USD 379 Intervention teachers have gone through extensive reading intervention training from The Phillips Fundamental Learning Center. This includes Mrs. Coupal, Mrs. Fox, Mr. Liby, and Mrs. Swihart at Lincoln and Mrs. Galindo at Garfield. This group has excelled so much with the new curriculum that the Fundamental Learning Center decided to come to Clay Center and film a documentary about everything they are doing to help our kids succeed! It is a powerful video, and we hope you take a few minutes to watch!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxVvAg8ydo8
While learning about how different countries celebrate the holidays at this time of year, Mrs. Payne’s 2nd grade class stopped in Mexico and made piñatas.
It’s Gingerbread Week in kindergarten! Only one problem: Mr. Kimmi opened the oven door and out shot the gingerbread man. He went running down the hall shouting, "Run, run as fast as you can!" Now we can't find him!
Every December, Ms. Coughlin presents her "How To Accept A Gift" as part of her classroom counseling lesson. Students learn how to give a genuine thank you, even if it is a present they don't want (like underwear!).
Every week during English Language Arts core time, Ms. Brownell teaches a grammar review. It's a short lesson on changing sentences to make sure they are grammatically correct. They were also reviewing the week's spelling words, which had an -oy -oi theme. Students had to come up with a word that included those sounds as an "exit ticket" to start on their assignment.
To end the first semester, second graders were required to write a descriptive paragraph that would be used in their end-of-quarter grade cards. To make it more interesting, Mrs. Pfizenmaier had her students design and create a holiday sweater. Then, they wrote a paragraph about the sweater. There were some great sweaters and paragraphs!
It was Holiday Hat dat at Lincoln, and Math Multiplication day! Students in Mrs. Peterson's class were hard at work completing story problems involving multiplication facts.
Students in Mrs. Craig's Human Growth and Development class have been learning about the areas of child development (physical, intellectual, emotional and social.) Last week, they interviewed LES preschoolers in Miss Kristi and Miss Kaity's classes by asking them questions relating to these four areas. CCCHS students enjoyed the opportunity to connect with the preschoolers in their classroom, as well as experience firsthand what children this age know and are capable of doing. One student shared: "I liked that we got to see what kids think like now."
The CCCHS Singing Christmas Tree performance is in its 69th year of existence. One of the best traditions involved with the performance is having the Lincoln, Garfield, and CCCMS students come to watch them perform on Friday morning. Besides giving the CCCHS choirs a chance to practice before the actual event (Sunday, Dec. 15 2 pm), it also shows the younger generation of students what they could be a part of if they want to sing in high school. As always, it is a wonderful show!
At the end of each quarter, kindergarten students take a spelling test based on their learning throughout the year. The data from these assessments help teachers place students into reading small groups and are also part of their end-of-quarter grade cards. K-2 uses standards-based grade cards, which show what students have learned so far instead of just assigning a letter grade.
This morning, a vehicle transporting USD 379 students on a college visit was in an accident. Thankfully, no serious injuries were reported. Parents have been contacted, and plans are in place to bring everyone home safely.
The USD 379 December meeting Board Brief can be found here:
https://core-docs.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/documents/asset/uploaded_file/969/USD_379/5094827/December_9__2024_Board_Brief.pdf
Every kindergarten classroom has "centers" time each day, where students get to choose stations to play. These can be math or reading related, or it may just be play based, which is also a big focus as a kindergarten student. Mrs. Schmitz's kids were having a blast with their holiday based centers!
Lincoln December BOE Report
Every year in December, Mrs. Auld and Mrs. Hershberger give a special surprise to the LES second graders. An anonymous invite is delivered to them to take a ride on the Polar Express! Each student is given a "ticket" to come to the library and watch a read-a-long of the book by Chris Van Allsburg. Mrs. Auld and Mrs. Hershberger even dress up for the event!
Mrs. Baumann's afternoon preschool class wrapped up a 6 week unit study on Environments! They began by discussing their environment inside the classroom, expanded talk to the school building, local community and finally globally by focusing on the Coral Reef for the final 2 weeks.
The students created various projects with nature, reducing waste, recycling, and reusing by turning 'trash' into "treasure". They personalized their creations to reflect the creatures they were studying in the ocean. The students' work included those animals that worked as a team to survive, such as the relationship between the ClownFish and an Anemone.
They read fiction and nonfiction, determined differences between authors and illustrators, and made observations of many similarities in various environments, all while incorporating number recognition, letter identification, phonological awareness, problem-solving solutions, and so much more.
Our final display (all student created!) can be seen in the hallway and will later be shown at the SAC office through most of December.
You are invited!
Happy Thanksgiving from USD 379!
It was float building day in Mrs. Shannon's class on Monday in preparation for the 3rd annual Cubs Day Parade that took place the next day. Adult helpers and kindergarten students worked together building and decorating their floats. It all started with an idea and a sketch that students brainstormed the week before.
Then it was time for a parade! Thank you, adults, for taking the time to participate in this memorable day. You are appreciated!
Each quarter we create a video for staff, parents, and community members who have signed up to be a USD 379 Academic Ambassador. These videos highlight different academic curriculums used in the district and how they impact our kids. (go to usd379.org/academics to sign up)
We decided to share the latest video with the general public. It dives into the district’s 5-year plan to improve reading scores, which is taking place across all grade levels. We wanted to showcase the hard work and dedication ALL staff have put into making sure our students have the best ELA education in the state of Kansas!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sT5V0KUKzP8