Mary Lynch Newsletter

October 8th - Family Night 5:00-6:00

October 9th - Fire Prevention - Pre-K through 4th

October 14th - Vision, Hearing and Dental screenings

October 16th and 17th - 4th Grade trip to Flowerfield

The new school year has kicked off, and it’s been such a refreshing start! The updates to our building have truly set the tone for a fantastic year, and students love the new lockers and tables. The zip line and green spinner have become the most popular attractions on the playground. In fact, some kiddos have been spinning a little too enthusiastically after lunch—if only we could harness that energy for science class!

Our PBIS rewards system has also received a refreshing update, and it’s already making a big impact. We’ve had several students complete their first challenge cards, and one class even earned an extra recess! The excitement and positive energy are contagious.

Another fantastic addition to Mary Lynch is the Kimball Longhorn Branch of FirsTier Bank. This new partnership is a simple yet powerful step towards incorporating financial literacy into our school. We are so grateful to FirsTier Bank for making this opportunity possible for our students.

It’s been an amazing start to the year, and I can’t wait to see what else is in store for us at Mary Lynch Elementary!

In Kindergarten we would like to give a shout out to Holly Smith and Nova McDonald this month. These two girls come to school every day with a positive attitude, smiles on their faces, and are ready to listen and learn! They are great examples to their peers. Keep up the great work - Kindergarten is lucky to have you two! :)

In the first grade we have Kavya Chaudhari and Brax Johnson. These two are always a ray of sunshine when coming to school and never let anything get them down. They are hard workers and incredibly kind. Keep up the good work!

We have been reading a story called "Where is Home, Little Pip?" and are learning all about the author and illustrator, parts of a book, and story elements. For our vocabulary word "fluttered" we demonstrated with feathers in the classroom! :) We have been learning how to write numbers 0-5 and even have a special song to sing to remember each number formation. We are now learning about groups that are more than or less than. Kindergarten has enjoyed learning about the lifecycle of a butterfly! Check out the pictures below! :)

In reading, we've been practicing our letters and sounds as well as learning about characters, settings, and main events in stories. In the future we will continue the same skills and add more sentence writing

While in math, we've been working on addition soon we will learn about adding 0 to numbers.

We are off to a good start in second grade this year. It is going to be a big year as we continue to work on our reading and math skills. Thank you to all the parents who have been listening to their children read every night.. In math we just finished place value and are starting to add and subtract with double digit numbers. Please watch for teachable moments as later on we will learn more about time and money. Here are some pictures of our second grade students enjoying the new playground equipment.

Third graders have been learning about finding text evidence to support their answers. We have also been learning about character's motivations and actions in stories and have started learning about point of view. Additionally, we have been working on finding the main idea and key details and have been learning to organize and write paragraphs with linking words.

We will be focusing on text features coming up and will continue to learn how to decode words and read accurately and fluently.

In math, it is all about multiplication! Students will be learning how to solve story problems involving multiplication and will continue lessons on multiplication facts, as well as learning to use the distributive property.

On October 1, students will be attending the Sidney Third-Grade Wellness Day! Students will be learning about physical activity and nutrition to maintain health. It should be a great day!

In ELA students have reviewing parts of speech and various other grammar skills that were taught last year. We have also been working on reading skills using the text Porpoises in Peril. Soon we will be diving into writing review skills and will be working on their first major writing pieces. While in Social Studies 4th graders are working on Nebraska's geography and maps. And in Science we have been learning about animal habitats, camouflage, mimicry, and adaptations, to name a few things. In math the 4th graders are working on understanding place value/ multiplying by one and two-digit numbers and will soon be moving onto long division. Please continue to work on multiplication and division facts this has a great impact on developing their math skills.

On October 16th and the 17th one 4th grade class will take a trip to Flowerfield.

In Social Studies students are working on America's land and its climate. In ELA we have been reviewing parts of speech and various other grammar skills that were taught last year. The 5th graders have been working on reading skills using the text Night of the Spadefoot Toads. We will be diving into writing review skills and will be working on their first major writing pieces very soon. While in Science we have been learning about the phases of the moon, revolution and rotation of the Earth, and why some stars seem brighter than others. And in math students are working on multiplying and dividing by one and two-digit numbers and will soon be learning how to read, write, and compare decimals to the thousandths. Please continue to work on multiplication and division facts this has a great impact on developing their math skills.

Students have all been reviewing parts of speech and various other grammar skills that were taught last year and 6are working on reading skills using either the text Ungifted or The Egypt Game. We will be diving into writing review skills and will be working on their first major writing pieces very soon. In Social Studies they are learning about Ancient Greece. In Science students have been learning many functions and parts of animal and plant cells. And in math the 6th graders are working on how to add, subtract, multiply, and divide decimals/ finding the greatest common factor and least common multiples of numbers and will learn about ratios next. Please continue to work on multiplication and division facts this has a great impact on developing their math skills.

Hello Mary Lynch families from the ELITE afterschool program!

We have had a busy start at program averaging about 50 kids each day!

The kids have enjoyed creating art using chalk, paint, and watercolors. We have made cherry pie treats, spin drums, spiral snakes, and treasure boxes.

Lego club is always a favorite, and the kids have had fun with the challenges!

Next month we will have a visit from Amanda Filipi from the Wildcat Hills Nature Center.

We are always happy to have volunteers! If you are interested please let me know.

mpratt@kpslonghorns.org

Thank you for letting us have fun with your kids!!

Ms Marcie, Ms Julie, Ms Barbi, Ms Ashley, Mts. Wurdeman, Mr Steve

K-2 students have been learning programming skills using our new Ozobots. 3rd through 6th grade have discussed digital citizenship topics like protecting passwords and finding a healthy balance with daily media choices.

Our annual book fair will be happening next month. Watch your child's Longhorn mail and KPS social media for more information.

The kids have been working on Volleyball Skills in PE. We are learning and getting better and the older kids have even played some competitive matches.

In art we have completed our project folders, folders to help us stay organized, and have moved on to projects that focus on how artists use line.