September 2021
W.L. Miller Newsletter
Kindergarten
Welcome to kindergarten! We were so excited to welcome our new students to the school. During the month of September we continue to practice routines and norms of building a classroom community. We will also be encouraging creativity through drawing and writing. Students are learning how to draw a person and an animal. Kindergarten students will be exploring their new science unit of living and non living things and go on nature walks and participate in discussions.
1st Grade
Welcome to 1st grade! We are working on developing our classroom communities through class meetings, as well as through the ZONES of Regulation! This is helping us identify our emotions, and using strategies to get us regulated!
We have begun practicing our math facts and working with partners to facilitate math talk.
Students are working on investigating light and shadows in science!
Please continue to check your student’s folder and reading bag each night!
2nd Grade
2nd grade is diving right into place value! We are learning that numbers have a value and how to represent numbers in different forms. We are beginning our narrative writing unit and writing about small moments in our lives. In reading, we are starting off with short vowels and decoding multisyllabic words. We have a new SEL (social emotional learning) curriculum that we are implementing. Students have began using this curriculum called Zones of Regulation and are enjoying it! Science has started and students are learning about matter.
3rd Grade
We are getting back to the basics with the start of the school year! Each third grade class has spent time getting to know their classmates. It has been fun to discover what we have in common and how we are different. A lot of the students have siblings and pets.
We are excited to get back into the classroom and learn our new school routines. It is fun to be able to work with each other.
One of the most exciting differences is that third grade students get to have Guidance class with Ms. Dutchess! Please check out her Guidance page in the Newsletter.
4th Grade
The fourth graders are off to a fantastic start. They are experts at changing classes; keeping track of their supplies and more importantly, they NEVER forget their snacks. Each one has really embraced the responsibility that comes with moving upstairs in our building….. We are so proud of them. The academic content is starting to ramp up , in math they are starting to learn some algebraic concepts. Reading can be improved by daily reading, to improve their reading “muscle” and in Science they are learning how to think like a scientist by using measuring tools.
5th Grade
ELA Classes: Writers are generating ideas for personal narratives by thinking about special times in their lives. We are focusing on seed stories that teach a lesson and slow down the actions of important moments. In reading class, we are focusing on understanding themes in literature as well as using text evidence to support those themes.
SEL: We have been reinforcing our circle time and classroom norms by building a culture of problem solving together.
Science Classes: Our 5th grade students got to revisit the crops they planted as 4th graders with Mr. Hoover. They used the 3-sisters planting approach which is used by the Iriquois and it involves using the corn stalk as the center on which the beans grow. The squash is planted around the outside of the mound to provide shade for the beans. We harvested the squash and enjoyed a small sample. The students were very proud of their work!
6th Grade
And they are off! It’s hard to believe these kiddos have kicked off their sixth grade year. We began our year in science with our river study. We were trying do determine the health of the river by studying the macroinvertebrates and other indicators we observed. We did this to try and determine if trout might be found here. All of these lessons are based around our trout unit. We started with this unit because we were not sure when our eggs would arrive this year. We recently found out that the eggs will arrive in January.
Fall festivities - Mrs. Foley's and Mrs. Shedden's (Mrs. Bower's) Classes
Fun walk at the orchard!
Making something delicious!
Apple picking time!
Gym
It is exciting to be back in the gym this year! We started the year with parachute games and activities, station practice while working on balance, coordination, strength and climbing.
We have also recently completed some volleyball activities and are continuing to work on personal space and invasion games.
Please remind your child to bring sneakers and wear clothing for activities in PE class. Please feel free to contact me throughout the year at ksmith@southerntioga.org if you need anything. I am looking forward to a great school year!
Library
I am thrilled to welcome classes back to the library this year! Classes have been learning about the organization of the library and checking out books. Students in grades K-2 are learning about the location of books in the library, how to find books that are just right, and are exploring some awesome authors and illustrators. Students in grades 3-6 are learning how to check out books independently and have begun to explore the library website and the many resources that can be found there.
Checkout reminders: Students in grades K-3 may check out 1 book at a time. Students in grades 4-6 may check out 2 books at a time. Please help your student to return their books on time. Thank you.
Music
It has been a fun start to the school year in the Music Room so far! Since we are back in the room this year, we have been playing a lot of INSTRUMENTS! Ukuleles, boomwhackers, our new percussion kits, xylophones, cowbells, triangles, egg shakers, conga and djembe drums and MORE!
New to the Music Room this year is our frog family of guiro percussion instruments! We have welcomed them into the room and have been discovering the different sounds our various sized frogs can make. The biggest one sounds like a big bullfrog and the smallest one sounds like a cricket.
Ask your child what instruments they have seen in the Music Room!
5th and 6th graders have been busy deciding if they want to learn a band instrument this year! We have students that have chosen the flute, clarinet, saxophone, trumpet, French horn, trombone, baritone, tuba and percussion!! If you have any questions, please email me (sthomas@southerntioga.org) or call and leave me a message at (570) 662-2192 X1702. All band activities are during the school day. 5th graders have band on Day 5 and 6th graders have band on Day 1. They will need their instruments on the day that they have band.
I have talked to students about our three after school music activities: Guitar Club, Jazz Band and Miller Singers. I will be sending home more information about these opportunities when we get closer to them starting.
Guidance
Guidance classes for grades 3rd-6th are back up and running this year. The Guidance classroom is downstairs this year in the old computer lab. It is a wonderful space to spend time together working on character building and much more.
The 3rd grade guidance classes are working on respecting people, the environment and traditions.
The 4th grade guidance classes are working on heroes and heroines. Each student will complete a hero/heroine project and they will be found hanging all around the school very soon.
The 5th and 6th grade guidance classes will be working on anger management and the 5 steps to Controlling Anger. The students will be making FOOTBOOKS!!!
Title I
Happy Fall!
Reading to your child every day builds reading skills, increases vocabulary and sends a message that reading is fun!
Try to read regularly, for 10 - 15 minutes per day. Take turns picking out books. Be playful by changing your voice for characters in the story. Great news is that you don’t have to be an expert reader. Your child will love just spending that special and precious time with you.
Art News
One of the most exciting things that happens in art class is the collaboration and learning that happens when we work together! Many hands make the work light and really fun and unexpected (usually better than we imagined on our own!).
These murals were created at the end of last year by 3rd and 5th grades, and are enhancing the walls outside of the art room for all the students to see when they come for art class!