The Hoofbeat Junior

In Kinderstart they are working on reading three letter books. For math they just have been working on subtraction. For art they just got done with making shamrock people. For Dr. Seuss week they are dressing up and doing a book of the day by matching the character with the book and reading it. Lastly they are working on writing full sentences.

They are working on adding and subtracting in math and how to pronounce digraphs and long vowels in reading. They are also learning about polar and arctic animals. The big things they are working on are responsibility and kindness.

Mrs. Engle’ s class is having so much fun and learning so much! In math they are adding and graphing a story called The Mitten. In grammar they are learning very important stuff like nouns and pronouns. In phonics they are working with beginning, middle and ending sounds. They are doing really fun art activities. They made a groundhog for Groundhog's Day. For the 100th day of School, they did a project if they were 100 years old, and they filled boxes up with their favorite animals. They are reading books called Waiting In the Storm, and they will read a lot of Dr. Seuss books for Dr. Seuss week. Mrs. Engle is a great teacher! Her class is having the best year and is going to learn so much more!

The Miller AAU Club has a great wrestling team! The team has a great coach named Ken. We help everyone make wrestling fun but hard enough that we do great in wrestling. We only have a couple of meets left until districts. If you get top 8 at districts you make it to regions, and if you get top 4 there you make it to state. Our team is really good at wrestling and having fun and making sure everyone has fun. We hope to make it to state. But if we don't make it, it is ok! District is on March 7. Come, cheer and see us at Rapid City!

The first graders are reading Vaulter’s Views and working on finding text evidence. They are also figuring out how to state the main idea of a story and use supporting details. In phonics they are learning about long vowels with a silent E.

For math they are learning about missing addends and place value. They have been introduced to using comparison symbols in math. In grammar they are learning about irregular verbs and proper nouns. They also did a penguin project. They read a book about penguins and wrote facts about them. They did art projects about penguins, too.

In phonics Ms. Hosman’s class is learning about phonograms, and her class likes it. They are reading Dr. Seuss and reviewing Dr. Seuss books. In math they are working on shapes and their attributes. In science they are learning about transparency of light. Ms. Hosman and Ms. Fernholz are doing a March Madness with some books and the students are voting for two of their favorite books.

Great things that are happening in Mrs.Stevens' class. Her students are learning how to add and subtract and how to read big paragraphs. They are learning how to write correct sentences, too. Her class is working hard. They are also working on rocket math, which is when the kids start off at the "A" level. They get timed for one minute, and they have to go through a short list of addition and subtraction problems. If they finish the whole sheet in under one minute they get to move on to level "B" and so forth. They are learning about open and closed syllables. If you split a word into syllables and there is a vowel at the end of the syllable it is a open syllable. It is a closed syllable when there is a consonant after the vowel.

Third grade is learning a whole bunch of new things in school. In math they are learning about area and perimeter. In reading they are leveled readers to keep up their good reading skills. In grammar they are working on linking verbs so they can use proper English. In phonics they are learning about vowel teams and simple multisyllable words so they can pronounce words correctly. Then they work on cursive to keep their handwriting fancy when they do assignments. Their next project is to pick a state and research it, and then they are going to enter it in the state fair. The third grade class is learning a lot!

Mrs. Haigh's 2nd grade class has a class fish named Fire. For phonics they are learning about vowel R phonograms. An art project they just got done with is a fold out leprechaun and rainbow. In math they just got to take a test on topic 6. They are just starting topic 7 doing multistep number word problems. In reading they are reading a story called "A Call to Compost". In grammar they are starting to review contractions.

Pass, set, hit, here comes volleyball season. Volleyball starts in March. The third and fourth grade coach is Miranda Bode; the fifth grade coaches are Ashlee Jensen, Ashley Winter, and Marci Asmus. The six grade coaches are Marci Asmus and Tracy Resel. Practices go from March 3 to May 1. Volleyball is a sport that many 4th through 6th grade girls play. This sport is always a chance to learn new things. In volleyball you get a chance to let all your anger out and get mad at the ball. Just don't hit it too hard ; it might go backwards or up to the ceiling! This is a sport that can be hard but if you try your best you can be really good at it! So always try your hardest and hit it over the net! Remember just have fun and don't be too competitive, and you will have a fun time.

NASCAR made its debut at the Daytona 500 for the opening of the 2025 NASCAR CUP Series, and William Byron won there for the second time in a row. He won because Ryan Preece flipped for the second time in a row. There were some bad crashes, but every driver was okay. At Atlanta there were less severe crashes, and Christopher Bell won that race and the following race at Circuit of the Americas because he spun out Kyle Busch with 2 laps to go.

In math they are working on adding and subtracting fractions, and they will be heading to division. In reading they are going to continue with Laura Ingalls Wilder. They will be starting literature circles. In science they are doing energy circuit and energy transfers. In social studies they are learning about the Dust Bowl. They are working on pronouns and possessive pronouns in English. In February they made a cupid with a writing project.

One thing that the fourth graders are doing is reading the book The One And Only Ivan. They are learning about the Dust Bowl in social studies. They get an update on a calf every month, and this month the calf weighs 140Ib. The calf grew 2 inches and gained 15 Ib in a month. They are getting a postcard from every state; so far they have 20. They are also doing a timed test where you get a minute to do multiplication facts. They are also getting letters from their pen pals in Oregon. They are reading the book Wild Robot.

I asked Mrs. Clarke questions about teaching. "Is it easy to teach?" "No, it depends on the topic and what we are doing." "What is your favorite subject?" "Social Studies and Math are my favorites." "Are the kids good in classes?" "They are really good at following the school routine and are able to get a lot done, and they have also gotten better at work habits." "What is your favorite part of the school year?" "I like the part of the school year between the start and the middle."

"Is it easy to teach?" "Not so easy, but it is when the kids are listening and paying attention." Science is her favorite subject. Mrs. Van Zee has a Master's Degree in science. I asked her, "Are you ready for Phonics to be done?" "Not only are the stories really good, they also have some science in the stories." "Are we good in school?" "Students are getting better at working in groups, getting stuff done, and getting it done quickly." "Are we going to learn the periodic table?" "Yes, but not all of it- only 1 through 20." "What is your favorite part of the school?" "My favorite part is the middle of the year ‘cause the kids are more focused and know more of what to do."

Mrs. Moore’s class is learning about inequalities in chapter 4 in math. in reading they are reading The Westing Game. The Westing Game is a mystery novel about a man named Sam Westing who said he was murdered. Sam Westing set up a game for 16 people to find out who murdered him. In Mrs. Rogers' class they are making coolers to see how long it could hold an ice cube. In social studies they are making board games. Sixth graders go to the Nursing home on one Friday a month. At the nursing home the 6th graders play games, talk and have a fun time.

Mrs. Rogers' class is learning so much and having the best year!

In math they are learning about surface area. They said it is not the hardest thing but it is still pretty hard. They are reading a book called Pax. The book is about a boy in the wilderness who returns with his beloved fox. They are going to the nursing home on March 13. They love going there and putting a smile on the residents' faces. They also went to the Hand County Library for Reading Across America. In English they are learning about the dog sled race. Here are some fun facts: It is in Alaska. The dogs race over 1,00 miles. It goes on for about 2 weeks. The dogs follow the mushers. Mrs. Rogers class is going to have a great rest of the year.

People celebrate St. Patrick's Day all around the world. Some people put up traps to catch the leprechaun. Other people watch parades or eat special foods with friends and family. A lot of people wear green clothes. St. Patrick’s Day is an important holiday.

The job of the principal is not easy, but it has some upsides. The main part of the job is PAPERWORK. Mrs. BK said that she is the special education director. Special education includes OT, PT, special education, and speech. Throughout the year Mrs. BK watches our teachers teach around four to six times. Mrs. BK said her favorite part of the job is working with kids and she wants to continue doing it. I asked what a day in the office is like and she said no two days are ever the same. There are around 300 students and staff at this school and at the colony, so many things can happen. Before she was a principal, she was a special education teacher then a middle school math teacher. Mrs. BK also plays for some soloists for the contest. Our principal does a lot for our school so say thank you if you see her. Remember you can’t spell principal without Pal.

Paige VanDerWerff is the Livestock Manager at the Black Hill Stock Show. Paige has been working at the stock show for 7 months. Paige’s favorite event is the Youth Show. What stresses Paige out the most is making sure everything is planned right and in order. Paige grew up out in the country and worked at her neighbor's dairy farm. Paige was an Ag Teacher before having the position she is in now. Paige rides horses, hangs out with friends, and works a lot to plan for the next stock show. The Stock Show's main purpose is to bring people together to have a fun time showing and rodeoing!

It's all about your mindset! Choose happiness!

Shooting Sports is a 4-H project that is super fun. You can shoot BB gun, Air Pistol, and Bow/Arrow but there are still many more. I do Shooting Sports, and it's the best. I have always made it to state, and it's easy. First you have to practice hard to learn the basics. Next you go to Shooting Sports and shoot your qualifying score for your age group (9-10 is 250 and 11-12 is 300). That's what I know right now because I’m 11. My first score I got was 302. My next one was 328. You get 4 targets and their different positions like Prone, Standing, Kneeling, and Sitting. My best is Prone. I feel that every kid should try Shooting Sports, and my favorite part is getting to skip school to go to state. You head to Pierre then you go into this big building with more kids that go to Shooting Sports. Shooting Sports is so much fun and teaches you patience and gun safety. Everyone should try Shooting Sports at least once.

1. Monday-Be your own cat in the hat! Wear your favorite hat to school!

2. Tuesday-Green Eggs and Ham. Dress all green to make yourself a green egg!

3. Wednesday-Wacky Wednesday- share a laugh. Dress has crazy as you can!

4. Thursday-One Fish Two Fish. Dress red or blue or both!

5. Friday-Oh, the Places You Will Go. Dress up as your future job!