Author Archives: ctwebprincipal
Spring Picture Day is coming
Wednesday, March 4th!
Remember! Only those students with pre-paid orders will get their picture taken. You must pre-order and prepay for your child to be photographed.
Order online at inter-state.com/FlyerEntry/48076RF or complete the order form that comes home with your child.
Come join us for a fun and exciting night of Bingo, prizes, raffles, and more!
Friday, February 21, 2020
6:00pm-8:00pm
Doors will open at 5:30pm
Click here for the Beach Bingo website for bidding options on the silent auction items!
Early Childhood
This month EC’s theme was Winter and Arctic Animals. We read many great books, The Snowy Day, Three Little Kittens, Polar Bears, Winter is Here, A Long Winter’s Nap, The Mitten and Snow. We discussed the many different types of clothes we wear in the winter and activities that we can only do in the Winter. We sang new alphabet and letter songs, and several new finger plays, Snowflake and two versions of 5 Little Snowmen. We learned about different animals that love the snow, penguins and polar bears.
We are working on correct letter and number formation with HandWriting Without Tears and even tried guided drawing of penguins and snowmen.
Kindergarten
Kindergarten has had a great month learning about winter and animals that live in cold environments. We have been practicing segmenting our words as well as using those sounds in our writing. We have also explored the world of 3D shapes and hunted for 3D shapes in our school. We are very excited to be celebrating the 100th Day of school on Tuesday. It is a major milestone in kindergarten and something that they look forward to everyday.
Tips and Tricks:
Every time you read with your child, be sure to ask questions before, during and after reading. While asking your AFTER reading questions have your child open the book and prove their answer. Ask them HOW they know the answer they provide. Finding the answers within a text is a great skill for readers to master.
First Grade
First grade has been learning about the solar system. We had fun creating the moon phases using Oreo cookies. We created the solar system. We made our own rocket and wrote about a special journey into space.
Second Grade
Second grade learners are finishing up addition with and without regrouping and will be starting subtraction. They are also finishing up the polar biome and will be presenting on an arctic animal. In social studies, second graders have also continued to enjoy learning about winter celebrations around the world.
Third Grade
Reading and EL
The students have been learning about non-fiction text structure. The different types of non-fiction text structure include: problem and solution, cause and effect, compare / contrast, description and sequence. Understanding text structure and text features are important because it helps the students have a purpose when they are reading. The readers are able to summarize the text by using the text structure as a guide. After reading, the students use graphic organizers to map out their ideas from the text. As they are reading, they think about how the text is organized and look for important words to determine what type of text they are reading. For example, the wind speed increased (cause) so the sailboat moved faster (effect). Another example is when we compare and contrast different nouns such as fish and whales. When we compare the two, both the whales and fish can live in the water. When we contrast the two, whales need to go to the surface to breathe air. However, fish have gills and can stay underwater to breathe.
Specials
Kindergarten and First Grade parents ~ mark your calendars for Thursday, March 5th. That’s when the Kindergartens and first grades will present their music programs. Kindergarten’s “Sounds a Little Fishy to Me,” music program will begin at 6:00 P.M. and first grade’s “Down at the Beach,” program will begin at 7:00 P.M. that same evening. Watch for more information coming soon!
In PE we are starting our Hockey tournament with grades 2-5. This will be the conclusion of our 4 week hockey unit. Kindergarten and First graders will be working on their hockey skills while playing modified games such as line hockey and six goal hockey. Still to come for PE students will be participating in Paddleball, Baseball, as well as some kickball and bean bag type games.
In Health, the students have concluded their bullying projects and now have been discussing the effect of smoking on the body. Upon completion of our anti-smoking unit the students will dive deeper into the function and structure of the body.
Beginning December 10, students and teachers across Illinois will have an opportunity to participate in the eighth annual statewide Illinois 5Essentials Survey. This survey is designed to generate a detailed picture of the inner workings of your child’s school. As a parent, this opportunity will allow you to share your thoughts on the important elements of school effectiveness in a survey about your child’s school.
On behalf of the Illinois State Board of Education, the Illinois 5Essentials Survey will be administered online by UChicago Impact at the University of Chicago. The survey gathers data related to five indicators that can predict important student outcomes, including improved attendance and larger test score gains. These five indicators that affect and predict school success are:
• Effective Leaders
• Collaborative Teachers
• Involved Families
• Supportive Environments
• Ambitious Instruction
Prior research in more than 400 schools has shown that schools that were strong on at least three of these “5Essential” indicators were 10 times more likely to improve student learning gains in math and reading than those that were weak on three or more Essentials.
All teachers and 4th through 12th grade students will be responding to this survey. 5Essentials Reports will be generated for schools if their teachers and/or students meet the response rate threshold of 50 percent. These reports will be sent to schools and districts in April 2020 and will also be included in the State School Report Card.
Additionally, your district has chosen to provide the optional Parent Supplement survey. If at least 20 percent of district parents complete this survey, a parent supplement report will also be generated. The parent data will not be reported on the State Report Card.
Your participation in the parent portion of the survey will help us understand the conditions at your child’s school and guide improvement. Your identity and survey responses will be kept completely confidential and will never be connected to you or your child.
The Illinois 5Essentials Survey for students and teachers will be conducted December 10 – 20, 2019. The Parent Survey Supplement will be conducted through February 14, 2020. To take the survey please visit https://survey.5-essentials.org/Illinois/ and select the appropriate survey to begin.
For more information about the Illinois 5Essentials Survey, or to view previous years’ Reports, please visit https://www.5-essentials.org/illinois. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact 5Essentials Client Services at 1-866-440-1874 or 5essentials@uchicago.edu.
Third Grade
Our third graders have been wrapping up paragraph and narrative writing, and are beginning to focus on nonfiction text features. We are also working on our communities unit in Social Studies, focusing on Native Americans and the history of Elgin. In math, students are learning about the properties of division.
Fourth Grade
Math – In fourth grade we are learning the basics of multiplication. Knowing the why behind the standard algorithm of multiplication will allow students to really understand the math rather than trying to memorize formulas. Towards the end of this unit we will tie in area and work on doing multi digit multiplication with and without story problems.
ELA – We are focusing on types of conflicts as well as plot. Reading texts and analyzing the types of conflict and plot will allow students to comprehend the story and apply the strategies in their own writing. We are also learning the basics of paragraph writing, including topic sentence, supporting details, transitions, and conclusions.
Social Studies- We are beginning to dive into the regions of the United States. The region we are currently focusing on is the Southeast Region. For each region we will learn about the specific states, climate, culture, landmarks, the land and water surrounding and within these regions, as well as the resources and products produced in the region. As we progress through this unit of social studies we will be relating these topics back to our state of Illinois.
Fifth Grade
Math: We have just begun division. In this unit we will be learning how to divide 3-digit and greater numbers by two digits. The numbers we will be working with will be both whole numbers and decimals. The first part of this unit will be conceptual, using different manipulatives and visuals to understand what is really happening to the numbers as we divide them. After that, we will learn the standard algorithms.
Social Studies & Science: We are finishing our unit on ancient Egypt, where we learned about the government, religion, social classes, and daily life. This is the conclusion of our unit on ancient civilizations. Next quarter we will begin our units on American history and government. Next week, we will switch over to science. The unit is about Earth in space and we will learn about gravity, shadow patterns, and stars. We will also be preparing for our December field trip to Challenger, where we will put all of knowledge to use in a simulated mission to space.
ELA: We are using our strategies to read and comprehend informational texts. The students are also writing both informational and narrative papers. One thing we are especially focusing on is elaborating, proof-reading, and editing our writing.
Specials
The art room has been a bustle of activity so far this year. Kindergarten and first grade started the year with themes of art about self and art from their imaginations. Kindergarten worked hard learning to draw self portraits and are now in the process of transforming large appliance boxes into a house, castle, pirate ship and Rocket. One of the first grader’s favorite projects was using cut paper to transform themselves into super heros. Second and third grade learned about how artists depict community in their work. They learned about foreground, middle ground and background and worked as a community to create large murals. Third grade learned about the architecture of the Victorian period and then acted as architects when they drew detailed houses of their own. When the houses were done they added some seasonal touches. Fourth and fifth grade have been working on self-directed learning centered around where artists get ideas. They envision, create and reflect on their work on a daily basis. They have created some amazing pieces of art!
Early Childhood
This month our themes were Fire Safety and Pumpkins. We introduced the numbers to call in case of an emergency 911. We practiced STOP, DROP and ROLL. We dressed up like firefighters, pretended to help put out fires and played with fire trucks. We learned many new vocabulary words like: helmet, fire extinguisher, hose and many more.
For our pumpkin theme we explored PUMPKINS! We learned that pumpkins come in many different shapes and sizes, some are bumpy and some are smooth. We learned the life cycle of the pumpkins, seed, sprout, vines, flower and pumpkin.
We continued to practice writing our first names, shapes identification, letter identification and number identification.
Next month our theme will be FALL LEAVES!
Kindergarten
Kindergarten has been learning all about the Fall. We have been reading both fiction and nonfiction books about fall and pumpkins. We have been counting and playing games with letters and sounds as well as learning how to be a superstar writer.
Parent Tip #2 Tracking Print:
Tracking print is an important tool a beginning reader must learn. Tracking print is when you point to each word as you read it aloud. While reading with your child, encourage them to track print as you read aloud or as you’re reading together. Tracking print helps your child learn new words by seeing them and hearing you read them aloud.
1st Grade
First grade just finished their light and sound unit. The students had so much fun completing experiments to go with these topics!
2nd Grade
Second graders have been learning about the oceans, continents, and landforms. Students made pumpkin globes to represent our Earth. Students researched a landform and created a digital slideshow. Some second graders even demonstrated their knowledge of their landform in the form of a song.
Reading/EL
This month, the students have been concentrating on determining the main idea and details in nonfiction text. After students have read one section of text, they practice identifying several facts that connect. They think about what the section is mostly about. As they read other sections, they may need to revise their main idea. After reading, they think about what they learned, what facts go together and what is the big idea. When students finish reading a nonfiction text, here are some key questions they can ask themselves:
- What main idea and details did I learn?
- Will I be able to apply this information in real life?
- Who can I share this information with?
- Am I interested in expanding my research on this topic?
- What was the writer’s opinion or thoughts about this topic?
- How would I evaluate the text and would I recommend this book or article to someone else?
3rd Grade
On Thursday, October 3rd, 3rd grade participated in a few different STEM activities to help build team building skills, communication, problem solving and reasoning skills! Students displayed their creativity through different activities.
4th Grade
Fourth grade is approaching the end of our second math unit. In this unit, students have been learning about multidigit addition and subtraction, both standard and within a word problem. We are also learning about perimeter.
For science we are learning all about the human body. We’ve recently learned all about the eye, central nervous system, how muscles work, and lastly, parts of a plant.
In the subject of writing, we are transitioning from foundational grammar skills to idea organization and the paragraph writing process. As for reading, we are analyzing character traits as well as character change within literature.
5th Grade
Math: We are working hard on multiplication of both whole numbers and decimals. We have learned how to multiply by powers of ten in standard and exponent form. We are also learning how to do this as both mental math and using the standard algorithm. We are currently at the midpoint of this unit.
Social Studies: Our first social studies unit was a short one on geography, including map skills using latitude and longitude. Our current unit is about Mesopotamia, the “The Land Between the Rivers”. Our key focus for this unit is how complex civilizations evolved from simple communities of hunters and gatherers. In this unit we will learn about ancient Sumer, as well as other empires of this area. Topics include the social structure, technological advancements, government, art, and religion.
ELA: We are continuing our lessons on important reading strategies. We are finishing the unit on comparing and contrasting, and will move on to point of view. As always, students are practicing their writing skills and increasing their writing stamina through various classroom exercises, like writing and editing paragraphs.
Specials
The fourth and fifth grades have been preparing for their music programs on Thursday, November 14th. The fourth-grade program, “Hungry to Learn” will be presented at 6:00 pm and the fifth-grade program, “Education Rocks,” will be performed at 7:00 pm that night. To access information or DVD order forms, click here to go to Mrs. Mack’s website.
Early Childhood
What a great start to the school year! Our first theme was Back to School. Students learned all about their classrooms and making green and red choices. We read lots of books a classroom favorite was NO David! and Pete the Cat I love my White Shoes. Students explored the kitchen center, blocks, writing center, play houses, art, play dough and the sensory table.
The theme for September was APPLES. We explored all about apples by cutting open apples to see the insides. We talked about the different parts of an apple: skin, stem, leaf, core and flesh. We learned about how apples grown from seed to tree. We tasted different types of apples and graphed which ones we liked best. We read many apple books a classroom favorite was the Secret of an Apple Tree, for this book you need a flashlight to read it!
We are continuing to practice tracing, cutting, letter names and writing our first names.
Next month we will learn all about pumpkins and Fall, don’t forget about our Pumpkin Farm Field trip on October 18th.
Country Trails Literacy Night is October 24th, this is a FUN night to see the school transform into the Arctic, more details to follow, we can’t wait to see you there!
Kindergarten
First Grade
First graders have been learning about community helpers. They were excited to collaborate with classmates and create a life size community helper. Then they labeled the important tools their helper uses to do their job.
Second Grade
Second Grade is off to a great start. To help build community within our classrooms’ each class has picked an animal as a class mascot. We are proud to introduce the 2Sc Geckos, 2St Coyotes, 2Da Bulldogs, and 2De Bunnies. We will be studying these animals throughout the year as we learn about different biomes in science.
Reading/ELL
Students have been busy in reading with the start of the 2019-2020 school year. Some of the literacy skills they have been working on include retelling information and the questioning strategy. Students have been thinking of questions before, during and after they read the text. One of the questioning strategies is QAR, which stands for Question Answer Relationship. The two types of questions are organized into two categories: In the Book and In my Head. The questions students will answer that are in the book include: right there and think and search. The other types of questions are author and you and on my own. Students are working on answering and creating their own questions. Continue to have your child read and think about questions at home. In addition, Country Trail’s Family Literacy Night will be on October 24th from 6:00–7:30 p.m. The students, families and staff are looking forward to a night of literacy adventures! Stay tuned for more details.
Third Grade
Third grade students started the year with team building activities. Each class had an opportunity to complete a Break Out Box Challenge! They worked well together and earned a Cougar Pride ticket for their success!
Fourth Grade
Math – We are wrapping up our Unit 1 on place value and will begin our addition and subtraction unit next.
Science- We will be learning about different body systems in both humans and animals.
Reading – We will be digging deeper into the fiction genre exploring settings and analyzing characters.
Writing- We will be focusing on paragraph writing.
Fifth Grade
Math: Fifth graders have been working very hard on place value and addition/subtraction of decimals. To help us understand the concepts, we are using lots of manipulatives and number talks. This unit is the foundation for what we will be learning for the year, so we want to be sure that our skills are solid. Our first unit test will be the week of September 16th.
Science: We are approaching the end of our first science unit: Earth’s Systems. In this unit we have learned that the Earth’s system includes the hydrosphere, atmosphere, geosphere and biosphere. We are learning about what takes place in each sphere, as well as how the different spheres interact with one another. Examples include phenomenon like the water cycle, weathering, and erosion. We are also learning how the spheres can be affected by human activity, and ways scientists have found to mitigate some harmful effects.
ELA: We began our year of reading with main idea and supporting details, and will shortly move on to summarizing. We are concluding our unit on figurative language, including similes, metaphors, hyperbole, idioms, personification, onomatopoeia, and alliteration. We also started the year revisiting complete sentences and proper paragraphs, as well as the beginning of good grammar practices. These will be areas that will be practiced regularly throughout the year so we can continue to improve our writing and communication skills.
Specials
In PE students are in week two of their soccer unit. Over the next few weeks they will be starting their team tournament. Next up for our students at Country Trails is the football unit.
In health class students started the year off talking about exercise and what it does to the body. Coming up next we will cover emergency plans such as fire safety, severe weather, and our school blue point system.