Horizon Elementary PTA’s
News From the Eagle’s Nest
Volume 1, Issue 7
Upcoming Events
10th
• Thursday, April
- Spirit
Night at Moe's in Madison
from 5-9pm. Just mention HES
when ordering and 10% of
receipts will be donated to PTA.
•April 11 - Alabama Council
for Technology in Education
competition event at Calhoun
Community College - 25
Horizon students will compete.
•April 12 - Alabama State
(Affiliate)
Destination
Imagination Competition.
•April 14th - General PTA
Meeting at 6pm with 4th
grader musical performance.
• April 14-18th - Space Week.
Volunteers needed. See inside
for more details.
•April 16 - 4th grade field trip
to Montgomery.
•April 24 - 5th grade field trip
to “Earth Day Events” at
Redstone Arsenal.
•April 25th – 2nd grade field
trip to Panoply
•May 1 – Horizon’s Chorus
performance at the Bob Jones
Art Festival.
•May 5 – May PTA Meeting
followed by Horizon’s Chorus
performance, 6pm.
Teacher Sonya Williams and
parent Monika Heidtmann
dressed in German dirndls for
International Night at Horizon.
April 2014
Thank you to all who helped with and attended International Night!
Last month Horizon was
transformed from a school into
a portal that took us all around
the world! Our students and
their families got to explore the
cultures and customs of 30
countries. They watched karate
demonstrations in Japan and
Samba dancing in Brazil. They
also enjoyed tasty treats from
near and far, including fruit
smoothies in the Bahamas,
grilled steak in Korea, baklava
in Greece, coffee in Columbia,
cheese in the Netherlands, and
chai tea in India, to name a few.
It was truly a world class
experience here at Horizon!
And every detail was made
perfect thanks to the incredibly
hard work and dedication of all
of the teachers, staff and
students at Horizon, as well as
many parents, who spent weeks
(or months!) preparing for the
event. Intricate decorations, art
and research projects adorned
the school, and proved just how
much our students learned
about a wide variety of cultures.
“The school puts on this
event to showcase the diversity
of Horizon's population. We
have families from many
different countries and what
better way to learn about the
world around us then with a
celebration
of
student
learning,” says teacher Mrs.
Amy Williams, co-coordinator
of the event. International
Night has continued to grow,
with each year getting bigger
and better. “The success of the
evening is a true testament to
the fact that everyone involved
believes in each individual
student at Horizon and takes
responsibility
for
their
learning,” says Williams.
International Night through a teacher’s eyes
Third grade teacher, Ms. Sonya Williams,
was excited to share her classroom’s
International Night experience with us. Her
country was Germany, which she chose
because one of her students has parents from
there. “I always try to pick a country that has a
link to a sense of ownership and pride in my
class,” she says.
To prepare for the event, her students spent
weeks researching and learning about
Germany, and got to have some very unique
and interesting experiences along the way.
Thanks to classroom parent Monika
Heidtmann, who speaks German and came in
each week, the students learned many German
words, including human body parts. They used
their newfound knowledge to create a huge
poster of a human body with the body parts
written in both German and English, which
they displayed in the hall for International
Night. The students also learned how to sing
the German version of the Head-ShouldersKnees-and-Toes song. Mrs. Heidtmann also
brought the students many German treats to
try, including real German chocolate and
German gummy bears.
Another guest speaker to the class was Timo
Sandritter, a famous German soccer player now
living in Alabama. He talked to the students
about his life in Germany and his soccer career.
The students absolutely loved his visit and
peppered him with questions.
Just like the other teachers preparing their
students for International Night, Ms.
Williams incorporated her classroom’s country
into her curriculum making it into a rich
learning experience for all. “They had learning
from all areas,” she says about her students.
“Real speakers, activities they got to do, and
their own research,” she says. They also used
technology, and learned how to do web
searches, how to use Microsoft Word to write
their reports, and how to do an image search,
as well as learned how to know if an online
source is credible or not.
The students and many parents helped
decorate the classroom for the event, with the
students each making German castles. They
even had authentic costumes! Mrs. Heidtmann’s
son Andre wore the traditional German
lederhosen, and Ms. Williams and Mrs.
Heidtmann both wore beautiful dirndl dresses
from Germany. (See photo, at left) Guests were
able to taste German food, including bratwurst
and apple strudel donated by Schnitzel Ranch
Restaurant, as well as a special dessert and
bread made by Mrs. Heidtmann.
“It was a lot of fun this year. They loved it!”
Ms. Williams says about her students “They will
cherish this experience.”
“My favorite part is the feeling of ownership
that all of our parents from other countries get
to feel, they get to see all that we did to learn
about their countries. The people so appreciate
it. That’s a credit to the entire faculty in
Horizon – everyone has a hand. Every single
person in this building had a hand in the
success.” And that includes the parents. “I am
thankful to all of my parents who put in
countless hours and for all of their hard work.”
In the Spotlight …. Horizon 4th grader John Choung, Alabama State PTA
Reflections 2nd Place winner for Intermediary Musical Composition
Horizon PTA is so proud of Horizon’s own John Choung, a 4th grader in Mrs. Caudle’s class, for his incredible success in the
Alabama PTA Reflections Arts Competition. John entered an original song in Horizon’s PTA Reflections contest, where he won 1st
place in his age group. His song then went on to win 1st place in the Madison City’s PTA Reflections competition, where it was
judged against all of the winners from the other elementary schools in the city. His song then went on to the State of Alabama’s
PTA Reflections contest, where he competed with the winners from every district in the whole state, and there he won 2nd place!
The song John wrote was composed for the piano and was called “Stallion’s Hope.” John explains that he wrote the song “about
a stallion living in a shabby old barn with a mean owner and the stallion hopes to go and live freely. One day the stallion does get
free by pushing the door.”
John plays the piano and flute, and says he likes music because of its beautiful sound. Of his impressive win, John says, “I felt
very excited and proud of my accomplishment.” Everyone at Horizon is proud of John’s great accomplishment as well!
The PTA Reflections Arts Contest takes place each fall and is open to all students. It is a creative arts competition that allows
students to display their artistic talents, creativity and vision through their choice of several artistic mediums, including the
written word, visual arts, music or movement. Each year a new theme is chosen and students are challenged to use their talents to
communicate their own unique ideas as related to the theme. It is a voluntary program that allows students to share their talents
and gifts. This year Horizon had more entries for the PTA Reflections Arts contest than ever before –218 to be exact! And our PTA
is proud of every student who entered. For more information about the Reflections program, please visit our PTA website’s
Reflections’ page at horizonelementarypta.org/reflections.
Our Teachers and Staff have BRIGHT Ideas!
Meet Horizon’s “Biggest Loser”
Mrs. Chassity Smith
Congratulations to Horizon’s Biggest Loser… 5th grade teacher Mrs. Chassity Smith! She was the overall winner of Horizon’s
annual Biggest Loser weight loss competition for losing the biggest percentage of weight – that being 9.47% of her total weight.
The contest started in January and lasted 12 weeks. Over ten faculty and staff members participated. Each person contributed
$20 toward the “winning pot.” There were also weekly prizes ranging from cash, magazine subscriptions, Pure Barre classes and
YMCA membership. Mrs. Smith won at least two of the weekly prizes….having the highest percentage lost for those weeks.
Mrs. Smith began her weight loss journey back in December, and in those three short months has achieved her personal best
weight at this time…..and she is continuing to lose each week! She has been watching what she eats and has also added exercise to
her weekly routine. Way to go Mrs. Smith!!
Implementing Leader in Me in 5th Grade - Modeling the Habits
In 5th grade at Horizon, the students have a great
understanding of the 7 Habits in the Leader in Me program and
are using those Habits each and every day, thanks to the efforts
of Horizon’s four 5th grade teachers.
Dr. Lauren Harrison explains that each of the 5th grade
teachers tries to model the Habits for their students, so as to
best teach the students how the Habits can apply in real life.
“That way it is easier for us to lead by example,” she explains.
Her favorite Habit is Habit 5 - Seek First to Understand, Then
to Be Understood. “I love this because it makes me think to
never judge someone until you have walked in their shoes. 5th
grade can socially be a difficult time for many students and I
try to teach my kids to listen and understand someone fully
before making a judgment or reacting negatively.”
Mrs. Joanne Coombs’ favorite Habit is Habit 3 - Put First
Things First. “I love to have fun in my classroom every day,
but I know that I always have to get my work done in order to
play. Get focused, get finished, and get to having fun!” she says.
In Mrs. Chassity Smith’s homeroom,
the class has memorized and can recite
all 7 Habits. Like in the other classes, her
class also does in-depth work to understand the importance
of the Habits and how to incorporate them into their lives.
“We have focused on one habit per week using the Leader in
Me workbooks and analyzed videos from the Leader in Me
website to get a deeper understanding of what each Habit
means and how we can make them a part of our everyday
life.”
Mrs. Terrica Johnson also uses lessons from the Habits each
day. “Habits 4 (Think Win-Win) and 6 (Synergize) are
evident in our classroom on an every-day basis. Students
synergize by taking on leadership roles within the classroom
and collaborating to complete daily activities and projects,”
she says. And if you pass by her classroom, and hear a bell
and the sound of cheers (which happens often), it is simply
the students encouraging their classmates when they are
successful on AR tests. It’s a Win- Win!
Get Ready as Space Week Blasts Off next week – from April 14-18!
Space Week is a week-long event Horizon holds each
spring, where every student gets to experience and
explore the wonders of space through in-class lessons, hands on
learning, and guest speakers. Spearheaded by Enrichment teacher
Mrs. Elizabeth Bero, this event is always enjoyed by the students!
PTA is proud to assist with the activities for the week.
This year, like every year, Space Week promises to be a full of
exciting and educational experiences for our students. There will
be guest speakers during the week, beginning with NASA on
Monday morning for our week’s kick off. Bob Jones High School
students will be here on Tuesday to work with grades 4-6. We will
also have special activities for students to observe during the
week, including the super cool portable planetarium Mrs. Bero will
set up in her room for all to visit.
PTA will also provide a special activity for each grade level:
Kindergarten will make film canister rockets; 1st grade will make
creative constellations; 2nd grade will play UFO golf; 3rd grade
will learn about Newton’s Laws through a mentos (candy) and
Coca Cola activity; 4th grade will compete in a paper airplane
contest run by PTA volunteers; 5th grade will be building bottle
rockets with empty 2 liter bottles; and 6th grade will compete in
the “Satellite Drop” by designing a protective environment to
preserve a water balloon, with Huntsville Utilities sending a cherry
picker on Friday to help “test drop” the creations.
But this event won’t be possible without your help. So
please keep reading to find out what ways you can assist.
Supplies Needed
Several grades need help compiling supplies. Contact PTA’s
Karen Purser at karenpurser@yahoo.com if you would like to
help with your child’s grade level event. Our supplies request
list is as follows:
• Kindergarten needs film canisters (yes, they are rare
nowadays). If you have any, please send them to the office.
• 5th grade will need at least 33 2-liter bottles, so please
send them in to Dr. Harrison.
• 6th grade needs packing materials, shoe boxes and other
items.
• We can also use Styrofoam, packing materials, tissue
paper and other building supplies for our young scientists.
Guest Speakers Needed
We are also in need of guest speakers for the younger
grades, so please let Mrs. Bero (ebero@madisoncity.k12.al.us)
or Karen Purser (karenpurser@yahoo.com) know if you have a
space related job or hobby that you would like to share.
~Student’s Corner~ Stories submitted by Horizon Students
Butterfly Build Day by 5th Grader Jansyn Free
The Butterfly Garden was a huge success! Two kids from each
class, who won the butterfly drawing contest, came to help. I know
the little kids loved it, as well as the older kids. The progress we
made from 7:30 am to 2:00 pm was tremendous! We dug a walkway
4 inches deep around the whole garden. We then put newspapers
down and put LOADS of gravel on the walkway. We made a fireman
line and one by one we passed the gravel down. We thank all the
dads for making the outline of flower beds. We want to thank all the
volunteers, teachers, and students. And a special thanks to Ms. Bero
and Ms. April Waltz. We are glad to say the Horizon 5 th grade EcoKids helped put this together. The Madison Weekly Newspaper
came, as well as WHNT news. I hope we gave butterflies a happy
place to live and a wonderful home!
My Chess Club Story by 3rd Grader Riley Ott
Hi! My name is Riley Ott. I’m nine years old and I’m
in Chess Club at our school. We meet every Thursday
in Mrs. Bero’s room after school. Our coaches are Mrs.
Bero and Mr. Holland. If you don’t know how to play
chess, our coaches will teach you. My favorite things
about chess are the chess tournaments and winning
trophies for our school! We usually have a lesson on
where each piece moves but sometimes we just play
each other. Our chess coach is really fun and nice. We
also can meet at the YMCA on Monday nights at 6:00
for the Madison City Chess League for extra practice.
Chess is a lot of fun and you can learn a lot.
Horizon’s Students Know How to Compete and Win!
•Congratulations to the Horizon students who competed in the Alabama State Science and Engineering Fair (ASEF) at
UAH on April 4th. The students were: 6th grader Abigail League and fifth graders Adonye Belay, Grace Hannah and
Grant Pethel. Grant Pethel’s “Water Lens” science project won an Honorable Mention and a $25.00 special award.
•Congratulations to Horizon’s math competitors from the Madison City’s first Math-A-Palooza Math Competition on April
5th at James Clemens High School! We had 24 students from Horizon participate. Out of those students, 7 placed in the top 10
in their division! Lynne Clark – 9th place, Division 1, grade 6; Byron Headrick – 9th place, Division 2, grade 6; Matt Osadcii – 1st
place, Division 2, grade 5; Chloe Kuebbing – 3rd place, Division 2, grade 5; DJ Johnson – 8th place, Division 2, grade 5; Jamie
Clark – 1st place, Division 2, grade 4; and Lillian Qu – 3rd place, Division 2, grade 3.
•Good luck to the 25 Horizon students grades 3-6 who are competing in the Alabama Council for Technology in Education
Competition at Calhoun Community College in Decatur/Athens on April 11th!
•Good luck also to the our Middle School Destination Imagination team, “Warning: Extreme Danger,” with team manager
Julee Lamps, and students Emilee Lamps, Matt Osadcii, Caleb Blackmon, Kauryn Datcher, Ella Harlow, Jenny Shaver and
Isabella Guerra as they participate in the Alabama State (Affiliate) Destination Imagination Competition on April 12th.
HES Calendar
April 2014
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
1
2
•Happy Birthday
Mrs. Pavao
3
• School pictures
7
8
9
10
•Spirit Night at Moe's in
Madison from 5-9pm
14
•PTA Meeting @ 6pm &
4th Grade Performance
15
16
•4th Grade Field Trip
to Montgomery
17
4
•Alabama State Science
and Engineering Fair
(ASEF) at UAH
11
•6th grade Sport
Spectacular @ BJHS
•Alabama Council for
Technology in Education
competition @ Calhoun
•Alabama State (Affiliate)
Destination Imagination
Competition (Sat. 4/12)
18
•Half Day for Students
Space Week – April 14-18
21
21
23
24
• 5th Grade Field Trip to
Redstone Arsenal
28
29
30
1
•Horizon’s Chorus
performs @ Bob
Jones Art Festival
Aspire Testing – 3rd Grade
25
•2nd Grade Field Trip
to Panoply Arts Festival
•Happy Birthday
Mrs. Clark
2
Aspire Testing – 4th Grade
Just a few weeks left in our Box Tops & Labels for
Education Classroom Competition!
Our Box Tops and Labels for Education classroom competition ends on April 30th, so let’s let this last month of competition
be the best one ever! Have a big stack of labels at home? Well now is the time to send them to your child’s teacher! Have your
friends and neighbors been collecting Box Tops for you? Well, it’s time to go get them! We earn money for our school with each
and every Box Top and label you send! Winners will be announced in May!
And don’t forget your Papa John’s Labels!
Every time you have Papa John’s for lunch or dinner, simply tear off your pizza box label (the one with the order’s total) and
send it in to school. We earn 10% of every label, plus are entered into the contest to win an additional $1, 500. Every night is
Papa John’s night for Horizon families!
Horizon PTA has Open Board Positions for 2014/2015
For more information on these positions, contact the
ASPIRE testing begins in April for grades 3-6
nominating committee, made up of Erin Cornelius, Tamara Caudle
and Leigh McMillan.
rd
3 grade:
Monday, April 28 - Reading (8:00am-11:00am)
Tuesday, April 29 - Math (8:00am-11:00am)
4th grade:
Wednesday, April 30 - Reading (8:00am-11:00am)
Thursday, May 1 - Math (8:00am-11:00am)
5th grade
Monday, May 5 - Reading (8:00am-11:00am)
Tuesday, May 6 - Math (8:00am-11:00am)
6th grade
Wednesday, May 7 - Reading (8:00am-11:00am)
Thursday, May 8 - Math (8:00am-11:00am)
Thanks to our April newsletter sponsor,
Realtor Christa Landingham