Milne Grove Messenger
February 2018
Highlighted Dates to Remember (see linked calendar for full schedule of events)
Plunge Into Fitness Begins: February 12
Spring Pictures & Classroom Parties: February 14
Early Dismissal (PM K attends in AM): February 16
Daddy Daughter Dance: February 16 @ 6pm - 9pm
Presidents' Day: No School on February 19
Family Fitness Night - February 21
Help Make Our Yearbook Awesome
Have you taken any photos of kids at Milne Grove? Outside fun, PTO gatherings and events, classroom parties? Did you know you can share those photos with us for use in our school yearbook? Go to community.lifetouch.comand enter our school's code: USUMRG.
Order Your Yearbook Today!
See Link Below & Enter Yearbook ID Code 13213818
PTO's Chuck E. Cheese Night
FAMILY FITNESS NIGHT
Principal's Page
As we head into February, we enter my favorite time of the academic year. At about half way through, we can truly see the fruits of our labor as children mature in their grade level and demonstrate signs of readiness for advanced thinking and concepts. I love to walk into classrooms and hear children explain their thinking! In January, students completed the Winter MAP benchmarking and we will soon have progress reports to share with you (to be sent home in Trimester 2 report cards).
Please praise your child for their hard work! Accomplishing academic and social emotional growth in the early grades takes a lot of effort.
The Parent Planning Council is reconvening for another year of dialogue and planning. Mrs. DeSandre and I are so very grateful to the parents who served last winter and spring and are excited to meet our new volunteers at a meeting to be scheduled for mid-February. Please take the survey below to provide us information about when is a convenient time for you to attend Planning Council.
https://doodle.com/poll/3956drdw7xiauer6
My door is open to you - please let me know what ideas and insights you have to enhance our school. When we work together, we can create something better than either could accomplish alone. Call me at 815-838-0542x2104 or email jkoziol@d91.net.
Jaime Koziol
Mrs. Jaime Koziol, Principal
815-838-0542 x2104
Mrs. Cindy Dragosh, Secretary
815-838-0542x2100
Interested in Strategic Planning?
Are you interested in working with the D91 Board, Administration, Teachers, Parents, and Community Members to set the vision and goals for the next few years? On February 10, the Strategic Plan Committee will convene for a full day session; please email Mrs. Donna Gray at dgray@d91.net if you are interested in attending.
5 Essentials Survey Success!
Thanks to our awesome parents, we were able to achieve a 41% response rate on this year's 5 Essentials Survey. Thank you so very much for participating - we will share our results as soon as they are received!
Winter is Here!
School closings will be published on our website, sent via the InTouch notification system, and reported to WJOL & emergencyclosingcenter.com
Join the KG and MG LRCs at Culvers in Lockport from 4pm-8pm on February 28th for a fundraising evening.
Click the Link Above for the Lockport Legend Valentine's Day Coloring Contest
Notes From the Nurse
February is Dental Health month. The student’s at Milne Grove will have Mrs. Gotts come in and teach them about the importance of good oral hygiene. She will be here on January 31st and February 2nd to visit all classrooms here at Milne.
Miles of Smiles will be here on February 9th to give dental examinations and cleanings to all students who returned the permission slip for services. Miles of Smiles is a team of dental professionals who deliver preventative and educational services to children in schools. If your child is in need of a dental examination, this is a great opportunity for them to meet the state requirement for dental examinations.
Please also remember that students who are absent more than 3 days may only return to school with a doctor's note.
Mrs. Gilkerson, RN
If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me at 815-838-0542 ex. 2106 or at sgilkerson@d91.net.
PTO News
February 2nd--- Chuck E. Cheese Night 3:00-9:00
February 7th--Frontier Soup Pick Up at MG 3:10-5:00
February 8th--PTO Meeting at KG in the LRC at 6:00
February 16th--Daddy/Daughter Dance in KG New Gym 6:30-9:00
Email d91.pto.info@gmail.com with questions!
Like the D91 PTO on Facebook!
The Latest from the LRC
Book Notes
All grades are reading the Monarch Award nominated books and preparing to vote for their favorites in March. Our third grade Bluestem Bunch Book Club is underway and those students will also be voting in March.
February is LIBRARY LOVERS MONTH! Show your love by helping your child remember to return books on library day! Keeping books in the student’s backpack or a special place at home is the best way to keep them from getting lost.
If you do not have a White Oak Library card, please stop by and show them your LOVE by signing up! It’s free with proof of residency - you’ll have access to free books, movies, games, programs for all ages, plus computer access and so much more! Did you know you can even get FREE passes to area museums and zoos??
Reading Incentives
Six Flags Read to Succeed forms are due back on FEBRUARY 16th!!! We are unable to accept late forms, so be sure to get yours in on time to earn your free ticket. Please see the MG LRC page at d91.net to download a form..
Volunteer Corner
Many thanks to Linda Hozjan, Peter Klauser, Jaime Dixon, Katie Schuldt and Kathleen Kesteloot for keeping our books on the shelves and organized!
ltumino@d91.net ~ 815-838-0542, x2122 Follow me on Twitter!
Physical Education Feats
On January 25th students in 1st-3rd grade attended a Kick-Of Assembly of Jump Rope for Heart. A representative from the American Heart Association discussed with students what Jump Rope for Heart is all about and how they can participate! Students should have brought home forms from the assembly to start their fundraising. Kindergarten students were given the same information.
Throughout the month of February students will participate in activities that focus on living a healthy lifestyle! We will end February with our Jump Rope for Heart Event! For 1st-3rd grade students the event will take place on February 23rd. Kindergarteners will participate during the same week during their PE time.
There will be a Fun Family Fitness Night in Milne Grove gym on Wednesday, February 21st from 6-7. All students K-3 are invited to bring their families to participate in some Workout Wednesday activities and check out some Jump Rope for Heart information.
You can get online with Jump Rope for Heart by going to www.heart.org/jump. Search for Milne Grove and you’re started!
3rd Grade
ELA:
§ Our field trip to McAnich Arts Center-College of DuPage will be on February 6th. Students should come to school dressed appropriately for the theater and bring a brown bag lunch.
§ Please continue to work on spelling and vocabulary with your child at home.
§ Students should read each night for 20 minutes to assist with their reading fluency and comprehension.
Math:
§ Please continue to work with your student on fact fluency for addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. They need to work on accuracy as well as speed when practicing their facts. If you would like additional resources for fact practice, please visit the third grade page under math.
§ You can use the Go Math link to review lessons at home and assist with concept questions. Go Math Website
Science:
§ We are currently working on our animal unit in science. Students will be completing projects that require them to know the vocabulary words that were sent home. Please continue working on these words with your child. If you need an additional copy, they can be found on the third grade website.
Social Studies:
§ We are continuing to work on our economics unit. Please continue working on these words with your child. If you need an additional copy, they can be found on the third grade website.
Remind students to use the third grade website so they can continue working on their foundational skills. There are a variety of links that will help them increase their ability with the material that has been taught so far this year.
Please feel free to contact your child’s teacher with any questions or concerns!
Thank you,
The Third Grade Team
Miss Johnson, 3rd grade teacher, jjohnson@d91.net
Mrs. McGreevy, 3rd grade teacher, hmcgreevy@d91.net
Mrs. Steed, 3rd grade teacher, csteed@d91.net
Mrs. Visser, Reading Specialist, avisser@d91.net
Mrs. Fiday, Special Education Teacher, lfiday@d91.net
Mrs. Phillips, Reading Aide, bphillips@d91.net
Mrs. Heintz, Math Aide, mheintz@d91.net
Check Out the Guardians of the Green Recycling Club (created by Mrs. McGreevy's Class)!
2nd Grade
The second grade teachers want to wish you and your family a safe and happy holiday!
Language Arts- It is important to continue studying the weekly spelling and vocabulary words every night. Also, as you listen to your child read, continue to ask them to retell events that happened in the story and ask questions about the text. This will help their language skills and their ability to think critically about a text.
Social Studies- We have begun, Chapter 3, The World Around Us. Students will be focusing on maps and globes, locating different places and features, understadning the world is made up of different landforms and bodies of water.
Science- We will continue learning about landforms and how they change quickly and slowly over time. Students will be participating in experiments to observe these changes and discover ways to prevent erosion.
Math- Students have begun learning subtraction facts. It is important to study these facts nightly. When students are timed for their fact tests they have 2 minutes to complete 25 facts. In February, our Go Math book will continue to focus on 2 digit subtraction. After that, we will move into 3-digit addition and subtraction.
The Second Grade Team
Mrs. Bolte, 2nd grade teacher, mbolte@d91.net
Mrs. Georgopulos, 2nd grade teacher, rgeorgopulos@d91.net
Miss Podwika, 2nd grade teacher, kpodwika@d91.net
Mrs. Visser, Reading Specialist, avisser@d91.net
Mrs. Fiday, Special Education Teacher, lfiday@d91.net
Mrs. Phillips, Reading Aide, bphillips@d91.net
Mrs. Heintz, Math Aide, mheintz@d91.net
1st Grade
Superkids Reading Program:
Spelling and reading words ending with long vowel sounds
Decode and encode CVCe words with -s, -ing, and -ed endings
Decode and encode CVVC words with ai, oa, ea, and ee
Review using good, better, best
Read fluently and understand literary and informational texts
Using interjections appropriately in speaking and writing
Identify and use adjectives correctly in speaking and writing
Read and spell new memory words
Language and Writing:
Focus on writing complete sentences with the correct ending marks
Identify a piece of narrative writing
Writing a narrative paragraph
GO Math:
Count to 120, starting at any number
Understand place value representing tens and ones
Read and write numbers between 110 and 120
Compare numbers to show greater than or less than
Using greater than, less than, and equal to symbols
Identifying 10 more and 10 less than a given number
Social Studies:
Identifying land and water on a map
Discovering the continents and oceans of the world
Learning the importance of transportation
Learn about the importance of President’s Day and our Founding Fathers
Science:
Exploring sound waves and how they are created
Discuss the meaning of Groundhogs Day and how shadows are created
The First Grade Team
Mrs. O'Halloran, 1st grade teacher, mohalloran@d91.net
Mrs. Preboy, 1st grade teacher, cpreboy@d91.net
Mrs. Stanly, 1st grade teacher, lstanly@d91.net
Mrs. Visser, Reading Specialist, avisser@d91.net
Mrs. Fiday, Special Education Teacher, lfiday@d91.net
Mrs. Phillips, Reading Aide, bphillips@d91.net
Mrs. Heintz, Math Aide, mheintz@d91.net
Kindergarten
The Kindergarteners are very excited that they are becoming readers and writers! We notice that they are finding words EVERYWHERE in school…in books, in the halls, in the classroom. It is fun to watch and listen to them read and spell. If you are looking for a way to foster your child’s growing reading career, the Lockport Library is a wonderful resource for Early Reader books. Just ask for Miss Jane, she will be happy to show you where they are! Journal writing has been a fun activity used in class to strengthen the kindergarteners’ letter-sound relationships and sentence making skills. If you are interested in applying these skills at home, have your child record events in a personal journal or have them write and illustrate a story to read to our class.
In social studies we are reading and writing stories about fairness, respect, good citizenship and Martin Luther King, Jr. In February, we will be starting a mini-unit on the Presidents.
We LOVE to count!! We are practicing counting by 1’s and 10’s. In Math we will be continuing addition, introducing subtraction and will begin to measure, sort, and order and classify. Thank you for all you do to help your child be successful at school!
The Kindergarten Team
Mrs. Adams - sadams@d91.net
Mrs. Visser, Reading Specialist, avisser@d91.net
Mrs. Fiday, Special Education Teacher, lfiday@d91.net
Mrs. Phillips, Reading Aide, bphillips@d91.net
Mrs. Heintz, Math Aide, mheintz@d91.net
Early Learners Preschool
Upcoming Events:
Week of February 5 – The Early Learners will be introduced to the letter “Dd” along with the number 13. The theme of the week will be Dental Health and the Early Learners will discuss what happens first, next and last when they brush their teeth. The Early Learners will also be introduced to the color pink and practice cutting.
Week of February 12 – The Early Learners will be introduced the letter “Vv” along with the number 14. The theme of the week will be Valentine’s Day. The Early Learners will also be introduced to the heart shape as the decorate their special Valentine’s Day bags.
Week of February 19 – The Early Learners will be introduced to the letter “Qq” along with the number 15. The theme of the week will be quilts.
Week of February 26 – The Early Learners will be introduced to the letter “Ll” along with the number 16. The theme of the week will be Abraham Lincoln. The Early Learners will hear a story about Abraham Lincoln when he was young.
Dates to Remember:
Friday, February 2nd, Dental Hygienist Visits at 1:00p.m.
Wednesday, February 14th, Spring Pictures
Wednesday, February 14th, Valentine’s Day Party from 2:00p.m. to 3:00p.m.
Friday, February 16th, NO CLASS for Early Learners, School Improvement
Monday, February 19th, NO SCHOOL, Presidents’ Day
Tuesday & Wednesday, February 20th & 21st, DIAL Screenings
Watch your child’s take home folder for information on the February Family Fun event and field trip.
The PK Team
Mrs. Torkelson, PK Teacher, rtorkelson@d91.net
Mrs. Pederson, Bilingual Liaison, spederson@d91.net
Mr. Murillo, PK aide, lmurillo@d91.net
The Speech Spot with Mrs. Barker
Wordless videos are a great tool for building children’s listening and speaking skills. They are designed to be engaging, humorous and thought provoking. I’ve listed a few, interesting videos and suggested activities which you may want to try with your child. Enjoy!!
Wordless Video Activities
Pause the video to ask questions.
What do you think will happen next? Why do you think the character _______?
What does the character’s face and body tell you how they are feeling?
What happened and why is that a problem? How will the video end?
Pause the video occasionally to add your own words.
Summarize the video and retell the story to someone else.
Write a script, including dialogue to accompany the video.
Ormie The Pig A pig attempts to get a jar of cookies from the top of the fridge.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUm-vAOmV1o
Sweet Cocoon Two friends help a caterpillar during his “metamorphosis”.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19Dbl0ZvBRs
Pigeons Young baby pigeons work together to find food.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oIlIVFBBbNw
Simon’s Cat - Cat nap A young kitten makes it difficult for a cat to sleep.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2nWP7ClUspo
Simon’s Cat - Let me Inside - A very hungry cat tries to get indoors.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4rb8aOzy9t4
Piper - A baby seagull discovers much from a big wave.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VS7wR7gjJE&feature=youtu.be
Hola Llamigo - A friendship develops between a boy and his pinata.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_hr70LytvbI
Gopher Broke - A gopher struggles to collect food.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iw-W1K68Sd4
Contact Mrs. Barker at jbarker@d91.net for more tips and tricks to aid in your child's speech and language development!
Savvy Solutions with Mrs. DeSandre
This Month’s Topic: Importance of Sleep and Routines
Young children need 10 to 12 hours of sleep daily in order to support healthy development. When your child does not get enough sleep, challenging behaviors are likely to occur. Your child might be moody, short-tempered and unable to engage well in interactions with others. Sleep is especially important for children as it directly impacts mental and physical development. Lack of sleep can have a negative impact on your child’s ability to learn. Below are a couple tips to create a successful bedtime.
Give your child your undivided and unrushed attention as you prepare them for bed. Bedtime can be a positive experience filled with quality time for you and your child.
A visual schedule can help them to understand the steps and expectations of the routine. Keep the routine as consistent as possible each night. Set a bedtime and stick with it!
Provide your child with activities, sounds or objects that help them feel calm and restful during the hour before bedtime. For example, reading books, listening to soft, calming music, and/or giving your child her favorite blanket or stuffed animal will also help him/her to understand that it is time to calm down and prepare for sleep.
Do you also struggle with stressful mornings? Do you often leave the house in a frantic rush? You can also create a morning routine that not only helps your day begin more smoothly, but also teaches your child important skills that they need to become more independent and confident.
Be realistic and age-appropriate, too many expectations could also cause your child to become overwhelmed. Use a visual schedule with items such as photos, clipart, or objects that shows your child the steps in their morning routine.
Plan Ahead. Try and prepare as much as you can the night before: lunches packed, clothes laid out, backpacks ready to go, etc.
Encourage your child. When your child completes a task and follows the routine, provide positive and specific encouragement. For example, say “Wow, you got up and got dressed all by yourself! Now we will have a few extra minutes to play!
Again, make sure your child is getting enough sleep. A child that is not getting enough sleep can be quite difficult to wake up and follow the morning routine!
References:
http://challengingbehavior.fmhi.usf.edu/do/resources/backpack.html
https://sleepfoundation.org/sleep-topics/children-and-sleep
Questions? Comments? Ideas for topics? Contact Mrs. DeSandre at tdesandre@d91.net
Art
Currently, all Milne Grove students are working hard, mastering the color wheel and practicing their color blending skills. Each art class at Milne Grove will be working on several paintings over the next several months, before moving into the art of three-dimensional sculpture.
Kindergarten students are currently working on a painting inspired by the work of Wayne Thiebaud and his candy, cake, and ice cream paintings. Students will be creating their own giant sundae and painting their creation using colors mixed with white to create an assortment of tints. First grade students will be using the mystery and interest of outer space to motivate an original mixed media Outer Space Escape painting. Students learned about the planets and will use a variety of materials to create their own outer space inspired art! Second grade students are working the movement and rhythm within music to create their own Abstract Wassily Kandinsky inspired painting and third grade students will be taking a look at Jim Dine and his unbelievable heart paintings and sculptures - how perfect for the February season!
If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me directly anytime at extension 1110 at Kelvin Grove, or via email at jcravens@d91.net. Don’t forget to check out the Art Department on the web at www.d91.net for a current listing of all projects.
Thank you for your continued support!
Mrs. Cravens
Music Notes
To Contact Mrs. Randolph K-8 Music & KG Chorus Director
Email: srandolph@d91.net PHONE: 815-838-0737 ext. 1140
ALL MG Music students are working on learning Treble Clef Note Names using Internet web sites. Check the Music Web Page for Web addresses to practice using various free web games.
All MG Music Classes are focusing on identifying different instrument tone colors and instrument families, holiday music for Valentine’s Day, Lincoln and Washington, playing Orff instruments, and singing. Check the MG Music web site for details and current information.
Kindergarten and First Grade are learning to play Orff instruments to accompany the Mallet Song, Mallets to the top, and One , two tie my shoe, in addition to other songs. They are listening to “Flight of the Bumble Bee” by Russian Composer - Rimsky -Korsakov
Second Grade is studying “In the Hall of the Mountain King” by Grieg and learning to sing the counting song in Spanish. Second grade will have music worksheets due the next music class.
Third Grade will continue playing recorder and will have a few work sheets. They will review Sea Shanteys, and music from Hawaii. (Did you know Hawaii has 3 different colors of sand? Ask your child to share with you what they learned about sand and astronauts in Hawaii.)
Third Grade Recorder Fridays: Every Friday morning from 8:05 – 8:30 am Third Grade students may enter the Milne Grove school for Recorder Club to pass recorder songs for stickers and leaern to play other music instruments and use computer music software. THESE ARE FREE LESSONS.
There is NO Recorder Club on Friday, January 26. Mrs. Randolph will be at the state music teachers’ conference in Peoria.
If you work for a company that would donate tax-deductible funds to the D91 music department to help purchase instruments, computer hardware & software, MIDI carts, and other things needed for the music department, please contact Mrs. Randolph to provide you with a brochure to give the business or corporation.
A SPECIAL THANK YOU TO:
Thank you to the Administration, Board of Education, Teachers, Staff, Parents, Volunteers, Family, and Friends who have helped with the Christmas program. A Special Thank You to my wonderful students for performing so well.
Substitutes Needed!!
For More Information on Milne Grove School:
Email: jkoziol@d91.net
Website: www.d91.net
Location: 565 East 7th Street, Lockport, IL, United States
Phone: 815-838-0542
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/milnegrove/
Twitter: @milnegrove