ARTsZINE
Milton Elementary School Related Arts Team
Spring 2019
Upcoming Events
Game On Arcade! A showcase of 5th Grade's coding project - May 22 - 5pm-7pm
Spring Concert at Milton Elementary School - May 22 - 7pm
Chorus Concert at Rehoboth Bandstand - May 30 - 10am
Field Day - June 1
Milton Elementary Singers at Milton Cheer Center - June 6 - 10am
Welcome Spring! It is hard to believe it is close to the end of another school year and our last year in the MES library. Our school library is being moved over spring break, so I have been very busy collecting and packing books. Your children will no longer check out books from the school library due to the move we are making this year. Please visit the public libraries and encourage your children to read.
I want to thank the PTO for all they continue to do for our school, especially the book fair. So many things would not be possible without the continued support of parents. If you would like to donate books to our library, I will be happy to pass them to children who love receiving books. I run our school PBS store, and we are running low on the items we purchased early in the year. As you are spring cleaning if you have any gently used toys, games, etc. please feel free to send them in. The kids treasure the donations from parents and teachers so much more than the “new” items. If you are not sure what to send, feel free to email me with any questions. Thank you for your support each and every day for the continued success of our children.
ART PRINT
Email: Patricia.Frohman@cape.k12.de.us
Website: artatmes.weebly.com
Kindergarten students are beginning the new marking period with a cheerful spring collage. We’ll be working with a variety of textures and media to make a bright spring floral. In keeping with our study of the Elements of Art, first-grade students have just completed a study of texture creating a collage that utilized both real and pretend textures. Second-grade students will be exploring Monet’s garden with an adaptation of one of his more popular Japanese walking bridge scenes. This project follows on the heels of a Van Gogh floral study. Third-grade students will be continuing their journey across the Art timeline with an exploration of the Renaissance and then creating a Mona Lisa remix. Fourth-grade students are continuing to work on their line projects, and fifth-grade students are finishing a summer seascape.
Due to the extra work required to complete our move to the old H.O.B. school, there will not be an ‘end of year’ art show this year. However, students will still be bringing home their work in their art folders as usual.
Hello. During the third marking period, Milton Elementary music students have worked on units in Timbre and Texture. In our Timbre Unit, the students learned about various vocal and instrumental timbres. We experimented with ways to use our voices to create different vocal timbres. The instruments belong to four families: Brass, Woodwind, String and Percussion. The students discovered that instrumental timbres may vary due to the size of the instrument, how they are played, and how they are made. The fourth and fifth-grade students enjoyed playing a part of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony on Boomwhackers, a pitched percussion instrument.
Texture is the layers of sound in the music. The students learned that ostinato patterns add layers of sound which make the texture thicker. We played rhythmic ostinatos on percussion instruments such as maracas, tambourines, woodblocks, and rhythm sticks. Melodic ostinatos must be played on a pitched instrument. We played melodic ostinato patterns on glockenspiels, xylophones, and metallophones. Students also practiced melodic ostinatos by using their singing voices.
The chorus students are currently practicing songs for the spring season. The list of songs the students are rehearsing includes: “Because We’re Friends,” “Rock, Paper, Scissors,” “Jamaica Farewell,” “Can-Can” and “Wade in the Water,” an African American Spiritual. We are looking forward to our spring concerts and field trips. May 22nd is our Spring Concert in the Milton Elementary auditorium. On May 30th the entire chorus will be performing on the bandstand in Rehoboth. We will have lunch at Nicola’s Pizza and then spend some time on the beach. The Milton Elementary Singers will perform at the Milton Cheer Center on June 6th. Hope to see you at the concerts!
COMPUTER BYTES
Email: Sandra.Coleman@cape.k12.de.us
Website: mestech.snack.ws
Twitter: @MESTechDE
Spring has arrived, and MES Tech Stars are blossoming! As we enter into the fourth marking period, the computer lab is buzzing with creativity.
Kindergarten, First, and Second grades started the new year with ScratchJr. They have made the sunset and moonrise, and coded that kitten to do all sorts of fun things, including cartwheels and backflips! We also had the opportunity to do some unplugged computer science with Legos. We are developing our collaboration, communication, and critical thinking skills.
After working diligently on their Pages Missions, third grade is now turning their attention to learning creative computing and coding. As graduates of Scratch Jr., third grade will have their first introduction to Scratch and will be diving deeper into computational thinking in the coming weeks.
Fourth and Fifth grades continue to explore foundational computer science principles by creating a myriad of projects in Scratch. They also have started to explore physical computing. Fourth grade is currently exploring Micro:bits. They have made flashing hearts, digital Rock, Scissor, & Paper games, and even a Love Meter! Using the Makey Makey boards, the Fifth grade has learned about circuits, design thinking, and programming.
As Fifth graders turn their attention to designing and coding their arcade games, excitement is building for the interactive showcase night on May 22nd. The computer lab will be transformed that evening from 5pm to 7pm into an arcade. Mark your calendars and support our students' hard work at the Game On Arcade!
Micro:bits
Makey Makey
GYM JAM
Email: Lindsey.Eichner@cape.k12.de.us
Website: http://lindseyeichner.wixsite.com/physed
There have been lots of great things going on in the gym!! In February, the students in grade K-5 participated in Jump Rope for Heart. MES raised $2,720 for the American Heart Association! Great job MES family!!
In April, students in grades K-2 will be working on a Golf unit while grades 3-5 will complete the FitnessGram fitness test and participate in a Golf unit as well. Hopefully, spring will arrive, and students will be able to go outside during Physical Education. In May we will be preparing for our Field Day events!