Mustang Roundup
December 2018
Principal's Pen
Here's to a Happy Winter Season. I hope you all enjoy great times together as the Winter Break approaches and through the break. Below are a few dates for your calendars:
Monday, December 3 - Friday, December 7: Food Drive continues (Please donate canned and/or packaged foods)
Friday, December 14: Santa Pictures (information to follow)
Friday, December 21: HALF-DAY for STUDENTS; DISMISSAL at 11 am
Monday, December 24 - Friday, January 4, 2019: WINTER BREAK
January 7, 2019: STUDENTS RETURN
We appreciate YOU and ALL the support you show our students and staff!
Children First,
Dr. Barnes
Ms. Sadzakov
We worked so hard during the past month. We learned about wood animals and the ones that can be found at the zoo. Students read the story about those animals, colored pictures of our favorite wood animals, watched videos, and practiced the vocabulary on the communication boards. We completed work boxes and each student worked on his/her goals. We also used some of the last days of warm weather to have our morning walks.
Parents came to our Lunch and Learn and enjoyed it so much. In addition, students loved that they had a chance to study with their families and share with them their learning.
Mrs. Tomlin
Mrs. Tomlin’s class has been learning about geography through our Unique Curriculum. We have studied about maps, their functions, and how to use them to navigate through school and our community. We also discussed Daylight Savings Time, Election Day, Veteran’s Day, and Thanksgiving. For Election Day, students created their own voter registration passes and used them to vote on their favorite classroom snack. For Veteran’s Day, we discussed the meaning behind the special day and what it means for our country as well as us as individuals. We also really enjoyed watching our school Veteran’s Day parade! During our Thanksgiving unit, we created individual “I Am Thankful For” placements. Our class also made cards for all of the people in our lives that we are thankful for. Our class is very thankful to be a part of the Mount Holly Mustang family!
During December, we will be focusing on history through our Unique curriculum. We will be discussing traditions for the holidays throughout history, in our schools, and in our home life. We will read and discuss many different types of holidays celebrated around the world. We will explore these topics through interactive stories, arts and crafts, science experiments, and holiday baking! We are excited to learn about new and different traditions!
Kindergarten
Wow! We can’t believe it’s already December! Thank you so much to the family members who were able to come to the Lunch and Learn. The children loved having you all in our classrooms and seeing their work. They worked extra hard on their writing pieces. We hope you enjoyed these special times as much as they did!
We have a lot of activities going on in the month of December so be sure to hang on to your newsletter to refer back to!
December 3-7th: Visit from Palmetto's Finest for our school
December 10-14th: Reindeer’s Den (send money for your child to shop for gifts – more information will be sent home soon)
December 21st: Last day before Winter Break (Half day for students)
In class we are continuing to work really hard to finish the 2nd nine weeks strong. You can find a list below of things to work with your child on at home;
- Read every night
- Homework every night
- Writing simple sentences about a topic
- Practice letter sounds and out of order
- Read and write word wall words
- Recognize rhyming words
- Tying shoes
- Counting from 1 to 100 (2nd 9 weeks is to 50)
- Recognize and write numbers 1 to 20
- Counting objects using 1 to 1 touch
- Comparing two numbers, which one is greater, less, or are they equal
Again, thank you for your constant support and help in your child’s education. Be sure to check our canvas link for helpful ideas in all content areas. It is:
First Grade
We are almost at the end of our first semester in First Grade! We have had a lot of fun and exciting learning adventures in our classrooms. Our team continues to enjoy providing activities that encourage eager minds to grow in many areas. One great accomplishment is that the entire 1st grade won extra recess time because during Red Ribbon Week we collected the most money for the Susan G. Komen Cancer Research Fund. We are growing both academically as well as in our awareness for the needs of others.
Here’s what we’ll be doing in December to finish up our second 9 weeks.
Reading Students continue to progress in their reading levels while engaged in Guided Reading Groups. We are also emphasizing individual, independent reading skills as each student increases the amount of time spent in thoughtful interaction with self-chosen, just-right books. Word Study will be focused on digraphs such as ch-, sh-, and other consonant combinations that make one sound. Our team will continue to conduct Fountas and Pinnell assessments with individual students to identify their reading level with respect to the current expected target level for first grade students. As always, please read with your students each evening to boost their confidence in reading. Also, please remember to initial their Reading Logs each night.
Writing We continue to write Informational pieces that focus on topics that students know about and are able to teach to their classmates. They enjoy sharing their expertise with others! We are using temporal words to sequence events in our writing (first, then, next, finally, and last). Also, we have learned about text features in nonfiction books that will help us when we do research for our Informational writing this month (Table of Contents, headings, illustrations, captions, and more). Finally, we continue to practice editing and rewriting skills in all of our writing activities to help us develop better writing habits.
Social Studies Our first semester of Social Studies ended with a great field study to our own Rock Hill downtown city center. This trip tied together our educational standards from the first and second 9 weeks. We visited many of our community services—the 911 Dispatch Center, the Police Department, City Hall, and two museums; the Firefighters Museum and the Comporium Communication Museum. All of this happened in one day!! Students and adults enjoyed seeing in person all of the community services that our City provides with the help of our tax money.
Science Our Science unit, Exploring Sun and Moon, builds on some of the topics we studied in the 1st quarter. We will explore the predictable, cyclical nature of the moon phases, and the seasonal patterns in the rising/setting of the sun. The sun is the earth’s primary source of natural light. We will study how the sun benefits our environment and how we can decrease harmful effects of the sun on the earth. Finally, technology allows us to study planets, stars, and other aspects of space. Students will be introduced to some of the instruments that help us to gather information about these wonders.
Math RTI (Response to Intervention) continues and students are grouped based upon their Fall MAP scores as well as on scores from pretests given in class. This helps us focus on the specific needs of your student. RTI is from 7:55 to 8:30 daily.
In Math Workshop, we will explore standards that address concepts and skills related to addition and subtraction. A basic, but not so easily understood, concept is that counting to a higher number is the same as adding and counting to a lower number is the same as subtracting. Another essential concept is that of “sameness/equality” on both sides of the equal sign. For example, True or False does 6 = 4 + 2—we will find the solution. Also, strategies will be taught and used to determine missing numbers in addition/subtraction problems, such as ___+ 7 =10 or 10 - ___ =3. Finally, we will create various kinds of graphs and interpret the data presented on them. I think that we will keep busy!!
Second Grade
This month in social studies the students will be expected to identify the basic functions of government, recognize different types of laws, and identify the roles of leaders and officials in government. Math lessons this month include identifying the names and values of pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters as well as counting various coin combinations up to 99 cents. In addition, the students will be solving real-world addition and subtraction story problems. In reading, the 2nd grade teachers will be modeling how to sequence events within an informational text. Students will continue to pull the central idea and supporting details from an informational text as well.
Don’t forget to READ, even over the holidays!
Third Grade
To integrate our Science and Language Arts, we are researching and writing about the three types of rocks: sedimentary, igneous, and metamorphic. We are studying the properties, how they are formed, how they can change (the rock cycle), and becoming familiar with examples of each. Students will use information gained from their research to create a multi-paragraph essay as part of our informational writing unit.
We have been ROCKin’ it in Science by learning about the three different rock types and how they are formed. Learning that one rock can be “morphed” into another has been extremely fascinating! Discovering that rocks were used in making many of the items we use every single day has been enlightening as well. Be sure to ask your child to name a few items that rocks were used to create! We are now moving into our study of minerals, which ties in nicely because rocks are made of minerals!
To conclude our rocks and mineral study, students will be able to experience rocks and minerals hands-on, as Diamond Del will visit our school on November 28th. Students will be able to mine for their own minerals and keep them as souvenirs! We are so excited!
Please encourage your third grader to study their multiplication and division facts and strategies. Automaticity of multiplication facts is a must! We are busy working on strategies for multiplication and division in our math lessons and during math workshop. Practice at home and completing assigned homework is an important part of mastery because students can become more independent with these skills.
Third graders are also continuing to work on ways to help them become better readers. In reading groups, students are focusing on word attack and processing skills as well as comprehension. Reading at home EVERY night will help your child become a successful third grade reader!
Fourth Grade
Fifth Grade
Fifth grade teachers and students would like to thank everyone who participated in the Penny War fundraiser. We will announce the winning Penny War team (Clemson vs University of South Carolina) after the Thanksgiving Break. Proceeds from this fundraiser will support fifth grade students going to Washington D.C. in April 2019.
Fifth grade students who plan to go to Washington D.C. must return their sponsor information as soon as possible. Our sponsor letters are ready to be sent and we need sponsor information in order to complete this portion of our fundraising efforts.
Our next fundraising event will be another Fish Fry in January at Outbreak Church. More detailed information will be sent out in early January. Contact your child’s teacher for more information.
Physical Education
Did you know that people, including kids, are more motivated to exercise when they know that they are only performing something for a short period of time?
Knowing this can help motivate you to be more active over the holiday season!
Here are some things to consider:
· Time yourself or your kids for 30 second intervals for any exercise
· Go for a walk/run where you run for 30 seconds and walk for 1 minute
· Remember that you always carry your body weight with you, so use it for exercise purposes
· Make exercise a game for competition for you and your child
· Do push-ups or jumping jacks during commercial breaks
· Use your device for music to motivate you to move
· Dancing counts as exercise
· Eat like you are being held accountable for every bite!:)
Instructional Specialist
Read Aloud 15 Minutes. Every Child. Every Parent. Every Day.
Does reading aloud really matter? Yes!
More than one in three children arrive at kindergarten without the skills necessary for lifetime learning.
Research shows that reading aloud is the SINGLE MOST important thing you can do to help a child prepare for reading and learning.
Why You Read Aloud
LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT
The number of words a child knows on entering kindergarten is a key predictor of his or her future success.
INSTILL A LOVE OF READING
Your example demonstrates that reading is important, pleasurable, and valued.
KNOWLEDGE GAINED AND SHARED
Books are a pleasure, yes, and they are also informative. You and your child can learn something new as you read aloud.
LITERACY SKILL BUILDING
Vocabulary. Phonics. Familiarity with the printed word. Storytelling. Comprehension. Reading aloud builds literacy skills.
BRAIN DEVELOPMENT
From birth to age 3 are critical years in the development of language skills.
BONDING
Is anything better than sharing a good book?
Some Statistics
More than 15% of young children, 3.1 million, are read to by family members fewer than 3 times a week.
Only 48% of young children in this country are read to each day.
Is 15 Minutes Enough to Make a Difference?
YES!!!
Reading 15 minutes every day for 5 years = 27,375 MINUTES = 456.25 HOURS
TELL A FRIEND at www.ReadAloud.org
Taken from http://www.readaloud.org/downloads/WhyReadAloud.pdf
Media Center
Guidance
During the month of November our Mustangs worked hard to give to others! Fifth grade students had the opportunity to give back to our Armed Forces. We partnered with the Red Cross for our 6th year to help with Holiday Mail for Heroes, an initiative designed to provide holiday cards for the men and women who have served our country. Students created cards for our Armed Forces, thanking them for their service and wishing them a happy holiday season. Student Ambassadors hosted a food drive for Project Hope, an organization that feeds many families in need in York County. Student Ambassadors will also be doing some holiday shopping for some families in need as one of our service projects. We are very proud of the way our students have given back to our community!
Best wishes for a happy holiday season!!
Music
Kindergarten has been learning about beat. Beat is the foundation of music. You need to feel the beat in your body before you can really keep one. In class we incorporate moving to the beat in a variety of ways. We stomp, clap, pat and move to the steady beat A LOT!
First graders have been working on learning about quarter notes, quarter rest, and most recently the eighth notes. We are learning to draw them and learning the importance of them in music.
Second graders have just begun learning how to write rhythms using quarter notes, eighth notes and quarter rests. We took sentences and wrote the rhythms that go along with them. For example: “I like baked ham.” would be written as Ta-Ta-Ta-Ta. Ask your child what that would look like.
Third graders are learning to write their own music! We have been working hard on writing rhythms this past month. This week in music class we put them to use doing bucket drumming. They sound awesome!
Fourth graders are beginning to sound better as they are learning more and more about playing the recorder. It is very important that they have a recorder that they can practice on at home. The recorders that they purchased (for $6) just arrived, so they will be getting their own next week. If you haven’t purchased your child a recorder (or 2 so they will have one for school and one for home), you still can.
Fifth graders are learning some beautiful Christmas music on their recorders. Next week we will be adding ukulele’s to the mix. We will have some ensembles to play for our annual Christmas sing along on the last day before Christmas break.
We have had the privilege of having Miss Amanda Mobley with us this semester. Miss Mobley is a Junior Faculty member who is studying to be a Music Teacher. She has really fallen in love with elementary children even though she thought her heart was for the middle and high schoolers. Thank you Miss Mobley for sharing your time and talents with all of the students at Mount Holly. We will miss you as you leave us and we wish you the best as you continue on your journey to becoming a Music Teacher.