MHS/WES Newsletter

November 2, Tuesday: NO SCHOOL~Staff Development

November 11, Thursday: NO SCHOOL~Veteran's Day

November 12, Friday: Fun Run (see flyer for schedule)

November 17, Wednesday 6:30: PTO Meeting, WES Library or online (meet.google.com/kyi-mtzf-mkb)

November 24, Wednesday: 1/2 day of school~Thanksgiving Break

November 25 & 26, Thursday & Friday: NO SCHOOL~Thanksgiving Break

December 2, Thursday: 5:30-6:30 PTO Holiday Workshop

(flyer with more details will be sent home at a later date)

December 7: TUESDAY: IS NOW A FULL DAY OF SCHOOL (THIS WAS ORIGINALLY A HALF DAY)

Members from Booster will be here for the next 2 weeks. Each day they will visit with students during lunch and show a quick video. They will also be visiting classrooms and cheering kids outside at the beginning and end of each school day. This year's theme is sports around the world. This is the PTO's big fundraiser to support our schools.

The conclusion of the Boosterthon ends with a Fun Run for all of students on November 12th. Our hope is to have this run outside and invite families. Unfortunately, if we need to move the Fun Run indoors, we will not be able to accommodate families in our buildings. Let's hope for great weather! Either way, it will be an exciting and fun event for our kids.

If you would prefer to donate directly to our PTO, they accept cash and checks. If writing a check, it should be written to “Westminster PTO”. Be sure to include your student’s name and teacher's name so that they can get proper credit on their dashboards. Let’s do this!!!

As always, thank you for supporting our schools and the Westminster PTO!

Please help us remind our children of the bus expectations. We want everyone to have a safe and enjoyable trip to and from school. Your help is appreciated.

Be Safe

• Stay in seat (back to back, bottom to bottom)
• Keep hands, feet and objects to self
• Keep the aisle clear
• Keep all food and drinks in your backpack

Be Respectful

• Use a level 1 voice
• Use kind words

Be Responsible

• Sit in my assigned area
• Keep track of my belongings

Thank you to everyone that came in for a parent teacher conference. We really enjoyed talking with you and sharing all the successes of your children. It’s been a great start to the year!

In first grade, students in each class have been working on spelling pattern words and memory words. We have been working on the following pattern words: /sh/, /ch/, /th/, and /wh/. We appreciate you working on the spelling words at home with your children. Quick frequent practice of these skills in a variety of areas will ensure success.

In math, we have been working solving addition problems by counting on, counting by 5’s and 10’s to 100, and using dominoes, dot cards, number racks and ten frames to add and subtract single digit numbers.

Could you outrun a dinosaur? That’s a question third graders are trying to answer. Third graders’ current science unit is called Animals Through Time. We have been studying fossils. Using what we know about today’s animals, we can imagine how dinosaurs looked, what they ate and how they behaved. We can also look at dinosaur fossilized footprints and see how fast they traveled.

The Technology/Engineering rooms have been buzzing with excitement these last few weeks. I am sure that the students have come home and shared with you some of the amazing things that we have been doing. In case you missed it, here is what each grade level is doing this October/November.

5th Grade: Instrument Invention

Over the next few weeks, the 5th grade students will be making instruments made out of recyclable materials. After they are completed, we will use conductive tape, a device called a Makey Makey, and the www.scratch.mit/edu website to code musical notes for our instruments.

After the lesson is done, then the students can bring their instruments home.

4th Grade: World Study

The 4th grade students have been identifying and learning major physical concepts of the Earth; such as continents, oceans, plate tectonics, the hemispheres, mapping skills, latitude and longitude, locations, and degrees.

We had just started developing our digital research skills by finding amazing landforms from around the world. We will then use this knowledge to create a virtual field trip using Google Earth.

3rd Grade: Google Accounts/Digital Citizenship

3rd grade has begun their Google unit. During each technology class the students learn different aspects of their Google suites. This includes digital responsibility, internet safety, Google Slides, Docs, etc.

Remember that the students can log into their accounts at home to create and practice anything they learned at school.

2nd: Digital Story Creation & Sequencing

In second grade, we are learning how to use Seesaw and digital story sequencing. Our main focus of this lesson is to recreate a story using different multi-medias to produce an effective written publication. By the end of the lesson the students will know how to create a drawing, insert pictures & text, and follow all rules based on the ELA guidelines.

When we are done they will be saved and printed.

K & 1st:

Both Kindergarten and 1st are learning how to log onto the Chromebooks with their usernames and passwords. During this time, they are also discovering how to navigate the different apps on Classlink. Soon we will be accessing Seesaw lessons and activities, where we will learn about operational thinking, hardware & software, and even some coding.

Donations for Technology Class

Facial Tissues

Disinfectant wipes

Holiday lights (working or broken)

Small wooden dowels

Toothpicks

Duct tape

Plastic drinking cups (mini and large)

Aluminum foil

Newspapers

Balloons

Gallon & quart size Ziplock bags

Paper plates

Grades 3-5

Girls on the Run is an after-school program designed to inspire girls of all abilities to recognize and embrace their inner strength. Lessons emphasize the important connection between physical and emotional health. Through safety modifications and virtual programming, dedicated and trained staff are ready to adapt to local community needs. At the end of the program, girls complete a 5K, which provides a tangible sense of accomplishment, setting a confident and goal-oriented mindset into motion.

If interested in coaching, please reach out to:

Katie Esposito <katie.esposito@girlsontherun.org