From Dr. Rudolph Motto I play it cool I dig all jive That's the reason I stay alive My motto As I live and learn Is dig and be dug in return ~ Langston Hughes As we start the beginning of black history month, I wanted to share my favorite Langston Hughes poem, a timely poem that epitomizes the Westminster difference. What makes us special? What makes parents “dig” us? How about our commitment to ensuring that students learn high to write critically about their life and the topics that they learn… Could it be that we are using Ipads to help students learn their letters (kindergarten), math and other key concepts… That our new science curriculum is rated as one of the top curriculums in the world and that it beats out top performing countries like Finland and Singapore… That we are taking student safety seriously and investing in more security measures / equipment to help ensure that we can prevent tragedies like the one at Sandy Hook… Or our drive to create a digital learning environment where students have access to technology from the start of the day until the end of the day… Maybe it is M&T Bank’s ongoing commitment to the school… What ever it is that makes you “dig” us. Thank you. We are going to continue to show you the Westminster Difference and we are going to continue to focus on being Buffalo’s best!!!
Update on security: As you know the country was shook by the events at Sandy Hook Elementary. Our hearts go out to that community and those who have lost loved ones. My commitment to you is to assure that we maintain a safe environment for all. This means that we are going require advanced notice for visits to classrooms. We have and will continue to install more security cameras on the school grounds, inside and outside of the building. We will require that all visitors have an ID present and we will soon have a new automated system for signing students in and out. We will continue to update parent phone numbers so that we can utilize the automated phone system for updates and emergencies. Finally we will continue to check identification to make sure that only those who are authorized to may visit and pick up students are admitted in the building.
So what does this mean for you? Call ahead for visits to classrooms. The key is to let the teacher know that you want to visit the classroom (email or via phone). If you are having problems reaching a teacher then please let an administrator know. We strongly encourage visits and parent volunteerism, but they must be done through the formalized process. If you want to volunteer establish a regular schedule with the teacher. Structures and routines make schools run well. It is also good to determine what you are doing before hand to help ensure that everyone has a great experience. Contact administration about other volunteering opportunities to assist or with suggestions for improvements. Be patient and understanding about the changes. Most importantly, understand that the ultimate goal is to create a safe environment for your child.
Westminster Credo‌ We believe that our first responsibility is to the students, parents and community members, who attend our school, use our services and interact with us. In meeting their needs everything we do must be high quality. We must constantly strive to use the best instructional practices, in order to provide the best education possible. Students, parents and community members must be serviced promptly, courteously and in a fair way. More importantly our students must have an opportunity to gain from their education. We are responsible to our employees, the men and women who work with us within our community. Everyone must be considered as an individual. We must respect their dignity and recognize their merit. They must have a sense of security in their jobs. Assignment and workloads must be fair and adequate, and working conditions clean, orderly and safe. We must be mindful of ways to help our families fulfill their family responsibilities. Employees must feel free to make suggestions and complaints. There must equal opportunity for leadership, development, and advancement for those qualified. We must provide competent management, and their actions must be just and ethical. We are responsible to the communities in which we live and work and to the world as well. We must be good citizens – support good works and model a belief in supporting charities. We must encourage civic improvements, a better understanding of ourselves and others, and our impact on our greater community. Ultimately our most important responsibilities are to our students. Our daily work must provide students with a sound and innovative education, a place for social and emotional growth. We must experiment with new ideas and emerging technology. We must take risks with the curricula. The physical plant must continue to be cared for in a timely manner. Risk should be taken to reflect our value and our purpose of developing a rigorous and caring environment. When we operate according to these principles, the students should be the beneficiaries of our work.
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Mission: “To challenge the status quo – to encourage people to think differently about their station in life. We do this through assuring that there are high levels of learning, by creating a safe and caring environment, and promoting community involvement in order to prepare students for a successful secondary experience.” Vision: It is our goal to become a national leader in education within 5 years. As we use this term leadership we mean higher standardized test scores, exemplary survey results, more applicable learning experiences, more innovation that serves our teachers and students’ interest, and a more attractive place to work than any other school. Achieving this ambitious goal will probably require double-digit gains in standardized test and additional resources from outside sources. It surely will require that we become less test oriented, more expeditionary focused, considerably less bureaucratic, and more of a service, instead of a product, oriented school. We sincerely believe that if we work together we can achieve this change and in the process create a school that will be admired by our students, parents, teachers, and community. Core Values: Insatiable Willing to play in the sandbox Travel to where the sidewalk ends… Prepared to fail
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News From the Guidance Department!!! Who are the school counselors? Mr. Abraham and Ms. Cooper. Contact information: 716-816-3452
Services we provide for your students?
What's coming up:
1.
Individual Counseling
1.
2.
Group Counseling
National Junior Honor Society Induction
3.
Conflict Resolution
2.
Black history Program
4.
Peer Mediation
3.
5.
Mentoring
Honor Roll/ Merit Roll Recognition
6.
Butterfly Mentoring Group
7.
High School Ahead
8.
High School Exploration
mmabraham@buffaloschools.org
9.
Career Exploration
dacooper@buffaloschools.org
10. National Junior Honor Society
**Eighth Grade Parents please contact the Guidance Department when you are notified of your students High School Acceptances**
12. Parent Support 13. Academic Intervention
“A People without Knowledge of its history, is like a tree without its roots�
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Guidance Department
Mr. Abraham
11. Honor Roll/ Merit Roll Recognition
Pictured from far left Ms. Robinson (School Nurse) left Ms. Sonya (Nurse Assistant) Mrs. Gabryel (School Social Worker), Far Right Ms. Cooper (School Counselor) In the middle Mr. Abraham (School Counselor )
W.C.C.S.
Ms. Cooper
Special Education Corner!! Co-Teaching What is Co-Teaching? Two or more people sharing instructional responsibility for the students assigned to a classroom Distribution of responsibility among people for planning, instructing and evaluating students assigned to classroom A way to facilitate access to the general education curriculum by differentiation of instruction to increase students’ success in mixed ability classrooms Collaboration of people with diverse backgrounds and interests to share knowledge and skills that generate
novel methods to individualize learning A partnership that can be likened to a marriage wherein it is necessary to establish trust, develop and work on communication, share the chores, celebrate, work together creatively to overcome inevitable challenges and problems, anticipate conflict, and handle them all in a constructive way. What is Not Co-Teaching? One person always taking a lead role and the other person always relegated to secondary supportive role
1.
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pate
2.
Tiuasm
fully in an activity.
3.
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4.
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5.
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B. A brain development disorder characterized by impaired social interaction, communication and by restricted and repetitive behavior.
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One teacher conducting a lesson while others are standing or sitting by and watching One person deciding what is to be taught or how it will be taught
SPED Teachers Ms. C. Horton Mrs. V. Baxter
One person teaching while the other is grading papers or making copies
Ms. K. Sullivan
One person working with students identified as disabled in the back of the classroom (essentially creating an island in the mainstream).
Ms. L. Gallagher
Mr. C. Hufnagel Ms. R. Bernecki
SPED Coordinator Mrs. F. Hanesworth
Source: National Professional Resources, Inc. www.NPRinc.com
One person teaching
Special Education Scramble
A. Changes that allow a person with a disability partici-
one subject followed by another who teaches a different subject
C. Physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities D. The placement of a special needs student in a manner promoting the maximum possible interaction with the general school population.
E. Special education term outlined by IDEA to define the written document that states the disabled child's goals, objectives and services for students receiving special education.
Kindergarten Quick Thoughts! Ways to Help at Home: Read books from with your child in the Take Home book bag each night and use sight words cards so they are learned in a snap. Clean out your child’s folder nightly. Talk to your child! “What was the BEST part of your day?” “What could have been better? Why?”
Story tell about your day! Start like this… “I had a great day today. First I _____. Next I ____. Finally I thought of you and that is why it was so great.
As we continue our Mrs. Niedermeier studies of America: Symbols and Holidays, Mrs. Searight Barnes we encourage you to Mrs. Mineo spend some time talking to your child and asking questions about what they have Special points learned.
of interest:
Your child has PE each day so s/he must bring in sneakers to change into.
We are working symbols and celebrations throughout our day!
The Reader’s Nook The children are blossoming as readers. They are spotting our word wall words in many different books and print all around 6
the room. All are reading ‘Just Right Books’ that are leveled according to their word knowledge. As they gain more
Business Name
familiarity to new words they will move into a new reading level.
Many children still do not know how to tie their shoes. Make this a competition at home- “Can you loop the laces and then I’ll help? How fast can you go?” With time and practice, your child will learn!
Writer’s Corner The children are writing and really communicating through written words exactly what they want to say. At this point most of the children are quite comfortable with letter identification and corresponding sound. We will continue to work on correct formation,
hearing the sound within a word, blending sounds to decode words, and the ability to independently write the sounds when working on a story. We ask the children to say each word, then say it slowly to
write sounds they hear, so that they do not become dependent on asking for the spelling or hearing the teacher accentuate the sounds. As we work on writing opinion pieces, encourage your child to STATE the opinion and list REASONS across their fingers.
Humanities As we continue our studies of America: Symbols and Celebrations, we have been busy creating Statues of Liberty, discussing why Martin Luther King is a hero and a symbol and also explaining how the American Eagle reminds us of
America: strong, tough and never gives up– just like America!
Math We have been studying Geometry. We learned the names of plane and solid shapes and practiced making Shape Monsters.
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Next up? We will be starting our unit on Measurement. Get ready to measure at home with your child!
What’s Happening in First Grade?! Humanities First grade is working hard in Humanities! We have been looking at how different cultures tell fairy tales. We read versions of
Cinderella from
America, Egypt, Iraq, France, and China. We then looked at maps and globes to see where these fairy tales came from!
Reading:
Check us out
In reading, we are busy reading as many fairy tales as we can with our partners to compare features like setting, heroes and villains, and magic!
making paper
Writing:
mache globes that we then labeled with the 5 oceans and 7 continents!
Do you like fairy tales? Then you should come check out our writing! We are writing persuasive reviews about the characters, settings, and magic in our fairy tales. Who is YOUR favorite fairy tale villain?
Important Dates: January 24th: Parent Nutrition Information Meeting February 13th: Family Math Night (5:00-6:30 pm) February 15-18th: President’s Day Break February 28th: Black History Program (9am)
Mr. Johnson’s class busy making paper mache globes.
What’s next?! Math
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1st Grade: Mrs. Miller, Mr. Johnson and Mr. Tepas
Our next unit in math will focus
take a look at long objects and
We are going to use words like,
on measurement. The first way
figure out if we should measure a
most, least, fewest and greatest.
we will be measuring is by deter-
long object with pencils or pa-
When we are measuring length
mining the length of an object.
perclips. The second way we will
and graphing, students will be
We are going to use words like,
be measuring is by looking at bar
putting objects/results in order
longest, shortest and in between.
graphs and pictographs. We will
from least to greatest or great-
Students will be measuring
be creating surveys and showing
est to least.
length using paperclips, snap
the results of our surveys on a
cubes and even pencils. We will
graph.
January 2013 2nd grade News Mr. Taggart
Room 251
Mrs. Vishion
Room 252
Focused for the New Year!!! January Units of Study Hand-Me-Down Tales From Around the World Students will practice opinion and narrative writing as they read a wide variety of legends, folktales, and informational books from around the world
Tip of the Month While reading with your child, stop and ask, “What’s going on in the story so far?” Do Jumping Jacks with your child while skip counting by 5’s Changing of the Season
Math Regrouping 10 ones for 1 ten Adding two-and one-digit numbers Adding two-digit numbers Adding on a number line Solving word problems
January Birthdays 1/8: Eric 1/15: Bruce 1/19: Jayden
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Please make sure that your child comes to school with their belongings labeled as sometimes students have the same snow boots and/or cold weather accessories.
Breakfast Breakfast starts at 8:00 sharp and ends promptly at 8:15. Please make sure your child is on time to enjoy the delicious breakfast so that they can start their day energized and with fuel for their brain.
Homework Please remind your child to read NIGHTLY…reading is the key to success!!
Good Things Come in Threes! Hello again third grade parents! As you’ve probably heard, our students are actively engaged in an exciting new unit called Creative, Inventive, and Notable People. We are reading biographies and studying character traits that help to inspire individuals to be creative and inventive. There are many ways to learn about individuals including biographies, articles, internet research, and videos. You tube offers educational opportunities for kids but be sure to help your son or daughter navigate the searches as
there is a wide range of content on the internet. In math, we have been studying multiplication and division. Students should be getter more comfortable with their multiplication and division facts. They have several strategies to solve multiplication and division problems and are encouraged to draw pictures to be good problem solvers. We can’t thank you enough for all your help with making sure your sons and daughters have their homework turned in and are in full uniforms each day! Stay tuned next month for news on our upcoming
What Fun!!! DID YOU HEAR? Ms. Kolb and the third grade classes have been participating in a series of field trips to the Burchfield Penny Art Gallery on the Buffalo State College Campus. Our students have been observing various collections as well as studying artists with local connections.
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W.C.C.S. unit, The People, The Preamble, and The Presidents. We will be studying Individual Presidents and the most important events during their terms. We will look into the Constitution and study Immigration in the United States.
Third Grade Classes Mr. Koch Ms. Rosenthal Mrs. Moon
NYS Math & ELA Exams 24 Westminster Avenue Buffalo, NY 14215 Phone: 716-816-3450 E-mail: srosenthal@buffaloschools.org skoch@buffaloschools.org dlmoon@buffaloschools.org
erccs.org Westminst
We have embarked on a new year and are excited about the progress our third graders have made in all areas. This is the time of year when some of the focus will be on preparing the students for taking the NYS math & ELA exams in April. The most important ways to assist your child on this endeavor is by creating time & opportunities for them to read independently and practice multiplication facts at home every night. Every student should be working towards strengthening reading comprehension strategies as well as the understanding of math concepts learned in class. Be on the look out for additional reading comprehension homework that may come home as well as math review sheets. Thank you in advance for your help!
WCCS
Black History Program February is Black History Month!!! :) WCCS will hold its own Black History Program on February 28th, 2013 at 9:00am in the school auditorium. Every grade from Pre-K through 8th will participate in the program. The theme is “African American Innovators”. An innovator is a pioneer; someone who is the first to introduce something that is better than before. It’s also someone who opens up a new area for others. We are super excited to say third grade will present a short skit on Oprah Winfrey, Jackie Robinson and Dorothy Dandridge. Mark you calendars so that you won’t miss a group of talented students put their love for the arts on display.
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Important Dates Keep your eyes open for distribution of report cards that reflect the 2nd marking period grades February 18th ~ President’s Day ~ No School Our Black History Program will be held on February 28th, 2013. Come join us!
February 28th ~ Black History Program
Fourth Grade! Humanities We hope you had a wonderful holiday and a restful break. We have started a new curriculum called Humanities. It is a culmination of reading, writing, social studies, and content rich vocabulary. Our topic for January through early Feb. is Revolutionaries of our past. We have been studying people such as John Adams, George Washington, Abraham
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Lincoln, and Susan B. Adams and asking, “What makes them a revolutionary?” We have just finished our angles unit and have moved into metric conversions, including elapsed time. This math unit moves quickly, so please make sure your child is here on time for the start of math instruction (8:20). Please continue to encourage nightly
Notes: reading and writing. Mrs. Niedermeier Mrs. Searight Barnes
All parents must have a scheduled appointment with their child’s teacher if they need to speak with them. No parents are allowed in the classroom during instructional time and phone calls may be made to the main office and a note will be given to the teacher. We will call you back as soon as possible.
5th Grade Newsletter! Westminster Community Charter School
IMPORTANT REMINDERS: Please make sure your child is reading their fiction/ non fiction books at home every night for at least 45 minutes. Please look at your child's planners daily to check for homework assignments. Our Black History Month Program will be 2/28. Students from our classroom will be performing! We will be going on a field trip to Kleinhans Music Hall 2/6. There are many 5th graders that have roles in the upcoming play, The Little Mermaid. Please make arrangements to come see the rewards of all their hard work!
Readers and Writers of Workshop HUMANITIES New to our schedules this year is our humanities units. We are reading, writing, and creating projects based off our unit called, Renaissance Thinking. We are learning about the time in our history when there was a rebirth, or revival of art and literature. In studying this great cultural movement, we are learning about great figures such as Michelangelo, Leonardo Di Vinci, and Galileo Galilei. We created frescoes out of plaster and water and painted them to recreate Michelangelo’s painting of the Sistine Ceiling. Most importantly, we have been viewing many videos, reading countless articles, and joining in some of the most interesting grand conversations to discuss and learn about the meaning of creativity and how it changes our world. Students are now even using their notebooks as places to record their thinking, sketches, ideas, and inventions, similar to what the great Leonardo Di Vinci did. Students made designs in Styrofoam plates, filled it with plaster, and painted it when it hardened to replicate fresco
What our Mathematicians are doing... Fifth grade mathematicians are learning to add, subtract, multiply, divide, and model fractions. We have been doing many interactive activities, in groups and partnerships, discussing and sharing ideas with one another, and even using music to help us understand math concepts!
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Sixth Grade News Science: Innovation is creation! In Science we are finishing our innovation unit by studying the science of plants and hydroponics. Hydroponics is the process of growing plants from without soil. This method is better than soil because it is faster, more effective, and can be set up in any location. Students have been testing pH of liquids, acting out photosynthesis, and writing reports on "A Day in the Life of a Hydroponic Plant." As the final bend of the unit, students will be inventing a hydroponic system that actually works. Students will be looking for materials for their systems around school and at home. This unit helps students practice their problem-solving, critical thinking, and evaluation skills. Keep up the good work! Social Studies: Students are on the hunt for innovation in Social Studies. We are studying innovations of the past, present and even future and are looking for ordinary and extraordinary innovations we use each day. So far, we have studied famous innovators such as Shaun White and Rosa Parks, have determined traits of innovators and have even named out factors that can lead to innovations. Over the next few weeks, we will be studying some social issues facing our society today and creating our own innovative solutions for these problems. This work has been incredibly challenging and rewarding for students and teachers alike.
Math: Sixth grade math is all over the grid this month as we have been graphing points on the coordinate plane, representing real world and mathematical problems, and interpreting coordinate values. We’ve also spent time calculating the distance between points, graphing polygons, and using independent and dependent variables to complete tables and graphs. Our next unit moves on to ratios and unit rates. We will express, write, explain, and simplify ratios like they are going out of style! Before long, when we go grocery shopping, we’ll be able to help find the best value for the items we’re buying!
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Welcome to Junior High! 7th Grade ELA: In Seventh grade ELA, the students have been working very hard reading and note -taking around the theme of courage. We have read many books and watched countless real-life videos. We are now embarking on a journey of writing. Over the next few weeks, students will put on their “writing caps” and draft three separate essays with the focus of courage. This will be the opportunity to take all of their knowledge and notes and turn it into something remarkable.
8th Grade ELA: Read and Write All About It! Hopefully you see your 8th grader stealing moments to read a book they love. Hopefully you hear them talk about the authenticity of books, movies, and other mediums. Hopefully you feel they are developing into empathetic citizens ready to tackle a more complex interconnected global community. Currently in Reading we are studying the authenticity of urban literature. As an 8th grader, your child is judging the authenticity of characters, issues, and author’s craft. Meanwhile in writing, they are working on the art of writing persuasive essay about the authenticity of the text they read. This allows your child to have a distinct voice in critiquing works to better reflect an authentic urban experience. Feel free to talk to your child about their take on the authenticity of commercials, books, movies, and even songs. This is sure to make them more thoughtful producers in the world!
7th Grade Math: In 7th Grade Math we are finishing up our unit on Percent’s and Proportional Relationships. Students have been working very hard on solving real world problems involving percent's and the multiple ways to solve them. Next time you go to the store or to a restaurant ask your child to calculate the tax, amount of savings, tip or total bill. Please ask your child to see his/her homework on a nightly basis.
8th Grade Math: In 8th grade Math we are currently working on Solving Systems of Linear Equations. Students are learning to solve systems algebraically using either substitution or the elimination methods. Systems of Linear Equations can also be solve Graphically by solving each equation for y. Please ask students to see their homework nightly to ensure it is complete.
Algebra: In algebra we are currently working on the Algebra Performance Indicators on Set Theory and Trigonometry. Please ensure that your child is completing their homework at night for review the next day. Algebra requires more practice than regular math and it is imperative that each student try the sample problems to expand on what they have learned in class. Please check my website http://www.nylearns.org/ahamilton for daily notes and homework assignments. Other resources like http://www.khanacademy.org and http://www.regentsprep.org are amazing resources with additional instructional materials to help the students clear up any other confusing concepts that they may have outside of class. Thank you for your support!
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Welcome to the Art Room! Kindergarten Art: America: Symbols and Celebrations Kindergarten students are currently working in art on America and its symbols. Students are creating a cut paper American flag. Next art class students will draw a picture of the Statue of Liberty. They will then glue Lady Liberty on top of their finished flags.
First Grade Art: Around the World with a Glass Slipper First grade students are traveling around the world learning about masks from different cultures. We are comparing and contrasting how masks are used in different parts of the world. In the next few classes students will paint these masks and add details to them.
Second Grade Art: Hand-Me-Down Tales From Around the World Second grade students are currently studying the art of china. We have learned about folk tales from China. Students are creating Chinese Cherry Blossom Trees with blown ink. Students have also been learning about Terracotta Soldiers and the legend behind them. Students are creating these unique sculpted soldier masks using plaster and paint.
Third Grade Art: Creative, Inventive, and Notable People Third grade students have been learning about 20th century artists and inventors. We studied the art of Basquait and created our own abstract self-portraits. Students are currently learning about the 20th century artist Candace Keegan. We are inventing our own robots that have the ability to fix something in the world around us. Third grade students have also been taking several trips to the Burchfield Penney Art Center. We have talking about, exploring, and writing about artwork in our community.
Fourth Grade Art: Revolutionaries From the Past Fourth grade students have been learning about what it means to be a revolutionist. We have discussed how we can change the world around us. Students are creating Revolutionary Mats. Students chose symbols of change to incorporate into their mats. When they are finished students will create a personal symbol about something in their world they would like to change or make better. These symbols will be glued onto the center of their mat.
Sixth Grade Art: Innovation Sixth grade students are working on a unit centered around Innovation and what it means to be an innovative thinker. The first project they are working on is to create their very own robot which they must price and market to the public. Their next project will be to look at the architecture of Hundertwasser. They will then create an innovative building. We will combine our class building together to create an innovative futuristic city.
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5th Grade Art - Creativity and Renaissance Techniques Our first lesson focused on how the subject matter and the creative freedoms of an artist really began to change during the Renaissance. Much of the work was still commissioned but many artists started to use their own vision, expression and interpretation within their art. In order to capture and experience this creative change, the Fifth Grade team used “Music as Inspiration” to create a Representational piece of art. This technique was used by Bruegel, Botticelli and Pontormo. The students would listen to a piece of instrumental music, and envision what
was taking place. The next lesson will cover the “Rule of Thirds” using the human form and gesture. This was a tried and true technique of the Renaissance period that is still used by artists’, photographers’ and website designers’ today. The third and final lesson will cover the ancient technique of Printmaking. The students will start by creating a script style font to learn the process of printmaking. Next, we learn about Divine Proportions and the Golden Ratio in order to create a Coaxial design that the students will use in their final publishing pieces.
Sample of tools and carving plates that utilize the Divine Proportions and the Golden Ratio (techniques from Renaissance period that are still used today).
7th Grade Art - Courage and Meaning The 7th grade students are using the topics learned in Reading and Writing to create 2 pieces of art. We looked at how propaganda was used to affect and persuade a person’s thinking, whether it was writing, art or music. In order to do this we broke down and discussed what Denotation and Connotation are; how they could be applied to the same idea but yield different responses.
“Devastation”
The next lesson will cover courage and story within art. We will look at some fine art examples of this theme in order to see how the masters were able to portray this topic.
Denotative Connotative
We will focus on human form, controlling composition, proximity and value renderings. This will be quite challenging due to the volume of important content all bundled in one piece of art.
Artist’s of the Month - January Left: Kimalexis Bessick 7th Grade
Right: Javonna Lindsay 7th Grade “Paradise” Oil Pastels Style: Fauvism/Expressionism
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“Echoing of a Bird’s Song” Graphite, Colored Pencil Style: Tessellation, Math
Westminster PE and Health Newsletter
Westminster Students Play K-2 Over the past few weeks our Kindergarten through Second Grade students have been working on their striking unit. Striking is a gross motor skill that incorporates hand-eye coordination. We are working with the students to strike at all levels, low, medium and high, and also with partners and teams.
Upcoming PE Units
Finishing Volleyball
1st Grade
Racquet Sports
3-5
Stunts and Tumbling Striking with short and long handled implements Hand-Eye Coordination
3rd
The Third through Fifth grade students have been working on the basics of Volleyball over the last few classes. We have learned the forearm pass, the set and the serve. If you have a minute with your children, ask them to teach you one or all of the skills. Lets test their knowledge of the sport.
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Our Sixth through eighth grade students have been reviewing and practicing the cues and rules to volleyball. They will be competing in games such as Walleyball (pictured to the left), and other modified versions of volleyball. By the end of the unit students will compete in round robin volleyball tournaments in their classes.
Westminster Sports Westminster has 3 basketball teams competing right now. There is a 5th and 6th grade team, a Boys Middle School Team, and a Girls Middle School Team. Please come out and support our students!! Schedules can be found outside the gym on the bulletin board! 18
8th
6th Grade Health
Currently, we are learning about our Cardiovascular System. The students have been taking their resting heart rate and their working heart rate and are learning the differences between them. We have been utilizing the new WCCS fitness room during class to get an authentic, real world learning experience. Over the next few classes students will be learning to calculate their maximum heart rate using a mathematical formula and the effects of stress on their bodies. We will also be learning some relaxation/meditation techniques. The students will also be completing a project to illustrate how blood flows in the body. This will also give the students an experience that they need to know in their eighth grade science class!!!
Mrs. Venator, Librarian
Primary Classes In our primary library classes, grades Kindergarten through 3rd, we are studying several different humanities units. The library is working in conjunction with the classroom teachers’ units so the students learning and understanding furthers across subject areas.
Kindergarten: We read a story called Liberty's Journey and were able to use books and technology to view and learn about The Statue of Liberty.
1st Grade:
3rd Grade:
We read Glass Slipper Gold Sandal. These classes are also using books and technology to learn more about fairy tales from many different cultures.
The first of the many notable people we will discuss was Alexander Graham Bell. We all know why he is so important, the students could not imagine their lives without a telephone! He also invented many of things of which most of us were not aware.
2nd Grade: Our students in second grade are learning about and sharing folk tales from many countries. We have already read and listened to
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We had a successful Fall Book Fair. Thank you to everyone who was able to stop by. Our next Book Fair, buy one get one free, is coming in May 2013! The library has been able to add several new books thanks to the profits earned from the Book Fair.
Jack and the Beanstalk.
Secondary Classes In our secondary classes, grades 4th and 5th, the library is working in conjunction with the classroom teachers’ and their humanities units so the students learning and understanding furthers across subject areas.
Special points of interest:
4th Grade
5th Grade
We are studying American Revolutionaries. In class we are using books and technology to learn more about people from our past. Some upcoming activities will work with reference materials.
We are studying Renaissance Thinking. The use of reference materials and technology is helping the students gain additional knowledge of people and facts from this time period.
The Westminster CCS Cafe Did you know that at Westminster, all of the food is prepared from scratch and freshly made? We believe that processed and artificially flavored foods are unhealthy and hurt the well-being of our children so we make sure to use whole ingredients and create dishes that the students will love. One of the most important elements of our menus is that they are not only well-balanced but also delicious. We achieve this by starting with the freshest ingredients possible and then creating dishes that are low in sodium, fat and sugar, but high in flavor.
duced the students to new vegetables such as cauliflower, broccoli, kale, sweet potatoes, and spinach. Each month the menus include authentic foods from different cuisines such as Mexican, Chinese, and Caribbean in order to expose the students to new flavors. The food at WCCS is unlike any other school in Western New York. We are proud to say the Food Service Program here is truly Buffalo’s Best!
In addition, we have also intro-
Breakfast in the Classroom!! To All Parents: Please make sure to have your child at school by 8am so that they can eat breakfast in their classroom. This is free for all students and it is absolutely vital that children eat a healthy and nutritious breakfast. It is one of the most important steps in starting 20
the day properly in order to be prepared mentally and physically for the day ahead. Beginning February 11, we will be expanding our current breakfast items to also include homemade French Toast Sticks, homemade muffins, and fresh fruit salad.
Breakfast stops being served at 8:20am, so it is critical to make sure your children are here on time to ensure they can enjoy a complete and nutritious breakfast before the start of their school day.