4th grade has been very busy working on physical properties. A fun way to get some practice was to take everyday items and list the physical properties on each item. We have also been using a balance scale and working with partners. Lots of learning is going on! On a side note, quiz your children about math. We have been working on fractions, decimals, and percents. Some math and science marvels in the 4th grade!
Here are our results! 53 voted, yes, the groundhog will see his shadow and 58 voted, no, he will not.
Thank you!
On Saturday, January 20, 2018, the Hay Springs Jr. Robotics Team made their official debut in Sidney, NE. The team, launched in October 2017, has been following the FIRST LEGO League Jr. Curriculum. This program, in conjunction with 4-H, introduces kids ages 6-10 to STEM concepts. This year’s theme was AQUA ADVENTURE. The teams learned Core Values of the program, conducted research, utilized Engineering Notebooks, voted on team names, selected real-world water problems to tackle, engineered and built LEGO models to solve their problems, programmed moving parts to include in their models, and managed to have fun in the process! The teams compiled their hard work and ideas on “Show Me” Posters which were presented along with their LEGO builds at the showcase in Sidney.
Hay Springs had three of the seven teams participating in the Junior Division. It was remarkable to see our school represented in such an impressive manner. This was the first expo experience for all involved. The kids did an amazing job presenting and answering the judge’s questions. The parents and family members that made the trip completed this awesome positive experience. The dedication and support of so many individuals made this “experiment” possible!
The “RoboKids” team consisted of Riggen Binger, Jacob Dorshorst, Cora Summers and Catherine Two Bulls. The “RoboHawks” team consisted of Luke Edwards, Brayden Heiting, Cade McKillip and Easton Mintken. The “Smartie Hawks” team consisted of Emma Albrecht, Mason Albrecht, Megan Anderson, Will Gaswick and Devyn Young. The teams were coached by Melissa Mracek and Erika Gaswick. Many thanks to Miriam Kearns and the “big” robotics team for visiting with us and showing us what our future may hold. Thanks also to Aaron Taylor for speaking to our group about our water and it’s journey.
The elementary students participated in the EnvironArt program on January 23rd. This is a unique program that combines the expertise of an artist and a naturalist to bring science and art together. After learning about the importance of waterfowl and their habitats from the naturalist, the artist guides students in creating a realistic drawing of a North American duck, goose, or swan. Students will finalize their drawings in the coming weeks, and we will submit them to the US Fish & Wildlife Service Junior Duck Stamp Contest.
Second Graders read the book Flat Stanley written by Jeff Brown. He was a young boy who was flattened by a bulletin board. He was so flat that he could mail himself in a letter all around and he had great adventures.
Second Grade wanted to make their own Flat Stanleys and mail them around the United States to see what kind of adventures they could have. Our Flat Stanleys brought back pictures, information, souvenirs, treats and even T-shirts for the whole class!
We learned through Flat Stanley about location, traditions and different cultures in our country. Students presented their information to the class and we colored all the states that our Flat Stanleys had visited on our maps!
On Monday, December 18th, the 1st, 2nd & 3rd graders took the audience for a ride on the Polar Express for their Christmas concert. Afterward, there were cookies and hot chocolate in the cafeteria with a visit from Santa himself!
Kindergarten enjoyed an afternoon at the Hay Springs museum. Their favorite parts were sitting in the old desks and dancing to music on a record player! They are all glad we live in the present and not the past.
First Grade is working on a Social Studies unit about Life Long Ago. We conducted interviews of family members to find out what life was like long (or longer) ago. We learned from our interviews many things such as how some people rode horses to school longer ago. We were fortunate to have a pony visit us this week! Goliath quickly made friends with everyone in our class and also made a visit to the PreK class as well. It was a great experience and we now have many horse enthusiasts! Thank you to the Gaswick family for sharing Goliath with us.
What we did in math was fun. We were seeing if a pumpkin would float or sink. All of the pumpkins floated. We did some observations and some predictions. We thought the reason the pumpkins floated was because the seeds were on the sides and a big air bubble was in the middle. We got to measure the pumpkin’s circumference. We also counted all of the seeds. We got to carve the pumpkins. That is what we did in math. — by Kaylee Kaiser
For fire safety week, the Hay Springs Volunteer Fire Department made a visit to the Elementary on Thursday, October 12th. Ryan and Terry shared fire safety tips with students, took kids for a ride on the fire truck, and tried on the bunker gear. Remember to check the batteries in your smoke detectors and decide on a space place for your family. Thank you Ryan and Terry!
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