The Pioneer Post

Dear Parents and Guardians,

As we dive into the jolly vibe of December, I wanted to take a moment to express my sincere gratitude for your continued support and partnership in making Fort Calhoun Elementary School a nurturing learning community.

This month is packed with exciting events, such as the 2nd Quarter PBIS Celebration, holiday parties, and more. I am especially eager to listen to the 5th and 6th grade band on December 10th, as well as enjoy the musical performances from all our students on December 16th.

On behalf of the entire staff, we wish you and your families a joyful and restful winter break filled with love, laughter, and many new memories together.

Warm regards,

~Mrs. Horstman

• Breakfast ends at 8:00 am. It is challenging for students to eat their full meal when they arrive at 7:55 am. Please help ensure your child is arriving to school with adequate time to eat, so they can start their learning when the school day begins at 8.
• Our transportation team would like your help with the corner of 12th and Adams. Please leave plenty of space to ensure the buses can safely make the turn onto Adams St.

With the temperatures dropping outside, a reminder that per the elementary handbook, students will be going outside if the temperature is 15 degrees or higher. If the temperature is under 15 degrees (ex. 14 degrees) the students will have indoor recess. Please ensure that your student is coming to school with the appropriate cold weather gear to ensure they are warm during outdoor recess. If you need assistance with finding cold weather gear for your student, please contact Mrs. Horstman.

• December 2nd - 20th - Dibels Testing (K - 6th Grade)
• December 9th - 13th - NWEA (K-2nd Grade) & NSCAS (3rd - 6th Grade)
• December 10th - Elementary Winter Band Concert @ 7 PM
  
• December 16th - Elementary Winter Music Concert @ 6 PM
• December 18th - 2nd Quarter PBIS Student Celebration
• December 20th - End of the 2nd Quarter

The next student recognition date has been set for Monday, December 16th. While we continue to plan for our next INCREDIBLE event, we are keep the details a secret. However, students are already aware of the expectations they need to meet in order to go. The criteria is:

• Students (preschool - 1st grade) with 3 or less PowerSchool logs (which includes bus write ups) will get the attend the PBIS student recognition event.
• Students (2nd - 6th grade) with 9 or less demerits (which includes bus write ups) will get to attend the PBIS student recognition event.

Preschool:

• Reading: Preschoolers will be learning about the letters C, O and Q. We will read books about The Gingerbread Man and snow. The afternoon class will practice reading sentences from the left to the right and pointing to each word.
• Writing: Preschoolers continue to practice writing their name. We will be writing the letters and numbers we are learning. We will practice writing with wood pieces and shaving cream.
• Math: Preschoolers are working on the number 4 and 5. We will be creating a gingerbread house and writing the number/color of M & M's on the house.
• Science: For science, we will place marshmallows in hot and cold cocoa to see if and how fast they melt.

From the Kindergarten Team:

• Reading: Increase vocabulary skills, focusing on comprehension through key details, identifying characters and setting of the story and sequencing events
• Writing: Curve letters and push up letters
• Math: Addition and subtraction strategies
• Science: Pushes and pulls
• Social Studies: National and state symbols

From the 1st Grade Team:

• Reading: In reading, the first graders will learn about long vowels: a and i spelled with the magic silent e on the end. They will also practice reading and writing words with the soft c and g sounds. The will learn contractions with not and review inflectional endings -ed and -ing. Students will also be able to recall the sequence of events in a story!
• Writing: Students will be creating a booklet and writing about where our elf is each day!
• Math: The first graders will practice the meaning of addition by solving story problems with addition strategies.
• Science: Students will be observing plant and animal parts and how we learn from plants and animals.

From the 2nd Grade Team:

• Reading: Long vowel Combinations, Main Idea & Key Details, Understanding and using Idioms
• Writing: Persuasive Elf Application, handwriting, using nouns and verbs in sentences
• Math: Measurement and Addition and Subtraction with regrouping
• Science: Erosion and different landforms
• Social Studies: Using different kinds of maps to find locations, using map keys, and directions

From the 3rd Grade Team:

• Reading: Context Clues, Vocabulary Skills, Chronology
• Writing: Types of Verbs, Combining Sentences, Prefixes and Suffixes
• Math: Fractions and Multiplication

From the 4th Grade Team:

• Reading: Our fourth graders are going to continue to read biographies, as well as, explore some argumentative texts. We will continue to work on the author's perspective toward a particular topic by providing evidence for these claims and identify the main idea and explain how it is supported by key details.
• Writing: Our writers just finished up writing an argumentative/expository writing piece. They incorporated their previous knowledge from Social Studies about the three branches of government to provide evidence to prove why the three branches of government are important. In addition, we are continuing to build our writing stamina with prompt writing about the Zones of Regulation.
• Math: These mathematicians are working hard on long division and continuing to review our basic facts. After winter break, we will be moving on to fractions. We will begin with making equivalent fractions and being able to compare fractions by using benchmarks, number lines and models.
• Science: Our scientists are currently taking on the role of geologists! They are investigating how a dinosaur fossil, found in the fictional Desert Rocks National Park, formed. The students will make inferences about the history of the park based on the fossil itself and the rock layers in which it is embedded. They will be able to identify how small changes occurring in the environment lead to big changes over time.
• Social Studies: Our historians have been researching the Oregon Trail and the many reasons pioneers decided to move west!

From the 5th Grade Team:

• Reading: Students are learning about historical concepts through Reading. They are learning about historians, Archaeologists, and other historical terms through reading.
• Math: Students are working on Division and Multiplication of Decimals.
• Science: In science, we are investigating how animals grow. Soon we will be studying the transfer of matter through ecosystems as well as ecosystem restoration.
• Social Studies: In Social Studies, students are continuing with Chapter 4: Life in the Colonies. Students are currently on a unit of Indentured Servants and Slaves in the Colonies. Students are learning what caused the groundwork for the American Revolution.

From the 6th Grade Team:

• Reading: We will be reading and analyzing online articles to research winter holidays.
• Writing: We will be researching and writing presentations to learn about winter holiday celebrations from around the world.
• Science: Our time with the micro world is over, however, we have moved onto the human body and the subsystems that make them function!
• Social Studies: We are currently learning about the Ancient Civilization of the Indus River Valley and will be moving towards the beginnings of the Chinese Dynasties.