TThhee CCuubb RReeppoorrtteerr Dutch Fork Elementary School….Academy of Environmental Sciences 7900 Broad River Road • Irmo, SC 29063 (803) 476-3900 • FAX (803) 476-3920 www.lexrich5.org/dutchfork.cfm Title I School October 29, 2015

Nov 2 • Tag of Honor for 4K and Hardie

8:15 a.m. • PTO Mtg. 6:00 p.m. Media Center Nov 4 • Second Cup of Coffee 7:30 a.m.

Media Center • K5 goes to Lever Farms Nov 5 • 3rd grade to Congaree Swamp Nov 6 • PBIS Fox Fun Friday Nov 9-13 • Scholastic Book Fair Media Ctr. Nov 9 • District Board Mtg. 7:00 p.m HIS Nov 10 • 1st gr. SC Museum & canal walk Nov 11 • SIC Mtg. 6:00 p.m. Conf. Room Nov 13 • 5th grade to Barrier Islands • Fall Festival 6-8 p.m. with

Scholastic Book Fair Open Nov 16 • 2nd grade to Camp Discovery Nov 17 • 4th grade to Planetarium • Spirit Night at Chipotle 4-9pm Nov 19 • Early Release Day 11:40 a.m. Nov 20 • 2nd grade to Camp Discovery Nov 23 • Picture Make Up Day Nov 25-27 • Thanksgiving Holidays

Buy A Brick Today to Help Us Create

“Pathways of Learning” For Our Students Your engraved brick will be a permanent

piece of the outdoor learning environment that your funds are supporting! These bricks will line the pathway of the Secret Garden located next to our mini theater. 100% of the proceeds will support and maintain our school gardens and outdoor learning areas. It will also support other environmental projects which have become integral to our mission of developing students who love the world we live in and express critical thinking through natural curiosity and wonder. For more information or to order your brick please see our webpage at www.lexrich5.org/dutchfork.cfm

B2 = Breathe Better Campaign What is Breathe Better? Breathe Better is an anti-idling/clean air campaign. The goal is to protect the health of children by reducing harmful vehicle emissions around school campuses. Students are taking actions such as educating drivers about idling and posting “no idling” signs around the school campus. Students are also implementing other school projects aimed at improving air quality, such as planting trees and encouraging alternative modes of transportation. The Breathe Better campaign is a voluntary initiative. It is an environmentally sustainable project that can be easily developed, implemented and maintained. There is zero cost to your school or organization to participate Why focus on school campuses? Large numbers of vehicles idle on school campuses during daily arrival and dismissal. Students, parents, faculty and bus drivers are exposed to higher levels of vehicle exhaust at these times. Exhaust may also be drawn into the air vents and accumulate inside the school building. Children are more sensitive to air pollution than adults because they breathe more (relative to body size) and their lungs are still developing. Pollution from vehicle exhaust has been linked to asthma, other respiratory diseases and increased risk of long-term health effects. Asthma in particular is a common, chronic illness in children and a significant cause of school absence. Why is vehicle idling a problem? Mobile sources such as personal vehicles, school buses and delivery trucks are major contributors to air pollution in South Carolina. (continued)

Coming Soon!! Scholastic Book Fair

November 9-13! DFES Media Center

The Book Fair will be open during the Fall Festival!

First Quarter Tag of Honor Ceremony

Each quarter students at Dutch Fork Elementary are honored at our Tag of Honor Ceremony for outstanding achievements in several academic areas as well as being recognized for Perfect Attendance. Tags are presented to students and accumulate throughout the school year. The tags are worn on a necklace at each ceremony and at the end of the year students are allowed to take them home. Our first ceremony for this year will be held

Friday, October 30 8:05 – 3rd grade 9:05 – 1st grade

10:05 – 5th grade 11:05 – 4th grade 12:20 – 2nd grade

1:20 – Kindergarten Monday, November 2

8:15 – PreK and Miss Hardie’s Class

(con’t. Breathe Better) “Idling” means that a vehicle’s engine is turned on but the vehicle is not in motion. Idling wastes about ½ mile worth of fuel every minute and releases many harmful pollutants.

Learning Through Authenticity One of our beliefs as a school is that, “We believe in learning through

authentic primary sources”. Nothing is more authentic than the life our kids go through each day here at school and at home.

Recently, our grade level teams met together to discuss ways we can do a better job with our students as they work as scientists and engineers. One real-world way to do this is to incorporate more opportunities for students to collect, analyze and communicate data. Scientists and engineers do this every day when they go to work.

Data can look differently to us as we go throughout our day here at school. For example: • Counting the number of worms and birds we see every time we walk to the

playground. • Measuring temperature at different locations around our school. • Measuring the amount of recycled materials collected each day here at school. • Measuring the height of our broccoli plants in our raised beds. • Counting the number of Monarch butterflies seen each afternoon.

And the list could go on and on. But it’s what we do with the data we collect that matters. Collecting data is just the task. It’s the way the data is organized, displayed, analyzed and then communicated that helps our students make connections to what‘s going on in the natural world. Students could just learn about a worm’s habitat, body structure and function. But it’s the questions that kids ask that count. For example “Why are there more worms and birds after it rains?” and “Why don’t we see worms very much in the winter?” It’s then that students begin to connect to what’s going on under their feet, in the sky above and with the water that moves over the ground.

Help us at home, won’t you? There are many ways that you can collect and analyze data at home. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

--Set up a bird feeder and record the different types of birds that come for a visit. Then use your electronic devices or field guides that can be checked out from the library to look up the different types of birds you have spotted.

--Take a walk around your neighborhood and record the places where soil erosion has taken place. See if your child can make inferences as to why erosion is visible in some places and not in others.

--Make cupcakes following the directions. Then make another batch changing the method or ingredients a bit. Record the height of the cupcakes before and after baking. Then taste them to make comparisons. Record observations on a chart.

--Plant a fall garden and record the height and quality of the plants. *If you need more suggestions, ask your child’s teacher for ideas. It’s really simple to make the things you do each day more meaningful and purposeful for your child as a learner.

--Amy Umberger Resident Scientist

Dutch Fork Elementary

November 13TH

6:00pm- 8:00pm

Fall Festival

Penny drive for SC Flood

victims jump castles

face painting

video game truck

games candypizza, popcorn, cotton candy

$1 each

cake walk

story telling

entertainment

$5 wristband

Clown

Kona Ice Truck

Dutch Fork Elementary

November 13TH

6:00pm- 8:00pm

Fall Festival

I would like to pre-pay for the wristbands:

x $5 =

Cash Check

Please provide student name(s) and telephone number to be included on the wristband

games candy video gaming truck jump castles cake walk story telling

To help us order pizza, please let us know if you would be interested in buying pizza by the slice for $1.

Yes No # of slices

Wristbands include all games and entertainment only

exact

ONLY

student(s) name: telephone #:

Homeroom Teacher:

Pre- Payments Due by Nov. 6

Don’t miss FALL FESTIVAL

6:00pm- 8:00pm

all money donated will be given to the d5 foundation for the sc flood victims!

Bring your money from November 6 -13 .

Pie Mr. Scott

Want to know

how?!?

to the library and drop in your grade’s jug!The grade level with the most money will get a student’s

name drawn to PIE MR. SCOTT at Fall Festival

th th

November 2015

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Tag of Honor 4K and Hardie 8:15 a.m. PTO Mtg. 6:00 p.m. in Media Center

Second Cup of Coffee 7:30 a.m. in the Media Center K5 goes to Lever Farms

3rd grade goes to Congaree Swamp

PBIS Fox Fun Friday

8 9 10 11 12 13 14

District Board Mtg. 7:00 IHS

1st grade to SC Museum & canal

SIC Mtg. 6:00 Conference Room

5th gr. to Barrier Islands Fall Festival 6-8 p.m with Book Fair OPEN

15 16 17 18 19 20 21 2nd grade to Camp

Discovery 4th grade to Planetarium Spirit Night at Chipotle 4-9 p.m.

Early Release Day 11:40 a.m.

2nd grade to Camp Discovery

22 23 24 25 26 27 28 Picture Make up

Day

29 30

Scholastic Book Fair in the Media Center Nov. 9 - 13

Thanksgiving Holidays