Mustang Roundup
November 2015
Principal's Pen
Dear Mustang Families!
Time continues to move quickly and there are many things taking place at Mount Holly that we want you to be apart of. The bridge between school and home is one of importance. It takes the support of our families to make our school a great place to learn and grow!
Thank you for your support of our Fall Fundraiser. The Mustang Family raised over $12,000 which we will purchase equipment to add to our walking track and instructional items for students and teachers. Thank you for attending our Fall Carnival. The carnival was a lot of fun, and it was great seeing you there. Our Fall Ball is Thursday, October 29 from 2:30-4:00 and the Fall Fundraiser Pick-Up is from 1:30-5:30 on this day also. Our Box Tops Collection Date is Friday,October 30.
Below are some important dates for you to keep in mind for November.
Upcoming Dates
November 10
- School Improvement Council Meeting-5:00
- PTO Meeting-6:00
November 11
- Veteran's Day Parade-8:30
- Progress Reports go home
- Thanksgiving Lunch and Learn for Kindergarten, Second, and Fourth Grades
November 20
- Thanksgiving Lunch and Learn for First, Third, and Fifth Grades
November 25-27
- Thanksgiving Holiday
As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please contact me at 985-1650. Again, thank you for helping to make our school the best!
Children First,
Dr. Barnes
Mrs. Greene's Class
We are partnering with Rock Hill Parks and Recreation for community resources and jobs field studies. These studies will take place on three Thursdays in November and one Thursday in December. Be on the lookout for updates via Class Dojo, Remind and/or email!
Kindergarten
Time sure is flying in Kindergarten! We are learning and growing more and more every day! Lots of excitement took place in October. We learned a lot at Black’s Farm in York about animals and farm life. We hope to have a blast dressing up in our Halloween costumes and trick-or-treating around the school!
Please mark your calendars for two important dates: The children will trick or treat at school on Friday, October 30. In November, we will be busy preparing for our Thanksgiving Play. It will be held in the school cafeteria on Tuesday, November 24 @ 8:30am. Please come out and join us for this special time!
As we begin the 2nd nine weeks, students are learning about wood and paper in Science. In Social Studies, we will compare the daily lives of children and their families in the past, and present and explain how communication and transportation changed the way that families live and work. We are busy in Math counting given numbers of objects to 20 and counting on from any given number up to 20. We will write and represent numbers with objects, as well as using concrete models to add and subtract. In Reading, we are working on concepts of print, letter naming and sounds, and also identifying authors and illustrators and their roles. We will we use all kinds of questioning through books and writing. We will retell stories using beginning, middle, and end and make predictions.
Please remember to place an extra change of clothes for your child in a bag in case of accidents. As the weather begins to cool, you may want to change the clothes in the bag for cooler weather. Also, remember to read with your child every night, fill in the reading log, complete all written homework, and review the alphabet chart and high frequency words.
First Grade
First Grade Happenings
The First Grade Team would like to give a big shout out to thank each of you who took the time out of your busy day to attend a conference concerning your students academic progress. Our team believes that it truly does take a village to educate our students. We are excited about all the learning and academic growth that is happening this year! There is a big change concerning communication on classroom levels, school–wide levels and on a district level with the implementation of Canvas. This tool has a lot of pertinent information that you will find useful. You will hear more about Canvas in the upcoming weeks. In a concerted effort to make sure that you are informed of events, please make sure that your child’s teacher has your correct email address. Remember to continue to READ, READ, READ with your student each night.
Math
Review
Continue writing expanded form
(Example 78 is written 70 + 8 = 78)
Writing number words zero – nineteen
Adding two numbers to find the end result.
Recognizing quarter, nickel, dime and penny, knowing their value, and counting them.
Understanding that 6 + 3 =9 means the same as 3 + 6 =9
Introduce
Growing Patterns ABABAB, ABCABC, ABCD, ABCD. Extending the patterns
Writing numbers 0 – 50
Counting objects – 50
Greater than less than. (knowing the difference using the words greater than, less than, equal to)
Writing
Continue:
Writing sentences with capital letters
Ending sentences with correct punctuation
Writing for a purpose
Spelling all known words correctly
Using our dictionary and other resources to spell words correctly.
Reading
Continue to learn to read and comprehend grade level text.
Read for extended periods of time.
Use reading strategies to decode unfamiliar/unknown words.
Answer who, what, when, where, why, and how questions about the text.
Retell and sequence stories.
Science
Introduce Sun and Moon
Students will demonstrate an understanding of patterns of the Sun and Moon and the Sun’s effect on Earth.
Social Studies
Government and Democracy
Students will continue to demonstrate an understanding of how government functions and how government affects lives.
Students will demonstrate an understanding of the principles of American democracy and the role of citizens in upholding those principles.
Also, please discuss your student’s book with him/her. Reading is more than just recalling words. Students need to be reading for understanding so after your child reads his/her book ask your student questions about the story.
For All OUR Children, The First Grade Team.
Second Grade
Awesome job second graders, we made it through our first nine weeks! We are playing so many important roles in our classroom community. We are authors, editors, scientists, problem solvers, citizens, and deep thinkers in our reading. In reading, we have been learning about using context clues to help us understand difficult vocabulary. Our students are even challenging themselves to use these stronger vocabulary words to strengthen their writing! In math, we have been working on place value and adding and subtracting on number lines. The students are also getting a chance to justify their math “thinking” through written responses.
Science has been so hands on these past few weeks! They have been studying matter and how matter can change through engaging scientific investigations. They have also learned about magnets, how their poles affect each other, and how magnets are used in our daily lives. We had a great time on our first field study to see the play Junie B. Jones. The students had a chance to see for themselves how actors on stage use expression when speaking and how important projecting their voices are when speaking to an audience.
Third Grade
Fourth Grade
Our 4th Grade Team has been learning all about addition and subtraction! The students have been doing a really great job with their addition and subtraction. Thanks 3rd grade! Once we finish with addition and subtraction we will move into multiplication and division and learn 4 new strategies to solve each. We are moving to a new unit in Science….SOLAR SYSTEM!!!!! Students always love this unit and we can’t wait to start it. We will begin learning about colonization in Social Studies and will be getting into very interesting topics dealing with slavery. Also, we will soon be taking a big splash! Parents, please remember to pack your child’s swimsuit and towel for our last few days of swimming on October 28 and October 29.
Fifth Grade
Our 5th Grade Team has continued to be busy working hard on various class projects and assignments. We have been wrapping up our math unit related to decimals and place value. We have been very impressed with the connections that students have made about the Power of Ten as it relates to whole numbers and decimals. In science, we have continued to be chemists and recognize all of the characteristics of mixtures and solutions. Our conversations in social studies have been very engaging as we continue to discuss the Westward Expansion and the different groups of people that helped to make this time period an important time in our country’s history. Please drop in to read through our second formally written essays that are dedicated to Red Ribbon Week. We are looking forward to our field trip to the York County Museum as they introduce our unit on Ecosystems and Landforms. Please be sure to sign and return your child’s permission slip if you haven’t already done so. As we move forward, continue to encourage reading at home and studying basic multiplication tables. As always, we thank you for your continued support!
Art
It’s Shine Time for Student Artists at Mount Holly! Each fall, York County Arts Council and the Center for the Arts collaborate with Rock Hill’s Elementary School Art programs to showcase student artwork. Please join together in congratulating the following students for their artistic recognition:
Emma Porch
London Barnes
Kamorien Dunham
Alyssa Correll
Savannah Cornwell
Kayden Gunn
Brody Bemis
Caroline Cornwell
Lily Honeycutt
Jacob Christopher
Daylin Outlaw
Jaylen Ramirez
Michael Oxendine
Kimareon McNeil
Michael Clawson
Angela Matute Nolasco
Jewelle Moore
Gabby Scott
Makenzie Cooper
This Elementary Fall Exhibit will run from October 23 to November 13 with an artists’ reception at the Center for the Arts Thursday, October 29 from 6-7 pm.
Music
Media Center
I am grateful for our community of READERS! Dr. Barnes, Mr. Newton, our teachers and staff, and most of all, our STUDENTS! Remember to keep on reading and share your love of books with everyone!
*Deadline for turning in your “Read Your Way to the Big Game” forms: Friday, October 30th – Almost 70 kids are already entered into the drawing!
Coming next: “Read with the Gamecocks!” – students will earn two tickets to a January basketball game at USC. Contest takes place during the month of December. Look for the reading form in November in your weekly folders.
*Fifteen 5th grade boys read Jerry Spinelli’s Wringer during their lunchtime in mid-November.
Battle of the Books has begun! Fourth and fifth grade students are reading ten novels in order to compete against each other before moving on to the District competition in March. If your child is still interested, have them come to the library for a permission slip.
Counselor's Corner
October was a busy month for the Mighty Mustangs! October is always the month in which we celebrate Red Ribbon Week and make the pledge to be healthy and drug free! The students worked on goal setting in guidance class and in their classrooms for the Red Ribbon Week writing contest. We discussed the importance of staying focused on our goals and our futures versus making poor choices that could affect our health. Mount Holly students are reaching for the stars!
Last month we also launched our Caring for Columbia Campaign. Thanks to all of our generous students and families, this campaign was a HUGE success with over 350 care packages packed and sent to Columbia! We are so thankful for your support and efforts to bring relief to the families affected by the flooding.
Instructional Specialist
Your Child is Never Too Old to Be Read Aloud To!
We adults often think that when a child is able to read a book by him/herself that we should stop reading to our children. We have this fantasy that they will automatically become lifelong readers who love to sit with a book and read by themselves. But, this is the furthest thing from the truth! Anyone who loves reading knows that the BEST part of the book is sharing it with a friend, a spouse, or a reading group! Reading is not meant to be an isolating experience that you do alone without any interaction. We are social creatures and crave interaction with loved ones.
When you read aloud, you are teaching your child so much more than just telling them a story.
When you read to a child, you are:
- enjoying literature together.
-bonding with your child (when you sit together in a comfy chair or in his/her bed reading together, that bonding time is critical for growth! Don't underestimate the importance of bonding in developing lifelong readers).
-relaxing your body and mind with a screen-free evening ritual.
-whetting your child’s appetite for reading so he/she will want to read
-developing an awareness of people outside your experience
-developing a sense of empathy
-Increasing your child’s attention span
-Helping your child address real-life issues
Physical Education
Our 3rd – 5th graders are working on Fitnessgram testing and building endurance. Our K – 2nd graders are working on Locomotor movements and learning to enjoy moving and playing games with others.
People often ask me about staying healthy during the holiday seasons. Here are a few tips from one of my favorite kid-friendly web sites! This information, as well as, making time for some exercise is my best advice. There are tons of “Turkey Trots” this time of year and signing up as a family is a wonderful way to spend time together!
Simplifying Thanksgiving - Planning Tips For Busy Parents
Thanksgiving food planning tips:
- Take time to plan your meal - planning ahead can save time and be less stressful
- Simplify your menu – less thanksgiving dishes and desserts means less to prepare and less to clean up!
- Make a shopping list - download our printable thanksgiving shopping list guide
- Shop early - look for bargains on nonperishable foods
- Make it a potluck – save time and have family and friends help with some of their favorite healthy side dishes
- Prepare some foods in advance - appetizers and desserts can be prepared in advance, reducing your "to do" list closer to the holiday
- Reduce your “To Do” list – prioritize to create time for rest, fun and being active
This information comes from http://www.nourishinteractive.com/healthy-living/free-nutrition-articles/26-tips-healthy-eating-foods-kids-cooking
Terrific Kids
Congratulations to the following students who were selected as Terrific Kids for the Month of September.
Angelo RiceTorrie Taylor
Madelyn Ross
MacKenzie Thomas
Jarrett Gillelan
Joshua Ellegor
Livvie Williams
Carragan Eversole
Hayden Stacks
Jayliah Dickerson
Emilee Lessmeister
Nicholas Perez
Thomas Dover
Rylie Steele
Madison Blanton
Robert Bevilacqua
Aidan Blackwood
Melanie Robinson
Sara Munguia-Lively
Joey Shuler
Hailey Fowler
Jaheim Crawford
Madisun Bowers
Bryson Grier
Ashton Hoffman
Jasmine Capen