Anderson Angle
Volume VII Issue 3
A MESSAGE FROM MR. HEWITT
Hello Anderson Families,
I hope this message finds your family well. It is hard to believe the month of December is upon us. I want to thank our community once again for the patience and grace that has been extended as we navigate the different learning models. I would like to use this opportunity to share changes that will be implemented when all students return to campus.
Lunch
In an effort to eliminate close contact among students during lunch, we will be adding seating (student desks, lunch tables) in our hallways and gymnasium. By adding additional seating, we can ensure students will be 6 feet or greater from one another during lunchtime. Students will have assigned seats as this will allow us to contact trace efficiently if applicable.
Related Arts Schedule
When all students return to campus, we will be running a slightly different related arts schedule. Currently, we are on a 6-day cycle. Once we return in full, we will implement a schedule where the day's repeat (1,1,2,2,3,3, etc.). This means your child's class will attend a related arts class (music, guidance, PE, art, library) for two consecutive days. We are implementing this change as a safety precaution to limit the total number of students our related arts teachers see every week.
As always, the staff and I are available to discuss questions or concerns you have about your child's education. Thank you for being a partner in education!
From my family to yours, I wish each of you health and good fortune this holiday season!
Respectfully,
Mel Hewitt, Principal
Anderson Elementary on Social Media
Twitter: @AndersonBFCSD, #AndersonJays
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/andersonbfcsd
DECEMBER Calendar
Winter Break begins Wednesday, December 23rd. Students return to school: to be announced at a later date.
REMINDER: 2:00 Dismissal Every Monday
FREE MEALS FOR STUDENTS
The USDA has approved FREE breakfast and lunch for ALL students through 5/28/2021. Bondurant-Farrar students will not be charged for any regular school meals starting September 14, 2020. Learn more: https://www.bfschools.org/Page/1083
Pop Up Food Pantry
Bondurant-Farrar Community School District is partnering with the Food Bank of Iowa to hold a "pop up" food pantry on December 7, 2020, from 4:00-6:00 pm. The "pop up" pantry will be located at Morris Elementary (700 Garfield Street SW), and we ask visitors to review the map to help with traffic flow. You will notice visitors are asked to enter the pick-up line at 2nd Street SW and drive south on Garfield Street SW. This opportunity is available to ANYONE that needs help during this time. Cars will drive up, give their name (no ID required), zip code, and household size. Our volunteers will then load one box into the trunk/back of the vehicle. No need for you to even get out of your car!
How can you help? Pass this opportunity on to anyone in need. Or, have a little extra money to support The Food Bank of Iowa? Donate online at https://bit.ly/2Vhe9ve. Thank you!
If you have any questions about this event, please contact barberm@bfschools.org.
Are You In Need Of Assistance?
Yearbooks are on sale!
Don't miss out on last year's yearbooks (2019-2020)! We still have a few available in the library for $17. Correct cash or check payable to BFCSD. To order this year's yearbooks, go here to place an online order. We won't be ordering extras, so buy now to preserve those memories of the 2020-21 school year!
Thankful Third Graders!!
Thanksgiving is all about being thankful, and our third graders got to discuss all the things they are grateful for this year, including families, friends, pets, and much more. Our students learned Americans are not the only ones that celebrate being thankful. We explored other countries’ celebrations of thankfulness around the world. Whereas America celebrates Thanksgiving with turkey and parades, different countries celebrate in their unique ways, including making cards and gifts, lantern walks, eating yams, loud music, and much more. These types of celebrations all happen around the harvest season. Students were able to make connections to their own Thanksgiving experiences and traditions to those around the world. Each student also participated in a Thanksgiving creative writing placemat activity where students wrote a letter or story about the topic of Thanksgiving. The placemat was sent home to enjoy during a Thanksgiving meal. Students did a fantastic job discussing and learning about the importance of giving thanks in their unique ways!
BEST Students of the Week
BEST Students of the Week
BEST Students of the Week
Fourth Grade News
In fourth grade, students do many different types of writing, such as daily journals, responding to literature, writing paragraphs, and composing papers. Students also learn to include writing in reading when learning new reading skills and new vocabulary words.
Students who write in journals make complete sentences about things they like or things that they have learned. Students may write their thoughts about what they have read or made predictions about what they will read.
Before even beginning to write papers, students review how to write a paragraph. Students are taught that paragraphs must have an introduction and a conclusion, along with 3-5 examples. Once students have this foundation of writing a good paragraph, they write three different papers throughout the year. These are a personal narrative, a nonfiction report, and an opinion paper.
The personal narrative is a writing in which students write about a significant event in their lives. The nonfiction writing is a report on a state of the student’s choice. In the opinion paper, students state their opinion about something, giving factual evidence to back it up.
Some of the reading skills that students learn in 4th grade are: summarizing, main idea/details, compare and contrast, making connections (both to themselves and from a text), and inferring. Students spend at least two weeks at a time learning each skill or a combination of skills. Each skill is taught multiple times throughout the year. Students practice writing using these skills in both whole group and small group reading time.
When students write any of these types of writing, they must go through the writing process. The writing process includes five steps: brainstorming, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing. They type their papers during the publishing process. When they are finished, students are proud to see the completed results!
BEST Students of the Week
BEST Students of the Week
BEST Students of the Week
Fifth Grade Fragments
Fifth graders will be participating in Code 411, which is similar to the D.A.R.E. Program. During the four-week program, students will be encouraged to lead safe, responsible, and drug-free lives. Some of the topics covered will include how to exercise self-control, particularly when under stress and pressure, and identify the risks and consequences of their choices. This program will also discuss internet safety, bullying, and harassment. Through this program, they will also be taught how to make safe and responsible decisions.
A decision-making model is essential because it teaches students how to think clearly and critically about the choices they face and, perhaps more importantly, plan for the ones they may encounter in the future.
Students will also learn to communicate confidently and efficiently. The skills introduced will be taught through stories, videos, role-play situations, and journaling to allow students to practice. After the 4-week program, students will be able to utilize these skills for the rest of their life.
BEST Students of the Week
BEST Students of the Week
BEST Students of the Week
TAG Identification Process
The Bondurant-Farrar K-12 TAG Department seeks to identify approximately 5% of our students who have needs for enrichment and advancement for services through the talented and gifted program. Our goal is to have a screening process that recognizes that students' needs change, and that is inclusive of twice-exceptional students (those who may be gifted while also having other learning needs) and English language learners, as well as our general education population. In order to qualify for TAG services at Bondurant-Farrar, a student needs to score at or above the 96th percentile on subtests of the Iowa Statewide Assessment of Student Progress (ISASP) or on a-Reading/a-Math or early reading/early math tests when compared to norms for students at their grade-level. A student also must score at or above the 96th percentile (9th stanine) on two of the three subtests of the Cognitive Abilities Tests (CogAT) or have a complete composite score at or above the 96th percentile when compared to norms for students their chronological age. The CogAT tests include verbal, quantitative, and non-verbal subtests.
Typically second graders, fifth graders, and eighth-graders take an abbreviated Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT) screener the first week of April. Since we were not in school to do grade-level screening last spring, we choose to allow all current TAG students to continue to receive services throughout the 2020-2021 school year. As a result, this April we will be screening current 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 6th, and 8th graders. Those who score in the desired range on the screener will be invited to take the full CogAT test and continue through the screening process to see if they are in need of services through the Talented and Gifted (TAG) program. These grade-levels were selected because they are at points where building transitions occur. Students who are new to our district and students who are exhibiting a possible need for services will be screened and tested on a case-by-case basis regardless of their current grade level. All students (including those already identified and receiving TAG services) will need to qualify/requalify to begin or continue receiving TAG services after the screening process.
Anderson Library
We've had a busy few months in the library! We've reviewed the term Digital Citizenship and completed games and lessons to learn how to be safe online through strong passwords, keeping private information private, not interacting with anyone online that we don't know in real life, and being polite and respectful on social media or gaming sites. We've learned about reference materials, including an Almanac, and played a fun trivia game with information we found in the Almanac! We've explored many online educational resources available through Heartland AEA, and talked about how students can access these resources from home any time. They'll need the username: 0720ande and password: haea11 for any of the website's applications. The Anderson Library website is another excellent educational resource! Give it a try for ebooks, coding, science, and more! We've explored our Makerspace carts in class as well. Brackitz, Snap Circuits, Keva Bots, and many more activities have been a part of our library classes. We also continue to collect Box Tops to purchase library books. The app can be downloaded, and then receipts scanned to get credit for Box Tops on your purchases. Thank you for your support of our Anderson Library!
Box Tops for Education
Box Tops made the switch to the app over the summer! A few products still have the actual Box Top on them, and if you have some of those, they are still accepting them until their expiration date, so keep clipping and sending them in! However, most new products now will just have the Box Tops logo and you'll need to have the Box Tops for Education app to give our library credit. It's a quick, simple process--I just did it myself to see! When you download the app, it'll ask what school you're collecting for. You'll need to type Anderson Elementary, whether your child attends Morris or Anderson, because our school account was set up before Morris existed. Anderson and Morris libraries split the proceeds equally each year. There are LOTS of Anderson Elementary Schools around the country, so be sure to find ours. When you've downloaded the app, you'll just need to scan your receipts each time you shop. It keeps a running tally of the money we've collected so far. Box Tops have made a huge impact on the number of books we get for our libraries each year, so your time and effort in getting the app and scanning receipts does make a difference. Thanks so much!
Mrs. Barnett, Elementary Librarian
BackPack Program
Once again, we are excited to partner with the Food Bank of Iowa to provide nutritious weekend snacks to low-income families with elementary-aged students. If you are in need or know of a family who may benefit from this program, please call Sam Kluesner at 515-967-6361 or email her at kluesners@bfschools.org. For more information regarding The BackPack Program, please click here.
Watch D.O.G.S. Program
The Bondurant-Farrar WatchDOGs program is a parent involvement program that invites parent-figures into the school to help increase security and reduce bullying. Moms, dads, grandparents, aunts, and uncles are encouraged to spend a half- or full-day at their child’s school. During that day, you’ll have the opportunity to be in your child’s classroom, eat lunch with him or her, help in other classrooms, monitor hallways, and/or assist teachers and administrators with every-day projects – all of which enhance the overall education experience of our children. To find out more, or to sign-up to be a WatchDOG, email watchdogsbondurant@gmail.com.
It is the policy of the Bondurant-Farrar Community School District not to discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, religion, creed, age (for employment), marital status (for programs), sexual orientation, gender identity and socioeconomic status (for programs) in its educational programs and its employment practices. There is a grievance procedure for processing complaints of discrimination. If you have questions or a grievance related to this policy please contact the district’s Equity Coordinator; Chad Carlson, Director of Administrative Services, 300 Garfield St SW, Bondurant, IA 50035, 515-967-7819,carlsonc@bfschools.org.; or Director of the Office for Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Education, Citigroup Center, 500 W. Madison Street, Suite 1475, Chicago, IL 60661-7204, (312) 730-1560, OCR.Chicago@ed.gov.