Mustang Tales
April 30, 2021 Vol 1. Issue 25
Message from Principal Masone
Happy Friday and what a beautiful week we have had this week. If you can believe it, we are entering the last month of school.
Students have been dining and learning outside in the Colorado sunshine. Our kindergartners were off to the zoo on Wednesday and came back with great stories about monkeys, naked mole rats and more!
I know this year has been challenging for all of us, especially students and their families. Teachers, too, have had a difficult year, transitioning between learning platforms from in-person leaning, to remote learning, to a little of both. Next week is Teacher Appreciation Week. I invite you and/or your child to send a note or email to your child's teacher expressing your gratitude and feedback. It's those notes from parents and students that keep our staff going when we are faced with challenges.
We have finished CMAS testing. Results will not be available until the fall and we will provide you that information when we have it.
Ms. Pearson's second grade class has a tulip display at City Hall. Check out the story below and visit Manitou City Hall.!
Students and families, this is a great weekend to get in your 100 hours outside. Tomorrow, Manitou is slated to be a balmy 75 degrees.
Have a wonderful weekend Mustangs!
Important Updates
- May 3 - 7: Teacher Appreciation Week
- May 5: Asynchronous At-Home Learning/Staff Work Day
- May 13: 5th Grade Science Fair
- May 25: 5th Grade Recognition Ceremonies - info to come from teachers
- May 26: Last Day for Students - 12:00 pm Dismissal
Teacher Appreciation Week is May 3rd - May 7th, 2021 You should have received an email from our PAC letting you know how you can help support and celebrate our dedicated teachers!
Mustang Spirit Shirts are on sale! Call the front office to check on available sizes and reserve yours today!
As always, please feel free to reach out to the front office with any questions or concerns! You can call the main number 719-685-2195, Stacy at sthomson@mssd14.org or Caitlin at cmorissette@mssd14.org.
Manitou Springs Pollinator Society
For Our Fuel-Ed Families:
Fuel/ED Google Meets with MSES Teachers: Classroom teachers are continuing their Google Meet connections every other week. Please look for communication from your child's MSES grade level teacher about this in-person learning /connection time.
2021-2022 Registration Information
Currently enrolled students who will be returning, both resident and non-resident, will be rolled over to the upcoming 2021-2022 school year. You will receive an email notification to complete the registration renewal process in early June.
Here is the first step for you to complete:
Please help us with this process by completing the 2021-2022 Intent to Return Survey using the link below. We ask that all parents and guardians complete this survey regardless of whether they will be attending MSSD14 in the fall for the 2021-2022 school year.
Intent to Return Survey - https://forms.gle/Jc3B3nSVqdm3v8WL
Ask Your Expert!/CKLA Domains
Read about what's happening in our grade-level and exploratory classes at MSES!
Preschool: Preschoolers have continued to explore the wonderful world of plants. What do plants need to grow and survive? We learned that they need water, sun, nutrients (found in soil), and air (contains carbon dioxide). When given the right conditions, a tiny seed sprouts, sending roots down and leaves up. Children planted a variety of seeds in the outdoor greenhouse garden. How long will it take for us to see the green plants poke through the soil?
Kindergarten: We are continuing to learn about ways to take care of the Earth: We can protect animals! As a highlight to learning all about endangered species, we got to take a trip to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo! We saw lots of endangered species!!! Ask your expert: What does it mean when an animal is endangered? (There are not a lot of this species left.) What does it mean when a species is extinct? (There are no more animals of this species that are alive.) What are the names of some of the endangered animals we have learned about? (Pandas, Rhinos, African Elephant, Mountain Lion, Gray Wolf, Polar Bear, Green Sea Turtle, Snow Leopard, Bengal Tiger, Tree Kangaroo.) Why are some reasons these animals are endangered? (Humans hunt them and humans cut down their habitats and take away their food and shelter.) What was your favorite part of our trip to the zoo? (Answers will vary.)
1st Grade: First graders continued exploring the founding of America in our domain A New Nation. This week, ask your expert: Who finally won the Revolutionary War? (The Patriots defeated the British Redcoats.) How long did the war last? (6 years) Was a new king put in place after the war? (No! George Washington was elected the first president of the new United States of America.) Why is George Washington called the “Father of Our Country”? (He helped write the Constitution, he led the Continental Army, he was the first President, etc.) What were some of Benjamin Franklin’s great ideas and inventions? (an almanac, wooden swimming flippers, bifocals, Franklin stove, lightning rod, rocking chair.) Ask your experts what great things they can invent!
2nd Grade: We are finishing up our lessons on Insects! Ask your Expert: Where do all social insects come from? (a queen) How do ants communicate? (by using their antennae to smell and touch) How are ants and termites different? (Termites have multiple kings and queens, incomplete metamorphosis, and male termites serve in more ways than just fertilizing the queen’s eggs.) What is bioluminescence? (A plant and animal that can glow.) Why do fireflies glow? (They blink their abdomens to attract a female.) Are fireflies flies? (No, they are actually beetles!) Where are the grasshoppers' ears located? (on the forelegs) Where are a cricket’s ears? (on their abdomen) How are a beetles’ wings different from other insects? (Beetles have a hard, protective pair of elytra that cover the other pair of softer wings.) What is mimicry? (An insect that looks like another for protection.) Are all insects pests? (No, some are helpful like the ladybug, wasps, and ants! Some feed on other insects and can produce products!) What is an entomologist? (A person who studies insects.) What is the difference between a bug and an insect? (A bug has a triangular head and a beak-like mouth.) Why are pesticides dangerous? (Other animals can eat the insects that have been poisoned, they kill insects that are pollinators, and it changes the environment.)
3rd Grade: We are learning about time, but let’s talk about recess. How long is first recess? (One-quarter of an hour.) How long is second recess? (One-half of an hour.) YIKES! Fractions and time? How many minutes are in a quarter of an hour? (15 minutes because 60 divided by 4 is 15.) Division too!! Wow, no wonder this is such a challenging mathematics unit. Yes, this is ""Ask Your Expert", but perhaps we could invite you to Investigate With Your Expert. Try this: Count your steps as you walk in place for one minute, three minutes, 5 minutes. If you can, use an analog clock as you and your expert walk and talk it out. Try this: Record the start time of an activity, such as watching a movie. Reveal the length of the activity and work with your expert to predict the end time of the activity. At the end, see if you were correct! This is a rinse and repeat-type investigation. It often takes a lot of practice to work this out. Have fun!
4th Grade: Fourth graders are continuing our current domain on the American Revolution! Ask Your Expert: After six long years of fighting the British, the colonists had support from another country. What country came to the patriots aid and how did it affect the outcome of the war? (the French sent thousands of troops to support the Continental Army. Without the aid of the French troops and fleet of warships, the patriots never would have had the manpower and supplies to defeat the British troops in Yorktown.) Did Lord Cornwallis show up to the surrender march? (NO, he sent his second in command, General O’Hara, to lead the march, because he was “sick”.)
5th Grade: Fifth graders all attended a field trip at Memorial Park last Tuesday. Each class spent two hours learning all about classification of animal skulls. Can you tell an omnivore, herbivore, or carnivore apart from the skull? Yes, you can! What is the biggest area of the skull that helps tell the classifications apart? The teeth and eye sockets! Ask your expert what skulls they explored and did they guess the correct animal? Also, ask them how they made their guesses. In CKLA, fifth graders are still reading and acting out parts of Shakespeare's Midsummer Night’s Dream. Ask your students what their latest advice was as “Course Soother”. The students have written advice letters to characters who are struggling with decisions to make!
Art: Kindergarten is enjoying their last week in art for this school year. This week, we have learned about the primary colors through color mixing with markers to create tie-dyed butterflies, acrylic marble painting, and oil pastel rainbow drawings. Students will be bringing home their sketchbooks and any of their artwork that was on display or left behind from earlier in the year. Can’t wait to get messy and have lots of art fun with all of you in first grade!
Spanish: Hola amigos! Among other topics, third grade studied unit #7, "Soy Especial"/“I am Special”. A Pedro le gusta cantar/Pedro likes to sing. A Maria le gusta bailar/Maria likes to dance. Pedro es muy especial/Pedro is very special. They learned to count the numbers from one to one hundred in Spanish. Vocabulario: cantar/sing, correr/run, saltar/jump, bailar/dance
Music: This week, first grade musicians explored the Colorado Ballet’s Every Body Move warm-ups and mindfulness exercises, In the piano lab, we played Au Clair De La Lune, practiced our French, and got reacquainted with standard notation. We also played ukuleles and drums, enjoying songs like Tender Shepherd, Brother John, Row, Row, Row, Your Boat and We Will Rock You. Ask your Expert: “What did you enjoy most in Music class this week?”
PE: Second graders are working on skills in our volleyball unit. We completed a four-square unit. We are working on the three skills of volleyball: passing, setting and spiking the ball. We are also learning about the overhand serve and transferring your weight from your back foot to your front foot as you serve the ball.
TEAMS: In TEAMS this week, the Kindergarten students took a big step. They were the first group to try the program all the “big kids” use called Typing Pal. The students demonstrated their readiness over the last two weeks and were able to log-in and practice learning how to use the keyboard while being timed! They were very proud! Way to go Kindergarten.
Reading/Math Intervention: The end of the year is quickly approaching . . . believe it or not! Next week starts End of Year Benchmark testing for all grades, K-5. Dibels and iReady testing will be completed by May 14th. We will assess students as quickly as we can and resume our groups as soon as the testing is complete.
COVID-19 Response
Nutrition Services
Parent Action Committee
Manitou Springs Elementary School
Email: mmasone@mssd14.org
Website: mse.mssd14.org
Location: 110 Pawnee Avenue, Manitou Springs, CO, USA
Phone: 719-685-2195
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Manitou-Springs-Elementary-212896538758987/