"I can..." Statements for the Week of April 27th

Here are our “I can…” Statements for this week.

I can read and write words with oi and oy.

I can use quotations marks in my writing.

I can identify a cause and effect when reading.

I can make connections with a text.

I can subtract numbers up to 100 using basic facts or a 100's chart.

I can write a book review.

I can observe and journal about caterpillars and their life cycle.  

Please return your field trip form by Friday!

FFA Plant Sale Info

Info from Mrs. Wright regarding the FFA plant sale.

We will be open to the public:

Friday, May 1st from 3-7

Saturday, May 2nd from 8-Noon

Saturday, May 9th from 8-Noon

New this year are osteospermum, dahlias, begonias, sunpatiens herbs and PERENNIALS!!

Here is a list of what we have this year:

Vegetables: Jalapeno Peppers, Bell Peppers, Habanero Pepper, Sweet Pepper, Cabbage, Broccoli, Cauliflower and Kohlrabi.  The sale will also feature several different varieties of tomatoes including Cherry, Fireball, Beefsteak, Beef Boy, Best Boy, Heirlooms, Bloody Butcher, and Roma.  There are also herb packs that have Basil, Cilantro, and Rosemary in them.

 Annuals: Snapdragons, Petunias, Wave Petunias, Geraniums, Sunpatiens, Moss Rose, Alyssum, Coleus, Cockscomb, Marigolds, Ageratum, Ganzania, Double Petunias, Dahlias, Osteospermum, Begonias and Pansies.

Pererennials: Bell Flower, Columbine, Salvia, Coral Bells, Rosemary, Cranesbill Geranium, Delosperma, Coneflower, Bee Balm, Foxglove Digitalis, Black Eyed Susan, Butterfly Bush.

May Important Dates/Info - PLEASE READ

May Important Dates:

4th - PTO Meeting @ VHE - 7pm

4th  - Scholastic Book Orders Due

8th - 1st grade Field Trip to Twisters & Frey Pet Hospital - SACK LUNCH

13th - 1:00 Dismiss/PK-12 Professional Development

13th - District Open House - 5:30 - 7:00pm

15th - PTO Party in the Park - 5:00 - 8:00pm

19th - VHE Field Trip to Rodgers Park - SACK LUNCH

25th - NO SCHOOL - Memorial Day

27th - 1:00 Dismiss - LAST DAY OF SCHOOL

End-of-Year Conferences:

I would like to schedule an end-of-year conference with you to discuss the growth your child has made and what would be beneficial for him or her to work on over the summer.  I will be emailing you soon to set up a time.  

1st Grade Field Trip:  

Please return the permission form ASAP.  Students will NOT be allowed to participate in activities at Twisters without it.  We are excited for a fun-filled day of learning on the 8th!

District Elementary Open House:  

May 13th is the BC Elementary Open House.  All elementary buildings will be open from 6:00 - 7:30 for families to tour.  Students will also find out who their teacher will be for NEXT year on this evening!  Come and meet your child’s teacher and find out where their classroom will be on May 13th!  Please let me know if you have any questions.  

PTO Party in the Park:

The Keystone/Van Horne PTO is sponsoring an end-of-year Party in the Park.  Please join us for an evening of fun at the Keystone Elementary park.  There will be inflatables, games, and of course park equipment to play on.  This event is FREE!  The PTO is requesting a free will donation at the entry to help cover the cost of inflatables. Plan on having dinner at the park as well!   Concessions will also be available.  

VHE Field Trip to Rodgers Park:  

We will be going to Rodgers Park in Vinton on May 19th.  More information with details on this trip will be coming home soon.  Students will need a sack lunch for this trip.  

Summer Birthdays:

I typically celebrate summer birthdays in the month of May.  If your child’s birthday is on June 5th, then we would celebrate it on May 5th.  Please contact me if you have any questions about this.  

This will be the FINAL Scholastic order this school year.  If you are interested in ordering books specific to your child’s reading level, please email me and I will send you that information.  This is a great opportunity to get some books for your child to read through the summer.  

Scholastic Book Order - Every order earns points towards FREE books for our classroom!  When we get points in our “bank”, students go online and pick out which books they’d like to see added to our classroom library!

Scholastic Book Clubs Ordering Information:

Order Due: May 4th  

Scholastic Book Clubs

Class Activation Code: KXJMN

Cause & Effect

We've been learning about cause and effect and all the ways we find it in our day.  Today, we did a book activity with cause and effect.  We read If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Numeroff.  Then, we discussed the multiple cause and effect relationships in the text.  We made our own cause and effect story sequence chart.   Students got an extra treat to go along with this book activity.  

Can't take credit for this cute idea.  I got this idea from a first grade teacher in Texas, Nancy Vandenberge.  It is truly amazing how much she shares.  :)  

Spring Program/#CelebrateMonday

HUGE thanks to Mrs. Lampkin and the VHE students for putting on a wonderful show for us on Friday evening.  Also, many thanks to you for supporting your students and bringing them to the HS to perform for us.  As you can see, lots of fun was being had backstage! 

Today's Twitter challenge was to #CelebrateMonday!  Mrs. Fisher's class came in with informational reports they've been working on.  We really enjoyed hearing about the different animals they've been learning about.  The first graders did an excellent job being a supportive, attentive audience.  

Lobby for School Funding Day in Iowa

Please click HERE to view Mr. Zittergruen's blog post about the special event going on TODAY in regards to PK-12 education in Iowa.  

Thank you!

Read to Somenoe

Take a look at a few pictures from our reading activity this morning.  Students read the passage together and then used signal words like so, because, cause to find cause and effect relationships in the passage.  

"I can..." Statements for the Week of April 20th

Here are our “I can…” Statements for this week!

I can read and write words that use ou and ow to say OWWWW in words like ground and plow.

I can identify a cause and effect in pictures and text.

I can use my own experiences to make connections with text.

I can subtract 10s using the hundreds chart and my basic math facts.

I can write a book review using story elements, my opinion, and a recommendation.

WEDNESDAY is a 1:00 dismiss!

Friday is the SPRING PROGRAM!  Students have to be at the High School by 6:45pm!

We need to bring $6.25 for our shirts if we haven’t already.

We need to bring our pictures or our money back from Spring Pictures.

SATURDAY is Van Horne and Keystone day at the Kernels game.  There is info on the blog about getting tickets.    

Teachers Raising Money for MakerSpace at Keystone Elementary

Some teachers will be working at the concession stand at the BYSA soccer games tomorrow.  We are raising money to put a MakerSpace in the Keystone Elementary library next school year.  Let us know if you have any questions!  

Governor Visits Benton Community Wednesday

Benton Community hosted the Governor and Lieutenant Governor yesterday.  Information was shared about Benton's Teacher Leadership program.  

CLICK HERE to view the story featured on KCRG. 

Spring Program - T-Shirt $

Reminder:  The VHE Spring Program is NEXT FRIDAY (April 24th) and the MS/HS Auditorium at 7pm.  

Please send $6.50 for your child's program t-shirt as soon as possible.  

Dino Science Stations

We're preparing for the spring program with a full-blown dinosaur exploration!  We're exploring dinosaurs through text and science stations.  Below is a list of stations and pictures of some of the dino learning that has gone on in 1U. Most of these station ideas came from a teacher named Deanna Jump from Florida who is famous for sharing items she has created.  

1.)  Dino Dig - Students are trying to uncover the bones of a "dinosaur" by carefully chiseling and brushing away sand.  

2.)  Chocolate Chip Excavation - Students are practicing techniques paleontologists use to uncover bones.  We're digging for chips!

3.)  Herbivore vs. Carnivore - Students are comparing and contrasting characteristics of different types of dinos.

4.)  Paleontologist in Me - Students are making a paleontologist suit and doing a writing activity about what they've learned.

5.)  Pangaea - Students are learning about Pangaea (the super-continent) and the process of it breaking into the 7 different continents we have today.  

6.)  Tagxedo Dino List - Students are creating a word list related to dinos to turn into a word cloud in the shape of dinosaurs.  

VOTE for Benton Student for KCRG Athlete of the Week!

Evan Moeller, a Benton Community soccer player, is up for KCRG Athlete of the Week.  Below is the link to vote for him.  Voting is unlimited.  Thank you for supporting a fellow Bobcat!

http://www.kcrg.com/sports/athleteoftheweek/vote

"I can..." Statements for the Week of April 13th

Here are our “I can…” statements for this week.

I can read and write words that make an OO sound like in wood, book, and could.

I can determine what information is important when I read.

I can compare and contrast when I read.

I can read fluently and with expression.

I can tell the difference between a fact and an opinion.

I can add 10 to a 2-digit number.

I can use correct endings with verbs to tell if the action will happen, already happened, or is happening right now.  

#LoveMySchoolDay was a SUCCESS

Check out the videos and pictures from #LoveMySchoolDay at VHE.  This is how we need to spend every day.  Students, teachers, and parents need to take pride in their learning community.  We had a lot of proud Bobcats today!  

Be sure to check out other pictures and videos by clicking HERE.  

Have a great weekend!