February 2018 Classroom News
Prekindergarten – Mrs. Gartman and Mrs. Proctor
In January, we focused on our winter theme. We learned about penguins & polar bears. We discussed hibernation and worked on retelling a story. We also started practicing writing our letters. In February, we will begin with our fun groundhog activities. Will he see his shadow or not?!! Then we will focus on friendship, dental hygiene, and all about me! We will continue working with writing our letters as well as begin journal writing!
Kindergarten – Mrs. Puckett, Mrs. Calton, and Mrs. Collins
January was filled with "SNOW much" fun in Kindergarten learning all about snow and winter animals! We made some fun winter crafts, enjoyed snow-themed learning centers, and participated in science activities to learn about God's amazing design of penguins and polar bears. A highlight of the month was having "snowball fights" (with rolled up socks) during PE! We ended the month with some Groundhog Day fun by exploring the science of shadows and making predictions about whether or not the groundhog will see his shadow. In February, we look forward to enjoying Valentine-themed crafts, games, and learning centers. We will also be learning about Washington and Lincoln in celebration of President's Day, and we will continue to work on our performance for Grandparent's Day!
Primary Art – Mrs. Wright
January has been a busy month while 3 Eagles, 2nd grade, and 1st grade have been learning about the element of space. We used several resources from YouTube to children's books from my own library to examine the way artists use space to illustrate depth in their artwork. We talked about the many ways to create space on a two-dimensional surface by employing different techniques, such as overlapping, linear perspective, size, placement, value, color, and detail. We also got a jump start on Valentine's Day with a positive and negative space project that I can't wait for the parents to see! In February, we will likely focus on the element of shape and revisit line with some projects that will go perfectly with our Grandparent’s Day assembly. Thanks so much for trusting me with your little kiddos. I love to see their creativity blossoming.
Intermediate Art – Mrs. Hudson
In January, each grade level worked with perspective using Cityscapes as the subject for our artwork. Sixth grade Rams worked with 2-point perspective while 4th and 5th graders worked with 1 point. Third grade Wolves also worked with 1-point perspective but from the bird’s eye view. We will be using the last part of January to complete Patriotic-themed artwork. In February, we will move into working with portraits and discussing individual facial features and terms, such as symmetry, shape, size, and proportion.
Computers – Mrs. Selaya
We designed a new seating chart and moved on to new projects. Bison and Rams are working on presentations while Elk, Cougars, & Bears are learning how to work as a team. Teamwork can be both very rewarding and challenging! Wolves are learning how to ask good questions. They are creating forms/questionnaires for their classmates using Google Forms. Those students who really applied themselves to typing are really reaping the rewards as we move into these labor intensive projects. Keep up the good work!
Primary Music – Mrs. Scholes
January was packed with lots of learning about the basics of the musical scale, the treble and bass clefs, and solfège. We played some really fun games to reinforce this learning, and the kids also got to utilize our music staff dry erase boards to practice these. Our focus song for the semester, which we sing at the start of each class, is Rejoice in the Lord Always, taken from Philippians 4:7. In February, we will work to sing this song in a round so that we can begin to hear the different harmonies that are created when we layer our sounds. We will also begin practicing for our spring concert music. The kids have been anxiously awaiting this!! The 2/3 Sharks and 3 Eagles also have the special treat of learning a patriotic song to sing at Grandparent’s Day in March.
Intermediate and EXCEL Music – Mrs. Morkert
We had a productive and fun-filled January! We started off the month filling out response questions to their likes/dislikes about music, what they would like to learn more about, etc. We then spent the next several weeks warming up our voices to Amazing Grace and talked through reading music and ways to use our head and chest voices. We also learned (or re-learned) the names of the notes on both the bass and treble clefs and created fun saying to remember them - learning the term mnemonic devices. We finished off each class period with some fun and friendly class competitions (Family Feud style) with who could remember the name of each note presented on a note card the fastest. February will bring us a time of practicing actually 'reading' different musical pieces, discussing time signatures, counting and rhythms, and beginning to learn our songs for the Spring Concert (and some classes preparing a piece for Grandparent’s Day). Fun times ahead!
Primary and Intermediate PE – Mrs. Morrison, Mrs. Miller, and Mrs. Lewis
Older grades had fun learning to play handball during the month of January. Parents can look up the sport of handball. It is now a Summer Olympic Sport! Younger grades enjoyed various games of tag and a fun day with the parachute. We also played a couple favorites, Battleship and Guard the Castle, as well as a new game, Save the Forest. Halfway into the year, we finally got wise (Mrs. Miller's idea) and changed the direction we do our warm ups. Now our lines are shorter and we complete them in a quicker time, allowing more time for activities. We will be doing jump rope activities in February. February is heart health month so we like to do aerobic activity during this time and there is nothing better than jumping rope to get your heart rate up. In addition to heart health, jumping rope helps to make bones stronger. During the cold weather, we have noticed some students understandably wearing boots. Please remember to send gym shoes to change into for PE. The boots are not suitable for running or active play on the smooth gym floor. With the flu season in full swing, please remember to send a note if your child is returning from being sick or injured and needs to have their activities adjusted. Thank you, again, for the thoughtful gifts. We appreciate your children and we appreciate you!
Primary Science – Mrs. Skinner
Hello DHA Families! It has been so nice to see the students again. We began January by exploring snow and discussing what amazing things can happen in colder weather. Then we learned about the importance of hand washing, how germs can attack our body, and how our body can fight back. We ended January by learning about microscopes. We learned the parts of the microscope, explored slides and learned how to properly use the microscope. In February, I hope to begin a unit on birds. There are many events available for students to attend in the community about this subject during this time of the year. In the January 23rd Family Update, Mrs. Hess sent out a list of the upcoming bird events available in our area. I hope the students learn and enjoy our upcoming lessons. I especially hope that we could have a bird house building day sometime in the future as our unit comes to an end. If you have or know of any resources available that might help to make this happen for around 120 students please let me know. Thanks for sharing your kiddos with us!
Intermediate Science – Mrs. Champ
In January, we started learning about food chains. The students played a card game where they had to make a food chain and also made their own food chain out of construction paper. In February, we will continue to learn about food chains, what plants eat, and decomposers. We will also be dissecting owl pellets to see what owls eat and learning about different ecosystems.
Excel Science – Mrs. Ungeheier
In January, we began preparing for dissections. We learned and reviewed some of the main systems of our bodies and the similarities and differences of some animals. We discussed lab safety, dissection tools, and practiced a dissection in the lab beginning with a pickle. Each of the dissections will include sketches, labels of the outside and inside of our specimens, and any interesting facts or findings. Our first specimen will be a fish. Then, we will seek out the similarities and differences between a sheep, cow, and pig's eye.
Social Studies – Mrs. Wagner
We have been having lots of fun learning about the “Happy Days,” the 1950s. From the Hand Jive to Alaska and Hawaii joining the United States, we ended our study with a sock hop. In February, our history will take another turn as we learn about the turbulent 60s.
Primary Spanish – Mrs. Hesman
In January, we combined learning the vocabulary for pets with learning the vocabulary for buying and selling by having a "pet store." The children were able to shop for a pet and supplies for it using play money. They practiced asking "how much does it cost?" and "It costs x dollars". After practicing with this vocabulary for a few weeks, we were ready for the Mexican Market simulation! The kids loved using real money to shop for things they could keep, and were proud to donate to Samaritan's Purse. One young student hugged me and said, "Thank you for donating to Puerto Rico!" In February, we will work with family member vocabulary and the names of rooms in the home.
Intermediate Spanish – Mrs. Delaney
In January, we prepared for our Mexican Market simulation by practicing numbers through songs, videos, board games, and Bingo! Our Mexican Market day was a great success raising $252 for Samaritan's Purse for hurricane relief! Students did an excellent job using Spanish to greet one another, ask about prices, and make purchases. In February, we will learn to talk about our age, birthdays, and what we like and don't like. We will also practice a fun song and dance in Spanish for Grandparent’s Day.
Excel Spanish – Mrs. Rudeen
We had the wonderful opportunity to shift our plans and practice learning numbers and marketplace conversations in preparation for the Mexican Market on January 23rd. Students were introduced to numbers 1-100 through playing Bingo, number board games, shopping practice, writing numbers in shaving cream, one-on-one conversations, and through counting out our exercises. For the Mexican Market, students practiced asking how much something cost, what price it was, whether or not we wanted to buy it, and how much we pay for it (as seen in the photo). For February, we will shift back to games and activities that help us learn and converse about family members and rooms in a house.
EXCEL Writing – Mrs. Ellett
In January, students focused on word choice in their writing. We read a picture book that used very descriptive adjectives and strong verbs as a mentor text. We played Scattegories and other games that encouraged students to explore varied word choices. Students wrote descriptive paragraphs about a setting or character and poems celebrating Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. In February, we'll transition our focus from word choice to sentence fluency. We'll be practicing various sentence structures, beginnings, and lengths. Your students are doing a fabulous job and really making strides in their writing!
