MHS/WES Newsletter
Thursday, December 5, 2019
News from Principal Taylor
Report Cards
Report cards will be coming home on Friday in your child's backpack. Please reach out to your child's teacher if you have any questions or concerns.
MHS/WES Scholastic Book Fair
Did you know? Reading just 20 minutes a day exposes your child to about 1.8 million words per year. Reading helps students develop a stronger vocabulary, and in addition, students who read for pleasure average higher grades in English, mathematics, science, and history!
Our Scholastic "Arctic Adventure " book fair is open this week! It will be open on Thursday and Friday from 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. It is also open on Saturday during our PTO Holiday Craft Fair from 9:00 - 11:00 a.m. This is a great time to stock up on some holiday gifts. All proceeds from our book fair goes back to our students. With our scholastic funds we are able to purchase books for both libraries and our classrooms. We also are able to purchase special classroom carpets and alternative seating options for students.
Thank you for your continued support of our schools!
Important School Dates
- December 5~School Improvement Council Meeting at 4:15 p.m.
- December 11~PTO Meeting in the WES Art Room 6:30 PM
- December 16~WES Holiday Concert 6:30 PM at Monty Tech
- December 23-January 1~No School~December Vacation
- January 2~Classes Resume
- Jan. 6th ~ Math-A-thon Kick-off
- January 31st ~ Math-A-thon Concludes
First Grade News
First Graders have been busy becoming fluent in our math facts!! Research suggests that when children are able to automatically answer math facts their brains are free to concentrate on more complex math operations and word problems. To continue to promote fact fluency the first grade teachers will be sending home math facts for homework.
Another math concept we have been working on is coin identification. This is a very difficult concept for first graders and repeated frequent practice helps. When you have an opportunity at home please practice coin names and coin values. If your child seems to know these then you can start working on basic coin counting. Start counting just pennies, then just dimes and then a mix of pennies and dimes.
The snow has arrived! Please send in snow clothes with your child for recess (snow pants, boots, coat, hat, mittens/gloves). We try to make sure the children go out for recess every day and once the snow has arrived there isn’t much to do on the playground if your child doesn’t have snow clothes. Please make sure all of your child’s clothing is marked with his/her name. Also, the clothes get wet and sandy when the children are playing outside and we don’t want their important papers to get ruined so please send the snow gear in a bag other than your child’s backpack.
3rd Grade News!!
On Thursday, December 19th third graders will be having a holiday celebration (snow date 12/20). As part of the festivities, we will be having a gift exchange with girls buying for girls and boys buying for boys. We would like the presents to be some sort of school supplies, and should not go over our $5.00 limit. Some possible ideas are…notebooks, pocket folders, markers, colored pencils, erasers, glue sticks, and so on. (Please try to make sure that you buy school stuff. If one or two kids get a game, others will be upset!)
All gifts should be wrapped and have a label saying GIRL or BOY. Please have all gifts in no later than Wednesday, December 18th. This is a fun time for children to learn how to graciously give and receive a present. Thank you ahead of time for helping to make this celebration happen.
News From the Purple Palette and Paintbrush
K & 1 have practiced painting set up and clean up. So far watercolor paint and paint-sticks are open at the Paint Studio. This is in addition to the Drawing Center, Paper Scraps and Art Games.
Grade 2 learned paper weaving recently (Grade K and 1 will do this soon) The Mixed Media center will be open soon as well as Weaving with yarn.
Grade 3 brushed up on their scrap paper collage skills. They also recently practiced still life using textures plates and paint sticks.
Grade 4 students were the first to use clay this year! They made medallions, ornaments and small pinch pots to start. They also brushed up in their watercolor wash techniques using salt.
Grade 5 has also used clay, but it was an option, so only a few students chose to work with clay at this time. It will be available on other occasions throughout the year.
Speaking of clay: children are currently using air dry clay, but very soon they will be using “ real clay”! Thanks to the generous purchase of a new kiln by the PTO, the students will have another clay/pottery option. THANK YOU PTO!!!!!!!
Artsonia news: I have uploaded hundreds of artworks to the students’ Artsonia pages. I have a few hundred more to add in the next few days. (Grade 1 artwork will be uploaded now through next week: some students did a “hands and heart” painting and some made mitten paintings.) The following artwork has been uploaded: Grade K-Snowmen paintings and heart painting; Grade 1- see above; Grade 2- Warm & Cool Paper Weaving; Grade 3- “Winter Mug” painting; Grade 4- Watercolor Wash painting and Grade 5- Optical Illusion drawing.
Please let me know if you don’t see these recent artworks on your child’s page. (I’m still working on some grade levels’ artwork)
Lastly: LOOKING FOR DONATIONS of the following: tin foil, THICK yarn, THICK yarn, and...more THICK yarn. (Yes, finger weaving has been re-introduced) Thanks to all the paper, cardboard and craft donations that have trickled in over the past 2 months!!!!!!!!
Stay creative!
Ms. Banning
PTO Holiday Craft Workshop
Our holiday craft workshop is open from
10:00 - 11:00 a.m.
on Saturday, December 7th in the MHS cafeteria.
For any questions, please email Marissa Chapman at marissamoves@hotmail.com
A BIG BOOSTERTHON THANK YOU!
The Westminster PTO would like to extend a very big thank you to the entire community and all involved in this year’s Boosterthon “Fun Run” school-wide fundraiser! All of your support and generosity helped students to raise an impressive net profit of $24,335! A special thank you to Sheri Bean and Erica George for chairing this event and coordinating such a special day, and a big shout-out to school administration, support staff, and teachers for making this event possible!
Students had an absolute blast at this year’s fundraiser and their lessons on humility, kindness, generosity, gratitude and honesty will certainly resonate all year.
Please join us at the next PTO Meeting on Wednesday, December 11th at 6:30PM in the (*special location) WES Art Studio as we open a discussion for suggestions on how to spend these proceeds.
Ideas so far include:
Fulfillment of teacher wish-lists
Funding for cultural events
Playground improvements
A sensory hallway
Supplies for special subjects
and more!
With thanks,
The PTO Board
Cari, Kelly, Marc and Sara
*Childcare will be available during the December 11th meeting in the WES Music Room.