Fifth Grade: Specials Spotlight
First Quarter 2017-2018
Exploratory Team
Music
I’m so excited to be teaching Music at Riverview! This is my 24th year in education, my 19th as a music teacher, and my 10th here as a Falcon! I graduated from Louisiana State University with a degree in Music Education, and I have Level 1 Certification for Orff-Schulwerk Music Education from Baker University. This year at RE, we also have a Music Student Teacher! During the Fall semester, Mr. Holthus is in our building several hours a week and is working with our K-2 grade students. In 4th Quarter he will be at Riverview every day working with all of our young musicians!
Fifth grade students started the quarter with some creative movement singing to review and learn about new patterns, or form, in music. They also learn to step outside their box and try something new! We’ve also spent quite a bit of time playing barred instruments (xylophones and glockenspiels). After lots of review and challenging themselves to learn new patterns, 5th graders began to prepare for our last program at Riverview! To help our school celebrate Peace and Kindness Week, 5th graders wrote a rhythmic chant that was on the RE announcements and we used to inspire the other students and staff as we created a “Bully-Free Zone” around RE! Each year I try to incorporate different musicians or styles of music in our lessons. This year we started with Ray Charles! Students listened to some of his music, like “Hit the Road Jack,” and learned that he was an amazing pianist even though he was blind. What a great example of a "never stop trying" attitude! Throughout the year, we will continue to build students’ listening stamina and discover new ways to describe the music we hear. Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions!
Art
Greetings! I am your child(ren)'s Art Educator at Riverview, this is my first year and I couldn't be happier. Your students are welcoming and have made me feel a part of the family. I student taught at Forest View Elementary (A Stephen Covey, Lighthouse school aka a 7 Habits school). I learned and loved the opportunity to grow, which lead to the position here at Riverview! I grew up, went to school, and still reside in Olathe. I received my Bachelors of Art Education in May of 2017 from the University of Kansas, Rock Chalk! In my personal time I enjoy exploring downtown Lawrence and Kansas City as well as, Netflix bingeing, coffee, art-making (duh), and taking my dog, Sausage, to the dog park!
Fifth grade has been exploring several art mediums. First, we began printmaking with items we could use at home! While we learned about mono-printing--it is a very difficult and finicky process, we did learn about radial designs to create our own dot for International Dot Day. While reading, The Dot, we fostered an appreciation for the art process and to believe in one's self even if art presents a new challenge. Next, we studied Contemporary American artist, Romero Britto, he is called a Neo-pop artist (your student can tell you what defines a Neo-Pop artist!) to create our fifth grader self portraits. We are now trying out paint and perspective by understanding value (the art term, instead of how much something is worth). We already have so much knowledge of different types of perspective and using our bird's eye view to create a pumpkin, just in time for fall!
PE
Hello! I am Kyndel Reeves, the Physical Education teacher, and this is my third year at Riverview! I absolutely LOVE getting to be the P.E. teacher to such amazing students. I grew up going to school in the DeSoto School District, so it is really an honor to be able to come back as a teacher. Growing up, my family was obsessed with KU, so of course that is where I went to college! Rock Chalk! In my free time, I love to be with my family and friends and do fun things together. I love doing things outdoors, going to the beach (when I am able to), going shopping, and going to my siblings’ different events. I am looking forward to another wonderful school year with our wonderful community!
During first quarter, the students reviewed all the rules of the gym and P.E., and why we have P.E.! Their knowledge and understanding of the importance of physical fitness and health is so exciting. We were able to learn about our different warm-ups that we do right when we get into class; warm-ups such as Skunk Tag, Running Club, Gladiators, Spelling Dash, and many more. We then reviewed and learned about the importance of being a helpful teammate, and working hard even when things get tough. We were able to do activities such as Hula Hut Relays, Scavengers, Mat Ball, and Sinkerball. All of those activities gave students the opportunity to work with their classmates and do some problem solving, and they did an awesome job! We also began reviewing our throwing skills, and have been practicing our form and technique. We have been able to play games to help our throwing form and technique such as Endzone Trappers, Castle Pool, Powerball, and Catching Relay. The fifth graders had their first quarter pacer test and did such a wonderful job! I am so impressed with their hard work and determination. I remind them every time that I am not worried about how many “laps” they get, but that I care about how hard they work, and I never have to worry about them not working hard enough, so I am very lucky! The students are doing such an awesome job, and I am really looking forward to the rest of the year with them!
Technology
I am Traci Seyb and I teach your children skills in technology. This is my 23rd year of teaching and my 16th year at Riverview. I've taught 4th grade and 5th grade in the regular classroom and was a Literacy Learning Coach in the Lawrence Public Schools. I received my Bachelor of Science in Education degree from Kansas State University--EMAW! I feel privileged to be a part of the Riverview community and count myself as a lucky individual that gets to work with the fabulous children who attend our school.
In Fifth Grade, we started out the year reviewing the basics and the Acceptable Use Policy. Our district just updated to Windows 10. With that update came a few changes in the operating system. We set up our default settings and learned about several new features.
Students also began working on keyboarding skills. We practice a portion of technology specials working with the Type to Learn Keyboarding Program. Students learned home row finger placement and various keyboarding techniques via lessons and games. Practice time at home tends to increase their words per minute and accuracy level. There are many free sites available. Our district currently Type to Learn Online Keyboarding available to kids for at home practice.
We were lucky to have Jake Angell, a professional Hallmark Artist, join us to share how he utilizes the 3D printer when crating ornaments. The kids were amazed as he took us through the process from a simple drawing to an ornament available to purchase in stores this season. After Mr. Angell talked to us, we got started with TinkerCad, a website that allows us to create 3D files to print on our 3D printer. We find our how to look up tutorials on our own to learn special techniques etc...
Next, we are diving into coding and Spheros. The PTA purchased a set of Sphero balls last year to further our coding skills. We are looking forward to unlocking the puzzles to come!
Library
I truly enjoy being the Library Media Specialist here at Riverview Elementary! We have an amazing school filled with eager-to-learn, wonderful students and dedicated, caring staff! It is so much fun getting to work with former students again and getting acquainted with all the fantastic kindergarten through fifth graders here at Riverview. I love getting kids excited about reading, introducing them to new books and authors they may not have read before, and researching with them! My goal is to develop lifelong readers!
This year is my 27th year of teaching. I taught second grade a total of 12 years, first grade for 2 years, and Tutorial Math Grades 3-6 for 1 year. I also was a substitute teacher for 5 years after taking time off to raise my own children. This is my twelfth year as the Library Media Specialist at Riverview.
In our library classes we talked about our five rules: Respect Books and Library Property, Use Quiet Voices, Respect Yourself and Others, Use Library Time Wisely, and Wait Quietly in Line. We identified ways to care for our books and discussed using a shelf marker or a neighbor book to mark a book’s place on the shelf. We also discussed our safety procedures at RE, where we would go, and what our jobs are. Students were introduced to our new school-wide Award Winners reading program. Information about the program and a reading log can be found on my website at: http://riverviewlibrary.weebly.com/ We talked about different strategies to help us in choosing a “good fit” book such as “I PICK,” using lexile ranges, and using the color dot system found on the spines of many of our books in the library. We watched a preview of some of the books coming to our Scholastic Book Fair which will be in the library on October 27th and 28th. Students worked with a partner to complete a Scavenger Hunt in the library.
Counselor
Hello and welcome back to a new school year! My name is Toni Munsey and I am your Riverview School Counselor! I’m pleased to start another year at Riverview. This is my eleventh year in the Desoto school district. My previous 18 years were spent in the Kansas City, Kansas school district. I received my Bachelor’s degree from Kansas State and my Masters in Counseling from Emporia State where I also completed K-12 building level Administrative certification. I’ve taught in the classroom for eight years before becoming a school counselor and am excited about my 21st. year as a school counselor. The counselors’ role is to help students be successful in academic achievement as well as social and emotional health. I will be teaching guidance lessons in the library this year as part of the special’s teacher rotation on a regular basis. I will also be available for small group and individual counseling. The counseling curriculum consists of Character Education, Bullying Prevention, Drug and Alcohol Prevention just to name a few. My goal is to find more time in my schedule for students who just need to drop by and talk out a problem. I am an advocate for all students and a resource for staff and parents. Please feel free to contact me anytime if there is anything I can help with. My phone number is 441-0808 ext. 4124 and my e-mail is tthurmanmunsey@usd232.org. I would also like to remind you the importance of community service and encourage you to join the Falcon Volunteers and track your community service hours throughout the year. I’m so excited about this school year and look forward to working with you and our wonderful Riverview students.
First quarter has been a blast! We have reviewed the role of the school counselor. We have also done several getting to know you and team building activities. We have learned Habit 1 “Be Proactive” from the book The 7 habits of Happy Kids we are learning to be in charge of ourselves and think with a positive growth mindset.