Let the Games (Tests) Begin!

Last Thursday, we celebrated the start of the testing season with our Olympic Themed pep rally.  Students watched a video encouraging them to try their best and got gold medals to wear.  We are so proud of all of our teachers and students as they have worked very hard this year and we know they will do their best!

Before the test you can help your child by doing the following:

—  Talk about their feelings-help with test anxiety

—  Ask questions about the upcoming test

—  Be encouraging and positive

—  Make sure your child gets plenty of sleep

—  Have your child wear comfortable clothes-PJ’s or spirit wear

—  Have your child eat a good breakfast

—  Have your child here on time and avoid planning appointments on these days

Encourage your child to do the following during the test:

—  Read the entire passage

—  Remember SOL testing cannot be interrupted once it has started

—  A snack will be provided during the math test due to the increased time expectations

—  Read all the choices before you choose an answer/answers

—  Remember some questions will be enhanced

—  Take your time-SOL tests are untimed

—  Use your test taking skills

—  Take a mental break if you get tired

After the test you can help your child by:

—  Congratulating your child

—  Keep up your positive attitude

—  Keep them motivated for the next tests

—  Tell them how proud you are of them for working so hard all year

If you would like to help your child review for the upcoming tests you can help your child prepare by visiting the grade level links on the Emerald Hill website at http://www.culpeperschools.org/School_ehes.php.

Enjoying the spring (summer?) weather

This afternoon, Mr. Ortman's chess club enjoyed the lovely warm and sunny day by playing outside!  Never before has this happened in March.

The 2nd Grade News Team

Ms. Breeden's language arts class created their own newsletter this past month.  They wrote all of the articles themselves highlighting the exciting things that 2nd graders experience as part of their day.  Great job!

 

 

 

 

100th Day

Today was the 100th day of school and I saw some amazing activities dealing with counting and math.  I was especially impressed by my "100 Year Old" first graders.  They looked absolutely fabulous.  During math, I know that they enjoyed the many activities such as counting out some special snacks.

I also had the opportunity over the past few weeks to meet with my book club.  This is the second group of students who read the book, The Fingertips of Duncan Dorfman.  We had a great time discussing the book and enjoying some snacks!

I also wanted to share some photos of Mrs. Atherton's 2nd Grade AR celebration.  Students celebrated getting their points for the 9 weeks by enjoying a pancake breakfast!

Continent Day

Greetings!  I had a wonderful time traveling around the globe this morning learning about different continents.  Second graders have been studying about the Continents and Oceans around the world for the past several weeks. In order to wrap up the unit, the teachers had students rotate to different classrooms representing different continents.  They reviewed all of the information they had learned and created a fun project to help them remember that particular continent!  "Continent Day" is always one of the second grade team's favorite activities to plan and the students love it!  (Thank you Susan West for the info.!)

Mrs. Say (South America)- students heard the story The Great Kapok Tree.  Then they created a mask to represent an animal that lives in the rain forest.

Mrs. Atherton (Europe)- students learned about some ancient architectural structures in Europe such as the Neuschwanstein Castle. They were also shown some Van Gogh paintings
and then they were able to create their own abstract picture using pastels.

Ms. Breeden (Asia)- students heard the story Rechenka's Eggs. Then they created a scratch art egg to represent one of the Ukrainian painted eggs in the story.

Mrs. Sergek (Antarctica)- students were able to feel the difference between having blubber and not having blubber on your body like a penguin through an experiment. They also created an "ice painting".

Mrs. Addy (Australia)- students were shown an original Aboriginal dot painting and then were asked to create their own artwork using paint and Q-tips.  Their artwork included animals that are native to Australia such as kangaroos and koalas.

Miss West (Africa)- students participated in a virtual tour of African Safari animals.  They were then able to create their own habitat for one of the animals using an animal cracker.

 

 

 

Is it really the end of 2011 already?

As I write this, I have a hard time thinking about the fact that this is our last school day of 2011.  It has gone by so quickly!  There have been so many exciting events happening over the past few weeks as everyone prepares for winter break and celebrating many holiday traditions with family and friends.  Over the past few days I have spent time with 4th grade students, reading them a story as they enjoyed eating some holiday creations!  I will be reading to our 3rd graders this afternoon as well and am looking forward to it!  This morning as I walked down the first grade hallway, I found lots of shoes in the hallways.  Apparently, they will be filled with goodies the next time I walk by.  Kindergarten and first graders have been learning a great deal about holidays around the world.  Each of them spent a day studying different customs and traditions as they "traveled" around the globe!  

I wish everyone a very safe and happy holiday season.  Please enjoy the break and spend time with your children enjoying all of your own family holidays and traditions.  We'll see you in 2012!

Mrs. Ammon's Kindergarten Tea

Mrs. Atherton's 2nd Grade Class

 

Mrs. Sheads 5th Grade Language Arts Class put on a trial this past week.  Shiloh is the story of an abused dog that follows a young boy home. A young boy that is not allowed to have a pet, nor has the money to be responsible for one. The abused dog belongs to Judd Travers who is a mean hunter that doesn't "care" for his dogs, the way the boy, Marty, thinks he should. Marty ends up keeping the dog in secret in a lean-to up on the hill and having to lie to everyone in order for the dog not to be found.

 

The students were separated into 3 groups. The Jury, lawyers and witnesses for Marty's side, and lawyers and witnesses for Judd's side. Using the book as a reference and the Virginia code of Animal Services Law, the students needed to prepare their argument on who they thought was the "rightful" owner of the dog. They worked through out the week and each wrote their own paper/argument that covered their points as well as their supporting details. The Jury was not allowed to hear any of the arguments before the trial had begun. They were to keep notes of what happened during the trial as well as write their own paper on who they thought was the "rightful" owner and why according to what they heard at the trial.

 

They came to a final conclusion, that even though in their hearts they knew Marty would be a better owner, the true, "rightful" owner was Judd Travers.  (Thanks Mrs. Sheads for the summary!)

Field Trip and Book Club Fun

Greetings!  It has been about a month since I have been able to share some exciting things that I have been doing here at Emerald Hill.  So much has been going on that I can't possibly mention everything.  Last week the kindergarten students had their Thanksgiving Feast and the 2nd Graders had their Pow Wow to share some of the knowledge that they gained in their social studies class.

This week I was so lucky to be able to travel with the 2nd grade students to the Science Museum in Richmond.  I think everyone enjoyed playing the video piano on the stairs, watching rat basketball and building all kinds of structures out of blocks in the Imagination Playroom.

The 3rd Grade students were treated to a visit from author Susan Crites who presented her new book, I Love You More Than Rainbows.  She also spent time with the students going through the writing process as part of the language arts unit on steps in a process.  What an amazing opportunity for our students to experience!

I also kicked off the first meeting of "Mrs. Metzgar's Soaring Eagles Book Club."  I met with a group of 5th Grade students from Ms. Wain's and Mrs. Gaulden's reading classes to talk about our first book, The Fingertips of Duncan Dorfman.  We enjoyed lively discussion and snacks as we shared various topics relating to the story. I had an excellent time and hope to meet with more students before the end of the year.  I am anxiously awaiting some ideas from the students for our next book to explore!

My Book Club Group

Science Museum Photos

 

 

Fabulous Friday Fabrications

Wow!  What great things happened last Friday as we end the first nine weeks.  Every grade level had a variety of exciting projects and activities for their students. We ended our week with a very a successful "Trunk or Treat" event thanks to our PTO.  There was an outstanding turnout of both Trunkers and Treaters.  Some of the trunks were magnificent in their set-ups and there were some extremely creative costumes on our students as well.  Thanks for everyone who was involved.

Also, please make sure you have signed up for a time to meet with your child's teacher this coming Monday, November 7th.  This is a great opportunity for everyone to talk about academic performance as well as expectations for the next 9-weeks.  Tuesday, November 8th is a professional day for the county and election day, so there is no school on either of these days.

Here are some pictures that I want to share from last week - please enjoy!

5th Grade Science - Erupting Volcanoes

 

 


4th Grade Social Studies - Salt Dough Maps of Virginia

 

3rd Grade Social Studies - Olympics of Ancient Greece & Language Arts Activities 

 

 

2nd Grade Language Arts - Vocabulary Maps

 

1st Grade - Bat Day Rotation

 

Kindergarten - Fall Harvest Day