fall newsletter 2014 - Wilton Public Schools

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Nov 20, 2014 - make this a great year of learning at the Wilton School. You can be assured .... making important decisio
F ALL N EWSLETTER 2014

Fall 2014 Elementary Newsletter

Wilton Public School, 504 Dakota Avenue, Wilton, ND 58579 www.wilton.k12.nd.us / facebook.com/wilton.miners (701)734-6331

From the Superintendent’s Desk: By: Ms. Kady

With the first nine weeks of the 2014-2015 school year complete, we hope the transition to a new school year, new teachers, new classes and classrooms has gone well for students, as well as parents. We encourage you to visit with the teachers, office staff, or administration at any time with your comments or suggestions, as we work together to make this a great year of learning at the Wilton School. You can be assured the entire staff and administration is dedicated and committed to helping students have a successful school year. The staff has begun training for a program called Positive Behaviors and Interventions Supports to provide additional support towards that commitment of helping students be successful. Several aspects of this program are in the process or have been implemented, and we are excited about the progress we are beginning to see in the area of student achievement, as well as in building a positive learning climate which creates optimum conditions for learning. In addition, the district is working to increase the number of ways to communicate information to students, parents, and community members. Among the ways the district is using to increase communication is the creation of a Facebook page (www.facebook.com/wilton.miners) and a complete make-over of the district web page (www.wilton.k12.nd.us.) As you use either of these options to access school information, please let us know your ideas to make this as effective and efficient as possible in getting you the information you are seeking. In addition, the district has signed up for a new alert system that is integrated through Power School. The system is called “Alert Solutions.” The new system, which will replace the Honeywell Instant Alert System, has many new capabilities, in addition to the standard features of sending text, email, phone calls, and voice mail messages to announce unexpected school closures. The additional capabilities of this new system will be attendance notifications, linking notifications with Facebook and Twitter, and teacher communication to students and parents directly from within Power School. The program will also have a feature entitled “Speak Up!” This is a platform designed to help reduce school bullying and cyberbullying through anonymous two way communication for reporting bullying incidents. Please watch for information coming out as these additional features become available in the near future. In order for this Alert System to function properly, it is very important that the school have current email addresses and phone numbers on file. Please let the office know right away if any of your contact information changes throughout the school year to be sure you receive any information sent out through the Alert Solutions Communication System. Please take a moment to ensure the contact information in Power School for your family is correct. Technology has created some efficient ways for us to deliver information, and we hope this helps as we partner with parents, students, and the community to make this the best year yet at Wilton Public School!

Fall 2014 Elementary Newsletter

P RINCIPAL P OINTS Wilton Public School, 504 Dakota Avenue, Wilton, ND 58579 www.wilton.k12.nd.us / facebook.com/wilton.miners (701)734-6331

Reflecting on these past few weeks I can say how impressed I remain of our students’ dedication and commitment to hard work and giving each day their “ALL.” I am aware of the many challenges that present themselves on any given day, yet they do little to dampen or temper our students’ spirit with which they approach any given task. I admire their tenacity and grit – two traits that will take them far in life no matter what obstacles stand in their way. As you know, the weather is changing outside. We need to make sure our children are properly dress for school. Keep in mind that our students go outside for recess so coats, hats and gloves should be sent daily. As soon as the snow starts falling, all students will be required to wear snow pants and snow boots for recess. Doors open at 7:45 am and students are required to be sitting in their desk at the 8:15 bell. If your child is eating breakfast in the morning, you need to make sure they are to school on time. A motto that I like to tell my teachers is “Early is on time, on time is late.” Please make sure your child is to school on time. The elementary has been working hard on our “Behavior Expectations.” Our three expectations that we are focusing on are students being Responsible, Respectful and Safe. As a staff, we came up with 6 areas to focus these expectations on. The six areas are recess, hallway, lunch room, bathroom, bus, and assemblies. I have attached a copy of the behavior expectations and ask that you review this with your child at home.

Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we’re here we should dance. –Author Unknown

A Parent’s Guide to MAP What is MAP? MAP (Measures of Academic Progress) is a state computerized assessment program that provides our teachers with information they need to improve teaching and make student-focused, data-driven decisions. Students in kindergarten through tenth grade are tested twice a year. Teachers use the growth and achievement data from MAP to develop targeted instructional strategies. Student MAP Scores Student MAP testing results are reported in RIT scores. A RIT score is an estimation of student’s instructional level and also measures student progress or growth in school. You may have a chart in your home on which you mark you child’s height at certain times, such as his/her birthday. This is a growth chart to show how much he/she has grown from one year to the next. MAP assessments do the same sort of thing, except they measure your child’s growth in mathematics, reading, and language usage. The RIT scale is an equal-interval scale much like feet and inches on a yardstick. This types of score increases the value of the tests as a tool to improve student learning because it enables teachers to pinpoint what students have learned and what students are ready to learn. Understanding the RIT Score It is important to understand that the MAP test is one test at one point in time. It does not measure intelligence or a student’s capacity for learning. When making important decisions about students, school staff will consider the MAP test results along with other data, such as classroom performance, other test scores, and input from parents and teachers. Growth Over Time We expect RIT scores to increase over time. Typically, younger students show more growth in on year than older students. Students who test above grade level often show less growth. One low test score is not cause for immediate concern. Like adults, students have good and bad days and their results do not always indicate their score.

P RINCIPAL P OINTS

Fall 2014 Elementary Newsletter

Wilton Public School, 504 Dakota Avenue, Wilton, ND 58579 www.wilton.k12.nd.us / facebook.com/wilton.miners (701)734-6331

Wilton Elementary Behavior Expectations Responsible Recess

Hallway

* Make safe choices. * Return equipment. * Be a problem solver. * Listen for line-up signal: games stop: line-up quickly, quietly, and safely. * Follow recess rules. * Walk straight to your destination. * Keep it clean. * Stay with your class.

Lunch Room

* Know your lunch number. * Clean up after yourself; on the table and on the floor. * Stay seated until your table is dismissed.

Bathroom

* Inform adults of vandalism. * Throw away trash. * Turn off faucet. * No staying or playing * Wait in a line patiently when loading and unloading the bus. * Keep bus clean. * Be on time. * Keep personal belongings to yourself. * Personal space. * Clap your hands without whistling, yelling, or stomping. * Sit in assigned area.

Bus

Assembly

Respectful

Safe

* Follow adult directions the first time. * Use kind/appropriate language. * Play fair.

* Remain in assigned areas. * Use equipment as it was designed. * Dress for the weather. * Be aware of others activities.

* Walk at all times. * Voices off in the hall. * Keep hands/feet/gear to yourself. * Treat all property and others’ belongings with respect. * Follow the directions of all adults in the school. * Use good manners. * Wait in line for your turn. * Speak quietly and politely while keeping all conversations at the table. * Listen to adults. * Keep food in cafeteria. * Stay in my own space.

* Walk on the right side of the hallway in a single file line * Watch where you are walking. * Keep doors closed.

* Respect property. * Be quick. * Use inside voice. * Respect the privacy of others. * Be courteous to the bus driver and each other. * Talk quietly. * Give others personal space.

* Keep water in the sink. * Wash hands with soap and water before leaving. * Wait your turn. * Keep aisle clear. * Follow bus safety rules. * Pick a place to sit and stay seated. * No horseplay. * Report any incidents to the bus driver. * Walk only on the stairways and aisles on the bleachers. * Enter/exit the gym walking quietly. * Follow adult directions fist time given.

*Keep feet on wood floors and not plastic seats. * Show appreciation for presenter. * Allow others to enjoy the presentation. * Silence when speaker is on stage. * Face forward and give eye contact to the speaker.

* Walk at all times. * Eat your own food. * Use eating utensils for eating only.

L IBRARY /G UIDANCE

Fall 2014 Elementary Newsletter

Wilton Public School, 504 Dakota Avenue, Wilton, ND 58579 www.wilton.k12.nd.us / facebook.com/wilton.miners (701)734-6331

Wow…Another year is upon us By: Sheila Bernhardt The eighth grade and sophomore students have been working hard on their Interest Inventories and Career Cluster survey. The state now requires either seventh and ninth or eighth and tenth grade students to complete two interest inventories during the mentioned years. The legislature of the state hopes that by doing this it will help the students become more aware of what they want to pursue as a career and of course the classes they need to take to achieve their career goals. It is just a preliminary source for the students to use and may be modified. After they take the inventories, the student and I get together for an individual meeting and discuss the results. We also talk about other choices and just how things are going for them. I tried to meet with every student 7-12 last year and it became overwhelming but this year I will address the eighth and tenth grade first followed by the seniors, juniors and then the junior high. The seniors are working towards getting everything taken care of for their completion of their last year in high school. About 33% have applied to at least one college with some already receiving their acceptance letter. Amanda Neumiller won the prize for being the first one to apply and be accepted.

Bottomless Books, a part of the English curriculum has really encouraged students 7-12 to read. The students come in and ask for books to read. If we don’t have it, I try and order it from other libraries or if it is real popular we try and purchase it for the library. Maze Runner and

the Gone series are at the top of many lists right now and it is hard to keep them on the shelf. Students are even beginning to suggest books to one another and this a great thing rather than just hearing it from their teachers. The library/guidance area received another great gift on Thursday October 23. We are the proud owners of a smart board. Since that time I have used it for both library and guidance and it is a very welcome addition to this area. Elementary students PK-6 are busy checking out books and working on the responsibility of getting them back

Financial Aid Night Seniors and Parents Thursday November 20, 2014 Begins at 6:30PM A light lunch will be provided While you are eating, the Bank of North Dakota and Mrs. Bernhardt will be presenting information to expose both parents and students to the process of financing your education. Please join us and RSVP me via email [email protected] at your

earliest convenience.

on time. Below is the Library Schedule: 5th grade—Tuesday 1st grade—Tuesday 6th grade—Wednesday 2nd grade—Wednesday K—Wednesday 3rd grade—Wednesday Pre-K—Thursday 4th grade—Thursday A BIG thank you goes out to Paige Hausauer for being a great helper this year.

Fall 2014 Elementary Newsletter

P RESCHOOL Wilton Public School, 504 Dakota Avenue, Wilton, ND 58579 www.wilton.k12.nd.us / facebook.com/wilton.miners (701)734-6331

Greetings from Mrs. Otto’s Classroom! By: Jennifer Otto

The first couple months of preschool is a time for major adjustment and tons of learning. My students have already come a long way and it’s only October. When the kids first start, many of them don’t know how a school runs. We do a lot of practicing appropriate behavior in the first couple months and the kids are learning the rules and procedures quickly. There are still many reminders but that will get better in time. We have been spending a lot of time working with letters and numbers. We have learned five letters so far and we’ve been doing a lot of counting and identifying numbers. During our day we do a lot of playing but we also have structured group activities. The preschoolers are doing a center rotation called, Daily 5. During Daily 5, the students are working in small groups and are rotating through centers I have set up for them. We have a Read to Self center where the kids sit in bean bags and look at books. We also have a Work on Writing center where the kids work on practicing writing letters and their name. There is an

Ipad center where the kids work on phonics games. We also have a Listening center where the kids are listening to stories on CDs. The last center is a Word Work center where the kids work on learning games such as letter matching, sound matching, letter recognition, and alphabet order. In the afternoon, we also work in small groups during our math time. The kids have baskets that rotate to each table where the kids work on number games. Right now it is mostly number recognition games and counting games. We also do patterns, pattern blocks, unifix cubes, and other fun manipulatives. Just this month we were fortunate enough to go to Papa’s Pumpkin Patch for a field trip! The kids had a blast. When we got to the Pumpkin Patch, we were given a tour on the train. After the train ride, we all got to explore anywhere in the patch as we were the only group there for a little while. The kids were everywhere. It’s a good thing we had several adults along and able to spread out! We played for a while then we all sat under a shelter and enjoyed our lunches! After lunch, we played a little longer and then we left and went to a park in Bismarck and played some more! The kids had so much fun! The next few months are going to be very busy but a lot of fun! We are excited for the holidays as we are planning a couple parties!! I can’t wait to see how the preschoolers grow and learn in the next few months!

Fall 2014 Elementary Newsletter

K INDERGARTEN Wilton Public School, 504 Dakota Avenue, Wilton, ND 58579 www.wilton.k12.nd.us / facebook.com/wilton.miners (701)734-6331

Greetings from the Kindergarten room! By: Michaela Greff I can’t believe we have finished the first quarter of school! It has flown by! The Kindergartners have been very busy, as you might guess. We are counting every day that we are in school and making a train of numbers around our room. They are very excited to make it to 100 days so that we can th have a 100 Day Celebration! Another thing that they are really looking forward to is Halloween. We took a fabulous field trip to Papa’s Pumpkin Patch, which they absolutely loved. There was beautiful weather and lots of smiling faces! We have been reading many Halloween stories, learning about pumpkins, and making a spooky Halloween castle! In math, we are learning about 3-D shapes, so we collected shapes from home. We laid out all of our cylinders, cones, rectangular prisms and cubes. Then each child took turns choosing a shape, naming the shape, and forming it into a castle that we painted black. They are very proud of it! One of my favorite things to teach so far has been writing. It is truly amazing to see the transformations in such a short time. Their faces are full of excitement when they realize what they are capable of…that they can use their knowledge of letters and the sounds they make to spell their own words!

We have also been working on other components of the Daily 5. We have reached our reading stamina goal of twenty minutes and are now working on partner reading. Since we are working on becoming better readers, we also started the Book-It program on October 1st.

The

students are very excited to finish their first month’s reading log to receive their first Pizza Hut pizza! It is a fantastic way to foster their love of reading. They are very enthusiastic about books and will tell anyone around what an author and an illustrator do!

We just

finished an author study about Mercer Mayer. So, if you happen to see one of the Kindergarteners, ask them who wrote about Little Critter. They will be happy to share their knowledge with you! This year is full of many firsts; both for my students and for me. together!

So far, we are enjoying taking the journey

Fall 2014 Elementary Newsletter

F IRST G RADE Wilton Public School, 504 Dakota Avenue, Wilton, ND 58579 www.wilton.k12.nd.us / facebook.com/wilton.miners (701)734-6331

First Grade is SWEET! By: Miss Busch We have been very busy in the first nine weeks of the school year. We were very excited when Mrs. Studsrud came to visit us! We missed her a lot. Science We have finished our units on plants and animals to get us ready for BEAR WEEK! Bear Week is something I was involved in when I was in first grade, so I thought Wilton definitely needs to be involved in it as well. During the week we research seven, YES SEVEN, different bears. We explore where they live, what they eat, and many other fun facts. Each student brings a teddy bear to sit at his/her desk and participate in the activities. This year something new is coming and that is that we are going to transform our classroom into a FOREST! Each student was assigned to make a life-size animal. The animals range from a bear cub to a caterpillar. I have been anxious all month for these animals to come make an appearance into our classroom. Field Trip Our class has gone on their first field trip for the year. We loaded up the bus and headed off to the Vesey Farm! We had an afternoon packed with many activities such as, panning for gold, face painting, pumpkin painting, horse riding/ grooming, cowboy cupcake decorating, and a sweet obstacle course.

Thank you again Vesey’s and all the parents that helped out with this field trip by coming along or purchasing supplies. It was such a great success and the students still talk about it in class. Pumpkins! Pumpkins! Pumpkins! During the short week of school, we explored all there is to know about pumpkins. We learned the internal and external parts and the life cycle. We started writing a personal narrative story about a time that we carved a pumpkin. On that Wednesday we recruited parents and staff to come carve pumpkins with us. It was a blast! School Expectations Each classroom was assigned an area of the school to make a video of the expectations that were set by the elementary staff. We were the lucky class to get the bathroom. Anna, Bodie, Ben, Chayse, Brayden, Tyler and Kiara played a starring role in the video. They each did such a great job practicing their lines and really playing their part in the video. What’s coming up? Our next big unit will be Christmas Around the World. One of our Social Studies standards is learning about different cultures. The students will get a passport that will get filled in as we journey to the different countries to learn about how they celebrate Christmas, compared to how we celebrate Christmas. I am excited to go travel the world with these students. Thank you! I just want to extend a thank you to all the parents who have helped out in so many ways in our classroom. It is so encouraging to have your support as we go through the year.

Fall 2014 Elementary Newsletter

2 ND G RADE Wilton Public School, 504 Dakota Avenue, Wilton, ND 58579 www.wilton.k12.nd.us / facebook.com/wilton.miners (701)734-6331

Hello from Mrs. Irgens’ AWESOME class! By: Mrs. Irgens

I’m so IMPRESSED with my students’ behavior and hard work in the classroom! They have been working so hard to be RESPONSIBLE, RESPECTFUL, and SAFE in school and it sure shows! Our school year has been SO BUSY, but tons of fun! In reading, we are working hard to become fluent readers, reading with expression, and increasing our comprehension of the story. Along with reading, writing is daily in our classroom. The students are working on remembering the correct steps in writing a sentence which include capital letters, end marks, and making sense. They are showing great improvement which has led them into writing

stories

that

show

order

of

events,

giving

information, and opinions. It sure is fun to see the different styles of writing and papers each child completes. Math is a little tough this year due to moving to the common core standards. Some weeks, math is a piece of cake and other weeks it’s challenging for them. We’ve

Social studies has been very busy with projects! We read about Flat Stanley, which led us into mailing our own “Flat Me’s.” Students then took their state which I had to give some students other states as we had some “Flat Me’s” sent to the same state. Then we completed a research project on facts about the state. We just finished up our inventors unit. They learned about

been pushing along quite well and try to complete our

Alexander Graham Bell, Thomas Edison, and The Wright

lessons with hands-on activities, projects, and games. For

Brothers. Not only did they create their own toy and ice

math facts, students practice daily in class by completing

cream, but we made paper airplanes to represent the

xtramath.org, partner flash cards, and worksheets with dry

first airplane called “The Flyer.” After our creation, we

erase markers.

tested them out with an airplane throwing contest! Science! Mrs. Irgens’ favorite subject of all time. We are in the Life Science unit and finished our plants unit by growing plants (which is still showing dirt) and now we are close to finishing up our unit on animals. Students worked on an animal group unit and learned about mammals, reptiles, insects, and birds. They each received their own book on an animal for each of the groups. They had to research, find, and write characteristics about their animals. We all (including myself) learned many interesting facts about some animals that we didn’t know of before. Our next unit is on habitats and the students will be creating a certain animal’s home. I can’t wait to see how they turn out.

Students’ cats for Halloween art!

Thank you for all your help by volunteering to send in items to help your child’s learning and to complete more hands-on projects.

Fall 2014 Elementary Newsletter

3 RD G RADE Wilton Public School, 504 Dakota Avenue, Wilton, ND 58579 www.wilton.k12.nd.us / facebook.com/wilton.miners (701)734-6331

Greetings from Miss Lawson’s Classroom! By: Miss Lawson

We have definitely been busy here in third grade. The third graders lost one student at the end of last year, but have gained two new students. Skyler and Reece have been excellent additions to our class. We are continuously working towards improving our fluency and comprehension skills in reading. In math, we started using XtraMath.org to practice our math facts. Math is definitely my students’ strength, but extra practice on facts is always encouraged. Last week in science, my students built wild versions of themselves using the website, BuildYourWildSelf.com. We were learning about animals and their body parts. Their requirements were to choose animal parts that would be beneficial. For example, a bird’s beak is built for picking up seeds and scooping up water. After creating their wild selves, they gave presentations where they explained why they chose those certain

body parts and how they are beneficial. They were graded on preparedness, content, listening to presenters, creativity, and staying on topic. We had some great presentations (and laughs). I highly encourage you to ask your child about the Wild Self presentations. As some of you may know, cursive is introduced in third grade. Most of my students seem to enjoy writing in cursive. I have heard that some students are even practicing at home. I have really enjoyed teaching cursive because it is evident that my students are trying their very best and I’m very impressed with their efforts. In the beginning of October, we made our first trip to Redwood Village to read to the residents. My students have been doing a wonderful job reading and visiting. Some students are naturals at speaking with the elderly. I saw some very responsible and respectful students that day. We are excited for our next visit in November, as we continue our monthly visits.

Homecoming was pretty rough on the Third Graders!

I am looking forward to the next couple months and seeing the growth in each one of your children. Thank you for all that you do at home to help enhance your child’s learning experience at Wilton Public School.

F AMOUS F OURTH G RADE

Fall 2014 Elementary Newsletter

Wilton Public School, 504 Dakota Avenue, Wilton, ND 58579 www.wilton.k12.nd.us / facebook.com/wilton.miners (701)734-6331

Greetings from Ms. Kilian’s Classroom! Happy Fall, We have been busy already this year. Everyone is catching onto the expectations of the classroom. Writing is a goa l for the year. By: Fourth Grade Students Trucker Buddy We have a trucker buddy named Billy but you can call him Mr. Kilian. He sends us emails. We put up tacks on the United States map and we know where he goes. He delivers supplies to stores in his Kenworth semi-truck. Bill is Miss Kilian’s brother. He has been to California, Arizona, Texas, Iowa, New York, Washington, Pennsylvania, and Nebraska. We never have seen Billy before. We like our trucker buddy Billy. Math is the Best Math is awesome in many ways. Zero property of Multiplication. Ryan and Kendal have the game Math Ninja on their ipads. WE have big math books it is 2 inches thick. Kendal and Ryan love math. After math we have snack.

Pilot, Mr. Conoly We got post cards from Mr. Conly. His is a pilot for Delta airlines. He sends us post cards where ever he goes. He is our classmate Patrick’s dad. He came to visit our class on Friday the 24th. He flies an airplane called McDonnell Douglass MD-88. He has been to Texas, Georgia, Florida, Illinois, Michigan, and Virginia. We like getting postcards from Mr. Conly. We hope we get more postcards. Bottle Rocket Activity

The Fourth Grade class made Bottle Rockets. First, we put together the rocket. Then, we decorated it. We got to decorate them however we wanted. We got to put cool paper on it, so it would look like it was flying through space. The next thing we did was go outside and put plastic stuff to shoot it off. Then we connected the plastic together and put a bottle on the plastic and we stomped on it and there went the rocket. Then the instructor told us to make sure it went into the hula-hoop. Then the instructor told us to take off some of the parts to make the rocket fly different. None of us got our rockets into the hula-hoop. Although we had lots of fun making the rockets and shooting them, we got to wear cool protective glasses. That’s how we got to make and shoot rockets.

Fall 2014 Elementary Newsletter

5 TH G RADE Wilton Public School, 504 Dakota Avenue, Wilton, ND 58579 www.wilton.k12.nd.us / facebook.com/wilton.miners (701)734-6331

Greetings from Mrs. Rath’s Classroom! By: Ivy Rath Rainforest This year in the 5th grade, we have decided to transform our classroom into a Rainforest. For this project, the students researched and wrote a paper about an animal. Along with the paper, each student had to create their animal and add it to the Rainforest in the classroom. Throughout the week of Oct. 27 Oct. 31, we will be participating in different activities that go along with the Rainforest. We will be studying the different layers, animals, plants, food, and many

4-H Science Day

more exciting activities!

On October 10, we were lucky enough to have Michelle Effertz come into our classroom to present for the4-H

School Expectations

National Youth Science Day. This year’s theme was

This year, the entire K-12 have been implementing a

“Rockets to the Rescue”. The students were given the

new set of school wide expectations. In the

scenario where a natural disaster had struck an island

elementary, each class is creating a video that will

and the only way for the island to get food is from a

cover a specific expectation. The

5th

grade will be

rocket – designed by them! They were given only a small

working with the Preschool to create 2 videos: 1 will

amount of materials (a tube, duct tape, raisins, and a

be on our expectations in the lunch room and the

couple other items) and were asked to construct an

other video with be on the expectations in the

aerodynamic rocket that would be able to be land on the

hallway.

island. The best part of the project was when the students launched the rockets outside. We had such a great time and can’t wait for Michelle to come again next year! Upcoming Activities In the coming weeks for Social Studies, we will be focusing on the American Revolution. Each student will be able to choose an influential person from this time period and research them. We will then turn our classroom into a wax museum and give a tour through American Revolution! More information will be sent out when we get closer. I am super excited, and I know that the students will be too!

I would also like to send a THANK YOU out to our parents. It is so encouraging to have your support throughout the year!

Fall 2014 Elementary Newsletter

6 TH G RADE Wilton Public School, 504 Dakota Avenue, Wilton, ND 58579 www.wilton.k12.nd.us / facebook.com/wilton.miners (701)734-6331

Greetings from Mrs. Steinert’s Classroom By: Carissa Steinert Greetings from the sixth grade! Wow has the school year flown by so far! As a first year teacher it has been a learning process for both myself and the students.

This group of 21

students absolutely amazes me! Their love of reading and willingness to lend a helping hand to their classmates and myselft is outstanding. So far this year the students have done a couple of experiments in science. The first being how covering up part of a plants leaf will affect that part of the leaf; the second one involving yeast and how it is affected by the temperature of the water in which it is placed. The students have loved doing these experiments. I can’t wait for our next experiment in which we look at the genetics of plants and animals. Some other things that we have worked on are our projects for Ancient Egypt (which were spectacular!) and we did time line work, where

each student created a timeline of their life in correlation to events that have happened around the World. When students were asked what some of their favorites things have been so far this year, some of the responses were, “Learning new things in History and working on the Egypt projects.” One student said, “I understood the Social Studies project on Ancient Egypt because I enjoyed researching and had a lot of fun making the model.” Other students mentioned how they really liked that we have done science experiments or learning about elapsed time in Mathematics. As we continue on in the school year, we are looking forward to what the next 9 weeks will bring and add to our experience in the 6th grade. I know that there are many “adventures” to come our way as we learn more about fractions, space, the Ancient and Modern world, grammar, life science and much, much more!

R EADING /M ATH S PECIALIST

Fall 2014 Elementary Newsletter

Wilton Public School, 504 Dakota Avenue, Wilton, ND 58579 www.wilton.k12.nd.us / facebook.com/wilton.miners (701)734-6331

Lauryl Morlock

Homework Help Read frequently at home for at least fifteen to twenty minutes daily and visit the library as often as you can. Let your child read what interests them such as comics, magazines, graphic novels, famous people, sports, books by their favorite author or what they are learning. Stay involved with your child’s teacher and the school to see how to best help your child with his/her education. Have a quiet place in your home that is stocked with school supplies so your child has a place to do his or her homework. It helps to also sit with your child while he/she is doing the homework. Then they can see that you also have things to do for your job or for the family such as paying bills. You may need to help your child with the homework by asking questions, giving examples, or assisting with concepts. It is important to help your child, but not do the work for him/her.

Other Ideas A backpack should not weigh more than ten to twenty percent of your child’s weight. Both straps should be used when your child is carrying things in his/her backpack. At the beginning of the school year, it is important to get into a bedtime routine. It is suggested to start this routine at least a week before school starts. To save time and stress during the school week, plan and shop for healthy breakfasts, lunches and dinners a week in advance. Also prepare your child’s clothes a week in advance. Practice social situations with your child such as how to make friends, school safety rules (such as whom to talk or not talk to and bus safety rules.

Fall 2014 Elementary Newsletter

S PEECH /L ANGUAGE

M

Wilton Public School, 504 Dakota Avenue, Wilton, ND 58579 www.wilton.k12.nd.us / facebook.com/wilton.miners (701)734-6331

Mrs. Kimberly Bultema, M.S., CCC-SLP I can’t believe it! I have been a school based speech language pathologist for almost 20 years. I am always looking for new therapy ideas. This past year, I have started bringing in the Sunday comics for my students to read. We don’t read all of the comic strips in the Sunday edition as some are not always appropriate for the school setting. Reading the comics have been a great change of pace and my students really seem to enjoy them, while working on their language skills. It gives me an opportunity to include higher level language skills in a practical and everyday way. Hopefully, it will encourage and instill a desire for my students to look at the newspaper and continue to read the comics. The comics also give me a chance to explain and discuss a variety of figures of speech, social cues, common slang, vocabulary, and social expectations. …….I’ll see you in the funny pages;)

Kimberly Bultema 734-6331ext. 135 [email protected]

If you have any concerns about your child’s speech or language skills, please give me a call or send me an email. Please remember to check out my web page (under the high school tab) for information on childhood development and for free hearing and speech screening information.

T HE C OACH ’ S C ORNER !

Fall 2014 Elementary Newsletter

By: Coach Yetterboe Wilton Public School, 504 Dakota Avenue, Wilton, ND 58579 www.wilton.k12.nd.us / facebook.com/wilton.miners (701)734-6331

As the summer comes to an end and the school year begins, the smell of fall fills the air and our nervous system is bombarded with the theme music from Monday Night Football. The upcoming high school sports season brings another opportunity for an athlete to be the next Vincent Edward Jackson. He was perhaps the best modern-day threesport athlete, and perhaps the best all-round athlete to date. This begs the question: What are the benefits of multi-sport participation, and why don’t more athletes strive for that? The idea of the three-sport athlete was born out of the “big three.” In high school, this referred to football, basketball and baseball. This formula can take on different combinations in today’s athletically diverse world. As the business world has become highly specialized, so has the world of athletics. Athletes now train 12 months out of the year for one sport. Teams have players for highly specific situations of a game. In baseball, there are pitchers kept on a roster to pitch to one batter. Football teams keep “third-down backs” on the roster. So, is specializing good? It can be. Is it bad? It can be that, too. Unfortunately, we must answer the original question with another question. Why are kids specializing at a young age? The answer is parents, coaches and society. Parents see investment for the future scholarship, competitive edge, living out their dream, a future paying job playing sports, and winning a championship. When coaches see an athlete, they see an opportunity to improve their team and perhaps win a state title. According to sociologist Dr. Harry Edwards, the influence of society on kids comes primarily from money. The underlying theme of sports, music, television, movies, etc. is money and the pressure to co-exist in an adult world exhibiting adult traits. Some coaches and parents have the ability to see the big picture for the student-athlete, and some don’t. There are coaches and parents that encourage the student-athlete to participate in multiple sports and/or non-sport activities. Coaches that encourage multi-sport activity also have the ability to communicate with the other coaches, advisers and parents in support of the student-athlete's human development. Coaches and parents can be territorial when they know they have a gifted student-athlete. Characteristics of territorialism displayed by a coach in reference to a particular athlete are a red flag that should be recognized and remedied. The benefits of multi-sport participation are physical, psychological and social. These benefits last a lifetime. Sports like baseball, softball, lacrosse and hockey are not only physical sports but they are specifically sports that emphasis chess-like thinking and rapid hand-eye coordination. Football and ice hockey are collision sports

with higher physical risk, but encompass personal sacrifice and team concepts. Track and field can be wide-ranging in physical development for strength, speed, endurance, sacrifice and dedication. These are a few examples of the attributes of various sports. Let's use a high school boy as an example. He competes in soccer, basketball and lacrosse. This combination has blended multiple team sports with a high degree of hand-eye coordination and physical conditioning for his entire body. Had he specialized, he would not have had the benefits and experiences from different situations. Multi-sport athletes display improved health and wellness, including decreased injury rates, improved athletic performance (they master alternative activities faster than single-sport athletes), improved leadership skills and teamwork, better attendance in school and better academic performance. Most young athletes begin to specialize when it is too early to tell. Generally speaking, each athlete should be looked at individually. Certain sports have times when decisions may need to be made to provide the best opportunity for the athlete to succeed. As an example, overly aggressive club coaches promising Olympic dreams at a very young age unfortunately often fuel sports like gymnastics. Specializing too early often results in burnout. Athletes give up before their time because they get exposed to too much too soon. Lack of interest in a sport is a hint to parents that the interest maybe elsewhere. Parents should always remember to encourage participation, but never force participation. Ask your son or daughter what their goals are. You may find out that they are different than originally thought. The research shows that there are several benefits to multisport participation. Unfortunately, society has all but eliminated the three-sport athlete from our vocabulary. This has been done for the sake of either winning a championship at 10 years old or beating the Chinese on a standardized test at 14 years old. Somewhere out there is the next Vincent Edward Jackson. There is also a coach, teacher and parent willing to forgo society and encourage them to become a multi-sport/multi-activity student-athlete. By, the way Mr. Jackson’s common name? Bo. If you don’t know Bo, Google him. This Article is by Dr. Dale Buchberger Dr. Dale Buchberger is a licensed chiropractor, physical therapist, certified strength and conditioning specialist and a diplomate, American Chiropractic Board of Sports Physicians, with 25 years of clinical sports injury experience.

Fall 2014 Elementary Newsletter

T HE W RAP U P Wilton Public School, 504 Dakota Avenue, Wilton, ND 58579 www.wilton.k12.nd.us / facebook.com/wilton.miners (701)734-6331

December is Hat Month! With the holiday season upon us, the Wilton High School Student Council will be sponsoring “Hat Month” in December. Students will be allowed to wear appropriate head gear throughout the month for a $15 fee. The money raised by this event will be donated to the Wilton Food Pantry. We will also be accepting food donations in lieu of payment with each food item substituting for $1 of the fee.

Can you hear me now? On Wednesday, November 19, Wilton Public School sent out our first message via the Alert Solutions Messaging System. This was a test message designed to not only ensure the system was working properly, but also to make sure we have good contact information for everyone. This message was sent via phone, text, email, and voicemail. If you did not receive this alert, please contact the school at 701-7346331 to update your contact information. If you do not wish to receive text messages, please contact the school and we will opt you out of that service.

Winter break is coming! School will be dismissing for the holidays on Friday, December 19. Classes will resume on Monday, January 5, 2015. On Friday, December 19, the high school will be hosting a co-ed volleyball tournament in the afternoon. The students will assemble teams, as will the staff. The public is invited to come cheer your favorite students and teams. Dress to impress… The Wilton Student Council in conjunction with BSN Sports has established an online store in which we will offer Miner gear for sale during the year. The store will be open during selected windows and we will communicate the windows through social media as well as sending order forms home with the students. These items are available to anyone interested in purchasing them. Proceeds go to the Student Council and will be utilized for funding school events.