W.L. Miller Newsletter
April, 2018
Kindergarten
Kindergarten is excited for April as we will hop into learning all about how the sun affects the Earth. We will also begin to work on some engineering and experimentation to help us build our Night of Wonder creations!
This month we will also be taking a trip to Tanglewood Nature Center where we will get to go out into nature with a scientist and learn about ponds and the ecosystem a pond holds.
We are beginning to work on narrative writing again! This time around we are looking to use everything we know about what makes a good story and better our writing skills!
1st Grade
First grade is pumped for the month of April! We are in the beginning stages of working on our exciting project for the Night of Wonder! Wait until you see what we have in store! :-)
We are working very hard to learn all about fractions. In addition to fractions, we will be starting to work on coins and coin values. A great at home activity would be allowing your student to sort, identify, and count change!
On April 17th we have a field trip to Mansfield University. Once there, we will participate in a student athlete day. Athletes and coaches from the University will have stations set up for the students to participate in fun athletic activities. We will then walk to the Mansfield University baseball field. Students will get to enjoy the baseball game (weather permitting).
2nd Grade
Who has a green thumb? We were thrilled in March to have some of our area’s Penn State Master Gardeners teach our second graders how to start plants from seeds. Students observe their plants regularly to see changes in their growth. We’re finding out there’s a challenge in giving plants enough water in warmer classrooms. The students in Mrs. Strange’s class also wondered if plants need seeds to grow. They have placed leaf and plant cuttings in both soil and water to learn what will happen. The counter is filled with containers that have cuttings of African Violets, Christmas cacti, carrots, scallions, and a variety of houseplants to grow. We’ll be planting flowers in May!
Is winter or spring a better season? What is the best Tiger Class Reward? Is a cat or dog the best pet? Should the pigeon stay up? These are some of the topics that second graders have answered while learning how to write opinion passages or persuasive letters. Our writers are learning how to support their opinion with two reasons that include examples. Perhaps they will convince parents to allow a later bedtime by writing persuasive letter!
3rd Grade
Third grade has been practicing time! They are getting the hang of telling time to the nearest minute and figuring out how much time has passed. Start asking your child the time throughout the day to help them continue practicing this life long skill!
We have also been exploring different climates of the world and the different
types of weather that is found in each climate.
4th Grade
READING & WRITING
Read Aloud: Because of Winn-Dixie
Students have completed their unit on informational writing. We will now be moving into opinion writing. We will begin by using the OREO (Opinion, Reason, Explanation, Opinion) graphic organizer to help guide student writing. As a class we will write one together and then students will be expected to write their own.
In reading we will continue working with paired texts. We have also been working hard to review author’s purpose, context clues, point of view, and poetry.
Students have been devouring books in literature circles. Some of the most popular titles are Roller Girl, El Deafo, Crossover, Booked, Who Would Win Series, I Survived Series, Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing, Freckle Juice, Sunnyside Up, The Day of the Dragon King and Mount Everest.
5th Grade
Did you know that it takes 200 different jobs to build a bridge from start to finish? Last month, our fifth grade students had the opportunity to observe a presentation by Brian Frey and Chris Stein from Hawbaker’s Construction Services. Students learned about engineering and the process used to design and build a bridge starting from planning, blue printing, building the parts, and construction. The gentlemen also shared information about the skills and training required for each of their jobs. They spoke of the “soft skills” needed to be successful in the workplace, including effective communication, listening, and following directions.
This month, our fifth graders are looking forward to their trip to Gettysburg on April 27th. Students will be visiting The Gettysburg Museum of The American Civil War where they’ll view uniforms and other artifacts from the battle of Gettysburg. They’ll also have the opportunity to see the incredible Battle of Gettysburg Cyclorama Painting, watch the film “A New Birth of Freedom”, and tour the battlefield.
6th Grade
We have many projects we are working on across the sixth grade.
In science, the students are creating presentations about the planets using green screen technology. This has been a big learning curve but the students are being persistent and not giving up!
In ELA students are learning how to present their side of an argument, based on facts and evidence. They are learning that they have to also show the other side of the argument for it to be effective. Many sixth grade students have already met their 12 book goal for the year! Many students start off the year thinking realistic fiction is their favorite genre but finish the year with a different favorite. Ask your 6th grade student what their favorite genre is.
Students surveyed the sixth grade for our favorite types of eggs. In math, they analyzed this data and used it to create advertising.
Art
The Annual Art Show is May 17th!
All students will review and organize all of the work they have created this year in order to prepare for the show. They will select a masterpiece and then it will be made presentable with a matt or frame and a label with the artist’s name and grade.
Every student in our school will be selecting a piece for the exhibit. There will be over 500 artworks on display!
Come and see it all in the gymnasium of W. L. Miller from 6-8pm.
Guidance
All of the students that attend WL Miller Elementary School, in grades 3, 4, 5 and 6 have Career Portfolios that are aligned with the Future Ready Index for the state of Pennsylvania. Each student has worked on goal creation, interests and abilities, career research, interviews etc. The academic standards for Career and Work Development are as follows:
1. Career Awareness and Preparation
2. Career Acquisition
3. Career Retention and Advancement and
4. Entrepreneurship
The portfolios that are created now will follow the students throughout their academic career up until the time that they graduate from high school.
Gym
This month in the gym we will be practicing a lot of throwing and catching activities. Students will also be exploring the difference between throwing a ball and throwing a frisbee. Hopefully, the weather will cooperate and we will have an opportunity to get outside. If we make it outside, students will be participating in lawn/picnic games including KanJam, frisbee golf, and spikeball. Toward the end of the month, we will begin practicing field day events in preparation for our field day on Friday, May 25th. This year’s theme is Flashback Field Day. We will be competing in grade levels in a variety of old time games such as a sack race, three-legged, and tug-of-war! There will also be a variety of water events and a relay race around the bus loop to finish off the day.
Library
Classes are finishing their center rotation activities and most grade levels will be moving into units on digital literacy skills. We will practice skills such as logging into network devices, opening programs, using Microsoft Office programs, and typing skills. We will also continue to use Scratch as a tool for learning computer programming skills.
Our spring Book Fair is May 14-18th. We are always in need of volunteers for the Fair. This is a great way to support your child’s school. Please contact me, jnawri@southerntioga.org, if you are an approved district volunteer and would be willing to help at the Fair. The most needed time is 8:00-8:45 am. Thank you.
Music
The Spring Concert is coming up quickly. It is scheduled for May 10th at 7 p.m. Mark your calendars for this event, it is going to be fantastic!