Wonderful World of Kindergarten
Summer has finally arrived! We have had a great time learning and playing this year. Please remember to practice reading, writing and math skills over the summer to keep your child sharp and ready for new adventures in learning next year! We offer summer school from June 9-July 2. This is a great way to stay fresh and remember all the things we have learned. Here's a little poem to close the year just right!
When I started Kindergarten,
I couldn't have felt smaller;
but I have been growing, growing,
and not just taller.
I've learned to read and learned to write,
and learned my numbers too;
and there are manyother things
that I have learned to do.
Kindergarten's over now,
and I'm ready for fun.
Summer is now here,
let's play in the sun!
Have a great summer and see you next year!
Mrs. Batze, Mrs. Knight and Mrs. Rockey
1st & 2nd Grade Reading Center
2nd Grade
Mrs. Grimm:
What a year it has been! I can't believe the end is already here. I want to give a big thanks to all parents this year for your support at home. It has really made a difference in the academic progress of your child.
This last quarter the students enjoyed a puppet show presented by the Butler County Environmental Services about the effects of pollution on the environment. The students also learned about proper nutrition.They participated in a week long nutrition class. The students attended a career fair in which various professionals came to speak about what they do. This really got the students thinking about what they would like to become when they grow up. The possibilities are limitless. The students also attended the 6th grade cultural fair. They enjoyed some tasty treats and were able to get a glimpse at other cultures in the world.
This summer please take the time to make sure your child reads everyday for twenty minutes. This may be your child reading by himself, reading to a sibling, or being read to by you. It is immensely important for your child to continue reading throughout the summer. It really helps improve their skills and is enjoyable as well. I wish all of you a fun and safe summer!
Mrs. Buetler:
This has been a wonderful school year for me and I can not believe it is over. The children have truly been an extraordinary bunch that always made me smile and never ceased to amaze me with their abilities and creativity. They have learned and grown so much, and I look forward to watching them grow even more through the years. I hope to have not only taught them reading, writing, and math, but also a love for learning and the importance of having good character. Please encourage your child to continue reading over the summer! Have a great summer and best of luck next year!
Mrs. Miller:
I have been so blessed to have this class this year. Most of you have been with me for two years. We have come so far. Thanks parents for all of your support. The last day will be very hard for me this year. Have a great summer and read, read, read.
Mrs. Ilderton
Ms. Ilderton’s students will like to express their feelings and thoughts for the year.
From our 5th graders:
"I liked the Joey Pigza Books (3) that we read this year. I will miss Ms. Ilderton and Miss. Speers". Steven
"I like to say to all the 6th graders, have fun in 7th grade and we will miss you.” Jesse
From our 6th graders.
"I will miss everyone from Van Buren very much". Renee
"Ms. Ilderton and Aleik are so funny to me, and I will miss all the people in my class because they are my friends". Jamaal
“Thanks to all the teachers for teaching me. I will miss all the teachers including Ms. Ilderton, Mrs. Hall, and Mrs. Bailey". Aleik
"Thank you parents for allowing me the opportunity to watch your child grow academically during the school year. I will miss the sixth graders and I wish them the best". Ms. Ilderton
Parents please continue to encourage your child to read and study their multiplication and division facts over the summer!
Fourth Grade
Mrs. Zellar:
The field trip to the Museum Center was absolutely spectacular. The students really enjoyed the museum and the OMNIMAX theatre. The day ended with a beautiful trip to Crawford Woods.
In science, we finished the year off with our classroom science projects. Mrs. Keal's class did the experiment: What happens when placing raisins in carbon dioxide? Will they sink or float? Mrs. Zeller's class did a taste test. Which do we prefer Coke, Pepsi, or Big K cola? We displayed our projects for the school on Friday.
In math, we are finishing up fractions. We have learned how to make equivalent fractions as well as simplifying. I am very impressed with how fast they caught on to each math concept.
I hope everyone has a wonderful summer! I look forward to seeing you all in the fall.
Mrs. Keal
Well, we've made it to the end of the year! The students have been really busy and have covered a lot of curriculum in 4th grade. We are ending the year on a great note- there are more students making honor roll this quarter than any of the other quarters. This shows just how hard they've worked these last nine weeks and I am extremely proud of them!
Summer school is right around the corner. The dates this year are June 9-July 3 and there will be some very exciting events during the course of summer school. We will be having a beach theme with lots of raffles and cool prizes. At the end of summer school, students with perfect attendance will have the opportunity to win an Ipod while students with super attendance could win a Gameboy Advance. If your child is going, please encourage him/her to be here everyday and on time. This will help with their chances of winning these larger prizes and the everyday prizes that will be awarded.
I have fully enjoyed teaching this group of kids. They are amazing people who have taught me some things throughout the year! I am going to miss them as they move on to the 5th grade. I hope that as they continue to grow older, they will stop back by my room to say hi and that some day I will be attending their high school graduation. Thanks for such a great year!
Mrs. Ellis' 4-6th Class:
The year is almost over! We've accomplished many things this school year, and I can only imagine what's on tap for next school year!
First, congratulations and good luck to my 6th graders who will be off to Garfield Junior High in the fall: Alisha Atkinson, Justin Cook, Chris Hall, and Mary McCaleb.
I'm also looking forward to having my 4th and 5th graders again next year!
On a personal note, my second baby is due in late August. I will be taking my maternity leave at the beginning of the school year, starting on the first day of school in the fall. I plan on returning in mid-October. There will be a long-term sub who will be teaching language arts to the students while I'm on leave. Any questions can be directed to that person while I'm gone. I will certainly be busy at home with a 2 1/2 year old and a newborn, but I'll be looking forward to seeing all the kids when I return!
HAVE A FANTASTIC SUMMER!!!!!
Music
Mrs. Gabrielli:
I hope the warmer weather is on its way! Grades K-2 have been working hard to learn meter, accents, and strong and weak beats. They have been playing instruments and singing to help better understand these concepts.
Congratulations to the kindergartners who did an excellent job performing in their concert on March 10th. They worked really hard to learn all of their music. A special thank you to their teachers for making those wonderful costumes.
Grades 3rd through 6th have finished their form unit and moved right into their meter unit. We used found sounds, body percussion, and instruments to explore compositions in 2/4, 3/4 and 4/4. We ended the 3rd quarter with a very fun project, performing original rap compositions.
On March 19, 2008 many of our students performed in our annual talent show. Congratulations to all those Van Buren Stars on a job well done. I'd also like to welcome Miss Clinton to Van Buren Elementary. She will be the new music teacher while I am on my maternity leave. I am looking forward to returning at the end of the year.
Mrs.Campbell's Reading Center
During the last few weeks of school we have been focusing on fluent reading. Fluent reading means reading smoothly, with expression, without hesitation and with comprehension. The reading selections have been in the form of plays and nonfiction stories. I am happy to report that the Reading Center students have made very good progress this year and have become stronger, more confident readers. As the saying goes...the more you read, the more you know.
The students will be bringing home the last few stories from their reading books to add to their home libraries. May you enjoy a fine summer break that includes time spent relaxing with reading.
Mr. Vanesse's Reading Center:
It's been a pleasure having your students during this school year. I have seen specific improvements in each student and am very proud of all of them. Continue to practice reading over the summer, even if it's just a restaurant menu or a magazine article. Have a great summer, stay safe, and I will be seeing you in the fall!
Mrs. Groeber's Reading Center:
We are rounding third and heading for home as Joe Nuxhall would say. The rest of the quarter, in reading, the 6th grade will be working on analyzing techniques to describe characters, point of view, major and minor events in a plot, summarizing and importance of setting. Our grammar emphasis will be subject verb agreement, hyphens, dashes and brackets. Our writing will concentrate on persuasive papers.
My fifth grade students will be studying ways to answer literal questions, summarizing information in texts, characteristics of literary forms, justification for answers, influence of setting and analyzing maps, charts,
graphs. Our grammar focus will be on capitalization rules, apostrophes and quotation marks. We will be doing informal writing for various purposes.
I hope you have an enjoyable summer and get time to go outside and soak up the sun.
Library News
This has been an exciting month here in the library. The second and third grades made graham cracker icing sandwiches. then, the fifth grade had the experience of seeing how "home made" ice cream was made. We all enjoyed putting "sprinkles" of different kinds on the ice cream and then eating it was a big treat. Not a bit of ice cream was left over. The sixth grades had ice cream sandwiches as a treat for the end of the school year. The Library will be closed starting the week of May 26th. Then, inventory begins.
The Book Fair was a BIG SUCCESS! Thanks to all of you for participating in it. A lot of books were bought to be read during the summer vacation. Don't forget to read during the summer. The Lane Public Library is open through the summer. I'll be looking forward to seeing all of you next school year. There will be some new books in our library when you return.
HAVE A SAFE AND HAPPY SUMMER VACATION!
ESL Classes - Mrs. Mohr & Mrs. Schultz
We have had a busy and exciting year. Summer vacation is coming soon and we still have some important things to do.
In kindergarten, we add more and more words to our English vocabulary. We are practicing and reviewing letter names and sounds. Knowing our sight words and letter sounds help us get ready to read words and sentences. Some of our kindergarteners have even started blending and reading words on their own!
First and second graders are busy working on the details of reading and writing. We continue to talk about synonyms and antonyms, rhyming words, and story elements in our reading. Last month, the students wrote some great poems about spring. They will continue to develop their writing skills this month. We will also be working on reading for comprehension, including reading word problems in math.
In third through sixth grade we are relieved to be finished with all those big tests we have to take! Third and fourth graders are working on personal letters to their schoolmates in the grade behind them. They have done a great job of telling them what to expect and giving them advice on how to have a good year next year. My favorite piece of advice was "always work hard and your teachers will respect you for that."
Fifth and sixth graders are very interested in the world around them and keeping up on the latest news. We are reading some Weekly Reader articles and discussing our opinions on the issues presented.
We are happy to see that many of our students have signed up for summer school. This is a wonderful-and fun!-opportunity for your child to keep practicing the skills they have acquired this year. Thank you for all the help you have given your child (checking homework, encouraging reading at home). Have a safe and happy summer!
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First Grade News
Mrs. Crowthers:
Wow I can't believe it's May. It seems like just yesterday we were starting the year and beginning our learning. I am very proud of the progress from all of my students. We have finished up our tests and everyone worked hard!! We still, however, have learning to do to be ready for second grade.
I sent home a list of the 1st grade Core Spelling words. Please make sure your son/daughter can read and spell all of these words. These are words they should know by the end of 1st grade.
We will begin studying money in math. A good way to practice this at home is to have your child count loose change. They should know the coins up to a quarter.
We will be going on a field trip May 16th to the Cincinnati Museum Center. Look for more information coming home soon. This will be a fun day for all the kids!!!
Enjoy the warm days ahead!!!
Mrs. Schlenk:
We have had a spectacular year . . . visits from Officer Bob, a real firefighter during Fire Prevention Week, pumpkin pie and souvenir spider rings from Miss Fiona at Halloween, lots of turkeys at our November program, making sheep ornaments, having Miss Ralich as our Miami student teacher, celebrating 100 days of school, celebration of 101 days the Dalmatian way, sending Valentines, working with Miami students Miss Dani and Miss Lynsey for two weeks, painting Easter baskets, taking our End of Year First Grade Reading and Math tests, Getting in the Game- by Reading, eating worms and dirt, painting like author/illustrator Eric Carle, and making books. We learned to read and sing over 150 new songs during carpet time: 40 classic children’s songs, 25 word family songs, 20 circle time songs, 25 concept songs (colors, shapes, seasons, 15 Christmas songs, and some Dr. Jean favorites like: Bubble Gum, Going on a Bear Hunt, Days of the Week, 5 Little Hot Dogs, Pizza Hut, Months, Today is Sunday, 12 Days of School, Zero the Hero, and of course TOOTY TA! But the best part is that we are all READERS now!
Keep up your reading skills all summer by reading. Read to your parents, your brothers and sisters, your pets, your stuffed animals. Just read and have a great summer!
Mrs. Morgan:
I can't believe that the year is over. I will be sad to see the children go. They all have come such a long way. Keep up that reading over the summer and working on telling time , counting money, and addition and subtraction through 20. They will need to know all of this for second grade. I am sending home a list of second grade Core Spelling Words that they will be learning next year. This way you can get a jump start on learning them over the summer. I hope you all have a safe and happy summer. Enjoy your time off and we will see you in the fall.
Mrs. Collins 1st-3rd Class
It is hard to believe that our year is coming to an end! It has been an awesome year, and I want to thank you for making it so! I appreciate all the support our families gave this year in making sure that homework was completed and returned, that weekly reports were read, signed, and returned, and that conferences were attended!
We had a great time this year in room 209! We worked hard on our reading, writing, spelling, and math skills. (And our hard work paid off!) We also enjoyed a fabulous holiday feast, an exciting trip to the Taft Theater, and a fantastic three day overnight trip to Camp Campbell Gard. Our class participated in a Fairy Tale study and a Bunny Hop with our first and second grade friends, too! And, our holiday parties were something else! Lots of memories were made this year!
It is important that your child work over the summer to keep up those skills he or she worked so hard to learn this year. Read as much as possible, and read everything possible! Visit Lane Public Library for a good book! Read the cereal box, signs as you are traveling, and commercials on TV. Make a game out of practicing those basic math facts, count some money, and use a clock with hands on it. And, to keep those summer memories, get a spiral notebook and keep a summer journal. Have your child write a sentence or two each day to tell what he or she did and then draw a picture. Not only will the activity be good writing and spelling practice, but it will also make a good keepsake!
It is sad to say good-bye to some of our friends. Good luck to Jennifer, Nick, Judas, and Allen as they move on to Mr. Hopkins's class. We will miss having you in class in the fall! Keep working hard to be the best you can be!
We hope that everyone has a wonderful and safe summer vacation full of fun, sun, and rest!!!
3rd Grade
Mrs. Blackmon & Mr. Vanness:
IThis has been an eventful month at Van Buren in the third grade. We presented a local government simulation with participation from all students, either preparing scenery or preparing speaking parts, and getting into character. We observed the complete metamorphosis of 5 beautiful painted lady butterflies. We also recorded and observed our chick eggs during their 20 day cycle. We enjoyed an ice cream party with our Kindergarten reading buddies. We wrote letters to the second graders preparing them for the third grade. We designed our pizza box games, complete with directions on how to win and how to lose, with the help of our fifth graders, and are anxious to teach other classes our games during that last week of school. We completed reading, writing, and math assessments for the fourth quarter, and we are looking forward to our Viva Fiesta celebration on May 30th. Thanks to Ms. Clinton, Mrs. Campbell, and Mr. Farmer, we all enjoyed a Mexican Hat Dance, too.
Fourth quarter was great and we hope to continue our learning experiences here at Van Buren, during the next four weeks of summer school.
Mrs. Seymore:
What a terrific year it's been in third grade! This last month has been full of fun-filled learning events. Many students surprised me with the amount of reading they did during Right-To-Read week. They are really starting to enjoy reading. Please encourage them to keep this up during the summer. In Math, each student made their own homemade math game. They had to plan it out and put it together themselves. Then other classes came to play the games. What a great learning experience that was, and fun too. I hope you are able to try your child's game after it comes home. Viva Fiesta is scheduled for Friday, May 30th. We will be playing a few games and enjoying some Spanish music and food. The BIG event in Science has been hatching our chick eggs. We have a dozen fertilized eggs in an incubator and have been taking care of them by keeping the incubator a constant 100 degrees, keeping plenty of moisture in there, and by turning the eggs three times a day. By the time you receive this newsletter the eggs should all be hatched. Please ask your student how many baby chicks we have, as we are not expecting them all to hatch. I would like to thank you again for all your support throughout the year. Teaching children is a team effort and I couldn't have done it without you, the parents. I wish you all a fun, relaxing summer and remember to READ and practice those multiplication facts over the summer as well. Thank you for letting me be a small part of your child's learning experience.
Fifth Grade
We hope everyone had a relaxing Memorial Day weekend! Thank you for your excellent behavior on the field trip! We hope you enjoyed your time exploring the Natural History & Science Museum and learning how to spend your money wisely by playing a version of Monopoly.
In math we have been working with ratios, percents and integers. Teach someone how to play integer war!
Congrats to everyone on a fantastic science fair project! You all have become real scientists using the scientific method.
We ended the year with a most wonderful chapter book, The Cay. The main character, Phillip, matures through hardship. He develops respect, compassion, and responsibility.
In Social Studies we ended the year with the Civil War. The North won again!
Continue using all four character traits from the year - respect, personal responsibility, honesty and compassion. Remember to use them over the summer too! Be safe and have a fun summer! We enjoyed having every one of you in class!
Mr. Hopkins 4th/5th/6th Grade
I want to take this opportunity to thank all of you for a wonderful school year!!!! In my nine years of teaching I have never had a classroom full of such wonderful students. Our students worked very hard this year. We have all learned quite a bit from our studies and from one another. Congratulations to the sixth graders!! You will be moving on to middle school to further your education. I hope that our students can take the information and values that they learned at Van Buren and apply them to their undertakings in middle school. If there is anything that I can do to help our students make this transition, please let me know. I will be here next year if you have any concerns or questions that I can help with. Thank you all once again and I look forward to hearing great things about our students next year!!!! Those of you returning to Van Buren next year, I hope you have a super fun summer and am looking forward to working with you next year!!!!
6th Grade
Berger/Hammons:
Wow, time does fly! 6th grade students have worked hard this past year to show what they have learned. They have studied far off places and took part in a cultural fair. They attended science fair and came away winners. They went to see HSM or High School Musical and attended a special production of Snow White put on by Hamilton High School. They traveled to Garfield to learn how to work lockers and check out the middle school. Students even got to meet the Red's Mascot, Gapper, who helped cheer them on to do their best on the OAT test.
As we wind up the year, students will be taking part in a recognition ceremony on June 3rd. It will begin promptly at 9:30 followed by a small celebration at Crawford Woods Park. If you plan to attend the recognition ceremony please be there prior to the 9:30 AM start time. We will shut the doors and begin the procession in and will be unable to accommodate late arrivals.
As we finish the year, Mrs. Hammons and Mrs. Berger would like to wish all of those students well next year and the years to follow. GOOD LUCK!
Gudiance Counselor
Mealtime is a great time for your family to talk and enjoy each other's company. Get the most out of mealtime with this M-E-A-L approach:
Make the atmosphere pleasant. Focus on the positive -- try not to bring up criticisms or complaints.
Entertain each other. Examples: Tell jokes. Make up a story and ask each person to add a line.
Always give everyone a turn to talk. Try asking a different question each week. Examples: "What's your all-time favorite book?" "What's the funniest thing that happened today?"
Loosen up. Think of ways to make mealtime an adventure. Examples: Spread a blanket on the floor and have an indoor picnic. Have a backward dinner -- start with dessert!
Mrs. Hucke's Class
It's so exciting and somewhat sad that this school year is coming to an end. This group of students will never be exactly the same again. As I look back to August 2007, I am truly amazed at the growing and learning accomplishments of all my students. Here are some ideas to keep the learning going over the three month of summer break.
Summer school, it's not too late to register for four weeks of fun. Please contact me or our office staff.
- Read, read, read ! A family trip to the Lane Public Library is a spectacular way to find appropriate reading materials. They have a large, excellent selction of books, games, and movies. They also have books with corresponding CDs so your child can read along or reread.
- Write a letter to a relative and of course mail it. Someone may write back. All children love to receive mail.
- Help compose and read the grocery shopping list. Maybe your child is readyfor their own shopping list to fill their cart.
- Practice or review spelling patterns or words in bubbles or shaving cream in the shower or bath.
- Paint with water on the sidewalk for more reading, writing and math practice. Sidewalk chalk is also alot of fun.
- Cook together. Recipe reading, following directions, math, and problem solving are all practiced when cooking.
- Planning a vacation? Help your child compose their own packing list, and then help collect all their things.
- On vacation? Children love to send postcards to friends or relatives. Add some lines, and let them tell about their great activities and adventures.
This is just a beginning of fun activities for your children. If you would like more activities, or specific information for you child, please contact me at Van Buren School. I will be teaching summer school and available here through July 3. Have a super and safe summer.
Computer Lab News
What a great first year in the Computer Lab! I have learned so much and enjoyed working with the students of Van Buren Elementary. I look forward to returning next year and hope to help your children have a great year. Remember to keep up typing skills. Your child could type the grocery list, a letter to a friend or relative, or even a chore list! An easy way to keep up math skills over the summer would be to play Math Arcade on funbrain.com. The kids love it and playing math arcade keeps up their math skills. Have a wonderful summer and please monitor your child's internet use at all times in order to keep them safe!
Mr. Rhoads Physical Education News
I want to let all of the students and parents know that I have really enjoyed my first year here at Van Buren! All of our students should be proud of how far they have come with their fitness. Make sure that you get outside and stay active over the summer. Remember that you know that you are doing physical activity if you are breathing hard, sweating, and your heart starts beating faster. Try to think of the activities that we learned in class, and get out and play! I hope everyone enjoys their summer and I look forward to seeing you back next Fall!
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