“Tis the Season

During the week of November 28th, elementary students at both Schaller-Crestland and Galva-Holstein Elementary Schools created Christmas Cards for disabled American Veterans during their guidance classes.  With Veteran’s Day in November, students have been made aware of the service these people have carried out for us and our country.  Christmas is a time for students to let the vets who continue to carry the scars of their sacrifices know that we remember and we appreciate them.  Included in the cards are memorable quotes honoring the vets as well as seasonal art work.  Students also included a personal “thank you.”  Cards will be mailed to the VA hospitals in  Marshalltown, Sioux Falls, and Omaha where our local vets receive care.  You can be proud of our students for taking this opportunity to give back to our soldiers.

 As part of our Social Studies unit on life long ago, Mrs. Wunschel's and Mrs. Bisenius's classes had the opportunity to experience first hand what our ancestors may have enjoyed in the past.

     Rene Stroud came to visit the 2nd grade on Friday, November 18.  She demonstrated how to use the Navajo loom as well as a spinning wheel and drop spindle to make yarn from wool.  Rene also showed us how our ancestors shelled and ground corn to make food and wash clothes on an old washboard.  The students loved looking at the different animals hides and elk antlers, too.  They also enjoyed playing games from the past and making music from spoons and an old washboard.  It was a wonderful hands-on experience to enrich our students' learning.

Mrs. Wunschel & Mrs. Bisenius

The following article is provided courtesy of Scholastic Inc. and thought it was important to remind you of all the fun you can have with your child while learning to read at the same time!  Principal Pickhinke

Tips for Encouraging Early Literacy

Encourage your child's literacy skills — well before he learns to read!

• Reading together, playing together, and just enjoying each other's company will all go a long way toward building pre-reading skills.

• Form a close bond. This one is easy! Your relationship with your child is very important to his ability to learn. If you are interactive, close and loving, your child will reap the rewards.

• Get in on the fun. Being a participant at playtime can bring you closer and help you learn useful information about your child's habits and emotions.

• Tell tales. Build narrative skills by gathering family members at meal times and having them tell the story of their day.

• Play rhyming games to build phonemic awareness ... and just for fun.

• Bring reading and writing into everyday life. Encourage literacy in your child's daily routines by writing thank-you notes or making shopping lists together.

• Be attentive and engaged when you communicate with your child.

• Read together. Make story time a daily ritual that your child can count on and look forward to.

TrueFlix for 3-5th Graders

TrueFlix™, is an online resource that leverages the award-winning True Books content to help students hone literacy skills, build knowledge of subject-area content, and cultivate 21st Century Skills through the inquiry process. All of the True Book titles are supported with a deep and diverse reservoir of related content and primary sources featuring videos, audio, images, and text.

Each TrueFlix™ title includes the following elements:

·         Watch the Video: A streaming video that engages the student and introduces the topic. The video is strategically placed—and supported by reading research—to enable the student to build crucial background knowledge before accessing the book.

·         Read the Book: A flipbook version of the True Book with page-turning and read-along features, chapter tabs, and vocabulary terms identified and defined. The "book" has been transformed into a versatile digital resource enabling the student to exercise the nonlinear reading and viewing behaviors that we know take place with digital content.

·         Explore More: Related content that provides opportunities for further research and reading across a variety of text types.Includes one or more of the following: fiction, primary-source documents, related articles from Grolier Online. This section also helps students with a key competency—gathering and synthesizing accurate and related information in one place—a crucial 21st Century Skill.

·         Lesson Plan: Every Trueflix™ topic is accompanied by a lesson plan with teaching activities that are tied to the specific content of that Trueflix™ topic. Every lesson plan includes a discussion of the Trueflix™ video and a review of vocabulary words used in theTrueFlix™ flipbook. Each also provides a small-group activity based on the flipbook and a project idea.

·         Project Idea: For beginning researchers, this includes a project goal and ideas or questions on how to kick-start research—perfect for a class activity or homework assignment.

·         Activity Center: Includes a "Show What You Know" 10-question multiple-choice quiz, and a Word Match game based on the important words included in each title. Teachers and librarians can utilize the quizzes as soft assessments to gauge a student’s understanding of the content.

·         Explore the Web: Related Web links to help further extend learning, broaden the content area, and provoke further research.

This is an amazing site for kids to get into and have fun while learning.  They have all received passwords and the correct info. to access it!  If you can not find it please contact the school or email our chief librarian Mrs. Nehring at mnehring@rvraptors.org

Thanks.......and please check it out!

Principal Pickhinke

Reading Plus Update

Reading Plus is a computerized reading program we use with all 4th and 5th grade students.

Kids, Teachers and the Principal are seeing the results and we are pleased with the program.

In Bellcocks, according to your Class Detailed Skills report, students in the class are doing well with the following comprehension skills:

·         Recalling Information and Details

·         Following Sequence, Ideas, Events

·         Identifying Speaker

·         Main Idea

·         Making Inferences

·         Drawing Conclusions

·         Paraphrasing

·         Recognizing Cause & Effect

·         Classifying

·         Recognizing Emotional Reactions

In Mentzer, according to the Class Detailed Skills report, the class is doing well with the following comprehension skills:

·         Recalling Information and Details

·         Identifying Speaker

·         Main Idea

·         Making Inferences

·         Drawing Conclusions

·         Paraphrasing

·         Recognizing Cause & Effect

·         Recognizing Emotional Reactions

·         Reasoning

Way to Go!

A picture of my students around our butterfly pavillion with all our new painted ladies from our insect unit.  We have been busy, busy! We are loving our learning of insects and fasinated with the knowledge we have gained from this unit!

Mrs. Wunschel

Mrs. Wunschels Second Graders performing their reader's theaters for the 3rd and 4th grade on Halloween, and they also shared their Halloween stories with the preschool kids!

Ross Mentzer reads to a few little friends!

Juilanna Delao is a good role model for a younger reader.

Ian Shepard gets involved with his halloween story!

Readers Theater Presentation

Look at them READ!

Holiday Toy and Clothing Drive

The Schaller-Crestland Ministerial Association, along with other area organizations, is

sponsoring a toy and clothing drive to help parents provide for their families during the holiday

season. If you would like assistance and would appreciate receiving items, please fill in the

information below and return it to Pastor Jess Rockhold-Gaul, United Methodist Church, 209

West 3

rd, Box 416, Schaller, Iowa 51053. If you would appreciate the extra gift of a food basket,

provided by the area food pantries, please check the box on the bottom of the form. The Family

Development Center in Sac City runs a similar program. In order for us to best serve all

families, we request that you participate in only one of the programs. Families will be contacted

at a later date with the pick-up date and locations. If you have questions, please call Colleen

Hansen at

712-275-4351 or Kari Hansen-Limbert at 712-273-5015.

The Holstein Kiwanis presented dictionaries to our third graders today. Each student was introduced and came to the front of the room to receive a dictionary. Following the presentation of dictionaries, we played, "Stump the Teacher". The class was divided into four groups. Each group chose a word from the dictionary and the teachers had to give the definition. It was a tie! Two correct guesses and two incorrect guesses from the teachers. We used the Smartboard for writing. The Kiwanis were impresssed with the board and how much the students were able to interact with it.
The Kiwanis that visited today include the following:

Sherry Gerbers
Keith and Sylvia Carstens
Dick Brosamle

Scholastic Book Fair ---Tips to Parents!

Choosing Books for Your School-Age Reader
Select the best reads for kindergartners, elementary- and middle-schoolers

Do you remember the first time you hid a flashlight under the covers because you had to find out how a story ended? Providing great books for your child will not only help him become passionate about reading, but will promote school success by developing vocabulary, writing, comprehension, and study skills.

Choosing Books for Kindergartners
Buying BasicsKindergartners who are just starting to sound out and recognize words need all the encouragement they can get. Provide a variety of picture books, some simple enough for your child to begin to read alone as well as others that require your assistance.
Look for:
§ Picture books with entertaining plots
§ Books that relate to your child's experiences
§ Classic fairy tales and animal stories

Favorite Subjects:Animals Creativity Friendship

Favorite Characters:Dr. Seuss Franklin I SPY The Magic School Bus

Developmental EdgeBy reading with your kindergartner, you're helping her to:
§ Improve vocabulary
§ Strengthen letter and word recognition

Extending the FunStage a puppet show based on a favorite book. You and your child can share storytelling and puppeteering duties and put on a performance for the entire family.

Choosing Books for Grades 1-3 (Ages 6-8)
Buying BasicsThe key to selecting books for an emerging reader is to provide titles that will challenge him without causing too much frustration. Experts suggest that the ideal book will present your child with two to four unfamiliar words per page.
Look for:
§ Read-alouds that offer appealing storylines and illustrations
§ Simple chapter books
§ A mix of fiction and nonfiction

Favorite Subjects:Building & Construction Animals Creativity Travel

Favorite Characters:Captain Underpants The Magic School Bus Pokémon

Developmental EdgeBy reading with and also encouraging your 6- to 8-year-old child to read, you're helping her to:
§ Focus and concentrate
§ Enhance comprehension skills
§ Explore newfound interests

Extending the FunEncourage your child to think of books as entertainment by renting a movie version of a treasured tale, or going to see a live performance starring a favorite character.

Choosing Books for Grades 4-7 (Ages 9-12)
Buying BasicsAs readers mature, they look for books that are less about their own experiences and more about their fantasies. As a general rule, when looking for realistic fiction, choose stories starring children a year or two older than your child. Let your child's interests guide you, and be creative in your selections.
Look for:
§ Classic novels
§ Lighter series books
§ Books that explore social struggles and general adolescent angst

Favorite Subjects:Culture & Diversity Fantasy & Magic

Favorite Characters:Dear America
Deltora
Harry Potter

Developmental EdgeBy encouraging your 9- to 12-year-old child to read, you're helping her to:
§ Develop study skills
§ Discover a world outside of her own

Extending the FunConsider joining a book club with your child. Familiarize yourself with the books he is reading, and then be sure to discuss them.

Professional Development

Here's a picture of Mrs. Grieme and Mrs. Pickhinke at Handwriting Without Tears with the presenters: Megan Brown and Jan Z. Olsen. They learned a ton of new tricks for teaching handwriting, language and math skill to preschool age kids.

Fall Concert, Monday, November 14th at 6:45p. Some students have some music to practice with. Please make sure they are memorizing their words to all of their songs. Even if they aren't singing it, just reading it aloud will be a great help in preparing for the concert."

Jump...jump...jump...

The Event: Miss Willer gathered all elementary students to do jumping jacks for one minute.

Why: To be healthier and to break the guiness world record. Read our previous blog on jumping jacks and Michelle Obama.

Set Limits and Good Example for Children's TV Viewing

Recent research shows that children between the ages of two and five years watch, on average, more than 25 hours of television per week, says Lori Hayungs, an Iowa State University Extension family life program specialist.
By the time American children graduate from high school, they have spent more time in front of the TV than in the classroom. That is a powerful influence on kids.
What’s Wrong and Right with TV

Too much time watching TV means too little time spent on active play, reading and socializing—activities essential to a child’s development. In fact, the sedentary nature of television has been linked to childhood obesity.
“On the flip side, quality TV shows can introduce children to positive messages, such as caring for others, and can be educational by taking them to places they have never seen before”, Hayungs said.

For more of this article click below:

http://www.extension.iastate.edu/plymouth/news/tvlimits.htm

Love and Logic Class offered

A great class is being offered near us for parenting. Check it out!

http://www.schaller-crest.k12.ia.us/graphics/Elementary/Love%20and%20Logic%20Class%20flyer%20for%202011%202012%20class.jpg

Jump...jump...jump

About Let's Jump!
Let's Jump! is the National Geographic Kids movement to get kids outdoors and live an active, healthy life. Take some hints from our list of active facts and keep checking back to get ideas to help explore and enjoy the world through adventures and sports. Between 3 p.m. ET October 11, 2011, and 3 p.m. ET October 12, 2011, join NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS and First Lady Michelle Obama to break the record for the most people doing jumping jacks. All you have to do is one minute of jumping jacks!We need more than 20,000 people to do jumping jacks to break the record. So get your friends, sports teams, afterschool groups--even your entire school--to participate!Exercise can be fun--especially if you're breaking a Guinness World Record. Join First Lady Michelle Obama--the official Jumper in Chief--as she kicks off NGK's attempt to break the record for the Most People Doing Jumping Jacks. Kids and adults can help break the record by doing one minute of jumping jacks. So start practicing now! Read the rules and find out how you can participate.So get out and get active. And if you can't get outside right now, turn on your favorite music and practice your jumping jacks!

http://kidsblogs.nationalgeographic.com/letsjump/about-lets-jump.html

Whats going on in the library

Since the beginning of the school year the T.K., Kindergarten, and first grade have listened to the following stories. "Otis and the Tornado," "Sammy the Seal" and "Frog and Toad Together," The students made frog hats and learned the differences between a frog and a toad. This was a favorite activity with the classes. The second grade class is learning about the Dewey Decimal system and how to use it to locate nonfiction books.
The third grade class has been learning about how to use an encyclopedia both print and online. The students are excited to use the computer. Fourth and fifth grade classes have been studying nonfiction text factors to help them better use their sources of information.

Reading Plus for 4th and 5th graders--WAHOO!

In Mrs. Bellcocks class, eighteen students have green session bars indicating they are on schedule. This is great use to start off the year! In addition, comprehension has been solid and consistent with students averaging a class comprehension score of 78% over the past 7 days. Also, it looks like students have read 402,024 word since working on the program! This is great!

In Mrs. Mentzers, seventeen students have green and yellow session bars and the class is right on track. Again, it is so good to see such great use in this and all of the classes to start off the year. In addition, comprehension for the class is strong with students averaging a score of 81% over the past 7 days. Excellent. Students in Mentzer have also read 365,632 words since working on the program.

Hats off to these fine students and their teachers for the progress they are making.

Start Somewhere Walk

By now I'm sure all of you have heard about the Start Somewhere Walk that is taking place around the state of Iowa this Friday. Right now Iowa ranks #19 among other states with its obesity level. It is the goal by the year 2016 to be the Healthiest state in the nation. Gov. Branstad has asked every Iowan to walk at least 1 kilometer or .67 of a mile at noon on Friday, October 7th.

Over 4 weeks into the school year---WOW!

I cannot believe we are already four weeks into the school year. It seems like yesterday we were putting them on the buses and waving good-bye. Of course I was waving good-bye and then giving hugs as they entered the building. (Oh the life of a mom and Principal---it is a good life).

As many of you can relate its hard to get the first days of school posted and printed and framed. But I did get a few first day photos. Precious Memories...I ask that you don't let the week pass without saying good morning and good night. I hope you make time in your busy week to say I love you and how was your day. I hope you can assist us in making your childs year a great year filled with many successes.

I have many hopes for your child and their education as well. Stop in and see what we are doing. Come enjoy lunch with your child or take a minute to email, call or stop by to see the teacher or principal...we love to visit...especially about your child.

Reading Pep Rally

Schaller elementary kicked off the reading awards program on August, 19, 2011 with an assembly in the gym. The teachers provided a skit called "The Legend of Checkout Charlie." This set our western reading theme for the year and the students really enjoyed the skit. Mrs. Nehring told each class their reading goals for the year. First grade needs a total of 50 books. Second and Third grade need to read and pass AR quizzes of 75 books. Fourth and Fifth grade students need to read either 100 books and pass AR quizzes or acuumulate 100 AR points. (Each book is predetermined to have a point value on its readability, therefore the more difficult the book the higher the points earned.) The first students "caught reading" were Tyhler Kolpin and Chaden Wright. These students earned a sticker. You never know when your going to get "Caught reading!!"

4th and 5th graders Travel to Ridge View Middle School for Civil War Exhibit

On Thursday,Sept. 15 and Friday, Sept. 16 RidgeView Middle school hosted an exhibit made available from the Iowa historical society. This exhibit was called "The Fiery Trial: Iowa and the Civil War." Schaller elementary students in grades four and five were bussed over to the middle school and all of the sixth, seventh, and eighth grade classes were able to go through the trailer exhibit. The exhibit included a timeline of Iowa's participation in the Civil War, information about Annie Wittenmyer, and the impact of the Civil War on Iowa. There was a computer program that allowed the students to research Civil War ancestors by person, town, township, or congressional district. The computer search was a favorite activity of the students and many located their surnames during their searches. As being a host for the exhibit our library received two books: "Profiles of Valor: Iowa's medal of honor recipients of the civil war" and "Outside In, African American history in Iowa 1838-2000". These are now available for checkout in our middle school library. Several students have expressed further interest in their civil war ancestors. A good internet link for research is http://iagenweb.org/civilwar/county

Reading Plus for 4th and 5th graders--WAHOO!

Students at Schaller -Crestland Elementary are using Reading Plus in 4th adn 5th Grade to boost their reading scores.

This is how they are doing:

In Mrs.Bellcocks, 18 students have green session bars indicating they are on schedule! In addition, comprehension is strong for the class with the entire class averaging a comprehension score of 87% over the past 7 days. This is so great to see such amazing use and comprehension to start off the school year. Also, it looks like 2 students have already leveled up!

In Mrs. Mentzers, 13 students are on track with the schedule and have green session bars! Awesome use! Comprehension is also strong in this class with the class maintaining a comprehension score of 82% over the past 7 days. Excellent.

All the students in both classes deserve a round of congratulations for getting off to a great start with the program! Kudos to thier teachers as well!

Keep up the great efforts!

Welcome back for another great year of learning!

2011-2012 has already been an exciting start for me.  I have met some new students, seen alot of names and scheduled kids into classes.  I have also been so fortunate to hire Ms. Johnson as our second section of Kindergarten, Ms. Wunschel as our second section of 2nd grade and Miss Duckworth as our new art teacher!  Can't wait to see you all at Open House---Tuesday night from 5:30-7:30!!!

See you soon----Principal Pickhinke

Second Graders-hands on learning- and fun too....thank you Mrs. Bisenius!

2nd grade learned about staying heart healthy. Here we used stethoscopes, looked at a pig's heart; and studied heart tissue under a microscope. 

 

2nd grade learned about air and weather with our new FOSS science.  Here we are making parachutes and flying them.

Sac County Farm Bureau comes to Schaller-Crestland Elementary

 

Sac County Farm Bureau representative, Candice Booth, visited 3rd and 4th grade students at Schaller-Crestland on May 5th. She presented a talk on sheep. The students learned many basic sheep facts and loved playing a trivia game based on the popular TV show, "Who Wants to be a Millionaire."

 

Fourth Grade Safety Camp

The Schaller-Crestland Fourth Grade class traveled to the Sac County Fairgrounds to attend the annual Safety Camp provided by Iowa State Extension Service. All fourth grade students in Sac County are invited to his camp.  They spent the day attending 30 minute sessions at different stations. They started the day at the animal safety station.  They participated in a 1st aide station, an ATV safety station, a 911 emergency station, a tornado safety house,  a farm hazard station, a lawn mower safety station, and a station on electrical safety.  The presenters involved the students in each of the stations.  Our class enjoyed a picnic at noon in the gazebo, and they had the opportunity to become acquainted with the students in our county.

Good-Bye Flat Stanley---we enojoyed the trip and learning through all your adventures!

First Grade Flat Stanley Project:

Flat Stanley returned home this year with many exciting adventures to share, lessons to learn, and new lands to explore. Our Stanleys visited five continents - North America (26 states in the U.S., Mexico and Jamaica); Asia (Iraq and Afghanistan); Africa (Mauritania); Europe (Spain, Germany, the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Budapest, Amsterdam, and the Netherlands); and Australia.

picture (left to right);

front row: Adrian Robinson, Chayden Wright, Tyhler Kolpin, Hannah Ehrp, Jessica Loera, Anais Najera, Summer Wendt, Ross Mentzer

middle row: Justin Constancio, Connor Naberhaus, Dani Kron, LaRena Gardea, Logan Pickhinke, Haylie Troxel, Abby Wandrey, Jayden Constancio. Juli De Lao

back row: Christian Bendixen, Parker Currie, Brody Deitering, Earnie Clayton, Haley McClellan, Katie Pickhinke, John Schmitt, Ally Saltsman, Adrianna Kretlow, Ian Shepherd

Oh the Places we traveled this year with Flat Stanley.....check out the pictures and read on to learn more about our year by clicking on the tab on the upper right corner of the blog.

       Wacky Fun at Schaller-Crestland

Laughter and cheers filled the gymnasium at Schaller-Crestland Elementary on the afternoon of April 25th.   Students in grades 3-5 had the chance to participate in the 1st ever S-C Wacky Olympics!  All students and teachers were divided into five teams, with each team being designated a specific color.  The students wore their team colors and competed against each other in “crazy” events such as Iron Man Obstacle Course, King of the Hill (a plank competition), Dress-Up Relay, Basketball Musical Mats, Bowling Pin Setup, Volleyball Pickup, and Tire Roll Relay.  The top three places in each event were awarded points, scores were kept and added up, and the winner was crowned.

The Wacky Olympics were put on by the 3rd grade fitness team “Trailblazers”, along with team leaders Angie Willer, Kate Struchen, and Brenda Mentzer.  3rd graders were in charge of the setup, scorekeeping, and even announcing the events play by play!  The Wacky Olympics was a fun and rewarding way to end their Live Healthy Iowa 100 Day Fitness Challenge.

- Author Angie Willer

-Photographer Kurt McKenney

"Circus Extravaganza" on Monday, May 16, 20011

The Schaller-Crestland Elementary will be hosting a "Circus Extravaganza" on Monday, May 16, 20011.
Parents and students please assemble in the gym at 6:30 for a reading presentation of awards.  You will be dismissed at 7:00 to view students work in the classrooms.  There will be games, tatoos, facepainting, in the gym.  Also a special treat of popcorn or cotton candy will be handed out after the assembly.  Thank you. 

"Poetry Alive"

A poetry group called "Poetry Alive" sponsored by Buena VIsta University came to entertain and educate our students at Schaller Crestland on TUesday morning.  They performed many famous poems by known authors. STudents and teachers from the audience got to participate in helping act out the poems.  Later that morning we broke into smaller groups and they taught the students the 5 Basic Elements of Presenting to an Audience.

The students wrote a poem together and acted it out using the elements they were taught. We enjoyed it very much!  Thank you Buena Vista University for bringing them to us!!!!

 

 

 

If You Give a Mouse a Cookie

The preschool class at Schaller Crestland had their annual Math night on Tuesday, April 5th.  Many parents and their preschool children came to the classroom for a night of Math activities.  These activities were based around the story If You Give a Mouse a Cookie.  The students were able to go to various centers such as cookie taste testing and graphing, puppet making, playdough patterning, number matching, story writing, chocolate chip counting, and cookie estimating.  They also enjoyed a snack of milk and cookies with their parents before leaving for the night.

THanks,
Sherrie Grieme




Angelic Henningson with her daughters, Mya and Mazee.  Brian Pickhinke with his daughter, Nora.




  Sabrina Werbeburg counting her chocolate chips at the Math center.




Mike McDonough with his son Carson playing at the math table.



Kristy Bendixen and son Kane and Lori Anway with son Seth making playdough patterns

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

 

TK celebrated St. Patrick's Day by decorating leprechaun traps or rainbows with their families. On St. Patrick's Day we didn't catch any leprechauns, but Liam the Leprechaun tricked us. We found all our yellow crayons and a bowl of Leprechaun potion in our watertable. At snack time we added milk to the white "potion" and it turned green:) What a fun surprise! Happy St. Patrick's Day!