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SCHLESWIG SCHOOL
HAPPENINGS
Please check out the school’s website at http://www.schleswig.k12.ia.us/ for school
calendars, bus routes, emergency bus routes and school cancellations.
PRINCIPAL’S REPORT By Mr. Galvin
Changes to Happenings
As you probably noticed, there have been some changes made to the Happenings. The number of times the of publication has been reduced to four a school year. For the most up to
date information, be sure to check out the school webpage and Facebook page.
Seesaw
At conferences this fall, information went out to parents about an app that teachers are making use of in their classrooms. It is called Seesaw and it is a student portfolio building tool.
Teachers can assign and collect assignments from students through Seesaw and can do so in several different ways, including pictures and videos. The added benefit of using Seesaw in the
classroom is it allows for student portfolios to be connected with parents as well. Parents can view their child’s work, some teacher comments, and even make their own comments on their
child’s work. Contact your child’s teacher if you have any questions about how to use Seesaw, or
for information on how to connect. It would be amazing if we could have a parent or grandparent for every student connected to their classroom through Seesaw.
Help Wanted
Schleswig School is looking for help during the upcoming basketball season. The
positions needed are a scoreboard operator and a score book keeper. If you are high school age or older, have a knowledge of the game of basketball, want a front row seat to every home
game, and looking for a way to be involved, please contact the school. Games run from November 27 to January 8.
NFHS Camera
A new camera system has been installed in the gym this fall, allowing Schleswig events
to be broadcast live on the internet through the NFHS Sports Network. This is a subscription-based service that can be accessed at https://goo.gl/gnLp41 for ordering and viewing
information. Contact the school office with any questions.
Fund Raisers and Student Activities
Middle School students completed another very successful round of fundraisers this fall. Both the magazine sales and Calf Show Days food stand did very well. Money raised during this
fundraiser goes towards student activities such as field trips including the trip to Chicago. This trip is changing format this year. Instead of being an annual trip for the 8th grade students, the
trip will be every other year and include all the 7th and 8th graders. The biggest change for the
students will be the renting of a charter bus instead of having to travel that distance in a school bus. Thank you to all who supported our fundraisers with purchases or donations and your time.
Parent-Teacher Conferences
Parent-Teacher Conferences were held the last week of October again this fall. 97% of our students were represented during these conferences. That is an amazing number and is a
testament to the family and community support we have here. Thank you to all the parents for taking the time to attend. Remember that you do not have to wait for conferences in the spring if
you want an update on how your child is doing or to ask questions of their teacher. Contact
information for all teachers is found on the school webpage.
SCHOOL COUNSELOR’S CORNER By Mrs. Bower
Thank you all for the warm return to Schleswig School! I am happy to be back amongst our outstanding
staff and have been enjoying getting to know your kids. I look forward
to working together to help each one of them grow into the best version
of themselves. Please feel free to contact me with joys or concerns by
calling (712) 676-3314 or by email at
Schleswig School Volunteers Each year we love to hear from members of the community who have time to spend volunteering in our school. Volunteers help
in a range of settings from helping young students practice writing their own name and listening to children read aloud, to
practicing math facts and small group center activities in several subjects. If you feel called to
volunteer a few hours of your time to volunteer, please call the school at 676-3314 and ask to speak with me. We would love to have you!
The Purple Hands Pledge
“I WILL NOT USE MY HANDS OR MY WORDS FOR HURTING MYSELF OR OTHERS” ® …fourteen words to help people PAY ATTENTION to the things we say and do to ourselves and others that cause pain. The Purple Hands Pledge encourages dialogue about all forms of abuse
and violence…from name calling, belittling, put downs, and negative self-talk (I’m stupid, ugly…) to physical abuse and violence. Our students have learned the pledge and made the promise. A
poster is displayed in each classroom and purple hands are painted
on the playground as a visual reminder of the commitment to stop and think before saying or doing anything hurtful.
Anger is a feeling, violence and abuse are always choices.
-Ann S. Kelly
Fire Prevention Week In 1925, President Calvin Coolidge proclaimed Fire Prevention Week a national observance,
making it the longest-running public health observance in our country. Fire Prevention Week is observed each year during the week of October 9th in commemoration of the Great Chicago Fire,
which began on October 8, 1871. During Fire Prevention Week, children, adults, and teachers
learn how to stay safe in case of a fire. Our students were encouraged to discuss escape plans at home. This year’s national Fire Prevention Week campaign, “Look. Listen. Learn. Be aware. Fire
can happen anywhere,” worked to educate people about three basic but essential steps to take to reduce the likelihood of having a fire- and how to escape safely in the event of one:
LOOK- Look for places fire could start. Take a good look around your home. Identify potential
fire hazards and take care of them. LISTEN- Listen for the sound of the smoke alarm. You could have only minutes to escape safely
once the smoke alarm sounds. Go to your outside meeting place, which should be a safe distance from the home and where everyone should know to meet.
LEARN- Learn two ways out of every room and make sure all doors and windows leading outside open easily and are free of clutter.
Celebrating Red Ribbon Week, Oct. 22nd-26th, 2018 Red Ribbon Week was a success in the Schleswig School! Each day brought a new message, a
new way to dress that was related to the message, and theme based activities/contests. The week was enhanced by Unity Day on Wednesday, emphasizing the importance of a bully free
school environment. We were treated to a visit on Thursday from Denison High School students highlighting the importance of making responsible choices and being a student of good character.
During elementary and middle school lunches on Tuesday, students showcased their dance
moves, “Dance! Not Drugs”. The goal of Red Ribbon Week is to focus on the healthy choices people make and the advantages to staying drug-free. This compliments the drug-free education
that happens year-round in health and guidance classes.
Is it Bullying? Imagine what could happen if every person in our school and community took one positive step
to help prevent bullying.
Those acts would all add up to help make the world a better place for everyone! We are working toward a better understanding of what is rude, what is mean, and what constitutes bullying.
We have discussed this in classroom guidance and have new posters displayed around our school. A better understanding will allow us all to communicate effectively and meet the needs
of our students.
PRESCHOOL By Mrs. Gustafson
Preschool News
We’ve been very busy at preschool since our year began! We just completed a week of learning about fire safety and want to thank the local firemen for giving of their time to take us
on a fire truck ride and providing a tour of the station. We had a fantastic time!
We’ll be learning about bats and caves next week and will follow it with a study of the human body. (We’re utilizing those skeletons in the store to learn about bones!) We are looking
forward to carving pumpkins for our upcoming party and had a great time visiting the pumpkin patch.
Our morning students are acclimating themselves to school and are really beginning to
form friendships. The afternoon students have been introduced to over half of their alphabet, are working on patterns, have been introduced to graphing and sorting, and we added three
friends to the “100 Club” (counting to 100) this week! One of our favorite events has been Family Night graciously hosted by Izaak Walton
League. We enjoyed a great evening of fishing, crafting, learning about the drug dog, and
roasting hot dogs! It’s wonderful to connect and spend time together. We’ve seen a lot of growth and are thankful for the spirit of love and encouragement
among the students. We appreciate each child and the unique gifts they bring to our room. It’s a blessing to be a part of their day!
TRANSITIONAL KINDERGARTEN By Miss Furne
TK has started out with a BANG! We have nine students, full of energy, that are eager to
learn and explore. The first nine weeks of school was spent learning school rules and
expectations, making new friends, building a classroom community, practicing daily routines, and doing a lot of singing. As we dive into academics the students are learning how to become good
listeners, work cooperatively, share ideas, and try new things. During our literacy block we work hard to build strong alphabet knowledge and
phonological awareness skills. Phonological awareness is a broad skill that includes identifying and manipulating units of oral language – parts such as words, syllables, and onset/rimes.
Phonological awareness is important because it is a basis for reading. Children begin to read by
listening to others read aloud, then recognizing sounds in words, sounding words out for themselves, recognizing familiar words, and so on. By engaging in word play, children learn to
recognize patterns among words and use this knowledge to read and build words. As we begin to incorporate daily phonics (how speech sounds correspond to the written
letter or letter combinations) instruction, the students have enlisted in ABC Bootcamp! For
roughly 52 days, we will be learning the letters of the alphabet and the sounds of those letters. We will be doing 1 letter/sound every 2 days. For each letter we will make a circle map with
pictures for each letter, we will practicing writing each letter, and we will make a silly hat for each letter. At the end of ABC Bootcamp we will celebrate with a fashion show! More
information about this project will be sent home at a later date.
In Math, our long term main objective is to build and strengthen our number sense skills.
Number sense essentially refers to a student's “fluidity and flexibility with numbers,” (Gersten & Chard, 2001). He/She has sense of what numbers mean, understands their relationship to one
another, is able to perform mental math, understands symbolic representations, and can use those numbers in real world situations. Currently we are working on counting objects in a group,
writing numbers 0-9, as well as understanding the terms, fewer and more.
October highlights included a visit from the Schleswig Fire Department and Red Ribbon Week. Thank you to Rory Degen and Paul Outhouse for coming to talk with us about a few
important things to reminder to stay safe in case of fire, taking us for a ride on the fire truck, giving us a tour of the station, and letting us spray the water hose! Experiences like these make
school memorable and students talk about it well past October! Congratulations Kory Nepper for guessing the winning number of red hots in a jar and
Jack March for having his color page chosen as the winner of the TK coloring contest during Red
Ribbon Week. We participated in the door decorating contest as well. Here is what TK’ers had to say about making good choices, staying healthy, and being our best selves:
Weston: “Be what you want to be.” Emily: “Play”
Sydney: “Make new friends.”
Zander: “I like Pajama Day. Have dreams.” Ella: “Fuel your body with good food.”
Jack: “Find something you like to do.” Logan: “Don’t drink alcohol.”
Kory: “Say no to drugs.” Conway: “I like red.”
KINDERGARTEN By Miss Tschetter
The kindergarten class has been up to a lot since school started. We have been learning all about our letter names, sounds, and how to right them. We have mastered spelling our names, not just writing it, but spelling it using shapes! We have also gotten to do a lot of fun things with community members, such as talking about fire safety and even getting to visit the fire station, and going on a fire truck ride! We got to learn about a bunch of different animals from our helper at the Nature Center. And we were awfully tired after our homecoming week festivities. We worked super hard on our Red Ribbon Week door, and we got 2nd place! We are exploring a lot of things in science, like life cycles of trees and pumpkins. And of course we got to have a Halloween party with our costumes! We are looking forward to learning so much more this year! Practicing Letters
Practicing Spelling Names
Fire Safety
Nature Center
After the Homecoming Parade Red Ribbon Door (2nd place!)
Science (Measuring how big trees our and our pumpkin day. Thanks Mr. and Mrs. Drees!)
Halloween Party
1ST GRADE By Miss Hibma
This fall our first grade class has been busy learning many new reading skills. Each of the
students has moved up two or more reading levels since the beginning of the school year. We
are also practicing our sight words, by the end of the year each first grader will be able to read over 180 new words.
In math we are working on beginning addition and subtraction skills as well as finding
parts to make a whole number and breaking a whole number into parts. In science we are learning about sound and light. We will be learning about holidays around the world in the
upcoming months. We continue to learn and practice many new skills as we continue on in our year.
Each of the First Grade Students were given a pumpkin to take home.
2ND GRADE By Miss Allen
-2nd Grade has been very busy wrapping up Quarter 1. In science we have finished our plants and insects unit. They have learned about the stages of the life cycle for brassica seeds,
mealworms, and butterflies! They know what the basic needs for insects and plants are to make sure that they continue to grow. It was a fun unit for the kids and they really enjoyed it! Our
next unit we are going to be starting is over solids and liquids! This will be very hands on with
tons of observations! -In math we have been working on our addition strategies. We have been working on our
doubles and near doubles facts! We will be moving into learning the various subtraction strategies!
-Wow, can you believe it is November already! The second graders will soon be busy learning
about the Wampanoag Indians and the Pilgrims. We will read many different articles, books, and watching videos learning about the First Thanksgiving. They will be working through a Webquest
about the Pilgrims’ journey and what life was like when they first reached the New World.
-The kids have been learning the different vowel teams along with adding suffixes to words. They
are so intrigued on spelling words correctly that this has been an eye opening thing for them. They can use their spelling options to help them figure out the correct spelling!
-It is the second grade’s year to present at the Veteran’s Day Program this year! We have been
working hard on our readings for it! They even got to be a little artistic, you will have to check them out in the hallway at the program!
3RD GRADE By Mrs. Heffernan
First quarter has officially come to an end. All that time spent reading has paid off for some students in terms of meeting AR goals. All of our 3rd graders were rewarded with an AR
movie and ice cream this quarter for meeting their goals. They were a very excited group of kids
who hope to continue achieving their goals. Every quarter, their goals will get harder. Hard work and responsibility will get them there! These 3rd graders are well on their way! To assist in their
success, each student brings home an AR book every night. Please encourage them to keep reading. Listening and asking them questions helps too!
In Math, we have dove into multiplication and the kids are very excited to be learning such a new and challenging concept. To help these 3rd graders succeed, we will be sending home
a “Fact Pack” every night. The envelope includes flashcards as we learn the facts, practice ideas,
and a sign in sheet. Students are to practice their math facts every night for at least 15 minutes. Please sign and date as you see them complete this task. Each child is working on a certain math
fact. As they pass their test on the fact for that day, they move on to the next fact. I will sign off each student as they pass each fact. A homework sheet is sent home most nights. If it is a test
day, they will not have homework other than their fact pack and reading.
Our Science unit on Structures of Life has come to an end. We sure had fun learning about different life cycles and watching our beans grow through hydroponics in our classroom.
Unfortunately, we did not get as much time with our crayfish as we had hoped this year, but we did get to learn a little bit about them! We are now beginning to explore our unit on water and
climate. We have made some leaps when it comes to writing. Our quarter has been full of ways
to help us with our writing. We have learned how to write a paragraph, how to take our writing
through the writing process, and how to write different types of narratives, such as personal or fictional narratives. Editing has been our challenge. We have practiced ending our thoughts with
punctuation, starting each sentence with capitalization, and lots of spelling. I am hoping correct
grammar will show through in other curricular areas, as well, even math! Please encourage your child to check what they have written and not rush it.
First Day of 3rd Grade!
Homecoming parade. They tried to get pretty clever after I made the rule that your foot can’t
leave the curb to go get candy!
Learning about crayfish!
L
Our door won 1st place for Red Ribbon Week! Thank you for all the donations. We had a yummy spread for our AR ice cream party.
4TH GRADE By Mrs. Petersen
In Reading, we read a class book called, The War with Grandpa. This book had some great humor in it with the “tricks” that Peter and Grandpa pulled on each other. We laughed so
hard when Grandpa was trying to talk without his false teeth in. It was hard for the kids to read at first and figure out what he was saying but once they thought about how words would sound
without teeth in, they understood better. We did the FRAME with this class book where the
students read a chapter with a partner and wrote down a few main ideas about that chapter. Then they read the next chapter with a different partner and wrote down the main ideas of that
chapter and so on until the book was finished. That is why it is so crucial that students spend at least 15-20 minutes reading at home each day so that they can make their quarterly AR goal.
Students need to finish a chapter book and a non-fiction book in their reading level every two
weeks. So by the end of the quarter, each student should have read at least 4 chapter books and 4 non-fiction books. We had a few procrastinators the 1st quarter, but hopefully we will not
let that happen again. Please encourage your child to read a short time each night. Parents, try to sit down with your child and take turns reading or listen to your child read and ask them
questions about the book as they are reading. It makes a huge difference and they will love
sharing this time with you! In Math, we have been subtracting numbers with and without regrouping. Regrouping
with zeros can sometimes be tricky for kids. We are still working on our CRUNCH time very hard. Most students are doing well because they are practicing their math facts. Playing games at
different websites, playing Pearson games, going to Prodigy, and doing a variety of different activities have helped many of them but a little more practice for some wouldn’t hurt. Some
students have already become CRUNCH pros in one or more areas. Students love eating those
CRUNCH bars once they have achieved their goal! Our 1st total CRUNCH pro was Haley. Congratulations, Haley!
In Iowa History, we have been working on historical sites. Each student chose a
historical site that they would like to learn more about. First, the students found some great websites with useful information about their site to read and learn about. Next, they took that
very important information and wrote notes down in their own words. Then, we edited their facts about their historical site. Finally, the students created their own posters. I was surprised
about how excited all of them were about making these posters. Please check them out at
conferences as they will be displayed in the hallway by our room.
We finished our 1st F.O.S.S. kit about Energy and Electromagnetism in Science. The
students loved doing all the hands-on experiments with magnets and electricity. They did a great job of discovering new ways to figure things out when given a new challenge to solve.
They were able to locate hidden magnets in boxes by using a compass, and other metal objects. They were also able to make a bulb light up or a motor run in many different ways. Ask your
child to explain to what the difference is between a series and parallel circuit. We also
experimented with solar cells and the reflection of light with flashlights. Fun! Fun!
Red Ribbon Week was filled with many activities for the kids to think about being and
staying Drug Free. Mrs. Bower had all kinds of interesting things planned for the whole school that week.
Student Council:
The 2018-2019 Schleswig Student Council kids were picked by their peers in the
beginning of September. Seventh and eighth grades select 3 members and the fifth and
sixth graders select 2.
Members are: 8th Grade: Jenna, Ashley, and Jaxon (missing from picture) 7th Grade: Calli, Jacy, and Marissa 6th Grade: Kamryn and Sara 5th Grade: Owen and Anna
The group decided they wanted to play a bigger role in the school and have
already started doing so. They brought Homecoming spirit into the building during the
last week of September. Student Council sold spirit items to get the school excited for
the week and also the parade and game that Friday. The group has also been celebrating
student birthdays once a month during lunch, and also have some new ideas for Middle
School dances. I am excited to see what all they can do this year!
Scholastic Book Fair by Mrs. Collins
Schleswig School would like to say
a big THANK YOU to everyone
who supported the fall book fair.
The book fair was a success! With
profits from the book fair, we are
able to purchase more books for
our school. Your purchases are
greatly appreciated!
5th Grade
Mrs. Pritchard and Mrs. Moeller
This year we are using Seesaw to showcase student work and communicate with parents. If you haven’t already, please get your code from your student’s teacher and
join us!!
HOT
A big part of HOT (Higher Order Thinking) is to learn to be a problem solver. We started the year with a team building activity where we had to save Fred the worm by getting him from
his capsized boat into his lifesaver.
Another challenge that they faced was using only a newspaper and some masking tape,
they needed to make a shoe that would fit on one of them and that they could wear around the
room.
To go along with our studies of latitude and longitude, we used Google Earth to find and
explore places all around the world! The students searched the latitudes and longitudes and then used street view to see the places up close (it was like they were there).
We also spent some time learning about Seesaw. Please check these out and get
connected if you haven’t already!
Math
Wow! Where did the quarter go?? We have been a busy bunch so far this fall. We started the year reviewing place value of whole numbers and decimals and then jumped right in to
adding and subtracting those decimals. Our most recent topic was multiplying whole numbers. We had to brush up on our
multiplication facts, but once we did, multiplying 2 digit numbers was a breeze and 3 digit times
2 digit wasn’t so bad either. Now we are digging into dividing 1 digit and 2 digit divisors.
5th ELA (English Language Arts) Reading, writing, grammar, and word work are going to seem different for the fifth
graders. This fall, each class has a large block of time set aside for ELA. This time will include all of the above tasks, but it may look or sound differently. On most days, we will be rotating
through our 3 Dailies; Read to Self, Work on Writing, and Word Work; as well as a guided
reading group. During Read to Self, students will be able to work individually while practicing numerous reading skills. Work on Writing/ Responding to Reading time will be their opportunities
to apply writing skills by responding to reading prompts, completing writing work, or free writing. Word Work will be a time where students are manipulating various words and word parts at their
individual levels in order to discover word, letter, and spelling patterns. Guided reading groups
will be focused on various reading strategies with a text series of high interest topics. The 5th graders have been practicing and working hard to build reading and writing stamina, as well as
practicing reading and writing strategies. This is a slow process, but we are quickly gaining the ability to work independently and productively.
So far this year, students have been actively engaged in reviewing, learning, and using various reading strategies like identifying text features, asking questions, making text
connections, identifying genre, understanding point of view, various writing types and more.
Students have been learning about the strategies through class read alouds like The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket and The Witches by Roald Dahl. After practicing the skills
together, they apply them to their own reading.
We have really focused on writing in the last few weeks. The 5th graders are currently
writing book reviews over a book they would recommend to others to read. While writing these,
we are working on summarizing our book, supporting our opinions with reasons and evidence, persuading others to read the book, public speaking while sharing with the class, and sharing
with others on Seesaw. Be looking for these in the next few weeks.
Accelerated Reader (AR) is used to practice our many reading and language strategies.
Each student has an individual goal he/she is working toward. The 5th graders have broken their goal down even further by making short term weekly goals. This has helped students aim
toward a something each week, rather than a number at the end of the quarter. The first quarter came to a quick end and caught some 5th graders off guard for making their AR goals.
Their second quarter weekly goals have been posted on Seesaw. Take a look there for what
they have decided to work toward each week. Take a few minutes to listen to your child read or read with them, ask questions about their story, and ask about their progress.
Social Studies
The 5th graders have been learning about what geography is and what a geographer does. These kiddos have been acting as geographers and using tools, such as latitude and
longitude, to help them understand locations around the world. We have also been practicing
the states while determining latitude and longitude. A lot of progress has been made by many of the 5th graders, but some still have a long way to go in order to be able to identify all of the
states. Keep practicing those states! We like to use www.ixl.com and www.sheppardsoftware.com at school to practice, but there are many free apps in any app store
to continue to practice at home!
Science Living Systems is our first unit for science this year. First we learned about what a
system is and how many of the systems we know about are also subsystems. Food webs are subsystems within ecosystems that describe the transfer of matter and energy within the system.
Nutrient systems was another topic we dove into by studying how plants make their own
food by photosynthesis. We compared that to how animals obtain nutrients by eating other organisms and using digestion to break down complex food items into simple nutrients.
After learning about nutrients, we continued on to different transport systems. Vascular plants have xylem and phloem tubes that carry water, minerals, and sugar where they need to
go. Humans and other animals use the circulatory system and the respiratory system to carry out important processes in our body to get the things we need.
6TH GRADE By Mrs. Buck
What an exciting first quarter it has been for us in 6th grade! We have been working
hard in math to build on our skills. We have been practicing using all the operations such as
multiplication, division, addition, and subtraction to solve problems with decimals. We also have learned how to solve one step equations! Students have enjoyed their time playing Math Prodigy
on the computer during math class. This is a great app that students can download at home on their devices or play online. Students can battle each other while answering different math
questions. Ask your child about this engaging game! In science we have been learning about the diversity of life. We have investigated
different types of cells and what they are made of. Students got the chance to create a cell
project to demonstrate their understanding of cells. Check out some of their creative work!
Happenings
Mrs. Larson 6th Grade ELA and Social Studies
The kids have been busy working in my classroom. Each day we start off with a whole group lesson. Right now we’re learning about the genre of Historical Fiction. The students are
going to be writing historical fiction pieces very soon! After our whole group lesson, we begin
guided reading groups. While I’m meeting with the groups, the rest of the class is engaged in centers. They’re either doing read to self (reading an AR book), work on writing, or word work
(currently doing some prefix and suffix work). This keeps them busy and engaged while I meet with groups.
In social studies, we have done quite a bit of work with maps. We have worked on the different types of maps and done review on skills like latitude and longitude. The kids moan and
groan a little, but they tend to engage in the work.
7th and 8th Grade By Miss Totten
The first quarter has flown by! According to the students, some days were long, but overall it went by quickly.
The 7th graders have worked on video projects for computers along with improving their
typing skills. For social studies, they have worked through the first few chapters of the book and completed writing activities to show what they have learned for each chapter. For math, the 7th
grade has mastered rational number operations including adding/subtracting/multiplying/dividing positive and negative numbers including fractions, decimals and whole numbers. This is an
important building block for the rest of the year and coming years in math. With each new topic
there will be new challenges, but with lots of practice they will become fluent! The 8th graders have completed a couple assignments in computers covering the use of
different google tools and are currently(still) working on a video project. In Science, we have completed almost all of the Earth science standards including the cycling of water through Earth’s
systems driven by energy and understanding how interactions of air masses results in changes in different weather conditions. 8th grade math has included changing repeating numbers to
fractions, understanding the difference in irrational and rational numbers, evaluating square and
cube roots, learning all integer exponent rules and scientific notation. Algebra students have been working hard in 8th grade math as well as learning algebra material. They have covered the
basis of the majority of properties, and how to write expressions and equations in words as well as how to read them correctly. Algebra students have also been introduced to an all new
concept of functions, which can be a bit difficult. As the year goes on, the material will become
more challenging, so it’s important for all students to get a very good understanding of the topics at the beginning of the year.
7TH/8TH GRADE By Mrs. Kuhlmann
8th Grade History Students have begun working on timelines in small groups listing changes in the
economy, employment, social changes, transportation and warfare. Once a week students add items to the timeline showing how the United States grew from the earliest explorations to
current day.
8th Grade ELA
On October 23rd, “Hillbilly Hankerin” written by Pat Cook was presented to a full house. It was amazing to see the students who doubted their abilities grow and discover their many
talents. This year, the students and I attempted to do our own scenery. While we aren’t ready for Broadway, it worked just fine (with only a few glitches). Many of the students took on more than
one role and several had over 100 lines to memorize. It was fantastic!
7th Grade Writing
The 7th graders have been reviewing the parts of sentences, paragraphs, and essays. We will be using these to write narratives, informative, and persuasive papers. Who knows, a
future ad executive may be walking down our halls this very minute.
7TH & 8TH GRADE READING STRATEGIES By Mrs. Abbe
For our first quarter we have been working on Interactive Literature Notebooks. Each student has a
notebook filled with graphic organizers and tons of notes and examples of things to think about while
reading. Some of the items include, Plot Structure, Conflict, Theme, Point of View and Character Traits,
just to name a few. During each unit of study, students will be using the notebooks to help solidify their
thinking while working on different activities.
Students have and are currently working on A.R. The A.R. goal for this quarter is 2 Fiction and 1 Non-
Fiction, or 2 Non-Fiction and 1 Fiction Book. Students are to then take a comprehension test and score and
average of 80%. This is a very do able goal, however, if they procrastinate, they will not met the goal.
Encourage your son or daughter to read a minimum of 20 minutes each night. Having the goal met before
Christmas would be awesome!
SPORTS By Mrs. Gurney
Well, the first quarter has come to an end and that means that our first sports seasons of the year have also finished up! We were able to field two full volleyball teams this fall, and if you were able to make it out to a game, we played some great matches! Our 7-8th grade boys, once again, went to Denison to join the Denison-Schleswig team and reported that they had fun and learned a lot! Our Middle School teams love to see your support and HAWK PRRIDE as they are out representing our district. Our Basketball seasons are just beginning, so please check the school website and catch a game! We would love to see you!
2018 Denison-Schleswig Football Front Row: Devon Loger and Cole Schneider Back Row: Jonathan Hernandez, Koen Miller, and Colton Johannsen
2018 Schleswig Volleyball Front Row: Gracie Outhouse, Jenna Krohnke, Riley Miller, Elli Heiden, and Marissa Galvin Middle Row: Natasha Castillo, Jacy Boyens, Timberlen Koch, Ashley Rosener, and Calli Korner Back Row: Kayla Neddermeyer, Emily Espinoza, Kaitlyn Bruhn, and Taylor Totten
Visual Art Happenings By Mrs. Godbersen Great Happenings in the Art Room: An abundance of natural light, good facility, well stocked
supply cupboards with paint, glitter glue, charcoal, oil pastels, clay, plaster, and colored pencils - to
mention a few of the art materials that will be used for creative results. With all of those supplies, please
consider when your child/children has art and do not wear good clothes on their art day: Tuesday 1st, 3
rd,
4th
, 5th
, and 6th
grades - Wednesday TK, K, 2nd
, 7th
, and 8th
grades. Following are the current or newly
finished projects from each grade.
Transitional Kindergarten – made self-portraits from a given head shape pattern. Students placed their
eyes, nose, mouth, ears, and shirt. Tempera paint was then used to color their artwork. It will be
interesting to make a comparison of self at the end of this school year!
Kindergarten – created a sunset sky using orange and white tempera paint to variegate the sky. Art
paintings were then embellished with black cut paper silhouette trees.
First Grade – selected a square of animal printed-paper. Additions were made for legs, head, ears, and tail
from construction paper. Finally a wooden popsicle stick was added to make a moveable puppet.
Second Grade – learned Bright Brush Strokes and the technique of applying tempera paint to make a
circular flower using: Touch, Press, Lift.
Third Grade – were given 2 different sizes of a diamond pattern to make skyscraper roofs. Students
learned that the large diamonds were placed in the foreground while the small diamonds were the
background roofs. It was really difficult for students to hold a ruler parallel to the edge of the paper to
make straight sides to their skyscraper. Colored pencils were used to make windows and a peak of what
was in the windows; curtains, people, plants.
Fourth Grade – studied the artist Georgia O’Keeffe who was from Wisconsin. She created paintings of
objects, taking a macro view, making the subject maximum size: insects, bones, and flowers. Oil pastels
were used to blend colors, color + white for the outer edges of the flowers and color + black for the inner
flower petals.
Fifth Grade – studied Folk Art Toys made of plaster gauze. Students made two view drawings of their
design – side view and top view. Their object was modeled in oil clay. Then a release was applied then
plaster gauze was applied. Once set as firm, the clay was removed. Details were added using tempera
paint.
Sixth Grade – using acrylic paint, students painted a boat using a palette knife as their brush. Results were
an abstract blend of colors.
Seventh Grade – designed a piece of jewelry on a scratchboard, the surface was black but with a scratch
tool revealed the white surface underneath. They have now completed the study of artist Thomas Eakins
and have used three different values of charcoal to draw three cylinder shapes complete with shading.
Eight Grade – completed an assignment of zentangles to make a pinwheel. These pinwheels are displayed
in the front entrance showcase.
Transitional Kindergarten students featured with their self portrait – Front Row: Kory Nepper, Ella Anders,
Conway Westphalen, Logan Stoppel Back Row: Emily Segebart, Jack March Weston Stoppel, Sydney
Fink, and Zander Ziegmann
MUSIC
By Mrs. Rosener Welcome back to another fun-filled year in music! TK-4th grades have been quite busy
learning the basic elements of music. Topics like dynamics, note values, beat versus rhythm, long and short sounds, solfege, and tempo have been covered using hands-on activities, board
work, songs, music math, and flashcards.
The 5th grade band has been making immense progress on their instruments since summer lessons commenced. We currently have 15 out of 30 fifth graders enrolled in band! We
are now working on playing (and staying) together as a group, which is a lot harder than playing individually!
Several 5-8th grade students have been rehearsing audition pieces for a STATE wide
honor choir called Opus. Each student had to record him/herself onto a CD which has been submitted to a panel of judges. Three students have been selected to participate!
Middle school band students have had a busy fall, too. Our 7-8th grade band students
marched with the Denison Middle School Band in the Calf Show Days and Homecoming parades. In addition, we brought 43 5-8th grade band students to perform at “All School Band Night” with
Denison’s 430 6-12th grade band students at half time of a home football game on October 19th. Thanks to all of the parents who brought their kids to these practices and performances. We are
now learning repertoire for SWIBA honor band auditions.
UPCOMING MUSIC EVENTS Saturday, October 27=SWIBA Honor Band Auditions @ Clarinda (7-8th band students)
Friday, November 9=SWIBA Honor Band Festival @ Atlantic (7-8th band students) Monday, November 12=Veterans Day program in the gym (TK-8th grade students)
Thursday, November 15=Opus Honor Choir @ Iowa State in Ames (5-8th vocal students)
2nd grade reading music on the board while playing percussion instruments
1st grade playing the boomwhackers
3rd
grade playing working on keeping a steady beat using bean bags
7-8th
grade marching band marched
with the Denison Middle School band
at the Calf Show and Homecoming
parades
4th
grade writing in
solfege under the notes
drawn on the board
5
th grade beginning band members
`
Happenings
Andrea Gurney
It’s that time of year again, for a friendly reminder to CLIP THOSE BOX TOPS!! We are currently saving up for a GA-GA Ball Pit to be used with our students. Clipping Box Tops is an easy way to help earn cash for our school. Each one is worth 10¢ for our school! Just look for the pink Box Tops on hundreds of products. All you have to do is clip them and send them to school. For more information on Box Tops, including a list of participating products, go to BTFE.com. Be sure to sign up as a member (it’s free!) so you can check out our school’s earnings details and get access to coupons and bonus offers.
Remember when you are doing all of your holiday baking and cooking to save those BOX TOPS! Those 10₵ scraps of paper really add up and are found on a wide variety of products.
VETERAN’S DAY PROGRAM
We will be honoring our Veteran’s on Monday, November 12 at 10:00 in the school gym.
All Veterans and their spouses are invited to lunch after the program.
Thank you for your service!
