The Monthly Snapshot
An Electronic Newsletter for LES and NPLiberty HS
Graphing M&Ms in kindergarten
Students in Miss Chunko’s kindergarten classroom started off the school year learning how to become a community of learners. This included learning procedures and routines to help the classroom function smoothly.
As students began to grasp the concept, it was time to learn basic foundations for reading and writing which included letters and their sounds!
The very first letter students began to study was the letter "M". To help students understand letter identification and sound production, exploration of this letter was done through different activities in other subject areas. In math, students completed a bar graph representing a small bag of M&M candies. Not only were students reading color words, sorting the candy by color, and representing numbers in a graph, they also were reminded how an everyday candy contains the sound of the letter "M".
The students enjoyed this activity and how each graph showed different numbers. They compared and contrasted their graphs to show similarities and differences. Overall, students enjoyed using candy as a fun way to complete math and practice letter sounds. The best part was having a fun snack once we were done!
First 100 positive behavior shields already earned at LES
LES students have been working hard at being respectful, responsible, and safe in and around our school. In fact, they’ve already filled our School - Wide Positive Behavior Support program’s first Principal’s 100 Club with 100 positive behavior shields!
The Liberty Three to Be are: be respectful, be responsible, and be safe. Students who are caught demonstrating the Liberty Three to Be are awarded shields for their positive behavior. There are seven areas in and around our school where students can receive shields for exhibiting positive behavior. These areas include the classroom, hallway, cafeteria, playground, assembly area, restroom, and school bus.
As adults in and around the school recognize students demonstrating the behavioral expectations in any of these seven areas, positive behavior shields are completed and given to the students. Each student’s name then goes onto another shield that is placed on the Principal’s 100 Club bulletin board.
When our Principal’s 100 Club board is filled, there is a recognition assembly during which every student who has received a shield for the board is called to the stage and celebrated. These students receive a new pencil and also have the chance to win a fun prize. In addition, a “winning row of 10” is randomly drawn for each completed board. The ten students in the winning row each receive a small prize, and one name is randomly drawn for the “Principal’s Prize.” This winning student is given a choice of activities in which to participate with Mr. Eglesia. They even get to choose one friend to join them! Students have chosen prizes like ice cream at Martin’s Pantry or lunch at the Landing Strip.
Our first recognition assembly will be held on Monday, October 23 at approximately 1:30PM. Parents and community members are welcome to attend.
Grade 4 students work diligently on new math concepts
“I loved doing mean, median, mode, and range for the first time ever. I also enjoyed the cereal party because I really don’t pay attention to how much cereal I actually eat and what brands they are. When we first started school, I liked how we did the classroom scavenger hunt. We got to learn where everything was. I loved the circle art project because I learned how to use a compass and how you had to find where congruent circles, concentric circles, tangent circles, the radius, the center, and the diameter were in your art work.” - Haley Litzelman
Circle Art Project – Congruent, Concentric, and Tangent Circles
“I liked the gallon man activity because I learned that there are 4 quarts in a gallon, 8 pints in a gallon, 16 cups in a gallon, and 128 ounces in a gallon. I liked the circle project because I learned what tangent, concentric, and congruent circles are.” - Deacon Valentine
LES artists demonstrate craftsmanship in first art projects
The LES artists have been working hard to demonstrate craftsmanship through their first art projects. All students in kindergarten to grade 6 understand that focusing on being neat and putting in hard work can lead to great results which they are proud of!
Grade 2 and grade 3 students learned about how reflective symmetry creates balanced artwork, while students in grades 4, 5, and 6 learned that many lines of symmetry create radial symmetry balance.
This year, the art room is set up in "centers," and our first project introduced the "drawing center." We will be moving through the painting, printmaking, clay, collage, and fiber centers throughout the year.
Our students are especially excited to work on extra clay projects this year, thanks to LAPAT's purchase of a new kiln for the art room! Stay tuned for upcoming art-centered family and community night events.
Caption for Art Gallery Below
Grade 6 Name Tiles by (1) Kayla Smith and (2) Cale Wagner; Grade 5 Hex Signs by (3) Thomas Bishop and (4) Lasha Roupp; Grade 4 Rangoli by (5) Haley Litzelman and (6) Andrew Picolella; Grade 3 Art Deco by (7) Sage Persun; Kindergarten Lines by (8) Zander Schmouder; Grade 1 Line Landscape by (9) David Graf; Grade 2 Jewel Beetles by (10) Hailey Page and (11) Kaylee Edler, with symmetry created by friction rubbing and (12) paint transfer.
Grade 7 students find the right book
How do you find the book that is just right for you? That was one of the first questions seventh graders were asked upon entering their reading class this year. The answers varied from looking at the cover of the book to taking a recommendation from a friend. The goal is to have all students locate books that they can read, understand, and enjoy during independent reading time.
How did we do it? First, students were introduced to the notion of lexile. A lexile level of a book is a measure of the text’s complexity. It is also a measure of a student's reading ability. It is one way to match students to books they may be more likely to comprehend without frustration. Students were able to filter book options to a lexile band that was closest to their reading comfort levels.
Next, students assessed their interests with an interest survey/questionnaire. They also took a trip to the school library and completed an online catalog refresher exercise. They were also shown how to access and navigate (filter with regard to lexile and interest) WorldCat to find books in our local public libraries, and they were introduced to ebranch2go.com which will allow them access to digital books through local libraries.
Students were able to determine their purposes for reading when we discussed the activities associated with their independent novels and the reasons they would read independently for a portion of the reading course.
In the end, students were reminded that it is ALL of these factors (and more) that should be considered when given free choice for book selection. Students then focused on selecting reading material according to their lexile ranges, interests, preferences, background knowledge, and purposes for reading.
In the photo above, Dylan McIntyre selects Ship Breaker for his independent reading.
Below, Caitlin T. and Alexie H. and Caitlyn A. begin to read their carefully chosen books.
Grade 7 students work with circles in math lab
The students in the grade 7 math lab course have been working hard this past month on reviewing circles and finding radius, diameter, circumference, and area. The students took it to the next level when given the circumference and area of objects to find the radius and diameter.
Ms. Rinehart, a student teacher, is working with these students right now, so part of her lesson was to create a real world project that incorporated circles. She had the students measure the circumference of certain sport balls with string. They then used their measurements to find the radius and area of the these balls.
Once they were finished, they Googled the actual measurements to see if they were close or not. Most students were within a few inches of the actual measurement.
In the picture above Shalyn S. and Ian H. measure a soccer ball.
Below, AJ S. and Annah B., Levi D. and Alexie H., and Elijah W. and Paige G. also participate in measuring different kinds of sports balls.
Turning "difficult" into doable in Biology B
“This is gonna be difficult.” This is a common thought, if not an aloud statement, of many students as they begin a course that ends in a Keystone examination at the high school level. Frequently, we find the opportunity to demonstrate standard skills in a familiar, seemingly easier way.
Students in the Biology B course chose to demonstrate adaptation. This demonstration included the use of simulated birds (modified paper airplanes) which were mutated through successive generations. These mutations took the form of increased or decreased width, length, and/or location of wings and drove the emergence of differing flight capacity. Over the course of time, students were able to identify the most fit traits.
In the photo above, Hannah H., Bryce O., and Camryn M. are measuring the distance flown.
Studying the Civil War through creative writing of historical events
Students in grade 9 are studying United States history chronologically from 1800 to 1919 and the Treaty of Versailles. As part of this study, Mr. Munford’s class delved deeply into the events of the Civil War.
The students developed the background knowledge on the Civil War and Gettysburg through written and visual content. They created their own newspaper stories in a newspaper called The Gettysburg Journalist. This required them to imagine they were journalists on the front lines of the battle either waiting for the Confederate “Pickett’s Charge” or following the charge into the maelstrom.
The students were coached through the process with one on one guidance from the instructor on content validity, written flow, and conventions. Students read aloud to the class their finished projects. As each story was read, the class used a listening guide to choose a few memorable events from the stories. After every story, the class discussed the memorable elements.
Through this writing, students gained a base of knowledge and applied it to a creative and enjoyable activity.
Above, Mr. Munford confers with Colton L. on his article.
Students in driver's education play "drivo"
Did you know that odd numbered route signs are designated to roads that travel north and south while even numbered route signs go east and west? The students in the driver education course have been learning how to identify and interpret the signs, symbols, and markers commonly found on today’s roadways.
One way we have been practicing the signs and markers is with the class favorite game “Drivo.” The game is played like bingo with a driving twist. Student need to identify the signs based on a description. Once they have five in a row, they yell "drivo!"
As a side note, we would like to let all parents and guardians know that the Department of Transportation offers an excellent STUDY WEBSITE for those planning to take the Pennsylvania Driver Permit exam. The site can be accessed on a smartphone. This site also includes a PDF file of the Pennsylvania Driver Manual, a learner’s permit application (DL-180), and the parent/guardian consent form (DL-180TD).
In the picture above, Ally S. and Sam S. play drivo.
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Liberty Elementary School
Email: jeglesia@southerntioga.org
Website: http://www.southerntioga.org/?page_id=249
Location: 8622 Route 414, Liberty, PA, United States
Phone: 570-324-2521
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LES16930/
Twitter: @Lbrty_Principal
North Penn - Liberty Jr./Sr. High School
Email: jeglesia@southerntioga.org
Website: http://www.southerntioga.org/?page_id=193
Location: 8675 Route 414, Liberty, PA, United States
Phone: 570-324-2071
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NPLiberty
Twitter: @Lbrty_Principal