Pleasant Valley School
January Newsletter
News from Miss Sheets
Welcome 2023, Happy New Year! We are almost half way through the school year. Students will be participating in end of quarter testing on January 18-19. 2nd quarter ends on Jan. 20th. Report cards and MAP testing results will be sent home on January 23rd.
Parents, please make sure students have their planners. I know we have been off a little in December, but several were missing them last week. Also, I have started to notice a decline in students turning in their RED Reading logs on Monday. Please send students with logs and book boxes on Monday. After that they can keep it at home the rest of the week unless they need to change out the books. 1st - 3rd will have Library on Wednesday, so remember your books!
Note about Spelling -
2nd - 8th grade are currently working on testing into their specific level in the Words Their Way spelling program. Each week students will have a new word sort for skills that they need to learn. I'm starting with a pretest. If they show me they know the skill, then we are moving on to the next sort. I will be listing their sort words in their planner for their spelling list to practice at home.
1st grade - No changes at this time, their list will also be included in their planner.
Looking Back at November and December
Science Fair Projects
Holiday Shopping at Marion School
Basketball with Marion School
Holiday Program - Thank you for coming!
School Events
Make-Up Days - Jan. 13th and Jan. 16th
Thank you for being so flexible with our make-up days. We will have school this Friday, January 13th and Monday, January 16th on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Since Monday was scheduled off for the holiday, there is also school on Friday, January 20th. We will resume our normal 4-day schedule on January 23rd.
Winter Testing - Jan. 18-19
I-Ready Diagnostic Testing on Jan. 19
End of Second Quarter - Jan. 20
Feb. 1st - Brave Beginnings at Flathead Highschool
What Are We Learning?
1st Grade
Unit 2 - Numbers Within 20
Addition and Subtraction and Representing Data
Reading
UNIT 3 THEME: Imagine That
- Essential Question: How can we use our imaginations?
- Reading Workshop: Read traditional stories and understand the elements of the genre.
- High Frequency Words: Week 1) round, good, said, no, put; Week 2) could, be, old, why, of; Week 3) or, live, work, who, out; Week 4) there, down, drink, now, together; Week 5) grow, full, around, find, under; Week 6) eat, play, so, their, some
Science
Finishing Breaking Earths Hold
Starting Topic 4 - Weather and Seasons
What can you tell about weather and seasons?
Social Studies
Topic 4 - Life Today and Long Ago
How does life change throughout history?
Arts
In art, we are working on texture. In music, we are learning about major chords.
2nd Grade
Unit 2 - Numbers within 100
Addition, Subtraction, Time, and Money
Reading
UNIT 3 THEME: Our Traditions
- Essential Question: What makes a tradition?
- Reading Workshop: Read different types of traditional tales and understand their elements.
- High Frequency Words: Week 1) eyes, earth, thought; Week 2) along, few, head; Week 3) something, example, paper; Week 4) often, important, took; Week 5) hear, idea, enough; Week 6) group, book, almost
Science
Topic 3 - Earth's Water and Land
Essential Question: How can you describe land and water on Earth?
Social Studies - My Community
Topic 4 - People Who Supply Our Goods and Services
How do people get what they need?
Arts
In art, we are working on texture. In music, we are learning about major chords.
3rd Grade
Math
Unit 2: Multiplication and Division
Concepts, Relationships, and Patterns
Reading
Unit 3 THEME: Heros
- Essential Question: What makes a hero?
- Reading Workshop: Understand historical fiction and its elements.
- Trade Book: The Hero Two Doors Down - Due Feb. 17th
- Unit Academic Vocabulary Words: encourage, defeat, distinguish, achieve, command
- Words of the Week: Week 1) abandon, appeared, enormous, interfered, stationary; Week 2) figured, complain, patience, temper, remembered; Week 3) horribly, furious, insisted, terribly, disturbed; Week 4) ceremonies, tradition, medicine, lamenting, offering; Week 5) triumphant, company, challenge, twinkle, curious
- Word Study: Week 1) Prefixes: pre-, dis-, in-, im-, non-; Week 2) Abbreviations; Week 3) Suffixes: -ful, -y, -ness; Week 4) Vowel Teams; Week 5) Irregular Plural Nouns
- Week 6 Project: Compose an opinion speech about why it is important to take advantage of opportunities to be heroic.
Science
Topic 3 - Weather
Essential Question: What are ways to reduce the impacts of hazardous weather?
Social Studies
Topic 4 - Government, Landmarks, and Symbols
Why do we have government?
Arts
In art, we are working on texture. In music, we are learning about major chords.
5th Grade
Finishing Unit 2: Decimals and Fractions
Place Value, Addition, and Subtraction
Starting Unit 3: More Decimals and Fractions
Multiplication and Division
Reading
UNIT 3 THEME: Reflections
- Essential Question: How do the experiences of others reflect our own?
- Reading Workshop: Know about different types of fiction and understand their elements.
- Trade Book: The Thing About Georgie - Due Feb. 17
- Unit Academic Vocabulary Words: demonstrate, perspective, recall, appeal, confide
- Words of the Week: Week 1) enthusiasm, shattered, reassuring, encompass, inseparable; Week 2) tolerate, loamy, wriggled, quarters, tingled; Week 3) quell, tactics, preserve, conscientious; Week 4) vivid, retired, trembles, crinkled, melodic; Week 5) radically, embodies, indivisible, revolutionary, ironic
- Week 6 Project: Research a person or hero and write a speech about why a day should be dedicated to that person.
Science
Topic 5 - Human Impacts on Earth's Systems
Essential Question: How can we protect Earth's resources and environments?
Social Studies - America's Past
Topic 5 - The American Revolution
Essential Question: What is worth fighting for?
Arts
In art, we are learning about texture. In music we are continuing to work through our practice book. We will also start learning our music for festival this spring. Practice records will resume this week and will be due the following Tuesday.
6th Grade
Unit 3: Ratio Reasoning
Ratio Concepts and Equivalent Ratios
Reading
UNIT 2 THEME: Animal Allies
Essential Question: How can people and animals relate to each other?
Trade Book: A Wrinkle in Time - Due Feb. 17
Writing: Explanatory Essay - How can animals and people help one another?
Science - Middle School Physical Science
Topic 4 - Thermal Energy
Essential Question: What happens when heat flows from one object to another?
Social Studies - Middle School American History
Topic 6 - The Age of Jackson and Westward Expansion (1824-1860)
Essential Question: Why do people move?
Arts
In art, we are learning about texture. In music we are continuing to work through our practice book. We will also start learning our music for festival this spring. Practice records will resume this week and will be due the following Tuesday.
8th Grade
Math
Unit 3: Linear Relationships
Slope, Linear Equations, and Systems
Reading
UNIT 3 THEME: What Matters
Essential Question: When is it right to take a stand?
Trade Book: Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry - Due Feb. 17
Writing: Argumentative Essay - Is it important for people to make their own choices in life?
Science - Middle School Physical Science
Topic 4 - Thermal Energy
Essential Question: What happens when heat flows from one object to another?
Social Studies - Middle School Montana History
Topic 8 - Livestock and the Open Range (1850-1887)
The Big Picture: "The glory days of the open range were created - and quickly brought to an end - by the same forces that drive all life in Montana: water, weather, and the land." (pg. 149)
Topic 9 - Railroads Link Montana to the Nation (1881-1915)
The Big Picture: " New methods of transportation always change life and society. Railroads changed life in Montana in the 1880s just as much as the coming of the horse did in the 1700s." (pg. 169)
Arts
In art, we are learning about texture. In music we are continuing to work through our practice book. We will also start learning our music for festival this spring. Practice records will resume this week and will be due the following Tuesday.
Contact
Email: teacher@pvsmt.org
Website: pvsmt.org
Location: 7975 Pleasant Valley Rd, Marion, MT 59925, USA
Phone: 406-858-2343