January+13

=__**JANUARY 13**__=

__** ANNOUNCEMENTS AND UPCOMING DATES :**__
**Thurs., Jan. 19...VMEPC; 7:00; Elem. Cafeteria** **Mon., Jan. 23...Orders due for Elementary Yearbooks** **Thurs., Feb. 16...VMEPC; 7:00; Elem. Cafeteria** **Mon., Feb. 20...NO SCHOOL...Professional Development** **Thurs., Feb. 23...Spring Pictures** **Sat., Mar. 3...Elementary Carnival**

**If your child is going to be absent for a few days due to a family trip, please let us know with a note in advance so we may gather homework to send with you. We can't always have //everything// ready to go, but it's very helpful to the teachers and the office to be aware of extended absences ahead of time. Thank you!**

=== Both homerooms will have a "Homework Club" each quarter. We will keep a chart in our rooms, tracking which students return their homework packets on time each week. Students who consistently return their packets each week will be rewarded at the end of each quarter! ===

=== //We have been informed that the kitchen can no longer store items that need to be frozen or refrigerated. You will need to provide a cooler if your child is bringing treats that require refrigeration. Thank you for your cooperation.// ===

__**LITERACY:**__
We are continuing to introduce the 6-Traits of Writing. In reading, we are making predictions and connections. We are using context clues, identifying main events, questioning, inferring and summarizing. Please encourage your child to read at home.

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We are in the multiplication unit. Students will be learning strategies and concepts to help them understand and to help them multiply. For those students that are fluent in multiplication, we will be working with division concepts. Please begin to add basic multiplication facts to your addition/subtraction fact practice. =====

__SCIENCE:__
This week was one of the highlights of our science year! Chris Adkins and Laura Zaugg from Dallas County Conservation were here on Monday to teach us about owls. We learned owl calls, were able to see a variety of beautiful stuffed owls, passed around feathers and talons, and met a live owl! The next day Chris was back to teach us about owl "pellets", and your student can definitely describe those to you in great detail, as each student was able to dissect their own pellet! Wednesday continued the dissection process, providing a very good review of when we studied our own skeletal systems back in October. Thursday our little owl unit concluded with a story about barn owls. The kids know they may contact Chris or Laura if they see or hear particular owls....especially a snowy owl!! Here is their contact information: chris.adkins@co.dallas.ia.us Cell: 202-2552 laura.zaugg@co.dallas.ia.us Cell: 202-9289 The following website gives lots of information about owl pellets, and allows students to virtually dissect a pellet on the computer! Have fun, without the mess! :) [|www.kidwings.com/owlpellets]

__**SOCIAL STUDIES:**__
==== Most of our 'friends' have been mailed out! Thank you for providing addresses to get our friends started on their journey. We have had friends visit Idaho and France! We saw a huge potato and enjoyed tasty treats from France! ====

We will be finishing our unit on the Hopi, Iroquois, Jamestown settlers, and Salem. We have discussed how resources were used, the problems the colonists had adapting to the new lands, and how the Powhatan helped the settlers.

Living History Farms was here on the 5th of January and we learned about Ioway culture. We had an opportunity to see and touch artifacts and animal furs. We made clay pots and tasted buffalo jerky. We viewed a slide presentation and learned about their houses, games, food, jobs, and customs. We even tried to sing a song in the Ioway language and added a little fancy Ioway footwork! ==== Check with your child about Daily Detective. The purpose of this project is to not only help the students learn about the countries of the world, but also to help them research. Each day a new clue will go up on our 'detective board'. The students will be able to write the clue down and bring it home so that you can, if needed, help your child to identify the country. The clues start out very broad and as the week goes on, get more specific. Please ask your child about Daily Detective and each daily clue. ==== The Daily Detective has been put on hold but will resume after the Christmas break. :)

__**MRS. VOLK:**__
Your child has been registered for Sumdog.com. This is a site that will help your child practice their math facts. Each student was given a username and password. They are encouraged to use this site at home.

Please encourage your child to complete and return their weekly homework packet. We had 8 students that completed their packets on time and 7 students that only missed one week. Thank you to those students for being responsible each week.

Please encourage your child to read at home and turn in their reading sheet. The reading sheet should be turned in even if they don't meet our goal. Any reading is better than no reading! Our goal for the month of January is 425 minutes. Please feel free to use the list of questions that I sent home earlier this year to help you facilitate a reading conversation with your child. Thank you for your continued support at home.

The following students received 100% on the spelling challenge fundraiser test, and they received certificates for a slice of pizza and fountain drink at Casey's! Congratulations to Lucy, Kylie, and Isaac! Thank you to everyone who supported the VMEPC fundraiser by sponsoring a student. All the money raised goes right back to our elementary!

**__MRS. SKAHILL/MISS STEPHENS:__** **Welcome to new student, Samantha Bolles, who joined us from Phoenix, AZ on Mon., Jan. 16!**

** The following students received 100% on the spelling challenge fundraiser test, and received certificates for a slice of pizza and fountain drink at Casey's! Congratulations to Brandon, Kennedy, Lily, Sydney, Zach, and Josie! **

** AND...our class was one of the two top money raisers for the spelling challenge fundraiser, so we'll be enjoying a pizza party in the near future! Thanks to all of you who helped support this great VMEPC fundraiser! **

** //Please have your child read for January's Book-It. This month's goal is to complete// **** //350 minutes of reading time AND the book report printed on the back of the calendar.// ** ** //Congratulations to the following students who met the December goal:// ** ** //Lily, Kennedy, Emma, Alex, Amy, Connor, Jaeden, Zach, Sydney, and Beau.// **

** //I'd like to see 100% participation from our class in January! (It's a great excuse to go to Pizza Hut!//!) **
Just a reminder: Spelling word lists are handed out at the //beginning// of each unit so they can be studied in preparation for the cloze test. Watch for the word lists glued into the planner. As mentioned previously, we won't be taking a cloze test every week...we work up to tests as we go through the word/phonics lessons in each unit.

refills for Glade plug-in air freshener
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