Click below to read the latest PreK News.
Quick Links
The Parent Institute Newsletters
Bag of Books Program
The Preschoolers started to visit the library this month. They listen to a story, then get a bag of books. There are ten books in the bag for parents, grandparents, brothers, sisters, anyone to read to their preschooler. The books came from various sources. The bags were donated by the Security First Bank and filled by the National Honor Society. We have 50 bags to rotate among the preschoolers. Our goal is to have every preschooler be read to for at least 10 minutes every day. Next month the Noah’s Ark Preschool will join the program. If there are other preschoolers in the community who would like to join the program, call Mrs. Matthews at the school (638-4434) for more information.
Getting in the Holiday Spirit
The 8th grade class recently added some holiday decor to the school’s front lawn. This beginning wood project gave students the opportunity to use drills, sawzall, and hand tools. Each reindeer was made by an individual 8th grader. Students in the 8th grade class are: Chris Adams, Tanna Badje, Kobe Encinia, Drew Letcher, Alexis Olson, Kristen Rathe, Brandy Running Hawk, Sydney Tlustos, Nathan Tobiasson, and Garrett Weyers.
Spaced Out!
[vimeo clip_id=”54900376″ width=”400″ height=”300″]
We have been learning about the Earth and its movement in space. We are also learning about the moon, stars and other planets. The second graders had a great time with the song “Night and Day”. The song reinforced our understanding of the difference between rotation and orbit. Plus, the song helps us to remember that the light we see from the moon is not its own light, but a reflection from the sun. The moonlight concept can be hard to comprehend. We hope you enjoy the song as much as we did. A big thank you to the camerawoman, Mrs. Anderson for making this extra special!
Enjoy,
Mrs. Binger’s Second Grade
New Program to Begin – Girls on the Run
Are you a girl in the 3rd through 6th grade? Do you like spending time with your friends, playing games, living a healthy lifestyle, making positive choices, exercising or running? If you answered yes to ANY of these questions, Girls On The Run (GOTR) is the right program for you!
I have coached three seasons for the Girls On The Run organization in Lincoln. This organization is a national organization just for girls and I am so happy to bring it to this area of Nebraska! Hay Springs is excited to start this program at our school. We will also be collaborating with the Chadron Public Schools teams for a community 5K fun run at the end of the season! This season will begin in March and run for ten weeks. The group meets every Tuesday and Thursday for the ten weeks. Each time we meet, we will do a warm up activity, talk about issues important to girls, team building, do a running activity to prepare for the end of season 5K, and then have a wrap-up. Each lesson is filled with high energy cheers, fun, and ultimately, Girl Power!
If you think this is something you would like to do, or would like more information, please stop by and talk to Mrs. Heiting or have your parents email her at kyli.heiting@panesu.org.
UNWNRD Announces Local Poster Contest Winners
The Upper Niobrara White Natural Resources District is pleased to announce the winners of the 2012 NRD Poster Contest.
Focusing on the theme “Soil to Spoon: Where Does Our Food Come From?” the poster contest highlights the educational outreach efforts of the UNWNRD, Nebraska’s Natural Resources Districts (NRDs), as well as the state and national conservation associations and agencies. The contest is part of National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) Stewardship Week, the longest running celebration of conservation in the country.
UNWNRD Winners are as follows:
Grades 2-3:
1st Place = Jacie Coupens, Chadron Intermediate School
2nd Place = Wade Sanders, St. Agnes Academy
Grades 4-6:
1st Place = Kennady Stack, Chadron Intermediate School
2nd Place = Madeline Pelton, Chadron Intermediate School
Grades 7-9:
1st Place = Ciara McCance, Hay Springs Middle School
2nd Pace = Brenna Hawthorn, Chadron Middle School
Grades 10-12:
1st Place = Destini Fusselman, Alliance High School
2nd Place = Connor Wright, Alliance High School
Coupens, Stack, McCance and Fusselman’s artwork advanced to the state competition and each took first place which earns the artists a $25 gift card. First place posters at the state competition are entered into the NACD contest which will be judged at the NACD annual meeting in January.
The contest is co-sponsored by Nebraska’s Natural Resources Districts, National Association of Conservation Districts and the NACD Auxiliary and provides an opportunity for students in Kindergarten through Grade 12 to illustrate their thoughts about soil, water and other natural resources. The 2013 Stewardship Week will be celebrated in April with a new theme of “Where does your water shed?”
Each year, the poster contest starts at the local Natural Resources District level. UNWNRD first place winners received a check for $20, while second place was awarded $10 and more than 70 students submitted entries to the local level. Individuals and teachers from within the Upper Niobrara White NRD which includes Box Butte, Dawes, Sheridan and Northern Sioux Counties may direct questions regarding the local contest to Sheri Daniels 308.432.6190 or daniels@unwnrd.org.
Music Notes
Welcome to the Christmas season in the music department!
Please note the Night, Lights and Music concert has been moved to Saturday, December 15th. Tickets are $5 presale; can be purchased at Security First Bank, Sackers, Hip Hop or at the school office; or $7 at the door. This will be a nice concert featuring the Swing Choir, HS/ML Band, HS/ML Choir, Flag corp., and perhaps some additional surprise performances!
K-5th grade Christmas concert will be on Tuesday, December 18th. The title of this year’s program is “Light Up the World” and should prove to be an extremely entertaining evening, I know the students can’t wait to share it with you!
Beginning Guitar class continues to meet on Wednesday mornings. We faithfully have nine 3rd-5th graders attending. Keep an eye out for this group as they will make special appearances throughout the year.
The 4th graders are carrying on with their recorder lessons. Starting after our Christmas concert we will be doing testing for beginning band, starting band early in the 2nd semester. The majority of school owned instruments are already being used, so students will be responsible for purchasing their own instruments. We will be hosting an instrument display where Haggerty’s Music from Rapid City will come and have an assortment of instruments for a semester rental with an option to buy.
Please remember 4th grade through 8th grade students should be practicing each and every week. Parents need to sign the practice records each week, simply stating I’ve seen & heard my student practicing throughout the week. These practice times are a part of the student’s grades. Please note that week #17 over Christmas Break counts as extra credit; a good opportunity for students having trouble getting all their practice times in.
We have some exciting news! The music department got 48 new music stands! We are looking to get rid of the old stands. For $5 a stand you can get your student a stand! They will be offered on a first come, first served basis. These would be great to use at home for your own practice time!
Upcoming dates:
Saturday, December 15th Nights, Lights and Music Concert 7:15pm – Please note the change of date!
Monday, December 17th Preschool Open House—6:00 pm
Tuesday, December 18th K-8th grade Music Concert—7:00 pm
Wrestling Parents’ Night
Hawk wrestlers will host Hemingford for “Nostalgia Night” in the old gym, AKA High School Auditorium, December 6th at 7:00 p.m. Admission will be two cans of food for the Community Food Baskets. This will be the only home event for the Hawk wrestlers, so it will also be their parents’ night.
Preschool Christmas Open House
Please mark your calendars! You are invited to our first annual Preschool Christmas Open House on Monday, December 17th at 6:00pm. The Preschool class will share their Christmas songs with you as well as have activities and refreshments. We are all very excited to share what we have been working on with our families and friends! Also, a big thank you to Mrs. Varvel for helping us with this event!
Winning the Scholarship Game
Follow these tips to increase your chances of earning scholarships:
Don’t pay for scholarship searches. Use free resources such as ScholarshipQuest at EducationQuest.org with over 2,000 Nebraska-based scholarships. Free national sites include Fastaid, Scholarship Monkey, ScholarshipExperts.com, School Soup, and Scholarships.com.
Visit your guidance counselor often for information about local scholarships.
Place scholarship applications in deadline order. Local awards and college-specific applications deserve top priority because you’re more likely to earn them.
Update your activities, honors, community service or paid jobs using the Activities Resume at EducationQuest.org.
Earn the best possible ACT/SAT scores by taking the exam in the spring of your junior year and again in the fall of your senior year.
Use quality references such as a teacher, coach or counselor. Encourage them to write specific examples of your leadership skills. Give them advance notice and a specific deadline.
Tailor your essay to the scholarship. Ask an English teacher to read your essay and offer advice on making a big impact. Your essay will need to stand out from other applications.
Pay close attention to grammar, spelling and neatness. Ask at least two people to proofread your entire application.
Report incident
