From the Gym: 

October has begun, the fall temperatures have arrived.  Its a great time to get out and ride a bike, or even take a walk as a family and look at all the colored leaves on the trees

Gym News:   The 2nd and 3rd graders scored many goals as they worked on their kicking skills in class.  All children were given an opportunity to be a goalie if they choose to.  Challenges were given to those who wanted it, and a cone was placed farther away to see if they could still score.    

In this month the children will be focusing on the mile run for 3rd grade and a 1/2 mile run for 2nd. Sit ups for 1 minute will also be scored for each student.  If your child wakes up one morning and says their stomach hurts, ask them if they did sit up in gym class, and ask them if it is their stomach muscles that hurt.  For some they will feel it when they get out of bed.  

Halloween is just around the corner.  There will be some fun activities planned in the gym for the students to do.  

Enjoy October.

From the Music Room: 

Third grade musicians have been learning what melody, unison, ostinato, and harmony mean.  Ask them if they can describe each vocabulary word.  Hints: 1) If they sing Ickle Ockle from music class, they are singing a melody.  2) If they sing Ickle Ockle with a group of people, they are singing in unison.  3) If they sing Swimming in the Sea, they are singing an ostinato. If they sing Ickle Ockle while others sing Swimming in the Sea, they are singing in harmony.  

They have also learned about Johann Sebastian Bach and listened to an organist play Bach’s famous Toccata and Fugue in D Minor BWV 565 ( Toccata and Fugue in D Minor video ) on the organ. This is a great piece for Halloween!  It is powerful and mysterious!  

Other classical pieces that evoke the spirit of Halloween are:

1. Grieg’s In the Hall of the Mountain King
2. Brahms’ Hungarian Dance No. 5 n G Minor
3. Mussorgsky’s Night on Bald Mountain
4. Camille-Saens’ Dance Macabre

So if you decorate your house for Halloween and want some spooky tunes to broadcast as trick or treaters come by, try these classical pieces on for size.  For more, see Classical Music for Halloween and Classical Music for Halloween 2.

From the Spanish Room: 

First graders have been learning and reviewing their colors in Spanish as they talk about “manzanas,” or apples! This was a fun unit for them in their own classrooms, and they enjoyed drawing about them & sharing which kind they liked or disliked. Students enjoyed playing “Adonde esta la manzana?/Where is the apple?” in which they had to find who had the apple, asking and responding only in Spanish… as well as using their manners of course (por favor- please, gracias- thank you)!

We always start off class with our weekly routines in which students greet a friend in Spanish, say the date and then vote on how the class is feeling and the weather that day. Can your child tell you how they are feeling in Spanish? Can they ask you how you are feeling? (¿Cómo estás?) We also do fun movement and stretching activities to count from 1-15.

Please be sure to check the Hilltop Spanish website for information on what we are doing in class and how you can practice at home! Together, you can go onto “Quizlet” and practice topics such as colors, numbers and feelings through flashcards and games… and listen to a native Spanish speaker say each word! Since first graders only come to Spanish class once a week, please encourage your child to practice at home as well. Thank you for your support!

From the Library Media Center: 

In Kindergarten and 1st grade we have been discussing and reviewing genre, author, illustrator, publisher, setting, character, and theme.  In 3rd and 4th grades we are reading the hilarious novel, The Get Rich Quick Club by Dan Gutman. 

3rd and 4th grade students have begun their keyboarding practice! 
We have reviewed proper body positioning, hand placement and the responsibility of each finger!  Students have been the Alemna Typing Method and Dance Mat Typing.  In 2nd and 3rd grade I recently introduced/reviewed Microsoft Excel. Students collected "Favorite Halloween Candy" and "Are Bats Cute or Creepy?" data from their classmates, entered their data in a spreadsheet, inserted charts and graphs, and customized the pats and pieces of their graphs.





From the Art Room: 

Kindergarteners have been gradually introduced to using tools and materials in the artroom.  

For one, they have been introduced to painting.  Although some students have painting experience at home, painting in the art room requires a great deal of organization.  The routines for distribution and cleanup of materials have to be established so that painting can  eventually become an independent activity with shared responsibility.  The students have been fantastic and so quick to learn how to paint properly in the art room.  For another, kindergarteners have been cutting and pasting.  Using the scissors and glue sticks all come with rules for safety in the art room.  And the students have been very respectful in following the safety rules.  

We have been talking and practicing some important concepts in art, such as overlapping to create the illusion of space and using and recognizing geometric and organic shapes around us.  Other learning objectives have been using facial expressions to show feelings and learning to mix and blend two colors go produce a third color.  So when they bring home their paintings of pumpkins and the collages of bats, please encourage them to talk about the process and how they created those artworks.  We are going to have a wonderful year of art!