April Newsletter! LOTS OF MAP INFO

Pleasant Hill Intermediate School

                                           1204 E. 163rd Street                  

Pleasant Hill, MO  64080

                                              816-540-3156                 

  April 2012

Important Dates April 6-10-Spring Break April 16-23-MAP Testing April 25-5th Grade Field Trip to the Coterie Theatre May 7-IS Awards Assembly at 8:45am in the Gym May 8-MS Choir Tour May 9-Field Day May 15-5th Grade Park Day

5B TEAM NEWSLETTER     Having Fun in The Morning Motivator!

MAP TESTING WILL BEGIN APRIL 16TH.  OUR TEAM WILL BE TESTING IN THE AFTERNOON.  WE BEGIN TESTING AT APPROXIMATELY 12:45.  
TO EARN THE MAP REWARD PARTY, STUDENTS WILL NEED TO HAVE PERFECT ATTENDANCE FOR THE MAP TEST.  OUR MAP REWARD PARTY IS ON APRIL 27TH, AT 2:25.  STUDENTS WHO HAVE GOOD BEHAVIOR WILL DURING MAP TESTING WILL BE ENTERED IN A DRAWING FOR SEVERAL PRIZES.  

MINGLE AND PLAY NIGHT IS COMING SOON!  APRIL 12TH.  COME OUT AND ENJOY A FUN NIGHT TO GET PUMPED AND EXCITED ABOUT THE MAP TEST.  IT’S A CELEBRATION OF ALL THE HARD WORK YOUR STUDENT HAS DONE THIS YEAR.  THE EVENT IS FROM 6:30-7:30.
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.

WITH WARMER WEATHER COMES THE NEED FOR WEARING SHORTS AND COOLER CLOTHING.  PLEASE MAKE SURE THAT SHORTS ARE AT LEAST FINGER TIPPED  LENGTH!  WE ALSO STRESS THAT TANK TOPS BE TWO FINGERS WIDE AND NO SPAGHETTI STRAPS OR HALTERS, UNLESS THERE IS A SWEATER OR OTHER SHIRT OVER THEM.  THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING THIS!

Science-Social Studies--Mr. Haight
Science
We will be finishing our unit on weather the first week of April.  We then will do a short unit on the scientific method.  This should be a fun unit.  We also will be preparing for the MAP test on an ongoing basis.
Social Studies
In early April we will be looking at the time period of 1820-1850.  This will be on the Industrial Revolution, Jackson's Presidency, expansion westward to California and Oregon, Texas' independence and the resulting war with Mexico.
Later in the month we will be looking at the events that led to the Civil War.  This unit will be my first attempt at layered curriculum.  It should be fun for both the students and myself.

Math--Mrs. Lucht
Dear Parents, We are working hard in math doing a lot of reviewing.
The students will have homework nightly.  Thank you so much for your
support and help on getting homework done.  We just finished a
geometry test and the students did very well.  I was extremely proud
of them.  We are in the homestretch for Map Testing, which is the week
of April 16-23.  After Map Testing, we will be doing a Restaurant Unit
which will include technology, cooking, and measurement, etc.  This
will be very motivating as it is hands on and very interactive.  We
will be measuring the lunch room and other rooms in our school
building.  It will be so connected to real life.  We may have some
restaurant entrepreneurs after this unit.
Please encourage your child to attend Math Club on Tuesdays and
Wednesdays at 7:25 a.m. if they need extra time for Accelerated Math.
Five AM tests will be due at the end of 4th quarter. There is also
homework club on Thursday nights after school from 3:30-4:30 p.m.
Thanks so much for your help with this.  We so want the students to
succeed and this is the extra help available to them.
Happy Spring!!
Mrs. Lucht

Communication Arts--Mrs. Murray
We are gearing up for the MAP test.  We will be finishing up our last two full weeks with Fairy Tales and Science Explorations.  The students did AMAZING on their layered curriculum projects.  Thank you to ALL the PARENT support on making this so successful.  We will begin a writing project the week following MAP tests.  The students will be making a memory book.  We are hoping that parents will be able to purchase hard copies of these, or the students will be handwriting them.  We are going to give the students a choice on how they want to format their books.  With this comes a lot of perseverance on writing and typing.  We will send home a letter explaining this project as the middle of April comes closer.  

Ms. Love’s News--
Math:
 In math, students will continue to developing skills using Geometry and Measurement.  These skills are applied to solving for area parallelograms, triangles, and circles.  Students will continue on with integers and their operations.

Communication Arts:
Communication Arts
 Students are reading a group fiction book and completing a variety of activities based upon the book.  These activities include writing poems,  creating a CD cover, or searching for adverbs.

Mrs. Meyer’s News--
Mrs.Meyer's classes are preparing for the MAP testing with MAP-like questions. We are working on drawing conclusions and making inferences in our reading. Students have been working on writing stories and other pieces of writing that focus on writing from a particular point of view. Our focus in writing will be on using proofreading marks and finding spelling, grammar, capitalization, and punctuation errors.
In math, we are working on multiplication and division of larger numbers, fractions, graphing, and geometry. We do word problems daily to help strengthen problem solving skills.

March Newsletter

Pleasant Hill Intermediate School

1204 E. 163rd Street

Pleasant Hill, MO  64080

816-540-3156

March 2012

Important Dates 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 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     Students participating in the Roving Chef program at the Intermediate School

Please have your students dress appropriately for recess time.  We do go out before noon, and the playground is a “windy” spot.  Therefore, hoodies and shorts aren’t warm enough for this crazy, March weather!  We use discretion when it is below freezing or too muddy!  Please help us with this so ALL STUDENTS can go outside for fresh air and have a brain break!!!
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 testing on the Revolutionary War on Thursday, March 1st.  Next we will be studying the United States Constitution and how our government works.  

Science

We are studying the water cycle.  After that, we will be looking at weather.  

Math--Mrs. Lucht
The big news in math is layered curriculum.  This is our first attempt
so we are all learning
about it.  The students get to choose activities that will help them
learn measurement.  The biggest struggle is getting the definitions
for 32 terms.  Some math books have definitions and the regular
dictionary has great definitions.  The internet definitions are
sometimes not specific enough.  They will take a test on Monday to see
if they know the terms.  It will be a matching so they don't have to
write out all the definitions.  The packet is due on Monday, March
5th.
Also, remember that March 8th is the end of the quarter so the
students need to have 5 AM tests completed.  Again we have math club
Tuesday and Wednesday morning at 7:25 a.m.
Also, homework club is Thursday at 3:30 p.m.  Thanks so much for all
you.  Sincerely, Joy Lucht

Communication Arts--Mrs. Murray
The students are getting ready to begin back to back units of layered curriculum.   In layered curriculum,  students will continue to receive direct instruction but they will have choices in some if their assignments.  We will be traveling to the North and South Pole and creating a new civilization the following week.  Students will have time to work in class and will have over the weekend to complete any of their mini-projects.  I am very excited for the students to participate!  

Ms. Love’s News--
Math:
 Students will be finishing their work with decimals, fractions, and percents.  Focus will turn to Geometry.  Students will learn to classify angles, triangles, and quadrilaterals.  They will define the polygon.  They will compare and contrast congruent and similar figures. Finally, they will locate lines of symmetry.  

Communication Arts:
 Students will recognize and appreciate drama as a literary genre.  They will read and analyze a variety of plays.  They will use their reading skills to summarize the main idea and compare and contrast the action.  Students will analyze literary elements such as: dialogue and stage direction.   Finally, students will develop vocabulary skills by identifying roots.  

Mrs. Meyer’s News--
Mrs. Meyer's class is working on layered curriculum for a reading/writing unit on the Revolutionary War. Students have choices of assignments that are due for the project.  The quarter ends March 8th. All AR tests and Bloom's reports must be turned in by March 8.  We are working on drawing conclusions and cause/effect in reading. In our writing, we are focusing on proofreading skills. In math, we are working on multiplication of larger numbers, division, multiples, fractions, and probability. 

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.