Knights in the Know
December 15, 2017
5th Grade Camp at Grady Spruce
At camp our students learned a new appreciation for setting the table for meals, serving yourself only what you will truly eat, and how to clean up after themselves. They learned to problem solve as they prepared a skit with their cabin mates, settled into their cabins, and were responsible for getting themselves to their assignments on time. Best camper awards were given for each cabin. Each morning and evening they participated in a flag ceremony to raise and lower the flag teaching respect for our nation.
It was a wonderful experience for our students, but it would not have been successful without our wonderful chaperones and fabulous 5th grade teachers, who went on every trail with our students. Mrs. Passons is excellent at organizing the entire camp and making sure that everything is ready. We appreciate her work very much!
EXCITE! Gym in PE
Our students had a blast this week learning and moving in PE. They showed off their strength and agility while learning concepts associated with PE curriculum. This would not have been possible without the support of PTA and Box Tops.
From Mrs. Dorrell, "We love our EXCITE coaches. They always bring new and exciting equipment for our children to use that I don’t have access to when I teach balance and weight transfer. We worked hard last week learning some basic skills and the EXCITE teachers take our skills to a whole new level. I love seeing the students faces light up when they walk in and see what is in store for them for the week. Thank you BOX TOPS for paying for such a great event for our school!!"
Denton Rotary Club Presents Dictionaries to Students
Hour of Code
Mrs. Krutka and Mrs. Smith had K-2 this week in the Creative Commons area for Hour of Code. The concepts are similar for the younger students in coding, but they use different tools to help them learn. One of them is the BeeBot. Students created a maze for their bot to travel through, designated the actions with markers, then programmed them in to the BeeBot.
This time has been very beneficial in developing the creativity for our students at all grade levels while incorporating aspects of STEAM learning. We have plans to purchase additional materials for our popular items as well as new tools we do not have yet. Thank you for your support!
Mrs. Krutka compiled a list of items used this week with students as well as links if you would like to learn more about what they were using.
Kindergarten:
- Collaborative coding using commands left, right, forward, backward to get the robot (me) around a red rectangle.
- Using an iPad and the Kodable app, help the Kodable character through puzzles by using arrows as commands
1st Grade:
- Collaborative coding activity
- Using an iPad and the Lightbot Hour of Code app, code the robot through puzzles
2nd Grade:
- BeeBots
- In groups, make a plan for a maze and then create the maze using popsicle sticks. Next, create a plan for your coding program. Finally, program your robot to follow your code. If it doesn’t work the first time, debug and try again!
Watch DOGS
Gingerbread Men and STEM
Our Kindergartners spent the entire week learning through STEM with their gingerbread men activities. Students were able to build on some prior knowledge with the activities and work as a team so solve a specific problem. Thank you parents for volunteering and learning with us!
Thank you staff, parents, students, and Mrs. Gow for your support of Sadie's Sleigh Toy Drive this year! Your generosity brought in 105 new toys for Sadie's Sleigh. The winners of the Popsicle party and extra recess are the 2nd and 3rd graders.
Lost & Found
Upcoming Events
Dec. 19 ~ Dismissal at 12:00. Please remember we have school on the 20th.
Dec. 20 ~ End of 3rd 6 Weeks
Dec. 20 ~ Holiday parties 11:00-11:50
Dec. 20 ~ Dismissal at 12:00 for Winter Break
Jan. 4 ~ School Resumes for Students
Jan. 4 ~ Beginning of 4th Six Weeks
Jan. 4 ~ Report Cards sent home
Jan. 8 ~ PTA Board Meeting
Jan 9 ~ Watch DOGS Donuts with Dad ~ Please RSVP
Jan. 15 ~ No School for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
Jan. 18 ~ College Shirt Day
Jan. 24 ~ PTA Meeting
Jan. 24 ~ Reading/Writing Curriculum Night
Blanton Elementary School
Email: blantonnotes@dentonisd.org
Website: www.dentonisd.org/blantones
Location: 9501 Stacee Lane, Argyle, TX, United States
Phone: 940-369-0700
Facebook: facebook.com/BlantonKnights