KINDERGARTEN/GRADE 1/2

            On Tuesday, February 8^th, we will be celebrating our 100^th day at school. We will have a lot of fun counting a variety of items.  Each student is to bring 100 items to school to count with the class.  Some ideas might include: cereal (cheerios or shreddies), pretzels, marshmallows, beads, buttons or any other reasonably sized items.  They are anxious for Hundreds Day to arrive!!

            In ELA we are finishing up our Winter Fun unit.  We have had a lot of fun in our class as the theme of winter provides so many opportunities.  We enjoyed the snow by riding on crazy carpets for one Phys-ed. class. We read stories, sang songs, and read poems about winter.  We made stuffed snowmen, matching mitts, and snowflakes. 

The other ELA event we have been participating in is the Willow Awards.  It’s called the Saskatchewan Young Readers’ Choice.  We are required to read the books nominated and then vote on our favorite one.  The ballots are tallied across participating Saskatchewan Schools to choose a winner of the Willow Awards.  All the books have been so well written and to think they are all by Saskatchewan authors.

            The Grade One class is busy practicing the math facts to 12.  In Phonics they are learning about the long vowel sounds.  They are doing very well with the new Spelling program. Grade Ones have started printing with finger spaces in their printing books.  They completed Lesson 7 in Sight Words.  They are continuing to learn about the Earth in Science.  We are learning about Responsibilities in Social Studies.   

We just finished a dance unit in Physical Education.  Some of the dances we worked on included:  the Metis, Rabbit dance, a Danish and Swedish folk dance, a spot dance, Macarena, bird dance, and the Mashed Potato. 

The Kindergarten class has completed “Animal Island.”  They are now reviewing the letters of the alphabet and learning about the different sounds of the letters. They are presently using the alphabet puppets. They are starting new work jobs and working on numbers to 20.  They will be working on recognizing color words and listening skills as well.

            The students will be having a Valentine’s Party on Monday, February 14, during the afternoon.  A note regarding the details of the party was sent home with students’ names on it for Valentines, just so you know.

            Kindergarten and Grade One will be performing two choral speech selections on March 22 at the Eatonia United Church for the Kindersley Music Festival. We will also go to Leader by bus on April 11^th or 12^th for the Sandhills Festival. I am sure you will hear the students going over and over the poems. This is an excellent way to help speech and present for a real audience.

            Please only send healthy snacks for morning snack.  Some ideas include: veggies and fruit, yogurt, cheese and crackers, or a small sandwich.  Do not send desserts such as gummy treats, rice k squares or chips.

Please return Student Home Reading Record duo-tangs to the school each time you require a new sheet so that I may update the records as to how many books have been read so far.  The best way to improve reading is to read often for a short time.

            We look forward to the busy month ahead.  We’ll keep our minds busy and our hearts fuzzy as we wait for Valentine’s Day. 

- Mrs. Shelley Follensbee &

    Mrs. Sherry Craney    p

GRADE 2/3

            We are finishing up our Friends theme. We have read many different stories and students have been practicing retelling the events and reflecting on the main ideas.  Each student has written an original story about friends.  We have also been working on reading aloud smoothly and with expression.  We have also been reading and evaluating the books that are nominated for the Willow Book Awards. Each student will select their favorite story to vote for.

            We have also taken part in the Great Canadian Mail Race!  We received a letter from Whitehorse inviting us to take part.  Students have written letters and we selected places in every province and territory to send our letters to.  We are now waiting for the replies.  As they arrive we will be posting them on the board outside our classroom.

            A SMART BOARD has been installed in our classroom and we are learning about all the possible uses.  Students are very excited when they get their turn to use it.

            In Spelling we have completed Unit 20.  In Phonics the Grade Two students are learning about blends. The Grade Three students are learning about suffixes.

            In Printing the Grade Two students are almost ready to begin cursive writing, and the Grade Three students are now writing poems.  We are still working on getting rid of poor pencil grip habits.

            In Math both grades are working on addition and subtraction. The Grade Two students are working with numbers to 18 and the Grade Three students are working with three digit numbers. The Grade Two students are learning strategies such as “make a ten,” and “doubles and near doubles” to help them remember the facts. The Grade Three students have been learning about strategies like “using friendly numbers”.  The Grade Three students have also learned estimating strategies.  Both grades need to continue to work on memorizing the math facts to 18.

            In Arts–ed. we have been learning about drawing faces.  We learned about the proportions of the face.  Students drew faces and added different features.  Students also used a magazine picture of half a face and drew the symmetrical other half.  We also used plastic knives to carve faces in snow lumps.

            In Science we are learning about the changes in the crust including earthquakes, volcanoes, erosion, and weathering.

            In Social Studies we did some mapping activities on street maps of Eatonia.  We are also learning about the map of Canada and the provinces and territories of Canada.  We marked the location of where each letter was sent in the Great Canadian Mail Race on a large map of Canada.

            In Phys-ed. we have been working on sending, receiving and accompanying skills as we explored the game of basketball.  Students have been learning about proper shooting form and shooting hoops.  We lowered a couple of the hoops to make this easier.

            Our class has entered in music festival for choral speaking.  At this point we believe it will be held in Eatonia on March 23.  Several of the students have decided to enter in the individual poems as well.

            We will be doing another round of book talks during the week of February 14^th.  Students can start selecting the book they would like to share with the class.  A note will be sent home indicating which day each student is to present.

            Valentine’s Day is right around the corner!  Our party will be on the afternoon of Monday, February 14^th.  Students are encouraged to bring valentines for their classmates. The students who did not provide snacks at the Halloween party will be providing Valentine snacks and we will be playing board games.

-  Mrs. Marla Frison   p

GRADE 4/5

            Excitement was the word for January.  Students were excited about their relaxing and/or fun-filled holidays.  Also, they were excited about all the snow we have and the fun to be had at recesses and noon hour.  They were excited about being able to participate once again in Power Hour.  Some were excited to choose poems and pieces to perform at Music Festival in March.  We excitedly cheered on the Spartan basketball teams this month, and, of course, we were excited about Gum Day Monday.  The excitement is sure to flow into February.....Eaton School Ski Trip, Valentine’s Day, February break, etc. 

            Our days in the classroom have been jam packed.  Our ELA unit is almost finished.   We have read poems and stories about relationships with family and friends and we will conclude this unit with a project focusing on this theme.  Our next unit will be a study of the novel, Owls in the Family which Mrs. King says we will enjoy.  She has also been reading aloud the novel, The Tale of Despereaux which is also a very good book.  In writing, we began book talks after Christmas and we will present them on February 7^th.  We are on Unit 15 in Spelling and page 50 in Phonics.  We learned how to create graphs in computer and we also practice our keyboarding skills.  The Grade 4s completed a short unit on Calendar and Time.  They will be learning about Patterns in February.   The Grade 5s have taken on the challenges of learning multiplication and division strategies.  We will finish this unit and move on to patterns and equations as well.   We did quite a bit of research in Social this past month and February will see us stepping back into the past and taking a look at Saskatchewan’s heritage in Social Studies.  You wouldn’t believe all the things we’ve learned about force and motion in Science.   We will finish up our study of Simple Machines this month.   It’s been tough getting back into shape after the holidays, but students enjoy our fitness and active living days, practicing some basketball skills, and getting involved in games and activities in Phys-ed. Thanks to Mrs. Rogers, we are learning lots about nutrition and healthy eating.  In Arts-ed., students created beautiful drawings of animals and they have also been doing some stitching on burlap.  Miss Luptak continues to teach us songs in Music and Band.  Already the Grade 4s are talking about the kinds of instruments they’d like to play.  Wonder what the word for February will be?   

- Mrs. Lisa King   p

SAND HILLS MUSIC FESTIVAL 2011

            Preparations have begun for the upcoming Festival season and we invite students, parents and teachers to join us – either as participants or volunteers.  Last year saw our festival grow to encompass two days of varied performances. 

            There are many classes or categories from which to choose – it isn’t just about music but includes a wide variety of speech arts as well.  Some examples are choral speech, solo poetry, Shakespeare, sacred readings, storytelling and public speaking.  The Syllabus contains a complete listing of classes and can be viewed online at www.smfa.ca or you may borrow a print copy from the LCS Library. 

            We are very fortunate to have generous sponsors in our area that enables us to offer many scholarships to the competitors.  Each participant must enter at least two classes in a discipline – two piano selections, two voice selections, etc., in order to qualify.

            This will be our second year of offering the Open Centennial Legacy Scholarship, recognizing those who perform pieces by Saskatchewan authors or composers.

            The Music Festival is scheduled for April 11 and 12.  The deadline for entries is February 5.  For more details or if you have questions, please feel free to contact Merlene Nagel at 628-3665 or Terri Martin-Schmunk at 967-2541.

            We look forward to your participation to ensure another successful festival season.  Continuing the tradition … 1949 – 2011!

SRC REPORT

                Last month was very busy with students studying for mid-terms and finals!  Keep up the good work!  On the 2^nd of February we will be anticipating the arrival of the groundhog on Groundhog’s Day.  Students will be receiving a KD lunch on the 4^th as well as report cards for Term 2.  On the 7^th there will be an early dismissal at 2:10 p.m.  On the 8^th the Junior Girls’ Basketball team will be hosting Eston and the Senior Girls’ will be playing at Biggar.  On the 10^th the students in Grades 4-12 will be taking a much anticipated ski trip to Table Mountain.  The Junior Girls’ Basketball Team will travel to Outlook on the 12^th this month with more sectionals to follow on the 15^th.  On the 14^th of this month is Valentine’s Day, sure to be filled with tons of cards and candy hearts.  As well the Senior Girls’ Basketball Team will travel to Plenty to play against Biggar.  On the 16^th the SRC will be having a bake sale, so be sure to bring your money! There will be school holidays from the 21-25 so make sure you are getting lots of fresh air!

            Looks like for a short month February is jam-packed.

Dakota Price & Jenny Nunweiler,

SRC Reporters p
SENIOR GIRLS’ BASKETBALL

The Eatonia Senior Girls’ Basketball Team has had a good start to our year, and faced some tough competition early on.  Some highlights included a game against Kindersley that went into overtime with a three-point shot at the buzzer by Nicole Walper-Lee, and a great battle against Middle Lake (last year’s provincial silver medalists) that saw us score 12 unanswered points in the 3^rd quarter.  We have also been enjoying getting compliments from refs and other teams about how much they like to watch us play!

We hosted our home tournament January 28^th and 29^th.  Teams participating included Unity, Biggar, Shaunavon, and Kindersley. Upcoming exhibition games include February 8^th in Biggar, and February 14^th against Biggar, in Plenty.  We look forward to traveling to Outlook for a mini-tournament February 12^th. 

            GO SPARTANS GO!!!!

Kim Somerville, Coach p