Horizon Parent Newsletter
January 2022
Dear Horizon Families,
Grade Cards-
Grade cards are coming home this afternoon, please sign and return the yellow envelope with your child next Monday.
Lunch Codes-
Students are now entering their lunch code for breakfast and lunch. This is a five digit code teachers have shared with them. Please help them memorize this code. This code will not change but will stay the same year after year.
Arrival-
If you are dropping off during arrival we ask that all families us the main entrance and not the Gate off 92 Hwy. We want to continually focus on safety during this busy part of our day. You may enter through the gate but please go through campus to the end of the line and get in it that way. We also ask that you exit during arrival through the main entrance. Thank you for your cooperation and understanding.
No School-
We will not have school on Monday, January 17th in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King
Parent Book Study-
I would like to invite you to join a Book Club if you are interested. Before you say no, take a look at the book & a preview, Mindset by Carol Dweck.
If you are interested I have 20 copies of the book and am happy to order more if needed. We will officially begin February 1st but am happy to send a copy home sooner if you'd like. We will virtually meet to discuss chapters once the group decided on length of times that work for everyone. Finally, after the 8th and final chapter we will get together at Horizon for a Chat & Chew to wrap up the study. If you are interested, please fill out this form.
People who received the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine as their primary series are recommended to get a booster after 5 months instead of 6 months.
Moderately or severely immunocompromised 5-11 year-olds should receive an additional primary dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine 28 days after their second shot.
Take Care,
Mrs. Kristi Mellon
816-532-4566 ext. 7090
Events:
JANUARY:
Jan. 3: Staff Work Day, No School
Jan. 4: School Resumes
Jan. 5: Late Start Wednesday, K-6 students may arrive at 8:50 am, School begins at 9:05 am, No EC Classes
Jan. 7: Grade cards go home
Law Enforcement Appreciation Day
Jan. 12: Late Start Wednesday, K-6 students may arrive at 8:50 am, School begins at 9:05 am, No EC Classes
Jan. 13: PTO Virtual Meeting 7:30 pm
Jan. 17: No School- MLK, Jr. Holiday
Jan. 19: Late Start Wednesday, K-6 students may arrive at 8:50 am, School begins at 9:05 am, No EC Classes
Board of Education Meeting 7 pm
Jan. 26: Late Start Wednesday, K-6 students may arrive at 8:50 am, School begins at 9:05 am, No EC Classes
Kindergarten News:
Kindergarten in December was a whirlwind of discovery and fun with lots of holiday-themed activities. The Pathways letters were I, J, L, and R and the sight words, that and said. Students engaged in opinion writing where they learned to state their opinion and support it with reasons. During Math time, students worked on number recognition, writing numbers, counting to 100, skip counting, and even simple equations such as 1+3=4.
In Science, they learned about movement and the difference between push and pull. They even made pinball machines! Students learned about opportunity cost and compared wants and needs during Social Studies time. In addition, they participated in a family traditions project. Second Steps lessons revolved around a bullying unit where students learned to identify and report incidents. We also began to address ways in which to calm strong feelings such as anger and frustration.
It’s hard to believe that half of the school year has already passed. Students will begin to learn about famous Americans such as George Washington, Martin Luther King Jr., and Abraham Lincoln in the coming weeks. We still have lots of learning ahead of us, so please continue to review letters, sounds, sight words, counting, and the Pledge of Allegiance at home.
1st Grade News:
Reader’s Workshop: This month we will be focusing on why readers need to ask questions as they read. We will work on reviewing WHAT is a question and question words (who, what, where, etc). We will practice asking thick and thin questions. We will also work on asking questions before, during, and after reading.
Writer’s Workshop: We will focus on using correct punctuation in our writing. After our punctuation unit we will work on our second personal narrative.
Math: We will continue working on fluently adding and subtracting numbers within 20. We will begin learning strategies about adding numbers bigger than 20. We will work on place value with numbers up to 100.
Social Studies: We will be reviewing rules/procedures. We will be setting goals for our New Year. We will also be learning about Martin Luther King Jr. and famous American symbols.2nd Grade News:
With the first semester completed, 2nd grade is diving into the second semester. The students are excited to be back and we are excited to have them back at school!
In writing the students are creating literary nonfiction books. During this unit the students will choose what they know a lot about and then write nonfiction text that reads like a story. They will also play around with words by adding detail with similes, onomatopoeias, vivid verbs, and personification. We went several days brainstorming and are now working on adding these details!
We are in the middle of the reading unit over “Plot.” In this unit, we get to explore fiction books and retell their story elements. Which are characters, setting, problem, and solution. Students will learn to dig even deeper by being able to infer. As well as, identify how characters change overtime and why.
The students have been learning how to read and write 3 digit numbers. They have practiced writing in expanded form, with words, and digits. Additionally, students will build on their knowledge of number sense by comparing numbers with the symbols < > and =. We will continue building their knowledge with 3 digit numbers by skip counting by 5s, 10s, and 100s before diving into adding and subtracting 3 digit numbers.
Making smart and educated economic decisions is a life-long skill. In second grade we get to explore making a budget. However, before that students will learn about the difference between: wants and needs, goods and services, then producers and consumers. Finally, they will be challenged to make their own budgets.
We are looking forward to seeing students set new goals for the year! Then aid and watch them reach these goals. It’s going be a great year!
3rd Grade News:
Welcome back! We are so excited to start the new year with our third graders. We will begin the quarter with some check-in assessments, goal-setting, and NWEA. In math, we will continue with our connection of multiplication and division. For reading we will be beginning our unit over nonfiction text features and utilizing them to find key information. Our writing unit over reading like a writer will continue this month, as we work to apply what we see in our reading to our own writing. Finally, we will wrap up our science unit over inheritance and traits and begin our social studies unit over the branches of government. We cannot wait to start making 2022 great!
4th Grade News:
Happy New Year! We are so excited to be back with our fourth graders. This month in math, we will start with using multiplication to convert measurements. Then, we will begin to tackle long division as well as area and perimeter. We began our second science unit this week. Over the course of this unit, students investigate the role that animal senses, primarily vision, play in survival as they try to understand a realistic fictional problem with a real organism (Tokay Geckos). In the area of reading, we are wrapping up our media unit. Next, we will focus on identifying themes in texts. In writing, students are creating memoirs.
5th Grade News:
Hello 2022! 5th grade teachers are excited to get started once again. January usually comes with some reminders on behaviors, as well as a push in content. We know our students well now and know they can handle a little push! 3rd Quarter tends to be jammed packed....busy, busy, busy! The perseverance we taught at the beginning of the school year, this is the perfect time to put that into gear! Lets keep going, kids!
Mathematics: January is a time of new learning in mathematics for our fifth graders! This month we will enter the world of multiplying fractions! We do this in a very different way than we learned it when we were young. These kids will be exploring what multiplying fractions actually means and they will work to discover what is happening...not just be told. It is a great time to see young eyes light up and to ignite a passion for what mathematics is meant to be about: discovery and pattern seeking! I'm excited and I hope the kids will be excited as well!
Science: Matter is our first unit. The kids learn very quickly that Matter is all around us and we utilize it every single day. This unit will take us until the end of January/first week of February. It isn't too long of a unit to process through. This unit has lots of hands-on action as well!
SS: 2nd Semester is all about Immigration. I absolutely love teaching this unit. It is important to understand that the different cultures we have in our country make our country all the more better! We will learn about these different cultures that make our country beautiful, as well as learn about Ellis Island and the process it took to get into America. At the end of the school year, students will go through a LIVE Simulation of Ellis Island. Who will make it into our country....wait and see! :)
Reading: We are starting a new unit, story elements and theme. We will look at characters in fictional stories (including Greek mythology!) to analyze their traits, look at the relationships between multiple characters and learn how this affects their role in the story. We will also look for "big ideas" to help us determine a theme or moral of the story.
Writing: We are also starting a new unit in writing- fantasy! This unit has a primary goal of using dialogue and description. Writers will work on describing a fantasy setting, characters and also use effective word choice and visualization.
6th Grade News:
ELA - We are completing our Fictional Narrative Unit by creating a pamphlet about the spirits in Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol”. All students will take the Winter Reading + NWEA assessment the week of January 10, 2022. Our next unit, Informational writing will follow the NWEA assessment. Students will be reading and writing informational texts in preparation for writing a feature article of their own.
Math- Starting this month we will be reviewing concepts of basic area to begin building into surface area and 3D shapes. We will also look into volume. Students will be taking the Math NWEA the week of January 10th as well as the iReady diagnostic test to assess their knowledge and growth through our first semester.
Social Studies- This Month we will be working on the Ancient civilization of China. We will be exploring the different aspects that made up one of the great civilizations. Students will learn about the ancient government, society, religion, as well as the different inventions and aspects of life that we still use today. Students will have the opportunity to explore through readings, research, class discussions, and projects as we navigate Ancient China.
Science- This month we will be diving into our unit of Space. We will be looking at how the Earth works within space, as well as the other planets. Students will look into Mars and the different missions that we have/are exploring within our space programs. This is usually one of the class favorites, as there are many questions that students have dealing with Space and Space travel. Students will have several projects that will showcase their knowledge of this unit!
Encore News:
PE: This month in PE K-3 will be centered around team building. We will be doing a lot of activities working together and learning to work with our teammates. 4-6 will be starting off with Warrior Days and recording their push-ups, sit-ups, 1 minute jump rope and more. They have been doing this once a month and are tracking their progress as the school year rolls along. Later in the month, all grades will be doing basketball activities centered around grade level skills. Finally, please remember to bring an extra pair of shoes for PE days when boots are worn to school. Boots leave a lot of marks on the gym floor and it is important to have gym appropriate shoes. Thanks!
Technology and Innovation: Welcome back! I am looking forward to continuing the work we started before Christmas break. In K-5, we will continue working with Digital Citizenship while students in grades 4-6 will work on collaborative projects. Students in K-3 will begin working on some more technology schools with focus on maneuvering and creating through things like Google Docs and Google Slides. We will continue to refine our skills and grow as learners and innovators. I am looking forward to what they will create this semester.
Music: Welcome back Horizon families! The upcoming semester holds a lot of great activities for us in the music room! In Kindergarten and 1st grade, students will begin learning music for their music program, along with expanding our knowledge of our musical opposites. 2nd grade will get the chance to work on musical elements such as rhythm and solfege after a wonderful program last semester. 3rd grade will begin our recorder unit! Please be on the lookout for an information sheet being sent home about recorders. 4th and 5th grade will begin working on our music for our program in March. 6th graders in our Music and the World Around Us class will begin learning about the different careers in music. I am so excited for this semester and all that it holds!
Counselor Corner: December and January lessons for K- 5th grade will focus on diversity, differences and advocacy. The key messages of this lesson are:
* we all have a lot in common despite our differences
* diversity is important, and it is okay to (respectfully) talk about our differences. Resources are pulled from a number of sources depending on the grade level. If you would like to preview the materials we will be utilizing I am happy to sit down with you and review the lessons, please call or email for an appointment. This activity meets the following American School Counseling Association Mindsets & Behaviors: M 2. Sense of acceptance, respect, support and inclusion for self and others in the school environment; B-LS Decision-making informed by gathering evidence, getting others’ perspectives and recognizing personal bias; B-SMS 1. Responsibility for self and actions; B-SS 2. Positive, respectful and supportive relationships with students who are similar to and different from them; B-SS 4. Empathy; B-SS 5. Ethical decision-making and social responsibility; B-SS 7. Leadership and teamwork skills to work effectively in diverse groups; B-SS 10. Cultural awareness, sensitivity and responsiveness.
6th grade students will be starting their weekly All Stars program. I am excited they have this opportunity to start developing a clear vision for their future, enhance their positive characteristics through the promotion of idealism, make a commitment to a positive lifestyle, set goals based on their desired future, and continue to develop a sense of belonging and positive relationships with parents and other adults. This program reaches youth during the years of greatest vulnerability to experimenting with substances, fighting, bullying, and unsafe relationships. They are transitioning from being concrete thinkers to having the desire to fit in, gain personal identity and social status. All Stars is brought to our schools by our local Smithville Community in Action organization.
If you are curious about the role of an elementary school counselor please check out this link from ASCA. https://www.schoolcounselor.org/getmedia/1691fcb1-2dbf-49fc-9629-278610aedeaa/Why-Elem.pdf
Watch D.O.G.S.
Watch D.O.G.S.- Please add to your newsletters
Attention All "Dads" of Horizon Elementary! Have you thought about signing up to volunteer with our WATCH D.O.G.S. (Dads Of Great Students) program? This is an innovative program that helps students to be positively impacted by the committed fathers and father figures in their student's life. The goal is to have these men spend at least one day a year at the school to be an extra set of eyes and ears as a positive role model. Sign up at the Horizon Elementary website and scroll all the way down for the signup. Or quick links are listed below!
Horizon PTO
With the winter months approaching, PTO has been informed of a need for indoor recess games and activities. Since we are not doing a fall fundraiser, we decided this could be a great way to support and give back to the school in a practical way. Currently, classes are using puzzles, games, toys, crafts, etc that the classroom teachers have on hand. Many of these items are missing pieces or are tattered and torn. We reached out to our K-6th grade teachers and they submitted their ideas for an "Indoor Recess Cart". The cart will be used for all grade levels so that each class could use any of the items on the cart (not just the items picked out by their grade level teachers). We've compiled their ideas into an Amazon wishlist. Would you please consider making a donation to the school for an item(s) that would benefit ALL classes?? At checkout you can have the item(s) shipped directly to the school by choosing "Horizon Elementary PTO's Gift Registry Address". Otherwise, you can drop off item(s) at the front office anytime between now and Friday, December 17th.
Thank you for your continued support of HES and PTO!