Mountaineer Monthly
January 2014
From Mr. Permar's Desk
Mountaineer Families,
Happy New Year! I hope that you enjoyed the winter holidays with friends and family. My professional New Year’s resolution is to keep all of you more up-to-date in regard to what your son or daughter is learning in Science and ILA each month. In order to accomplish this I will be e-mailing each of you “Mountaineer Monthly." Thank you for all your the support you give your children at home and happy reading!
Science
This month we are continuing our study of climate. The tree ring lab we conducted was a hit! Next, we will begin to explore the topic of rocks and minerals. We will visit the science lab several times during this unit as we learn about the characteristics of various rocks and minerals. The students are excited to begin this new topic of study and are invited to bring in any rock collections they may have!
ILA
We are venturing into theme three of our reading series. This theme is entitled “Go With the Flow”, as all of the stories within the theme involve water in some way. Some of the reading strategies and skills that we will be learning in this theme include: comparing and contrasting, monitoring comprehension, cause and effect relationships, and using graphic organizers. We are continuing to improve our grammar skills by learning all about common nouns, proper nouns, singular and plural nouns, possessive nouns, pronouns and antecedents. In addition, the children will also be practicing the writing skills necessary for responding to informational, narrative, and persuasive prompts
Important Dates:
1/20 No School for the Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday
1/24 End of 2nd Marking Period
1/31 Skyview Family Game Night @ 7:00p.m.
3/17 – 3/24 Reading and Math PSSA Testing
3/31 – 4/4 Writing PSSA Testing
5/29 & 4/30 Outdoor Ed – Mark your calendars!
Reasons For Seasons Smart Board Simulation
Student using an interactive simulation on the smart board to learn the "reasons for seasons."
Check it out at:
http://astro.unl.edu/naap/motion1/animations/seasons_ecliptic.html
Climate Study: Tree Ring Lab
Students examining tree ring sample to determine climate history.
Ask your son or daughter why knowing climate history is important!
Character Counts Class Project
Students planting seeds for our annual Character Counts class project. We are growing herbs, cacti, and vegtables to sell to Skyview students and staff. All money raised will go towards a donation to Skyview. Last year the students raised enough money to purchase a bench for the school made out of recycled milk jugs. We are still accepting donations of used pots, bagged soil, and seeds. Monatary donations are also weclome.