ANDERSON ANGLE
Volume IV Issue 5
A Message From Mr. Hewitt
Hello Anderson Families,
We will be giving the Iowa Assessments (formerly known as the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills) to all students in 3rd, 4th and 5th grade on Wednesday, February 7th – Wednesday, February 14th. Please write these dates on your calendar so you can help us prepare your child to do the best job he/she can do. Below are some suggestions for preparing your child for testing:
1. Make sure your child has plenty of sleep the night before testing.
2. Let your child choose in advance, a favorite breakfast. Make sure it consists of some form of protein and carbohydrates for energy.
3. Explain that the purpose of the test is to show teachers what information the child already knows. Explain to your child that they will not know every answer and that is okay.
4. Remind your child to take their time and give their best effort.
5. Consider setting up a special reward or privilege your child can look forward to at home for doing their best on each day of testing.
The Iowa Assessments are important because they give an indication of how individual students are performing year to year. They are also important to our school because of laws that have been passed by the state and federal government. These entities look at our results, using them to determine the effectiveness of our school and to monitor whether or not we are meeting goals.
As always, the staff and I are available to discuss questions or concerns you have about your child’s education. Thank you for being a partner in education!
Sincerely,
Mel Hewitt, Principal
Please Follow Anderson Elementary on Twitter: @MelHewitt1, #AndersonJays
February and March Calendars
6 - 4th Grade Field Trip
23 - Report Cards Go Home
26 - Parent/Teacher Conferences (2:00 Dismissal)
March:
1 - Parent/Teacher Conferences (2:00 Dismissal)
2 - No School - Professional Development Day
12-16 - SPRING BREAK
Be sure to visit the Community Link (below) for more activities and events
2:00 Dismissal Every Monday
2018-19 Preschool Lottery
We will begin accepting lottery applications for our 3 & 4 year-old preschool programs on January 2, 2018. The application will be posted on the District and Preschool websites at that time. To be placed into the lottery, a google form must be submitted online from our district website by midnight, February 16, 2018. Questions? Please call us at 515-967-7819.
Welcome Nurse Jacy Porter!
Please be sure to include her in all emails regarding your child's health. Thank you!
Preschool News
The preschoolers kicked off the new year with a new study on exercise! Students have learned how to keep their bodies healthy by eating a balanced diet and getting plenty of exercise. The students learned yoga poses to stretch their bodies and calm their minds. When the weather keeps us inside during recess we have watched Cosmic Kids Yoga videos on YouTube. The students love these videos because they combine yoga, stories, and fun! The preschoolers were also invited to Mr. Zarr’s gym to practice some exercises in the gym. The students had a lot of fun getting their heart-rates up!
Our exercise study has also brought several guests to the district. Someone from the Altoona Pediatric Dental office is coming to talk to our students about how to keep our teeth healthy. The Altoona Hy-Vee dietitian is also making a visit to our classroom to talk to the students about how to pick a healthy snack.
Bondurant's BEST Students of the Week
Bondurant's BEST Students of the Week
Bondurant's BEST Students of the Week
Third Grade News
Anderson’s third graders have been working hard all year on speeches to present in front of their classmates. Their speeches have been on a range of topics like “Favorite Author,” “Family Traditions,” and “If I was President of the United States.” Every month, the students choose from two options to speak about.
Each speech is three to five minutes in length, and focuses on the skills of volume of voice, pace of speaking, answering questions, and eye contact with an audience. The students have brought in different objects to display and add to their presentations, while others have made Google Slide presentations for their speeches.
This month, the students have had the choice of “My Winter Activities” or “My Fantasy Vacation.” Students have demonstrated how to do an activity they enjoy during the winter months, or presenting information about a dream destination they would like to visit – complete with a brochure! The students have loved presenting about themselves for each other!
Bondurant's BEST Students of the Week
Bondurant's BEST Students of the Week
Bondurant's BEST Students of the Week
4th Grade - Social Studies News
In Social Studies, the 4th graders learn all about the Regions of the United States of America. We will learn all five regions of the United States: Northeast, Southeast, Midwest, West, and Southwest. We talk about many different topics within each region. We discuss resources, landmarks, industries, history and the region today.
We began with the Northeast region! The region is rich in resources. We discover that this region produces apples, blueberries, potatoes, seafood, coal, iron and steel. One of the biggest resources we discuss are cranberries because of the unique way they grow. They grow in bogs! Another major piece of the Northeast region is the history! The students love learning about the history of how the United States was created.
We just finished the Midwest region! The students love this region because we live in this region! We have great classroom discussions because the students are able to directly relate to it! A big part of this region is transportation. We discuss the history of transporting good to various places. We begin with the Mississippi River and using the river to gently transport goods downstream. They learned that because it was so difficult to row back up the river, Steamboats were invented! As the United States grew in size, rivers were not the best form of transportation anymore. The invention of the train made transporting good across the United States a breeze! Finally, we learned that the invention of the Interstate system connected every state in the Continental United States together making transportation easier and faster!
In 4th grade, we learn to make Social Studies fun and exciting! Ask you student all they have learned in Social Studies, you’ll be amazed!
Bondurant's BEST Students of the Week
Bondurant's BEST Students of the Week
Bondurant's BEST Students of the Week
5th Grade Fragments
This month, 5th graders are being surrounded with the performing arts. Held in the Middle School Auditorium, the 5th grade choir recruitment begins by engaging students with vocal performances. The Select Choir, an auditioned choir from the high school, and few 6th grade choirs will be presenting information about joining choir next year. The presentation includes an informative video discussing various things students can participate in, while participating in choir. These opportunities include Honor Choir, the Variety Show, the Middle School Talent Show, singing at the Iowa Wild, and joining the High School choirs at a concert. The presentation also discusses factors such as scheduling and what students most enjoy about choir.
Students who choose to sign up for choir during this recruitment will be invited to a donut-filled “Meet and Greet” in which they will have the opportunity to engage with both middle and high school choir students. Parents will also receive an informative letter discussing next year’s choir and band opportunities.
Meanwhile, band students are preparing for a culturally-infused field trip to the Des Moines Civic Center. Creole for Kidz and the History of the Zydeco is an interactive performance aimed to entertain and educate children on the Creole culture through Zydeco-styled music. Terrance Simien is a Grammy Award winner who provides children with an entertaining experience to explore Zydeco’s musical combination of African, French, Spanish, and Native American styles. Through this experience, 5th Grade students will gain a broader perspective on culturally diverse music.
Bondurant's BEST Students of the Week
Bondurant's BEST Students of the Week
Bondurant's BEST Students of the Week
PE News & Notes
A lot has been going on at Anderson Elementary in PE. We started out the year doing some physical fitness testing. The areas we tested in were agility, endurance, upper body strength, speed, flexibility, and core. In April, we will test again and see our improvement in these areas.
Hiking down to Mud Creek and back was our Monday activity when school started until the weather turned cold. Now students are given choices for free play on a Monday. During the rest of the week, we work on our lessons with different units. This year we have already covered units in Chasing/Fleeing (tag), basketball, football, and volleyball. Units we are just ready to start are scooters, parachute, and bowling.
The students participated again in Jump Rope for Heart. They raised over $4500 for The American Heart Association. For this, I send a big thank you to the students and their parents.
Final thought…get your student outside and play as much as possible. 60 minutes a day is always our goal.
A Note From the Anderson Elementary PBIS Committee...
As we enter into the winter months here in Iowa, please remember to dress your children appropriately and safely for school each day. As a rule of thumb at Anderson Elementary, we keep the students inside for recess if the temperature is 5 degrees or lower (actual temperature or wind chill). With that in mind, please remind your child to wear the appropriate winter clothing; hats, gloves or mittens, warm coat, and when there is snow on the ground, boots and snow pants.
It is a great idea to label all of your winter gear with your child’s name so that it is easily identifiable if it goes missing. And on those days when there is snow on the ground, and your child wears their boots to and from school, don’t forget to pack an extra pair of shoes that they may wear while they are at school.
Thank you in advance for helping our students stay warm and safe!
School Counselor (Mrs. Miltenberger)
The school counselors at BFCSD are here to serve all of our families. Please do not hesitate to contact me at miltenbergerl@bfschools.org for additional resources or referral information. You can also find a list of outside agencies that provide counseling on the School Counselor section of the Bondurant-Farrar website; https://www.bfschools.org/Page/729
Congratulations, Staff!
B.E.S.T. Staff of the Week
B.E.S.T. Staff of the Week
B.E.S.T. Staff of the Week
BackPack Program
Once again, we are excited to partner with the Food Bank of Iowa to provide nutritious weekend snacks to low-income families with elementary aged students. If you are in need or know of a family who may benefit from this program, please call Mrs. Bonita Wiley at 515-967-7494 or email her at wileyb@bfschools.org. For more information regarding The BackPack Program, please click here.
WatchDOG Program
The Bondurant-Farrar WatchDOGs program is a parent involvement program that invites parent-figures into the school to help increase security and reduce bullying. Moms, dads, grandparents, aunts, and uncles are encouraged to spend a half- or full-day at their child’s school. During that day, you’ll have the opportunity to be in your child’s classroom, eat lunch with him or her, help in other classrooms, monitor hallways, and/or assist teachers and administrators with every-day projects – all of which enhance the overall education experience of our children. To find out more, or to sign-up to be a WatchDOG, email watchdogsbondurant@gmail.com.
Box Tops for Education App
There is now a Bonus Box Tops app to help us earn even more to buy new library books! When you download the app, it will show you products you can earn bonus points for. When you scan your receipt, you'll earn the bonuses! Our school's Box Tops account is listed under Anderson Elementary because the account existed before Morris did, but the money earned is split equally between Anderson and Morris Libraries.
Save the Date!
Buy your tickets now through Mardi Gras (Feb. 13, 2018) for a discounted price at Party of Blue Jays. Stay tuned for more information regarding the upcoming event!
Anderson Elementary
Email: hewittm@bfschools.org
Website: http://www.bfschools.org
Location: 400 Garfield Street Southwest, Bondurant, IA, United States
Phone: 515-967-7494
Twitter: @MelHewitt1