GCIS Weekly News 4/28/17
Weekly Celebrations, Successes, and Up Coming Events!
We're not here to be average; We're here to be AWESOME!
Office News
Our next PBIS incentive that the kiddos will be working towards is the Webb House in Jefferson! The fourth graders will be attending on Thursday, April 27th and the fifth and sixth graders will be attending on Friday, April 28th! We will provide the students with pizza for lunch and they will be dismissed from the middle school. They can bring extra money for concession if they desire.
Color-A-Thon is just around the corner! We are so excited to host our color-a-thon again this year on Friday, May 19th! Click here to sign-up and learn more about it! Packets are now due to the GCIS office! Please make sure that your student turns in their packet ASAP! You can still get donations online!
If you have questions in regard to this event, please call our office @ 515-738-5721.
F & P testing is coming up! We will be testing our students on the following dates:
-4th grade - May 15th
-5th grade - May 16th
-6th grade - May 18th
Spring weather is upon us! This time of the year can be tricky as to what is appropriate for clothing. Please remind your students that they may want to continue to bring a sweatshirt for the morning as it is usually chilly first thing. Our expectation is that students stand outside until 8:15 when the morning bell rings. (Unless they are eating breakfast).
COLOR RUN
Click here to sign-up and learn more about it!
If you have questions in regard to this event, please call our office @ 515-738-5721.
PLEASE NOTE:
In the packets the company that is putting on the Color Run made a mistake of when our actual run is. Below is the correct date of our run! Make plans to join us!!!
GCIS COLOR RUN is Scheduled for FRIDAY MAY 19th!
Add it to the Calendar!
Monday May 9th: Literacy & Science Assembly
- 9:00am GCIS Gym
Tuesday May 9th: Spring Music & Band Concert
- 5th & 6th grade General Music and Band Concert MS Gym 7pm
Thursday May 11th: Outdoor Classroom Trip
- 6th grade students
- Rain Date: Friday May 12th
Friday May 19th: Color Run Grand Junction
- Rain Date: Monday May 22nd Grand Junction
5th grade Trip to Living History Farms
- Friday May 26th
No School Monday May 20th
Last Day: Friday June 2nd
- (No Lunch Served)
- GCIS students dismiss at 11:30 am
Color Run Details
Run is at 10:00am
Activities, DJ, and Grilled Lunch at Track at conclusion of the race/walk.
Last Day
We will be dismissing from GJ at 11:30am
No School Lunch Served that day!
4th Grade Happenings!
Science- This week we did playground science. The students had to create experiments that showed the relationship between force and speed using the playground equipment and key vocabulary. The vocabulary words were acceleration, deceleration, force, friction, inertia and gravity. They then shared their experiments and learning through a gallery walk around the playground. Today we are continuing this learning through roller coasters.
Reading/Social Studies- This week we are continuing to work on our studies of the different regions in the United States. We are now finding all of the cool places to visit in our regions as well as coming up with presentations to share our learning of the region we learned about.
Math-We are working on measurement, we are currently converting grams to kilograms.
5th Grade Happenings!
Lit./SS: In reading, we are wrapping up our unit on point of view. Students are now able to describe how a narrator’s point of view influences how events are described in a text. Next week we will begin our poetry unit. Students will learn ten different styles of poetry and work on writing some of their own pieces. In social studies, we will be continuing to learn about how early European explorers have impacted our U.S. history.
Math: We just started new unit dealing with decimals and exponents. Yee Haw
Science: We have been talking about the need to conserve water this week. There is an assignment due Tues., May 2nd showing how each student tried to conserve water at home. We are also learning where the oceans of the world are and how currents move. There will be a quiz on Monday where students will be labeling the oceans on a map needing proper spelling and capitalization.
6th Grade Happenings!
In math, we are working on a car project. We have to buy a car and plan a fake trip.
In science, we are learning more about the body systems.
In reading, we are working on our robot project. We have to create a robot that will change the world.
Special Education News!
4th graders have participated in a Science Gallery Walk. They learned about friction, acceleration, deceleration, and gravity.
5th graders have discovered the Point of View video game and are enjoying practicing narrator's point of view.
Music
UPCOMING EVENT: Tuesday, May 9, 2017
Greene County Middle School Gymnasium
Concert @ 7:00 p.m.
5th and 6th Grade Concert 5&6 Bands:
- Arrive at 6:30 p.m.
5&6 General Music students:
- Arrive at 6:45
Band News
Both 5th and 6th are feverishly preparing for our concert on May 9th. The concert is at the middle school, at 7pm, on May 9th. Students need to arrive at 6:30 to warm up and tune. We look forward to seeing you there.
I will also be handing out a summer lesson sign up after the concert so we can get that squared away.
Art
6th graders are doing an optical illusion that makes it look like a tunnel going back into a hole. They are learning about gradation, color changing from light to dark or from one color to another.
5th graders are learning how to make different fonts of graffiti type. They get to pick a 4-6 letter word that inspires them and then they are going to make it in graffiti type. Then they are also coloring them with gradation.
4th graders are making bubbles out of oil pastels that look like real bubbles from far away!
T.A.G.
4th grade TAG students made a spin art machine! They had to learn about centrifical force and how it pulls the paint to the outside.
5th grade and 6th Grade TAG students participated in the America Answers Thinking Cap Quiz Bowl. It is an online competition against other teams from across America!!! (The quiz bowl that we did in the fall was just competing against other teams from Iowa.) The 5th grade got a 79%, which is about a C+ grade. The 6th graders received an 82% score, which is about a B-. They both did a great job and it will be a week or two before we find out where they rank against the other teams across America!
Counseling News
Middle School visit set for May 5th.
As the end of the year is approaching, GCIS and GCMS Staff are working together to make as smooth transition as possible for the 4th, 5th and 6th grade students who will all be learning at the Middle School next fall. The 6th graders have already visited the MS and have met some of their teachers for next year.
The 4th and 5th graders will be going over on the afternoon of Friday, May 5th, for a brief orientation. They will tour the building, meet some of the MS staff and talk with students about their middle school experiences. A full Back-to-School Night is also being planned for the beginning of the school year.
Parents can help their children with social and academic concerns as well. Please visit http://www.greatschools.org/gk/articles/smoothing-your-childs-transition-to-middle-school/ to read the article, Soothing Your Child’s Transition to Middle School. You’ll find more tips on how you can support your child through the transition.
Iowa Department of Human Services (DHS)
http://dhs.iowa.gov/child-abuse. It's everyone's responsibility to report child abuse!
If you suspect a child under the age of 18 is being abused or neglected please call:
The Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-362-2178 (available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week). Please be ready to provide identifying information and the whereabouts of the child. You may remain anonymous.
If you believe the child is in imminent danger, CALL 911 immediately.
Nurse News!
As your children spend more time outdoors with the warm weather it is important to remember sunscreen. According to the CDC sunburns at this age can increase your child’s chance of skin cancer later in life. Sunscreen should be applied anytime you are outside, including cloudy days. Any change in the color of your skin, including pink or brown, indicates your skin has been damaged by the sun. Other ways to protect your child from the sun’s UV rays are seeking shade, wearing sunglasses, wearing a hat, and covering up with clothing. More information is available on the CDC website at How I Can Protect My Children From the Sun.