Horizon Elementary
April 2021 Parent Newsletter
Congratulations Mrs. Ellis!
Campfire reading with Mrs. Hahn
Peeps DIY Classroom Challenge today!
Dear Horizon Families,
Tuesday, April 6th:
We have scheduled our Fire Drill for Tuesday afternoon, weather permitting. This is a great time to continue to remind students and staff the importance of safety and being prepared.
Thursday, April 15th:
We have scheduled our Tornado drill for Thursday morning. (Weather permitting)
MAP Testing at Horizon-
The Statewide Missouri Assessment test is scheduled at Horizon April 26th- May 7th. The following week 5th grade will also participate in Science MAP and we will have makeups for any students who have missed assessment days.
All students in Missouri in grades 3-6 participate in the MAP Assessment.
All students in grades 3-6 will have breakfast provided, free of charge, from OPAA for the MAP assessment during those 2 full weeks.
Testing will take place in the morning. Please ensure students are on-time and had a good night's sleep each day of testing. If you must schedule appointments, we ask those be in the afternoon or alternate days other than MAP testing.
Teacher Appreciation Week-
I cannot believe we are only a few short weeks away from May! I wanted to let you know that Teacher Appreciation Week is May 3rd-7th. This is a great time let that special teacher know how much you appreciate them this year!
Please join us and help us celebrate by participating in special days:
Monday, May 3rd- Wear your teacher's favorite color today!
Tuesday, May 4th- Write a rhyme for your teacher!
Wednesday, May 5th- Bring your teacher an apple!
Thursday, May 6th- Draw a picture of your teacher!
Friday, May 7th- Dress up like a teacher!
Thanks for all you do!
Mrs. Mellon
Calling all Summer School Kids:
Summer School will be here before you know it! Please visit our district website or click below for all the details!
For more information: Click Here
To enroll: Click Here
April Calendar of Events:
APRIL
Apr. 6: Fire Drill
Apr. 7: Paraprofessional/Instructional Assistant Appreciation Day
Apr. 7: Late Start Wednesday, K-6 students may arrive at 8:50 AM, School begins at 9:05 AM, No EC Classes
Apr. 13: National Librarian’s Day
Apr. 13: PTO Meeting 7 pm
Apr. 14: Late Start Wednesday, K-6 students may arrive at 8:50 AM, School begins at 9:05 AM, No EC Classes
Apr. 14: School Board Meeting 7 pm
Apr. 15: Tornado Drill
April 19-23 Public School Volunteer Week
Apr. 21: Late Start Wednesday, K-6 students may arrive at 8:50 AM, School begins at 9:05 AM, No EC Classes
Apr. 21: Administrative Assistant Professionals Day
April 28 Behavior Interventionist Appreciation Day
Apr. 28: Late Start Wednesday, K-6 students may arrive at 8:50 AM, School begins at 9:05 AM, No EC Classes
April 26th -May 10th MAP Testing
PTO News & Information:
- Apparel raised $734 Thank you to all who purchased! Pick ups are available now at TW Sportswear in Major Mall.
- School supplies for next year available now! Order by clicking here.
- Recruitment for next year's PTO Board. Anyone interested contact Melissa Johnson 561.305.7008
- Our one and only fundraiser is running April 19-23. We will be raising money to supplement the needs of classes all kids enjoy like Music, PE, IT, Library and Art. Awards will be various levels of "Ultimate Recess" fun! A flier will come home in backpacks before we begin for more information.
- Amazon Smile contributions as of April 2021 are $369.63! However only 77 accounts are currently linking their purchases. This is a great way to easily raise money for our school. Grandparents and aunts and uncles, anyone can help our school raise funds through Smile. Contact Melissa with questions or help setting yours up today.
- Every month we love to spoil our teachers and staff:
- April - PTO will stock the teacher's lounge with drinks and fresh fruit.
The last PTO meetings of the year:
April 13 - Elections for next school year
Time: Apr 13, 2021 07:00 PM
https://lmaweb.zoom.us/j/82127361315?pwd=MEU4OGtYc3VNUDNoZFp5TStvMFI1dz09
Meeting ID: 821 2736 1315
Passcode: 420138
May 18 - Last meeting of the year. If possible this may be in person but we will wait to see how things play out.
Time: May 18, 2021 07:00 PM
https://lmaweb.zoom.us/j/89656856480?pwd=MkdKaExUbFpsK0w5WFA0ZjVyZDJNZz09
Meeting ID: 896 5685 6480
Passcode: 433867
Early Childhood
Early Childhood is enjoying reading lots of books by Eric Carle and all of the fun learning activities that go along with his books!
Some of our favorite books are: Brown Bear, Brown Bear, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Polar Bear, Polar Bear, A House for Hermit Crab, The Mixed Up Chameleon and The Very Lonely Firefly.
Math - Review numbers 1-20, Review All Shapes, Sorting by Color, Shape, Size, Patterning, Counting One-to-One, Subitizing. Counting Forward to 20 and Counting Backwards from 20, Counting by 10’s.
Second Steps/Social Emotional - Fair Ways to Play, Having Fun with Friends and Inviting Friends to Play
Letters and Sounds - Xx, Zz, Ss, Dd and Yy
Fine Motor - Cutting, Using Bottle Glue (A Dot is a Lot), Proper Pencil Grip
Gross Motor - Running, Hopping on One foot, Galloping, Skipping, Catching a ball, Kicking a ball
Kindergarten News:
It is hard to believe that our time in Kindergarten is coming to an end! In these final weeks together we will wrap up many units. In Readers Workshop we will be learning how readers add to their schema through research. In Writers Workshop we are starting our All About Informational writing. In Math we will continue to focus on 3-dimensional shapes and subtraction. We will be learning about Maps and Globes in Social Studies and celebrating Earth Day!
1st Grade News:
We will spend the month of April learning how to write different types of poems. We will even create a class book of poems that will be published in a hard bound book.
Our readers workshop unit aligns with our writing unit and we will learn about the different characteristics of poetry and readers theater. We will take a deeper look at how different types of poetry are created and will enjoy reading some fun and silly poems.
In Math we will practice adding and subtracting numbers to 120. We will learn how to regroup in both addition and subtraction. This is a big skill and we are ready to tackle it!
2nd Grade News:
In writing our students have been exploring punctuation and how it enhances their writing. During our punctuation study students will look at how different authors from different genres use punctuation. For example using commas in a list, using bold print to get the reader’s attention, quotation marks for dialogue, etc. Students will have free choice of genre during this study as well. We are excited to see how their writing will grow throughout this unit.
In reading we began summarizing text, both fiction and non-fiction. Summarizing text will have the students practice retelling what the story is mostly about in a shortened format. Some strategies include retelling using the acronym SWBTS (Somebody, Wanted, But, Then, So). As well as how to paraphrase paragraphs.
In math the students have been learning life-long skills such as money and telling time. They will also learn about geometry, fractions, arrays, and measurement in the remaining months of the school year.
In science we began a new unit about Changing Landforms. Students will be working as geologists to study how landforms change over time. We will incorporate non-fiction reading strategies and maps into this unit as well.
3rd Grade News:
This year is flying by us! Our math work in April will continue with area, as well as dive into two-step word problems and MAP test preparation. In reading we will be practicing summarizing the important parts of fictional texts, as well as preparing for the MAP. We will finish our unit over opinion writing this month by publishing and presenting via Google Docs. Finally, in social studies, we will continue our economics unit by creating our own business, developing a product, budgeting, and setting up our shop.
4th Grade News:
It will be “fast and furious” in fourth grade this month! We have started discussing and reviewing for the upcoming MAP test. We will continue this until testing time! Please be on the lookout for correspondence from your child’s teacher regarding snacks and ways to offer motivational support!
In ELA we are wrapping up our figurative language unit and in writing, students have been learning how to research, paraphrase information, and write informational texts. We are knee deep in fractions, and we will continue this into April. We will also introduce decimals as well as begin our geometry unit.
In Social Studies, we have started learning about famous Missourians who have made an impact on our state. We will continue this work along with answering the question and being able to explain how Missouri has impacted our nation!
5th Grade News:
Spring has sprung and so has the fourth quarter! This is a very busy time of the school year both with celebration and with hard work. We look forward to a great final quarter with your children. Thanks for sharing them with us.
Mathematics: This month/quarter will be full of awesome mathematics concepts...a lot of ‘firsts’ for our fifth graders. We will be finishing up our discussion of dividing fractions. We will then dive into order of operations. This is another new addition to our mathematics knowledge. I also hope to get in a bit of talk about three dimensional space, also known as volume, before the end of this month. So, lots of exciting learning going on in Room 113!
Social Studies: We will be taking a break from SS the month of April to get through Science curriculum for the MAP test, but will return to our Immigration Unit in May for our LIVE Ellis Island Simulation. Hang tight, the fun is right around the corner!
Science: In April we will be focusing on our Water on Earth Unit, as well as our Earths Spheres Unit. These are both mini units. Water on Earth is one of my favorite units to teach. The water on our Earth is so important to our livelihood. The Earths Spheres Unit is a great unit to end with because it ties everything we’ve learned throughout the school year altogether very nicely!
ELA: In reading we are finishing our nonfiction unit and will begin our point of view/ poetry unit. This will lead us right into MAP testing so we will also be reviewing and practicing test vocabulary and strategies. In writing we will finish editing, finalize and publish our opinion writing.
6th Grade News:
ELA - We are working on writing argumentative pieces. To help our writing, we are reading mentor texts to help build our vocabulary and rhetorical skills. In addition, we are preparing for the MAP Test by reviewing released items (from MO DESE) and digging into test vocabulary.
Social Studies - We are learning about Ancient India, Hinduism, Buddhism, and the caste system.
Math - We will spend the month focusing on solving one variable algebraic equations and inequalities. We will also learn how to graph inequalities on a number line.
Science - We are learning about weather patterns and climate. Students will learn about clouds, air masses and fronts, as well as dangerous weather.
Encore News:
Spring is here! April welcomes many opportunities to learn about how we can take care of and keep ourselves and others safe. MAP testing is right around the corner so we will also be focusing on test taking strategies, making our effort shine and how to use our brain breaks to take charge of our emotions.
Music-
We are finally finishing up our March Madness competition and it has been a really close contest so far! The kids have enjoyed getting to vote on their favorite songs and seeing how the rest of the school has voted!
This month the K-2nd grades will work exploring music through movement and instruments. During the month of April, 3rd graders will begin to learn the fundamentals of the ukulele which will provide a foundation for more challenging songs in the next few years. The 4th grade classes will be working on technology in music and will be doing some fun projects. The 5th and 6th graders will be starting a really exciting project that teaches them about foley artists and how sound effects are created for movies.
I also want to mention that if you have not checked it out yet, I have recorded each class in 4th, 5th, and 6th grade playing their ukuleles. I figured since we could not have a concert this year, a recording would allow parents to see and appreciate their hard work! If you would like to check it out and haven’t gotten a chance yet, you can find the video on your student’s google classroom - Encore page under the music section.
Library-
It’s Spring!! This month students in Early Childhood-3rd grade will be reading different books about rain, rabbits, eggs, kites, etc. Students in grades 4-6 will be learning about Bobbi Gibb (the first woman to run the Boston Marathon), we will read some books that focus on Earth Day, and sprinkle in a little poetry along the way!
Innovation and Technology Lab
K-We are working on 2D and 3D shapes! Next up we will be learning about an app called Toontastic, where they can create retell stories with a beginning, middle, and end.
1-We are learning about different keys on the keyboard like the enter, shift, tab, backspace, spacebar. We will then move into our what is a robot unit!
2-We are designing, wiring, and creating an instrument, then we are plugging this instrument into a Makey Makey (computer circuit) to have it actually make sound!
3-We have started our animal prosthetics unit. We learn about what prosthetics are, and how orthotists and prosthetists attach them to people and animals.
4/5- We will start learning about 3D printing and the basics of the Tinkercad Software.
6-We are learning the programming language Python!
P.E.
We will be doing our Spring fitness assessments for grades 3-6 from March 29 into mid April. These assessments include: Push-up test (as many as you can do), sit-up test (as many as you can do in 1 minute), pacer test, and the sit and reach flexibility test. Each student made fitness goals in the fall and this is the time to see if those goals can be met! We may also do the mile run for some grades, time/weather permitting. 5th/6th grade will also be creating their own P.E. games and lessons; I am excited to see their creativity! K-2 will be doing skill based games and fitness stations. The hope is to be able to spend a lot of time outdoors for class!
Little Warrior Preschool
The high school Child Development students will be hosting their annual Little Warriors Preschool from April 19th-May 19th on A days. It will be a virtual option this year. Please see the enrollment form for more details on what that entails. Contact sinclair@smithville.k12.mo.us with questions and/or to submit your enrollment form.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1LaJur1WT9FOPmzXAMxxZWTG0KtOF42Ta-SArmsaIKMk/edit?usp=sharing
Title I-Reading Intervention:
The last two months of school are critical to solidifying reading skills learned throughout the year.! It is super important that students spend time daily practicing the reading skills they have learned in class. Research shows that students can show measurable growth by reading 20 minutes a day, five days a week! Please set aside time each day for students to read sight words and to practice fluency and decoding skills. Thanks for your support!
Mrs. Hahn and Mrs. O’Donnell
Behaviorist:
Behaviorist:
Our Horizon Helping Hands Tree is up! It is so wonderful to see all of the students' hands intertwined with each other and to see all of the wonderful things they can do to help each other. The students are enjoying finding new ideas on the tree each time they walk past it in the hallway. Again, thank you for helping with supplies to make this magical tree happen. Below you will find a picture of the tree.