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The Importance of Singing Question : Is singing to preschool children really important? Why? What should I sing?Answer : We are most likely to think of singing as something that children enjoy and that is fun to do. But as a parent you should go beyond that and focus on an aspect of early childhood development that is sometimes overlooked in its importance to literacy achievement. Singing is simply one of the best ways for developing the sound awareness skills that are critical to learning to read successfully.Let me explain. You may be familiar with the skills called phonics. Phonics instruction involves teaching children that letters have specific sounds, such as the sound of "b" as in "bat". In the English language, there are many sounds to learn and children must also learn that certain letters can make more than one sound, such as the letter c. The sound of "c" as in "cat" is called "hard," while the sound of "c" as in circle is called "soft." And the letter c is also involved in the sound of "ch" as in "cheese". Imagine that! At least three sounds are associated with the letter c alone. This can be a lot for children to deal with when they are first learning to read. Phonics skills can become nearly impossible tasks in a kindergarten or first grade classroom if children have not previously been exposed to loads and loads of sounds, just for the sake of hearing them without any connection to letters or written words at all. In other words, children must be able to play with the sounds of language - make up nonsense words, make all kinds of animal sounds, tell you what words have rhyming sounds, tell you what words begin with the same sound, and more. And they have to be able to do this on a purely auditory level . For example, if a child can listen to a set of words such as "bike, hat, and like" and not only tell you which of them rhyme but also add a rhyme of his own (such as "Mike" or even a nonsense word), then we would say that this child has a degree of "phonemic awareness," the ability to hear sounds in spoken words (phonemes).Back to singing: Songs are both spoken and heard. Children do not have to be able to read in order to learn a song. And because songs are filled with rhymes, alliteration, and different sound patterns, they actually celebrate the sounds of language. Singing favorite songs over and over again helps children become consciously aware of sounds and the way we can manipulate them - break them apart, blend them together, highlight certain ones and minimize others. So the bottom line is: Sing away! Sing traditional children's songs, teach your children your own favorite rock or pop songs, or make up songs together. You will be instilling a life-long love of language as well as giving her the foundation necessary for learning to read. Order your 2004—2005 Yearbook Personalized Cover with student Photo & Name $20 Non-personalized Cover $15 Make checks payable to: Nancy Elementary school
Yearbooks will not ready to pick up until the fall 2005.
It’s that time of year again. That’s right! It’s time for our fourth grade students to get geared up for testing! We have invited many speakers from the community to speak with us about Science topics such as electricity, plants, and the food chain. We will continue to review for testing next week as we begin our rotations. Students will be divided into three groups and will be going over content we have learned throughout the year to prepare them for the KCCT test. Fourth grade is tested in Science, Reading, and On-Demand Writing. Attendance is very important because each day will bring new and exciting review games and activities and students won’t want to miss out.
TIPS FOR TESTING:
The AR race is on! The race for the fourth nine weeks AR banner is underway. Students have been reading up a storm. We already have several students that have met their AR goals and the nine weeks just began. BRAVO! Students, remember to read each night and discuss what you are reading with someone. Sharing your love of reading may inspire someone else to pick up a good book.
Girl Scout Troop 1002 We are having a great time in Girl Scouts. We have a lot of events scheduled for April! While we are having fun, we are also learning lots of new skills and working on our Try-Its and Badges. Recently our Daisy's had an ice cream social. We learned how to make homemade ice cream, play games, learned new songs, and make our own sundaes. The Brownies attended as well. Cookie sells are over and the top sellers were Tiffany Baker, Nikki Wilson, Tabatha Vincent, & Tiffany Vincent. We do have some left over boxes of cookies. If you would be interested in purchasing a box, just ask one of the Girl Scouts or leaders. Upcoming events include: * Going to the movies (if 3 or more girls join, we only pay $2.50) & pizza party afterwards. * Early Derby Weekend * Girl Scout night at the Drive-In Theater If anyone would like to join, we meet every Monday in the school’s cafeteria from 3:30 - 5:00 p.m. Come on out and join the fun!!! Thanks to all of the girls & parents for their hard work and dedication. If you have any questions please contact either of us and we will be glad to help. Cindy Baker Glinda Mathis 305-1317 305– 1771 636-4211 871– 7401 N ancy Elementary School’s cheer squad is looking for volunteers to help with the 2005 team. If interested or would like more information contact : Joetta Davis 270-866-6938 or606-875-4399
LIBRARY NEWS Congratulations to the following students who received the medallion for being the top AR point earners for their class for the third grading period: Kaylee Abbott, Megan Coffey, Lance Hall, Corey Frye, Abby Cobb, Mariah Garcia, Tyler Padgett, Matthew Wood, Makessa Lee, Caleb Cobb, Dylan Branham, Elizabeth Ard, Courtney Inabnitt, and Katie Lowe. Also, congratulations to Mrs. Keeney’s, Mrs. Hines’, Ms. Tucker’s, and Mrs. Cash’s classrooms for receiving the banner for their grade level for having the most AR points. We will be having an awards ceremony for the last grading period on May 16th at 9:50 for 4th and 5th grades and at 10:30 for 1st-3rd grades. We also have a book fair coming up during the last two weeks of school.
Gifted & Talented Elementary EGAT is May 5 and will be at Pulaski Elementary School
NOT SO TRIVIAL . . . Pulaski County Schools Attendance Trivia According to data from the 2004 - 2005 school year . . .Provided by Bill Boyd, Director of Fiscal Services, Pulaski County Schools
45 more teachers for the system Or A salary increase of over 5% for the current staff. Or Additional materials, supplies, equipment for the classroom. Or Some new research based instructional programs for the students. Or Some combination of the above.
As you know, your child cannot learn if he/she is not in the classroom. If your child misses a lot of school, he/she will become behind very quickly. If a teacher has to continually re-teach lesson, the rest of the class cannot move forward. You can help with your school’s attendance by making sure that your child is in school every day that is possible. When your child is sick, please keep him/her home. But you can help by: “ Parents help your child be a CATS Test Survivor” Dear Parents/Guardians, Beginning on Monday, April 18th through Tuesday ,April 26th, 2005, students in grades three through five at our school will be taking our yearly spring achievement tests. As parents/guardians and partners in your child’s education, we are asking you to help your child be able to do his/her best by doing the following:
Congratulations to our Nancy Elementary Chorus for receiving the overall score of Distinguished at our KMEA Spring Choral Festival! The chorus will be performing our spring concert on Thursday, May 11 at 6:30 p.m. During this concert some of the 4th grade students who have been doing well in our recorder karate program will be performing songs also. Students working on recorder karate may look at the website http://www.musick8.com/ to find the icon for RECORDER KARATE DOJO. Click on the icon and enter the username "karate" and use the password "rubric" to find the 9 songs we are working on. The songs can be played after clicking on STREAMING AUDIO on your computer so that your child may practice just like we do with a CD in the classroom.
Reading First Information Stephanie BlandIt is so hard to believe that we approaching the end of the year. We are going into our last testing cycle with Reading First.
Reading First assessments will take place the last week of April and the first week of May. The students will once again be given the GRADE and DIBELS tests. The results for the GRADE tests will not be available until summer. However, the DIBELS assessment information will be available the second week of May. If you want to know how your child performs on this assessment, you may contact your child’s teacher or myself.
“Time spent reading allows children to become better readers.” So, if possible, try to see that your child spends at least 10-15 minutes a night reading.
Psychologist’s Corner By Vickie Johnson Good Emotional Health for a Child
A child with good emotional health is a child who:
▪Likes to learn. Curiosity about everything is “normal” for children. They’re always asking “why?” ▪Wants to grow. Children usually want to be treated as being more adult, physically and mentally. ▪Makes friends. After age 2 or 3, a child’s selfish nature should gradually give way to wanting to share and do things with others. ▪Has good self-esteem. Children should generally feel good about themselves and have a positive attitude about life. ▪Handles stress. Stress is a part of life. Children should be able to bounce back from the “normal” stress of life, such as dealing with new people, school, etc.
Even a child with good emotional health needs your help to stay that way!
Source: About Your Child’s Emotional Health, Channing L. Bete Co., Inc.
Signs of Poor Emotional Health
Signs may include:
▪Poor eating habits. These include refusing food, eating poorly or eating too much. ▪Withdrawal. A child may withdraw from people. Normal activity or emotion may decline. ▪Bedwetting. Loss of bladder control in a child older than 5 or so may be a warning sign. ▪No friends. A child may show no interest in others and how they feel. ▪Low self-esteem. A child may be generally unhappy with him or herself and have a pessimistic attitude about life. ▪Inability to handle stress. He or she may often have a very hard time coping with changes, problems, etc. ▪Slow development. This includes inactivity as an infant or long delays in developing skills such as talking. ▪Frequent or severe temper tantrums. A child’s temper may flare or he/she may have crying spells for petty reasons. ▪Fighting. A child may pick fights or be senselessly destructive. ▪Physical problems. These may include: insomnia or severe and frequent nightmares; headaches, stomach problems, etc., with no apparent cause. ▪Fear. A child may often be scared for no apparent reason Fear. A child may often be scared for no apparent reason or be “clingy.” ▪Learning Problems. A child’s schoolwork may be below his or her abilities for no apparent reason. Most children will show one or more of these signs at some time. However, if the signs are severe or lasting, talk to your child’s health-care provider or a mental-health professional. Source: About Your Child’s Emotional Health, Channing L. Bete Co., Inc.
Art Fair May 9th
Cub Scout Pack 727 Do you like to play games, make crafts sing songs, and enjoy being in the outdoors. If you said yes to any of the above, the Cub Scouts is for You! We meet Monday nights in the school’s cafeteria at 7:00 pm. If you aren’t sure and just want to check it out come out and see if Cub Scouts is for you, then come to our next meeting on Monday April 25th. We have a lot of fun activities planned for this summer. Here’s a list of some of them: * Fishing Derby * Sleep with the Sharks * Campout at the Breaks State Park * Day trip to Kentucky Splash * Ride the dinner train in Danville * Cookout We’d love to have you as part of our Cub Scout Family. If you have any questions, please call Gary Hayes @ 871-7897
Schedule of Events
April 18 - 29 CATS Testing Window April 22 Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon April 26 PTA Officer & Site - Base Member Election May 6 Testing Celebration Field Trip (3rd - 5th grades) May 9 Art Fair May 9 Southern Middle School Counselors meet with Fifth Graders May 11 5th grade students visit Southern Middle School May 12 Nolene from the Nancy Branch Library will talk to students about the Summer Reading Program May 13 Southern Middle School Band Concert May 16 AR Awards May 17 Field Day May 19 Honor & Awards Day 8:30 - 9:15 First Grade 9:40 - 10:25 Second Grade 10:45 - 11:30 Third Grade 1:00 - 1:45 Fourth Grade 2:10 - 3:00 Fifth Grade May 20 Kindergarten Graduation 10:00 a.m.
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