Anderson Angle
Volume V Issue 5
A MESSAGE FROM MR. HEWITT
Hello Anderson Families,
Welcome to the New Year! I hope 2019 brings each of our families health and happiness.
This year looks to be busy from the start. Students will be taking the CBM-R reading assessment in late January and will take the Iowa Statewide Assessment of Student Progress (ISASP) in April. The ISASP are new assessments developed by Iowa Testing Programs at the University of Iowa for the state of Iowa. The assessments are aligned with the Iowa Core standards and provide a clear and accurate assessment of student learning outcomes. Our teachers will share results with parents and guardians regarding each of these assessments once we have had a chance to review and analyze them.
The beginning of the year is also a time when people commit to making positive changes in their lives. I recently read an article on the National Association of Elementary School Principals website titled Keep Your Children Mentally and Physically Fit. The article had a number of tips parents could implement that could assist with a child’s well-being. Below are a few that I would like to share.
They need their sleep. Children need 10 hours of sleep each night to be well rested and ready to do their best. Keep the TV out of their bedroom and have a firm “lights off “policy, with a little flexibility on Friday and Saturday nights. Without enough sleep, they simply can’t cope with the physical and mental work of being a kid.
Move it. Go for family walks, runs, or bike rides several days a week. Have a family fitness “club,” charting everyone’s progress on everything from shooting hoops to jumping rope. If possible, join a local YMCA or community fitness center. Signing up for classes or sports clinics makes it even easier to remember to work out.
“Counseling” is not a shameful word. School counselors offer wonderful services to children and their families facing tough times. Think of this—each year in school is brand new to your child, with entirely new issues to deal with, but the counselors at the school have the gift of perspective. They’ve seen hundreds of kids go through the same “growing up” process, which means that they can help your child to see that everyone has challenges at one time or another, and there are lots of ways to fix them.
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
January Calendar
2 - No School - Professional Development
3 - Students Return to School
11 - Midterms go Home
24 - 4th Grade Concert
REMINDER: 2:00 Dismissal Every Monday
Preschool in December
Our preschoolers have been busy little elves this month! We began the month with a Jan Brett author study. Student read different books written and illustrated by Jan Brett and worked on prediction skills using The Mitten and The Hat. We moved from Jan Brett to a gingerbread mini study by reading some of Jan Brett’s gingerbread books. In our gingerbread mini study students read different versions of the Gingerbread Boy. Some particular favorites were The Gingerbread Cowboy, The Gingerbread Girl, and The Ninjabread Man. The students were able to compare and contrast the different versions of the story and decide which book was their favorite. On our science, Friday students got to make gingerbread playdough of their own. The playdough students made stayed out during center time so students could roll and cut gingerbreads all week!
Parent Tips: We are going to be sending home parent handouts with some helpful strategies to use with your student at home. Some topics include Morning Routines, How to Handle Strong Emotions: Anger, and Reading at Home. Parenting young children isn’t always easy! We are here to help you and your child succeed. If there are any topics you would like more information about just let us know.
Busy Third Graders!
The third graders have had a busy month of December studying cultures, traditions, and customs from around the world! As part of our Holidays Around the World celebration, the students “traveled” to Germany, Norway, Mexico, China, Italy, and Israel to study the ways they celebrate their special holidays. As a final project, students built their own German gingerbread houses out of frosting, candy, and milk cartons.
To further celebrate cultures, the students learned about the story of The Nutcracker, a German Christmas tale by E.T.A. Hoffman set to music by the Russian composer Tchaikovsky. Third-grade students read the story, listened to the ballet in music class, and then got dressed up and traveled to the Civic Center in Des Moines for a special school performance of the ballet! It was a fun learning experience for the third graders at Anderson!
B.E.S.T. Students of the Week!
B.E.S.T. Students of the Week!
B.E.S.T. Students of the Week!
4th Graders and Fractions
In math, fourth graders are spending some time learning about fractions. This is a big unit that will help build on their foundational understanding of fractions from earlier grades and prepares them for more complex work with fractions in fifth grade and beyond. This year, we work on understanding what a fraction is and how different fractions relate to each other.
Fourth graders are using manipulatives and visuals to identify equivalent fractions. This is a good way for students to be able to see that fractions with different numbers can still have the same value. Students are utilizing their knowledge of factors and multiples to generate a common denominator. Fourth graders create common denominators to compare and arrange different fractions from least to greatest. We are working on developing a deep conceptual understanding of fractions. Students are expected to justify and explain their answers to show a real understanding of fraction skills.
Another part of our fraction unit will focus on the real world application of fractions. Students will think critically about how fractions apply to their life and how they might encounter them in the future. Thinking about fractions in real life also gives students a more concrete understanding and meaningful purpose for their learning. Students will have opportunities to solve problems while working collaboratively with their classmates.
B.E.S.T. Students of the Week!
B.E.S.T. Students of the Week!
B.E.S.T. Students of the Week!
Fifth Grade Fragments
After our winter break, we are focusing on continued growth in all fifth-grade subject areas. Our previous statewide assessment ( Iowa Assessments) has moved to late April. The new state-wide testing assessment is called the Iowa Statewide Assessment of Student Progress (IASAP). We look forward to this time, as we discover how much growth our students have made from the previous testing period. While this test is reviewed and discussed, it is not the only assessment that we use to make instructional decisions. We also use the aReading and aMath Assessments which we will take again in January and April. Another way we continuously monitor student growth is by developing SMART goals around essential skills throughout the school year. We look at all assessments to guide our educational decisions and teaching.
Class Dojo is a great way we focus on the behavior assessment side of things in fifth grade, and it has been working well! Dojo is tied to our classroom management system, which is also associated with the monthly character recess. Student behaviors are monitored throughout the day and reported to parents via Dojo. It is always our team's goal to recognize students for their positive actions throughout the school day. This app provides parents with a weekly report. It also serves as a great way to see classroom pictures and a way to have an open conversation with our staff members.
B.E.S.T. Students of the Week!
B.E.S.T. Students of the Week!
B.E.S.T. Students of the Week!
Greetings for the Anderson Elementary Music Room!
This trimester we have continued to study music from around the world. We have also kept our study of rhythm including identifying notes and rests. We also spent December discovering the form and structure of music using Tchaikovsky’s “The Nutcracker” with lessons where we used a parachute and a giant super stretchy band!
The 3rd Grade has grown so much in their note and rest recognition and being able to perform the rhythms while saying the correct counts! Super proud of all of your work kids!
The 5th Grade began their year working on their concert songs which focused on music throughout rock and roll history! Their concert was Anderson Elementary’s first concert in the brand new auditorium at the High School and took place on November 1st. The facility is state of the art and was a fantastic venue for our performance! Thanks to everyone involved in the 5th-grade concert!
The 4th Grade is partway through the concert prep process and has an excellent start on their concert songs which focus on Broadway Musicals! Their concert will take place on January 24th. During the day the students will be bussed to the HS auditorium for practice, and their shows will take place that evening at 6 and 7:15 pm.
The 4th Grade will be performing on Thursday, January 24th.
Students in the classes of Tyler, Spears, VanWoerkom, and Lehman will perform at 6 pm.
Students in the classes of Bruhn, Swearngin, McDonald, and Howard will perform at 7:15 pm.
Thanks so much to everyone in the Bluejay community for your support of the fine arts! We appreciate you so much! Please feel free to contact me with questions or concerns regarding concerts and the Anderson Elementary Music Program. I can be reached at prestons@bfschools.org and by phone at 515-967-7494.
Sallyanne Preston
3-5 Music
Anderson Elementary
Red Ribbon Week at Anderson Elementary
Red Ribbon Week was held at Anderson Elementary from October 22-October 26. Red Ribbon Week is the oldest and largest drug prevention campaign in the country and serves as a vehicle for schools and communities to educate children about drug prevention and healthy lifestyle choices. The students enjoyed lots of fun events during the week while focusing on the very serious topic of saying NO to drugs. They were encouraged to wear clothes that fit the theme of the day, such as wearing pajamas for “Wake Up to a Drug-free Life.” All of the guidance lessons taught during the week focused on educating students about healthy choices and drug prevention techniques. In addition to the festivities, the students had the opportunity to participate in some contests which explored their creativity. For each contest, two designs were chosen from each classroom. The winners of the contests are listed below.
The winners of the 3rd-grade sticker design contest were:
3A: Jonah Watson, Areli Carrasco
3B: James Sharr, Emme Dotzler
3C: Trinity Lower, Madden Reyerson
3D: Ellie Clark, Brennan Hammond
3E: Lilly Thomas, Luke Vander Velden
3F: Krystalynn McDannel, Kennedy Duffy
3G: Annalia Miles, Bailey Meyer
The winning designs were chosen by the students in grades 3-5 and will be worn next year during Red Ribbon Week.
The winners of the 4th-grade poster contest were:
4A: Jett DeLouis, Gracie Anderson
4B: Ila O’Braza, Tiara Berggren
4C: Nora Freeborn, Piper Lyman
4D: Kiara Martinez, Elsie Mrzena
4E: Peyton Quick, Matilda Webster
4F: Chloe Sprague, Justin Seitzer
4G: Marissa Niyonsaba, Luke Martin
4H: Kara Paxton, Tyler Sutherland
The winning posters will be displayed around the building during next year’s Red Ribbon Week.
The winners of the 5th-grade bookmark contest were:
5A: Lily Petzold-Edge, Ella Harban
5B: Nyla Pettis, Alivia Steward
5C: Elena Castro-Escareno, Gracie Forney
5D: Mae Juhl, Kate Ripperger
5E: Emmitt Reyerson, Chloe Shivers
5F: Morgan Cooper, Fenton Smith-Steenhoek
5G: Alivia Lang, Rachel Anthofer
Their creative designs will be distributed as bookmarks during Red Ribbon Week next year.
We also had a service project during Red Ribbon Week to bring in donations for Caring Hands Outreach Center in Altoona. Thank you to those who generously donated items. 89 cans of food, 8 jars of peanut butter, 2 jars of jelly, 8 boxes of cereal, 16 other boxes and bags of pasta, rice and other dried food items which is a total of 123 food donations) plus many personal hygiene items such as soap, shampoo, toothbrushes and more were delivered to the center.
Staff BEST
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.
Watch D.O.G.S. 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.
It is the policy of the Bondurant-Farrar Community School District not to discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, religion, creed, age (for employment), marital status (for programs), sexual orientation, gender identity and socioeconomic status (for programs) in its educational programs and its employment practices. There is a grievance procedure for processing complaints of discrimination. If you have questions or a grievance related to this policy please contact the district’s Equity Coordinator; Chad Carlson, Director of Administrative Services, 300 Garfield St SW, Bondurant, IA 50035, 515-967-7819,carlsonc@bfschools.org.; or Director of the Office for Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Education, Citigroup Center, 500 W. Madison Street, Suite 1475, Chicago, IL 60661-7204, (312) 730-1560, OCR.Chicago@ed.gov.