The
Wilson Word A publication of The Wilson School, Founded 1913
Celebrating Our 99th Year of Excellence! Volume 18, Issue 4
Visit us online at www.wilsonschool.com
Wilson’s Speaker Series presents:
In This Issue! 1st Grade: Auction: Pre-K: Latin: Book Club: French: 4th Grade: PE: Calendar:
January 20, 2012
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Be sure to check out the calendar on the last page for important 2012-2013 School Year dates!
1‐2‐3 Magic: Effective Discipline for Children Ages 2-12 ationally renowned author and psychologist, Dr. Thomas Phelan, PhD, will present this best-selling, award winning program on Thursday, February 9, at The Wilson School. Dr. Phelan’s presentation will provide parents, teachers and anyone involved in child care with straight forward techniques for managing children. Participants will learn how to control behavior, and how to handle the six most common types of testing and manipulation. Participants will also learn what to do about issues such as chores, practicing, homework, messy rooms, and lying. The presentation deals with the frequent and ordinary (but aggravating) problems that children sometimes present. Dr. Phelan addresses the most commonly asked questions, and participants are taught precisely what to do or say, and what not to do or say in almost any situation. Dr. Phelan’s evening presentation is free, open to the public and will be held in Wilson’s gymnasium, Thursday, February 9, from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. A ‘brown bag’ lunchtime presentation for educators and childcare professionals will be held on February 9, from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the school lunchroom. Reservations can be made by emailing speakerseries@wilsonschool.com. More information about Dr. Phelan is available at www.parentmagic.com.
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This presentation is sponsored in part by the Clifford Willard Gaylord Foundation.
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The Wilson Word
January 20, 2012
1st Grade is Raring to Go! By 1st Grade Teachers Rachel Dixon and Penny Lyles
irst grade is raring to go in 2012! The students returned from winter break ready to take on greater challenges academically and socially. It has been incredibly rewarding watching first graders make such mature decisions during their learning times. During center time, less teacher prompting has been needed because the students have been applying many independent, problemsolving strategies. Although we have made many accomplishments, we continue to strive to be our best. Every student was asked to brainstorm some of the challenges they would like to tackle in the new year. Our “24 Goals for 2012� can be found on the bulletin board just outside our classroom. Second semester seems to be a time when many first grade traditions are highlighted and celebrated. Students have enjoyed their new daily homework routine. Some of the many benefits our students gain from homework assignments include the reinforcement of skills, building good study habits, teaching responsibility and accountability, and learning discipline. The month of January is the time when we are busy preparing for our study of Famous Americans. We will begin this unit focusing first on ourselves, and then building outward. Students will make timelines or their own life and reflect on the special moments in their own lives as they write autobiographies. We will then take a trip to the Missouri History Museum to learn more about our local history and famous Americans who have impacted our city and state. Finally, students will select and research their own Famous American and prepare a short biography. The Famous American is a wonderful first grade tradition. The month of February will kick off with our 100th Day of School celebration. The 100th day reinforces many of the math concepts we cover throughout the year and offers an exciting and educational opportunity for our students. Students bring in collections of 100 items to share with the class. They also tackle math challenges such as listing all the coin combinations that add up to $1.00. Of course, it is not a celebration without food, so we share 100 pieces of small snacks, such as M&Ms, goldfish and raisins. This year we are planning to showcase our collections of 100 by displaying them in our classroom for others to stop in and admire. As spring approaches we will focus on several science units related to outdoor life, such as water, plants, insects and weather. This seems to be the perfect time to watch Mother Nature, as the change in season is highly visible through our large first grade windows. Our units of study will invite students to make inquiries based on natural curiosity and prior knowledge. Highlights this spring will draw upon local resources through field trips to the St. Louis Zoo and possibly the Missouri Botanical Garden or St. Louis Science Center. It is amazing to see the growth the first graders have made already this year. The students are working hard to make our class a great place for all learners, and we are pleased with their tremendous progress.
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January 20, 2012
Thistle Auction: You Asked & We Listened! ou asked, and we listened. With a new location, outstanding food, and a new date, there will be MORE fun!
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What can you do? How can you help? While you are out running errands ‌ While you are eating at your favorite restaurant ... While you are with your friends ...
PLEASE ASK FOR GIFT CARDS!!! Gift cards of any size, for just about anything, are extremely valuable to the success of the auction (not to mention, so fun to have and use)! We need items for both the silent and live auction. Please let us know if you want to donate something but are not sure what to give. Think about the items you would like to have and chances are so would someone else! Watch for a letter requesting your donation to the Joy Liss Fund. This fund underwrites the cost for our Wilson faculty and staff members and their guests to attend the auction. The success of this evening is largely dependent upon their attendance, and frankly, they just deserve a night out! The Wilson School auction needs your help to be a success. We need volunteers to pick up items as businesses or individuals donate them. If you are able to do this or more please email Linda Roth-Noel at lroth@wilsonschool.com and let her know what you can do. We appreciate all of your generosity and help. We really need each of you to make this event a success! We are looking forward to an amazing evening of bidding, socializing, eating and dancing! We will see all of you Saturday, April 21, 2012, as we celebrate The Wilson School Starlight Serenade!
The Wilson School Starlight Serenade April 21, 2012 at The Chase Park Plaza!
Important auction deadlines and dates: Advertising deadline -- January 27 Joy Liss mailing -- February 3 Acquisition deadline -- February 24
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The Wilson Word
January 20, 2012
Zoo Fun By PK Teachers Linda Roth-Noel and Debbie Wilhelms
re- K is so excited to have the Zoo Outreach Program be a part of our curriculum! The Outreach Program is aligned to the Missouri Grade Level Expectations and covers a variety of life science themes. Each program is 30 minutes long and is designed to be appropriate for the Pre-K level. In November, we had animals visit -- the program was called Adapt to the Four Seasons-Fall. We talked about which animals are most active in the fall and learned about their adaptations to seasonal changes in climate. This month, we had animals visit to practice counting and making observations about the numbers in nature. The program was One, Zoo, Three. We read stories and did a lot of counting. We “counted” on the program to be fun and informative, and it definitely was. In March, we will have Animal A, B, C’s in our room. Live animals make learning the alphabet lots of fun. Pictures, models and other materials will be used to help students practice their A, B, C’s. We will close the year with Surviving the Seasons-Spring. We will again discover changes that animals make in order to adapt to the four seasons. We have enjoyed having animals we can touch and look at, but especially learn from in our room. We are very fortunate to have this program funded by the Wilson School Excellence Program.
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January 20, 2012
Feasting on Knowledge By Latin Teacher Joana Ocros-Ritter
ere we are, at the beginning of a new year, with Janus looking both ways ... January, as the kids will tell you, was named for this deity! Looking back, we have to remember the scrumptious Latin Feast, or Saturnalia, celebrated in lavish style at Wilson. Our 4th-, 5th- and 6th-grade students enjoyed Roman delicacies such as “dormice,� lentil soup, lamb, bread, cheese and everything else - ab ovo ad mala - as the Romans would say. The students reclined and ate using their fingers - all in true Roman style, down to the most minute detail. At the end of the feast, our noble Romans expressed their gratitude during our annual contest. We were quite blown away!
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January 20, 2012
4-5-6 Book Club he fourth-, fifth- and sixth-grade members of Wilson’s Book Club had their second meeting for the school year on January 4. Twenty-five students and teachers attended the meeting to discuss Mary Downing Hahn’s Deep and Dark and Dangerous. In this story, 13-year-old Ali finds an old photograph of her mother and her Aunt Dulcie as children. But who is the third person, the one who’s been torn out of the picture? Ali will have all summer to figure it out, since she’s spending the summer with her aunt and cousin in the same lake house her mom and aunt used to visit as kids. Then Ali meets Sissy, a mean, spiteful girl determined to ruin the summer. Sissy also has a secret. Could it have something to do with the mysterious old photo? Most of the students at Book Club rated this fantastic read an 8 or a 9! Some interesting questions were raised, such as whether it was right for Sissy to want revenge for an event that had happened years ago or if the reader thought Aunt Dulcie should have kept the story a secret for so many years. Curious about the answers? Read the book! The third Book Club of the school year will be Wednesday, February 1. Students will be reading The Lost Hero, Book One of the Heroes of Olympus series, by Rick Riordan. Stay tuned for their reaction!
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Happy Reading!
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The Wilson Word
January 20, 2012
Great Learning and Great Fun! By French Teacher Joana Ocros-Ritter
ith fall a distant memory and winter in full - if mild - swing, our students are reaching a new period in their cycle of learning. Consolidation of earlier acquired content is our main focus at this time. Our youngest kids have heard and re-told the story of the “Petite Chenille Qui A Faim,” otherwise known as The Very Hungry Caterpillar en anglais. We have counted, talked about foods in the book and literally fed the chenille du gâteau, de la glace, une pomme, deux poires, trois prunes, quatre fraises ... and on the fifth day, even cinq oranges! Magic Wand, my trusted assistant, was amazed to see how JK students were able to read a whole page in a French book meant for first grade! In SK, we are getting ready to embark on a trip to France - complete with an airplane, passports and even a visit to the Eiffel Tower! In first grade, the kids are finishing their alphabet books and will soon move to listening and conversation exercises. Second graders were great hosts to our class stuffed animals over winter break - some of the stuffies have taken trips, spent quality time with their persons and even played with the family pets at times! We will soon be retelling their adventures - en français! In third grade, students are playing Le jeu de l'oie, or the Goose Game. During this game, the kids are taking turns rolling dice and acting out, or saying in French what the directions indicate. Great learning and great fun! Fourth grade is home to some world-class surgeons - did you know that? If you have any French verb of the first group that needs surgery, please bring it in for immediate surgery - or ask a fourth grader how to go about it! In fifth grade, we are busy writing to our French pen pals, talking to them about school, sports and other personal preferences and likes/ dislikes. We have also talked about time zones, and how to tell time all over the world. In sixth grade, our students will take another step in describing their French colonial person by describing their physical appearance, their home, their village and their family and friends. What a great time this is - and what a great place to be a kid and learn French!
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January 20, 2012
Fourth Grade Knows How to Travel By 4th Grade Teachers Roberta Goldfeder and Lisa Leuther
he fourth graders have begun their new year with old stories. The Greeks created their own beautiful, radiant gods. Using D’Aulaires’ Book of Greek Myths, students will interpret these stories through exciting text and glorious illustrations. The purpose of these classes is to introduce fourth graders to the wonderful myths about the 12 gods who resided on Mount Olympus. Not only are the myths fascinating and enjoyable to read and discuss, but they give the students the opportunity to discover the roots of many vocabulary words, the inspiration and subject matter in the fine arts, understanding Greek references in literature, and even the brand names of many of the products we use and see advertised throughout our culture. Before spring break the class will take the National Mythology exam. In December and January, fourth graders had the opportunity to travel. The study of Pacific Rim locations allowed the students an opportunity to create travel brochures to a wide variety of places. They make terrific travel agents! Their clients journeyed to exotic settings and were given the chance to see and do many different things. While planning their itinerary, the students researched many cultures and specifics about the cities and countries located on the Pacific Rim. The highlight of these trips is that they had unlimited travel funds. Now they will leave the Pacific and travel to the North Atlantic to explore the roots of the Vikings. Fourth graders were busier than ever during the weeks before we went off on winter break. It was a time of fast-paced, enthusiastic activity and the students seemed to enjoy all of it. The winter recess allowed a much-needed chance to rest and regroup, before returning this month. The new semester continues to offer many challenges as fourth graders prepare to enter the fifth grade. There will be new math concepts to learn, novels to critique, grammar rules to study, sharpening creative and expository writing skills and researching new cultures. Most importantly, we encourage each fourth grader to discover new ways to become a stronger and more successful student and contributing member of our society.
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Jump Rope for Heart By PE Teacher Rachel Simpson
special event will be taking place in PE on Valentine’s Day. Jump Rope for Heart! Students SK-6th have begun tuning up their jumping skill in preparation for Jump Rope for Heart. All students will participate in the event during their PE class on Monday, February 14 (SK on Tues 2/15). This fun, heart healthy event helps raise awareness of those affected by heart disease or heart defects. We will also discuss the importance of healthy life choices and how they affect our own hearts. The other element of Jump Rope for Heart is raising money to help save lives through the work of the American Heart Association. This in an optional element of the program. Students will receive envelopes will all the needed information if they choose to participate in the fund raising portion of the program. Last year, The Wilson School raised almost $1,000 for the American Heart Association. Students can earn prizes for their fundraising efforts. The emphasis of the event is to have fun, jump A LOT, and learn about ways to keep our hearts healthy.
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The Wilson Word
January 20, 2012
January & February Events Jan. 23-27
Elect Student Council Representatives (Grades 1-6)
Jan. 25
Assembly - BBC
Feb. 1
4th, 5th, 6th Book Club
Feb. 6
Pennies for Patients Collection Begins
Feb. 6-10
Candy Gram Sale
Feb. 13-14
Jump Rope for Heart (SK – Grade 6)
Feb. 14
Valentine’s Day Celebrations
Feb. 16
Friday Folder home
Feb. 17
No School – Professional Day (Childcare Available)
Feb. 20
No School – Presidents’ Day (No Childcare)
Feb. 22
Assembly - BBC
Feb. 24
Pennies for Patients End
Feb. 29
Re-enrollment Contracts Due (Returning students & new siblings)
Mark Your Calendars Now! Important Dates for 2012-2013! First Day of School: Winter Break: Spring Break: Last Day of School:
August 21 December 22-January 6 March 16-March 31 May 30
Check the Wilson School website for more dates and details:
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