February Newsletter

Pleasant Hill Intermediate School

1204 E. 163rd Street

Pleasant Hill, MO  64080

816-540-3156

February 2012

Important Dates Feb. 3-Mid-Term Feb. 15-IS Musical Matinee Feb. 16-18-IS Musical Feb. 20-No School-President’s Day Feb. 21- No School-Professional Development Feb. 23-Band Instrument Night for next year's 6th graders, 6:30-8:30pm Feb. 29-MS Musical Matinee March 2-3 Hr. Early Release-Professional Development March 8-End of Quarter March 9-3 Hr. Early Release-Teacher Workday March 11-Daylight Savings Time March 13-6th Grade Enrollment for Middle School Important Dates, Continued March 15-Spring Pictures Mar. 16-IS Band Performance, at PAC, 6:30-7:30pm March 21 -High School Band Preforms 8:15am March 22-5th Grade Elective Enrollment Sent Home. April 6-10-Spring Break

5B TEAM NEWSLETTER     Fun and Games at the Winter Program

Rooster Time for January:  In Mrs. Lucht’s class, we are doing a literature circle with the story Ben and Me.  It is a story about Ben Franklin and we are doing witty wordsearcher, lively leader, illustrious illustrator, checker, and decorative describer.  The students are doing a great job.

In Mrs. Murray’s class, we are finishing up our group books and will begin a class set and be working on literature circle activities.  

In Mr. Haight’s class, we are reading our literature set books.  We will continue doing so.  

Planners:  Planners are a great organizational tool for students and a great communication tool for parents. Students are expected to fill out their planner in each core class daily (listing assignments, due dates etc.) and take them home daily. Teachers will sign planners for each class and sometimes may write an important note. We will do periodic planner checks throughout the year spot checking to see if planners are being utilized in this manner. Students may receive a small reward for having a filled out and signed planner (signed by the teacher). Parents are not required to sign planners.

AR/AM Students will need 10 AR points for the quarter and 5 AM tests.  To help your student pace these out, we suggest 1-2 points a week and 1 AM test a week to get the points at an even pace, instead of rushing at the very end of the quarter.  This helps promote good planning ahead skills.  The students may do AM practice at home at the Renaissance Learning website.  If you still need more information about this, contact Mrs. Murray.  She is heading up this information.

Science-Social Studies--Mr. Haight

Social Studies -- In social studies, Monday, February 6 we will be taking our chapter 9 test over the events leading up to the Revolutionary War.  We will then be studying the Revolutionary war, paying particular attention to the key battles of Trenton, Saratoga, and Yorktown.  We will also be looking at important people of the Revolutionary War.  

Science- In science we will be taking a test over chapter 13 over Motions and Forces, on Thursday, February 2nd.  We will be starting a project of designing an amusement park ride illustrating the forces and motions we have learned in chapter 13.  Mr. Haight will provide materials for that.  

Math--Mrs. Lucht
In math, the students will be working on graphing and data.  We are learning mean, median, mode, and range.  The students created a circle graph of how they spent their 24 hour day.  We also created a double bar graph comparing boys and girls and their favorite blizzards from DQ.  Just a reminder that the students need 5 AM tests this quarter and we are somewhat behind.  We are doing AM and going over homework in Math Club on Tuesdays and Wednesdays mornings at 7:25 a.m.  There is also homework club on Thursdays after school at 3:30-4:30.  If you want to do AM practices at home, you may contact Mrs. Murray and we will help you be able to do that. Please contact me about any concerns or questions.  Thank you for all your support.  Mrs. Lucht

Communication Arts--Mrs. Murray
In communication arts, we are finishing up the week on Author’s purpose.  The students just learned a new strategy called the 4 R’s of reflective thinking and Generating Hypothesis while predicting.  They loved this!  We are still working very hard on before, during and after reading skills!  The next few weeks we will continue to work on various types of pronouns.  The students should continue to bring their AR books to class.  Also, it may be the time of the year to replenish pencils and pens, as we are writing TONS in class.


Ms. Love’s News--
Communication Arts:

Students are working on discovering universal themes in literature. They are analyzing the writing and making connection to their own experiences.   Students are also practicing writing conventions.  They are working capitalization, subject/verb agreement, and verb tense.

Math:
Students are working very hard, preforming all operations with fractions, decimals,  and percents.  They will begin discovering Ratios, Rates, Proportions, and Percents.  They will learn to how it applies to the real world in the form of interest, discounts, and taxes.

Mrs. Meyer’s News--
We are currently working on a big project in Communication Arts. We are researching and taking notes on famous people who have or were believed to have disabilities. Students will write a report about their person and make a Glogster (a computer created poster) about their person. These will be shared with the class in an oral presentation. We are halfway through the quarter so it is time to check the AR points and the AM tests to be sure we are on track.
In math we have been working on fractions, decimals, multiplication, division, geometry, and graphing. We will be focusing on word problems and analyzing data in the near future.
 

January Newsletter

Pleasant Hill Intermediate School

1204 E. 163rd Street

Pleasant Hill, MO  64080

816-540-3156

January 2012

Important Dates Jan 4-Students Return Jan 16-No School, Martin Luther King, Jr’s Birthday Jan 24-District Spelling Bee

5B TEAM NEWSLETTER

Rooster Time for January:
We will begin our next round of books for small group reading.  We will also be focusing on fractions, decimals, simplifying fractions, adding and subtracting fractions with like and unlike denominators in focus group time on Wednesday and Thursday’s.  We are also looking for parents to come and help with our small reading groups during rooster time.  Feel free to contact us to help with this fun time.
School and Class Expectations:
We have been working with the students on school wide and classroom expectations.  Some students still need some general reminders about having all of their materials prepared for class and for turning their voices off during class and in the lunch room.  We are still working very hard on traveling to and from lunch.  Some students are still needing extra encouragement when it comes to lunch room behaviors, such as pushing in chairs and cleaning up their areas.  It is encouraged to discuss these positive behaviors at home!  


Planners:  Planners are a great organizational tool for students and a great communication tool for parents. Students are expected to fill out their planner in each core class daily (listing assignments, due dates etc.) and take them home daily. Teachers will sign planners for each class and sometimes may write an important note. We will do periodic planner checks throughout the year spot checking to see if planners are being utilized in this manner. Students may receive a small reward for having a filled out and signed planner (signed by the teacher). Parents are not required to sign planners.

AR/AM Students will need 10 AR points for the quarter and 5 AM tests.  To help your student pace these out, we suggest 1-2 points a week and 1 AM test a week to get the points at an even pace, instead of rushing at the very end of the quarter.  This helps promote good planning ahead skills.  The students may do AM practice at home at the Renaissance Learning website.  If you still need more information about this, contact Mrs. Murray.  She is heading up this information.

Science-Social Studies--Mr. Haight

Social Studies --  We are studying the original thirteen colonies.  We are looking at their economies, geographies, and lifestyles.  We will also be studying the French and Indian War.

Science --  We will begin studying motion and how it is affected by gravity, friction, inertia, mass, and force.  We will be looking at Newton’s laws of motion and simple machines.

Math--Mrs. Lucht
Happy New Year!!  We start 2012 with lots of energy
and excitement for what we will be learning in math this year.  We are
starting out working on adding and subtracting fractions.  We are
working on mastering common denominators and simplifying fractions.
Please remember the extra math support of math club on Tuesday and
Wednesday mornings at 7:25 a.m.  Also, we have homework club on
Thursday after school from 3:30 p.m.-4:30p.m.  Remember that we start
over for third quarter and the students need 5 Accelerated Math tests
for this quarter.  They do not carry over.  You may take practices at
home so your child will mostly take tests here.  Thanks for all your
support and I look forward to working with you for the New Year.
Sincerely, Mrs. Lucht


Communication Arts--Mrs. Murray
Our first week back is a short week, therefore we will be doing a quick what I learned last year!! Also the students will be writing about goals.  The following 2 weeks will be spent on Week 4 and Week 5 of Unit 3.  The week of January 16, we will read Zathura.  The students will be creating a game board that week.  I will be sending home an email with the scoring guide and expectations for this.  We will also begin using our MAP practice books.  We will be doing these as bellwork and the students will be given a grade for them.  This is to let them know how important this work is, and that we want to be super prepared for the actual MAP test in April.    


Ms. Love’s News--
Communication Arts:   Student's focus over the next month will include several areas of concern based upon current Discovery Education scores.  In reviewing the data, making connections and literary techniques were areas of great concern.  We will be working to develop skills.  

Math:   Student's focus over the next month will include one area of concern based upon current Discovery Education scores.   In reviewing the data, our focus will be data and probability.  We will also working on fractions, improper fractions, and mixed numbers


Mrs. Meyer’s News--
   In January, Mrs. Meyer's class will be doing a unit on the life
of Martin Luther King, Jr. which will include reading and writing
activities. We will work on story elements and making inferences.
Students will be writing paragraphs to summarize information they have
read in preparation for a big project which we will do late January or
early February.
   For math, we will work on measurement, fractions, decimals,
multiplication and division. It is important that students practice
their multiplication and division facts. The are numerous games on
www.multiplication.com that can help with learning the facts.

December Newsletter

Pleasant Hill Intermediate School

1204 E. 163rd Street

Pleasant Hill, MO  64080

816-540-3156

December 2011

Important Dates Dec 5 - Dare Graduation, IS Gym, 7pm. Dec 8 - IS/ES Holiday Concert, IS Gym, 7pm. Dec 20- End of Quarter Party, 2:30-3:20 Dec.21 - Winter Assembly, IS Gym Dec 21 - End of 2nd Quarter/1st Semester Dec 22- Jan 4 - Winter Break

5B TEAM NEWSLETTER   Veteran’s Day Lunch

Rooster Time for December:
As a team we have chosen to read “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever”.  The students are learning about the Herdman family.  This story is goes along great with our Respect, Responsibility, and Compassion.  It also goes along with bullying and shows the students (at the end of the story) how the Herdman kids can have a change of heart.  It also teaches tolerance with the students who do not have some of the Herdman’s behaviors.  

End of the Quarter Party:
The end of the quarter party will be held on Dec. 20, 2011 at 2:30.  The students will be viewing a movie and having snacks.  Students need to have no D’s or F’s on their grade card to attend.  

Earlier in the year there was an announcement made about purchasing healthy birthday snacks from the school.   The school is no longer doing this, so if you are sending in birthday treats for your student, please make sure they are store bought.  Thanks so much.  

School and Class Expectations:
We have been working with the students on school wide and classroom expectations.  Some students still need some general reminders about having all of their materials prepared for class and for turning their voices off during class and in the lunch room.  We are still working very hard on traveling to and from lunch.  Some students are still needing extra encouragement when it comes to lunch room behaviors, such as pushing in chairs and cleaning up their areas.  It is encouraged to discuss these positive behaviors at home!  


Planners:  Planners are a great organizational tool for students and a great communication tool for parents. Students are expected to fill out their planner in each core class daily (listing assignments, due dates etc.) and take them home daily. Teachers will sign planners for each class and sometimes may write an important note. We will do periodic planner checks throughout the year spot checking to see if planners are being utilized in this manner. Students may receive a small reward for having a filled out and signed planner (signed by the teacher). Parents are not required to sign planners.

AR/AM Students will need 10 AR points for the quarter and 5 AM tests.  To help your student pace these out, we suggest 1-2 points a week and 1 AM test a week to get the points at an even pace, instead of rushing at the very end of the quarter.  This helps promote good planning ahead skills.  The students may do AM practice at home at the Renaissance Learning website.  If you still need more information about this, contact your student’s homeroom teacher or Mrs. Lucht, math teacher.

Science-Social Studies--Mr. Haight
Social Studies --  We are studying the original thirteen colonies.  We are looking at their economies, geography, and lifestyles.  We should test on chapter 6 before Christmas break.

Science --  We are studying matter.  From the elements and atoms to molecules and compounds.  We also will look at the states of matter (liquids, gases, and solids).  We will be finishing chapter 11 next week and testing the following week (Dec. 12).


Math--Mrs. Lucht
In math, we are beginning a fraction unit.  We have learned equivalent fractions by looking at the multiplication chart.  It was amazing to see and a help for equivalent fractions.  We also are keeping fraction strips to look at equivalent fractions.  We used butcher paper to fold fractions.  Parents, thank you so much for help with fractions at home on your child’s homework. You can show your child how you use fractions in cooking, etc.  Also, this is a reminder that the students need 5 AM tests before December 21.  We are doing Accelerated Math in Math Club at 7:25 a.m. on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.  There is also homework club on Thursdays after school from 3:30 p.m.-4:30 p.m.  They may do Accelerated Math during all of those times.  Our AM day is Thursday every week.  Thanks so much for your support and encouraging your child to complete their homework.  This so helps them when they need to test.  Sincerely, Mrs. Lucht


Communication Arts--Mrs. Murray
We have been working very hard on all things grammar with NOUNS!  This unit the emphasis in grammar is verbs.  We are currently on Unit 3 and will be reading such stories as “Sleds on Boston Commons”, “Ester Morris Heads West”, and “Zathura”.  We have two full weeks left of regular “Treasures” weeks, then we will be doing some review activities on Dec. 19-21.  After the break, the students will be experiencing layered curriculum with some of our weeks and the finale of Unit 3 is the Zathura game that the students will be creating.  Hopefully they will make these on the computer this year (hope for no snow days!)  Also after break, the students’ bell work will begin to be MAP practice to gear us up for the spring map test!  


Ms. Love’s News--

Communication Arts
     We are focusing on Legends, Fables, Tall Tales, and Myths. With these writings, we are discovering how oral traditions are developed and passed down.  We are exploring the use of various forms of figurative language such as hyperbole's and personification.  We are recognizing and understanding the use of ironic endings.  When students finish this unit they will create their own story using one of the above formats.  


Math
  Focus is on factors, primes, and composite numbers.  Students are continue to work on decimals, fractions, and percents.  

Mrs. Meyer’s News--

In December, we will be learning about different holiday celebrations including Hanukkah, Christmas, Las Posadas, and Kwanzaa in Communication Arts. We will also be working on persuasive writing. In our reading, we will be working on problem and solution and making inferences. Keep working on those AR points.

    In math we are working on geometry, graphing, multiplication, division, and fractions. Students need to be working on math facts at home. Many still don't know the basic multiplication and division facts.

November Newsletter

Pleasant Hill Intermediate School

1204 E. 163rd Street

Pleasant Hill, MO  64080

816-540-3156

November 2011

Important Dates Nov 4 - No School - Professional Development Nov 8 - BMX Bike/Bully Assembly DARE final copies due! Nov 16 -  Mid-Terms Nov 22- Reader’s Theatre Program during Rooster time Nov 23-25 - Thanksgiving Break

5B TEAM NEWSLETTER

Rooster Time for November:
We will begin working on Reader’s Theatre in class.  The students will be performing these on November 22, at 2:30 in their Rooster time classes.  They will have either a social studies/historical theme or be related to harvest.  Parents and grandparents are invited to attend the performance.

School and Class Expectations:
We have been working with the students on school wide and classroom expectations.  Some students still need some general reminders about having all of their materials prepared for class and for turning their voices off during class and in the lunch room.  We are still working very hard on traveling to and from lunch.  Some students are still needing extra encouragement when it comes to lunch room behaviors, such as pushing in chairs and cleaning up their areas.  It is encouraged to discuss these positive behaviors at home!  


Planners:  Planners are a great organizational tool for students and a great communication tool for parents. Students are expected to fill out their planner in each core class daily (listing assignments, due dates etc.) and take them home daily. Teachers will sign planners for each class and sometimes may write an important note. We will do periodic planner checks throughout the year spot checking to see if planners are being utilized in this manner. Students may receive a small reward for having a filled out and signed planner (signed by the teacher). Parents are not required to sign planners.

AR/AM Students will need 10 AR points for the quarter and 5 AM tests.  To help your student pace these out, we suggest 1-2 points a week and 1 AM test a week to get the points at an even pace, instead of rushing at the very end of the quarter.  This helps promote good planning ahead skills.  The students may do AM practice at home at the Renaissance Learning website.  If you still need more information about this, contact your student’s homeroom teacher or Mrs. Lucht, math teacher.

Science-Social Studies--Mr. Haight
Social Studies --
In social studies,  we will be finishing up with early explorers and settlements.  We will test on ch. 5 next week also.  We then will look at the founding of the thirteen original colonies.  We will look at their economies, culture, and the people who founded them.

Science --
In Science we will be finishing up our studies of human body systems and will test over ch. 2&3 next week.  Our next unit of study will be over plants, their systems, and reproduction.

Math--Mrs. Lucht
Lucht Math Class is heavy into long division.  We are learning Divide, Multiply, Subtract, Bring Down, and check.  We also check as we are doing our problem.  We also learned how to do it horizontally with short division.  Some of the students like having a choice. Thank you for all the help you are giving your child at home for them to understand the process. We are going to learn a rap this week which will help us remember the steps.  We are getting lots of practice.
Pumpkin Math went very well with many parents helping me.  I want to thank those parents who made our day of studying our pumpkins and doing math such a success.  We did bar graph, line graph, ordered pairs to create a pumpkin picture, weighing, measuring height, writing an article, drawing a picture. Etc.  I know many of you baked pumpkin seeds.  We really had a great day of learning.
Thanks for all you do.  Let me know if you have any concerns.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Lucht






Communication Arts--Mrs. Murray
In communication arts, we will be working on building better vocabulary skills using some daily dictionary/thesaurus skills.  We will also be working on Unit 2 weeks 4 and 5 and then will have a review week and a Unit common assessment.  Starting Unit 3, we will begin doing some layered curriculum activities which will give the students some choice on their assignments.  We still have spelling homework weekly that includes vocabulary skills, writing skills, and proofreading and checking grammar.      These are passed out on Tuesday and should be completed and turned in on Thursday, unless there is no school on Friday and then they will be passed out on Monday and due on Wednesday.



Ms. Love’s News--

Communication Arts
Discovery Education has an excellent series of videos and activities for developing the writing process. We have utilized various clips to help with the pre-writing process, revising, editing, and publishing.  We learned how to evaluate others work in order to provide positive feedback.  We will continue with this series developing our writing purpose,  knowing our audience, and creating dialogue. We will find out how the use time lines, maps, and pictures that can enhance our writing.  We will use this information to produce our own writings besides analyze others writings.

Math
We are working diligently on developing our skills with decimals.   In our RTI time, we are focusing on some specific areas of Math that Discovery Education testing indicated that we were not as proficient as we needed to be.  This includes geometric constructions, properties of 3 dimensional figures, construction of 2 & 3 dimensional figures, congruence & similarity, and scale.  

Mrs. Meyer’s News--
Mrs. Meyer's class is working on main ideas and supporting details, making inferences, summarizing, and drawing conclusions in communication arts. We are learning about compound and complex sentences and writing paragraphs for different purposes.
In math, we are starting to work on multiplication and division, fractions, money, and measurement. Students should be working toward their 10 AR points for the quarter (that's about one point per week) and getting their AM tests (about one every two weeks).