Quarter 3, Week 3 (1/17/25-1/31/25)

Art

Hibler: Art K-3

• Kinder: Students will be introduced to Paul Cezanne and practice creating forms that appear 3D
• 1st grade: Students will continue practicing different textures by repeating lines. 
• 2nd grade: Students will review the concept of positive and negative space and create a Notan. 
• 3rd grade: Students will sketch their replicas of Matisses' Goldfish. 

Welch: Art 3-6

• 3rd Grade: Students will complete their Starry Night Unit.
• 4th Grade: Students will begin their "basic shapes project".
• 5th Grade: Students will begin their Georgia O' Keefe copper flower project.
• 6th Grade: Students continue to practice various colored pencil techniques.

Drama

Lucero: Drama 6

• Scholars will be quizzed over the parts of a stage and stage direction and begin learning to decode Shakespearean English

Languages

Puopolo: Spanish K-2

KINDER

• Students will name articles of clothing and colors, and they will describe the colors and clothing items they like.

FIRST GRADE

• Students will identify and describe articles of clothing using adjectives for color.

SECOND GRADE

• Students will name clothes and colors, and they will describe what they do when shopping for clothes.

Lee : Latin 3-6

• 3rd and 4th grade students are receiving their Q3 practice logs, making flashcards for the new vocabulary list, and reading Cambridge Latin Course chapter 1.
• 5th and 6th grade students are translating the remainder of Lingua Latina chapter 3, focusing on concepts such as:
• Accusative case forms and meaning
• 3rd person singular verb forms (and what "3rd person" means)
• Relative pronouns and subordinate clauses
• Active and passive voice verbs in English and Latin

Music

Abrego: Music K-2

• Kindergarten: The students will learn to aurally analyze sounds on a beat.  
• The students practice high/low melody and writing. 
• First Grade: The students will learn to analyze repertoire written in duple meter. 
• The students will practice writing melodies that include the solfege syllable la. 
• Second Grade: The students will review the presentation and notation of the do pentatonic scale.  

Balmer: Music 3-6

• 3rd grade: Students will continue discussing the life and music of Robert Schumann and working on concert selections using solfege to perfect melodies.
• 4th grade: Students will continue discussing the life and music of Antonín Dvořák and learning concert literature on solfege. 
• 5th grade: Students will discuss the life and music of Clara Schumann and work on concert literature utilizing solfege.
• 6th grade: Students will continue discussing the life and music of Antonín Dvořák and begin working on their first concert selection. They will also review the note names of the treble and bass clef and connections to the keyboard.

Physical Education

Walsh: PE K-3

• Kinder, First, and Second Grade- Scholars will be working on striking skills. 
• Third Grade- Scholars will continue working on their Fitness Gram tests.  

Woods: PE 3-6

Sharks and Minnows (Soccer)

3rd-4th

• At the coach’s cue, the minnows dribble the ball inside the grid and attempt to go past the sharks to cross to the other side. 
• The sharks attempt to steal the ball from the minnows. 
• Minnows who lose possession of the ball join the sharks. Minnows who successfully get to the opposite side attempt another round across the sea. 
• As you can imagine, the game becomes progressively harder as more sharks join the defined area. 
• The game ends after the predetermined time, for instance, 10 minutes or when only 1-2 minnows are left standing. 

5th-6th grade

• Start with 5 players and 4 starts with a ball and 1 player in the middle.   Players are 2-5 yards apart.  The player in the middle is receiving the ball and passing it back to the player. 
• This drill emphasizes quick decision-making with single touch passes.  Players form a circle and pass the soccer ball rapidly; thus, it helps players develop reaction times and game pace. 

Quarter 3, Week 2 (1/22/25-1/24-25)

The Specials team is still getting our bearings after losing a day to weather, but here are some updates for the current week.

Art

Hibler: Art K-3

• Kindergarten students will review the concept of forms or 3D shapes. They will create a collage of fruits by making them appear to have sides, organizing them in a way that the items look closer/ farther away. 
• 1st grade artists will be creating texture of trees with colored pencils layered on paints. 
• 2nd grade artists will be introduced to works by Vincent van Gogh and review the element of arts color and texture. 
• 3rd graders will review Matisse’s work and begin sketching their Goldfish. 

Languages

Lee : Latin 3-6

• 3rd and 4th grade students are learning how to conjugate verbs in the present tense
• 3rd grade parents, ask your students to teach you the "O means I" chant
• 5th and 6th grade students are receiving their chapter 3 vocabulary lists and continuing to read Lingua Latina chapter 3
• Flashcards are due 1/27 (A & C) or 1/28 (B & D)
• Practice logs are due 2/26 (B & D) or 2/27 (A & C)

Music

Abrego: Music K-2

• 3rd grade students will explore the music of Robert Schumann, perform dotted rhythms, and begin learning their 1st Spring Concert piece.
• 4th grade students will explore the music of Antonin Dvorak, perform dotted rhythms, and begin learning their 1st Spring Concert piece.
• 5th grade students will explore the music of Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel, perform dotted rhythms, and begin learning their 1st Spring Concert piece.
• 6th grade students will explore the music of Antonin Dvorak, learn to identify and label solfege in musical scores, review the notes of the Treble and Bass clefs, and begin learning their 1st Spring Concert piece.

Physical Education

Walsh: PE K-3

• Kinder and First Grade- Scholars will be working on volleying skills. They will practice forearm passing, setting, and underhand serving. 
• Second grade- Scholars will be working on underhand and overhand throwing. 
• Third Grade- Scholars will begin their Fitness Gram tests. 

Woods: PE 3-6 

Fitness Gram is a health-related fitness assessment developed by The Cooper Institute for Aerobics Research and is a research-based criterion-referenced test. The purpose for the use of Fitness Gram is to determine any correlation between physical fitness and academic performance.

• Push-up
• Sit-up
• Trunk Lift
• Arm Reach

Quarter 3, Week 1

We're finally back from a long break! All specials classes are working on re-establishing routines and expectations, and on setting goals for Q3 and semester 2. More details coming soon ... 

Quarter 2, Week 9 (12/16/24 - 12/20/24)

Art

Hibler: Art K-3

• Kinder: All students will receive work back from the first semester (in take home folders) on Monday/ Tuesday. Add background to the landscape. 
• 1st: All students will receive work back from the first semester (in take home folders) on Monday/ Tuesday. Students will complete their self portraits. 
• 2nd: All students will receive work back from the first semester (in take home folders) on Monday/ Tuesday. Complete Matisse flower vases 
• 3rd: All students will receive work back from the first semester (in take home folders) on Monday/ Tuesday. Complete the leaves on the Audubon birds.

Welch: Art 3-6

• 3rd Grade: Students will begin their unit on Van Gogh's, Starry Night.
• 4th Grade: Students will continue their colored pencil project (coloring a vintage apple illustration).
• 5th Grade: Students will practice using oil pastels with different color combinations.
• 6th Grade: Students will work on their color assessment project (drawing and coloring a hobbit house).

Drama

Lucero: Drama 6

As You Like It dress rehearsals and production

Languages

Puopolo: Spanish K-2

• Kinder, First and Second Grade
• Students will learn the names of winter clothes by listening to the story “Froggy se viste,” and they will also learn how frogs survive winter by observing, visualizing and making connections while they are looking at pictures in the story. 

Lee : Latin 3-6

• All grades will:
• play "Euge" (Latin Bingo)
• learn about Saturnalia (the Roman winter festival)

Music

Abrego: Music K-2

• Kindergarten
• The students will learn to create a representation of high and low in a melody. The students will practice fast and slow and improvisation.  
• First Grade
• The students will practice writing musical patterns that contain a rest.   
• The students will learn to improvise a four-beat rhythm including quarter notes, eighth notes, and quarter rests.   
• Second Grade
• The students will learn to label four sounds on a beat with the rhythm syllables takadimi. 

Balmer: Music 3-6

• All grades will learn about George Gershwin.

Physical Education

Walsh: PE K-3

• Kinder thru Third Grade Scholars will learn:
• how to work together as a team and how to demonstrate good sportsmanship during some exciting cardio winter games!

Woods: PE 3-6 

Mari’s Wedding 

• Set-up
1. Ladies/follows on the outside circle 
2. Gentlemen/leads on the inside circle 
3. Hold hand of partner 
• Learn the steps 
1. 8 steps clockwise 
2. 4 skips forward 
3. Rotate 180 degrees 
4. 4 skips backward 
5. 8 steps counterclockwise 
6. 4 skips forward 
7. Rotate 180 degrees 
8. 4 skips backward 
9. Jump into the middle 
10. Jump to the outside 
11. Switch places 
12. Jump in  
13. Jump out 
14. Hand off (switch places) 
15. Lady/follow should end up back on the outside with a new partner and gentleman should be back on the inside.

Quarter 2, Week 8 (12/9/24 - 12/13/14)

Art

Hibler: Art K-3

• Kinder: Students will be introduced to oil pastels and practice blending colors.   
• 1st: Students will add color to their self-portraits.
• 2nd: Students will continue adding color to Matisse's Still Life of Peonies in a Vase with oil pastels. 
• 3rd: Students will continue to color their Audubon birds.   

Welch: Art 3-6

• 3rd: Students will complete their Matisse, "Goldfish", painting
• 4th: Students will begin colored theory unit and colored pencil project.
• 5th: Students will begin color theory unit.
• 6th: Students will begin color theory unit.

Drama

Lucero: Drama 6

• As You Like It rehearsals and final preparation 

Languages

Puopolo: Spanish K-2

Kinder, First Grade and Second Grade

• Students will continue learning about family members through participating during question time.

Lee : Latin 3-6 

• 3rd and 4th grades
• Greco-Roman myths
• 5th and 6th grades
• Euge (Latin Bingo) and Q2 test

Music

Abrego: Music K-2

• Kindergarten:
• The students will learn to internalize high and low pitches through kinesthetic activities. 
• The students will practice fast and slow and reading. 
• Students will identify the musical era, musical themes, and biography of Mozart. 
• First Grade:
• The students will learn the notation of the quarter rest.  
• The students will read rhythmic patterns that contain rests.   
• Students will identify the musical era, musical themes, and biography of Felix Mendelssohn.  
• Second Grade:
• The students will learn how to analyze repertoire that contains four sounds on a beat
• The students will learn how to create a visual representation of four sounds on a beat.  
• Students will identify the musical era, musical themes, and biography of Fanny Mendelssohn.

Balmer: Music 3-6

• All grades will learn about George Gershwin.

Physical Education

Walsh: PE K-3

• Kinder through Third Grade Scholars will learn:
• how to properly execute football catches and throws.  
• to identify the roles and responsibilities of the quarterback and the wide receiver 

Woods: PE 3-6

Tic-Tac-Toe Relay-

• Set up three tic-tac-toes on the other end of the basketball court.
• Split students up into six squads and assign them to a tall cone at the starting line.
• Squads next to each other will compete head-to-head on the same game board.
• On “Go” one student in each line races to the cones and places a marker (bag) on top, then returns to their line. Only one marker can be placed on each cone, so use rock, paper, scissors if there’s a tie.
• The next person may go once the person in front of them returns to the line and tag their hand
• Each team is attempting to place the marker on three consecutive cones to three in a row (tic-tac-toe).
• If all three markers have been used, the next student(s) to go are allowed to run down and move ONE of THEIR bags to an open cone.
• When a student (squad) wins, they must raise their hands overhead and declare “Tic-Tac-Toe, Three-In-A-Row!”
• Rotate the lines every so often so that squads can compete against different teams

Quarter 2, Week 7 (12/2/24 - 12/6/24)

Art

Hibler: Art K-3

• Kinder: Students will study landscapes and draw with charcoal.   
• 1st: Students will complete their self-portraits.
• 2nd: Students will continue adding color to Matisse's Still Life of Peonies in a Vase with tempera paints. 
• 3rd: Students will continue to color their Audubon birds.   

Welch: Art 3-6

• 3rd Grade: Students will continue to work on Matisse's Goldfish painting.
• 4th Grade: Students will continue to work on color theory and colored pencil techniques.
• 5th Grade: Students will be completing Durer's Rhino and beginning color theory.
• 6th Grade: Students will continue to work on shading art project.

Drama

Lucero: Drama 6

As You Like It rehearsals.

Languages

Puopolo: Spanish K-2

Kinder

• Students will learn the names of the family members and introduce them by observing, visualizing, and interpreting pages 20-21 in the textbook.  

First Grade

• The students will learn the name of the family members (miembros de la FAMILIA) by visualizing and interpreting pages 28 and 29 in textbook through participation during question time. 

Second Grade

• Students will learn the names of the family members and introduce them by observing, visualizing, and interpreting pages 20-23 in the textbook.   

Lee : Latin 3-6

Practice logs for 5th and 6th grades are due 12/4 (A and C sections) and 12/5 (B and D sections). I am extending the deadline for 3rd and 4th grades to 12/9 (B and D) and 12/10 (A and C).

3rd and 4th grade students will:

• learn the Tim's Parents song about the functions of the noun cases;
• learn how to conjugate verbs in the present tense;
• practice conjugating verbs.

5th and 6th grade students will:

• write a paragraph in Latin about their families.

Music

Abrego: Music K-2

All grades will review the concert.

Balmer: Music 3-6

All grades will review the concert.

Physical Education

Walsh: PE K-3

*Kinder through Third Grade Scholars will learn:

• To properly execute the rules of an organized activity
• To work strategically with others on a team
• To demonstrate how to apply the proper underhand, overhand, and catching techniques for some exciting throwing games

Woods: PE 3-6

Fitness Gram: Testing

The pacer test helps determine if a student is within the healthy fitness zone of if they require further support to reach their fitness goal 

• Monday- Height/Weight and Trunk Lift- Blue Day
• Tuesday - Height/Weight and Trunk Lift - Red Day
• Wednesday - Pacer Test - Blue Day - Blue Day
• Thursday - Pacer Test Red Day
• Friday - Fun Friday

Quarter 2, Week 6 (11/18/24 - 11/22/24)

Summary

***The most significant event this week is the Winter Concert on Friday. You should have received communication about this. If you have any questions, please reach out to Mrs. Balmer or Ms. Abrego.***

Art

Hibler: Art K-3

• Kinder: Students will learn about values and study how to draw trees.   
• 1st: Students will learn about facial features and how to draw them onto a face with accurate proportion.
• 2nd: Students will begin adding color to Matisse's Still Life of Peonies in a Vase with tempera paints. 
• 3rd: Students will rehearse for their Winter Concert- no 3rd A/B art.  

Welch: Art 3-6

• 3rd Grade: Students will begin a new project on Matisse's Goldfish painting.
• 4th Grade: Students will learn some colored pencil techniques.
• 5th Grade: In honor of the book, The Secret Garden, students who have completed Durer's Rhino will be learning how to draw a shade a rose.
• 6th Grade: Students will continue working on their shading the masters project.

Drama

Lucero: Drama 6

• As You Like It rehearsal and costumes

Languages

Puopolo: Spanish K-2

• Kinder
• Students will learn the names of the family members and introduce them by observing, visualizing, and interpreting pages 20-21 in the textbook.  
• First Grade
• Students will identify syllables and words with l (ele), m (eme), and p (pe). They will continue learning how to form syllables by observing, visualizing, and interpreting examples written on the whiteboard. 
• Second Grade
• Students will finish writing their weekly calendar and they will present it to the class. They will be able to practice their speaking and reading skills in Spanish.

Lee : Latin 3-6

• 3rd and 4th
• Students will continue practicing and learning Roman numbers up through 100.
• 5th and 6th
• Students will practice writing Latin and using the genitive case.

Music

Abrego: Music K-2

• All grade rehearsals all week.
• The Winter Concert is this Friday!
• Check email for further communication.

Balmer: Music 3-6

• All grade rehearsals all week.
• The Winter Concert is this Friday!
• Check email for further communication.

Physical Education

Walsh: PE K-3

• Kindergarten through Second Grade will learn: 
• how to work together as a team and how to demonstrate good sportsmanship as they practice various sports skills and work on lead up soccer games. 
• Third Grade will be busy at music rehearsals for the Winter Concert 

Woods: PE 3-6

• Tic-Tac-Toe Relay- 
• Set up three tic-tac-toes on the other end of the basketball court.
• Split students up into six squads and assign them to a tall cone at the starting line.
• Squads next to each other will compete head-to-head on the same game board.
• On “Go” one student in each line races to the cones and places a marker (bag) on top, then returns to their line. Only one marker can be placed on each cone, so use rock, paper, scissors if there’s a tie.
• The next person may go once the person in front of them returns to the line and tag their hand
•  Each team is attempting to place the marker on three consecutive cones to three in a row (tic-tac-toe).
•  If all three markers have been used, the next student(s) to go are allowed to run down and move ONE of THEIR bags to an open cone.
•  When a student (squad) wins, they must raise their hands overhead and declare “Tic-Tac-Toe, Three-In-A-Row!”
• Rotate the lines every so often so that squads can compete against different teams.