Special Area Newsletter

January 2025

Music with Ms. Peters

Happy New Year!

During the month of January our K-1 students will continue their adventures to catch our Rest Villain by creating, performing, and responding to a variety of musical elements and exploring music from around the world.

2nd-5th grades are creating, performing and responding to a variety of musical elements. Students will begin our unit on Sound. We are grateful to have received a Bright Ideas Grant for our "From Sound to Story: Exploring STEM, Music, and Literacy" engaging and innovative interdisciplinary unit.

The Upper Primary Chorus(2nd/3rd) will perform our "Pajama Party Musical" for VPE Literacy Night. Students will wear their own pajamas or red chorus shirt and jeans/dark pants.Thursday, March 6th 5:30-7:00 p.m.Students will meet in the gym at 5:30 p.m. when doors open. The performance will begin at 5:45 p.m.

Intermediate Musical (4/5):

The 4th and 5th Grade Intermediate Chorus will present Shrek Jr. to the school at 1:00 and 6:00 for the community show.Thursday, March 27th.1:00 school show 6:00 community show ( 5:30 call time for students to meet in the cafeteria. If your student requires make up, they may have a different call time)

Lower Primary Chorus (K/1):The Lower Primary Chorus will present our "Adventures around the World" show at 5:45 p.m. in the gym.April 24th 5:30-7:00 p.m.

Winter Guard Schedule:

Preparation Clinic on Sunday, Dec. 8th 1-3:00($10 fee) Mandatory Parent Meeting at 3:00 in the cafeteria

Winterguard Audition will take place on Thursday, Dec. 12th from 4:00-6:00p.m.

Mandatory Winterguard Dates if accepted:

Sunday, January 5 Kickoff Camp (VPE Gym) 1-4 (eat lunch before on your own, bring a snack)
Classes will begin following winter break on Thursday, January 9th will continue every Thursday rehearsals from 4:00-6:00 p.m.
Community Show and Camp Day March 9th at VPE
March 15 Tates Creek High School Competition (Times To Be Announced later)
March 22 Semi Finals GRC

Library with Ms. Ault

Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a wonderful winter break! In library, lower primary students will be reading My Brave Year of Firsts. Afterward, we will discuss activities and/or goals for the new year. Upper primary students will hear the book 50 Below Zero which incorporates quite a lot of onomatopoeia and repetition. Intermediate students will hear the story of the Ice Mummy as well as of Balto, the famous sled dog. In addition, we will play basketball to review library terminology.

P.E. with Mr. Penrod

Happy New Year everyone! I hope everybody had a great break. Heading into the new year our 3-5 students will be focusing on winter weather sports- hockey skills for example will be covered. Our K-2 students will be reviewing and reinforcing those fundamental movement skills after coming off the break. I know the cold weather during January can make it difficult to get out and be active. But, taking advantage of those "warmer" days to go on a family walk or playing out in the snow is a great option to stay active. I hope everyone has a great January.

STEM with Ms. Sproles

K-5 students participated in the Hour of Code, a global initiative designed to introduce students to the fundamentals of computer science and spark their interest in coding. Through engaging, age-appropriate activities, our students explored how technology powers the world around them. From programming robot mice to creating their own games, each class got hands-on experience with coding concepts like sequencing, loops, and debugging. Each year our school registers and participates in this event. The Hour of Code helps build critical thinking, problem-solving, and collaboration skills, empowering students to see themselves as creators in the digital age. I am proud of their curiosity, creativity, and perseverance!

Art with Ms. Masterson

Happy New Year, from the art room! January will be a winter wonderland workshop. Snowmen, winter landscapes, and artic animals will fill the art room. Using a variety of media and methods to create some fun filled projects. Coming soon...Upper primary will be finishing up with glaze for their ceramic unit. Lower primary will start clay projects. Intermediate will be looking forward to some candy filled pop art projects.

Culture with Ms. Jackson

Happy New Year!!!! I hope everyone's well rested and ready to finish the year off strong. This semester the kindergarten students will be talking about how life was a long time ago. 1st grade will be discussing how the community has changed over time. 2nd grade students will be exploring how citizens impacted their government. The students in 4th grade will finish up the exploration of Europeans and then they will jump into how the settlers settled in North America. And the 5th grade students will be finishing up the cause of the Revolution and starting the Declaration of Independence and American Revolution.