Horizon Elementary SchoolDecember 2016 Newsletter 574-679-9788

Principal’s Post

In This Edition:Principal’s Post

Students of the Month for October

Corey Mann Visit

Keen Kindergarteners

Good News in First Grade

Super 2nd grade

Theatrical 3rd grade

Fantastic 4th grade

Fabulous 5th grade

IMC News You Can Use

P.E. Goes Above and Beyond

Cindy Clawson Visit

Musical Notes

Upcoming calendar

Dear Horizon Families,

Welcome to December, a very busy month at Horizon! As we go through the busy upcoming weeks, please be sure to check the school website and calendar for updates. We start the month with “Scenes of the Season” (musical performance by 3rd grade and Show Choir). Other events this month include Art Smart, 1st & 4th grade hearing screening, the PTO Holiday Shop & Adopt-a-Family, 4th/5th grade Mini-Mall, and visits to the PHM Planetarium for a few grade levels. December also includes Acuity Readiness Testing (Test B) for grades 2-5. In addition, the NWEA test will be given to our Kindergarten, 2nd, and 5th grade students as part of High Ability screening. Also, Science Fair registration takes place this month.

When we return to school after winter break (on January 9, 2017) we will begin what I refer to as “testing season.” Students in grades K-1 will begin Middle of the Year Benchmark testing with DIBELS. High Ability testing will continue for select students who will take the CogAt test in January. Students in grades 3-5 will begin more intensive preparations for ISTEP+ testing, and they’ll also be taking their Middle of the Year Lexile Test (called the Scholastic Reading Inventory or “SRI”). In addition, grades 3-5 will be offering extra support for select students in preparation for ISTEP+ testing. Parents of those students will be notified. We hope all of the kids will be rested and ready to get back to the grind when classes resume in January.

Thank you for your patience and understanding of our limited seating for

guests at lunch. In the past few years, with increasing enrollment, parents have had to adjust from the days when we had a “parent table” in the cafeteria to the new set-up where guests eat in the lobby. (Did you know this change was made because every single seat in the cafeteria is filled with kids during some lunch periods?) In response to parent requests for more guest seating, we plan to add two small tables in the lobby for parents who wish to have lunch with their child at school. These tables will be near the railing of the ramp and each will provide cozy seating for two (one adult/one child). We still encourage parents to avoid bringing younger siblings if possible & to make lunch at school a “special occasion” rather than a regular thing. Both of these steps help us maximize use of our limited seats. Thank you.

I want to take this opportunity to say how grateful my staff and I are to work with your children each day. It is, indeed, a great privilege and a joy to be with such a talented, interesting, and kind group of Horizon Suns this year! Thank you for sharing your greatest treasures with us and giving us the opportunity to teach them, encourage them, inspire them, and care for them. In the midst of the hustle and bustle this season, please be sure to pause and appreciate these most important little ones. With joy and peace,Tressa Decker

Students of the Month-OctoberOur students of the month are selected by their teachers for going ABOVE & BEYOND. When these awards are presented, teachers explain why the student was selected, giving specific examples of ways the student went above & beyond. For the month of October, students were recognized for the lifeline of self-control. The following heroes exhibit that lifeline:

Kindergarten Heroes 1st grade Heroes

2nd grade Heroes 3rd grade Heroes

4th grade Heroes 5th grade Heroes

Keen Kindergarteners: VIP/ Grandparent Day was an exciting time for kindergartners to show off their visitors and show their guests where they work, learn and meet their classroom friends. This was the first time kindergarteners got to watch the show choir perform and it was the first show choir performance of the year! Students in kindergarten also got to sing for the first time for an audience in the gym! Lots of firsts happened on this day. Thanks to all that helped make this day great!

Corey Mann VisitIn November, Horizon had the pleasure of hosting a local hero, Corey Mann. You may know him as the morning DJ on Pulse FM. He has published a new book called, “Stuffed: Bear Minimum”. He had a three point take-away for the students of Horizon:● Dream Big● Take Risks● Stay Young

During his talks, several students and faculty were given copies of the book.

Student winners of his book were:Kindergarten: Finlay Zaber; Landon Uselton1st grade: Ella Simper2nd grade: Manny Singleton; Michael Holmes; Cambrie Sears3rd grade: Jezel Guerrero; Jasmine Petresh; Harrison Haq; Madelyn Olsen4th grade: Sadia Prizada; Rishon Ward; Heaven Kraus

Copies of the book on display

Good News in First Grade:First Grade started off November with Grandparents and VIPs and a fun filled afternoon. We had a great

time writing and drawing about what school was like back when they were in first grade compared to what it

is like now for our first graders.

November 11th was Veterans Day. Families sent in pictures of family members and friends who have

served in the military which are on display. Our first graders wrote letters thanking Veterans for their

service.

We were also shaking it up in science. We took a special rock and shook it in water for 5 minutes to see

what would happen. It was fun making predictions and then seeing what the outcome was.

Super Second GradersIn November, the second grade students excitedly boarded a very nice Royal Excursion bus which took them to the Notre Dame Compton Ice Arena. Many of them were about to ice skate for the very first time. While eating lunch in the stands around the arena, they got to see the zamboni, which is a machine that smooths the surface of the ice on the rink. The students then went downstairs to the team meeting room where they learned the difference between setting short and long term goals, along with how working hard in the classroom is even more important than working hard at sports. The Compton staff even stressed the importance of eating right, exercising, and getting plenty of rest in order to have balance as a student and athlete.

Students in second grade also got to meet a naturalist, named Hannah Teshka, from the Rum Village Nature Center who came to Horizon this month to speak to the students about bugs, spiders, and other creatures that might often be considered bugs, but are not. This went right along with our science life cycles unit, as the students learned the features of bugs and spiders, along with the life cycle of insects.

Theatrical Third Grade: Third graders are looking forward to two theatrical events happening in the month of December. First, students will perform “Scenes of the Season” for guests on December 1st (6:30 p.m.) and 2nd (6:30 p.m.). Then on December 15, students and teachers are off to watch the performance of Elf Jr., put on by The Main Stage, INC. (with some of our very own Horizon students starring in the musical). We can’t wait to watch our friends!

Fantastic Fourth Graders:

The 4th grade kicked off their Learning Clubs on November 7th. So far they have been quite a hit! When the students were asked what they liked most about Learning Clubs, we were told that they enjoyed the smaller class sizes, the ability to work with each of the 4th grade teachers, and that learning was a little more fun during this time. Fourth Graders meet with their club for 10 consecutive days from 1:35-2:05.

Students will rotate every 2 weeks through the 6 class offerings which includes: close reading, prompt attack, academic vocabulary, constructed response writing, computer aided instruction, and Kahoot crafting. We wrapped up our first rotation on Friday, November 18 and will begin our second on November 28. Be sure to ask your student what he or is she is working on while enjoying Learning Clubs.

Life Science: Third gradewas also privileged to have Dr. and Mrs. Janetski (Jonah’s family) visit on November 23. On their visit,they brought several animals for us to see and touch. We were able to experience at least one animal from each of these 5 classes: arthropods, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals. This real-life application of life science was awesome!

Fabulous Fifth Grade: The fifth graders took their annual trip to the South Bend Museum of Art. They had the chance to learn about various sculptors and the types of media used in artwork. They also got to participate in Sculpture Quest, where they learned about positive and negative space, and got to make a sculpture out of paper cups!

IMC News You Can UseAs our Reading Incentive Program, Go for the Gold, continues, challenge your kids to take some time over the holidays to read more.

Here are some SMART Reading Tips for the Holidays:1. Read for fun! Find a book or series of books that your child is interested in

regardless of Lexile. 2. Stock up on books at the local library. Look into special break time activities that

are offered. 3. Make the most of travel time. Many travel over this season, use this time to catch up

on YOUR favorite book and talk about it with your children. 4. Create a new tradition. Create your own book club at home. A little variety now and

again will make reading more enjoyable.

Heroes in Training PE with Mrs. Batalis and Mrs. SnoeyinkOn October 24, the Physical Education and Music Department combined efforts to sell Pink Stickers to support River Bend Cancer Services. Our Horizon Community raised $140.00!!

Super Hero Students Recognized for Superhero ACTIONS!

Upcoming Events in P.E.:● Noodle Mania● Jumbo Cup Stacking ● Twilight Bowling

Cindy Clawson VisitNovember has been a busy month for Horizon students. We had another local hero come to our school to share their love of reading. Cindy Clawson, Meteorologist from WNDU, came to read a book called, “Not Your Typical Dragon” to our 1st, 2nd and 3rd grade students. She has done a “Read Across Michiana” Marathon for the last several years. This year, her goal is to read to 90 schools. Horizon was her 5th school the day of her visit. She shared her passion for reading and the importance of it to our students. At the end of her marathon, she will select 10 schools to receive a copy of the book that she read to the students on her tours. Cross your fingers!

is always an exciting and fun time in music! Last month the Horizon Show Choir performed for hundreds of Grandparents and VIP’s during the annual Grandparents/VIP day. This month they will join the third-grade class to present, Scenes of The Season, a musical performance that reminds us of the joy of this special time of year. In music class, we have been learning about intervals, the distance between two notes. We have also been singing using solfege hand signs. Ask your child to show you how they work! As we approach the end of the year, the Horizon student body will end our last day of school for 2016 by singing songs of the season. It is always an amazing musical time and a great way to end the semester. To keep up with all the exciting Horizon music news, check out Mr. West’s Weekly Blog!

Calendar of Upcoming Events ● December 1 & 2- Scenes of the Season Musical -

6:30pm start time both nights● December 5-9-Art Smart Week● December 9- 6p.m. PTO Holiday Shop● December 13 -PTO Gift Wrapping for Adopt-A-Family● December 23- Science Fair Applications Due ● December 26-January 6- Winter Break

Music Notes