Early Childhood:
We spent the first two weeks getting to know each other, and learning our classroom routines and procedures. We were introduced to our work station areas, and the kids have been exploring everything we have to offer in our house area, block area, music area, toy area, writing area, and art area. In the month of September, we will be working a lot on recognizing and writing our names as well as our classmates’ names. We will also begin our apple unit later in the month.
As a reminder, the district offers free Early Childhood screenings once a month at the Central Office for children ages 3 and up that live in our district. If you have questions, concerns, or are just curious about your child’s development, please contact Brenda Dion at 532-0406 to set up a screening appointment.
Warrior Preschool:
It’s apple picking time! We will be bringing that fun fall experience into the classroom. The dramatic play center will become an Apple Orchard. We will continue to learn about classroom rules. We will also start using our focus wall. This space will be where relevant information is displayed. For example, the weekly letter, shape, color and number and positive affirmations. Great things are happening in our classroom.
Kindergarten News:
We made it! We have had a great start to our Kindergarten year! We have enjoyed making new friends, listening to stories, going to Encore, singing, dancing, playing at recess, and having snack time! In addition to all of the fun, we have been busy learning the rules of school. Be sure to ask your child about “Body and Line Basics.” We have practiced very hard to keep quiet voices in the hallway, our hands to ourselves at all times, and walking, not running. Next week we will continue to work on becoming responsible for our own belongings (cleaning out our backpacks/hanging them up), sitting quietly when asked, following directions, sharing and taking turns, remembering classroom rules and lastly, building a strong sense of community in our classroom. It is important for our learning this year that we all work together. The month of September we will be learning all about the letters M, A, N, F, and V. We will also learn our sight words: the, a, go, at, me, my. In Math we will begin sorting, graphing, matching numbers to objects, and numbers 1-10. Our first family project for September will be completing a Family tree at home. We will learn about weather and what it means to be a scientist. In Social Studies we will start working on the Pledge of Allegiance. In Writers Workshop we are learning what it means to be an author and illustrator, and have also been discussing and planning topics to write about in our own books.
First Grade News:
Welcome to first grade! We are so excited to get the year started. This month we will focus on launching our reading and writing workshops. We will learn how to choose a “just right” book to read and we will spend some time on handwriting and sentence formation. We will work really hard on building our independent reading and writing stamina. In math we will learn different strategies that we can use to add numbers. In Social Studies we will discuss what it means to be a good citizen. Our Second Steps lessons focus on how we can be a good classmate to each other and how we can help each other by providing a great learning environment. We look forward to spending a lot of time building relationships with our classmates and learning about each other.
Second Grade:
Welcome to second grade! As we start the school year we are focusing a lot on following expectations and what it looks like to be a second grader. In reading and writing we have started our launching units where we try to build up the students' stamina and help them understand what to do if they get stuck on tricky words. For math, we will be covering mental math strategies adding and subtracting up to twenty. In social studies we are spending the next couple of weeks focusing on the types of communities we are involved with and what it looks like to be a good citizen. We have loved getting to know the students and look forward to a wonderful year together!
Third Grade:
Welcome to third grade! We are filling this month with lots of fun activities and learning. Students will get to know each other and what third grade is all about. We are going to start both our reading and writing workshops. This will include building our reading stamina and writing about small moments in our lives. In math, we will start off with using place value to round numbers and practice math fluency. We also plan to learn about our country in social studies, including honoring Patriot Day. We are so excited to get this year started!
Fourth Grade:
Students did a great job the first week getting to know everyone! We are on track with starting our units in every subject!
In math, we are kicking off with our whole numbers unit, which includes working with place value, comparing, rounding, adding, and subtracting!
Reading and Writing are focused on kick-starting our ideas. We have been brainstorming and coming up with lots of things that interest us! In writing, we will begin our first unit, “Finding the Heart of a Story.” In reading, students will infer and analyze story elements.
Social Studies we are creating a project to show someone who has never been to the United States of America! Once our Social Studies unit is done we will move on to a unit of Science!
For more information as the weeks go on, we send out a weekly newsletter on Smore!
Fifth Grade:
We are ready to get this party started! Here in 5th grade the grind is real. Attendance, perseverance, and effort are key, along with a good attitude day in and day out. Our students are going to learn a ton this year, and we teachers are excited to fill their brains with new knowledge every day. Please make sure you read our weekly newsletters we send, as those come with lots of vital information! Let’s roll 5th grade families!
Science: The month of August and September is for sharpening our ability to be successful scientists. Being a scientist is more than just experiments, it’s also reading, writing and math. My students need to be prepared to pull all subjects together in order to become the most well rounded scientist there ever was. This unit is called ‘Becoming a Scientist’. I can’t wait to get started!
SS: September is all about our States and Capitals, different regions of the US, and taking the States Test—-get ready for some true excitement and a song you’ll never hear the end of! :)
ELA: In unit one we will set up our reading and writing workshop. In reading workshop we will work together to establish each student's reader's identity, set goals for ourselves, learn how to work collaboratively in a literature circle and learn reading strategies that we will utilize the rest of the year. In writing workshop we will begin to generate ideas that we can refer back to all year. Students will be exposed to various genres and asked to find a genre that fits their purpose and topic. Our goal during unit one is to set up students to become independent writers.
Mathematics: This month is a time to discover our passion for the subject of Mathematics and focus on those foundational mathematical skills. We will explore the most essential pattern associated with mathematics: the pattern of place value (understanding our base ten system). We will utilize this understanding to assist us as we learn about reading base ten numerals, writing base ten numerals in various forms, multiplying and dividing by powers of ten and much more. We will even begin to look at the world of exponents. Should be a busy and exciting month of growth and understanding!
Sixth Grade:
MATH- This week we have been identifying and practicing our group skills and expectations, refreshing our minds on important grade level vocabulary and techniques, and preparing for our upcoming unit on Greatest Common Factor and Least Common Multiples. Coming up, we will begin setting SMART goals that students will work to achieve this quarter.
ELA: During our first week together, we participated in several activities to share who we are as unique individuals and reflect on how we view ourselves as readers and writers. We have set goals for ourselves and will continue to do so throughout the quarter to meet personal and grade level learning expectations. During our first unit, students will learn different ways in which we think about and respond to reading. I am eager to hear the ideas students have to share, as well as read those recorded in students’ reader’s notebooks, as we read The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo together!
Technology & Innovation Learning:
We are hard at work in the Technology and Innovation room. Students face challenges and activities each week that test their ability to have a growth mindset while working with teammates. This will be a skill we will work on throughout our elementary career! It’s all about failing forward and ensuring we grow from mistakes and continually improve. We will continue this work along with starting to dabble in the world of digital citizenship and balancing our use of technology while making sure we get outside or do something that is unplugged.
Library:
Welcome back Horizon families! I have enjoyed seeing all the familiar faces and getting to know all of our new friends these first weeks of school. I can’t wait to share my love of books and reading with everyone this year!
In September we will be learning about how to be a good library citizen. Lesson focuses will be on book care, library manners, and how to pick Just Right Books. Third through fifth grade will be learning about library technology and how to use the resources available from the Mid-Continent Public Library. All grades will be introduced to this year’s Missouri State Book Award Nominees and the reading incentives that go along with reading these nominated books.
4th Grade Nominee Reading Incentive
5th Grade Nominee Reading Incentive
6th Grade Nominee Reading Incentive
I am excited to announce that profits from the Spring Book Fair were once again used to pay for our membership in the Book Break Consortium and we will once again be bringing Horizon students virtual author visits all year long! Our September authors are Shannon Hale, the author of The Princess in Black series for grades K-3. Stuart Gibbs, the author of the Spy School series, is the featured author for grades 4-6. I am so excited to be able to offer this experience to our students again and really hope that they enjoy seeing so many of their favorite authors!
** Summer reading logs are due to the library by Friday, August 30, 2024.**
** Fall Book Fair shopping - September 9-13th, 2023** - students will shop during their scheduled library time. EWallets can be purchased prior to the bookfair to eliminate the need to send cash to school. More information can be found on the Scholastic book fair website https://www.scholastic.com/bf/horizonelementaryschool10
Tuesday, Sep 10, 2024- Groovy Grandparents/GrandFriends - Family Night 4:00-6:00
Classrooms will be open and teachers available so that students can show off their classrooms to their grandparents/grandfriends from 4:00-5:00. If you RSVP ahead of time you can have a snack in the cafeteria with your grandparents as well. The book fair will be open from 4:00-6:00.
As you are doing your Back to School cleaning, I am looking for gently used puzzles for all ages that can be donated to the library. Thank you in advance for your generosity.
Art:
Hello from Horizon’s Art Studio! I’m glad to be back in the art room with our budding artists and can’t wait to see all of their creativity this year!
We have started the year with a review of some art room expectations, some drawing games, an art coloring page, and play-doh.
As students come back for their 2nd day of art, it looks a bit different for each grade level.
Kindergarten is beginning the year with one of my FAVORITE books, Beautiful Oops by Barney Saltzberg. Students are given an “oops” paper that's already been marked on, and must reimagine what they could turn those marks into. “When you think you’ve made a mistake, think of it as an opportunity to make something BEAUTIFUL!” Beautiful Oops is a concept that is referred to all throughout the year in art class, and sticks in student’s minds all through their years at Horizon.
1st, 2nd, and 3rd Grades are starting their first project, which involves working in themes. These themes provide some inspiration, while still allowing so much room for creativity and individuality. The themes are:
1st Grade: “I’m Hungry”
2nd Grade: “Look Up”
3rd Grade: “On the Move”
Each grade level was able to look at famous works that fall within these themes and do a group brainstorm to get our ideas flowing. Even throughout the idea generation and sketching phase, I’m already noticing these themes pushing these young artists' creativity to new levels.
4th and 5th Grade are diving into “The Nine”. When creating art, artists can choose from nine basic subjects. We’re looking at each of these subjects and being intentional about them when in the planning / ideation stage of an art piece. “The Nine” subjects artists can choose are The Object, Architecture, Landscape, Nature, Portrait, Figure, Imagination, Non-Representational, and Conceptual. After learning a bit about each of these subjects and viewing some masterworks from art history in each, students are designing their own work within one of “The Nine” subjects. I can’t wait to see the results!
6th Grade 2D Art is in full swing since they have art 3-4 times a week! These students sketched out 2 thought-provoking projects (About Me and Pick 3), and chose one of these projects to move forward with. This class already has use of Drawing Studio, Collage Studio, and some of Painting Studio. They’ve also learned about Drawing Pencils and reviewed the use of Chalk Pastels. These students are doing great and are highly engaged in their work each day!
Be on the lookout for projects being added on Artsonia as the year progresses! Kindergarten families and families of new students, be on the lookout for your invitation to Artsonia (our digital art portfolio) soon!
As always, thank you for supporting your student's creative endeavors!
Music:
Hello Horizon families and welcome back! The music room is already booming with creation as students are back and ready to make music! In September, all grades will be beginning their initial lessons identifying the difference between rhythm and steady beat. We’re doing this through songs, fun competitions, and more! In our 6th grade Music Composition Class, we are jumping right into music creation as students are challenged to create their own instrument with things that they find at home. After students present their new instrument they will create a short song using rhythm and/or pitch on the instrument. I’m so excited to see what they come up with!
I am extremely excited about Horizon’s choir, the Sunset Singers, and what we have in store this year! We will have a Winter concert along with Maple and Eagle Heights Elementary Choirs this semester! Our rehearsals will be on Tuesday mornings from 7:30-8:30 am before school. Be on the lookout for information coming home with your child about this the week of September 2nd! We will not have a choir info night this year so it is important you look through and fill out the info sheets that get sent home. Our rehearsals will begin on September 24th! Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions at all! My email is kettermt@smithville.k12.mo.us
Counseling:
I hope each of you had an opportunity to explore, try new things and see a little bit of our beautiful world over the summer break. It is important to get out there, be curious and see the world so we can truly learn where we belong, what is and isn’t important to us and what we want to learn more about.
Life is an adventure! School is an adventure! Where will this new year take you?
I am just one of many helpers here to support our Horizon families and students on their educational journey through this 2024-2025 school year adventure.
The Horizon counseling department, Ms. Pawlcyn and Ms. Johnson, will continue to provide:
Classroom lessons focusing on learning strategies, career exploration, self-management and social skills.
Lunch bunches allow for students to participate in fun & engaging activities to promote positive social interactions, friendship building, problem solving, self-esteem and leadership skills.
Small group and individual counseling is short term in nature with a specific focus and requires parent permission. Some examples of topics: anxiety, social skills, emotional regulation, grief/loss, family changes, school success, conflict resolution, increased attitude toward self & school. If you would like your child to participate in these resources please reach out to me.
Collaboration with you, your student and their teachers and other school staff to support academic success.
Crisis Intervention in times of need with school and community based resources.
Other supports include Hope Squad, Student Success Team, Attendance Council, Positive Behavior and Intervention Support, monthly parent newsletter, managing resources from outside agencies in the school, referral to community resources as needed.
If you have any questions about any of the above topics or would like to request your child to participation in group or individual counseling please reach out, Ms. Aimee Pawlcyn 816-532-4566 or pawlcyna@smithville.k12.mo.us
Reading Interventionist:
Welcome back families! During the first few weeks of school, Horizon Elementary will be screening all students to determine who would benefit from Reading Resource support. If your child qualifies for reading intervention, we will send home an invitation letter. Students who qualify will receive an additional 20-30 minutes of science-based reading instruction daily. If you have questions, please feel free to call me at X7427 or email me at hahnd@smithville.k12.mo.us.
P.B.I.S. - Mrs. Johnson
Horizon staff is excited to share with you some important information about our school’s commitment to fostering a positive learning environment through Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS). What is PBIS? PBIS is a proactive approach that we use to promote and recognize positive behavior in our students. The goal is to create a school culture where positive behavior is the norm, making our school a place where all students can thrive. How Does PBIS Work? PBIS focuses on teaching students our school’s expectations for behavior in a clear and consistent way. We emphasize the importance of being respectful, responsible, and safe in all areas of the school. This past week students practiced these expectations all around the school including, the cafeteria, hallway, playground, and their classroom. When students demonstrate these positive behaviors, they are recognized and rewarded. This might include praise, tribe tickets, warrior bucks, or other incentives that encourage them to continue making good choices. How Can You Support PBIS at Home? You play a crucial role in reinforcing the positive behaviors we encourage at school. Here are a few ways you can support PBIS at home: Talk about school expectations: Discuss the importance of being respectful, responsible, and safe. Celebrate successes: Praise your child when they demonstrate positive behavior. Stay Connected: Keep in touch with your child’s teacher and stay informed about their progress. Together we can build a strong community that nurtures our children’s growth and sets them up for success in the classroom and beyond. Thank you for your continued support!
