CYCLONE CHATTER 1/9/15

WELCOME BACK!! Super Excited about the start of 2015. Let’s all work together to make this a great start to 2nd Semester!!

Student Spotlight
Alex

Student Spotlight
Brody

CYCLONE CHATTER 1/9/15

Did you make a New Year’s Resolution??? If not, check out some of the ideas on the last few pages!!

Kindergarten got back into the full swing of things. It's surprising how much we forget being gone for 2 weeks. And kind of nice to sleep in a couple extra days. But it didn't take long to catch up! We studied the letter Kk and made yummy kites to eat. We also made some New Year's resolutions so we could "start off on the right foot"! We are learning what halves are and how to use ordinal numbers. We also celebrated a couple of birthdays this week. Ayden turned 6 on the 8th and Abryelle turned 6 on the 11th. Happy Birthday! Thanks to everyone for all the nice gifts brought for Christmas and all the items that were sent for the baskets we put together for someone less fortunate over the holidays. We had so much stuff brought we were able to make 2 baskets!

First Grade have started 2015 off GREAT and are ready to learn new and exciting concepts. We are leaning Counting and Number Patterns to 100 in Math. It is awesome to work with BIG numbers. In Science, we are learning about Matter. We have started practicing Spelling List 3 words. In Language,we are learning to write name titles and book titles correctly.

The Second Graders - It was great to have everyone back from Christmas break and to dive head first into the third quarter. We began our new social studies unit on maps. We learned that all maps have similar elements; may key, compass rose, map scale, and title. We looked at a political map of Nebraska and found our capital, boarding states, different cities, and rivers. In math we learned how to round to the nearest 10 with a rhyme: "4 or less, let it rest. 5 or more raise the score." After practicing rounding to the nearest ten, the 2nd graders went shopping for priced items around the classroom. They used their skill of rounding to estimate the cost of two items. They loved shopping but wished they could have kept the items for themselves! ;) In language, we are learning about adjectives and how to put them into our writing to create wonderful word choice and voice! It has been a great, first week back!

Preschool News This Week: Brrr! The main goal for this week was to stay warm, which was appropriate for learning about winter! We read stories about animals in cold places. I also stresses to the preschoolers that in winter it is very important to wear the right clothes. Along the lines of staying healthy, I also stressed to the students how important it is that they wash their hands! Please remind/encourage them to wash often at home!
Next week: Beginning Monday, the preschoolers will have a week-long homework sheet in their folder. There are directions for each daily activity to practice letters. Please help your child complete this DAILY! It is better to do a little each day than to do the whole sheet at once. They return their homework sheet on the following MONDAY, for a treat! :)
Next week we will begin our 2 week dinosaur theme! Mrs. Shrader is looking for volunteers to donate sugar cookie dough (just the tube) and green sprinkles, for the preschoolers to make fossil cookies on Tuesday, January 20th. I need one tube and one jar of sprinkles per class. If you would like to donate, please let Mrs. Shrader know! Thank you!

Even though the temperatures were cold, the 3rd graders were on fire this week. They started working with patterns and how to find the rules. They also experienced them in a table format, which can be tricky to figure out sometimes. In social studies, they continue to learn about how the environment around them influences their culture. They discovered information about the cultures of the Native Americans and early European explorers. Lots of questions were asked and curiosity about the origins of their own culture arose. They are exploring different genres in reading. It was decided that they are going to keep track of all the different kinds of books they read to help them experience different writing styles. It looks like the 3rd graders are off to a red hot start for 2015.

The 4th graders adjusted well to being back from winter break, and they have managed to accomplish a lot even though there were even a couple of late starts and an early dismissal this week! *In Reading Mastery, they finished the folktale, Beauty and the Beast. Even though it was quite a bit different from the Disney movie, they were still able to see several similarities. The theme of not trusting appearances was recognized in this well-known story. After that, they read a poem about a spider and a fly, which involved learning some basic poetry terms. *The 4th graders have continued to work hard on their writing skills to get ready for their state writing test at the end of the month. They are working on writing personal narratives, especially in adding details and figurative language to make the writing more interesting to read. *In Nebraska history, they have been learning about Nebraska becoming an established "territory." This means, setting up a government with leaders, finding a capital, and improving communication and transportation so people will be interested in settling there. Ask a 4th grader about the 1st elected governor of the territory, as well as how the territory's capital was chosen! They are both interesting stories! *Math has continued with a fraction unit. The 4th graders have figured out how to find equivalent fractions by multiplying and dividing. Reducing fractions, they have discovered, takes a little more thought and effort, but they are making progress! *In science, we started a unit on electricity and magnetism. They have enjoyed some demonstrations with balloons and static electricity.

"Kendrick and Joe are trying to give the balloons a negative charge by rubbing them against their heads. However, this left the hairs on their hands standing up since their hair was left with a positive charge."

"Joe finds it entertaining that the balloon is attracted to him due to its charge."

What a way to start off the new year!! T-shirts bought with Box Tops Money!! Keep up the great work saving those Box Tops!!

3/4th and 5/6th Grade Boys Youth BB Practice Dates for January!!
January-
Saturday – 10th @ Clearwater 9:00-10:30
Saturday – 17th @ Orchard 9:00-10:30 3/4th and 5/6th Grade Girls Youth BB Practice Dates for January!!
January
Saturday – 10th @ CLEARWATER 10:30-12:00
Saturday – 10th @ Orchard 10:30-12:00
Game Dates Are:
Jan 11th –Girls 5/6th Orchard and 3/4th Girls @ Neligh
Boys - Clearwater
Jan 18th – 3/4th Girlsth Building 38 across from St. Mary’s School and
5/6th Girls O’Neill Pub
Boys – West Holt

Ten Terrific 2015 New Year's Resolutions for Kids FAMILY & PARENTING, BUSINESS & FINANCE, TOP TEN ON LONG ISLAND, HEALTH & WELLNESS, SEASONAL & CURRENT EVENTS By Kelly Tenny Published: December 31 2014
Adults aren't the only ones who make New Year's resolutions! Photo by: Chrissi Nerantzi via Free Images New Year’s resolutions aren’t just for adults, they’re for kids too! If you’d like to make some positive changes in your life, or if you are a parent who would like to encourage their children to make positive changes in their life, making resolutions for 2015 is a great place to start! While an adult’s New Year’s resolution list may include things like quitting smoking and losing weight, a child’s resolutions can be to work harder at school and help out more at home! Check out these totally terrific New Year’s resolutions made for kids! I Will Not Partake In Bullying. If you see someone being bullied do not encourage the bullies or watch along with everyone else. Tell the bullies to stop or go and inform an adult of what’s going on. I Will Learn Something New. Learning is fun and learning something new is a great way to build up skills and meet new friends with similar interests and hobbies. There are tons of things you can learn! Enroll in piano lessons, go out for a sport, or take a foreign language class at your local library! I Will Brush My Teeth Twice A Day. Dental hygiene is important! Take care of your teeth by making sure you brush them at least 2 times a day, once when you wake up and once before bed. I Will Clean Up & Put My Toys Away. This upcoming year make a resolution to clean up after yourself more and give mom and dad a much deserved break. I Will Adopt A Greener Lifestyle. Instead of leaving the TV on when you’re not watching or leaving lights on all over the house, turn things off or unplug them when you’re not using them. You’ll help your parents save on the electric bills and help the environment. I Will Eat More Fruits & Vegetables. You only get one body so it’s your job to take care of it! Make sure you nourish your body and get the important vitamins and nutrients available in fruits and vegetables.
I Will Help Out In My Community. Lending a hand and volunteering in the community or through a charity is a great way to give back and help others who are struggling. Make a point this year to sacrifice some of your time to make another’s life that much brighter. I Will Start Saving Money. Start building up a savings by putting away money in a special spot or by asking mom or dad to take you to go open up a savings account at a nearby bank. I Will Make Time For Homework. Homework can be a drag but it’s important to do it and make time for it because not doing it will affect your grades, how well you retain the information you learned that day, and get you in trouble if you do not complete it. I Will Show Those I Love Appreciation. Whether it’s a quick please and thank you to mom and dad, or giving Grandma a call on the telephone more often, find ways to show those that you love that you care and appreciate them.

Top 5 New Year’s Resolutions for Parents in 2015
Posted on December 30, 2014 by Preferred Medical Group • 0 Comments By Michelle DeRamus, Ph.D. At the start of a New Year, many have extensively planned rigid weight-loss diets, to spontaneously eradicate unhealthy habits, to achieve personal greatness or to conquer the world in 2015. The sky is the limit. While intentions may be pure, inevitably many of the difficult benchmarks set on January 1st are long forgotten by February. Parents, particularly, tend to make unrealistic resolutions centered on their children. They may be planning to never argue with their children in the coming year, to give their children everything they ask for, or to push them beyond their comfort zones to make straight A’s, to get onto all of the sports teams, or to get into an Ivy League school. Again, these may be great goals to strive for, but may prove to be unattainable in the long run. Parents and children may end up feeling high pressure and a sense of failure when they don’t measure up to the proverbial bar. Instead, I encourage both children and adults to take a step back and reflect on all aspects of their lives during 2014 to determine the areas that they would most like to improve upon or change. Then, create realistic shorter-term goals to be carried out throughout the year. An important factor is finding accountability for meeting these short-term goals through a spouse, a friend or a co-worker. In my office, I sometimes hear from parents who want to develop an entirely different approach for parenting their children but simply don’t know what or how to change. Because many look upon the New Year as a clean slate and a chance to start fresh, I have devised a list of my “Top 5 Parenting Resolutions for 2015.” You won’t become Super Mom or Dad overnight, but committing to LEARN throughout the year may help you to develop a more positive and open relationship with your child(ren) gradually.
(L)isten – really listen – to your child(ren). Families are busy and constantly rushing from work to school to extracurricular activities. Sure, parents want to spend more one-on-one time with their children, but many believe there just aren’t enough hours in the day. Long-term resolution: Commit to giving your child your undivided attention for a period of time every single day. Short-term steps: Make sure that you allocate a realistic amount of time for each child. As little as five minutes each day can go a long way. This time can be spent at the dinner table, playing a game together or during bath time. It can be in the morning, in the afternoon or at night. The when and where don’t matter so much as the fact that you are making it a habit to talk with your child and to listen to the things that they think are important, worrisome or exciting. You are teaching them that what they have to say is valuable. In turn, by taking the time to listen to your child, your child may also be more likely to listen to you. (E)stablish consistency. When you’re busy trying everything and nothing seems to be working, frustration can build for parents and children. Long-term resolution: Decide on a comprehensive parenting strategy and discipline style and implement it throughout your day-to-day interactions with your child. Make sure that other key people in the child’s life are on the same page with this strategy, such as your partner or the child’s grandparents. Short-term steps: If you feel that you don’t have a solid approach for adopting an overarching parenting strategy, break it down. Choose one new technique to test. You could select a discipline strategy to implement, such as time out, taking away privileges, or positive reinforcement. You may also create a sticker chart to track rewards for good behavior. Stick with whatever strategy that you choose for at least two weeks so that you will see if it works well for you and your child. Research shows that it takes a full 30 days for a new habit to stick. If the strategy that you chose seems to be ineffective after the trial period, try something else for two weeks. Eventually, you will discover the strategies that you believe will work toward your long term resolution.
(A)djust your expectations. No, your five-year-old won’t be able to write that college level essay. And, your teenage daughter (believe it or not) probably won’t want to come home right after school to do her homework. It’s normal. Long-term resolution: Discover age-appropriate “norms” that may help you to understand your child better. Correlate your expectations for their behavior with their stage of development. Become familiar with your child’s personal strengths and weaknesses. Short-term steps: (Pick any of the following options):  Observe your child’s class at school and see what the other children are doing. Are they following directions properly? Do they know how to sit in their seats quietly, or are many children up and running around? If you are not typically around other children, you may not know what is “normal” and what’s not.  Read an article or book, if you are an avid reader, on the stages of child development .  Subscribe to websites like babycenter.com or healthychildren.org, which will provide you with periodic updates on child development stages.  Ask your friends or your parents what their children were doing at certain ages to get a better handle on whether your child seems to be doing things at a similar pace as other children. They may also be willing to share ideas for rewards and punishments that worked for their family in a particular stage  Take an hour and watch your child at play without trying to direct his/her play. See what your child is naturally drawn to and where he/she excels. On the other hand, you may observe areas of weakness and learn where you can support your child.  Seek counsel from a psychologist if you are struggling to set age-appropriate goals and expectations. Your child’s teacher can also be a great source of information about age-appropriate goals. (R)emember to follow through. A classic example is when Mom says, “Clean your room or Santa won’t come to see you this year.” What really happens? The child doesn’t clean his/her room out of defiance, but Santa comes anyway with lots of toys for the child. The child has just learned that he/she doesn’t have to clean up because the threatened consequences were not implemented. Long-term resolution: Follow the age-old saying “Say what you mean, and mean what you say.” This goes for both positive and negative interactions with children. Follow through on threats for punishment as well as promises of rewards. Short-term steps:
Take it one day at a time. When you wake up in the morning, decide to be mindful of what you say that day, including any promises or threats that you make to your children. When children see that you follow through, they are more likely to trust what you say and to listen to you more often. When parents don’t follow through on what they say, kids may eventually learn to tune their parents out. (N)otice the good. Families often come to my office because they need help dealing with a difficult problem or situation. Sometimes parents spend too much time and energy telling their child over and over again about all of the negative behaviors that need to be changed. However, research shows that positive energy is better for the relationship in general and may go a lot further in helping a child to overcome a difficult situation. Long-term resolution: Improve your relationship with your child while simultaneously building up your child’s self-confidence and self-esteem. Short-term steps: Acknowledge one good thing that your child does every day. Mix it up by praising them privately and in front of others, such as extended family or friends. Acknowledgement for positive behaviors each day can make the behaviors more likely to happen again and will boost your child’s confidence that he/she can make good choices in the process. Parents, as the New Year rolls in, don’t forget to LEARN. These parenting recommendations require dedication and commitment, far beyond January 1st. Know that it’s OK to break these up into even smaller steps, such as committing to following one letter of LEARN each month. And, as with any New Year’s resolution, please recognize that it’s OK to mess up, and that inevitably you probably will mess up at some point. Treat each new day as a fresh start, and try again. As an added bonus, you will be modeling goal-setting for your children throughout the year. Encourage them to set their own New Year’s resolutions. It’s OK to think outside the box and get creative here. You can help them to break bigger resolutions down into smaller, more manageable goals, so that you may LEARN together. I wish your family a safe and Happy New Year. Dr. Michelle DeRamus is a child psychologist at Phoenix City Children’s

CYCLONE CHATTER 12/12/14
There will not be a Cyclone Chatter next week due to a shortened week. The Teachers, Staff and Administration would like to wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!

Student Spotlight
Colby

Student Spotlight
Madison

CYCLONE CHATTER 12/12/14
This Week: This week the preschoolers continued their travels. They visited Italy and saw pictures of the Leaning Tower of Pisa and Venice. Tuesday, they visited Egypt where they saw pyramids, camels, and mummies! After a long flight, they landed in Australia where they jumped like kangaroos. Today we listened to classroom visitor Ralynn Shrader, to share her photos and mementos from when she visited China! 

CONGRATULATIONS to Mrs. Michaelson as she graduates from WSC on Friday! We are so glad she will still be here with us next week! Next week: MONDAY: Santa will be in the preschool room in Orchard, before the Crristmas concert for all preschoolers! 6:00-7:00 Next week Mrs. Shrader will be teaching again! We will be doing some festive activities! We will also be getting heights and weights for all the preschoolers!

 REMINDER: PLEASE READ!!!
 If your child would like to participate in the gift exchange next Wednesday, please remember to send their gift to school!

Only 1 More Friday until Christmas!!!

The Kindergarten this week studied the letter Ll. We kind of improvised this week since Christmas is approaching and listened to the Polar Express (which has an l in it) and made candy trains. We also had fun making Santa cookies with fun marshmallow beards. The students have been very busy finishing up with Christmas projects and writing letters to Santa. We also learned lots of Christmas words by "writing the room" activities. Learning about solid figures was fun but they have some funny names. We will have library this Friday and will check out books, but please have me return them by Wednesday so we don't have them over break. Don't forget party and movies next Wednesday, the 17th and to bring a boy or girl gift. Will be Christmas break soon. 

First graders are working to finish units before Christmas break. In Math, they finished geometry learning about plan and solid figures. They are working now on understanding patterns. They have finished Science units on natural resources and Social Studies unit on maps. The first graders are reading very well. They will read and spell a list of 25 words next week. Besides lots of learning they have been making a Christmas gift to give their parents. We wish everyone a wonderful Christmas and a relaxing break from school , so everyone is ready to begin 2015 with excitement for learning. 

The Second Graders soared into space this week and explored the inner and outer planets in our solar system. We learned that Jupiter is the largest planet, Neptune is the windiest planet, and Mars has the largest volcanoes in our solar system. We acted out the moon's orbit around the Earth and the Earth's rotation and orbit around the sun. We got a little dizzy doing it! :) The 2nd graders are becoming super duper double digit subtractors! We have practiced and practiced subtracting with and without regrouping! It sure is hard, but fun work! In language, we play the synonym and antonym game. Each of us are given a word and we have to walk around the room to find our synonym or antonym match! Some synonyms we've learned is sour/tart and careful/cautious. Some antonyms we have learned is end/begin and weak/strong! We love learning about new words!

The 3rd graders have been busy beavers this week. They have taken end of unit tests for animal life cycles and division concepts. They enjoyed writing letters to Santa and working on a surprise for their parents. Working with cause and effect was a little tricky because sometimes the effect is listed first and you have to look back to find the cause. Prepositions were also a new concept that was introduced this week. They were really excited to see how much they improved in their DIBEL scores since the first benchmark. Mrs. Neumann is excited to see their progress also! What a busy and fun-filled week!

The 4th graders have started reading mythology in Reading Mastery. Learning about gods and goddesses is fun, but it's sure a lot of work to remember how to say all their names and remember what powers and traits they each have! *Our division test in math went very well-- with 12 students getting an A on the test!! In fact, 8 of those were even 100%!!! Now we are working hard in geometry to learn about lines, shapes, angles, etc. The 4th graders have even started using a protractor to measure and draw angles. *We're starting to really gear up in our writing skills as we begin to prepare for the state writing test that will happen at the end of January. Our focus right now is on writing "show" sentences that give sensory details and descriptions, rather than plain and boring "tell" sentences. "Show" sentences really help to make our writing more interesting to read! *Our Nebraska history test over all the explorers, traders, and missionaries also went well last week with 12 students getting an A or a B on the test. We have since moved on to studying how/why pioneers moved west along the Oregon Trail, as well as other trails. When we thought about how difficult that move would have been (walking, fixing wagons, tending to animals, enduring weather, finding/preparing food, etc.), it made us thankful for cars and moving trucks that help people move to new locations faster and easier today! *There is a lot happening in the 4th grade room as we study energy in science. We are currently focusing on sound and light energy. Mrs. Metschke even let the 4th graders experiment with Boomwhackers (plastic tubes of different lengths) to demonstrate how different sound pitches can be produced. We'll be testing over all the different types of energy next Wednesday!

NEXT WEEK

Elementary t-shirts will be handed out Wednesday morning before school to each of the Elementary students. A big shout out to everyone that has collected Box Tops to make things like this happen. An elementary picture will be taken that morning, so please wear a t-shirt or a long sleeve shirt that a t-shirt will fit over. "Frozen", "Rio 2" and "Mr. Peabody and Sherman" will be the featured movies for the Elementary this year. Don't forget to bring something to drink with a lid if you want. Popcorn will be provided.

***Not all the scores are in, but would like to send a huge SHOUT OUT to the Elementary Students for doing such a GREAT JOB on their Winter DIBELS!!! VERY IMPRESSIVE

3/4th and 5/6th Grade Boys Youth BB Practice Dates for December!!
December-
Saturday ¡V 13th @ Orchard 9:00-10:30 3/4th and 5/6th Grade Girls Youth BB Practice Dates for December!!
December
Saturday ¡V 13th @ CLEARWATER 10:30-12:00
Game Dates Are:
Dec 7th ¡V O¡¦Neill (boys) Atkinson (girls)
Dec 14th ¡V Neligh (boys) Clearwater (girls)
Jan 11th ¡V O¡¦Neill (girls) Atkinson (boys)
Jan 18th ¡V Neligh (girls) Clearwater (boys)

Recipe for Christmas All Year Long Take a heap of child-like wonder That opens up our eyes To the unexpected gifts in life¡X Each day a sweet surprise. Mix in fond appreciation For the people whom we know; Like festive Christmas candles, Each one has a special glow. Add some giggles and some laughter, A dash of Christmas food, (Amazing how a piece of pie Improves our attitude!) Stir it all with human kindness; Wrap it up in love and peace, Decorate with optimism, and Our joy will never cease. If we use this healthy recipe, We know we will remember To be in the Christmas spirit, Even when it's not December. By Joanna Fuchs

Precious Memories May this holiday season leave you with precious memories: A Christmas filled with love and light, perfect gifts, delicious foods, love and joy all around. A New Year with continuing blessings¡X friends, family, good work, great fun, and delightful surprises. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! By Joanna Fuchs 

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year We're wishing you a Christmas Full of laughter, love and light, With delicious holiday foods To excite your appetite. We're hoping you receive Delightful gifts to make you smile, With family and friends To love you all the while. We wish you a Merry Christmas; May your Christmas dreams come true, And when Christmas is over, Happy New Year, too! By Joanna Fuchs

 The Staff/Teachers/Administration at Clearwater-Orchard (Clearwater Site) would like to wish you a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Enjoy your LONG BREAK!!!
CYCLONE CHATTER 12/12/14

CYCLONE CHATTER 11/13/14
Wednesday, November 26th - 2:00 Dismissal! Happy Thanksgiving! The next Cyclone Chatter will come out Dec 5th.

Student Spotlight
Cecelia

Student Spotlight
Logan

This week the Preschoolers began their Fall/Harvest theme. They learned all about what the farmers in our area have been doing the last month or so. They examined an entire cornstalk plant, on Tuesday. On Thursday, they sorted M&Ms by color and matched them to a tractor of the same color, then they graphed the results. The preschoolers also had an awesome time at 'Donuts with Dad!' What a great event! Next week the preschoolers will continue their Fall/Harvest theme. Tuesday, the Preschoolers are going to do an activity with the Kindergarteners! They will also be talking about Thanksgiving, and sharing things that they are thankful for! Mrs. Shrader will be gone next week to attend a family funeral in San Antonio, but Mrs. Michaelson and Mrs. Patras will have everything under control! :)

Only 4 More Fridays until Christmas!!!

The Kindergarten was busy this week learning about the letter Gg. They made goldfish hand prints and ate yummy goldfish bowls. They learned to compare numbers through 10! We are getting ready for Thanksgiving by writing about what we are thankful for and made fun sponge paint turkeys. We thought that Donuts with Dad was a blast and it was great that our dads came to visit! Learning to write Thanksgiving words is easy when we get to find them around the room to write them. Reading sentences is becoming very easy for us as we become better readers every day!

First graders celebrated winning the Box Top collection for October by eating lunch with Mr.Sanne on Thursday. Everyone enjoyed the meal and they are ready to bring in more Box Tops. In Math, 1st graders are learning about shapes, building different shapes, counting sides and corners. They are studying spelling words for the big test on Tuesday. In Science, they are learning more about the Earth's Natural Resources.

We welcomed two new students into second grade this week! The second graders were very excited and were very welcoming to these two boys!! In social studies we looked at different goods around the classroom and discovered many of them came from other nations. We discussed that several goods in the United States come from other nations because the United States trades goods with other nations. Did you know that we trade soybeans with China in return for car parts? In language arts we practiced using the skill of visualizing when we read. When we visualize we use our five senses to create pictures in our mind. We read the story Balloons by Shel Silverstein and students drew what they saw!! A birthday shout out goes to Preston Home on November 20th!!

The most exciting news this week which has our room as happy as clams, is they got to welcome a new student. Now we have 8 boys and 8 girls in our class. We are excited to have him in our class! The Third Graders were busy working in groups to make brochures for a region of the United States. They included the climate, landforms, landmarks, natural resources and bodies of water. Leenda Thiele came in and volunteered to help out in the planning stages. It was great to have an extra person to help out. It was very much appreciated by everyone. They are putting the finishing touches on them, and then the projects will be displayed in the hallways. In language, they learned how to write a business letter. They are also busy writing detailed sentence using adjectives and adverbs. Also, make sure to check out the paper to see what they would serve if they had guests for Thanksgiving. Timed tests are the new thrill in math. They have 100 multiplication problems which they need to complete within eight minutes with at least a 95% accuracy! One more reason why they practice their facts so much! They are doing an awesome job, and even though they don't always get it the first time, they are really improving. They are enjoying the apps on the ipads to help them practice. Happy Thanksgiving from the Third Graders!

November 24th-26th has been set aside to promote being drug free. The Elementary Student Council has planned different things during the week to help remind everyone to "COUNT OUR BLESSINGS- BEING DRUG FREE". Wednesday will be a dress up day with the theme, "Sock it to Drugs". Everyone is encouraged to be creative and wear the craziest socks they can for the day.

If you noticed some sweaty, smiling 4th graders traveling back to Clearwater in some vans last Friday, then you saw a happy group of students that were just returning home from their fun outing to celebrate the fact that they ALL passed math and reading NeSA tests last spring.The 4th graders were excited to enjoy a lunch at Pizza Hut in Neligh, followed by a trip to Verdigre to enjoy inflatables and other activities in the gym. There was a bounce house inflatable, an obstacle course race inflatable, Wii activities, and basketball fun. They also enjoyed cookies and Gatorades before they headed home. It was a fun afternoon, and the 4th graders are looking forward to doing well on their NeSA tests again THIS year!!

*Kellen celebrated his birthday this week. So now we have TWO students that are a decade old! *In Nebraska history, the 4th graders are gearing up for a test on explorers, traders, and missionaries, which will be next Tuesday. There are a LOT of people to remember in this chapter, so it will take a little extra studying! In this chapter, Madison's Nebraska portrait was voted to be put on our Wall of Fame for her portrait on Petalesharo, a Pawnee chief, that saved a captive girl from being killed by his own tribe as part of a ceremony.
Madison's Nebraska portrait about Petalasharo was voted on to be put on our Wall of Fame in the 4th grade classroom.

We FINALLY finished our Earth unit in science. 12 students earned an A or a B on the test!! It was a long unit, but the students enjoyed learning so much about our Earth. *The 4th graders have also been doing practice... practice...and MORE practice of their long division skills. Mrs. Metschke is anxious to check their tests from today to see how much they have grown in their division skills. *In language arts, they have been really working on recognizing and using all the parts of speech in making the word choice in sentences more interesting. Adverbs are the newest part of speech that they have learned and started using. *There has been a lot of sports talk in the 4th grade room this week since they are reading about Jackie Robinson. The 4th graders were surprised to hear that Jackie was a great athlete in football, basketball, and track as well. In fact, baseball was actually his worst sport in college. Yet, he became famous because of his playing baseball in the Major Leagues as the first African American player.

Donuts With Dads was a Huge Success!! We had over 100 attend! Here are some pictures-

Congrats to the 1st Graders for having the most Box Tops!! How cools is that – eating lunch with Mr. Sanne!! Whoop Whoop!

3/4th and 5/6th Grade Boys Youth BB Practice Dates for November!!
November
Saturday – 22nd -@ Orchard 9:00-10:30
Monday – 24th- @ Orchard 6:30-8:00
December-
Tuesday - 2nd @ Orchard 6:30-8:00
Saturday- 6th @ Clearwater 9:00-10:30
Monday- 8th @ Clearwater 6:00-7:30
Saturday – 13th @ Orchard 9:00-10:30 3/4th and 5/6th Grade Girls Youth BB Practice Dates for November!!
November
Saturday – 22nd @ Orchard 10:30-12:00
Tuesday – 25th @ Clearwater 6:00-7:30
December
Tuesday – 2nd @ Clearwater 6:00-7:30
Saturday – 6th @ Clearwater 10:30-12:00
Thursday – 11th @ Orchard 6:30-8:00
Saturday – 13th @ Orchard 10:30-12:00
Game Dates Are:
Dec 7th – O’Neill (boys) Atkinson (girls)
Dec 14th – Neligh (boys) Clearwater (girls)
Jan 11th – O’Neill (girls) Atkinson (boys)
Jan 18th – Neligh (girls) Clearwater (boys)

"Dear Parent: About THAT kid..." by Amy Murray Dear Parent: I know. You’re worried. Every day, your child comes home with a story about THAT kid. The one who is always hitting shoving pinching scratching maybe even biting other children. The one who always has to hold my hand in the hallway. The one who has a special spot at the carpet, and sometimes sits on a chair rather than the floor. The one who had to leave the block centre because blocks are not for throwing. The one who climbed over the playground fence right exactly as I was telling her to stop. The one who poured his neighbour’s milk onto the floor in a fit of anger. On purpose. While I was watching. And then, when I asked him to clean it up, emptied the ENTIRE paper towel dispenser. On purpose. While I was watching. The one who dropped the REAL ACTUAL F-word in gym class. You’re worried that THAT child is detracting from your child’s learning experience. You’re worried that he takes up too much of my time and energy, and that your child won’t get his fair share. You’re worried that she is really going to hurt someone some day. You’re worried that “someone” might be your child. You’re worried that your child is going to start using aggression to get what she wants. You’re worried your child is going to fall behind academically because I might not notice that he is struggling to hold a pencil. I know. Your child, this year, in this classroom, at this age, is not THAT child. Your child is not perfect, but she generally follows rules. He is able to share toys peaceably. She does not throw furniture. He raises his hand to speak. She works when it is time to work, and plays when it is time to play. He can be trusted to go straight to the bathroom and straight back again with no shenanigans. She thinks that the S-word is “stupid” and the C-word is “crap.” I know. I know, and I am worried, too. You see, I worry all the time. About ALL of them. I worry about your child’s pencil grip, and another child’s letter sounds, and that little tiny one’s shyness, and that other one’s chronically empty lunchbox. I worry that Gavin’s coat is not warm enough, and that Talitha’s dad yells at her for printing the letter B backwards. Most of my car rides and showers are consumed with the worrying.
But I know, you want to talk about THAT child. Because Talitha’s backward Bs are not going to give your child a black eye. I want to talk about THAT child, too, but there are so many things I can’t tell you. I can’t tell you that she was adopted from an orphanage at 18 months. I can’t tell you that he is on an elimination diet for possible food allergies, and that he is therefore hungry ALL. THE. TIME. I can’t tell you that her parents are in the middle of a horrendous divorce, and she has been staying with her grandma. I can’t tell you that I’m starting to worry that grandma drinks… I can’t tell you that his asthma medication makes him agitated. I can’t tell you that her mom is a single parent, and so she (the child) is at school from the moment before-care opens, until the moment after-care closes, and then the drive between home and school takes 40 minutes, and so she (the child) is getting less sleep than most adults. I can’t tell you that he has been a witness to domestic violence. That’s okay, you say. You understand I can’t share personal or family information. You just want to know what I am DOING about That Child’s behaviour. I would love to tell you. But I can’t. I can’t tell you that she receives speech-language services, that an assessment showed a severe language delay, and that the therapist feels the aggression is linked to frustration about being unable to communicate. I can’t tell you that I meet with his parents EVERY week, and that both of them usually cry at those meetings. I can’t tell you that the child and I have a secret hand signal to tell me when she needs to sit by herself for a while.
I can’t tell you that he spends rest time curled in my lap because “it makes me feel better to hear your heart, Teacher.” I can’t tell you that I have been meticulously tracking her aggressive incidents for 3 months, and that she has dropped from 5 incidents a day, to 5 incidents a week. I can’t tell you that the school secretary has agreed that I can send him to the office to “help” when I can tell he needs a change of scenery. I can’t tell you that I have stood up in a staff meeting and, with tears in my eyes, BEGGED my colleagues to keep an extra close eye on her, to be kind to her even when they are frustrated that she just punched someone AGAIN, and this time, RIGHT IN FRONT OF A TEACHER. The thing is, there are SO MANY THINGS I can’t tell you about That Child. I can’t even tell you the good stuff. I can’t tell you that his classroom job is to water the plants, and that he cried with heartbreak when one of the plants died over winter break. I can’t tell you that she kisses her baby sister goodbye every morning, and whispers “You are my sunshine” before mom pushes the stroller away. I can’t tell you that he knows more about thunderstorms than most meteorologists. I can’t tell you that she often asks to help sharpen the pencils during playtime. I can’t tell you that she strokes her best friend’s hair at rest time. I can’t tell you that when a classmate is crying, he rushes over with his favourite stuffy from the story corner.
The thing is, dear parent, that I can only talk to you about YOUR child. So, what I can tell you is this: If ever, at any point, YOUR child, or any of your children, becomes THAT child… I will not share your personal family business with other parents in the classroom. I will communicate with you frequently, clearly, and kindly. I will make sure there are tissues nearby at all our meetings, and if you let me, I will hold your hand when you cry. I will advocate for your child and family to receive the highest quality of specialist services, and I will cooperate with those professionals to the fullest possible extent. I will make sure your child gets extra love and affection when she needs it most. I will be a voice for your child in our school community. I will, no matter what happens, continue to look for, and to find, the good, amazing, special, and wonderful things about your child. I will remind him and YOU of those good amazing special wonderful things, over and over again. And when another parent comes to me, with concerns about YOUR child… I will tell them all of this, all over again. With so much love; Teacher.

CYCLONE CHATTER 11/13/14
The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” Dr Seuss

Student Spotlight
Kinzie

Student Spotlight
Lane

CYCLONE CHATTER 11/13/14
This week the preschoolers started the week by learning about Veterans. To show their thanks for Veterans they all worked together to make a flag banner out of their handprints to hang in the entrance of the school for the Veteran's Day program. Many preschoolers also brought names and addresses for Veteran's that they know to mail them a colored thank you. The preschoolers also participated in a class mascot election. Peter the Penguin was named our mascot in a close victory over Ollie the Octopus. Thursday, the preschoolers looked at and learned about US symbols such as the Liberty Bell, The Statue of Liberty, and of course the American Flag. Next week they will begin their 2 week Harvest/Fall theme.

Only 5 More Fridays until Christmas!!!

The kindergarten studied the letter Hh this week. We had fun making horses and hippos that swim and tasted good too! Graphing is a lot of fun especially when we use our own bodies to make a graph. We can now read and write and count all our numbers up to 10! (we can count higher, but everyone has mastered 0-10)! Ask me what activities I do in the morning, afternoon and evening and see if I can answer! Sophie celebrated turning 6 this week too! We want to give a huge shout of thanks to all the Veterans and thought the Veterans Day program was pretty neat. It was cool to see the Veterans at our school!

First Graders are busy learning to use addition facts to help solve subtraction facts. They are becoming great math problem solvers. In Language, they are learning how to write their initials, when to write capital letters in a name and editing sentences. In Science and Social Studies, they are learning about land forms and natural resources. A lot of learning is happening in the 1st Grade classroom

The 2nd graders, we have been doing our economics unit. We have learned that when we go to Walmart or other stores we are consumers that buy goods. When we go to the doctor's office, we pay for a service. We looked at different goods and listed all of the natural, capital, and human resources it would take to make it. We brainstormed 25 different resources to make an ice cream sundae. We auctioned off 10 boxes of raisins and 6 packs of gummies and discovered that more people wanted the packs of gummies, therefore the demand for it was higher but the supply was lower, therefore the prices increased. Not many people wanted the boxes of raisins so the demand was lower and the prices stayed low. It was fun to learn about econmics this week!

Even though the temperature is cold outside, the third graders have been heating up their room with all sorts of learning. They only have the 8's to learn yet for multiplication. That means there is actually only 1 problem they don't know yet because they use their commutative property to flip flop their factors. They have been doing lots of different activities to learn their facts and can now multiply double digit X single digit numbers and check them with a calculator. They have finished learning about the geography of the 5 regions of the United States. We didn't realize the country had so much to offer us and that geography really does affect everyone's lives. They have just split into groups to make brochures of the regions. They are talking about organization and also little hints that make their projects "pop". You can definitely feel the heat from the 3rd grade classroom.

The 4th graders enjoyed their class reward that they had earned last week by arranging their own desks for the whole afternoon last Friday. Mrs. Metschke was surprised to see who wanted to sit in the front row and who wanted to sit close to the door! *This week we also celebrated our first student birthday of the year! Emma was excited to turn a decade old! *Math has kept the 4th graders busy as they continued to practice long division with 3-digit dividends. We once counted how many places errors could be made in ONE problem, and we counted more than 10 places. So the 4th graders have realized that they need to be really careful when doing each problem! *We are nearing the end of the science unit on studying the Earth. This week's topics were about our Earth's natural resources--both renewable and nonrenewable-- and their uses. (Check out our posters in the hall!) Our natural resources are very important to us because of all the ways we use them, so we learned about ways to reduce, reuse, and recycle! The 4th graders are preparing for their big test over this unit next WEDNESDAY! *The 4th graders were excited to work on their first "Nebraska Portrait" for the year. They will be learning about several people in Nebraska's history that have made a difference and/or shown some great character traits. Each time we come across one of these in our books, the students will create a mini poster that tells and shows what these famous Nebraskans have done. (This works on our main idea skills.) Then the students vote for their favorite "Nebraska Portrait" to remain in the room for the rest of the year. We studied Peter Sarpy, a Nebraskan that was important in the fur trading business. The 4th graders voted to display Alex's portrait this time around. Congratulations, Alex! *The 4th graders are REALLY looking forward to enjoying their reward for ALL passing the NeSA test last year. A trip to Pizza Hut and to Verdigre to enjoy inflatables and other activities is in the plan for Friday (the 14th). You can look forward to seeing pictures of our afternoon in next week's Chatter!

Alex is holding his winning Nebraska portrait, which was voted on by the 4th graders to represent
Peter Sarpy in our room the rest of the year.

Mark your calendar for our next
reading event –
DONUTS WITH DADS – Nov. 18th 7:45-
8:30

What is American Education Week?
American Education Week—November 17-21, --presents all Americans with a wonderful opportunity to celebrate public education and honor individuals who are making a difference in ensuring that every child receives a quality education. American Education Week was first celebrated in 1921. Begun as part of an effort to raise Americas literacy rate after WWI, American Education Week now serves as a special opportunity to shine a light on the great things that schools do!

Our Perfect Attendance Winner of a $10 I Tunes Card is Kalee!! Keep up the great work Kalee!!

Reminder: The Elementary Student Council is buying ALL current students in grades PreK-4th grades with a FREE Cyclone Elementary t-shirt using funds earned by Box Tops money. A form was sent home with the oldest child in the family. Make sure to fill out the form and return it by Friday, November 21st so t-shirts can be ordered. Congratulations to the 1st graders for winning the traveling trophy for the month of October for Box Tops! So far this year 2,160 Box Tops have been collected! Keep collecting! Here is the new design for our Elementary T-Shirts!

3/4th and 5/6th Grade Boys Youth BB Practice Dates for November!!
November
Monday - 17th - @ Clearwater 6:30-8:00
Saturday – 22nd -@ Orchard 9:00-10:30
Monday – 24th- @ Orchard 6:30-8:00

3/4th and 5/6th Grade Girls Youth BB Practice Dates for November!!
November
Thursday – 20th @ Clearwater 6:30-8:00
Saturday – 22nd @ Orchard 10:30-12:00
Tuesday – 25th @ Clearwater 6:00-7:30

Game Dates Are:
Dec 7th – O’Neill (boys) Atkinson (girls)
Dec 14th – Neligh (boys) Clearwater (girls)
Jan 11th – O’Neill (girls) Atkinson (boys)
Jan 18th – Neligh (girls) Clearwater (boys)

Your attitude is like a box of crayons that color your world. Constantly color your picture gray, and your picture will always be bleak. Try adding some bright colors to the picture by including humor, and your picture begins to lighten up.
Allen Klein

Student Spotlight
Ayden

Student Spotlight
Bryna

CYCLONE CHATTER 10/31/14
The preschoolers are still talking about how much fun they had riding the bus, playing at the park, and watching CURIOUS GEORGE! All the preschoolers were very well behaved and everyone had an enjoyable day! This week Miss Schacht taught the preschoolers about space! On Monday, they traveled to the moon. Tuesday, they learned about the sun, and Wednesday they learned about the planets. Since the preschoolers aren't here on Friday, they wore their Halloween costumes to school on Thursday for their party!

Only 7 More Fridays until Christmas!!!

The Kindergarten spent time this week learning numbers 6-10! It is fun to write our numbers using shaving cream. They also learned all about the letter Nn and how to correctly write it! We had fun getting ready for Halloween making jack-o-lantern cookies and scarecrows. The highlight of the week of course was Halloween. Parading our costumes around in the gym and fun and games during our party. Also, forgot to put in last week that we had a special day celebrating Jacob's birthday! Happy safe and fun Trick-or-Treating!

We are learning interesting facts about the sun. We went outside and saw the reflection of the sun by poking a hole in a breadboard box. We saw the sun spots. In Social Studies, we have learned the four cardinal directions. We drew a map of our classroom. In Math the first graders are using a ten frame to add numbers. They are learning how to write a paragraph in Language.
The 2nd graders are going batty in second grade learning about bats! Did you know that bats use their sense of hearing to find their food. They send out high pitch chirps and create an echo, that bounces off their prey and comes right back to them. They listen for the sound waves and know exactly where their prey is! Ask any second grader and they will tell you all about echolocation! 2nd graders are becoming fantastic writers as they continue to write paragraphs starting with a hook! Their goal is to grab the readers attention and pull them into their writing! Students have been writing about favorite holidays, fishing trips, favorite food, four-wheeling, and much more! In math, we have been practicing counting back change to $1.00. What a great week of learning!!

CYCLONE CHATTER 10/31/14

The 3rd graders continue to understand multiplication better and enjoyed using Cheerios to construct arrays to show their knowledge. They have learned 2's, 5's, 10's and 9's so far along with the shortcuts and "tricks" to help them become quicker with their facts. They used shaving cream to practice their cursive letters and it felt smooth as silk. So far, they know 11 upper case cursive letters and are practicing their lower case letters also. In their Weekly Reader, they learned about spiders and did main ideas and details in a web. They also enjoyed "No Shoes" in the room as a reward for being Vocabulary Super Heroes. It wasn't even smelly! They are anxiously awaiting the Halloween Parade and the party afterwards. Happy Halloween from the Third Graders!

*The 4th graders are continuing to work hard in math as they practice their multiplication by 2-digits. They understand the steps, but they are discovering that there are many places to make careless errors as they work through each problem. *In Nebraska history, they finished up their chapter on Native Americans with a test. Even though there were many ideas to remember and memorize, their test scores were outstanding! 10 students even got an A! Their next chapter studies explorers, traders, and missionaries. *In science, the 4th graders have enjoyed learning about the plates that make up the Earth's crust and part of the mantle. They were amazed to learn about and watch videos of how the Earth's surface can change quickly during earthquakes and volcanoes. They were thankful that they lived in an area that isn't known for earthquakes and volcanoes. *In language arts, they studied a new part of speech--pronouns! They realized how often they use pronouns without even doing it on purpose! They have also been focusing on capitalization rules. Mrs. Metschke is REALLY looking at their independent work in all subjects to make sure they are USING these rules! :)
Youth BB Season is about to get underway! Letters and waviers were sent home on Monday. Note the deadline to return the waviers – November 6th if you want to play in games!! Also looking for parent volunteers to help out!

Mark your calendar for our next reading event – DONUTS WITH DADS – Nov. 18th 7:45-8:30

Our Pre-School enjoying their Halloween Party!!

CYCLONE CHATTER 10/23/14
Sending out a HUGE thanks to all the Parents and Father Kramper for donating time, treats, games and prizes to help make our NeSA Carnival a HUGE SUCCESS! Keep up the great work students! Also, a HUGE thanks going out to the Clearwater Fire Department for donating your time and Fire Safety Sacks! It was a fun night had by all!

Student Spotlight
Emma Lea

Student Spotlight
Kalee

CYCLONE CHATTER 10/23/14
In preschool this week, we learned about Fire Safety. Miss Schacht worked with the preschoolers during small group time and storytime. They really enjoy listening to her read stories! We learned about dialing 911 in an emergency (and ONLY in an emergency!), we practiced Stop, Drop, & Roll, and sang songs about Fire Safety. The preschoolers are more than excited to go on a real field trip to Norfolk to see Curious George today!

All our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them. ~Walt Disney

People often say that motivation doesn't last. Well, neither does bathing - that's why we recommend it daily. ~Zig Ziglar

Kindergarten studied the letter Tt this week. And made tasty trains. We finished our topic on numbers 0-5, more/fewer and also learned how to make on organized list! That was pretty hard. We are decorating our room for Halloween with ghost that we made with cotton balls! We also had a blast with the firemen at "Red Hot Reading Night" and learning all about fire safety!

First Graders are learning about "Me on a Map". They have learned their address, city, state, country, continent, and planet. They have also learned the names of 7 continents and 2 oceans, and our neighbors to the North and South of the United States. In Math, students are learning to work with 10-frames to find math combinations. In Language, students are reviewing how to tell if a group of words are a sentence. First grades were well represented at the Red Hot Reading Night with 9 out of the 11 students attending along with their parents.

The Second Graders have been learning about sound this week. We made chicken cluckers out of a cup and a string. When we pulled down on the string with a wet paper towel, the string and the air in the cup vibrated causing a chicken cluck sound! We listened to many different sounds and determined if they were making a high or low pitch. We also discovered that sound travels better through a solid than a liquid or gas! We are continuing to work on our math money unit. We can count money that is more than a dollar and even make change using the least amount of coins!

The 3rd graders started multiplication this week! They worked with manipulatives and explored what multiplication was and when they would use it in real life. They also prepared for their plant test in science by playing Plant Jeopardy as a review before they did their final assignment. Proper nouns and creating sentences using different parts of speech keep them busy in English. It's hard to believe that school is already 1/4 of the way finished!

*In Nebraska history, the 4th graders finished learning about the Native American tribes and their ways of life. They will continue to study and practice ways in which each tribe has unique traits to prepare for their test next Tuesday!
*In science, the ways in which the Earth can change above and below the surface has been the main topic as the 4th graders studied weathering, erosion, and deposition. On Wednesday, they got to experiment with different types of ways to control erosion. They used toothpicks to represent roots and washcloths to represent cover crops. They noticed that these ideas would help to keep soil in place.
 *In math, the 4th graders were PUMPED to learn how to multiply by a 2-digit number! They have been waiting for this lesson for a long time! As long as they remember to "circle, cross, zero," ...and remember their facts... then things will go well! :)
 *In Reading Mastery, they have been discussing the difference between the genres of fantasy and realistic fiction. They concluded that their story, "The Cat That Walked by Himself" was a fantasy due to the talking animals and the animals' requests and cunning moves.
*The 4th graders enjoy learning new vocabulary words in Reading Mastery. They were surprised when Mrs. Metschke asked them to stand on their desks so they could learn how to "descend."

YOUTH VB Practice for 3/4th and 5/6th Graders will practice Thursday, Oct 23rd from 6:00-7:30 @Clearwater!
Sunday, Oct 19th @ Creighton
5/6th Grade be there by 6:30
3/4th Grade be there by 12:00.

Our 3/4th and 5/6th Grade Volleyball Team is doing GREAT!! These girls are putting in a lot of time as do their coaches to learn and love the game of Volleyball! Keep up the great work girls and THANKS to the coaches for helping out. Also, thanks to Father Kramper and the Sunset Store for helping purchase 3 new volleyballs this year! Rock on Future Cyclones!!

NeSA Carnival was a Fantastic Time! Kids and Adults had so much fun! Rewarding kids that work hard day in and day out to be the best students they can be! Mr. Sanne talked about the NeSA Wall of Fame! For those of you that haven’t taken NeSA tests, you will get that chance soon and for those of you have or will take them again – do your best and Good Luck! I can’t wait to see how many students we can get on the Wall of Fame!! Carnival Fun-

Pictures are posted in a seperate Blog!

Red Hot Reading Night was a HUGE SUCCESS!! Thanks so much to the Clearwater Fire and Rescue for helping out! We learned about fire safety, tried on some Bunker Gear, were able to check out the Ambulance, took a ride on the Fire Truck and last but not least had Real Live Fireman read us stories!!

Pictures are posted in a seperate Blog!

Over 100 in attendance!! Way to “BRING THE HEAT” to Read Hot Reading Night!! Mark your calendar for our next reading event – DONUTS WITH DADS – Nov. 18th 7:45-8:30