W.L. Miller Elementary
October 2018 Newsletter
Kindergarten - Mrs. David,Mrs. Bierly, Mrs. Richner, Ms. Person
Kindergarten students are participating in “Writer's Workshop” everyday. During this time students are learning to be authors and illustrators. Currently we are working on Narrative Writing. Students have learned to draw characters and settings. Students are excited to get the opportunity to share their writing in the”Share Chair.”
First Grade- Mrs. Dominick, Mrs. Nickerson, Mrs. Cummings, Mrs. Oakes
First Grade students have been investigating light and shadows. We created a chart of what we notice about shadows and what we wonder about shadows. The students then did some investigating using flashlights. We are excited to do some more experimenting this week. We are going to take an object and and record its shadow on paper. We will then go out later in the year and record our objects shadow again. We will monitor how it has changed in comparison to the sun’s position.
Second Grade - Mrs. Calkins, Mrs. Sullivan, Mrs. Strange, Mrs. Baker
Second graders are learning to observe like scientists. In our study of matter, students studied solid objects and sorted them according to their attributes. Students used their science journals to write and diagram like real scientists. They have enjoyed taking various solid objects apart and putting them back together in the same and in different ways!
Third Grade - Mrs. Farrington, Ms. Sample, Ms. Kucharski
Third grade students have been investigating magnetism and magnetic forces. They have been exploring different objects that magnets are attracted to and which objects magnets are not attracted to. Students will soon have to figure out how to move different objects from one location to another by only using magnets and not their hands.
Fourth Grade - Mrs. Kelly, Mr. Hoover, Mrs. Weaver
Fifth Grade - Mrs. Eglesia, Mrs Route, Mrs Martz, Mr. Bogaczyk
Fifth grade readers are engaging in rich conversations about books during interactive read aloud time. During interactive read alouds, the teacher reads aloud books from a variety of genres as a community reading experience. Students participate in rich conversations about books and develop critical thinking skills.
By studying our interactive read aloud books, we can use them as mentor texts during writing workshop. Students will apply their reading experiences to literature circles and book clubs.
Developing “Book Joy” or the love of reading while diving into deep thinking is our goal. Check out some of the books that we are using for interactive read aloud time this month.
Sixth Grade - Mrs. Cranmer, Mr. Bubeck, Mrs. Smith, Ms. Dizon
The sixth graders are planning a series of math fall activities to apply their math skills in their current unit on ratios and proportions. They will use ratio relationships to determine amounts of ingredients for making homemade applesauce for the whole grade.They will have a HOOT with “Corny Jokes” and have been problem based challenged to construct their own candy corn catapults to launch candy corn into jack-o-lantern buckets from 3-5 feet away using the engineering process.
Gym - Mr. Smith
Students in grades 3-6 recently practiced recess game review and completed the P.A.C.E.R. test for the first time this year. The P.A.C.E.R. test is a cardiovascular endurance run designed to teach students how to pace themselves while running long distances. All students have been working through a series of stations focusing on skill development, balance, and muscular strength. Below are some photos of the station activities.
Art Mrs. Ohmneiss
Story quilts, patterns, collages, landscapes, perspective, symmetry, varying lines, varying shapes, optical illusions, personification, visualization, jewelry, knotting, fringing, weaving, cuneiform writing, clay, grids, rulers, measuring, reflections, rotations, mirror symmetry, radial symmetry, parallel, perpendicular, orthogonals, vanishing points, shading, blending, washes, patinas, bleeding, outlining, overlapping, mosaics, block lettering, borders, stencils, observation, memory, safety, responsibility, and respect, are some of the vocabulary and concepts that the students in our school have been learning about in this first full month.
Music Mr. Ruth
The halls are alive with the sound of music! "Music Mornings" at WLM are in full swing! Students are greeted with music as they enter school every morning.
Monday-Classical
Tuesday- Jazz
Wednesday-World (Tiger Bucks for children who can guess which country is featured)
Thursday-Throwback (Featuring different decades each week)
Friday-Today’s hits (Sensored and approved of course!)
Guidance - Ms. Dutchess
The students in the 5th and 6th grade Guidance classes have started a unit on "Dealing with Changes". They are naming as many changes that they can think of, both positive and negative, and then ways that these changes can affect a person's/people’s lives. As the unit progresses, the students will learn many different coping skills for these changes. The students will also be encouraged to share any skills that they may have used that have helped them as they have dealt with changes in their lives. A hard copy of coping skills will go home with each student so that as changes happen they will have a reminder of ideas that could help through difficult times.
Title I Mrs. Wilcox
Let’s have some fun with words!
Choose a 3 letter word such as rug. Have your child substitute different beginning sounds to make new words (bug, dug, hug, mug, tug, etc). How many new words (real words or make believe words) can your child make? (an example of make believe words include: cug, nug, sug, etc.)
For a more challenging game, try changing the ending sound. (Changing rug to rub, rud, run, ruf, etc.)
Library
Students in all grades are having a great time in the Library! Students are learning skills in research, book location, computer coding, collaboration, and problem solving.
Our Fall Book Fair is coming up! Join us October 29-November 2nd during school , or stop in on November 1st from 6-7:30 for Family Night!