October Scoop 2011

October 2011 SPARTAN SCOOP

A Note from the Principal.... by Lisa Miller THANK YOU to everyone who attended our Elementary Night, Wild About School, on September 13th. We had a wonderful turnout. This is the night set aside for students to “show and tell” their guests about what they’re learning and to take them through the building and introduce family and friends to their teachers. This is an evening for students to shine, and most of them love doing it! You may have wondered why we have an Open House before school starts, and another one in September. The August date is meant to be a quick stop for parents and children to see where the classroom is, find their desk, drop off school supplies, and meet the teacher. Next year, we may call that evening “Backpack Night” or something similar, as it really has a different purpose than the September event. Parent-teacher Conferences are coming up on October 24 and 27, Monday and Thursday evenings. Watch for a letter that will come home with your scheduled conference time. This is a great opportunity to hear about your child’s progress so far this year. Bring along any questions you may have for your child’s teacher, and the specials teachers (art, music, PE) will also be available if you would like to talk with them. Keep in mind that the school calendar is available on the school website at http://www.spartanpride.net And a reminder that the Elementary Scoop (our building newsletter) is posted on the website each month: go to the Elementary tab, then the newsletter tab. Around the first of the month, we send home a copy of the front page of the newsletter which includes important dates for the month, and the breakfast and lunch menus are printed on the back. But the rest of the newsletter is online. There are stories there about each grade level and about special events going on at school, so we encourage you to check it out! Please contact me with any compliments or concerns you may have.......we encourage your input so that we can serve you better! DATES TO REMEMBER……. October 3 2 Hour Late Start October 5 Picture Retakes October 7 International Walk to School Day & Start Somewhere Walk! October 14 NO SCHOOL – Professional Development October 16-22 Character Counts Week! October 17 2 Hour Late Start October 24 2:00 pm Early Dismissal 3:00-8:00 pm – Parent-Teacher Conferences October 27 2:00 pm Early Dismissal 3:00-8:00 pm – Parent-Teacher Conferences October 24-27 Elementary Book Fair (IMC) October 28 NO SCHOOL – Parent-Teacher Comp Day October 31 2 Hour Late Start 2:30 pm Halloween Parade (Elem. Gym) 2:30 pm 5th Grade Pumpkin Carvings (Multi-Purpose Room)

GRUNDY CENTER ELEMENTARY

903 9th Street Grundy Center, IA 50638

319-825-5461

LISA MILLER,

PRINCIPAL [email protected]

MARY HINDERHOFER, COUNSELOR

[email protected]

TIM BURBRIDGE, AT-RISK COORDINATOR [email protected]

DORINDA NEDERHOFF, ADMINISTRATIVE

ASSISTANT [email protected]

FROM THE SUPERINTENDENT’S DESK……… October is a great and busy month for schools in Iowa! The first Monday is our official count day which just means we record the students living in our school district on this day and that number drives the formula that is used to figure our funding for the 2012-2013 school year. At this point, we look to have an increase of about 25 students! This is exciting for Grundy Center as it shows our community is a wonderful place to live and raise children. On Friday, October 7, we will be hosting the “Walk to Somewhere” Healthiest State Initiative at our beautiful track! We encourage EVERYONE in Grundy Center to get out and walk at least a kilometer on this day. Our students and staff will all be participating! If you would like to walk with the kids, please come to the track at noon. We hope the weather cooperates and a large crowd participates! If you have not signed up to support the “Blue Zones Project”, please go to www.bluezonesproject.com and do so as soon as possible. We hope to be one of 10 communities in the state of Iowa to be chosen. The percentage of the population that signs up to support this initiative is the selection criteria! If selected, we will have additional resources available for new community projects that focus on healthy living. Another exciting initiative is an exchange program with our Sister City in Krummhorn, Germany. We are creating opportunities for students to live with host families during our spring break and attend school in Germany. Their students will come to Grundy Center during their fall break in October (beginning in 2012.) Look for more details in the next few months! If you are interested in this opportunity, please let me know! Last but most importantly, we will host Parent/Student/Teacher Conferences at the end of October. The success of each student depends on the strong relationships between the families and the school. We appreciate the opportunity to visit in person during these dedicated conference evenings. Thanks for taking time to attend! Yours in education~Mrs. Murra

SPARTAN SCOOP PAGE 2

New Spartan Senators at the Elementary!

New Spartan Senators have been elected from the fourth and fifth grade classes. These students will work with Mrs. Miller during the first half of the year. Senators provide valuable service to their school by helping to run the school store, maintaining the computer lab, and doing Friday announcements. Senators will also plan and carry out a service project that will benefit people beyond the walls of the school. The 2011-2012 Spartan Senators include (pictured, front row from left to right): Fourth graders Ethan Murra, Lauren Wegmann, Jack Kelley, and Francesca Brown. (pictured, back row left to right): Fifth Graders Olivia Nordman, Tyler Ehrhardt, Matthew Sternhagen, and Sydney Mathews.


Social Studies in the Kindergarten!! By Mrs. Hendershot In kindergarten this year, we are continuing our approach to teaching Social Studies, Science, and Health. Each of the three kindergarten teachers is teaching one area to all of the kindergarten students. The children move to a different classroom to receive their science, health, and social studies instruction. We are really enjoying this, and the kids are learning a lot of wonderful new information. In Social Studies this year, we have a newer curriculum that we are using. Our first unit is learning about our families. We have spent a lot of the time discussing the things we do together, and how they are important to us. We are moving forward and will be learning about school and the things that we do at school. After that unit, we will move to discussing where we live. The children also have met a new helper to our social studies curriculum. Ty the Turtle is a friend that helps us learn more about our families. He helps us to not be afraid to talk in class, and tells about the things the kindergartners are to do and know. So ask your child about what they are doing in Social Studies... and even about Ty the Turtle!

Thinking about your thinking “Learning without thought is labor lost”

-Confucius, philosopher When walking into a 1st grade room during reading time, don’t be surprised to hear students talking about their “real reading”. What is real reading? Text + Thinking = Real Reading. The first grade classes have done many activities to learn more about how good readers think about what they read and to ask questions as they read. Some of the activities included: The Reading Salad, Graphic Organizer, and The Thought Bubble. Here are what some First Graders have to say about what they have learned: “ Real Reading is when you pick up a book and read the words and think what it means!” Kennedy

“Metacognition is real reading and real reading is when you read the words and you need to think about what

it is saying and does it make sense! Brennen & Abbie

“Real Reading is not fake reading!” Nicholas

“Real Reading is making connections with the book.” Stuart


Exploring Hartman Reserve By Second Grade On Friday, September 23rd, the second grade took an exciting field trip to Hartman Reserve. On this trip the classes were allowed to participate in three different activities. The first activity was called "Build a Tree". Through this experience students learned about the different parts of a tree and were given a chance to model one of the tree parts and act out its function. We learned there are many parts that work together to allow a tree to stay alive and be healthy. The second activity was a nature hike. This teacher-led hike though the woods was a great chance to see and talk about nature. Many students observed down trees, interesting plants, many different small animals and a few lucky ones got to see a couple larger animals. During this walk there was discussion about how weather impacts nature. The last activity, and the overwhelming favorite, was making apple cider. In this group we learned about how plants make food and the pollination process. At the end, each student was allowed to drop apples into a grinder and crush them up to begin the cider making process. We all observed the apples being compressed and strained before we got to sample a fresh squeezed glass! The trip was very enjoyable and all the students came away with a better understanding of plants and nature.

ELEMENTARY FUNDRAISER A HUGE SUCCESS – A BIG THANK YOU…. Once again the elementary fundraiser was a huge success! The students raised over $15,000.00 because of your support and generosity. Thank you! Also a big thank you to the following ladies for all their help in sorting orders and counting money. This is a huge task and these ladies did a great job: Phyllis Oglesby, Lois Hartman, Amber Middleton, Sue Catron, Tammy Warnell, and Laura Hommel.


AG IN THE CLASSROOM By Third Grade Erin Murty of Grundy County Farm Bureau will be coming to the third grade classes to teach students about agriculture this year. Her first lesson took place Wednesday, Sept. 21. She will be coming once per month to our classrooms to teach an agriculture-related lesson. Her first lesson was about dairy production. She shared a DVD titled “From Farm to You, The Story of Milk.” The students then did an activity sheet tracking the process of how dairy foods get to consumers. Students then got to wear a real milk mustache!

NEWS FROM THE ART ROOM By Mrs. Leverton Kindergarten is working on a fall leaf project. Students have been talking about fall and what they notice happening outside around them. They will be drawing and cutting out 2 leaves and using colored tissue paper to add color to their leaf shapes. 1st grade has just finished working on a fall project. Students have created their own paper fall tree by ripping and tearing pieces of paper into small pieces to show the different colors of leaves during this time of year. Key terms for this lesson include texture and warm colors. 2nd graders are starting to work on a watercolor and crayon piece that involves the idea of leaves. Key terms for this lesson include symmetry and overlapping. Students will be drawing several leaf shapes, tracing them with crayons, and then painting over the leaf drawings using watercolors. 3rd graders are learning about the famous artist Pablo Picasso. Students will be creating an oil pastel piece similar in style to this artist relating it to fall. Several key terms for this lesson include abstract, warm colors, and cubism. 4th graders are just finishing up their scratch art project. Students first learned about the artist Vincent Van Gogh and talked about one of his famous pieces “The Starry Night” and how lines were incorporated into this piece. Students then created their own scratchboard and scratched a scene onto the surface keeping in mind the idea of lines. 5th graders have just started a mosaic piece. Students first started by drawing a variety of leaf shapes onto a piece of white tag board. Students then outlined their leaf drawings using markers and are now working on adding small colored pieces of paper to create a mosaic.

It’s never too early… The Iowa College Access Network has recently created a video for parents of elementary students. The 5-minute video reviews important information for the early stages of college planning. It walks parents through the steps they can be taking while their students are in elementary school to prepare them for career and college decisions down the road. To access the video go to: www.icansucceed.org. Click on ‘school counselors’, ‘resource zone’ and then ‘resources for counseling parents’. And you can definitely email, call or stop by my office if you have questions. -Mrs. Hinderhofer [email protected]


New Best Friends By the Fourth Graders

The fourth graders made some new friends last week. They made their first visit to the Grundy Care Center. Each month they will be traveling to the care center to share stories, have a snack, and make memories with their partners. Below you will see how some of the students felt about being with their partner. Maleah Browns – I think going to the nursing home is important because it is a really nice thing to do for people. We could remind them of their grandchildren that come to visit. I also liked reading to him and I think he liked it too because he smiled as we read to him. I also liked his drawing and I bet he liked it because he doesn’t get that much company. That’s why I think it is important to go to the nursing home. Matthew Catron – I think going to the nursing home is important because they might not get many visitors. I like going to the nursing home because we like to have fun with our partners. We take turns reading to our partners. Claire Verly – Why I think going to the nursing home is important is because they need visitors sometimes to make them happy. I love my partner because she is really funny. She is very good at coloring. She does not talk a lot when she is coloring. It is funny when she does that! I love going to the nursing home. It was awesome! Lauren Wegmann – I think going to the nursing home is important because I think they enjoy it very much. Also I think they like the company. Going to the nursing home is very fun for them and us. I enjoy going to the nursing home and having so much fun with my partners. My partner is a very good colorer and is very nice and kind. She loves to read stories and she likes apple juice and cookies. That’s why I think going to the nursing home is important. Jack Kelley – Why I think going to the nursing home is important is because I think they really enjoy it as much as we do. I hope that other grades when they get to the fourth grade get to go too. It feels so good to see them happy when we get there. Another reason I liked going there is they are so so so sweet. It’s a really nice thing to do, and my partner Lillian is funny. When she gets excited she does a silly little dance and goes “Wo Wo!” These are some of the reasons I like going to the nursing home.


Ronald McDonald Comes to Visit

The elementary students attended a Ronald McDonald assembly about bullying on Thursday, September 15. As usual, Mr. McDonald’s presentation was informative and entertaining; full of music and magic! He provided the students with useful ideas of how to deal with students who say “mean things” and even took ideas from the students. A few strategies he shared were: -Walking away.-Give them a compliment to disarm a bully. -Tell an adult about a student who is bullying. The students had fun learning how to deal with real life situations and meet Ronald McDonald!

Elementary Pep Rally On Wednesday, September 28, the elementary students had some special visitors. The Grundy Center H.S. senior athletes and the Grundy football cheerleaders came to the elementary school for a homecoming pep rally. The students cheered loudly for the football team and will be cheering loudly on Friday night as the Spartans take on the Warriors for Homecoming 2011. The elementary students will get to participate in homecoming activities again on Friday when the homecoming parade passes by the school. Good Luck Spartans!

Character Counts! Week By Mary Rickert

Join the biggest celebration of character in the world the week of October 16th though the 22nd.

Every year, the U.S. President, U.S. Senate, and officials around the world proclaim the third week in October CHARACTER COUNTS! Week. Last year 8 million kids in 54 countries participated. No matter what your political or religious affiliation, this event is about the universal values we share. They’re known as the Six Pillars of Character.

Trustworthiness. Be honest. Be loyal – stand by your family, friends, and country. Don’t deceive, cheat or steal. Be reliable – do what you say you’ll do. Have the courage to do the right thing. Build a good reputation.

Respect. Treat others with respect; follow the Golden Rule. Be tolerant of differences. Use good

manners, not bad language. Be considerate of the feelings of others. Don’t threaten, hit or hurt anyone. Deal peacefully with anger, insults and disagreements.

Responsibility. Do what you are supposed to do. Persevere: keep on trying! Always do your best.

Exercise self-control. Be self-disciplined. Think before you act – consider the consequences. Be accountable for your choices.

Fairness. Play by the rules. Take turns and share. Don’t blame others carelessly. Listen to others.

Don’t take advantage of others. Caring. Be kind. Be compassionate. Show you care. Express gratitude. Forgive others. Help

people in need. Citizenship. Do your share to make your school and community better. Cooperate. Stay informed;

vote. Get involved in community affairs. Be a good neighbor. Obey laws and rules. Respect authority. Protect the environment. We encourage you to follow the TEAM strategy at home. It is the same one we will employ at school. Teach children that their character counts. Enforce the Six Pillars of Character. Advocate character. Model good behavior. For tips on reinforcing the Six Pillars at home, visit the CHARACTER COUNTS! website: http://charactercounts.org/resources



Where Can a Kid Safely Use the Internet to Get Smarter While Having Fun? By Fifth Grade This question was posed to our fifth graders and some of the best responses were these. Greg Brost, Sarah Lindeman, Erika Johnson, Tanner Phillips, and Cora Saak suggested…. history.com and to then to go to the fun under the new program How the States Got Their Shape. These five thought… You can play fun learning games. As you place the states geographically, you learn facts about them. There are timeline puzzles, history trivia, and you can even learn to identify each state’s different license plate. Payton McMartin, Alyssa Blackburn, and Joseph Johnson suggested…. freerice.com These three shared… on this site you can practice math, vocabulary, science, even art and foreign languages. Plus, as you learn, you help feed people around the world. Josie Holke-Farnam and Thomas Sager suggested…. ixl.com It’s fun to have all sorts of choices of math skills to master. As you get sharper, the level of difficulty increases. It’s for all grades, whether you’re already good at math or just learning! IMC NEWS……. By Deb Hoop The IMC is off to a great start this fall! During the summer we received 4 boxes of books that were ordered through the Read Across America funds last spring. In the 4 boxes, we received 231 new books for the IMC. Student representatives from each 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade as well as Mr. Williams, Ms. Doubet, and myself spent an afternoon after school looking at book catalogs for ideas for new books to order. These books have now been processed and displayed for students to check out. Thank you for your support and help in making this possible. Since I am here full time this year, I read to the 3 sections of kindergarten and 1st grade in the afternoons (Monday and Wednesday is kindergarten, Tuesday and Thursday is 1st grade, and alternate grade levels on Friday). To be able to do this and keep the IMC open, I have a different volunteer each day that comes in to check books in and out as well as shelve books when there is time. They also help with anything else that needs to be done during that time. It has been great to have such wonderful help from these volunteers. It’s soon going to be time for the Annual Book Fair in the IMC. The dates for the Book Fair this year are October 24-27, during Parent-Teacher Conferences. Times will be 8-8 on Monday and Thursday during conferences and 8-4 on Tuesday and Wednesday. This is a good way to get that head start on Christmas shopping and birthday shopping while supporting our school’s IMC at the same time. Information will be coming home with your students before the Book Fair to help as a reminder. Thank you again for all the support you give to our school and our IMC.

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Mark Your Calendars: “Healthy State Initiative” October 7th!

The Healthiest State Initiative is an ambitious effort designed to make Iowa the healthiest state in the nation in 5 years.

The kickoff to the Healthiest State Initiative will be the Start Somewhere Walk that will be

held throughout the state on Friday, October 7. The Governor is asking all Iowans to walk for one kilometer (approximately 1000 meters). It’s a symbolic and fun start on our road to wellness.

Grundy Center Elementary is participating in this initiative on Friday, October 7th and

combining the International Walk to School Day with this event! This is a wonderful opportunity to showcase how our community is fighting the youth physical inactivity epidemic that our nation faces.

- Make sure to mark October 7th on your calendar and encourage your child to walk to school,

or better yet, join them! We encourage those students who usually ride their bikes to school to consider walking. If your student rides the bus or is unable to walk to school on this day, a walking opportunity of 1 kilometer will be provided upon arrival at school We will be walking around the school and grass field and would love for you to join us.

. If you would like to participate in the Iowa Healthiest State Initiative Start Somewhere Walk but can’t join us at 8:30 that morning please considering joining in at one of these sites.

Grundy Center walks will be Oct. 7, 12:00 noon at the following sites:]

- Grundy Center High School track

- Grundy County Memorial Hospital

- Grundy Center Community Center

Each participant will sign in and our community can help lead our fellow Iowans on the road to wellness. We can be a key part of our state’s goal to break a world record by having 250,000 or more Iowans participate in a Start Somewhere Walk.

to this…

Coming soon! The fifth graders will go from this:

when we do our pumpkin carving project!

Grundy Center Elementary

Notes From the Nurse I encourage parents and students to participate in the International Walk to School Day and the Start Somewhere Walk. Refer to separate article for details. Some facts to consider: Physical activity contributes to overall health. Experts recommend that children do 60 minutes or more of physical activity each day and that the bulk of this physical activity comes through aerobic exercise, such as walking or bicycling. Fewer children walk or bicycle to school than did so a generation ago. • In 1969, 48 percent of students in grades K through eight (ages 5 through

14) walked or bicycled to school. • In 2009, only 13 percent of students in grades K through eight walked or

bicycled to school. • This is an opportunity lost. Walking or bicycling to school gives children

time for physical activity and a sense of responsibility and independence; it also creates an opportunity to be outdoors and provides time to connect with parents, friends and neighbors. The entire community benefits when there is less traffic congestion.

Many kids are not getting the exercise that they need. • As age or grade in school increases, physical activity participation

drastically declines. • Less active children are more likely to be overweight. • Research shows that overweight children are at increased risk of obesity,

and chronic diseases, such as diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, asthma and various cancer types in adulthood

Potential benefits of physical activity for youth include: • Weight control • Reducing blood pressure • Raising HDL (“good”) cholesterol • Improved cardio respiratory endurance, muscular fitness and bone health • Reduction in the risk of diabetes and some kinds of cancer • Improved mental health

Physical activity is associated with improved academic performance in children and adolescents

903 9th St. Grundy Center, IA 50638 Phone: 319-825-5461 Fax: 319-825-6817

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October Scoop 2011