It's a New Year---2013!

        A new calendar year =  new opportunities.


There are several new opportunities for the students as we move into the second semester of our school year.  Please read on...


Spelling Bee

Our Meadow Lane Spelling Bee is next week on Wednesday, January 23rd.  There will be 40 of our fifth graders competing beginning at 2:00 pm in our school's auditorium.  We follow the same rules as the National Spelling Bee and we'll find out what the winning word will be this year.  Assisting with the Spelling Bee will be Ardis Moody, former Meadow Lane Media Specialist, who will be pronouncing the words for our students.  Serving as judges will be former Meadow Lane Assistant Principal, Mary May, and retired LPS teacher/coordinator from Zeman Elementary School, Susan Streich.  We appreciate their willingness to assist with the Spelling Bee.

Participants from our class will include:  Collin, Sophia, Tina, Thomas, Amal, Colby, Kamryn, Brina, Bradi, Olivia, Zach, Chase, Xavier, and Joe.

Please join us at the Spelling Bee and cheer for our outstanding spellers!


Saturday Science 

Where will we find six of our Meadow Lane scientists in February?  They will be on the University of Nebraska-Lincoln campus participating in Saturday Science.  For four Saturdays in February, Joe, Sophia, Thomas, Zach, Kamryn, and Jessica will have the opportunity to do hands-on science activities with UN-L professors and graduate students.  I look forward to hearing what they have discovered each week.    Science Rocks!

Nature Club

Each Wednesday beginning January 30th, twenty-four 4th and 5th grade students will be participating in Meadow Lane's Nature Club.  The club is sponsored by the Lower Platte South-Natural Resources District.  Mr. Adam Sutton will lead the group which will meet in my classroom from 3:40-4:30 pm.  It should be an exciting time for all.


Science Fair

It's time to start planning for the Meadow Lane Science Fair on March 5, 2013.  I hope that each of the students will prepare a project.  They may work individually or with a partner.  I also am encouraging students to conduct an experiment for their science fair project.  One of our science units this year was to learn how to conduct an experiment and this would be another opportunity to practice the Scientific Method.  And personally, they are more fun than doing a demonstration.

Students are also encouraged to participate in the Pfizer-LPS-Novartis Science Fair on Thursday, March 21st.  This fair is held at the Lancaster Event Center and will feature projects from over 500 students representing each of the elementary and middle schools in Lincoln.  It also features many hands-on activities for students to explore.

If you have any questions regarding the science fair, please contact me.  Again....I'd like to see every student participate.

Saturday Science

Wednesday, students brought home an informational sheet regarding a very special program at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.  It is called 'Saturday Science' and I would recommend this program to everyone.  Students spend two hours (either 9:30-11:30 or 1:00-3:00) in a science lab at UNL working with professors and UNL graduate students doing hands-on science activities.  Some of the topics may include:  electricity and magnetism;  light, colors, and holograms;  sound; things that spin and many other possibilities. 

The program is held on the four Saturdays in the month of February.  Students must commit to participating at all four sessions.   Registration is on a first come-first serve basis so they need to get registered right away.  There are only 45 students who can participate in each of the sessions.

The fee for participating is $40.00.  This will pay for all of the supplies that they will use during their four sessions.  If there is a concern regarding the fee, please let me know as there are some scholarship dollars available.  Again, they must agree to attend all of the sessions.

If you have any questions, please contact me.  I hope your son or daughter will apply to attend this very special program that is just for 5th grade students in the Lincoln Public Schools.

Just Catching Up....

It is time to catch up....


As 2012 comes to an end, I thought I should share with you a few photos from three special projects.

Courtyard Cleanup...

The students all grabbed a rake and joined in the fun of cleaning up our Outdoor Education area.  The leaves were really flying and we were able to bag 20+ bags of leaves during a fall Friday afternoon.  The area is now ready for winter.   



Food Bank of Lincoln...

I challenged the students to bring in canned items for the Food Bank of Lincoln.  For each item that was donated, I would make a financial gift to the food bank.  Well, the students did a great job.  Not only did they bring in several boxes of food but I made a financial gift of $50.00 to the food bank.  Our gifts made certain that several families had the food they needed for the holidays.  Thank you!!!

Your child's teacher????

Reach for the Stars...

We trust our children to this guy?

Once again, the students met the challenge that was placed in front of them.  Each student read at least 30 minutes a night for 10 days...they collected donations for our Reach for the Stars program...and in return I proudly wore this outfit  for all to see.  The boa, the corn cob hat, and that lovely tie-dye lab coat.  A real fashion statement for 2012!

That's $1129 for our field trip fund!

The students in all three classrooms read a total of 498 hours and collected thousands of dollars in pledges.  Mrs. LeBlanc (The Book Lady) then presented the class with a check for $1129.00 which will be used to fund our spring trip to Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo.  In addition to the cash, students also received bags and bags full of books to take home for their personal library.  Happy reading!

Students enjoy their books.

It's ALL mine!

Best wishes for a wonderful holiday season! 

Mr. Mann's Memo

I have several items to review with you today...

a)  Reach for the Stars fundraiser.  This is the first of our 5th grade fund raisers for this school year.

Why do we need the money?  We hope to be able to take all of the students on two very special trips this year.  The first trip is to the Platte River State Park on April 18, 2013.  We will spend the day participating in outdoor events sponsored by the Nebraska Game and Parks Department.  Then on May 16th, we are planning to head to Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo for the day.  We will need to arrange for transportation to the state park and to Omaha.  Plus we will need to pay the admission fee to visit the zoo.  Overall, it will cost us nearly $2000 to attend both of these trips.

So back to Reach for the Stars.  Right now, the students should be recording their individual reading times on their chart.  I want them to read at least 30 minutes for 10 days.  Students then should collect pledge money from family and friends of the family for their reading.  We have set a goal of $60 per student in pledge dollars.   All pledge dollars and reading records are due Monday, November 5th.

Please remember that for every dollar that is raised in pledges...students will receive 50% of those funds to purchase books for their home library.  30% will go towards the buses and admission fee of the zoo trip.  20% will be used to pay for the prizes (students who raise $100 or more have a special prize choice) and to purchase additional books for the class library.


b)  Wednesday Folders.  We are going to start using a Wednesday folder this week.  I'm finding too many of the notes from the PTA, office, or other agencies/organizations ending up in the trash, recycling bin, or the students' desks.  So those messages are not getting home to you.  Please review the items in the folder, sign the front, and then have them back at school on Thursday.


c)  1st Quarter Progress Reports.  Look for them in this week's Wednesday folder.  Please sign the front of the report card envelope and return to school.

d)  Student Vote.  This Thursday, November 1st, all Meadow Lane students will participate in Student Vote 2012.  Many thanks to Caleb for serving as our class's election commissioner.  The students will be make their choice for President, US Senator, 1st Congressional Representative, and member of the State Board of Education.  In addition, students will be voting on  their favorite movie for Meadow Lane's Movie Night.  Stay tuned for the school's final results. 

e)  Thumbs Up!  I'm so very proud of this class.  There are 19 of the 25 students who have earned their 'Thumbs Up' award.  These students have consistently shown good choices at school, completed their work, and have been responsible for their planners.  Congratulations to:  Justin, Amal, Amelia, Bradi, Tina, Olivia, Colby, Chase, Diego, Lauren, Sophia, Alyiah, Joe, Kamryn, Caleb, Wyatt, Xavier, Brina, and Marissa.

A Busy, Busy Week at School

The final week of the first quarter will be a very busy one for the students.  We have several tests so it is a GREAT week to make certain everyone gets plenty of sleep and a healthy breakfast each day!

Tuesday-->Spelling test over lesson # 9

Wednesday-->Chapter 4 test in Math over long division, estimating quotients, and problem solving strategies

Thursday-->District Common Assessment for Social Studies--Chapters 1 and 2
(Students will receive a study sheet on Monday to be reviewed at home.)

Wednesday or Thursday-->Reading Theme Vocabulary test
(Students will finalize their review list on Monday.  This will be brought home for review.)

Wednesday & Thursday-->Reading Theme Test & Writing Skills Test
(nothing to review at home)

Friday-->finish up any unfinished tests and then...

  Celebrate our Accomplishments!

 

Go Mustangs!

Outdoors or Indoors?

Here's a question for you...where did your children spend their time this past weekend?  Indoors or outdoors?  Watching TV...playing video games...or exploring the world?

Homestead National Monument

Sunday afternoon (September 23rd)  I joined several hundred (maybe a thousand or more) people at the Homestead National Monument near Beatrice.  We came to see and listen to Bill Nye.  Yes, THE Bill Nye, the Science Guy.  It was a thrilling time for me being able to see, in person, a man who has excited people of all ages for many years about the wonders of the world.

Bill Nye, The Science Guy

During the Q & A time, he was asked about what got him excited in science.  Yes, he did have family members who were interested in science but he also mentioned the times that he spent outdoors exploring the world.  Watching the bees...flying balsa wood airplanes...and yes, even taping fireworks to those planes and then watching them explode in mid-air.  (Based upon the chuckles from the crowd, I believe that many others had had a similar experience.)  Those experiences early in his life had an influence on him and the life he has experienced to this day.

In school, I expose the children to as much science as possible during our school day.  However, it can't match what can be learned from just being outdoors.  Exploring what is under a decaying log.  Hiking through Wilderness Park or searching along one of the bike trails in Lincoln.  Sitting by a pond or stream and observing the insects, fish, birds, and other wildlife.  Observing the seasonal changes in your backyard or neighborhood.  These are the experiences our children really need to establish a more comprehensive understanding of the world.

I would encourage you to make the great outdoors a part of your child's education.  Get them outside and let them explore.  Maybe they'll discover something that will, as Bill Nye would say,  could possibly... "Change the World!"   

"Science Rules!"

Go MUSTANGS!

Parent--Student--Teacher Conferences

Our first conference of the 2012-2013 school year will be held on either October 2nd or October 4th.  Notes will be coming home soon for you to verify the date and time that was chosen earlier in the school year.  If you need to change the time that is listed, please indicate alternative dates and times that will work for you now.  I'll do my best to accommodate those requests.

I call your attention to the heading of this posting...Parent--Student--Teacher Conferences.  This may be a new practice for you but I do welcome students at these conferences.  Rather than have a student sit in the hallway or at home, I would rather see them take an active part in our discussion.  My past experience shows that students know best how they are doing...problems that they are experiencing...goals that they want to accomplish.  So why not include them in our discussion.

Over the next few weeks, I will have each student prepare some written thoughts about their progress at school.  I will ask them to share parts of this during the conference while I add additional information (test results, etc.).  Due to our short amount of time, we won't be able to go through all of their comments.  I would encourage you to use this information for further discussions at home.  I hope that all of the students will be able to attend.

If you have any questions, comments, or concerns about including students in our conference, please let me know.  Please use my school email....cmann@lps.org.

Go Mustangs!