Park School News
December 2017
Dream Big Award Winners for November!
School Closing Information
Important Dates
Dec. 4 No School
Dec. 7 PTO Holiday Fun 4:00-6:00
Dec. 14 Christmas Program 1:30 @ High School
Dec. 25-Jan. 1 Winter Break No School
PTO Holiday Fun!
*
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Meet us to:
Make a craft
Decorate a cookie
Design an ornament
Enjoy a cup of hot chocolate
**Get a sparkly tree charm for your necklace!**
**To volunteer call: Nichole Thoney @ 715.923.1428**
Or Mr. Cronick @
715.938.1451
Thursday, Dec 7, 2017, 04:00 PM
PARK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, Hockridge Street, Marinette, WI, United States
Holiday Concert
The 1st and 2nd grades will perform first followed by the 3rd and 4th grades.
Students will return to school following the program and parents may pick them up there if they choose.
Thursday, Dec 14, 2017, 01:30 PM
High School Auditorium
Learning Why It's Important to Read Out loud
- Yes, you can simply talk to your infant to boost how many words they hear, but reading gives you words so that you don’t have to think of things to say, and it teaches the baby new words.
Attempt to build a foundation for success in school. Difficulty reading leads to failure in school, which of course leads to problems later in life. Exposing children to reading even before they can read exposes them to words and experiences they would have never received in daily life, which lays the foundation for them to be familiar with concepts they will later learn in school.
- Failure in school leads to social problems like delinquency, teen pregnancy, and substance abuse.
- For example, teachers tend to pay attention to kids who have better reading comprehension than the rest of class, and often provide them with access to books at higher levels of reading, giving a child more knowledge than other students.
Try to encourage a child's imagination. Reading out loud provides children with a world they can imagine, even when the book already contains pictures. Books give children ideas, characters, and settings outside of their experience, which they often will explore when playing “pretend.”
Three-Act Math Tasks in 1st Grade
First grade students have started participating in Three-act math tasks. A Three-Act task is a whole group mathematics task consisting of 3 distinct parts: an engaging, perplexing problem, and information and solution seeking activity, and a solution discussion and solution revealing.
Three-Act math tasks that students participated in November were the following. Students were shown a video of a man dumping out a variety bag of chips, they then had to figure out how many of each chip bag were missing. They then presented their findings with their partner to the class. Students also watched a video of a worm that was inching along and "growing" in length, students had to determine how long the worm was by the time it quit growing using unifix cubes. Students were given an image of the worm with a unifix cube on it to help them determine the length.
Through these two activities we have watched students collaborate with their peers, listen actively during sharing time, and use higher order thinking skills to help them determine the solution. We look forward, as first grade teachers, to continue to enrich our math program with more Three-Act math tasks.
4th Grade News!
Fourth grade has just finished studying the five regions of the United States and will be studying matter through the month of December.
In writing, students have been drafting fiction stories and will soon be choosing one to revise, edit and publish as their final piece.
In reading, fourth grade has been studying story elements, such as: character, setting, plot, character change, problem/conflict, and theme. They have also been practicing the strategy "Stop and Ask Questions."
In math, fourth grade finished their multiplication unit and are currently studying long division.
Just a heads up, students will be starting swimming lessons at the end of January. Watch for a note coming in the near future that will give dates! Students will need a swimsuit and towel for each lesson.
Library News
While we do have STEM activities in the library, reading by the fireplace is still a favorite with some students (and Mrs. Kniskern, too!).
Here is Bennee enjoying his Big Nate book!