The Monthly Snapshot

An Electronic Newsletter for LES and NPLiberty HS

Volume I, Issue V (February - March 2017)

Second grade works hard during winter months

Mr. Kitchen’s second grade class has been busy at work during these cold months of the winter.

In reading, the class has just finished up reading and using informational texts. The students were able to dive into non-fiction materials and learn interesting facts and details and build upon prior knowledge. They were also focused on informational writing during their writing workshop time. The class brainstormed topics that they felt they were experts on, and then created books to show what they wanted to teach other people about. One of their favorite books was when they chose a PA animal to research and write about, and then we shared our books with Mrs. Schmouder’s third grade class.

The students have been working very hard in math as well. We just finished a unit on creating graphs from data as well as ordering numbers to help find the median in a set. The next unit of study will be one of fractions, so don’t be afraid to work on this at home as well.

Our class will be having our annual second grade carnival in April, so if anyone has toys they would like to donate as prizes, they are always welcomed and appreciated. Start to keep your change so students can play games and buy snacks at the carnival. This is a great event that all the students and community of LES cherish!

Above, grade 2 students participate in the Global School Play Day (GSPD). For more information on GSPD, click on the link below.

Click here for more info. on Global School Play Day!

Grade 3 students become a"maze"ing engineers

By Mrs. Alexander

The third grade students became engineers as they designed, created, and shared their amazing projects.

They each were paired with another student and given the task of turning the bottom of a pizza box into a three dimensional maze that they could roll a small marble through from start to finish. First, they designed their maze on graph paper. Then they created a grid on the bottom of the pizza box and transferred their design onto the grid. Many of the students found this to be the most challenging part of the project. Some of the groups found they needed to go back and redesign parts of their maze. Once their maze was drawn in the pizza box, they used cardboard and tape to create the maze.

Their favorite part was trying out all of the mazes on the last day of the project. We want to thank the Liberty Exxon for donating the pizza boxes for this project.

Grades 5 and 6 students participate in National Geography Bee

By Ms. Mitchell

Each year thousands of schools in the United States participate in the National Geographic Bee. This year, the fifth and sixth grade finalists were eligible for this entertaining and challenging competition. With the potential of a top prize of a $50,000 scholarship, the goal of the contest is to spark student interest and increase public awareness about geography.

There are three levels of competition: school, state, and national. In order to determine our school's champion, all fifth and sixth grade students participated in a qualifying round. Two students from each homeroom advanced to our school level competition.

The six students who qualified were Cale Wagner, Mya Mase, Amy Feaster, Arika Woodward, Cooper Broughton, and Ester Bishop. After some challenging questions and a close battle, Cale Wagner took third, Amy Feaster placed second, and Cooper Broughton was named our 2017 Liberty Elementary Geography Bee champion!

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Derek L.

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Mackenzie B.

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Jaclyn N.

Students engage in Internet safety poster project

By Mrs. Murray

The school year is flying by and there has been lots going on in the LES Library and MakerSpace!

Over the past several months, grade 6 students have been learning about Internet safety and what it means to be a good digital citizen. Topics covered included: protecting personal information, cyberbullying, social media usage, using search engines, and researching. The students completed many different activities throughout the unit to aid them in learning how to use the Internet and technology appropriately both in and out of the classroom.

As a culminating project, the grade 6 students did a type 3 Collins writing that required them to write two paragraphs based on a topic that focused around Internet safety. Students were required to include specific content information, focus on grammar, and also use a certain number of vocabulary words from the unit in their piece of writing.

The students then created a mini-poster that included graphics as well as their writing. This gave the students the opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of the Internet safety topics through writing while also allowing them to be creative.

Shown above are students with their completed mini-poster projects.

To keep up with what is happening in the LES Library and MakerSpace be sure to check out our website by clicking the link below.

Click here for info on the LES Library and MakerSpace!

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Industrial Arts 4 course blends traditional and modern forms of building for students

By Mr. Stetter

Technology is using available tools and materials to allow us to make our lives better. Often technology is confused with computers and digital devices, and while this is one form of technology, technology can also involve machinery found in traditional metal and wood working shops. One thing I really like about teaching technology education is the opportunity to allow students to use both old and new technologies to make things that will, hopefully, make their lives better.

In the Industrial Arts 4 course, the students spent much of their time making a wooden stool using traditional wood shop methods (shown on left above). The students glued boards together, drilled holes, and sawed backrests. They used saws, chisels, and rasps to create tenons that would fit into drilled mortises. This is a very traditional hands-on project.

The course then shifted from traditional forms of building to more modern forms of building. The students used a parametric modeling program called Inventor to create models of cars. They were then able to create a 3D print of the design that they made (shown in the middle and right above).

Learning how to use the software is a valuable experience because many manufacturing jobs are moving in this direction. I believe it is valuable for students to be proficient in both traditional building skills and trades as well as more modern and progressive building skills.

Grade 8 students study chemical reactions in science

By Mr. Broughton

The NPLHS grade 8 science classes are finishing their studies on chemical reactions.

During the unit, the students learned about atomic structure and how that plays a role in why elements react with each other. The different types of chemical reactions were discussed and evidences for each observed.

The culminating activity for the students were a series of three lab assignments. In the labs, the students had to use their new knowledge to make a chemical reaction happen, determine what type of reaction it was from evidence gathered, and write a formal lab report on the results of the lab.

Above, Katie N. performs an "elephant toothpaste" reaction.

The Collins writing the students have been practicing aided in the writing of the reports.

Southern Tioga Area Bowhunters place in the inaugural PA S3DA State Tournament

By Mr. Broughton

On January 15th, 2017, nine members of the Southern Tioga Area Bowhunters had the privilege to participate in the inaugural PA S3DA State Indoor Tournament in Lancaster, PA.

The Southern Tioga Area Bowhunters had an eight member team in the High School Fixed Pin Class and one member in the Middle School Fixed Pin Class. All of the archers shot well during the competition, and when it was over, three club members stood on the podium in the High School division and one stood on the podium in the Middle School division.

In the High School Fixed Pin Class, Tyler Boyer took first, Colin Schmouder took second, and Jacob Sawyer took third. In the Middle School Class, Cooper Broughton took first. The Southern Tioga Area Bowhunters also took first in the team division with the highest team score in the High School division.

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Using scenarios to develop social skills

By Mrs. Koskie

In today’s society, being social plays a big role in our everyday lives. Whether it’s asking for help from a teacher or friend, dealing with peer pressure, or a presentation in class, great social skills are a necessity. To help students develop better social skills, our class has been working hard.

One activity that we have done recently involves reading a card with a real life situation to the students. The students will determine whether the action is something appropriate or would result in someone becoming angry or annoyed. They then share their thoughts on how it would make others feel with the group and collectively we come up with better ways to handle the situation. Students provide great insight on how to deal with the different scenarios and share their personal point of view of different situations and solutions.

With the practice of simulated situations in the classroom, my goal is to teach students to react appropriately when a problem or new situation arises in the real world.

Recognizing "standout students" inside and outside of the classroom

By Mr. Kathcart

March is here and a reminder of what a speedy year this has been. The days are getting longer, and there are definite signs of spring in the air.

Grade 7 world history students have really blossomed as the year has progressed and they continue to impress. They are currently examining ancient Mesopotamia and the foundations of civilization. I look forward to reading the hero stories they are working on, as Mesopotamia gave the world the first hero stories at least five thousand years ago.

Teachers continue to send me names of "standout students" in their classes, and I continue to be impressed with all of the great things that our students are doing both in and out of the classroom. I love to hear that students have “stepped it up” or “helped others” and that they are “motivated and like a challenge.”

Students, remember that your teachers and your peers notice all of the outstanding things that you do each and every day and for that you deserve our thanks and admiration. Keep up the good work.

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Upcoming Event Calendar

Use the link below to access a document that contains several upcoming events in the Southern Tioga School District (District), at Liberty Elementary School (LES), and/or at North Penn - Liberty Jr./Sr. High School (NPLiberty HS):

UPCOMING EVENTS