Volume 1, Issue 26
Graymont Grade School Newsletter
NEWSLETTER: April 2009
March 31 , 2009
Welcome back to school!! I hope everyone had an enjoyable spring
break and got plenty of rest so that we can finish the year strong.
We have many exciting events coming up this month. The PE
classes will begin the skating unit upon our return from break. This
is always a fun unit for the students. Hopefully, everyone will stay
on their feet!
In preparation for solo and ensemble contest, Mrs. Schrock will be
hosting a dress rehearsal evening on April 2nd beginning at 7:00 p.m.
This is a great opportunity for the students to perform the musical
selections in front of an audience before facing a judge. Our
students have been working very hard preparing for this event.
Everyone is invited to attend and enjoy the evening. The actual
contest will be April 18th at Prairie Central in Forrest.
School will not be in session on April 10th or 13th in respect to Good
Friday and Easter. This will be a nice long weekend for everyone to
enjoy spending time with their families.
The Graymont PTO kicked-off a Pizza sale fundraiser Thursday,
March 19th. The students have had the opportunity to sell the
product over the spring break. The event ends March 30th.
Delivery will be on April 24th from 3:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. and money
will be due on May 1st.
We are already beginning to make plans for the next school
year. For parents of new kindergarten students, Graymont Grade
School will be holding Kindergarten Orientation on Tuesday, April
7th at 6:00 - 6:45 p.m. Parents will find out all about entrance
requirements, school readiness, curriculum, and registration. If you
have a child who will turn 5 years of age on or before September 1,
2009, please call the school at 743-5346 so that we can prepare for
the orientation. If anyone knows of a family in the community who
may not get this notice, please pass this information along to them
and have them call the school.
Have a great April!
Sincerely,
Mr. James
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Mrs. Erickson - Kindergarten
Calling All Kindergarteners for 2009-2010
We are already beginning to make plans for the next school year. For parents of new kindergarten students,
Graymont Grade School will be holding Kindergarten Orientation on Tuesday, April 7 at 6:00p.m. in the
Kindergarten Room. This session should last approximately 45 minutes. Parents will find out all about entrance
requirements, school readiness, curriculum, and registration. If you have a child who will turn 5 years of age on or
before September 1, 2009, please call the school at 743-5346 so that we can prepare for the orientation. If
anyone knows of a family in the community who may not get this newsletter, please pass this information along to
them and have them call the school. Thanks for your help!
Spring has finally arrived!! We are so glad because that leprechaun really made an awful mess in our room. It
took us a long time to get our room back in order.
We are still working on tricky words, scrambled sentences (punctuation and a capital letter to begin the sentence),
sounding words that we don’t know and reading.
Simple addition and subtraction take up a lot of our time. We often use different kinds of manipulatives to help us
build the problems. Most of the class is still working on counting to 100. We will continue to work with money
and also begin telling time.
Gardening, seeds, and plants will occupy us all during the month of April. We will use gardening in math, science,
and social studies.
The Pizza Hut Book-It Program has ended for the year. Thanks to all of the parents who helped their children
participate by reading with them.
The highlight of our month will be our field trip to ISU to see the Gamma Phi Circus on April 24 th. We will also be
having lunch in Normal and then coming home. We will be able to see how many of the skills we are learning in
PE can be applied in other ways.
Everyone in Kindergarten wants to wish you a Happy Easter!!
“We may sit in our library and
Yet be in all quarters of the Earth.”
- Sir John Lubbock
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Mrs. Hinz – 1st/2nd
Reading: Phonics and studying specific vowel sounds will continue to be a major push. First grade will also be
focusing on the following concepts: main idea, cause and effect, sequence, theme, and drawing conclusions. In
April, the second graders will be will be studying several different vowel sounds. Furthermore, we will be working
on reading concepts such as: realism and fantasy, context clues, plot, and theme.
Language Arts: For the 1st graders the main focus for the rest of the year is pronouns and correctly using them.
We will also learn when to use I and me correctly, were to place certain commas, and continue with our basic
grammar review. The second graders will be working on using some troublesome words, such as: to, two, too
correctly. Moreover, we will continue to work with verbs with spelling changes, contractions, and recognizing
grammatical errors in sentences.
Math: This month both grades will be working on the same topic. In the first part of April, we will be learning about
fractions. We will work on coloring the correct portion of a fraction. We will also learn what each number
represents in the fraction. The second half of April, we will be working on patterns. We are going to practice
making and labeling the different types of patterns. We will also be learning to extend, transfer, and correct
different patterns.
Social Studies: Together our class will be studying our Earth. We will be learning about the states, continents,
and oceans. We will also learn about different types of landforms. We will talk about different monuments and
important places in the United States. We will also have a home project where students will create their own
continent. Finally, our class will discuss different ways to protect our Earth. We will be talking about the three R’s:
reduce, reuse, and recycle.
“…chance favors only those minds which are prepared”
~ Louis Pasteur
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Ms. Rients – 3rd/4th
Reading, Language, Writing
In reading, 3rd grade will begin unit 5, “Are we There Yet?” Our stories will be about different times and places.
They will focus on making judgments, distinguishing between fact and opinion, and making predictions while
reading. The 4th graders are finishing unit 4 and will begin unit 5, which is “Other Times, Other Places.” We will
work on summarizing and identifying important elements of the plot. In language arts, we will learn how to
punctuate different titles and when to use hyphens. In writing, we are composing fiction stories. Next, we will try
our hands at poetry. In all our writing we will continue to practice all the skills we have learned this year, like using
descriptive phrases, using correct verb tenses, and writing in complete sentences.
**Congratulations to Tristin Barlow and Audrey Jeziorski who have now finished their AR goal for the year. For
those still working towards their goal, keep reading!
Math
Both grades are still working with fractions in math. We have reviewed the basics, so next we will add and
subtract them. The challenging part will be adding and subtracting fractions that don’t have the same
denominator, so we will have to be ready to work hard. Just like putting fractions into simplest form, we are going
to have to rely on our multiplication facts to get us a common denominator. Then we will relate fractions to
decimals.
Science/Social Studies
We will finish our chapters on light and sound energy. We have discussed different types of waves, how sound
moves through our ears, and how we can change pitch and loudness of sounds. We’ve seen how light behaves
differently with different matter, as well as, worked with reflection and refraction. After science, we will switch back
to social studies. We will study both the Mountain States and the West. We’ve had a lot of fun traveling across the
U.S. from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean. Soon the students will know all 50 states and capitals!
Ms. Wilson – 5th – 8th
Reading: We only have 6 stories until we finish our reading textbooks…the kids remind me of this quite often.
Over the next couple of stories we will be studying reading elements: character development, generalizing, author’s
viewpoint, graphic sources, paraphrasing, and fact/opinion. I love the energy your students give each week during
our reading circles 
5th/6th
7th/8th Reading: Now that we have switched back to our reading textbook we are taking a look at reading elements:
setting, visualizing, folk tales, primary source, secondary source, and fact/opinion. Most students thoroughly
enjoyed our reading novels so we may end the year with a good novel.
5th-8th Language Arts – Now that ISATs are over we have returned to our language textbooks. We are focusing on
how to write proper letters while incorporating commas, interjections, hyphens, correct punctuation/capitalization,
colons, and semi colons. They are all convinced they will never in their life have to actually “hand write” a letter;
however they must be prepared in case they do 
7th/8th Social Studies: We will be starting our 3rd chapter on Europe, which the kids really seem to be enjoying and
grasping quite nicely. This chapter will focus on European Empires, Europe at War, and the Soviet Union. After
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this chapter we will turn our focus to North Africa and Southeast Asia.
Accelerated Reader: Congratulations to Madison Jeziorski, Kevin Shaughnessy, Justin Rich, Kylee Bier,
Staci Dixon, Abby Legner, and Lindsay Rich for meeting their 3 rd quarter reading goal.
Mrs. Hott – 5th – 8th
5/6 Social Studies – We are still traveling through Ancient Rome and won’t finish until after spring break. We will
be spending most of our 1st week back preparing for our Ancient History Museum before the PTO meeting on
April 7th.
5-6 Science – Ask your student about Newton’s 3 Laws – they should be able to tell you quite a bit about them
and how they affect our lives. We are in our last section of Forces, Motion and Machines and are learning about
the uses of simple machines and how they are combined into compound or complex machines.
7-8 Science – We are talking about the many ways that matter interacts including various kinds of chemical
bonding, chemical reactions, etc.
Math
Our Pi Day Celebration was very exciting – it was fun to watch each class as well as staff and some parents
participate in our pie eating contest. Thanks to all who helped out!
Our Math Team competed in the Livingston County Math Contest in Dwight on March 17th. We had a 7th grade
team which consisted of Emma Rich, Abby Jacobs, Kylee Bier, and Abby Legner. All represented our school well
– Abby L. scored high enough to tie for 4th place while Emma was in the top half of the competitors.
Our 6th grade team consisted of Justin Rich as well as 3 5th graders – Madison Jeziorski, Hadley Tucker, and
Kevin Shaughnessy. They also represented our school well – both Justin and Madison were in the top half of the
competitors. Very nice work especially for our 5th graders taking a 6th grade test (there wasn’t a 5th grade option).
A special thanks to Gail Tucker for helping proctor for the test and keeping an eye on the students during the
supper break while I helped grade tests!
Mrs. Sullan – Art
The Kindergarten, First and Second grader’s penguins have skated home along with their
arctic mountains in order to make room for Spring. We have decided to ignore the last bit of
winter and bring out butterflies, flowers and pastel lanterns. The primary grades will also be
making some clowns, banners and puppets.
Third and Fourth grade have finished painting their snow globes, mixing their own tints from
the 3 primary colors. They worked on these for a month and did a wonderful job. Their next
projects include creating collages, puppets, and clay figures.
Fifth through Eighth Grade has moved along the Art History Timeline, successfully studying 1
and 2 point linear perspective (invented in the Renaissance), created blurry-edged
Impressionistic paintings and lastly will be tackling the Modern Era of Cubism, Surrealism,
Pop and Op.
By the end of the year, each of the grades will have experienced drawing, painting, 3dimensional work like sculpture, and printmaking. It is a pleasure to work with the students at
Graymont.
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Thank you very much for your support and if you have any questions or comments I would
appreciate your input. Mrs. Sullan
Ms. Ores – 5th-8th Health and K-8th PE
Congratulations to the 8th grade class! They won a $150 prize from Positive Promotions for the excellent
work they did during Red Ribbon Week. The 8th graders worked very hard to come up with the week’s
agenda to promote staying drug free. Great job!
The 7th and 8th grade health classes will now be studying the body image. Some teens have distorted
body images. They may compare themselves with models or athletes and think they are too fat or too
thin. We will discuss appropriate weight and the factors that influence it. We will explore weight problems
and healthful ways of reaching and maintaining appropriate weight. Our studies also include a lesson
about eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia.
The 7th and 8th grades will be attending the “It’s Your Future, It’s Your Choice” event at the Pontiac Junior
High on April 15th. The overall objective of this project is to reduce teen/pre-teen pregnancy and
incidence of Sexually Transmitted Diseases by encouraging teens/pre-teens to make healthy choices and
practice abstinence until they are mentally, emotionally, and financially ready to become parents.
The 5th and 6th grade health classes are currently studying the major systems of the human body. We
have and will learn, over the next few weeks, about the skeletal, muscular, circulatory, respiratory,
nervous, digestive and excretory, and endocrine systems. We will examine the function, parts, and
possible problems that can affect each system. Students will be answering questions such as: What does
the circulatory system do? How does my body use air when I breathe? What are the different functions
of the skeletal system? How can I protect my nervous system from injury?
There are a few special events in P.E. this month. First of all, the students will be skating during the first
week of April. Your child will learn basic skating skills such as starting, stopping, forward skating,
backward skating, cornering, and a number of safety tips for being a smart skater.
Students will also be participating in Jump Rope for Heart and Hoops for Heart. Kindergarten through 4th
grade will be encouraged to raise money for heart disease through the Jump Rope for Heart program.
Students will be participating in various jump rope activities on April 9th at 1:00 to win prizes and work on
improving cardiovascular endurance. The 5th through 8th grades will also be raising money, but through
the Hoops for Heart program. The top ten fundraisers from these four grades will get the chance to play
in a basketball game against the faculty at 2:05. All students who raise money will get to participate in
basketball contests during half-time of the game. Everyone is welcome to come and watch the show and
help support the American Heart Association.
April Dates to Remember
• 2nd – 7:00 Solo & Ensemble
• 7th – 7:00 PTO Meeting
• 9th – Jump/Hoops for Heart
• 10th – No School
• 13th – No School
• 22nd – Progress Reports
• 30th – 7:00 pm spring Concert
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