MARCH DATES

I missed a few important dates on our March Newsletter.  Please see the updated information below.

3/2     PTO Meeting at Keystone Elementary @ 7pm
3/5     Read Across America Day/Breakfast with a Buddy @ 7:30am/1:00 Dismiss
3/14   PTO Carnival at Keystone Elementary from 6-8pm
3/21   Post Prom Fundraiser at the Turner Hall in Keystone
3/26   1:00 Dismiss/Parent-Teacher Conferences 3-8pm
3/27    Parent-Teacher Conferences 4-8pm

Guest Readers

Read Across America Day is being celebrated at VHE next Wednesday, March 5th.  I'd like to make it a day full of fun for our students!  

Please email me ASAP if you are interested in reading to our class sometime throughout the day.  You can bring a favorite book to share with our class or I can provide one for you.  The students REALLY, REALLY love having you.  Please remember that there s a 1:00pm dismiss on March 5th due to staff PD.  

Breakfast with Buddies is also on Wednesday, March 5th.  Please return your slips ASAP so we know how much food to order.  Thank you!

PTO Carnival

The fun-filled PTO Carnival will be here before we know it!  

If you are interested in contributing to our pool themed classroom basket, please email me.  Some ideas for our basket include but are not limited to the following:  beach towel, bag, sunscreen, diving sticks, water balls, inflatables, etc.  

Also, if you are able to help work a game any time that evening, please let me know.  This is always a memorable night for our students and it can't be done without your help.  

The next PTO meeting is on Monday, March 2nd at 7:00pm at Keystone Elementary.  

Graham & Frosting Land Forms

Karen came for a visit today and talked about land forms with our first graders.  

SCHOOL DISMISSING AT 1:00 TODAY

School is dismissing at 1:00pm today due to weather.  Please call Lynne at the VHE office if your child has any changes in transportation.  Safe travels to you all!

Breakfast With a Buddy!

What: Bring a buddy to school for breakfast
When:  Wednesday, March 5th  7:30-8:15 am
Where:  Van Horne Elementary Gym
Why:  To Celebrate Dr. Seuss' Birthday and Read Across America

Teachers will serve green eggs, ham, and apple slices.  After eating with your buddy, you may choose a book to read together!  Because of our limited space, please only bring one buddy per student.  

RSVP by February 28th by filling out the form that is being sent home today.  Please let me know if you have any questions.  

Out of District Monday

I will be out of the district Monday at a conference.  If there are any changes in your child's transportation on Monday, please call Lynne in the office.  

Thank you!

Valentine's Day

Thank you for working so hard with your first grader on his or her Valentine's Day Box!  They all looked great!  Any time I walked into the hallway, I could count on at least one person passing through admiring all of your work.  Our hallway looks a bit empty now.  

All classes made their PBIS goal of 50 tickets so we celebrated by making Valentine's Day cards for the residents at the Keystone Care Center.  It was a great opportunity for the students to give back and show they care on this holiday.  

We celebrated a day early since there is NO SCHOOL TOMORROW.  Benton Staff will be participating in a professional development session tomorrow featuring a nationally recognized speaker.  

Note from Nurse Jamie

A reminder during this cold and flu season: If your child is ill, PLEASE keep him/ her home.  If your child has a fever, he/she cannot return to school until they have been fever-free for 24 hours without the use of medication.  Please remind your children to cover coughs and wash hands frequently. We appreciate all your help in stopping the spread of illness.

Penguin & Polar Bear Presentations - THANK YOU!

The arctic temperatures stuck around long enough for our polar bear and penguin presentations today.  (It can warm up any time now!)  I would say it was a successful morning of presentations!  The students did a great job sharing the information the had found.  We had an array of projects including PowerPoints, Little Bird Tale ebooks, videos, posters and a diorama.  

Here are a few pictures of students giving their presentations.  Check out the anchor charts.  They started as empty pieces of paper.  The students wrote something they learned from each presentation on a post-it note and added it to the respective penguin or polar bear anchor chart.  You can't even tell which is which because the students learned so much!  What a powerful visual of all of the learning that took place today.  

As some saw today, technology either works with or against us.  Our virtual field trip with the Omaha Henry Doorly Zoo was proof of this today. When we were able to understand the keeper in the aquarium, we learned a lot!  It was a great opportunity for students to have their questions answered by a really penguin expert!  

We will round off the day with a polar bear biscuit snack and complete a graphing activity.  

Thank you for taking time to join us today.  The students always love having guests!

POLAR BEAR & PENGUIN PRESENTATIONS - PLEASE READ

It looks like the temperatures are going to be quite cold tomorrow morning.  IF we have a 2 hour delay tomorrow, we will NOT be having presentation time in the morning.  Families are still welcome to join us for our virtual field trip.  Our presentations will end up being held when we can fit them in throughout the afternoon.  I'll post pictures either way, so if you end up missing your child's presentation, be sure to check out the blog for a picture of his or her work.

PLEASE know that I have no idea if we will have a 2 hour delay at this point.  I wanted to pass this information along just in case we do.  :)  

Team Onnah T-Shirts

If your child ordered a Team Onnah t-shirt, he or she will be bringing it home today.  Please have your student wear his or her shirt to school tomorrow.  We will be having a school-wide Team Onnah t-shirt day in order to show support for Onnah and her family.  If you are still interested in ordering a shirt, you may do so at the benefit on Saturday.  

Benefit/Fundraiser for Onnah Dvorak
Saturday, February 8th @ 5pm
Benton Community High School, Van Horne, IA
5 - 6:30pm: Free Will Donation Meal & Silent Auction
6:30pm - ?:  Dessert Auction & Live Auction

More info including auction items can be found at www.dvorakauctionservice.com.

Valentine's Day Box Reminder

Remember, your first grader needs to bring a Valentine's Day box to school on or before our party next Thursday, February 13th.  I spent some time (probably too much) looking at ideas on Pinterest on this snow day.  Please remember our school PEANUT and TREE NUT free policy if your first grader decides to include this with his or her Valentine's Day card.  

Karen's friend Aaron

Karen, the Benton County Naturalist that has been coming, sent her friend Aaron to us recently.  He taught the students all about owls!  I was amazed at all of their prior knowledge on owls.  Aaron definitely had a few pieces of information that we new learning for all of us.  Karen and Aaron's willingness to come visit the students and teach them about the marvelously mysterious world we live in is greatly appreciated.  Their lessons are rich and engaging.  THANK YOU!  

Puzzles

Many students have been working on puzzles during our indoor recess time.  A few students wanted me to post pictures of their completed puzzle since we can preserve them forever.  :)

100th Day of School

We had a great day full of the number 100!  Here's a look at the students creating their necklaces and what they look like on their 100th day of first grade!  It will be fun to compare these pictures with their first and last day of first grade!