Wiggly Worms and Loopy Leeches

We are well into our animal study in science. We are talking about each group of invertebrates and learning about their special adaptations that help them survive. Today we looked at some annelids, or segmented worms. The kids made some careful structural and behavioral observations of earthworms and leeches, including looking at them very carefully under dissecting microscopes.

Fractions and Decimals on a Number Line

We have been studying fractions and decimals in math. The kids are finally understanding how fractions and decimals are related. Today we practiced placing fractions on a giant number line on the floor.

Coins for Vets

The fifth graders worked hard and raised over $350 for our area veterans. Each student adopted a classroom and decorated a milk jug to collect the money. They made announcements and created a flyer to send home.  Every day they collected and counted the money from their room. We kept track of donations on a big poster. We were very impressed that our calculations were less than $10 off from what the bank told us!  This money will be used to help out three area veterans in the Hill City/Jacobson area.

Veterans Day Program

The Hill City High School band starts the program with some patriotic music.

Major David Nyback, US Army Reserve gave the Veterans Day Address.

The high school choir sang "America he Beautiful."

Tess read an essay she wrote about Veterans.

The fifth graders announced the kickoff to our fundraiser, "Coins for Vets."

Noah plays "Taps" to end the program.

Environmental Science

We had a special guest speaker in science today. Brittany Benson is a senior at Hill City School and is also studying at ICC. She taught us a lesson on taking care of our environment. We learned about how to conserve water, composting, and recycling. We really enjoyed having her talk to us today!

Happy Halloween!

Once again, I wasn't feeling well on Halloween so I had to get a sub. I was so thankful that Mrs. Crabeesub could come in for me. She wasn't very happy with all the junk food and partying going on. She thought the kids should be doing more reading, writing and math. She even handed out worksheets during the Halloween parade. The kids had fun at their party, even though they had to deal with a crabby teacher.

Peer Leaders

Three peer leaders will soon be coming in to teach the fifth graders the Second Steps program. This anti-bullying curriculum will help the kids learn about ways to get along with others and stop bullying in our school. The peer leaders are high school students who have been trained to work with the kids. I am so excited that Tess, Hailee and Madi will be coming in to interact with my students. They will be working with the kids every Wednesday afternoon from 2:40-3:00, while the teachers have our Professional Learning Community time.