Lower School  Principal - Ms. Karetov
Happy Spring!  We are in for a beautiful weekend!  

First and foremost, I want to thank all of you who volunteered, donated, attended, and participated in our Heart of the Arts event on March 12.  It was a lot of fun to see the fun auction items, hear the local artist and jazz band perform, and socialize outside of the school day.  We have such an amazing school because of your support.  Thank you!

We have already had a busy start to April, and we have many more exciting activities planned.  We started off the month with students participating in Lower School’s annual Spelling Bee.  The students have completed the first two rounds of written and oral contests.  The overall winner of each class will compete against the other winners of each classroom per grade to determine the first, second and third place winners.  The award ceremony will be next Friday, April 22.  We will let you know in an upcoming Parent Update or next month’s Paw Print who the won for each grade level.
March Golden Ticket
Breakfast Winners
K:  Owen S.
1st:  Natalie M.
2nd:  Harsh T.
3rd:  Kacy Sue K.
4th:  Bryan P.

Congratulations and keep up the great work!
From April 25 – 29, all 3rd and 4th grade students will be participating in MCA testing.  The Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments (MCA) is used to determine student mastery of content standards for each grade.  The students have been using their locator numbers on their OLPA assessments to review standards that they have yet to master before the end of the year.  Please ensure that prior to testing, students should be well-rested and eat a solid breakfast.

Some upcoming events that I hope you can attend are happening within the next few weeks. The annual Spelling Bee awards ceremony is Friday, April 22.  MCA testing is the week of April 25.  Celebration of Learning will be on Thursday, May 5.  The My Guy and Me dance is Saturday, May 7.  During the week of May 16, we will be hosting the Lower School art show, the Scholastic Book Fair and spring concerts on May 17 and May 19.  Finally, the Prairie Restoration event, spring pep fest, and Field Day will all take place on Friday, May 20 (weather permitting).  I look forward to seeing you at some of these  exiting  events.

Enjoy the warm weather (and let’s hope that it lasts)!

Go Lions!

Joann Karetov
Lower School Reminders
My Guy and Me Dance:   All kindergarten through sixth grade girls are invited to attend.  This years' theme will be an Hawaiian luau.  For more information please see the flyer .
Art - Mrs. Griffin
Artists are working hard on their current artwork.  Here is what each grade level is working on: 

Kindergarten is looking at line, an element of art.  Artists are finding different kinds of lines within artwork such as; straight, zigzag, curved, wavy, thick and thin. Artists will observe and find lines in Katsushika Hokusai's, Tuning the Samisen , Henri Matisse's, The Purple Robe , and Joan Miro's, People and Dog in the Sun .  Artists will create a drawing using Miro’s work as an inspiration.

1st grade artists have looked at cave paintings from the Lascaux and have created their own cave painting. Artists have now moved onto Ancient Egyptian art and will be observing the Great Sphinx, Mummy cases (Tutankhamen’s coffin, and Bust of Queen Nefertiti).  Artists will use Queen Nefertiti’s headdress as inspiration for their next project while learning how to draw a profile of the face. 

2nd grade is now looking at sculptures instead of landscapes.  Artists will observe The Discus Thrower , Flying Horse (from Wu-Wei, China), and Auguste Rodin’s, The Thinker. While looking at sculpture, artists will learn about shape, mass, and line.  Students will get a chance to work with Play-Doh to manipulate and build different forms.  After working with Play-Doh, artists will create their own sculptures out of tinfoil.

3rd grade artists have observed The Gleaners by Jean Millet and Peasant Wedding by Pieter Bruegel and took notice of foreground, middle ground, and background.  Artists learned how to draw a form using a horizon line and vanishing point.  We also discussed the size of objects within each area of the artwork.  Foreground objects are the biggest, middle ground objects are medium size, and background objects are the smallest.  This is how an artist shows the illusion of depth within a painting.   Artists are now asked to create a painting of a landscape, seascape, or cityscape to show their understanding of illusion of depth and the size of objects.

4th grade is learning about Islamic art and architecture and then will observe art of Africa. Artists will note characteristics of Islamic architecture such as domes and minarets. Students will look at Dome of the Rock (Mosque of Omar) in Jerusalem, Alhambra Palace in Spain, and Taj Mahal in India.  Islamic art focuses on patterns, whether purely geometric or floral, rather than on figures  because it is feared by many Muslims that the depiction of the human form is idolatry.   Artists will look at tessellations and learn how to create one of their own.

Please look for finished artwork on Artsonia!
Music - Ms. Harris
Spring Concert Information

Tuesday, May 17:
  • Kindergarten:  5:00 - 5:30 P.M.
  • First Grade:  6:00 – 6:30 P.M.
  • Third Grade:  7:00 – 7:40 P.M.
Thursday, May 19:
  • Second Grade:  6:00  - 6:35 P.M.
  • Fourth Grade:  7:00 – 7:45 P.M.
I cannot believe that April is here and we are already knee-deep in concert preparations!  We are having a good time working on our performance and all that goes with it. 

We ask that each child report to their classroom 15 minutes before each concert begins.  Just a gentle reminder that all children need to be with you during after-school hours.  Concessions will be offering snacks and a light meal after school if you’d like to have dinner at the school.

Concert   attire  must be appropriate for a more formal event and adhere to the modesty guidelines as outlined in the SCPA Uniform Policy.  Trousers, dress  shirts, polo t-shirts, and  dresses  are all acceptable choices for  concert   attire . Please be sure  attire  is clean and in like-new condition.  We ask that your child does not wear  jeans, graphic t-shirts, shorts, short skirts, cut-off tops, heels, or flip-flops for these events.  All of you  do a great job with this.  Our kids always come to concerts looking wonderful.

A variety of genres and musical eras will be represented in our work for these concerts.  Woven throughout the concerts will be the theme of Loving the Earth which involves ways that we, as people of character, can respect and help retain the health of our planet.

In fairness to our children, I ask that each child be in attendance at their concert.  We put many hours into preparing an offering to you that will be entertaining and of high quality.  This is a keystone in our learning process.  It is one of only two concerts offered each school year.  It is also important for them to see you there.  If your child is unable to attend, please email me at [email protected] . 

This is such a rich and exciting time of year.  We’re looking forward to seeing you at our May concerts.
Phy Ed - Mr. Weispfennig
Spring is here and that means we will be trying to get outside as much as possible.

We just finished our parachute unit and are currently using the scooters.
Kindergarten is focusing on safety with the scooters and basic manipulation skills. 
1st and 2nd grade are working on scooter control and grade appropriate control skills. 3rd and 4th grade are working on advanced, team scooter activities that require advanced motor control and object manipulation skills.
Due to the challenge of the scooters in regards to motor control and muscle development, we will be supplementing this unit with various activities that allow for full body motion control.

Looking ahead, we will be rounding the final corner of the year with the Omniken ball, fitness testing, field day, and as much fun in the sun as possible. 
Reading  Specialist  - Ms. Croaston
Comprehension Tips for Reading with your child:   Comprehension, or understanding what we read, is the main goal of reading.  We read to gain knowledge and understanding from the text.  You may wonder how you can help build this ability in your child.  Here are a couple things you can do when reading at home to help practice comprehension:
  • Build background knowledge.  Before you start to read, look at the title of the book.  Talk about what they expect the book to be about.  What kinds of words are they likely to find in the book?  If it is a nonfiction book, talk with your child about the topic so they have some information before reading.  If it is about deserts, talk about how the climate in the desert is different than our climate or about what types of animals live there, etc.  Preview the text to find unfamiliar words that you can introduce your child to.
  • Think aloud.  When we read we think about what we are reading. We create images in our minds of what is happening.  We compare the information we are reading with what we already know.  We also think about what will happen next. We are not always aware of that thinking but its happening. We need to make our children aware of what our minds are doing while we read.  Tell your child what thoughts are going through your mind as you read.  Here is an example of a think aloud from www.k12reader.com:     
         The title of this book is Bobby: The Bravest Boxer.  There is a picture of a dog  
         on the cover so that tells me Bobby is a boxer dog instead of a man that boxes.     
         I wonder what the dog did that proved his bravery.  I need to read ahead and
         find out.  Oh, on the next page it says, “Bobby got very nervous when the
         children were playing outside all alone, especially if they are near the street.”
         That tells me that Bobby may do something to protect one of the children in the
         family.  But how?  I have to read on to find out more.
  • Reverse roles. Switch roles and let your child take the lead at times.  You can take turns asking questions, making predictions, summarizing, and thinking aloud.  Kids love being able to be in charge and ask the questions!  The kids are challenged to think of questions based on the information they learned from reading and they hear examples of well thought-out answers from you. 
Every time you read with your child you are helping to develop their reading fluency, comprehension and vocabulary.  Have fun trying some of these strategies and sharing the joy of reading with your child!