One of our class snakes is going to be a daddy! The female has laid 11 eggs, and they are expected to hatch late July if the eggs are healthy.
Field Day was amazing this year! It was re-structured to give students more activities throughout the day and more chances to participate in various events. Here are a few pictures:
The 5th graders took a field trip to Perry Heights to learn about 6th grade life. They were able to meet the principal & 6th grade teachers, listen to current middle school students talk about the activities they can be involved in, tour the building, and eat lunch in the new gym.
The annual Battle of the West Side basketball tournament was Feb 2-4 at Perry Heights. BOTH of our WT teams won the championship!!
The students that completed the DARE requirements participated in the DARE Graduation on January 7th. Each student that completed the essay received a certificate and a t-shirt. Four students were chosen to read their essay at the ceremony: Gavin (Nance), Max (Hall), Mia (Southworth), and Madi (Smigel). Congratulations to all of the students that participated!
The 5th grade took a trip to the FOP Camp on Friday for the DARE Field Trip. It started with leaders from Reitz high school talking to the students about topics ranging from the activities available in high school, how to get involved, why they should be involved, dealing with peer pressure, and balancing school/friends/work/life. The next topic was showing the students the various tools and weapons the sheriff's department has available, along with showing students how difficult it is to tell a fake handgun and a real handgun apart. Finally, the students were introduced to Boss, a 3-year-old German shepherd K9 that specializes in locating narcotics and tracking suspects. The dog recently placed second out of more than 50 dogs at a certification event. The dog's handler discussed how these dogs are trained and how they work with them. Our DARE officer, Deputy Spradlin, also volunteered to participate in a demonstration that showed the students what happens when a suspect tried to run from the officers that have a K9 with them- but thankfully he had a padded sleeve for protection so the bite didn't hurt (as bad)!
The students did a great job preparing for the Vocabulary Parade! Take a look at their costumes in the gallery below:
The students were acting out scenarios this week in DARE. The scenarios typically involved peer pressure to partake in an activity they know to be wrong or illegal for their age, such as drinking alcohol and smoking cigarettes. They were given a situation and a type of avoidance by Officer Spradlin, and they had to show an example to the class. Although it was a bit comical to both the actors and the audience, we hope they they can keep these in mind when a real situation develops. Luckily, it was obvious that none of the students had come across these situations in real life yet due to their tendency to just say "no- my parents wouldn't want me doing that" (or something similar) and "The End!". However, it likely won't be that simple when they're in middle school or high school and it's their best friend or someone they look up to that is pressuring them. Please have talks about these situations with your child, and give them ideas of ways to say "no"- such as effect on health, ability to play sports, consequences of getting caught- so they are prepared.
|
|