The Kurtz Connection
Welcoming + Empowering + Achieving = GREATNESS!
Veterans Day at Kurtz
Our Annual Veterans Day Celebration is scheduled for Friday, November 10th. We at Kurtz hold this event as a point of pride in our community. The Kurtz staff, students, and our friends from The Palate Restaurant in Milford, have special plans for this heartwarming celebration. Our honored guests and their families will be treated to a delicious breakfast in our cafeteria at 8:30, before the ceremony. After breakfast, we will be presenting a special recognition to our local veterans in attendance, for their service to our country. We hope to see you there, whether you have a family member who is a veteran or not. All are welcome to join us, at this important celebration.
From the Principal's Desk
Our Silent Auction is coming up on November 10th. Our team is consistently amazed by the strong commitment our families make in support of learning at Kurtz. The Silent Auction is in place to encourage families to mingle and build relationships with other members of the Kurtz community, as well as lock in funding for great projects like our S.T.E.M. Lab enhancements, playground additions and classroom proposals, Every child at school benefits from the great things we do at Kurtz because of your commitment to our vision. We never take your support for granted and assure you our vision for fundraising is always based on research and communication between all parties involved. As your building principal, it is my commitment to all members of the Kurtz community that we make purchases that have the greatest impact on learning. Your support and commitment today will have an impact on learning for years to come. I look forward to seeing you at Bakers on Friday, November 10th, as we celebrate our shared vision and commitment to our Kurtz students and their learning!
CATS Corner
The CATS (Cross Categorical) classes have been doing activities and lessons around our theme, Fall Harvest. We have painted pumpkins and made apple prints. We also went on a scavenger hunt for different colored leaves, sang and danced to some Halloween classics, and even attended a field trip to Spicer's Orchard for cider, donuts, and some good old fashioned apple picking!
Don’t forget, Chisik Chat is coming up for parents of students in Mrs. Conway’s and Mrs. Stephan’s classes. The event will take place in the Kurtz cafeteria on November 13th at 6:00.
Kindergarten
In November, the kindergarteners will be studying the elements of story books including characters and setting as well as working on skills of retelling. In writing we will continue to polish our 3 part story books and then work on listing and labeling skills. Math will focus on addition and subtraction story problems up to 10 and then learning and understanding teen numbers. Students will also be bringing home books in a bag to practice reading skills each and every night. There is always so much to do and so much to be thankful for in Kindergarten!
We three teachers are so thankful for all students, and their supportive families! Without you, we could not accomplish so many fun and important things! Thank you for all you do!
First Grade
First graders went batty over flying mammals in October! Students attended an in-school field trip program presented by the Organization for Bat Conservation. First graders learned the difference between Microbats and Megabats. In addition, they learned about the life cycle, life requirements and habits of bats. The highlight of the program was hearing a bat echolocate through the use of technology! After the program, first graders became bat experts by creating a diagram of a bat and writing bat facts!
Second
Third graders are working very hard on increasing their vocabulary, spelling and writing of complete sentences. They are using a new program this year called Wordly Wise, to help with vocabulary . Wordly Wise helps students learn new words and their meanings, including words with multiple meanings. Also, students are studying a new spelling pattern for word study, each week. They are learning to apply spelling patterns in their writing and to recognize these patterns in their reading. After they have studied the spelling pattern, they will be tested to determine if they can apply the pattern and spell words correctly. The test will also assess whether students can write a complete sentence with a capital letter and punctuation at the end of the sentence. Please ask your child about the new words they are learning in Wordly Wise and check their planner to see what spelling pattern they are studying in word study!
Third Grade
Third graders are working very hard on increasing their vocabulary, spelling and writing of complete sentences. They are using a new program this year called Wordly Wise, to help with vocabulary . Wordly Wise helps students learn new words and their meanings, including words with multiple meanings. Also, students are studying a new spelling pattern for word study, each week. They are learning to apply spelling patterns in their writing and to recognize these patterns in their reading. After they have studied the spelling pattern, they will be tested to determine if they can apply the pattern and spell words correctly. The test will also assess whether students can write a complete sentence with a capital letter and punctuation at the end of the sentence. Please ask your child about the new words they are learning in Wordly Wise and check their planner to see what spelling pattern they are studying in word study!
4th Grade
In fourth grade social studies, we have been learning about the United States, in spatial terms. We have reviewed the different physical features of the U.S.A. such as mountain ranges, plains, coastal plains, plateaus, basins, valleys, canyons, river systems, the gulf and deserts. The fourth graders are also learning to give absolute and relative location as well as give information on a location based on the Equator, Prime Meridian and hemispheres.
Fifth Grade
"Gratitude is a quality similar to electricity: It must be produced and discharged and used up in order to exist at all." ~ William Faulkner
November is the time for the fifth grade students, families and teachers to plan the Annual Fifth Grade Fall Gathering, scheduled for the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. This year we'd like to call it, Harvest of Memories. Fifth graders will enjoy delicious soups, chilies and other fall comfort foods brought in by parents. This is a fun event for students, teachers and parents to come together as a caring community, to visit and share good food and quality time. Just like last year, there will be a SignUpGenius for parents to help keep the event organized and easy.
At Kurtz, we have terrific 5th grade students who enjoy getting together with their peers and taking a break from school work! This type of cohesive school event is perfect for building their social development. As they develop their friendships and social behavior, they are also cementing ties and creating a caring community of learners and creating great memories!
P.E.
We have completed our football and soccer units. I have been very impressed with our students and their overall work ethic. I can certainly tell that we have many students that play football and/or soccer away from school!
Our upper elementary students have already completed a timed mile run and the Pacer Test. The Pacer test is a multistage shuttle run designed to measure aerobic capacity, which is characterized by endurance, performance and fitness. The objective of the Pacer is to run as long as possible while keeping a specified pace. The Pacer is an effective, fun and easy way to measure aerobic capacity that encourages participation from all youth and is relatively easy to score. We are lucky to have so many hard working, talented kids at Kurtz Elementary.
Literacy Coach
Supporting Students at Kurtz
Our district has developed a plan for providing additional support for students struggling to meet grade level expectations. The plan is based on the Response to Intervention Model (RTI). In addition to instruction, students receive support in a variety of ways. The first and most important level of support or Tier I support, is provided by the classroom teacher to students within the classroom. The second level of support or Tier II, is provided by the classroom teacher or our intervention team to students during W.I.N (What I Need) time.
Our intervention team supports students during W.I.N., four times per week. Our W.I.N schedule this year is Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. Mrs. Michelle Ward, Mrs. Julie Barron, Mrs. Kathy Kramar and Mrs. Kathryn Eriksen are returning members of our team. This year, we welcome a new member to our team, Mrs. Lisa Spoor.
Support for English Language Learners
In addition to our intervention team this year, we have 2 para-professionals supporting our English Learners at Kurtz. Mrs. Elizabeth Ginsbach and Mrs. Farah Adamo.
Happy reading to all students!
Art
Kurtz artists have been hard at work! While each grade is working on their own unique projects, some things remain the same across all grade levels, such as the various routines that can be found in the art room.
The early finisher’s area is for all students to use after they put the final touches on their current art projects. It gives budding artists a chance to read about art, practice their drawing skills through guided instruction, or simply to let their creativity flow! It is also an exercise in organizational skills, as students learn where different supplies are kept and how to clean up and put materials back in their designated spots.
Third through fifth grade students recently completed an art room scavenger hunt to review material location and responsible material use as well!
The Emotional Bank Account is something we have been talking about and referring to, the past few weeks. Comparing our feelings to a bank account is a great way for kids to have a visual understanding of the effect that different actions can have on us. We make a deposit into our Emotional Bank Account anytime someone uses kind words or actions; it has been wonderful to see so many deposits being made in the art room! First and second grade students combined shapes and painting techniques to create pigs which helped remind them to make deposits in Emotional Bank Accounts.
You may have also heard your student talk about something called Noodle Doodle. In the art room, this is a new and fun way to describe being smart (Noodle) and making art (Doodle). The current Noodle Doodle is posted on the Smart Board for each grade level, which describes the lessons objectives, art making steps, materials, etc. for reference. We love how this shortens transitions, increases engagement and Noodle Doodle is a whole lot of fun to say!
Smartest Artist is a game that is reserved for the last few minutes of class after materials have been put away and students are getting ready to leave, if time allows. One student is chosen each time to be the host, whose job it is to hand the microphone off to different contestants, as they answer art-related questions. This is a great way for our artists to review what they have been learning and to have fun! Thank you Mrs. Schime for introducing it to the art room when Mrs. Kaczor was on leave last school year!
Stay tuned to hear more about all the wonderful student artwork that has and will be created over the next month. Kurtz kids are truly Art Smart!
Math Pentathlon
We are gearing up for Math Pentathlon and are so excited to start a new season soon. We are very lucky to have some new teachers on board. Division 1 (K-1) teachers are Mrs. Dinnan, Mrs. Zimmerman, and Mrs. Scime. Division 2 (2-3) teacher is Mrs. Hornyak and Division 3 ( 4-5) teachers are Mrs. Petrak and Mrs. Burke. Our district-wide tournament will be on Tuesday, March 20 from 6-9. We are looking for parent volunteers who would be interested in helping with Math Pentathlon this year. If interested, please email susan.dinnan@hvs.org. We will be starting lunch recess practices in December and will have after school practices beginning in January. Be on the lookout for a Math Pentathlon note sent home soon!
We are hoping to bring home the First Place trophy again this year!
Student BEAT Writers
My name is Rachel Johnson. I’m 9 years old. I’m in Mrs. Petrak’s 4th grade class. I play softball and I do gymnastics. I was born on 12-19-2007. I’m very excited for this year and being a student beat writer. I hope the articles we write won’t bore you. :)
Hi, I’m Maddy Herron. I'm a fourth grade student from Kurtz Elementary. I’m in Mrs. Stuart's classroom. She is really nice. I'm really excited to be a student beat writer this school year. I do gymnastics and soccer. I’m really
flexible. I was born on 6-9-2008. I hope you like our articles. I hope they don't bore you. :)
My name is Alexis De Mars. I horseback ride and I love school. My favorite subject in school is reading. My favorite color is pink and my favorite principal is Mr. Chisik and my favorite teacher is Mrs.Stuart.
My name is Norman. I’m eight years old. I am in 3rd grade in Ms. Stewart’s class. I like soccer and bowling. I love to do art, music and P.E. I have a dog and three younger sisters. My favorite subjects are writing and math. My favorite holidays are Valentines Day and Christmas.
EMAIL ANGELS
You may or may not be aware that we have a parent group in place at Kurtz referred to as EMAIL ANGELS. Our EMAIL ANGELS is a group of parents and community members who are community minded. Our office team at Kurtz works diligently to obtain information about our families who are in need. We are always discrete and confidential as we interact with family members who express needs. Our staff liaison, Mrs. Ginsbach, is given names and needs as they come to us. She will then send out an email indicating needs without names attached. This process has proven to make a huge difference in our community for many years. We encourage you to reach out to Mrs. Ginsbach via email if you are interested in having your email address added to the EMAIL ANGELS group. There is never any commitment to being a part of this group as it is strictly voluntary.
On another note, the holiday season is just around the corner. Let Mr. Chisik know if you are interested in adopting a child or a family for the Thanksgiving or the December holiday season. We are always interested in playing a role in making this season as perfect as we can for each and every member of the Kurtz community.
Email elizabeth.ginsbach@hvs.org in order to be added to the EMAIL ANGELS group today!
STEAM LAB
We are off to a busy start this year in the S.T.E.M. lab. If you are not aware, STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math because throughout the year, I hope to integrate all of these subjects into the projects that we are working on. It’s true that we will often be using the computers to work on projects, but they are only one tool that we have available in the STEM lab!
Fifth graders have begun honing their keyboarding skills using the program called Typing.com. They also completed a compare and contrast poster about upper and lower elementary. Recently, fifth graders have been writing code for their own simple video games using Google’s Computer Science First program, along with Scratch. They have designed a racing game, and a simple chase game for two players. They have had fun learning how to customize the characters and backdrop, and how to program buttons and the mouse to control the game. Students can access their work from home, so don’t hesitate to have them show you their work on your home computer or tablet!
Fourth graders are also working on keyboarding skills using Typing.com. They are focusing on holding their hands in home row, and using multiple fingers as they begin to memorize where all of the keys are located. We have reviewed parts of the computer, and also written a short compare and contrast paper on the seasons of summer and fall.
Fourth graders are also working on a Google Question of the Week. They are learning how to use search engines to locate answers and identify their source. One of the main focuses has been on writing answers in their own words - not simply copying and pasting what is found on a website. They are also learning to judge whether a website should be considered a reliable source or not.
Third graders have created an All About Me poster using Google Drawings. We reviewed and learned several different tools on the program, such as inserting text boxes, using word art, changing fonts, adding backgrounds, and inserting pictures from both the internet and student files. It was a fun way to introduce themselves to their new classmates. Students also created a short pumpkin poem and formatted their work in a special way.
Since first and second graders are both coming to the lab for the first time, we are focusing on some basic STEM lab rules and procedures. Students are all trying to memorize their new usernames and passwords. They use them to log-in to the network and navigate to Google Classroom, which I would consider our home website. Once there, students can find their assignments and links to special websites, as well as any of their previous work.
Students are learning how to use tabs to work on more than one website or document at a time. Students were introduced to Google Drawings and learned how to use several tools. They made cool animal and Halloween pictures to demonstrate their learning.
Of course I also have to mention our new Jellybox 3D printer. The students are always very excited to see what’s going on with the printer! Several of the items will be for sale at our school store. Later in the year, fifth grade students will design their own objects using a program called Tinkercad. I can’t wait to see what they will create.
Music
Here is a glimpse of what we have been doing so far in music!
First Grade
In music we have been focusing on duplicating rhythms and beats. Students enjoyed a variety of songs last month involving Halloween and will focus on songs involving all holidays for the months of November and December. We will also begin discussing songs that are high and low as well as fast and slow.
Second Grade
November is one of my favorite months for second grade music. We begin to explore Beethoven’s life and his music. We will be discussing different beats covered in many favorite Thanksgiving songs!
Third Grade
We have been discussing instrument families and will be looking at creating and composing on our ukuleles. Students know three chords by now and with these three chords, we are able to create our own masterpieces!
Fourth Grade
Our fourth graders are definitely focused on playing their recorders this month. They had their first test last week. They will be learning many aspects of music on the recorder such as note values, musicianship, and reading lines and spaces on a music staff.
Fifth Grade
We have been very busy in music! Our concert is December 6, starting at 6:00 p.m. They are looking forward to you being there and enjoying their concert. There will also be a day performance at 2:30 p.m. Both are in the cafeteria. Other than performing arts, we have been busy reviewing recorder music as well as playing ukuleles and preparing for our Veterans Day celebration!
Again, I enjoy every minute I spend with your child during music. It is such a pleasure to hear students singing and enjoying the arts!