Principal News From Mr. Kortens
Hello Park Community Families!
It is hard to believe that we are already into the last full month of the 17-18 school year. May is always a busy month in schools and this year is no exception. Please check out all the events that are coming up at our school during May.
The Kaukauna Strong Challenge - May 6th
This school family event is one of our three major fundraisers for our school. We currently have over 100 participants signed up but there is still plenty of room for more. You can Bike, Walk or Run to help our school. Online registration is open until midnight on Saturday May 5th and we will be taking on site registration between 11 and noon on Sunday. CLICK HERE to register!
Here is a video from last year's event.
Kaukauna Area School District Art Show May 8th at the Kaukauna Public Library
Each school in Kaukauna will have student artwork featured at this new community event. The art will be up for a few weeks but we encourage you to come out on May 8th to celebrate as a school district.
Volunteer Luncheon May 9th
Each year we like to recognize the people that volunteer in our classes on a regular basis. Our school family is stronger because of your work and we appreciate all you do for our students. You should have an invite from Mrs. Tennessen. If you do please remember to RSVP.
Diversity Puppet Show - May 16th
Each grade in our school will be seeing a puppet show on May 16th which celebrates the abilities of all people and helps kids in our school family understand the challenges that some of their classmates may face either physically or during learning. Each grade will see a 30 minute presentation which will also include a question and answer program after.
4th grade Visit to River View - May 23rd
Park Community 4th graders will be visiting River View with other 4th graders from across the district during the morning of May 23rd. They will meet teachers and administration from River View and will tour the school.
Grignon Showcase Event - May 23rd - 5:30 - 7:00
Our school family will be gathering at the Grignon Mansion on May 23rd to showcase our connections to the site from throughout this school year. We will also be making connections to STEAM which is a new program in our school this year. We will have stations at the Mansion that connect to Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Music. We are excited to renew this tradition and look forward to a GREAT turnout of families at this wonderful learning partner for our school.
Bay Beach School Family Celebration - May 31st
Our school family will be celebrating a great school year together at the Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary and Amusement Park on May 31st. Information on this event was sent home with every child and the permission slip and $5.00 cost needs to be in by May 4th. The entire cost of transportation has been covered by the Parent Advisory Committee and the Governance Board. Please contact the school office if you do not have information as soon as possible.
Last Day of School June 6th - 11:30 Dismissal
2018 Lambeau Field Booth Sign Up is HERE!
The first year of our Lambeau Field Booth was so successful that we are ready to go for another season. Last year we raised over $13,000! This money helped eliminate all of the small fundraisers that we needed in the past. No more pizza, cookie dough, flower seeds, popcorn and who knows what else we have sold over the years. The money raised has been used to help support training for our staff in Conscious Discipline which runs about $10,000 each year. This money also helped sponsor free family events to Skate City and Funset Boulevard and also helped cover the cost of transportation to our Bay Beach Celebration. This program has made a huge difference in the climate of our school and we could not do it without the money raised by this fundraiser.
If every family volunteered to work one 8 hour shift we would easily meet our goal each year.
Click Here to Sign Up Today for the best game dates!
Check out the full video of our 2nd grade Concert!
PE News from Mr. Rykal
Thankfully, the weather is starting to cooperate and we can get outside now. We are starting to work on our football skills in class. They have been practicing their throwing and catching with using the cues of stepping with the opposite foot and throwing towards a target. They have been doing a pretty good job so far. We will also include the skills of punting and kicking in the next few weeks as well. To finish off the year (that went fast!) we will also be working on frisbee throwing and catching and will include some disc golf in there too! We will be outside as much as the weather allows so remember to send a sweatshirt with your child in case it is needed.
Library News from Mrs. Lemke
It was National Library week April 8- the 14th, so it was fun to celebrate a successful Tech Summit involving most KASD schools on our in-service day, and everything the library has to offer!4th Grade wrote dialog, created visuals, uploaded their voice to their picture, and commented on their peer mythological creatures in Seesaw. In library skills, we reviewed what an effective or constructive comment is. After that, students were given time to watch and comment on each other’s mythological creature videos.
3rd Grade practiced writing a short opinion piece on their favorite tab of the library website. Students then taped their reviews keeping in mind the noise and voice level, background, content, reasons and other presentation skills. After taping their opinion clips, students will practice commenting on each other’s presentations focusing on the presentation skills we reviewed in class.
2nd Grade drafted, drew, and colored a front or back of one, full- sized, A- Z, shelf-marker book. These will help students find books in the Everyone section of our library easier. This section is organized A-Z according to the author’s last name. As a class, we discussed how to find books using call numbers, signs and the alphabet markers.
1st Grade reviewed what makes a story a fairytale, and that the library has several types of books. Fairytales are just one type of book that are sometimes all in one section, and how to find them. We also discussed what all fairytales have in common. Then, students listened for these “noticings”. As a class, we read a couple books and discovered there can be different versions of stories. These versions can be similar and different. Lastly, students wrote down the beginning, middle and end of our stories to help us find what was similar and different in the fairytales.
Kindergarten learned about fairytales and characters, and they helped me listen for what makes a book a fairytale. During an interactive read aloud, we read The Three Little Pigs. Students reminded me when we heard something that made the book a fairytale. We also talked about characters, inside and out. Students drew the outside of the character, and we wrote down the character’s inside thoughts or feelings.
Art with Mr. Theder
Kindergarten Artists finished their owl paintings while learning about color family. Kindergarten also worked on sponge printing. They got to paint a water scene and used sponges to print bubbles and waves. Kindergarten also got to practice cutting and pasting. They drew out their frog and lily pad and got to glue it on their painted water scene.
First Grade Artists finished up painting their chinese dragon paintings.They are working on their sponge printing. First grade got to learn how to use a sponge with paint to make realistic looking clouds. First grade then drew and cut out kites to glue on their sky background. During painting their kites, they got a chance to learn their secondary colors and how to mix them using primary colors.
Second Grade Artists are currently working on their clay chameleon. Second grade got a chance to learn how to make chameleon out of clay. They learned about the process of how to roll clay into a coil. They also learned how to attach clay together by slipping and scoring. Currently Second grade is painting their clay chameleon.
Third Grade Artists are currently working on their robotic bug painting. They started with choosing a insect or type of bug they wish to draw closely. Third grade then were encouraged to add details to make their bug look like it has mechanical features. Later third grade will use color family and tempera paint to finish them using patterns.
Fourth Grade Artists got to finish painting their clay pinch pot. They also are working on their design painting. Fourth grade were encouraged to draw a picture with designs that would tell a story. Fourth grade are learning how to paint with tempera paint, they are learning how to use a brush correctly.
Music With Mrs. Nimmer
The birthday composer for the month of April was Barbra Streisand. She is a living actress, singer, and composer. The song "Evergreen, " which she composed and recorded, won both an Oscar and a Grammy. She still performs today. We heard her perform the song "Evergreen" and also watched her sing a song called "Don't Rain on My Parade" from the musical "Funny Girl." For the month of May our birthday composer will be the folk song singer/writer, Bob Dylan.
In kindergarten, we learned the song “Alphabet Soup” which allows me to assess individual voices in a game song. We also played a circle game called “Starlight, Starbright” which is another opportunity for me to assess individual voices. We had fun learning the story of The Three Little Pigs, and watching the story told only through music. Each student got an opportunity to improvise on the bells with our song “Rain, Rain Go Away.” We also learned several songs about Earth Day this month, including a song called “Big, Beautiful Planet.” This month we were able to take some basic clapping patterns we have learned throughout the year, and “translate” these to quarter note and eighth note rhythms. It was exciting to use the “real” music notes this month!
In 1st grade we played a fun game called “Rhythm Clock.” It is a game that tests our speed in hearing and recognizing basic rhythmic patterns. We also learned a song called “How Does Your Garden Grow,” which tied in great with the vegetable seeds we took home for Earth Day! The students also had their first voice check of the year, which is a singing assessment test. They did great! We followed a listening map for “The Ballet of the Unhatched Chicks” by Mussorgsky, and we practiced hearing eighth note and quarter note patterns in everyday speech by classifying the names of flowers by the rhythmic patterns of the syllables.
In second grade we were introduced to the half note in the song "Frere Jacques." We learned to sing the song in French and English, and learned an ostinato that we also played on the bells. This song also gave us our first opportunity to practicing singing in a round! We learned the dotted half note in the song "Take Me Out to the Ballgame." The second graders will also have a "voice check" coming up in May (an opportunity for me to assess their voices in small groups).
In third grade we were introduced to "staff vocabulary" this month. We are learning terms such as treble clef, measure, bar line, time signature, and others to help us become proficient music readers as we prepare to play the recorder next year. The third graders continue to study the string family, and this month we focused on the instruments featured in a bluegrass band (banjo, mandolin, guitar, fiddle, and string bass). We read a fun book by Steve Martin, called Late for School. Martin turned this book into a bluegrass song featuring the banjo. We also got to see a recording of a bluegrass band performance. We had fun learning two songs in Swahili with the book, The Laughing River, which also featured some cool percussion sounds! One of our favorite songs to sing this month was an old folk song called "Oh Susanna," which reinforces the verse/refrain form.
In 4th grade we finished up our study of the percussion family. We have now studied all 4 families of instruments, as students prepare to choose an instrument to play in the band or orchestra at River View next year. Watch for information to come home in September which will give the details about signing up for band or orchestra in 5th grade. We have so many great musicians, I hope to see many of them continuing their instrument studies well past our 4th grade recorder skills!
Speaking of recorder, the 4th graders each completed their own 4 measure recorder compositions as well this month. They also performed their compositions for the class. One of our favorite songs to sing in April was "Fifty Nifty," which requires us to sing all fifty states in alphabetical order! We got to learn about 1st and 2nd endings in this song as well.
News from the School Nurse
Why should your child get immunized? The State of Wisconsin does require children indaycare facilities and schools to be immunized against certain contagious diseases. The purpose of this law is to prevent disease and suffering and any permanent disability resulting from the disease. Additionally immunizing as many children as possible will help prevent the spread of these contagious diseases and in the long run extinguish these diseases completely; Smallpox is a good example of a disease that historically was commonly vaccinated for but is not longer is due to the fact that it has not be seen since the early 1980s.
The following is the required immunization schedule for children in the State of Wisconsin. As you can see there are additional immunizations that are needed when children begin their kindergarten and grade 6 school years.
Grade Vaccines
Preschool 4 DTaP, 3 polio, 1 MMR and 1 Varicella
Kindergarten through grade 5 4 DTaP, 4 polio, 2 MMR and 2 Varicella
Grade 6 through grade 12 1 Tdap, 4 DTaP, 4 polio, 2 MMR and 2 Varicella
The above is a guideline. There are some exceptions and also clarifications on this chart. More information can be found at the Wisconsin Department of Health Services website or on the website for your local county public health department.
Please feel free to contact the nurse at your child’s school with any questions on immunization requirements.
SCHOOL COUNSELING NEWS!! From Mr. Zamost
May Classroom Guidance
During the month of May, students will be introduced to the relationship between learning and work, realize the importance of good work habits and focus on age-appropriate employability skills, such as organizing and problem-solving. Students enjoy sharing their developing interests, strengths and dreams. Kindergarten, first and second grade will think about potential careers and how they relate to their “jobs” at school. Third and fourth grades will begin to recognize the connections between school responsibility and career responsibility while looking at their own personal interests and abilities.
K-Kids Update!
During the month of April K-Kids were busy… We have two huge buckets of donated toys that K-Kids organized to donate to the Ronald McDonald House! We also made dog toys for Saving Paws animal shelter and helped with spring cleaning as we went around the neighborhoods and picked up garbage. Our last K-Kids meeting will be May 10th, we will have our end of the year celebrations along with looking forward to next year!
News from our Reading Specialist Mrs. Keehan!
Summer Reading Tips for Parents
Summer shouldn't mean taking a break from learning, especially when it comes to reading. Studies show that most students experience a loss of reading skills over the summer months, but children who continue to read actually gain skills. During the summer parents can help children sustain (and even bolster) reading skills, strengthen their vocabulary and reinforce the benefits of reading for enjoyment.
Remember that children need free time, away from structured academic learning, and the summer is the perfect time to relax and enjoy the pleasures of childhood. So summer reading should be fun. The following are a few tips to make summer reading enjoyable for your children:
- Read aloud together with your child every day.
- Make it fun by reading outdoors -- on the front steps, patio, at the beach or park. Also, let your children read to you. For younger children, be sure to practice letter-sound correspondence, do lots of rhyming and clapping out syllables, and explore the relationships between oral language and print.
- Set a good example! Keep lots of reading material around the house. Turn off the TV and have family reading time (including mom and dad).
- Let kids choose what they want to read. Every so often, read the same book your child is reading and discuss it.
- Buy books on tape or check them out at the library. This can be especially helpful for a child with a learning disability. Listen to these recordings in the car, or turn off the TV and have the family listen to them together at home.
- As you go through the day… Cooking, gardening, grocery shopping, playing games — utilize this time as an opportunity to engage in verbal word play, vocabulary building, recognizing new and familiar words or attaching meaning to words and sentences.
- Take your children to the library regularly. Most libraries sponsor summer reading clubs with easy-to-reach goals for school-age children. Check the library calendar for special summer reading activities and events. Libraries also provide age appropriate lists for summer reading.
- Subscribe, in your child's name, to magazines. Some magazines you can subscribe to are Sports Illustrated for Kids, Highlights for Children, or National Geographic World. Encourage older children to read the newspaper and current events magazines as a way of keeping up the reading habit over the summer and enhancing a growing vocabulary. Ask them what they think about what they've read, and listen to what they say.
- Ease disappointment over summer separation from a favorite school friend by encouraging them to become pen pals. Present both children with postcards or envelopes that are already addressed and stamped. If both children have access to the Internet, email or instant messaging are other options.
- Trips can be a fun way to encourage reading. Ask your children to read traffic signs and billboards aloud. Show them how to read a map, and once you are on the road, let them take turns being the navigator.
- Encourage children to keep a summer scrapbook. Tape in souvenirs of your family's summer activities — picture postcards, ticket stubs, photos. Have your children write the captions and read them aloud as you look at the book together.
(excerpt taken from: http://www.ncld.org/in-the-home/supporting-learning-at-home/homework-and-study-skills/summer-reading-tips-for-parents)
Updates from Mrs. Tennessen
A note from Chartwells…
With the end of the school year fast approaching we ask that you take note of your child/children’s lunch account balance. Accounts will have to be brought up to date by the end of the school year. If we do not receive payment by Tuesday, June 12th, 2018, and the account balance is more than a $20.00 negative it will be sent to the Kaukauna Area School District Collection Agency.
If you choose to let your child/children’s lunch account balance go below the $5.00 mark because of the end of the year, please remember the Kaukauna Area School District Messenger Service will continue to contact you. This is an automated service and cannot be turned off.
Remember to make each day a safe and healthy one!
District Flyers!
Click on the link below to access information on these community events.Elementary:
- The Great Bunny Train
- 2018 Kaukauna Softball Flyer
- Safety Town Flyer
- Walking for Wishes Flyer
- ARTgarage Youth Summer Camp Flyer
- 2018 Fox River Girls Hockey Club Flyer
- Best Friends Bike Tour Flyer
- YMCA Camp Nan A Bo Sho Flyer
- YMCA Before and After School Flyer
- UW Extension Summer Camp
- Kaukauna Public Library Summer Reading Programs
- Bridging Brighter Smiles
Link for Community Flyers and Events:
http://www.kaukauna.k12.wi.us/community/communityevents.cfm
