June 2012 Montessori Monitor Newsletter by Millhopper Montessori School

montessori

June 2012

Drama at MMS By: Sylvia Aslanian, Drama & Technology Teacher

What’s Inside: UF PROJECT HEAL & MMS PAGE 3 CAMP CRYSTAL PAGES 6-7 MENTAL HEALTH CORNER PAGE 8-9 CLASS UPDATES PAGES 10-39 END OF THE YEAR AWARDS PAGE 40-41 CALENDAR PAGE 44

QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER FROM MILLHOPPER MONTESSORI SCHOOL

Since January starting with auditions, the students have been preparing for Willy Wonka Kids. What makes our program so unique is that the students are able to adjust and simulate to various environments for rehearsal. They are also able to have a rehearsal for 30 minutes and walk right into Spanish, or Math or History, or get back to their work plans. Sometimes we are in the classroom, sometimes we are outside and sometimes we are in the media center. No matter where the location the students quickly gauge which side is stage right and stage left and get ready to perform. Leads pick a day or two a week after school for individual rehearsal on their character. Starting in May, Fridays are devoted to full run–throughs, and this is when the show becoming to come together as a single unit. It is important to note that students are working in their classrooms while awaiting their turn to rehearse during these Friday run-throughs. It is amazing to me each year that this process delivers such a successful play, given the fact that the students only rehearse one day on the stage and rehearse in between classes. The director at PK Yonge commented to Ms. Martha last week that he didn’t know how we do it each year as his students who are older, practice for their shows on the stage each rehearsal and for at least two hours in one rehearsal. This is Drama at MMS - It is just part of what these students do in a days work at school. This year through students being ill, many absences and many adjustments, the students worked hard to create a show that made them proud. Willy Wonka Kids was a fabulous, magical show!

Photos courtesy of Bill Black Photography 3

Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Ms. Christina (Tina) Miller Up To?

On May 2nd -5th, Christina Miller attended the conference, Learning and the Brain in Washington DC. The conference offered many sessions on the latest brain research and how it impacts education. Covered were topics such as understand i-generation learning, multitasking and attention, how digital media are redefining reading, and learning and leading in a digital age. The dark side of technology was addressed as well as how technology unites students through an international community of learners. This conference was offered in partnership with John's Hopkins University School of Education's NeuroEducation Initiative. This summer, July 1-3, Christina plans to attend the ASDC, Association of Curriculum Development's conference in St. Louis, Revolutionizing The Way We Teach And Learn. which will focus on the principles and practices that are revolutionizing education. An example of few among many of the sessions she plans to attend are "Revolutionizing Teaching with Technology Innovation via Film, Production, and Audio Casting and Conferencing" and "Project based Learning in Science and STEM".

UF Project Heal & MMS Project HEAL is an interdisciplinary team of medi‐ cal providers dedicated to bringing sustainable healthcare to the indigenous peoples of Ecuador. Since the project/non‐profit was established in 1996, a team of five volunteer physicians and 20 students (mostly medical but some, dental, phar‐ macy and nursing) has traveled yearly to impover‐ ished populations desperate for basic medical care. Their mission is three‐fold, “to provide care to rural and indigenous Ecuadorian villages, to identify public health concerns, and to educate the people in preventative practices.” We had some medical students come do a presentation of Ecuador and Project HEAL in Spanish class in May to kick off our fundraising efforts for this amazing service pro‐ ject. The team of doctors and med students will be traveling to Ecuador to set up clinics in different remote villages in Ecuador during UF Spring Break of 2013. We have been asked to collect school supplies, new or gently used closed toe shoes (no dress shoes and no cleats) and to help raise funds for the trip and the needed medical supplies. We will also be writing letters and doing some art work for the children in the villages they will visit. Please help us to help others through this wonderful project! Contact Jeanne‐Marie with any questions or ideas. (bjchrivnak@cox.net or jhrivnak@millhopper.com)

A-Camping We Will Go! On April 25-26 the fifth grade students, accompanied by Martha Horter and Renee Gaskin, went off on a grand adventure to Camp Crystal Lake. This is an annual event enjoyed by our 5th graders and we always have an incredible time. We began our camping experience with cooperative teambuilding games, archery, swimming in the lake, a delicious dinner, a hay ride and camp fire with sâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;mores. Our second day began with climbing the 40 foot Alpine Tower (most of us multiple times) in the morning, then canoeing on Little Crystal Lake all afternoon. The evening activity was an adrenaline-rushing ride on the Giantâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Swing at a height of 35 feet! Our last day focused on the science of a lake environment, as we took off our shoes, picked up our dip nets and dredged for aquatic creatures. We were amazed at the variety of living organisms found in the shallows of the lake. Crawfish, minnows, spiders, insects (in adult and nymph stages), freshwater shrimp, tadpoles, etc. By collecting, identifying and counting our organisms, we were able to determine the general level of water quality of the lake. As a bonus, we learned a really cool new game called GaGa. Ask one of the 5th graders to describe this high-energy, fast paced game. After lunch, we bid a sad farewell to Camp Crystal and the wonderful teachers at the camp. They taught us so much and filled us with memories to last a lifetime. We offer a special thank you to the parents that assisted with transportation, and helped to chaperone the trip; Eileen Pesantes, Miguel SosaPesantes, Hyojin Choi, and Rob Horter.

Beginners: Ages 2-4 Ms. Crystal Sorrow Ms. Elizabeth Sheehan Ms. Amy Padgett

In April the Little House students learned about birds. We were lucky enough to have two birds come to visit the class. The students learned the names of birds found in the southeast, learned about a bird's body parts, listened to bird calls, and learned songs about birds. Bird works on the shelves and exploration areas rounded out the unit study. May in the Little House was filled with fun days and special activities. We end the year on an adventurous note with spirit week and dress up days. The students love the daily outfits, special music, and games. It has been a wonderful year, all around, in the Little House. The students have learned such a variety of new skills and information and have grown and developed in a myriad of ways. They became so comfortable with daily routines and schedules, and exceeded our expectations as they grew and developed as amazing individuals. It has been our pleasure to engage such children each day. Have a terrific summer!

Preschool: Ages 3-5 Ms. Christina Eckstein Ms. Martha Dolan

The children thoroughly enjoyed our ocean unit this year. We began our study of the ocean by examining the characteristics and inhabitants of tide pools, coral reefs and the open ocean. One of our experiments, the Tide Pool Hold-On, illustrated how various creatures attach to rocks in order to protect themselves from predators or from being washed out to the open ocean. Suction cups were used to simulate the tube feet of octopi and sea stars, tweezers for crab claws, tape for sea snails and sea anemones, and shells and glue for barnacles. The children also witnessed different ways the animals eat through an experiment called Ocean Mouths. The stuOcean Mouths Experiment dents took a piece of lettuce and rubbed it against sandpaper to imitate nudibranchs and turban snails eating plants. Tentacles that jellyfish and sea anemones use to catch food were simulated by putting glue on the children’s fingers to catch goldfish crackers. We sprinkled black pepper in a bowl of water to represent plankton and krill. Then, a fine-toothed comb was dragged across the water to catch the food like a blue whale’s baleen. However, the class favorite was our Blubber Gloves experiment, which taught us about the thick layer of fat that whales have in order to keep warm. The children also learned about the anatomy of a fish and depicted the parts in a push pinning project. Work cycle time included shell Tide Pool Hold-On Blubber Gloves counting, shell and ocean animal matching, and sequencing the life cycle of jelly fish, hermit crabs, seahorses, and sea lions. They also loved the art activities in this unit, which included making sea urchins from play dough and toothpicks, “sponge” painting, and sea animal scenes made by push pinning, cutting work and painting.

Splash Day Fun

Preparing the Fruit Salad for our Parent Appreciation Breakfast

Parent Appreciation Breakfast

My Favorite Work This Year Was ……… Angelo – puzzle maps Beckett – sea work Cameron – number rods Charlotte – push pinning Emma – sifting shells Eryn – addition Izzie – magnetic butterfly sculpture Jai – red rod & number rod extensions Karena – mystery # Kayu – nuts & bolts Kelsey – shoe tying Leo – hammering Lucas – push pinning Mariasole – shell counting Ori – push pinning animal Peter – 100 Board Pranay – painting Samuel – butterfly push pinning Sivan – fish puzzle Sofia C. – multiplication Sophia E. – push pinning Taylor – push pinning West – mystery number 11

Preschool: Ages 3-5 Ms. Renee Brohamer Ms. Lily Tajalli

What a wonderful school year we had this year. It is hard to believe another year has passed. The children have grown so much, in every possible way. We would like to thank all the parents for the support they have given the children and the school throughout the school year. We spent much of the spring learning about gardens, plants, and insects. We examined and played with earth worms and learned how they help plants grow by turning the soil, eating decay-

The worms were a lot of fun! ing plant matter and enriching the soil with their waste. After our hands on experience we released our worms into our garden to do their work. We watched seeds germinate, plants grow, flowers form, and fruit replace flowers. We also enjoyed watching caterpillars develop from tiny larvae, to chrysalises, to Monarch and Painted Lady Butterflies. It was a wonderful spring filled with discovery.

Caring for our garden.

All this work is exhausting! Have a wonderful summer and get lots of rest.

On May 11 we had our parent appreciation celebration. Even though our garden vegetables were not quite ready to be harvested we enjoyed a wonderful garden party. The children helped to prepare all the dishes we served and we had fresh vegetables for our salad that were the same kind we were growing in the garden. We made pasta and pasta sauce with fresh tomatoes and herbs from our herb garden. It was a wonderful feast and a great way to wrap up a wonderful school year.

Our garden party parent appreciation.

Have a Great Summer! ~Ms. Renee & Ms. Lily~

Preschool/Kindergarten Ms. Elizabeth Falls Ms. Widline Senecharles

It is so hard to believe that this school year has come to an end! We would like to thank all the parents for the support and help they have given to their children and to the school. It seems like it was only yesterday that we had orientation! Each year I continue to be amazed at how much the children have grown emotionally, socially and academically. The children are very proud of themselves! Special Events: Since our last newsletter, the Kindergartners took the Iowa mid-year test. This is a nationally recognized standardized test. The children enjoyed this new learning experience and did very well! We have been studying the Ocean and we would like to thank Ms. Amanda Demopoulos who gave a very nice presentation to the class on the ocean floor (coral and sea life). The children also enjoyed a visit by Mr. Chris from the Hogtown Reptile Store who showed the children many different kinds of snakes, a chameleon, a tarantula, and a scorpion; the children also got to feed by hand a tortoise named Flash!

Special Art/Craft Projects: The children enjoyed making Rainbow Fish, Paper Plate Jelly Fish, Finger Print Paintings and Button Bracelets for Mother’s Day. This year for Parent Appreciation the children had so much fun providing entertainment for their parents as they enjoyed a wonderful brunch! The children enjoyed singing “Song in my Pocket”; “Fruity Frambaloozie” and “Troubles are like Bubbles”. Thank you for allowing us to be a part of your child’s early learning experience! Your child has definitely impacted our lives and we wish you the very best! We have had a wonderful year; take care and have a wonderful summer. We love you all! Ms. Elizabeth and Ms. Widline

Preschool/Kindergarten Ms. Jackie Johnson Ms. Kathleen Bastien

Our final month of the year brought us happiness as we worked and played together, and sadness as we parted. We stayed busy in May getting ready for our Parent Appreciation Performance, and making our Mother’s Day gifts and memory books. Every early childhood class had a parent appreciation event as a way of showing their appreciation for their parents. Our class chose to put on a performance about the Amazon rainforest. We had songs, poetry readings and facts about the rainforest. The children learned some elaborate songs and poems and put on a fantastic performance. They were so happy and proud afterward. For Mother’s Day, the children all made beautiful, intricate necklaces for their mothers. This is the culmination of a year’s worth of fine motor activities and “work of the hand”. The children were fully absorbed in stringing the tiny seed beads and giddy with excitement over the beautiful quality of the finished result.

Stringing Mother’s Day Necklaces

The children’s memory books were written and illustrated by each child. They wrote about their friends, family and school and ended with a CD of photos over the year. Happy Memories!

It is hard to believe this year is over. We have had a great year, with a terrific group of students and a really supportive and generous group of parents. Ms. Kathleen and I are so appreciative; we feel privileged to have taught such wonderful children. Thank you for a great year! Due to my upcoming move to Georgia, this is my last year at Millhopper Montessori School. I came here as a parent 15 years ago and have been teaching here for 13 years. My children thrived here and so have I. MMS has been an important part of my life; the children, the parents, my fellow teachers, Ms. Kathleen, Ms. Amilda, the Reading is Fun! staff and our director, Ms. Tina, have made my life rich beyond compare. Words cannot express how grateful I am for being able to be part of the MMS family.

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King for the Day on Crazy Hat Day

First & Second Grades Ms. Anita Bender Ms. Susie Long

What a great year it has been. In the blink of an eye here we are at the end. This last quarter has been very productive. Children are racing to do extra credit research reports for bonus points for the owl groups. The second year students learned how to write a book report and the first year students spent time finding quotations in journals. The whole class focused on learning how to write sentences using a subject and predicate and worked with “Capt. Punc.” understanding grammar, quotations, subjects, predicates, parsing with symbols and sentence structure by diagramming. In math, the children have covered all four operations and some are using advanced Montessori materials in multiplication and division while others are abstracting dynamic equations in their head. Our Mother’s Day tea was quite a success and every year the children amaze us with their talent show. The children all worked together showing that they can work as a team to produce excellent results. This Montessori environment allows children to work cooperatively and respect one another.

It is evident in all of the rehearsals from the first performance in winter and leading all the way up to the end-of-year show. The â&#x20AC;&#x153;Willy Wonkaâ&#x20AC;? show was amazing and our little squirrels mesmerized the audience. All of the children took part in the behind the scenes work in one way or another. From Ms. Susieâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sewers helping her sew parts of their own costumes, painting sets, and making nuts. The children practiced and practiced and it showed; what a fantastic performance from the first and second grade class. We are so proud of them. Have a great summer! Ms. Anita & Ms. Susie

Second & Third Grades Mr. Richard Aslanian Ms. Suzi Rumsey

Wow, it has been a successful and very quick year for our class. It is amazing how the time just flies by. Didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t we just have the Fall Festival? We have grown a lot as a group and have worked hard all year long. We have enjoyed learning about the human body in science and were interested to see the functions of the many different systems that we use everyday. We were amazed to see the smallest bone in the human body and to find out that there are over 600 muscles that help us move. The class was challenged by the Geography Bee in April and we offer congratulations to Atharva Pathak, Mariana Altomare and Sunny Sorel for answering all the questions in the study guides and forcing us to go to an alternative source to find our eventual champion. During the final term, we studied several counties in Europe and will continue our tour of the continents with the class next year.

As the end of the year draws near, we are anticipating awarding the House Cup Championship to the winning house on the final day of school. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a close race right now and is quite suspenseful. Performing in Willy Wonka Kids was a great deal of fun for our class. Thank you to all the teachers for their hard work to help make this tremendous event happen. We would like to thank all our parents and families for their continued support of all our activities throughout the year. Have a great summer and weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll see you again in August.

Fourth & Fifth Grades Ms. Christina (Tina) Miller Ms. Susan Salvatore Ms. Erin Sorel

It’s hard to believe the 2011 – 2012 school year is already coming to a close. Fourth and fifth grade students have worked hard and had many good times this year! We would like to congratulate the winners of the Fourth Grade Spelling Bee: 1st Place: Lindsey 2nd Place: Leta 3rd Place: Sebastián During the last quarter fourth graders worked on a Social Studies project in which they created their own imaginary island, placing it at a specific latitude and longitude on the globe. Students used their knowledge of physical geography, biomes, and of how human beings’ needs are met in different environments to create sets of maps showing features of their island. The project was shared with their classmates in a class presentation. Meanwhile, fifth graders in US History participated in a simulation of the Underground Railroad. Escorted by their “conductor”, students acted as runaway slaves, searching for stations which were hidden across the school, and collecting clues to make their journey to Canada (which was located on the PE field). Bounty hunters, played by Middle School students, patrolled the grounds and caught several of the escaping slaves. This experience gave students a real sense of the danger and emotion felt by escaping slaves in the 1800s.

Fourth graders were anxious to begin their training for next yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Safety Patrol, and fifth graders were eager to impart to them all the knowledge they could about how to ensure student safety around the school. As a culmination of this training, the entire school gathered to watch the Safety Patrol Pinning Ceremony where next yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s patrols were given their belts and pins. Students had a blast rehearsing and creating props for our production of Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. We hope you enjoyed it! Thanks to all 4th and 5th grade students and their families for a wonderful year! Have a safe and relaxing summer!

Literature with Ms. Martha Fourth & Fifth Grades Ms. Martha Horter

We have had a splendid year in our lit/comp class this year , full of lively discussions, great books, fun projects and creative pursuits. The 4th graders enjoyed the book, My Side of the Mountain and enjoyed the vicarious experience of surviving all alone in the Catskill Mountains. We also spent some time reading, reciting and writing different types of poetry.

In our fifth grade class, we traveled back in time to Birmingham, Alabama at the height of the Civil Rights movement with the book, The Watsons Go To Birmingham, 1963. We learned a great deal about segregation, Jim Crowe laws, civil rights, and the relentless, tireless pursuit for equality for race, religion or ethnic origin. On a lighter note, we practiced our story-telling skills with Ms. Crystalâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s class by reading books to our book-buddies, and enjoying the reading and writing of many different types of poetry. For those that qualified, both 4th and 5th grade students enjoyed a pizza/ice cream/movie party. In order to participate in this event, the students were required to read 5 or more books from the Sunshine State Young Readerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s list. This was an optional program; however, 17 out of 27 students participated, and achieved, their goals. Congratulations to Lacey Frye, Lindsey Frye, Alex Kelley, Eileen Kelley, Caroline Tosolini, Becca Bernal, Sumin Choi, Bella Kemp, and Shreya Pathak, for reading all 15 books on the 3rd-5th grade reading list. In addition, an extra special congratulations to Bella Kemp and Becca Bernal for also reading all 15 books on the 6th-8th grade list. We love to READ!!! Thanks for a fabulous year, everyone! Have a fun summer and enjoy some wonderful books.

Sixth, Seventh & Eighth Grades Ms. Sherilyn Farris Ms. Susan Hansen

As the school year winds down, middle school students are finishing up their final projects of the year and looking forward to a well-earned summer break. On May 24-25, the class went to Tampa for an end of the year trip. Students enjoyed roller coasters and shows at Bush Gardens, as well as water park fun at Adventure Island. The academics havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t stopped, however, just because the year is coming to a close. In social studies, each student was responsible with bringing a chapter in their textbooks to life using a combination of technologies, including: Glogster, embedded video, and Wordles. Students have learned about the twelve most unwanted bacteria in science with Ms. Renee. As a cumulative project students had to create skits and web sites to present basic facts about various bacteria. In language arts, seventh and eighth graders finished up a unit on The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain while sixth graders are creating 26

scrapbooks featuring ten different writing selections for their All About Me project. Though the students will be able to rest and rejuvenate over the summer, it is important to remember the summer reading assignment due the first day of school in August. Have a great summer!

Congratulations to our eighth grade graduate, Ashley Petty! We all wish her the best of luck in the Cambridge Program at Gainesville High School. 27

Science Ms. Renee Gaskin 4th through 8th Grades

We are wrapping up another great semester and the end of the school year. All science students should be proud of what you have accomplished and I hope you can take most of what youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve learned this year and use it out in the BIG WORLD! Since the last newsletter, the 4th-5th graders have worked on mastering the scientific methodology. They have displayed that understanding with some amazingly insightful research projects. Take a look at the pics provided â&#x20AC;&#x201C; I am very proud of all the hard work and time that was obviously a factor in such good science research projects.

Also, 4th-8th grade learned about the vermicomposting – the use of worms in composting…they learned the methodology and terminology in the start-up of our own “can-o-worms” recycled worm bin; we made worm food in the blender; observed worm movement and worm eggs under the dissection microscope; we handled worms and observed their behavior inside the worm bin; and we make our own worm tea! The plants love it! The the 6th-8th grades have just finished a Bacteria Module involving Food Safety Measures to take during the handling of foods at different stages along the Farm to Table Continuum…ask them about it! They were all involved in giving a presentation on one of the “12 Most Unwanted Bacteria” and everyone’s information went into the making of a Portfolio of important microbial information. I would also like to announce 3 Gold Beaker award recipients – all of whom went above and beyond the required assigned curriculum and did extra current events papers and research projects. This extra work has earned each of them esteemed recognition for all their hard work and each will receive a Gold trophy and certificate: CONGRATULATIONS!!! to 6th grader, Hunter Pifer-Maxwell, 5th grader, Shreya Pathak and 5th grader, Sumin Choi. HAVE A GREAT SUMMER, STUDENTS, AND REMEMBER…THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD IS ALWAYS WITH YOU!!

Spanish (& French!) Ms. Jeanne-Marie Clune-Hrivnak Beginners through 8th Grades

French at MMS During this last quarter I had the opportunity to teach some French to some of the PK, Kindergarten, 1st and 2nd grade students in lieu (borrowed from French language) of Spanish. Some of the teachers were doing thematic units on France or Europe and asked me to teach the students “un petit peu de francais”. It was great fun! We began with a brief overview of France, its geographical location, some well-known aspects of the French culture, some beautiful places in France, and other countries where French is spoken. We also viewed many French monuments and historic places of great importance through a movie I made of photos of France set to French music. I also shared several books with photographs of France with the students. For the remainder of the time I taught basic concepts of the language such as greetings and introductions, numbers, the pronunciation, days of the week, months of the year, body parts, and some traditional French songs. It was interesting and entertaining to learn vocabulary and culture through different songs, rhymes and dances. “On s’amuse bien dans la classe de francais”.

Spanish at MMS In all the Spanish classes we explored gardens and landscapes. We learned the names of many flowering plants, herbs, garden tools and chores, and reviewed our fruits and vegetables. We also studied springtime activities and weather. As we discussed “Living in Harmony” with others and the earth we learned songs and vocabulary that focused on conservation and preservation. We celebrated many holidays and learned how to discuss them in Spanish. We continued to explore the geography and cultures of the Spanish-speaking countries. We all enjoyed a wonderful presentation about Ecuador and Project Heal from our friends from the University Of Florida Medical School. We are helping them with this amazing service project to which aims to provide acute care, preventative care, and public health education to thousands of Ecuadorian citizens with no other accessible source of medical aid. They have asked us to help collect sneakers or closed toe school shoes (no heals or dress shoes and no cleats please), school supplies, gently used comfort toys and funds. We will be working on this until their trip in the spring of 2013. We also prepared a special song “Siempre” by Tish Hinojosa to sing for Mother’s Day Teas or Mother’s Day at home. Our 4th and 5th grade moms got to enjoy our “polvorones” (Mexican wedding cookies) and “arroz con leche/dulce de leche” (rice pudding/vanilla caramel pudding) as a dessert at their special event.

In the PK-K classes we also did special units on the ocean, insects, birds, adjectives, our city, homes, school and celebrations. We focused our cultural studies on Ecuador and Peru. We had a great time dressing up during Spirit Week and our favorite day was “International Day”. Our M3S students reviewed all the vocabulary they did this year by doing skits and news broadcasts in Spanish and created props or PowerPoint presentations or a movie as part of their projects. We would like to wish our 8th grade student, Ashley Petty, “Felicitaciones”.

Technology Ms. Sylvia Aslanian Kindergarten through 8th Grade

Kindergarteners ended their technology lessons learning how to take quizzes on Brain Pop Jr. and printing them out. They researched Rain Forest Animals and Continents. Ms. Anita’s Class researched the Life Cycle of a Butterfly and created a story, using Story Book Weaver. They learned that stories have a beginning middle and an ending. Mr. Richard’s Class created a Power Point on England using a Webquest as well as the search engines located in Research and Reference on millhoppertech. com to find the information. Ms. Tina’s Class learned basics of using Google Sketch Up. “Sketch Up is a 3D modeling program designed for architects, civil engineers, filmmakers, game developers, and related professions. It also includes features to facilitate the placement of models in Google Earth. It is designed to be easier to use than other 3D CAD programs. “ M3S put their skills to the test and created Glogsters on a History Chapter and then presented their Chapter to the Class. View the Chapters at: www.m3sroxx.com. Millhoppertech.com offers many websites to practice, Math skills, Reading and Comprehension skills, Geography skills, Science Skills and Writing Skills, Grammar Skills and much more, all listed by grade level and subject. Be sure to utilize millhoppertech.com during the summer to enhance these skills.

Please click links below to view the movie of the week on Brain Pop and Brain Pop, Jr. and to practice mouse skills and keyboarding skills.

Rising Kindergarten-Summer Tech Prep

Rising First - Third Grader-Summer Tech Prep

Rising Fourth-Fifth Grader

Rising 6th, 7th & 8th Graders

KEYBOARDING DRILLS

Physical Education Coach Cam Kindergarten through 8th Grades

Each year our students participate in the President’s Physical Fitness Challenge. Students are tested in five events and compared to national standards respective to age and gender. Our Knights once again excelled. Nearly 50% of our students received the “Presidential” award, meaning they had scores in the top 15% nationally in all five events. Additionally, 35% of our students received the “ National” award denoting above average scores in all five events. Special thanks to Steve Palmer and Lonnie Phillips for volunteering to help with testing. Great job Knights! As an introduction to the 2012 Summer Olympics we closed our year with an Olympics unit. Students in 4th-8th grade were sorted into the countries Djibouti, Tuvalu, Liechtenstein, and Oman (yes, they are all real countries). Countrymen and women competed in a wide variety of individual and team events designed to simulate the physical tasks of actual events. Individually, Elizabeth Mills and Bryan Jaszczak took the titles for middle school and in the 4th-5th grade class Anna Tosolini won for the ladies and Esteban Sosa-Pesantes and Austin Akey tied for the top spot for the gents. In the final tally, Djibouti was the top country in both classes. The students had a great time trying out a wide variety of new activities and will hopefully be a little more invested in the real Olympics this summer. Coach Cam for a Day Four 'lucky' students won the privilege of being Coach Cam for a day resulting from the Wine & Cheese Silent Auction. The students adorned Coach's hat for the day and had full decision making ability over what their classes did. Elizabeth Mills was very expressive in choosing a fun inside game called Mice in the Kitchen. Ari Johnston took control with her golden whistle and had two games set up, split up the boys and girls, then had them switch games halfway through the period. Nicholas Wilkie and Sienna Curcio (who rejected the hat) commanded attention by actually having their classes do their stretches and lap before letting them play. Nicholas chose class favorite Pirate Ball while Sienna picked an active game on the courts that she wanted to play. A good time was had by all and it was a great way to close out P.E. for the school year.

Sports Leagues Go Knights! This was a great year for all of our students that participated in five different sports in leagues around town. Flag football just ended and our participants ran, threw, caught and pulled flags like champions. Special thanks to Jeff Reynolds, Phil Dodds and Bobby and Deeta Adkins for volunteering to coach. Volleyball has officially caught on at MMS. What started as a few older girls playing together on one team has blossomed into two full teams of Lady Knights! Our 5th â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 6th grade team is at the top of the standings heading into the playoff. In an amazing development our 3rd-4th grade team is nearly halfway composed of 2nd graders. Despite being mostly first timers, this team has dramatically improved over the season and now has a winning record. Stay tuned as registration for the fall season will come out before school starts in August! Great job ladies. Summer Camp Coach Cam will once again host a summer camp on site at MMS. This summer each week will hold a different sport theme. Students can look forward to football, basketball, Olympics, baseball and wrapping up the season with an aquatic week with lots of awesome field trips. Each day will consist of a variety of games, skill drills, knowledge based activities and even crafts relative to the weeks theme sport(s). We will not be playing any particular sport exclusively. We will integrate the skills and concepts into a fun filled day. Email questions to cparker@millhopper.com and sign up today!

Spotlight Kids Performing Arts Junior Thespian Troupe # 88928 Ms. Sylvia Aslanian All For One, One For All, Together the Spotlight Shines Brighter The 2011 - 2012 season of the Spotlight Kids ended on May 19, 2012 with a SPLASH! We all enjoyed our year end party at The Best Western pool. Commitment, hard work, persistence and time has made this year SUPERIOR! We have attended Districts, State and several plays. We presented “A Modern Christmas Carol,” lent our talents to The Haunted Hallway, Drama Fun Day, and the One-liner Fundraiser! On Tuesday, May 22, 2012 our new Junior Thespian Board was elected! Congratulations to : Cristina, President, Ben, Vice President, Tiffany, Secretary and Sarah, Treasurer. This new board is ready to take the troupe to new levels. Looking towards next year we have discussed attending more competitions and expanding the amount of categories we enter. Ms. Liz Nelson, our vocal coach will also be returning to the Spotlight Kids next year. The thespians are prepared to do what it takes to achieve their dream to make it to Nationals!

“Drama Fun Day” Pose

“Bus Stop” 36

Be sure to check out our website at www.thespotlightkids.com for updates and calendar. We will have a mandatory parent meeting on Wednesday, August 22, 2012 at 3:35pm. If you are interested in being a part of the 2012-2013 Spotlight Kids season, please attend this meeting to hear from past members and parents to make sure you and your student are able to make the commitment.

will be offered in the Fall to all third - fifth grade students.

Dear Parents, On the next two pages are the 2011-2012 Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS) Test Averages by grade level. The ITBS is a standardized achievement test taken by children all over the nation. The results provide the school with information that can be used to improve instruction and to help teachers make sound educational decisions about each student’s learning. The scores allow teachers to check each student’s year-to-year growth and to identify each child’s strongest and weakest areas of achievement. The results from the ITBS will are not used to grade students. Instead, teachers and administrators at MMS will use the results to monitor students’ learning of many important skills taught in school. Scores from these tests cannot replace a teacher’s observations and judgments, but they can provide useful supplementary information for the teacher, the parent, and the student. When test results are used in conjunction with other information from both the classroom and the home, teachers and parents can work together to identify and address the individual needs of each child. Please feel free to call the school should you have any questions. Sincerely, Christina Miller President: MMS, LLC

2011-2012 IOWA Test Averages 1st - 8th Grades 1ST GRADE TESTS

GRADE EQUIVALENT

NATIONAL STANINE

NAT’L PERCENTILE RANK

Reading Total

3.2

Language Total

2.9

Math Total

2.6

Social Studies

2.7

Science

2.8

Sources of Information

2.9

CORE TOTAL

2.9

COMPOSITE

2.9

GRADE EQUIVALENT

NATIONAL STANINE

NAT’L PERCENTIAL RANK

Reading Total

4.5

Language Total

3.9

Math Total

3.8

Social Studies

3.7

Science

4.0

Sources of Information

4.0

CORE TOTAL

4.0

COMPOSITE

3.9

GRADE EQUIVALENT

NATIONAL STANINE

NAT’L PERCENTIAL RANK

Reading Total

6.4

Language Total

6.0

Math Total

5.4

Social Studies

6.7

Science

6.2

Sources of Information

6.9

CORE TOTAL

5.9

COMPOSITE

6.3

GRADE EQUIVALENT

NATIONAL STANINE

NAT’L PERCENTIAL RANK

Reading Total

6.6

Language Total

8.5

Math Total

6.7

Social Studies

7.0

Science

8.1

Sources of Information

7.1

CORE TOTAL

7.2

COMPOSITE

7.3

2ND GRADE TESTS

3RD GRADE TESTS

4TH GRADE TESTS

5TH GRADE TESTS

GRADE EQUIVALENT

NATIONAL STANINE

NAT’L PERCENTILE RANK

Reading Total

9.6

Language Total

12.4

Math Total

9.1

Social Studies

9.3

Science

11.2

Sources of Information

9.8

CORE TOTAL

10.2

COMPOSITE

10.3

GRADE EQUIVALENT

NATIONAL STANINE

NAT’L PERCENTIAL RANK

Reading Total

10.2

Language Total

13+

Math Total

9.5

Social Studies

9.3

Science

9.9

Sources of Information

10.5

CORE TOTAL

10.7

COMPOSITE

10.4

GRADE EQUIVALENT

NATIONAL STANINE

NAT’L PERCENTIAL RANK

Reading Total

12.4

Language Total

13+

Math Total

12.9

Social Studies

13+

Science

13+

Sources of Information

13+

CORE TOTAL

13+

COMPOSITE

13+

GRADE EQUIVALENT

NATIONAL STANINE

NAT’L PERCENTIAL RANK

Reading Total

13+

Language Total

13+

Math Total

13+

Social Studies

13+

Science

13+

Sources of Information

13+

CORE TOTAL

13+

COMPOSITE

13+

6TH GRADE TESTS

7TH GRADE TESTS

8TH GRADE TESTS

End of the Year Awards Reading Awards 1st - 3rd Grades Pizza Hut Book-It! reading program

Pizza Hut Book-It! reading program