STEM with Ms. Jess
The book fair preview will occur during STEM class from 3/8-3/14. After students preview the book fair, if space allows, they’ll flex their engineering muscles by experimenting with our class set of dominoes.
If space is too limited, we will end class with an educational episode of Magic School Bus.
Kinder-2nd Grade
- With the time in the month left, we will be finishing up our unit on electricity and magnets.
- We will try to make “squishy” circuits and experiment with magnets!
3rd Grade
- We will be working on our unit about weather.
- We will ask questions such as “how can you tell when it’s going to storm?”, “Why are some places always hot?” and “Where’s the best place to build a snow fort?”
4th Grade
- We will be working on our unit about the human body!
- We will ask questions such as “How does your brain control your body?” and “Why do your biceps bulge?”
5th Grade
- We will be focusing on food webs!
- We will revisit the food chain game we’ve played in the past, answer the question, “Why do you have to clean a fish tank but not a pond?” and dissect owl pellets!
PE with Mr. Feliciano
Quarter 3 is over, and with it come grades.
- All grades have been submitted, and I am very proud of the hard work all grades have put forward this past month.
As a reminder, Student Led Conferences are approaching.
Kinder-2nd Grade
- Kinder through second-grade students will continue to focus on fine motor skills and gross motor skills, specifically spatial awareness, movement through open space, reaction time, as well as coordinated moves of the hand.
- As the weather is starting to improve, these activities will be primarily outside make sure that your student has warm clothing when participating in PE.
3rd-5th Grade
- Students will continue to focus on fine motor skills and gross motor skills, specifically running forward and backward, running through and around obstacles, as well as throwing and catching skills.
- As the weather is starting to improve, these activities will be primarily outside make sure that your student has warm clothing when participating in PE.
Middle School
This month, middle school students will collect data on their fitness levels and create appropriate fitness goals for each student.
- Students will participate in activities and games that will promote the achievement of those goals.
- Students will also learn how to assess their progress and create a plan to update or modify their goals.
- As a reminder and recommendation, students should have comfortable clothing and shoes on days that they have PE. This will allow them to make the most out of their time in the classroom or outside.
SEL with Ms. Renee
In Social Emotional Learning this month, we focus on the stress response,
Fight, Flight, Freeze.
K-5 students learned about “Big Boss Bob” and how their brains can sometimes make a small problem seem like a huge problem. We are learning to recognize the signals we feel and see that show we are starting to lose control so that we can use our coping skills sooner.
Kinder - 5th Grade
- The students will take an SEL Assessment during the last week of March.
- This is the same assessment that they’ve taken before.
- I will be going to their classrooms, so the process is less stressful.
- Please feel free to reach out with any questions.
Kinder-2nd Grade
- The students are working on their “Brain House” and its occupants (see Problem-Solving Patty above.)
- They are beginning to understand that thinking takes place upstairs (prefrontal cortex), and staying safe is the job of our downstairs brain (amygdala).
- Students will take an SEL assessment the last week of March.
3rd-5th Grade
- Upper elementary students are learning about the inward and outward sensations of anger this month.
- Each student is creating an anger thermometer to learn how to respond to increasing anger.
- With practice, they will be able to notice that they are moving towards losing control of their big emotions and then use one of their coping skills.
- All classes will take an SEL assessment the last week of March.
Mr. H’s Music Notes
All of the music classes have been making excellent progress this past month. All classes are working on identifying song forms such as ABA/ternary, Sonata, and Rondo. The next forms we will work on identifying will be the 12-bar Blues and the 32-bar AABA.
Since March is Women in History Month, they are learning about some of the significant contributors to music, from Hildegaard von Bingen to Marin Alsop (the former conductor of the Colorado Symphony).
Kinder- 2nd Grade
- Students are currently working on being able to play percussion instruments while maintaining a steady rhythmic pulse, as well as learning about opposites in music, e.g. Presto and Largo, Forte, and Piano, etc.
3rd-4th Grade
- Students are still playing recorders.
- The school does have a large supply of recorders, but you may want to invest in one for your student for sanitary reasons.
- They are available for purchase locally at Universal Music or Music & Arts, or you can order them from Amazon.
5th Grade
- The 5th Grade will soon learn about complex time signatures such as 5/4, 5/8, 6/8, 7/8 and 9/8 and listening to music in each time signature.
5th-8th Grade Orchestra
- The orchestra meets from 3:30-4:30 on Tuesdays.
- Currently, we do not have enough students signed up for Band to offer it as an after-school club. If you have any questions about Band and Orchestra, don't hesitate to contact me at [email protected].
Art with Ms. Bradford
Check Out What is New!
What have we been up to in the art room?!
- Please visit our site to see all the amazing projects the students have been working on!
- You can also sign up to volunteer in the art room! WOO!!!
