ROCKET READER
October 2013
A Note From the Principal
Upcoming Events
Parents/Guardians:
We are off to a great start of the year. Despite all the changes, students
have adjusted very well and we will continue to make Andalusia great
throughout the year. Thank you for all your help and support at our
Backpack Night, PTC meetings, and your involvement in your child’s
education. Transportation: If you are reporting a change in after school
transportation, please send a note with your child or call the Office
before 2:00 pm. Students will be required to follow their regular
schedule if there is not a note or call by the parent/guardian.
-Mr. Clark
Character Counts!
At Andalusia Elementary, we
promote positive behaviors and
attitudes that are modeled
consistently through the
implementation of our Character
Counts Program. The six pillars of
Character Counts are:
Morning Stations
Each morning when students arrive at
school they have options. Students
can always go to breakfast, homework
club, creation station, coloring club,
outside, or book club. When it rains
or gets colder, students can choose
board games or exercise club.
“Ditching the Chairs”
WQAD showed a story on our
students using exercise balls instead of
the traditional chairs. The exercise
balls can help students stay focused,
“get out the wiggles,”, and create
better posture. Thank you to Doug
Bisby, from Andalusia Family
Chiropractic, for donating 70 exercise
balls to our 5th Grade.
We will have our Halloween
Parade at 10:00. Students will walk
along the inside of the baseball field
fence. Parents can stand/sit in the
grass or on the outside of the fence.
Classroom parties will begin when
the students return to their room at
last until 11:05.
***Students are not allowed to wear
fake blood or bring any type of
weapon.***
Parents Contact Information
As you know, we have been
experiencing a great deal of
difficulty at the start of this school
year with the Lumen Notification
alert system. As a result, the district
has made the decision to switch
back to our previous alert system
provider. In order to re-create a
database of contact information for
each student in the district, we are
asking parents to submit their
desired contact numbers for each
student via an online form. Please
visit our webpage to fill out the
form.
October 7
Fire Prevention Week
October 14
Columbus Day (No School)
October 17
Market Day Pick-Up
October 18
Flu Shots @ Ambulance Barn
October 21
Board Meeting 6:30
October 22
End of 1st Quarter
October 23
1:30 Dismissal
October 31
Halloween-Early Dismissal
11:30
Book Fair Week
October 21-25
Rockridge Spirit Gear
(Purchase in Office)
Rockridge Decal $8
Tumbler (Cup) $12
IPAD Cover
$15
Dismissal Times
3:05 Buses 6, 17, 31
3:10 Car Riders/Walkers
3:15 Buses 18, 2, 13, 10, 15
Substitute Crossing Guard
Needed
Contact:
Teresa Fry 309-798-2405
Classroom Happenings
3rd Grade
Reading
During the month of September, students have been talking about story elements, character traits, author’s purpose, context clues,
and main idea and details. We will continue to work on these skills, as well as comprehension and vocabulary, with the stories we
read in class. In October, we will begin to incorporate more guided reading groups.
Spelling
A great spelling resource to use to practice the words is www.spellingcity.com. Students can search by clicking “Find a List” on
the homepage and then search by teacher name (Kim Meyer). All unit one lists are posted.
Science
Students finished the Monarch Butterfly Unit this week. We observed the monarch butterfly through complete metamorphosis
(egg, caterpillar, chrysalis, and butterfly). We released one male and one female butterfly.
Social Studies
We started our unit on communities this week. We will be discussing different types of communities and what it would be like to
live in different areas. We will be learning about citizenship and what it means to be a good citizen.
Math
We have been studying digits we use to make numbers, how to change numbers into ordinal numbers, place value places to the
100,000. Next week we will begin adding and subtracting of 2, 3, and finally 4 digit numbers.
4th Grade
Science
Students have been learning about cells. They were given an opportunity to create a model of a cell using various
materials. These will be displayed the week of September 30th. This was an extra credit opportunity.''
Social Studies
We have been learning about the five regions of the U.S. They learned about the different landforms, climate, and resources of
each region. We recently took the Chapter one test, so parents, if you have not seen this test, ask your child about it. Also in
social studies we have learned about the continents and oceans of the world. Be sure and ask your child to name them for you.
Math
We are currently working with place value, decimals and money, and how to make change. We will be having a test over Chapter
one early in October. You can study for this test using the review pages at the end of the chapter pages 50 - 59. It is also very
important that your child masters their multiplication facts. Just a suggestion: parents, make a game out of it with your child. I
have discussed this with your child, and have expressed the importance of knowing those facts.
5th Grade
Math
We are studying place value for whole numbers through billions and decimals through thousandths. You can help your child
look for examples of how large numbers and decimals are used every day. Students also need to review their basic computation
skills including basic facts in multiplication and division.
Reading
The students have been reading tall tales. The students wrote a tall tale about an original character including an illustrated cover.
We are putting the tall tales together in a booklet to share with all of the fifth grade students. In Social Studies the students are
learning about Native American cultures. They are busy researching a Native American tribe so they can share what they have
learned through speeches, reports, and visual aids. We are excited to see their final projects.
Science
Science has focused on learning about the scientific method. Watch out for paper helicopters! The students have tested several
models and even tried out their engineering skills to make an original helicopter design. They were very creative. On September
26, the fifth grade students will be attending Eco Camp at Loud Thunder. We will be learning about the prairie and forest
ecosystems in Illinois. We are hoping for a sunny day!