Pleasant Hill Intermediate School

                                               1204 E. 163rd Street                  

                                            Pleasant Hill, MO  64080

                                                    816-540-3156                 

                                                     November 2013

Important Dates 11/20/13 - Roving Chef 11/26/13- Lucht, Haight, Dyer and Murray Reader’s Theatres at 2:30. 11/27 - 12/2/13 - Thanksgiving Break 12/11/13 - Choir Performance @ Crown Center 12/17/13 - Band Performance @ PAC 6:30 pm 12/20/13 - 3 HR Early Release/Teacher P.D. 12/23/13 - 1/6/14 - Winter Break

5B TEAM NEWSLETTER Playing Shark Ball in P.E.

Communication Arts--Mrs. Murray, Ms. Love, Mrs. Dyer

This week we have been working on DARE essays in Communication arts.  We also started Unit 2:  Discoveries.  We will be reading an excerpt from Shiloh during Week 1 Unit 2.  The students will be focusing on the skill inferencing, grammar will be nouns, vocabulary will be synonyms, and spelling will be compound words.  The students are doing much better with writing their reading logs!  Keep up the hard work on this.  We will be starting a mini-research project on Snakes using the Big 6 as a plan for research.  We are going to be working on QAR and 7 Keys to Comprehension as well!  This will really let us know what our students understand while they are reading.

Math--Mrs. Lucht, Ms. Love, Mrs. Dyer  

November Newsletter

Dear Parents, We have just completed a unit on division and completed

our testing. We will continue to review over the year.  Our new unit

is on decimals.  Do not forget the internet site to get help with Go

Math.  Also, your child would benefit from math club on Tuesdays and

Wednesday mornings at 7:25.  We practice math that we have covered and

go over homework and eat donuts.  Not a bad deal, huh?  Please contact

me at school with any concerns.  The students have daily homework in

math and do have some time at school to complete it.  They can finish

it at home.  Also, it would be great to help your child review math

facts by playing math fact games on computer or just flash cards.

Thank you for your support.

I wanted to thank all the parents who helped with Pumpkin Math and

really made it a success for us.  We covered many math concepts that

day. Sincerely, Mrs. Lucht

Science-Social Studies--Mr. Haight, Ms. Love, Ms. Dyer

Science - We are working on the classification system.  We are finishing up vertebrates and will be starting invertebrates, fungi, and plants.

Social Studies - We are beginning European exploration.  We will mainly be focusing on the exploration and colonization of America.

Pleasant Hill Intermediate School

                                               1204 E. 163rd Street                  

                                            Pleasant Hill, MO  64080

                                                    816-540-3156                 

                                                     October 2013

Important Dates 10/7-11/13 - Scholastic Book Fair 10/9/13 - Picture Re-Takes in the AM 10/18/13 - End of First Quarter 10/24/30/13 - Parent/Teachers Conferences 10/29/13 - Evening Conferences 11/1/13 - No School

5B TEAM NEWSLETTER Playing Crab Soccer in P.E.

IF YOU HAVE NOT SCHEDULED A PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCE, PLEASE CONTACT MRS. MURRAY TO DO SO.  WE DO GROUP CONFERENCES.  I WILL BE EMAILING A TEMPLATE (ON WEDNESDAY) THAT HAS ANY AVAILABLE TIME SLOTS AVAILABLE.

(rmurray@pleasanthillschools.com)

Communication Arts--Mrs. Murray, Ms. Love, Mrs. Dyer

We have been working on reading skills such as compare/contrast, main idea and supporting details,  character, plot  and setting.   In grammar we have reviewed sentence types, subjects and predicates, compound sentences, and complex sentences.  Next week we will be finishing up a nonfiction week of Space.  The students have been creating pic collages and using safari on the iPad to integrate technology.  We will be comparing and contrasting planets using

research and non fiction text.  The students will then write a letter to someone sharing out this information about space and planets this week.  Please continue to have your student read and support their reading goal.  Next quarter our goal will look differently.  I will email this information out this Friday.  Thanks for all you do.  Becky Murray and Sharon Dyer

Math--Mrs. Lucht, Ms. Love, Mrs. Dyer  

In math, we have just completed our first unit and had chapter 1 test.

We are beginning a unit on division.  You will notice that there is

only two grades per week.  te are doing lots of math practice in class

and they will have  homework each night.  There should be time to do

that in class for homework,  but there may be a few problems leftover.

For extra help, please know that we have math club on Tuesday and

Wednesday mornings at 7:25 a.m. and study buddies on Wednesday after

school with Ms. Dyer from 3:30-4:30.

I would like to make you aware that we will be doing Pumpkin Math on

October 31 in the science lab.  Each student needs a pumpkin with the

lid cut out to finish that project that day.  I need parents help with

this so please let me know if you are available.  I will be sending a

hard copy home to let you know all the details.

If you have any questions, feel free to e-mail me or call me at

school.  Sincerely, Joy Lucht

Science-Social Studies--Mr. Haight, Ms. Love, Ms. Dyer

Social Studies -

Social Studies   We will take our first Social Studies test over Native Americans on Wednesday, 10-16.  We will then do a short project on reservations and the pros and cons of reservation life before beginning a unit on European exploration.

Science -

Science   We will be starting chapter 1 on the classification of living things.  We will specifically focus on vertebrates, particularly mammals.

Pleasant Hill Intermediate School

                                               1204 E. 163rd Street                  

                                            Pleasant Hill, MO  64080

                                                    816-540-3156                 

                                                     September 2013

Important Dates 9/20/13 - 3 HR Early Dismissal - Professional Development 9/27/13 - 3 HR Early Dismissal - Homecoming 10/7-11/13 - Scholastic Book Fair 10/9/13 - Picture Re-Takes in the AM 10/18/13 - End of First Quarter 10/24/30/13 - Parent/Teachers Conferences 10/29/13 - Evening Conferences 11/1/13 - No School

5B TEAM NEWSLETTER Science Experiment for 5B

Midterm is Friday, September 20.  Midterms will be emailed on Friday. 

Communication Arts--Mrs. Murray, Ms. Love, Mrs. Dyer

We had our first MAP quiz in Mrs. Murray and Mrs.  Dyer's class.  The kids have also created pic collages and sticky notes grammar on the iPads.  Soon we will have a blog where you can view all of our creations!  We will begin our study of tall tales on Monday, Sept. 16.  Our next Map quiz will be on Sept. 24.  The kids have also set their first quarter goal of reading pages.  We collected data and based on that data the students set their own goal for first quarter.  They should be recording their pages in their planner.  Please help by signing this for them as an accountability check.  We also completed our first writing assignment that was our baseline for writing assessments.  The writing grade is comprised of 75% writing assignments and 25% grammar and spelling assignments.  This will be a little different than in the past, because we are putting a huge emphasis on writing proficiently.  Nightly homework is reading.  As for spelling and other class work, it will be done in class unless they need extra time to finish.  Please feel free to contact us if there are questions regarding anything.  We appreciate your support for lifelong readers and writers.

Math--Mrs. Lucht, Ms. Love, Mrs. Dyer  

We are already almost ready for mid-term.  We have been working hard studying place value and patterns, properties of math, powers of 10 and exponents, and multiplication patterns.  Your child will have some homework, but it will be limited. They do have time to complete their homework in class.  There may be some leftover for home.  There is math club on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings at 7:25 until 8:00 a.m.  We do math games, eat donuts, and go over our homework and get help.  I could so use parents to help buy donuts.  I just buy the donuts in the bag.  Also, on Wednesday after school, 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., Ms. Dyer has Study Buddies to get help with homework or projects or make up testing. Make sure your child is picked up on time. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me!!  Thank you so much for your support!!  Mrs. Lucht

Science-Social Studies--Mr. Haight, Ms. Love, Ms. Dyer

Social Studies - We are studying Native American cultures.  We will look at the connection between environment and lifestyle.  We should test over that (ch. 2) in approximately two weeks.  Then we will do a powerpoint presentation over a specific Native American tribe.

Science - We are looking at the periodic table and how it is organized.  We will then be looking at the phases, or states, of matter.  We should test over ch. 11 within the next two weeks.

Pleasant Hill Intermediate School

                                               1204 E. 163rd Street                  

                                            Pleasant Hill, MO  64080

                                                    816-540-3156                 

                                                     August 2013

Important Dates 8/20/13 - First Day of School! 8/26/13 - Fall Pictures 8/30/13-9/2/13 - Labor Day Weekend, No School 9/20/13 - 3 HR Early Dismissal - Professional Development 9/27/13 - 3 HR Early Dismissal - Homecoming

5B TEAM NEWSLETTER First Day of Morning Motivator @ PHIS

Communication Arts--Mrs. Murray, Ms. Love, Mrs. Dyer

Welcome back to school and welcome to the Intermediate School.  Our first couple of weeks we will be going over our Reader’s and Writer’s Workshop expectations.  We will also be discussing our goals for our reading logs, mini-lessons on how to pick a “Just Right Book”, how to Buzz about books, etc.  We will also dive right into our Treasures books.  This is our reading series that the students have had since Kindergarten.  We will be Gates testing on August 27 and 28.  The students will also have a baseline assessment on writing Friday, August 23.  Students will have a reader’s and writer’s notebook that will stay in the classroom.  This will have all of their resources for our class.  Our homework this year will be reading at least 20 minutes a night.  At 5th grade, most students can read 20 pages a night.  We will be setting individual page goals with your child.  Our first goal will be a 2 week goal to track what they are actually reading each night.  Their nightly reading will be placed in their planner.  Please sign that they have done this, as this shows we are working together as an accountable team.  I am so looking forward to challenging the students with their reading and writing this year. If you have any questions about the Reader’s and Writer’s Workshop, please feel free to contact me.  rmurray@pleasanthillschools.com or 540-3156.  I look forward to talking to each of you throughout the year.  I would also love for volunteers to come in and help with small reading or individual reading. Thank you so much in advance!!

Math--Mrs. Lucht, Ms. Love, Mrs. Dyer  

Welcome to Math!  We look forward to getting to know all the students. Thank you for the privilege of teaching your child.

We will be on a Math Journey this year. First, we will have co-teachers, Mrs. Dyer and Mrs. Lucht in math classes.  
We have new curriculum in math called Go Math, which includes a parent letter  to let you know what we are studying and how we are doing  mathematical procedures. This is an exciting mathematics program which included hands-on-activities to do and real-world problems to solve. Your child will have a minimum amount of homework which they will be given time to do in class. The students will have an opportunity to have extra help during math club on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings from 7:25 a.m.-7:55 a.m.  We are here to help the students succeed and enjoy math so please feel free to call us at school.  We look forward to working with you this year.   

Science-Social Studies--Mr. Haight, Ms. Love, Ms. Dyer

Social Studies - We will start the year learning about Native American cultures.  In conjunction with this unit we will produce and present a powerpoint on a particular Native American tribe.

Science - We are starting the year with a unit on atoms, matter, and their  properties.  Early on we will be building a boat and see how many pennies it can hold before it sinks.  This will be on a lesson about buoyancy.

Pleasant Hill Intermediate School

                                               1204 E. 163rd Street                  

                                            Pleasant Hill, MO  64080

                                                    816-540-3156                 

                                                     May 2013

Important Dates 5/3/13 - STUCO Lock-In - 4 pm -10 pm, All Officers & Representatives 5/5/13 - Cinco de Mayo 5/9/13 - 4th Grade to tour the PHIS at 9:30 am 5/10/13 - PHIS Field Day 5/12/13 - Mother’s Day 5/14/13 - Middle School Choir to perform for the PHIS 5/16/13 -  Roving Chef program 5/20/13 - 6th Grade to tour the Middle School at 9:00 am 5/23/13 - Last Day of School 5/27/13 - Memorial Day 5/28/13-6/21/13 - Summer School at the Elementary School

5B TEAM NEWSLETTER         Practicing for Mingle & Play Night

Purple day specials:

Haight-Computer/Art

Lucht-Art/Computer

Murray- Music/PE

Gold day specials:

Haight:  Music/PE

Lucht:  PE/Music

Murray-Computer/Art

WEATHER IS CHANGING!  PLEASE MAKE SURE STUDENTS ARE DRESSED APPROPRIATELY FOR OUTDOOR RECESS.  WE WILL GO OUTSIDE IF THE TEMPERATURE (AND WIND CHILL) IS ABOVE 25 DEGREES.  OUR PLAY AREA IS VERY WINDY.  

IT'S TIME TO REPLENISH SUCH ITEMS AS PENCILS AND PENS FOR STUDENTS TO HAVE AT SCHOOL FOR CLASS WORK.  PENCIL CAP ERASERS ARE ALSO A GOOD THING FOR THEM TO HAVE, TOO!!

Science-Social Studies--Mr. Haight, Ms. Love, Ms. Dyer

Social Studies -

We will be finishing our layered curriculum on events leading to the Civil War.  After that we will be studying the Civil War with a particular emphasis on the Battle of Gettysburg.

Science -

We will be starting a unit on space and technology after MAP testing.  We are currently reviewing 3rd and 4th grade objectives in preparation for MAP testing in Science on Wednesday and Thursday.

Math--Mrs. Lucht, Ms. Love, Mrs. Dyer  

We are in the middle of Map Testing.  Thank you so much for all your support.  We will be doing two

days of Accelerated Math this week to catch up on AM.  We will have math club until the end of school.

Starting this Friday, we will start a Restaurant Unit and be divided into business partners.  We will

create a menu, draw blueprints, measure perimeter and area and volume, and we will be cooking

a menu.  We will be asking you to send something with your child to help provide for cooking.

We can use parents to help when we do the cooking part.  I cannot believe it is almost May.  We will

be doing math until the end of school.  Thank you, Mrs. Lucyht

Communication Arts--Mrs. Murray, Ms. Love, Mrs. Dyer

I was so proud of all the effort the students put forth on the MAP!  We will continue on in our Treasures Book after MAP with a layered curriculum on Weslandia.  The students will be discussing things such as a staple crop, new foods, and some technological advances!  It is actually a very fun unit, that ends with a food tasting on Friday, May 10.  The students can bring in a fruit or vegetable to share that is unique. They have a writing assignment that goes along with this, too.  We also integrate some recipes and technical writing into this unit.  We will also be putting together our Memory books/writing portfolios the next few weeks.  Thanks again for a great year.  I have so enjoyed teaching your students.