K-6 School News
December 11, 2014
Note from the Principal
As we approach the day that we celebrate our Lord and Savior's birth, I know that many of us are also celebrating some family traditions. One of the Schaffer family traditions is having our kids choose the tree topper which rotates between either a star or an angel (I know...we live dangerously, right? :)).
I want to challenge all families to choose traditions that are focused on Christ as it is mentioned in this devotional. I believe it is important to not allow traditions to become more important than or deviate from our King.
Shane Schaffer
Elementary and Middle School Principal
Chapel Info
Dec 10: Judy Wenning (5-6)
Dec 17: Tim Thompson (K-4)
Dec 17: Aaron Wilson (5-6)
Month at a Glance: December
Dec 15: 4-11 Instrumental Christmas Program - 7:30 p.m. - TPCC Worship Center
Dec 16: Christmas Lunch
Dec 16: Dad's Club Meeting - 6:30 p.m. - Media Center
Dec 17: Booster Club Meeting - 6:00 p.m.
Dec 19: Quarter 2 ends
Dec 19: K-12 Happy HALL-idays - 8:45 a.m. - TPCA Eagle's Nest
Dec 22 - Jan 2: Christmas Break - no school
Upcoming Events: January
Jan 27: Future of the School Address - 6:30 p.m. - TPCC/The Block
Jan 28: Kindergarten Round-up
Christmas Lunch Tradition Continues at TPCA!
In celebration of Christmas, each year Chef Matt prepares a delicious lunch feast. This year's meal will be served on Tuesday, December 16th. The menu is: Pot Roast, Potato Au Gratin, Green Bean Casserole, Diced Pears with Craisins, Dinner Roll and a Peppermint Brownie. If you would like to join your child for this special Christmas lunch, please RSVP to the front desk.
Grade Level News
We have been working on math skills which include greater than and less than as the children continue to enjoy exploring many manipulatives in our math centers. The children's writing skills also continue to blossom as they have now learned 80+ sight words as well as their CVC word family words. Kindergarten has also been enjoying our lessons surrounding the birth of our Lord and King, Jesus Christ. Here is a fun story: During library co-curricular recently one student had this enlightening conversation with their teacher for the day, Mrs. Hinchman:
Mrs. Hinchman: "What did the wise men bring to Jesus?"
Student: "They brought some gold and some really nice smelling perfume...and Murray."
Yes...let's not forget Murray! #tpcaloveanother
First Grade
In the month of December, 1st grade is traveling all around the world to learn about Christmas traditions in other countries and how Christians in those countries celebrate Christmas. We take flight and start in Germany and end in Bethlehem to celebrate the real reason we have Christmas. In Bible, we are reading a story called “What Nick and Holly Found in Grandpa’s Attic”. In the story, the children find things in their grandpa’s attic that remind them of all the names we call Jesus. We make a book of all the adornaments or names of Jesus. We are also visiting the Children’s Museum during Jolly Days to also learn more about Christmas traditions around the world.
Second Grade
2nd grade is taking a break from their world travels and focusing on Christmas Science in December. Currently, they are learning the life cycle of a Christmas tree. In the next 2 weeks we will explore the Bethlehem star and constellations as well as the study of Christmas light electricity. Next week, we will change up our regular 2nd grade store and make it Christmas Store. The classes will be able to shop for their families with the tickets they’ve earned for good behavior. Finally, the classes are learning the Biblical representations of each of the 12 days of Christmas.
Third Grade
The month of December is short but jammed packed for 3rd grade! We have been learning about economics and what God says about money. Students are earning "money" through good behavior and classroom jobs while at the same time balancing their "checkbooks"! We are also preparing for the big final event: Mini-Mall! On Wednesday the 17th, students will get a chance to advertise and sell 18 of their hand-made items and purchase some from their friends. This is always a highlight of the year!
During the month of December, 4th grade will be doing many fun things. The students will be reading the book, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. It is a short novel that helps remind us of the true meaning of Christmas and what it means for us. The 4th grade will be going on a field trip to the State Capitol to learn more about Indiana and the government that leads us. The students were surprised with a visit from Governor Pence. We will begin our study of adverbs and continue learning about long division in Math.
Fifth Grade
The fifth graders just finished reading the novel A Christmas Carol and will be going to the Indiana Repertory Theater to see the play on Tuesday, Dec. 9th. In Science, we are learning about the solar system. We just completed a paper towel lab to model the distance of each planet from the Sun. We have been working on triangles and quadrilaterals in Math and learning about the 13 colonies in Social Studies. In Bible class, we are learning that Jesus teaches us that in order to grow as His disciples we must always put Him first. This means that Jesus must be more important to us than our money and possessions.
Sixth Grade
God's blessings and provisions have been shining bright in sixth grade. As Mrs. Bieberich was being called to a different ministry, He was preparing Ms. Mais to move right into sixth grade. While no one could ever fill the shoes of beloved Mrs. Bieberich, the transition has been a smooth one. We have been blessed to have had access to the mobile computer cart for most of the month, allowing us to research, compose and create across the curriculum. Coming to a close are several projects including the final draft of the country reports (complete with title page and bibliography), a travel brochure (a persuasive write), and a narrative poem. An International Café Day will be held next Tuesday; the students will be sharing traditional food from their country. Reviewing for finals is the current focus in Bible, Math, Science, and Vocab. Mr. Cook has created study guide folders for each student. Group 6A will be having finals on Thursday/Friday and 6B will be testing on Wednesday/Thursday.
- Review Vocabulary sections 5-8 for a Unit Test
- Revise and create final draft of country report
- Create a travel brochure using Publisher
- Each student will present their country brochure and sample dish at the annual International Café-December 15th. Students will be asked to bring in a dessert, side, or main dish that is served in their country, with very small portions to share with their classmates. This presentation will take the place of student’s finals for social studies. More details to follow.
Co-Curricular News
How Great Thou ART! I encourage you to view our TPCA virtual school gallery online at: www.artsonia.com/schools/traders1 and see what our talented artists have been creating in the art room to celebrate our Savior's birth! Also, with Christmas fast approaching, you may wish to order special items from Artsonia as gifts, complete with your student artist’s work on them! SAVE up to 30% on Coffee Mugs and 25% on Ornaments right now if you order by December 15th for Christmas delivery. Remember, the art department receives 15% back from our sales to help with the purchase of art supplies. THANKS!
Christmas JOY to you,
Mrs. Bostick
Media Center
Music
Music classes are preparing for the Christmas program on Monday, December 15 at 6:00 p.m. in the Traders Point Christian Church worship center. All students need to be dressed in “nice” clothes (no jeans, sweatpants, sweatshirts or short skirts on girls). Please take note of traffic patterns so that your student will make it to the church building by 5:50 p.m. They sound great and we are very excited to share our Christmas celebration with you. I expect to see all students in grades K-4 as well as 5th and 6th grade choirs. We have a special surprise planned for you!!
Physical Education
This month in PE (K-6) the children will continue to move and run as much as possible, however I am going to add a “Minds-in-Motion” component to what we do. There will games and playtime but some of our standard warm-up activities will incorporate many of the MIM movements. For more info you can go to their website at www.mimlearning.com
Spanish
TPCA has had the pleasure of hosting 5 foreign exchange students from Guatemala and several Spanish classes in elementary have had the opportunity to visit with them. They came into several classes and gave a presentation about their country, their culture, the history of Guatemala and their experiences while in Indianapolis. Our students were amazed to learn about the cities of Antigua, the Mayan pyramids, the rain forest and the history of Guatemala. The also played "Loteria", a traditional game similar to bingo and received handmade bracelets, traditional toys and keychains. Our amazing TPCA students showed great respect and asked great questions.