Elementary News

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Preschool News

March was a busy month for the Pre-K students. We
had a lot to celebrate with St. Patrick's Day, Spring and
Easter all falling in the same month this year! The
weather warmed enough that we could spend some
time outdoors and look for the first signs of Spring.
We found the squirrels and birds were busy, flowers
are peeking through the ground and the snow is
almost all gone!
The Pre-K room had a new student join our group.
We love to make new friends.
March also started our Pre-K "Book It" program. We
read at the end of each day and the children our
encouraged to read at home. Each child will receive a
Pizza Hut certificate for a personal pan pizza at the end
of March and April as a reward for reading. The
theme for this year's program is Crazy for Maisy! The
Maisy series is written by Lucy Cousins.
Registration forms for the 2008-2009 school
year will be going out to families with Pre-K age
children soon.

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Kindergarten News

If you have a child that will be starting Kindergarten in
August, please join Mrs. Schultz in her classroom on
Friday, May 9th from 10:00--11:30.




March has been another fun month in kindergarten.
The students had many guest readers for Read Across
America week. They also read lots of Cat in the Hat
books and had a special in-school slumber party. All
of the kindergarten students say they love to read
books. Pretty soon they will be reading lots of books
on their own. They are spelling and writing words and
learning lots more sight words.
The students were excited to count the days down to
the first day of spring. Every day they would take turns
going to the office and crossing off one more day as we
got closer to March 20. When spring finally came they,
they were treated to spring treats and pretty treat bags.
Thank you, Sue! Seasons are a time to learn about
weather changes and changes in nature. The students
discuss how to dress properly for the weather and also
share their observations about the plants and trees.
The students also learned the saying "March Comes in
Like a Lion, Goes Out Like a Lamb." Now they will
see if March will go out like a lamb!

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First Grade News

During the month of February we began our unit on dental
health. Students learned the proper brushing technique
from a dental hygienist, the various parts of a tooth, the
different types of teeth and their functions. Students
received toothbrushes, toothpaste and additional
information to take home and practice. Following the
dental unit the first and second graders studied nutrition
and the food pyramid. Healthy foods and junk foods were
also explored.
On St. Patrick's Day the first graders took part in the St.
Patrick's Day Project with 477 schools around the country.
We counted and graphed the number of various shapes
found in the Lucky Charms cereal. When all the classroom
totals were added, they found the heart shape to have
15,358 and the shooting star shape had the most at
33,876. (Just in case you were wondering)
During week of March 3 we celebrated Read Across
America Day by inviting guest readers each day into our
classroom. To celebrate Dr. Seuss' birthday, the first
graders enjoyed a meal of green eggs and ham. On another
day they came in their pajamas ready to curl up with a good
book. It was a fun week and hopefully will instill a love of
reading in the students all through their life.

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Second Grade News

The second graders have a new class pet! The best kind, a stuffed pet. It's very quiet and doesn't make a mess. After reading a
story in our reading books called Missing: One Stuffed Rabbit by Maryann Cocca-Leffler, Mrs. Sanley bought a stuffed pet for our
class. This year's pet is a big, fuzzy, green frog that the class named Lily. Lily is taking turns going home with the children. Each
morning, "Lily" reads her diary to the rest of the class, telling about her adventures the night before. Everyone LOVES Lily and
wants to be the one to take her home for a weekend. We can't wait to hear about Lily's visit to each home!
For St. Patrick's Day, the second graders participated in a special on-line St. Patrick's Day project. The students counted and
graphed the marshmallow shapes in a box of Lucky Charms. There were a total of 8,818 participants in 477 classrooms. The
project was trying to prove if there are more green clovers in Lucky Charms than any other shape. It was very close, but the
results showed that the winning shape was the shooting star. There were 33, 876 shooting stars and 33,254 clovers. The shape
with the least number was the heart shape with 15, 358. This activity provided some great graphing lessons, as well as the fun of
eating Lucky Charms. Our thanks to Mrs. Doehling for introducing us to this web-site.

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Third and Fourth Grade News

Recently, the 2nd and 3rd grades went to the Body Walk at the Shelby school. We learned all about our bodies. Us kids loved it! It was a great experience.
3rd and 4th are learning division. 4th grades division is pretty hard and 3rd grades is pretty easy. We are all coming through.
In Nebraska History, the 3rd and 4th are learning about Indians and their culture. Like when the Indian tribe passed by a city/town (Omaha tribe) it was named after that city.
We are learning about fossils in science. Did you know that most fossils are found in sedimentary rock? Skin is less likely to become a fossil.
In PE, it is almost time for track and field day. It will be great exercise. We love it.
The reading classic kids made it to state. They are going to Hebron on April 5th. Let's hope they win.
In reading, the 3rd and 4th are almost done with each of their units. The stories are great. There are long stories.
In spelling, everybody is getting better even though the words are getting harder.

Written by Erica Pokorney and Natalie Wingard

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Fifth and Sixth Grade News

March is almost over and we are in the home stretch. The year is zooming past and now is crunch time to get everything done.
In reading, both groups read novels. The 6th read ‘Summer of the Swans' and the 5th read ‘Where the Red Fern Grows.' We
have also been working with figurative language, looking at their literal and figurative meanings.
In English, we have been writing persuasive essays after reading ‘My Brother Dan's Delicious.' The class had fun figuring out who
the monster should take instead of themselves. They used reasons and examples to support their position.
Math finds the 6th graders working on geometry. They built 3-D solids out of toothpicks and Starburst candies. The 5th graders
have embarked on the study of fraction and are finding out that there are lots of steps to solving fraction problems.
Social Studies has lead us to the study of America's fight for independence in 5th grade and the study of settling the west in the 6th
grade.
We have been studying parts of the earth, the rock cycle, and minerals in science.

Rising City Public Schools
400 E. Spruce PO Box 160 - Rising City, NE 68658
phone: 402-542-2216 or 1-866-YES-RCPS
email: stopil@esu7.org, mderr@esu7.org or alberts385@aol.com