AUGUST 2006 NEWSLETTER
P L E A S A N T H I L L I N T E R M E D I AT E S C H O O L
PRINCIPAL’S CORNER
The school year is well underway as we begin our second week of school.
The students and school staff are quickly fine tuning our procedures to help
things run more smoothly. One area of concern is student safety. When
bringing your child to school or picking your child up from school, please
remember that the car loading and unloading zone is on the east side of the
building by the front entrance. Also, to keep students safe, please only
form one line so that students are never walking in between parked cars.
We appreciate your help with this so all of our students are safe.
ALL SCHOOL PICTURE
We will be having an all school picture on Wednesday, September 6, 2006.
We need for ALL students to wear his or her school t-shirt to school that day
for the picture. We appreciate your help in insuring that all students are
dressed in the school shirt that day. Thank you!
STUDENTS OF THE WEEK
Be watching the Pleasant Hill Times for the Pleasant Hill Intermediate
School Students of the Week. Every other week, one fifth grade student
and one sixth grade student will be honored for going above and beyond
while at school!
SEPTEMBER DATES TO REMEMBER
September 1 and 4
September 6
September 25
September 11-15
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NO SCHOOL
School Picture (Wear Intermediate Purple T-Shirt)
NO SCHOOL – Professional Development
Stanford 10 Testing
INTRAMURAL PROGRAM
Our intramural program will be starting as soon as the gym floor and
gymnasium are ready for us to use. It will be a program of organized
games, board games and social time. This program will be on Mondays
through Thursdays, 7:10 a.m. – 7:55 a.m. It will give the students an
opportunity to be active and social within the scope of organized games.
These activities will be starting this month, watch for more information.
MUSIC
Our 5th and 6th grade Honor Choir will begin next Wednesday September
6th from 3:15 -4:15 pm in the intermediate school choir room. We are
auditioning this week and will post the results next Tuesday September 5th
at the end of the school day. The choir will consist of about 30-40 talented
singers and we will be singing some challenging music.
LIBRARY
This is truly a fantastic time to be at Pleasant Hill Intermediate School. With
a new Principal, new students, new teachers, and a new building it makes
each day an adventure. Soon to be added to the many adventures is the
Library Media Center. I can’t wait to see all of the students visiting the
Library!
Our book fair will be held October 2nd-6th during the school day. A family
event will be held the evening of October 3rd from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Book fair
flyers will be coming home with students soon. If you would like to help at
the book fair please contact the Intermediate School and ask for Mrs.
Yokley. For every shift that you work, you will receive a $6.00 book from
the fair.
If you are interested in volunteering in the Intermediate School Library
Media Center throughout the school year any help is appreciated. Again,
please contact Mrs. Yokley if this is an area you would like to volunteer
your time to.
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STUDENT COUNCIL
Student Council representatives and alternates were selected this week
from each homeroom. The Student Council will meet with Mrs. Harrison
and Mrs. Yokley as a group on September 5th to discuss campaign rules,
then school wide elections will be held on September 11th. Please watch
for further news from Student Council.
ART
5th grade art is working on Elements and Principles of Art during the
months of August and September. We will be doing projects with color,
line, shape, space, value, and form. While doing these we will look at
several artists including Kandinsky, Klee, Mondrian, Van Gogh and
others. We will explore several different media including marker, tempera
paint and construction paper. I look forward to getting to know all my new
5th graders.
THE ROOTS AND SHOOTS CLUB will begin September 13th after school
from 3:00-4:00 in the Art room. This is a World-wide environmental club
started by Dr. Jane Goodall. Students in the club will do service projects
that show care and concern for animals, people, community and their
environment. Students develop a since of ownership, pride and
empathy. We will meet every Wednesday throughout the year. Sponsors
are Miss Parson and Mrs. McManis.
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FIFTH GRADE TEAM A – TEAM NEWS
Math
We are off to a great start with Saxon Math! Students are learning the
classroom routine and are being very responsible! If your student has not
checked out a math textbook from me and you would like one to keep at
home; please remind your child or write a note in his/her planner. This
month we will be comparing numbers, reviewing fact families, practicing
subtraction, working on story problems about combining and using
number lines, lines and tally marks. The daily lesson will be a part of your
student’s planner. Please feel free to contact me with any questions or
concerns. I am looking forward to learning and growing with your child
this year.
Communication Arts
In Communication Arts we will be practicing basic reading skills, and basic
grammar skills. We will also practice the writing process with Power
Writing and Writer’s Workshop. We will also have weekly spelling lists
and practice pages.
Social Studies
During the month of September we will be learning about and testing over
Maps and Landforms. We will also be studying Native Americans. Our
Native Americans unit will be followed up with a research project. Be sure
to watch for more information about this project later in the month!
Science
For the month of September we will be working on Classification. We will
learn how scientists look at characteristics or attributes to determine which
of the 6 Kingdoms an organism belongs. As we learn about each of the
Kingdoms, we will learn about the life processes that keep them alive, as
well as their cell structure.
Team Contact Information
Team Member
Mrs. Erica Armstrong
Ms. Beth Hauer
Mrs. Crystal Parson
Mrs. Rebecca Russell
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Email
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
SIXTH GRADE TEAM B – TEAM NEWS
Team 6B has gotten off to a great start. We spent the first week learning
procedures, classroom expectations, and getting to know one another. We
look forward to a year full of learning and collaboration. In Rooster
Reading time we are currently reading and discussing Bridge to Terabithia.
During our team time we are completing various activities to build team
cohesiveness and organizational skills.
Communication Arts
In communication arts, students are reading Small Steps: the Year I Got
Polio. Please ask your son/daughter about this book and what they have
learned about polio. This is a non-fiction book that students really seem to
enjoy. We will begin elements of fiction and journal writing soon. Before
long we will be piloting a new series that includes reading, grammar, and
spelling. We are looking forward to this!
Science
In Science we will be working on the scientific inquiry. This will teach the
students how to solve problems they are faced with in everyday activities.
Social Studies
In S.S. we will be working on timelines and the five themes of Geography.
Math
Math classes are starting the McDougal Littell Math Course 1. We will be
covering the first chapter on Number Sense and Algebraic Thinking. We
will be taking time during the first chapter to review basic whole number
operations to make sure students are proficient in those areas. Please keep
in mind, the math classes are continuing to collect pop tabs to reach the
goal of one million. Send any tabs to school with your child. Presently, we
have around 511,000 tabs.
We truly enjoy your children. Our goal is that each student has a successful,
positive 6th grade year. Please feel free to contact us with questions,
comments, or concerns. Our e-mail addresses are as follows.
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Team Contact Information
Team Member
Mr. Josh Adamczyk
Mrs. Chandra Arbuckle
Mrs. Mary Leslie
Mrs. Pam Maxey
Ms. Veronica Love
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Email
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
SIXTH GRADE TEAM A – TEAM NEWS
The Sixth Grade Team A has gotten off to a great start. In Rooster Reading
we are reading Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson. This is a
wonderful book about friendship. We are doing various activities on
friendship during our team time.
MATH
In Math A team, we have been reviewing basic rounding skills, subtraction
of large numbers, and place values. We will be using these skills in the
first section of the book when we start estimation, using exponents, order of
operations and problem solving in September. Remember it is very
important to practice basic multiplication and division skills with your child
so they will start to memorize these facts quickly. We will be using these
skills all year long and it is very important for them to get these skills early!
COMMUNICATION ARTS
We are reading the book, Small Steps: The Year I got Polio, by Peg Kehret.
This is a nonfiction book about a young girl who was diagnosed with polio
in 1949. I have found this to be a favorite book of many of my students.
We are also studying elements of fiction. This includes setting, plot,
characterization, theme, conflict and figurative language. We have focused
on figurative language. The students have studied personification,
hyperbole, simile, metaphor, alliteration and onomatopoeia. The students
love working with versa tiles while studying these concepts. We will be
piloting a new series that will include reading, grammar and spelling.
We kicked off our year long poetry study with acrostic poems. The
students wrote an acrostic poem about themselves during reading time.
They also wrote about friendship during team time. We have plans to
include poetry during team time. I have found that many students enjoy
writing, reading and or listening to poetry.
SCIENCE/SOCIAL STUDIES
We are starting a section on timelines, which will run through next week
and the information will be used through the rest of the year. Next week in
science we’ll begin discussing the scientific method and will soon begin a
section on the rock cycle.
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Team Contact Information
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Team Member
Mr. Ward Beers
Ms. Kristy Faitz
Mrs. Marti Wilmoth
Email
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
August 31, 2006
TH
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GRADE
Pleasant Hill Intermediate School
(816) 540-3156
Team Contact Information
Team Member
Email
Extension
Mr. Matt Harper
[email protected]
503
Mrs. Christy Harrison
[email protected]
504
Ms. Veronica Love
[email protected]
402
Mrs. Joy Lucht
[email protected]
506
Mrs. Sharon Meyer
[email protected]
501
Students need to
bring recreational
reading materials
from home each day.
This may be books,
newspapers, magazines, etc.
Dates to
Remember…
September 1-4
No School
September 25
No School
Team News
Planners
Students are to have planners at school daily.
Planners are used for student organization as
well as hall passes during the day. Parent must
sign student planners each night. Please use this
as a communication tool. Students whose planners have been signed by a parent each night will
receive extra social time on Fridays.
Folders
Students are to have three (3) folders with
them at all times. Folders should be labeled as
follows: Homework, Science/S.S., and Completed
Work/notes home.
Due Dates and Tests
Timeline Project dueSept 6
Chocolate Fever Vocab
Website
Our team is working hard on our classroom websites. Please look for information to come home