LOOMIS LEOPARD NEWS ON THE SPOT
Wilmer F. Loomis Elementary School
“Pulling Together for Excellence”
School Line:
610-359-4350
Attendance:
610-359-4358
Informa-Line:
610-359-4200 x7603
Loomis on the Net: www.mnsd.net/loomis
January, 2013
Issue #29
LOOK WHAT WE’VE BEEN DOING IN CLASS
Kindergarten
The Kindergarteners rang in the New Year with lots of learning and fun! They returned to
school with smiles and were eager and ready to jump back into our routine! 
In our study of the alphabet, we have made it all the way to letter “Pp”! The kiddos have
made SO much progress already and are using their new skills to help them learn proper
letter/sound correspondence. We are beginning to understand how these skills help us to
read new words! We have also learned a few new word families—the “-ap”, “-at”, “–ag”,
“-an”, and “–op” family. We have been practicing the skill of “tapping” to segment and
blend sounds together to read and write words. How exciting it is to see them using this skill
more and more each day! Not only are we working on learning how to read and write, we
left time to listen to many great stories! The Kindergarteners are working on their retelling
skills and are also doing a great job identifying story elements.
In Math, we have been busy learning about numbers to 100! We have learned how to
identify and write these big numbers, and have worked hard on our counting skills. Through
use of our Smart Board, tens frames, and the hundred chart, we have learned many ways to
represent numbers! Up next—the kiddos will learn about addition and subtraction!
We also took time to learn about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and read stories about his life
and why he is remembered today. We talked about fairness and equality and took time to
write about how we can help bring positive change to the world...what an important message
for us to remember! We ended our month with learning about Groundhog Day and we
enjoyed making a Groundhog Day Prediction Graph in which each kiddo predicted what will
happen on Groundhog Day…will it be six more weeks of chilly Winter or is Spring on its
way? 
We are anxiously awaiting the fabulously fun month of February with many fun-filled
holidays and events: Chinese New Year, 100th Day of School Celebration, Valentine’s Day,
President’s Day, Dental Health Month and the long awaited Wedding of Q & U!
1st GRADE – Rooms 1, 2 & 4
Give a cheer, the new year is here! As we say good-bye to 2012, we warmly welcome
2013. We trust that you had a restful holiday break with family and friends. It was a nice
time away for all of us, but equally as nice to get back into the routine of school. We are all
well rested and ready to take on the challenges of the new year. There is still so much for us
to do and learn.
LOOK WHAT WE’VE BEEN DOING IN CLASS (cont’d)
We cannot stress enough, how proud we are of our first graders and their Welcome Winter
Holiday Show. Long hours of practice surely paid off as we spread warmth and joy to family
and friends at our performance. Thank you to all that were involved in helping to make the
show a huge success. The smiles on the faces of the boys and girls faces would melt any
heart. A BIG thank you to Mr. Murray for burning a CD for each child as a special treasured
memory.
We are moving right along in all of our subjects. By the time you read this, we are getting
ready taking our third Theme Test in reading. We practice daily and review all that is on the
test, so your child should be well prepared. Our goal is working on reading fluently, paying
attention to end marks and expression as we read. Look for this as you are reading in your
library log each evening.
Speaking of the library logs, we are so proud of the routine that the children are in. They
know how to quickly exchange books and give the next reader a sneak peek at what they are
about to read. It warms the teacher's hearts as we see boys and girls excited to share a new
story to a classmate.
In math, have finished our topic of Subtraction Facts to 20. We covered concepts such as
Related Facts and Fact Families with strategies to help your child memorize his/her
facts. Why not visit Beckers Parent/Teacher store? They carry wonderful three corner cards
you can purchase for practice, or simply make your own at home. You can take one fact
family a week and practice and memorize it, so that responses become rapid and natural for
your child.
We certainly enjoyed our gingerbread study. We read oodles of fun books and made
comparisons to each story. Ask your child which version was his/her favorite, from pirates,
to girls, babies and friends, the versions read were endless. We are still getting postcards in
from all over the United States. The children are tickled pink when a new post card arrives at
Loomis School. We post the cards around a map in our hallway and attach yarn from the
post card to where it was sent from. The boys and girls are beginning to understand how big
our world really is.
We are working on a mini study of Animals in Winter and learning about how animals
hibernate and migrate and other ways animals spend the cold winter months. Be on the
lookout for an additional research project about BEARS. This will be an at home project
which will be shared in school. Of course, we will be reading and learning other fun and
interesting bear facts in class. This is another highlight of first grade fun and enrichment.
As you know, gymnastics are taking place in Mrs. Ward's P.E. classes. Make sure your child
comes to gym class appropriately dressed, and ready for the tumbling activities that will take
place.
LOOK WHAT WE’VE BEEN DOING IN CLASS (cont’d)
Thank you for helping with the Caring Quilt project. Of course this is yet another way the
Loomis family donates their time and talents to warm the hearts of some lucky boys and
girls. Our Loomis children are very eager to make a quilt square and are delighted with the
finished product of a cozy, warm, quilt. Thank you, in advance, to helpers and sewers who
make this project a huge success.
We were thrilled to take part in our "Service Day" on Friday, January 18, 2013. Each grade
lovingly and thoughtfully made items to send to nursing homes in honor of Dr. Martin Luther
King Jr. He would have been proud to see all of the school working so hard to make things
to show care and love. Great Job, Loomis School!
We look forward to many upcoming events...Progress Reports, Pizza Bingo, and so much
more. Our time is zipping right by!
2nd Grade – Rooms 3, 5 & 6
If it is January, and you are in second grade, then you are immersed in a month-long study of
that fine black and white bird, the PENGUIN! Our super science lessons about this
flightless bird have been fascinating. You will be amazed at how many cool facts your child
knows about penguins. The highlight of the month, of course, is our annual Penguin Parade.
Penguins of every size, shape, and style waddle their way throughout the halls of Loomis.
Our rookery will be rockin’ to the sounds of the boys and girls singing their special parade
song. We are sure that he/she will sing it for you again if you ask...Here they come, down
the hall, penguins on parade! Black and white, tall and small, penguins on parade!
Another highlight of the month for the super second grade is the annual Hobby Show. A
vast array of hobbies and collections were shared with parents and students. Rocks, coins,
Legos, seashells, sports cards, action figures, books, video games and much more were on
display for everyone to enjoy. The collections revealed a bit about the personality of the
owner and allowed a chance to hone the students’ public speaking skills when asked
questions about their hobbies/collections.
In reading, we are finishing up our third theme in our reading anthology. At the end of each
theme, there is a Readers’ Theater story, which the children enjoy performing. Reading
scripts, practicing fluency, working with simple props, and engaging in teamwork are all
skills that are practiced through Readers’ Theater. We think there are some Broadway-bound
kids among us! 
We ask parents to continue to help your child dress appropriately for winter weather. Hats,
scarves, and gloves are important to have for those cold mornings and chilly lunch recesses.
We are looking forward to another great Pizza Bingo Night. Thank you to the PTO and Mrs.
Melonie Petersen for planning this yearly event. We know our Loomis families always enjoy
spending time together and having fun!
LOOK WHAT WE’VE BEEN DOING IN CLASS (cont’d)
The second graders are thrilled to be spending time in the computer lab working with a
program called Type to Learn. This program teaches keyboarding skills through a variety of
lessons and uses games to help provide additional practice of learned keystrokes. The boys
and girls have learned that it is hard to not to look at your fingers while typing, but they are
improving every week. Second graders know that learning these skills now will help them
throughout their lives.
We can hardly believe that January is nearly over! It was fun to see a few snowflakes this
month. The year is going quickly and we have a lot to do! The second grade teachers thank
all the parents for their support and enthusiasm with all our special projects and events. We
couldn’t do it without you!
February Fun: Groundhog Day, 100th Day of School, Valentine Social, Caring Quilt
Assembly, Valentine’s Day party, and Presidents’ Day Weekend!
3rd Grade – Rooms 10, 11 & 12
Third grade has been busy working hard and having fun this month! We took time out of our
day to celebrate Martin Luther King by making Valentine’s Day decorations for two local
nursing homes. The children also enjoyed making the residents thoughtful cards and
conversation starters for residents to enjoy.
On January 25th, the entire 3rd grade took a spectacular trip to Lankenau Hospital to learn all
about the Human Body Systems. The students thoroughly enjoyed the talking human model,
Pandora, as well as participating in a “mock” surgery to explore the digestive tract. It was a
trip the kids and teachers will definitely remember.
In Language Arts, the students have begun working on a research project. The students are
learning how to research, take notes and organize information. Some have begun working on
the final product: a power point presentation. The students and teachers are looking forward
to watching each power point and learning new facts about animals around the world.
The third grade is looking forward to February and the Caring Quilt assembly. Thank you to
our 3rd grade parents and other Loomis parents who helped create and sew the adorable quilts
that will be loved by others.
LOOK WHAT WE’VE BEEN DOING IN CLASS (cont’d)
4th Grade – Rooms 14,16 & 18
Happy New Year! January is here and the fourth graders are well rested and ready to work
hard after a lengthy winter vacation!
In Reading, we continue to read novels and short stories in a variety of genres. This month
we also pay tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and think about the importance of his
contributions to the world. We have reflected upon how important his work has been to all
of us. The fourth graders took part in the school wide service project making tissue paper
flowers, heart chains, and heart shaped envelopes to be filled with treats for local senior
citizens.
In Social Studies, we just finished a unit on Geography/Map Skills and were also busy
learning about the regions that make up the United States.
In addition, we just started a new Science unit. The children started one of the following
units: (Room 16) Animal Investigations, (Room 14) Electricity & (Room 18) Land and
Water Unit.
In Math, the fourth grade is working hard on Division. This is a difficult concept, but
through hard work and practice, the children are doing a great job!
The fourth graders have also been quite busy working on the patches that will be
incorporated onto our caring quilts. We look forward to the “Caring Quilt” Assembly next
month.
5th Grade - Rooms 13, 15 & 17
The fifth graders continue to work very hard in class. In math, we are wrapping up
multiplication of decimals and beginning Topic 8 Numerical Expressions, Patterns, and
Relationships. This exciting and challenging unit includes variables, order of operations, and
algebraic expressions. In addition to our regular math class, we are also preparing for PSSA
during IE time.
We have been studying Explorers in social studies. We are learning reasons why these men
chose to explore and, more importantly, the effects of their explorations on the rest of the
world, especially the Americas.
In science, we are studying Motion and Design and exploring rubber band energy, in addition
to reviewing measurement.
We continue to read many books, during read aloud time, SSR, and book club. Students’
favorite books can be seen on the books spines that are seen around the school hallways.
Many fifth graders have already earned 100 points for their reading, and many are close to
achieving that goal. Be sure to ask you child what he or she is reading.
LOOK WHAT WE’VE BEEN DOING IN CLASS (cont’d)
January has also found fifth graders joining in with the rest of Loomis to serve others.
During our afternoon of service, we made cards, decorated door handles, and created puzzles
for the residents of the Wallingford Nursing Home and Broomall Presbyterian Village.
News from Mrs. Ward:
Rope Climbing Contest
2013
th
4 Grade
Girls
1st Place
2nd Place
3rd Place
Ceirra Whithworth
Olivia Cooks
Hope Santone
15.2 seconds
19.2 seconds
28.7 seconds
1st Place
2nd Place
3rd Place
4th Place
Kevin O’Keefe
Alex Tenaglia
Christopher Solakian
Joey Paoletti
24.3 seconds
25.2 seconds
26.0 seconds
26.8 seconds
1st Place
2nd Place
3rd Place
Donna Holt
Selena Galloway
Kiley Rufo
9.9 seconds
16.9 seconds
34.7 seconds
1st Place
2nd Place
3rd Place
4th Place
Xavier Williams
Sean Travaglini
Chase Whitworth
James Bullock
7.3 seconds
11.5 seconds
14.0 seconds
23.1 seconds
Boys
5th Grade
Girls
Boys
Xavier Williams is the overall winner for the rope-climbing contest this
year. However, Nick Adelizzi still holds the school record of 7.2 seconds by a
tenth of a second. So Nick’s record set back in 1998 still stands.
LOOK WHAT WE’VE BEEN DOING IN CLASS (cont’d)
Musical Notes from Mr. Peters:
A special congratulations to all students who participated in the Elementary District Music
concert last week. The concert featured the elementary district band, orchestra, and choir and
everyone sounded fantastic! Bravo!
5th Grade students are beginning to learn a fun Coffee canon. Ask your students to sing it for
you and find out if it applies to you!
4th Grade students have recently begun a unit on the blues. So students have participated in
scat singing, wrote their own blues, and played through the 12 bar blues on the Orff
instruments. Next week we’ll compare the blues to the Boogie Woogie!
3rd Grade students are excited to be learning how to play the recorder. We’ve been working
hard and are starting to get to play recognizable melodies. Students will get to bring home
their recorders to practice during spring break.
2nd and 1st grade students have been learning rhythms at an unbelievable pace. A new
rhythm was introduced this week in both grades and they seem to have already mastered
it. Keep up the great work!