The Elementary classes are learning about safety and security when working with computers and online. Over the year we will also look at topics relating to evaluation of websites, cyberbulling, rights and responsibilities in a digital world. We are using materials from Common Sense Media. (http://www.commonsensemedia.org) This is just a portion of the material on their website. The websites has information about a variety of media. Take a look at the site, there is much more for parents.
This week in preschool we began our study of the alphabet. We kicked off the alphabet with the letter “A.” More specifically we studied apples. We studied “A” is for Apples through art projects, songs, and sharing.
We found out that if you cut an apple in half, we could use it as a stamp to make pictures of apples! Be sure to check out the apple banners we made with real apple prints! We also discovered that apples come in three different colors…red, green, and yellow. Another fun project was using our fine motor skills to trace the shape of an apple and cut out five seeds to glue onto the apple. All apples have five seeds in the star pattern.
Wednesdays are our show-and-tell days. The students brought some awesome things to share that began with the letter “A.” Some examples were an airplane, alligator, Andalusian horse, Aubry, apple, and a stuffed ape! We were impressed with the creativity!
Another exciting activity we did to reinforce the letter “A” was to make “Applesauce A’s.” We used our spoons to make the letter “A” in our applesauce. The class was excited to “play” with their food. The best part of the activity: it was a yummy and healthy treat!
Tripp & Tanner making apple prints
Chloe, Mya, and classmates making applesauce A’s
This week in first grade we learned about living and non-living things. It seems very easy to tell a living thing from a non-living one, but it’s not as easy as it appears! We conducted an experiment this week to further investigate this idea.
For our experiment, we placed a soaking wet cotton ball and radish seeds in a small cup, and in another cup we placed a foam grow creature covered with water. We made predictions about what we thought would happen the next day when we checked on them and talked about whether each one was living or non-living. Many students were convinced that the foam creature was alive because it “grew” when placed in the water.
The next day, students were anxious to check on their cups to see the progress of their seeds and creatures. There was a lot of excitement as many noticed that their seeds had sprouted and their foam creature had gotten larger. This sparked a discussion about what makes something living or non-living. We discussed that living things needed to make more of themselves, and since the foam creature was not capable of doing that, even though it “grew”, it was not actually a living thing.
The students loved the opportunity to investigate an idea and draw conclusions based on the results. The next time your child asks a math or science related question, find a way for them to come to the answer on their own. It will have more meaning to them and they will often have a better understanding in the end.
We had a wonderful time having a guest artist last Monday. Kay Meeks arrived September 10 from an art showing in Ogalala. She is from Wyoming and oil painted on canvas stock card. Kay had a photo of a long-horned steer and talked about how to paint what you see and how to paint shadows. She also kept us captivated by her funny stories. Her art rag was one of her son’s diapers from over 30 years ago and she only has just 3 left. She was a pure pleasure to have and we are hoping to see her again in the spring.
Click the link below to read the September 17, 2012 preschool newsletter.
Engineering Design Process: Building an Insulated Cooler
The Seventh Grade Science Class put their minds to work to design an insulated cooler that would keep an ice cube frozen for an entire class period. The students researched on the computer for what materials make good insulators and the materials were gathered. Materials used for the insulated coolers included liquid insulation, Crisco, Styrofoam packing peanuts, household insulation, sweatshirt material, and Styrofoam panels. They designed, built, tested, and evaluated their coolers. The results were:
|
Insulation Material |
% of Ice Cube Remaining Frozen |
| Liquid Insulation w/ icepack |
95% |
| Household Insulation |
90% |
| Styrofoam Panel |
67.5% |
| Styrofoam Panel |
61% |
| Styrofoam Panel |
55% |
| Crisco (chilled) |
47% |
| Styrofoam Panel |
19% |
| Styrofoam Packing Peanuts |
0% |
| Sweatshirt Material |
0% |
Ciara thought the Crisco kept the ice cube colder than she thought it would while others were disappointed with the effectiveness of the Styrofoam.
Just a note to remind parents that it is NOT the school’s or counselor’s job to fill out or in many cases to obtain scholarship applications. It should primarily be the responsibility of the student although I am realistic and know that it is usually Mom that does the majority of the work on scholarship applications. All scholarship information that crosses my desk will be posted outside room 306 (the math room) on the third floor. With that said all of the seniors in my classes have been told about a very, very good scholarship opportunity for Nebraskans in rural counties. It is the Hagan Scholarship, this year is the first year that it has been offered in Nebraska, It potentially pays everything for a four year college education! The numbers are limited and the restrictions are pretty high but may be worth the effort. September 1st was the first day that it could be started, everything is on line at www.hsfmo.org. Get on line, check your eligibility, 16 scholarships will be awarded in Nebraska and we will not be competing against Omaha and Lincoln as they are not in rural counties. The deadline is Nov 15th. If you have questions contact Ed Planansky or Kim Marx at the High School. Keep checking or have your student check for new scholarships. You Must Apply to get any scholarship.
The Marketing Class has constructed a short survey on haircut preferences. It is a simple ten questions asking high school students about where or how they take care of their hair. The questions should only take five minutes or less. Thank you high school English teachers for letting students take part in our survey during class. Thanks students for taking part, as we greatly appreciate your participation. Please complete the survey by the end of school on TUESDAY, SEPT. 18.
Click this link to take the survey and submit your responses.
As you may have noticed, the web address http://portal.hshawks.org now redirects you to this page(https://www.hshawks.com/). In an effort to overcome some of the issues the ESU is currently experiencing, we are now bypassing the portal page and will instead use the buttons to the left under the heading “Learning Portal Logins” to log into Google Drive(hshawks.org email) and HSPS Moodle(online learning). You will still use the same email address and password to log into those services when prompted. My apologies for the change, but this seemed the easiest way to work around the difficulties with the ESU portal page. Thank you for understanding.
Mrs. Varvel’s new guitar class is a hit with students. Eleven guitarists attended class this morning! Class meets each Wednesday from 7:10 am to 7:50 am. Talk to Mrs. Varvel if you are interested in joining them! 
Report incident
