Middle Level Field Trip

Wind Energy

On November 5th, we went to Mike Van Buskirk’s Farm, where he uses 3 wind turbines to help power his farm. He uses the energy for his house, pivots, & wells. When he isn’t using all of the electricity that he produces, he sends it down the electrical line so his neighbors can use it. A small wind turbine costs about $125,000 and can be bought in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. You can go to a website to see what the wind turbine is doing. One of his wind turbines makes the most wind energy in the U.S. The wind turbines were about 100 feet tall and the propellers were 36 feet long.

Mike also showed us moisture blocks. They can tell him how much moisture is in the ground. The first probe is 1 foot in the ground, 2nd 2feet in the ground, & 3rd 3feet in the ground. Probe 1’s meter read 199, Probe 2’s meter read 199 also, and Probe 3’s meter read 68. We found that the deepest probe was the moistest.

by Sydney Tlustos, Brandy Running Hawk, Kristen Rathe, Alexis Olson, Kobe Encinia, & Chris Adams

Corn and Bean Field Trip

On November 5th, we experienced corn and beans. First we stopped at Kelley Bean and talked with Rick Schneider who taught us how to take a sample. Then, we tested the beans for the moisture and the 1-3 tare. Ones are market value, which is about $33 a bushel, and threes are about $28 a bushel. After that we travelled to a corn field to watch Lyndall Letcher of Letcher Farms harvest corn. The high wind knocked over the stalks, causing the ears to fall off. As an example, we picked up ears of corn and estimated the value to be about $200 per acre loss. Then we watched the Case IH combine unload the grain into the J & M grain cart, which will dump the grain into the waiting trucks, to unload into the Letcher Farms grain bins for use on the farm or sold for the farm expenses.

by Nathan Tobiasson, Drew Letcher, & Garrett Weyers

Changing a Tire

We were coming back from our field trip and we had to make an unexpected stop. We had a flat tire, but we had enough air to get to the tire place, Westco. This is how you change one…. First, he (Randy Turman) got a jack and jacked up the suburban. Next, he got an impact and a socket and took off the hub cap and the tire. Then, he took the core out, took the tire off the rim, and was careful not to break the air sensor. After that he ground down where the whole was on the inside, he felt inside with a rag, so he didn’t get hurt, to feel if there were any more nails or stuff in there. Then he sprayed it with a liquid, put glue on, let it dry a little, and put the patch on and used a tool to get the air pockets out. Finally, he put the tire on the rim where he took it off, put the core in, put in 50 psi. of air in and put the rim and the hub cap back on, and let down the jack. We learned how to change a tire and we were ready to go.

by Austin Anderson, Johnny Morrison, Baiden Planansky & Trent Reed


Music Performances and Times

Due to some conflicting information,  I wanted to let everyone know exactly who is performing and when.

Middle level students will be performing with the High School band and choir at the Nights, Lights and Music concert on Saturday, December 15th at 7:15 pm. Presale tickets are $5 and can be purchased at Security First Bank, The Hip Hop, Sackers and at the Hay Springs Public Schools office. Tickets will also be sold at the door for $7.

The Preschool Open House is scheduled for Monday, December 17th at 6:00 pm. Starting in the Old Auditorium.

Kindergarten – 5th grade will be performing on Tuesday, December 18th at 7:00 pm. Please have your students dressed in nice clothes and in the library no later that 6:45 pm. 

There is word that Santa might be present!

I apologize for the conflicting information and hope this clears up any confusion you may have!  Thank you!

 

High Ability Learners

This year’s High Ability Learner group has five members, Sam Hindman, Jace Langford, Hunter Letcher, Jake Roberts, and Hannah Wohl.  This group’s goal is to extend, challenge, and apply the things they are learning during the school day as well as work on new things at a higher level of thinking.   In October, the group did the “Diet Coke and Mentos” experiment.  They saw the reaction between the coating on the candy and the contents of a pop bottle.  The students further extended the experiment with different sized bottles and amounts.    Currently the group is researching rare animals and will eventually create a dichotomous key.  Overall, the group is high energy and eager to extend and connect the concepts they are learning!

 

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!

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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.

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