tuesday, November 14, Thursday, November 16 and afternoon of Friday, November 17 will be our Parent-Teacher-Student Conference night. On Tuesday the 14th, and Thursday, the 16th, conferences will be held from 4:00-7:30 PM. On Friday the 17th, conferences will be held from 12:30-4:00 PM. Friday will be an early dismissal at 11:30 AM. We will again use Sign Up Genius to register for conferences. A link is available on our school website under Quick Links. Each assigned conference time runs in 20-minute increments so we ask that you arrive a little early to ensure a smooth transition from one conference to the next. Thank you for help and we look forward to seeing you during conferences.

Please remember that our Scholastic Book Fair will take place on November 14th, 16th and 17th during conferences. Scholastic provides books and Scholastic Dollars for our school based on the
sales from this event. There is also an opportunity to purchase books for your child’s classroom! Check out the teacher’s “wish list” board when you are visiting the book fair.


PBIS October Assembly 

For October, our focus was RESPECT. We reviewed respect with an assembly in the gym on October 25. During the assembly, a coach and two athletes from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Wheelchair Basketball Teams - Cornerstone for Success Program joined us to talk about respect and awareness of disabilities and being successful in whatever they do in and out of the classroom.

Our focus for November is RESPONSIBILITY and conflict resolution.  We will be learning about how we can be responsible and resolve conflicts at school, at home, and in our communities.  We will end the month with another all-school assembly.  Thank you to the 2nd-grade teacher team who assisted with the organization of the October assembly.






Colder Weather has Arrived

As the weather gets colder, students should come to school dressed appropriately. Please consider the following when dressing your child for school:

  • Dress your child for cold, wet weather. Even if you transport them to school, students are usually expected to be outdoors before school and at recess time.
  • Layers of clothing that let children adjust to temperature changes in the building and outdoors are helpful.
  • Weather conditions change quickly. Although the weather may appear to be favorable before school, conditions may change before lunch or afternoon recess.
Thanks for your help in making sure your child is prepared for the weather!



PAC Update

We are two meetings into the year and so much has taken place already.  We have been able to purchase alternative seating options to pilot in some classrooms with the Scholastic Funds that are raised during Book Fairs.  A number of our classrooms are piloting the items so we can better understand which alternative seating options will have benefits for our classroom environments and student needs.  Tall student tables and Kinetic stools are items recently received and being used in some classrooms (as pictured).  Thank you PAC and families!

Additionally, the PAC able to approve the purchase of RedCat Access Audio Systems for ALL of the large group classrooms at Quinney.  This compact speaker and small teacher worn microphone allow for sound to be amplified in a manner in classrooms that makes speech more intelligible and in the process brings help with student attentiveness and ability to process sound, student comprehension, behavior, teacher vocal fatigue and more.  This idea began two years ago with a pilot of three audio systems and the abilities of the system have our teachers interested in having it in their classroom as well.  Thank you PAC and families!

Again, we thank all families for their help in all the fundraising efforts of the PAC as those funds provide the ability to purchase these useful items for our students and teachers.  The PAC is currently planning ONLY ONE BIG FUNDRAISER for the school again, the second annual Color Run/Basket Raffle.  Please watch for more news later in the year about that great school and family event that raises funds for the events such as the Wheelchair Basketball visit, the alternative seating items, the audio systems and more.  Our next meeting will be Monday, November 20th, 6:00-7:00 pm in the Quinney Library. 


COMMUNITY EVENTS AND  ACTIVITY FLYERS

NEW THIS YEAR!  All community flyers will be found on the district web page.  Click here to access information about the Food Drive and Chartwell's information for this month.  Anyone requesting flyer distribution at the elementary level should submit an electronic copy to the district office, attention Erin Kape at kapee@kaukaunasd.org for consideration two weeks prior to the first of each month. Click here or visit the school district website to view the up to date list of events and flyers.



ART WITH MRS. SIEGEL

Second graders used red, yellow, and blue watercolors to paint the primary colors on a printed paint palette.  They then reviewed how to mix the secondary colors onto their palettes.  Finally, students mixed a brown or gray, and some also created “fun” colors (blue-green, pink, yellow-orange…).  The palette was cut out neatly and glued to their sketchbook cover.  Second graders also created a paper brush to overlap onto their palette. Finally, black Sharpies were used for a border of lines and shapes around the sketchbook. Neatness and following directions were concepts emphasized.



Third graders stamped bubbles onto their sketchbook covers, and then cut and glued fish drawings to the bubble background.  They looked at fish pictures and drew their own fish with lines and shapes and textures.  The fish were outlined and then painted with only the 3 primary colors.  Students had to at least mix and paint the 3 secondary colors, and then could add more colors of their choice.  Students were read the Rainbow Fish book, and had the option of adding a sparkly scale!



For the covers of their sketchbooks, fourth graders cut out and glued an object from black paper that could portray a “splash of color” (paintbrush, water bottle, elephant trunk…). Primary colors of tempera paint were then used to paint the colors of the color wheel in order.  Students were to paint the 3 primaries and 3 secondaries, and one to six of the tertiary/intermediate colors.  Neatness and the use of their fine motor skills was emphasized.



Student artwork from the school districts in the Heart of the Valley area will be on display down the main hallway of the YMCA during the YMCA “Y-Arts Week” from November 13th-17th..  Quinney students that have artwork displayed will receive a note home.     For more information call Sharon Johnson at 920-830-5705 or email sjohnson@ymcafoxcities.org.







LIBRARY NEWS WITH MRS. WOLF



Vampire, Bat - Free pictures on PixabaySecond Grade: Second graders are learning about note-taking so they can remember what they read and not copy.  We read nonfiction books about bats and added notes to a web.  



Third Grade: Third graders continue to learn about the online catalog and how the books are arranged in the library.  We are learning more about nonfiction Dewey Decimal call numbers.  Third graders finished hearing the book, Muggie Maggie, and will next hear Birney’s chapter book, The World According to Humphrey.


Fourth Grade: Students are learning about being good digital citizens.  One way is to create citations for books and other media we use in our school work.  We used the citation generator, EasyBib, to cite books by the International Standard Book Number (ISBN).  We are also reviewing call numbers, especially Dewey Decimal call numbers. 


Image from  http://www.virtuallibrary.info/digital-citizenship.html






COUNSELOR'S CORNER WITH MS. DUDA


CLASSROOM GUIDANCE FUN!!
During the month of November, I will be visiting all classes to talk about conflict resolution strategies! In each grade level, we will discuss the size of the problems that we may encounter and how to go about solving these problems by using Kelso’s Choices.  As always, feel free to call me at 766-6116 Ext. 3309 or email me at dudaa@kaukaunasd.org  with any questions or concerns. 

INDIVIDUAL COUNSELING
Can be provided on an as-needed basis for short-term social/emotional concerns.  Students may be referred by self, teacher or parent.

SMALL GROUP COUNSELING
We currently have Social Skill/friendship groups going and we will be starting more with different age groups in the upcoming weeks.  If your child is invited to participate in the great opportunity, you will receive a letter home in their take-home folder describing the group and our goals!  





NEWS FROM THE NURSE-MRS. SUNDELIUS


A child needs many tools to succeed in school. Good vision is one of these important tools. Some tasks at school that require good vision include; reading, writing, chalkboard work, and using computers. A child's eyes are constantly in use in the classroom and at play. When his or her vision is not functioning properly, education can suffer.

According to Prevent Blindness Wisconsin vision problems affect one in 20 preschoolers and one in four school-age children. Without early detection and treatment, vision problems can lead to: 
  • permanent vision loss
  • learning difficulties

Only an eye doctor can diagnose and treat a vision problem, but screenings help find children who need a full eye exam.
In the month of October the Kaukauna Lioness Club has been in the Kaukauna schools doing vision screening for preschool, kindergarten, grade 2 and grade 4 students.  The Lioness ladies use the Spot Vision Screener.  This is a handheld, portable device designed to help users quickly and easily detect vision issues on children. Spot screens both eyes at once from a non-threatening 3-foot distance.   

Parent contact will be made for any of the children in these grades who did not pass this screening.  If you do not receive a letter regarding a vision concern, please be assured that your child did pass this screening.  As always if you have any questions please contact the nurse at your child’s school.




MRS. KRUEGER'S MUSIC 


The 2nd graders were tested on their ability to match pitch this month on the song “Mr. Sun”  They also worked on how to count simple rhythm patterns and vocabulary. Some of the vocabulary they worked on were the louds and softs of music: piano, mezzo, and forte.  Some of the songs they worked on were:  Skin and Bones, This Is Halloween, the Whacky Halloween, Halloween, Pick A Pumpkin, and The Halloween Parade.

The 3rd graders were tested on their ability to match pitch this month on the refrain of “This Land Is Your Land.” They worked very hard on rhythm and vocabulary during the month of October. They also worked on dynamics, the louds and softs of music:  pianissimo, piano, mezzo piano, mezzo, mezzo forte, forte, and fortissimo.  They learned what a round is and got to practice one with the song The Ghost Of John.  Other songs that they worked on were Skin and Bones, Scarin’ Alive, They’re Out of Sight, and Halloween Night.

The 4th graders were tested on their ability to match pitch this month on the son “The Star Spangled Banner.” They also got a good start to the recorder Karate program.  They have already learned the first song and will have the opportunity to earn their white belt very soon.  Please encourage your child to practice their recorder and help them to find a suitable area at home to do this.




MUSICAL NOTES WITH MRS. NIMMER


 (for the homerooms of Ebben, McKinnon, Dercks, and Rosenbeck)


Each month, we celebrate the birthday of a famous composer.  We learn facts about the composer's life, and we listen to music written by that composer.  For the month of October, our birthday composer was Charles Ives.  We learned about his life and music.  Did you know that he owned his own insurance company, and just did composing on the side?  We listened to one of his most famous pieces, called "Variations on America."  It was based on the tune "America" (My Country 'tis of Thee).  We learned how to sing the song and then listened to the many ways that Ives changed the song in his variations.  We learned about a pipe organ, which Ives wrote the piece to be performed on.  We even got to see a clip of a person playing the piece on the pipe organ.  Did you know people play a keyboard (pedals) with their feet when they play the organ?

In 2nd grade we learned the song "Aiken Drum."  We also began listening to the Carnival of the Animals by Saint-Saens.  We love to see which animal "appears" in the carnival each time we come to music!  The 2nd graders learned the words:  woodwind, brass, percussion, and string (4 instrument families).  We read both a fiction and an informational text about spiders, and connected this to our new Halloween song "Eight Legs."  We got to hear a pipe organ in this piece and talked about a "refrain" of a song, which keeps coming back.  We practiced piano/forte in the song "Skin and Bones."  We also got to work on our pitch-matching skills with a new game called "Here We Sit."  It is a fun guessing game where we try to identify "secret" voices from our class!  We practiced basic rhythmic patterns and identified them in particular songs we have heard.


In 3rd grade we learned about a string quartet, in preparation for our Artistic Adventures field trip to the Trout Museum.  We learned 2 new folk songs:  "Rocky Mountain" and "This Land is Your Land."  We practiced verse and refrain in each of these pieces.  We learned "Bones Boogie" and "Halloween Night" for Halloween, and some students volunteered to sing some solo verses on "Halloween Night."  We practiced piano and forte with the folk song "The Ghost of John," and learned a fun game called "The Conductor Game" to review the 4 instrument families.  We took a pre-test on our "Third Grade Power Words" that we will be learning this year (music vocabulary).  We can't wait to take the test at the end of the year to show how much our music vocabulary has grown!  One of our favorite listening pieces this month was "In the Hall of the Mountain King" from the Peer Gynt Suite by Grieg.  We loved to hear the pizzicato strings in the beginning, and how the dynamics and tempo changed during the piece to help tell the story of Peer Gynt and the trolls!


In 4th grade we began our study of the brass instruments.  We got to hear and see a trumpet, and got to listen to how different mutes can change the sound of the trumpet.  We also heard a French Horn demonstration.  We continued to work on memorizing our National Anthem.  We learned a spiritual called "Dry Bones," and discussed how these spirituals are the basis of all popular music that we listen to today.  For Halloween, we sang "The Sounds of the Night" while practicing some rhythmic patterns in the middle section of the piece.  We played an instrument recognition game called "Clip It" to preview all of the instruments we will learn about this year, and we continued to review our note-reading skills as we prepare to begin playing the recorder in November!





P.E. PLAY BY PLAY WITH MRS. STRATTON



I am unsure where the Month of October has gone! It seems it just flew by and here we are in November!   Football with grades 2, 3, and 4 has finished. We worked hard with this unit! All levels worked on learning different positions; quarterback, running back, wide receiver, and center are the ones we worked on the most.  4th grade got into some four down flag football. We also ran the mile.  It was not what they were expecting but they all did so wonderful!  All levels ended October with the game that seems to be a favorite.  A game called “Ghostbusters.”  Ask them about it!  In November we will begin Volleyball.



P.E. CLASSES  WITH MR. HALLORAN


It has been a great year so far in Physical Education! 2nd, 3rd, and 4th grades all have been working on their football skills in class.  Most classes have taken part in the mile run outside around the playground. What a great accomplishment! Some 2nd, 3rd, and 4th grade classes have taken advantage of the nice weather and the disc golf course outside and have learned some of the skills of disc golf.