Pine Bend Elementary
May Family Newsletter
Principal Update
April has been an exciting month with the start of MCA Testing and enjoying warm weather on the buddy bench making friends! I would like to thank the PTSA and volunteers for another successful school carnival. Be sure to read the information below about all the exciting things happening in the Pine Bend community
Pine Bend on Instagram @pinebendelementary
Pine Bend on Twitter @mrcooperpb
May Day 5K
Pine Bend Family Night Survey
Parents/Guardians,
We would appreciate your input in a short survey regarding future Pine Bend family nights.
Please click here for the survey. Thank you!
Padres/tutores,
Agradeceremos su participación en una breve encuesta sobre las noches de familia aquí en la Pine Bend por el próximo año.
Por favor, haga clic en el enlace proporcionado. ¡Gracias!
Elementary Media to Expand in ISD 199
Media has been a mainstay offering for students in ISD 199 elementary schools. The student skills developed within Media are constantly changing. Beginning with the next school year, this will be adjusted even further. The adjustment aligns with the district's mission and strategic plan which strive to prepare students for future success in college and career.
Students will have the opportunity to enhance their future ready skills of communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and creativity with lessons linked to science, technology, engineering, art and media. The adjustment will begin at Salem Hills Elementary School and in the Atheneum Gifted Magnet Program and will be reviewed for potential implementation during the following school year at Hilltop and Pine Bend elementary schools.
May Box Tops
The next monthly Box Tops for Education contest time is here!! The deadline for this month is May 31st! Ask friends, family and neighbors if they will clip Box Tops labels for you. The class with the most Box Top labels turned in for that month will get the “Top Clippers” trophy (pictured). Our goal is to raise $1,000 and last year we raised $843.80 - so close, but still amazing!
Pine Bend Garden
The Pine Bend School Garden is now in its second year! We will be adding 6 additional 3-foot diameter beds to the 4 we currently have for a total of 10. These will be installed on Saturday, May 18 at 9:00 am. We will also be creating a pollinator garden by the flagpole in front of the school, date to be determined. After school garden club classes will begin Monday, May 6 at 3:15 pm to 4:00 pm and go to the end of the school year. There is a 10 student limit. Please contact Patricia McCabe, Pine Bend ESL Teacher, if you would like to volunteer or learn more about the gardening program: mccabep@isd199.org. Visit our Facebook page, Pine Bend School Garden, for photos and updates!
The garden was made possible due to generous donations by the Pine Bend PTSA and Minnesota State Horticultural Society Garden-in-a-Box program.
Kindergarten
First Grade
Second Grade
April was a busy month for us in 2nd grade.
In reading we learned about folktales and fables. We heard some fun stories in this unit!
In writing, students read and wrote their own poems.
Everyone worked extra hard on math this month as we practiced and finished subtraction with borrowing. This is a hard concept, and the students did great! We are finishing up the month learning about graphs.
We spent time learning about seeds and plants in science. We planted brassica and grass and learned how seeds travel and what plants need to survive. This went along well with our Earth Day celebrations, too!
May will be a busy month with tests and finishing up other things. We are looking forward to the warm weather and some fun activities.
Third Grade
In third grade, we celebrated spring this month by focusing on our world outside. We started our science unit on the Sun, the Moon, and the Stars. We observed the Moon using a Moon log and learned the eight phases of the moon, including two new vocabulary words waxing (the bright side growing larger) and waning (the bright side getting smaller). We studied our own shadows during the day and noticed how shadows grow and shrink depending on the Sun’s position. We also drew an illustration to show what we understand about shadows. Our annual visit to the planetarium is scheduled for April 30th. It is the first time many of these children have been to this cool display of the night sky.
In math, we finished up our geometry lessons and started our unit on fractions. We are comparing fractions with like and unlike denominators in groups, as a part of a whole, and on a number line. We also thought about what fractions are used for in real life. They are everywhere! We will follow this with a review of time and money as we finish learning our math standards.
In language arts, we discussed author’s purpose, tone, and theme. We reviewed different types of figurative language and sensory details to help make stories come alive. Now we are applying what we have learned as each child writes his or her own fiction story during Writer’s Workshop. They will be published in a book for all to read. We are excited to share these stories with our parents at the end of the year.
Finally, we spent a bit of time this month reviewing all the topics we have covered so far this year in preparation for our first MCA tests. As teachers, we are very proud of what all of these children have accomplished. There is still much to learn, as the crayfish are on their way. Next month is our science unit on the Structures of Life and our visit to the Minnesota Zoo. We hope many of our parents can join us!
Fourth Grade
The fourth graders are having an exciting month. We are going to be visiting The Pine Bend Landfill. We will be learning about where our food and other waste products end up. We will also learn about reducing and recycling our trash. We are also really looking forward to our Jonathan Padleford river cruise on the Mississippi River. We will be learning about the river ecosystem and will be playing fun science games to help us understand river habitats. We have Dakota County and the National Park Service to thank for providing us with these two educational trips.
We are into our testing month and we are all doing our best on our MCA tests. In reading we are learning about the rain forest and the various tribes that live in them. We are learning about Jane Goodall and her contributions to conservation. She is 85 years old and travels 300 days out of the year to educate people so Earth's precious animals do not become extinct. Her motto is: " Together we can. Together we WILL!!!"
We are working with decimals and having fun with charts and graphs in math. In health we have been learning about how drugs and alcohol affect our bodies. Kids from the high school, who are involved with 4H, came into our rooms and taught us many things about drugs and alcohol. We learned how to say no and what to do if we experience peer pressure. They gave us good advice and told us what it is like to be in high school and how to make good choices.
Fifth Grade
Phy Ed
The month of April is a busy month for us all. Please continue to stay active as a family in any way you can especially in this warm weather. In Physical education students are just finishing up their roller blading unit for grades 2-5 and the cooperating games unit for grades K-1. All Pine Bend Students will be showing us their locomotor skills as we are moving into our hurdles and track and field events unit. Watch for our upcoming 5th grade track and field day on May 17th and our Pine Bend Fun Day on May 31st!
Please don’t forget to wear /bring tennis shoes to school each day!
Thank you,
Mrs. Koch and Miss Darrow
MUSIC
Other music news:
Kindergarten graduation is coming! We are preparing to share our "show" with all of you, our friends. Please keep an eye out for the dates, as the classroom teachers share. It's almost time to move on to First Grade!
Second grade has great Tinikling skills. Curious about what it is!? Check out this link to learn and join in the fun!
Third grade and Fourth grade are working hard on recorders, and many are submitting videos through our Learning Management System, Schoology. Did you know recorders are an important part of musical education because, for one, it acts as a great bridge to all other band instruments? We all have heard a lot of Hot Crossed Buns, and squeaks, but just remember the process is what matters, and it is leading to greater things!
Fifth grade has been learning about chords by playing the piano to the song Heart and Soul. We've done so through our Learning Management System, Schoology. They have uploaded, downloaded, participated in discussion, and many other things within Schoology, therefore preparing them for middle and high school classes. Great job, Fifth grade!
Take time to hear the birds sing!
Mrs. Klotz and Mrs. Hoffman
May Reading Connection Newsletter
Upcoming Events
May 3 - Spirit Day with popcorn!
May 24 - Early Release at 11:45 am
May 27 - NO SCHOOL