GCIS Weekly News 4/15/2016
Weekly Celebrations, Successes, and Up Coming Events!
GCIS Office News
GCIS Parents: as we work to continually improve safety measures we ask that all parents wait in the office area regarding all matters. If visiting, we ask that you sign in and wear a visitor badge.
PBIS Trip: Our next PBIS Incentive Trip will be to the Web House the week of April 25th-29th. Remind students to keep reading and working on their reading incentive challenge! All challenges are due Monday April 25th in order to attend the Web house and throw a pie in my face!!!
Tuesday April 26th: 4th grade
Thursday April 28th: 5th Grade
Friday: April 29th: 6th grade
Students and staff will walk to middle school and load buses their to be transported to their normal locations i.e. (elementary school, GJ)
Reading Challenge: Click HERE for the link to information and details. Keep reading!
Please remember to send lunch money with your students. There a various ways to pay! Just ask us how! All accounts must be in the positive before the end of the school year. If you have questions or concerns regarding this topic please give our office a call! 515-738-5721.
If you student will be absent or leaving early please remember to give the office a call! 515-738-5721.
Join us for our first ever GCIS Color Run!
HERE is the link to the website and details!
Parents! Mark Your Calendars and Join Us If You Can!
GCIS Key Players of the Week!
4th Grade Happenings!
Lit/S.S.- We are continuing to learn about the regions of the U.S. We are learning about natural disasters, landforms and economy.
Math- Finding the area of rectangles and practicing 2 digit numbers by 2 digit numbers are the skills we worked on to finish up this unit. We will be testing over this unit next week.
Science- We are continuing our work on the solar system. We are researching planets that we may be able to inhabit.
5th Grade Happenings!
Math: Dividing fractions is the point of interest right now. We will be testing this week on the fraction unit. The next unit will deal with measurement and multiplication and division of decimal numbers.
Lit/SS: In Lit we are working on Point of View through reading some great twisted tales! The kids are figuring out if they are written in 1st or 3rd person narrative. We are continuing our lit circles, where each of the groups are reading a book together. They are doing a great job with all working collaboratively! We are finishing up our explorers unit with a project. Ask your child what they have chosen to do! Continue to read 20 minutes a night. This is important as they continue increasing vocabulary.
Science: We are continuing our mineral study looking at the properties of minerals, viewing minerals, and making some alum and epsom salt crystals. Next week we are learning the 3 parts of the earth and starting in with the three kinds of rocks.
6th Grade Happenings!
In science, students researched and shared information about human body systems and diseases that affect those systems.
In math, we are finishing up with coordinate planes and reflecting the point in the X axis followed by the Y axis.
In reading, we are finishing up with our Economics unit. We had a guest speaker on Wednesday and took our final test on Friday. Students learned a lot about supply and demand, imports, exports, the global economy, and interdependence. Next week, we will be starting our Political Science unit.
Music Mania
Spring Concert Information:
Who: 5th & 6th Grade Bands
5th Grade General Music
Date: Thursday, May 5, 2016
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Place: Greene County Middle School Gymnasium
5th Grade General Music:
The students will be performing a sports musical for the Spring Concert. The attire calls for shorts, jerseys and t-shirts. Students are aware of what their character requires for clothing. I have spoken with Mr. Palmer about band attire. He is okay with the students wearing their costuming for the band portion of the concert. This will save time transitioning from the Band sections of the concert to the Vocal section of the performance.
4th General Music:
Students had a summative evaluation identifying symbols within the sheet music they have played on recorders.
We will begin working with ostinatos (rhythmic or melodic patterns that repeats over and over).
6th Grade General Music:
Students are analyzing melodic form. We will be discussing major and minor scales. There will be a review solfege syllables and hand signs to assist in reading pitches.
Band
Solo and ensemble is this Saturday at the Intermediate building, and the spring concert is May 5th at the Middle School.
FCS
Sharing our family pictures and giving compliments is this weeks goal along with continuing in our caregiver unit. Students are seeing the importance of discipline and how it is different than punishment.
6th graders are learning about spending plans. A spending plan is another name for budgeting and we agreed it sounds more fun. Planning to spend in the major expenditure categories and how they need to balance is the goal of our lesson.
PE
We just received the skates and are ready to roll next week with our skating unit. I sent a letter home this week explaining our unit and cost if you can donate.
Here’s a picture of a student that wore his Kobe Bryant uniform for Kobe’s last game ever playing 20 years for the Lakers.
FCS
The fifth graders are starting on a babysitting unit by discussing some of their views on parenting. I am emphasizing families do many things differently that doesn’t make them right or wrong. One of the important skills we all should have is to communicate how we feel and be able to know when and what to do if someone asks us to do something we know is wrong.
Draw the Line Steps
Say No, I don’t
Use a body that says no
Change the subject
- Walk away, if needed.
6th graders ROCK at Goal setting. We are moving on from the goal setting unit to making decisions. I am letting them choose note taking or taking a quiz. It will be interesting to see the results in them making a choice of how they will be assessed.
Media & Tech Lit
The Greene County Intermediate Library would like to extend a very big THANK YOU to everyone who supported our BOGO fair this year. The book fair was a huge success thanks to all of your support!!
Art
6th graders are finishing their watercolor spring flowers. It will look like a beautiful spring field throughout the hallway when they get hung up.
5th grade students have started on a collage - a piece of art made by sticking various different materials such as photographs and pieces of paper or fabric onto a backing. They are making a collage based off of their favorite song and may incorporate the lyrics, sheet music or both in the artwork piece.
4th grade students are finishing the Egyptian profiles and cartouches and have started on making an oil pastel eye. Above is Noah’s name cartouche in Heiroglyphics and below is Kristin’s colorful eye!
TAG
4th grade TAG students will be finishing up their work on their castle that they will present to each of their classrooms. Also, we will be studying and planning for the 4th Grade Battle of the Books, which will be held at the Intermediate school library sometime in May.
5th and 6th graders are working on their projects.
6th grade TAG and reading students competed in Battle of the Books at the Ames Library on Thursday the 7th. They did an amazing job! I was so proud of them and all the hard work of reading, remembering and studying that they did! What a great group!
THE BOOK FAIR IS COMING!!!
The BOOK FAIR is coming!! The BOOK FAIR is coming!! That’s right folks, our annual Buy-One-Get-One free Scholastic Book Sale will be here next week,
April 11th-13th.
SAVE THE DATE
What: Buy-One-Get-One Free Book Fair
When: April 11th-13th
Time: Monday & Tuesday 7:30am-4pm
Wednesday 7:30am-2pm
Where: Greene County Intermediate Media Center
Online Book Fair Option for Ordering!
http://bookfairs.scholastic.com/homepage/greenecointermediateschool
Counselor's Corner
Here is a quick guide on the differences with teasing, simple conflict and bullying.
Conflict is going to happen in everyday life and these are moments that can be resolved with good communication and respect for others.
Bullying, on the other hand, is when someone is bothering another on purpose with no intention of resolving an issue. We need to remember to respect each other and build positive relationships.
Nurse News
Does your child get a “cold” at the same time every year? Seasonal allergies may be to blame. Symptoms of seasonal allergies include sneezing, itchy nose or throat, nasal congestion, clear runny nose, coughing, and itchy, watering eyes. Even kids that have never had seasonal allergies in the past can develop them. Allergies typically develop by age 10, though they may start at any time. There is no real cure for seasonal allergies but it is possible to relieve symptoms. Reducing the exposure to the allergen if possible can help manage symptoms. During allergy season keep windows closed. Have your child change clothes and shower after playing outdoors. If you suspect your child has seasonal allergies talk to your primary care provider.
Information from kidshealth.org.