GCIS Weekly News 5/19/17
Weekly Celebrations, Successes, and Up Coming Events!
We're not here to be average; We're here to be AWESOME!
Office News
Color-A-Thon is scheduled for Monday! Send good vibes for wonderful weather for this event! ALL STUDENTS NEED TO BRING A WATER BOTTLE FOR AFTER THE RUN/WALK!
Registration at 9:30 am
Race starts at GCIS at 10:00 am
DJ, Activities, and Grilled Lunch at Grand Junction Track to follow race.
Adult Lunch is $3.45
If you have questions in regard to this event, please call our office @ 515-738-5721.
As we are closing in towards the end of the year, there are few things that we would like for you to keep in mind:
Please remind your students to look over the lost and found table and take home anything that may belong to them!
If they have any overdue books that need returned to the library, please do so.
If you have an outstanding lunch balance, please have that paid prior to the last day of school!
Have you students start bringing home things from their locker that they may not be using at this time such as sweatshirts so they have less to bring home on the last day of school.
COLOR RUN
Click here to sign-up and learn more about it!
Add it to the Calendar!
Monday May 22nd: Color Run Grand Junction
- 9:30 Walk Up Registration!
5th grade Trip to Living History Farms
- Friday May 26th
No School Monday May 29th
Thursday June 1st: Swimming at the Jefferson Pool! Students need to bring towel, suit. Students not wanting to swim soccer and park activities will be available.
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. Parents can stay eat and join in on the fun!
Last Day
We will be dismissing from GJ at 11:30am
No School Lunch Served that day!
4th Grade Happenings!
Science- This week we are zooming into balloon powered cars. We are still testing and analyzing the data.
Reading/Social Studies- We are continuing myths. We are learning allusions and theme through the myths. We have added reader’s theaters to the mix this week.
Math- We will finish out the year in Unit 5 which involves adding fractions and leads us into adding and subtracting mixed numbers with like denominators. Many of us have passed all the levels of our multiplication testing. We see ice cream sundaes in our future for passing our facts with factors times 12.
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, students are working on real world problems.
In science, students started the Draw the Line/Respect the Line curriculum. They are learning how to set limits and stick with them. They will hear more about it next week.
In reading, we are reviewing our reading strategies.
Special Education News!
4th reading students are studying about Medusa in their mythology unit.
5th reading students are still learning about poetry.
5th grade math students found out the volume of the Willis tower in Chicago.
6th grade students had an awesome day at outdoor classroom.Band News
Congratulations on an awesome concert! I was very proud of everyone because you all tried hard and brought your “A” game.
I will also be handing out a summer lesson sign up after the concert so we can get that squared away.
4th grade instrument testing will start next week beginning on Monday.
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 learning Gyotaku… the Japanese art of fish printing! They get to choose the fish they want to print, figure out where it’s habitat would be (ocean, river, lake) and then they paint a background for their fish to look like it’s habitat. Then we get to paint the fish and print it onto their background! Cool!
T.A.G.
4th grade TAG students made a spin art machine! They had to learn about centrifugal 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-. where they rank against the other teams across America!
Counseling News
What will I do this summer? That is a question I hear from some of our kids.
Here is the Iowa Summer Camp List fresh off the press from ASK Resource Center! Check it out to see what options interest your kids--just click on the ‘annual list of Iowa Summer Camps’ link below:
Summer is all about having FUN, and at ASK Resource Center we want to make it easier for Iowa kids with disabilities to access all the summer fun their hearts desire! Whether your family is planning a “stay-cation”, a sight-seeing road trip, or a vacation to Disneyland, planning is an essential component for a smooth-sailing summer. Our annual list of Iowa Summer Camps is here to help by offering travel planning tools and information about the various summer programs and activities available across the state!
Check out these helpful resources as you prepare your child for summer camp!
Sending Your Child with Special Needs to Camp www.kidshealth.org/en/parents/finding-camp-special-needs.html
Time Away Preparation: Printable Worksheets www.cshcn.org/planning-record-keeping/time-away-preparation-worksheets
A Comprehensive Guide to Special Needs Travel www.friendshipcircle.org/blog/2012/07/20/a-comprehensive-guide-to-special-needs-travel
Tips for Family Road Trips with Kids with Special Needs www.kidcompanions.com/tips-for-family-road-trips-with-kids-with-special-needs
Discover Camp: Sending Your Child with a Disability to Camp for the First Time www.nchpad.org/discover/preparing/index.html
ADA Q&A from PACER Center www.pacer.org/publications/adaqa/summer.asp
Ten Tips for Traveling with Special Needs Kids www.myfamilytravels.com/node/11177
Children and Grieving:
As we have experienced the loss of a student, I want to share a reminder that everyone grieves differently. There may be sadness, anger, denial, fatigue, acting-out behaviors, etc. The following article has a wealth of information to help you help your child through this healing process.
Helping Your Child Deal With Death - KidsHealth
kidshealth.org/en/parents/death.html
Nurse News!
Swimming is a great way to exercise and have fun. The CDC shares tips to stay healthy while swimming. Check to make sure there is a lifeguard on duty Stay out of the pool if you have an open wound Shower before getting in the pool Protect yourself from sunburn by applying sunscreen frequently Don’t swallow the water Drink plenty of fluids For more information on staying safe in water this summer visit the CDC website.