November 2016

In this issue

Intro Ms Long 1

PE 2

Media 3

Art 4

Technology 5

Music 6

Science 7

Specials Banners

Each day in specials, classes receive a score

between 1 and 4.

4 = Excellent job

3 = Good job

2 = Try harder

1 = Needs improvement

At the end of each quarter, banners (Gold,

Silver, Bronze) are given to the top three

classes of each grade level according to their averaged scores received

in all special classes (art, media, music, PE, STEM, technology).

1. Favorite color: red or anything bright

2. lives: Raleigh, NC

3. college: University of North Carolina at Greensboro

4. birthday: February 22

5. favorite beverage: Coffee or Mt. Dew

6. favorite restaurant: Outback

7. favorite team: NCSU Wolfpack!

8. favorite place: The Beach!

9. hobbies: Singing, animal fostering, jewelry making

10. interesting fact: I sang back up once for Barry

Manilow while in college.

Meet Carrie Long,

NFP’s Music Specialist

10 Things You Didn’t Know about Carrie Long

Page 2 Specials News

Shoes in PE Special

Coach Matthews, PE Specialist

Every day in physical education we stress safety. Parents can help with safety and that

is why I'm asking for your help. Please make sure on PE days that your student is equipped

with tennis shoes that will enable them to move safely in class.

These shoes DO NOT include Crocs, Sperry's, slip on shoes (ex-BOBS, Vans) thick-

soled shoes, cowboy boots, fashion boots, flip-flops, dress shoes, wedge heeled shoes, sandals,

shoes with small straps on top that leave the top of the foot exposed, open toed/open heeled

shoes, or heelies.

FASHION BOOTS, COWBOY BOOTS, SNOW BOOTS ---Some boots, such as cowboy

boots and girls fashion boots, can cause safety issues in physical education. Most of these

have very little traction and end up being slippery on our tile floor. Some fashion boots have a

wedge heel which can cause the ankle to turn when doing various activities (jogging, jumping,

etc.). Be mindful of this when sending your student on physical education days and please send

tennis shoes with your student to change into. Hiking boots are fine, as well are snow boots

that have a tennis shoe type sole.

PE Progress Coach Matthews, PE Specialist

Over the last few weeks we have been practicing and preparing for fitness testing. Second, third,

fourth, and fifth grade students here at Nor th Forest Pines par ticipate in physical fitness testing. Four

health-related fitness components are tested: cardiovascular endurance, flexibility, muscular endurance, and

muscular strength. We run the Mile Run to measure cardiovascular endurance. Flexibility is assessed

through the sit-and-reach test. In order to evaluate muscular endurance we use a curl-up cadence test. Pull-

ups and push-ups are used to assess muscular strength and endurance. Furthermore, students will also par-

ticipate in First in Fitness testing events. Students’ scores from class will be used to build NFP’s 2017 First

in Fitness Team. Kindergarten and first grade students will learn and participate in modified activities for

fitness practice testing, but they will not conduct an actual test or receive scores for their participation.

How can you help your student improve in each test area? Encourage your student to become more

physically active! Find activities that can be done around home that help improve each health-related fit-

ness component. Engage in activities with your student and have FUN!

Remember...Fitness is FUNdamental!

Page 2

Page 3 Specials News

Media Mania Rachel Anderson, Media Specialist

K-2 students visit the library and return/check-out books on dates their teacher signs-up to use the media center. Grades 3-5 have media special each week until Winter Break. In third grade, classes discussed how we can stay safe on the Internet by following the rules below: Ask an adult before using an electronic device.

Go to websites that are safe for kids.

Tell an adult if you come across information that makes your feel uncomfortable.

Keep personal information such as name, address, school name, phone numbers, and passwords private.

Never agree to meet online strangers in person.

Be kind online. Think before you post. Say no to cyberbullying.

If you or a friend is being cyberbullied, tell an adult and save the mean messag-es. You can also block or unfriend the bully.

3-5 iPad Projects

Third graders will use the StoryKit app to create a 6-page digital bro-

chure about Internet Safety that includes text, images, and sound re-

cordings. Students will share their digital brochures with the class.

Fourth graders read the book Bully by P.Polacco which is about a girl

Lyla who is cyberbullied. Students will visit websites to take notes on

cyberbullying. Students will use their notes and the Chatterpix app to

create a 30-second cyberbullying video. In their video, students will share a cyber-

bullying statistic, the definition of cyberbullying, three effects of cyberbullying, and

two ways to stop cyberbullying. Students will share their cyberbullying videos with

the class.

Fifth graders discussed various genres in our media center. During second quarter,

we are focusing on the horror genre. We discussed the characteristics of a horror

story and read aloud an example of a horror story. Students will use the StoryKit

app to create a 7-10 page digital horror story that includes text, an image, a sound

recording, and sound effects. Students will share their digital horror stories with the

class.

Page 4

Specials News

Art News

Lori Wright, Art Specialist

Kindergarteners learned the foundations of art as they explored types of lines and shapes. Seasonal themes and colors were also part of this semester’s Kindergarten projects.

For the other grades, art has taken many classes around the globe! Students in first, second and third grade have learned about art from Ancient Egypt, Native American Art and are beginning on art from Japan. Pharoah collars (1st grade), mummy cases (2nd grade) and Egyptian figures (3rd grade) have been some of our creations. Woven tube people (1st), dreamcatchers (2nd) and Nava-ho weaving (3rd) are all part of the Native American theme. Carp kites (1st), gyoto fish prints (2nd) and origami (3rd) are some of the artforms students will experience from Japan.

Fourth and fifth graders have stayed closer to home with art and artists from North America. In 4th grade students learned about NC artists Minnie Evans and Romare Bearden, while 5th graders were introduced to Georgia O'Keefe and Faith Ringold. Art projects exemplifying these artists' work were the focus. Both grades also created rolled paper jewelry completed by personal pendants of their own design.

Student art went out into the community in October with our display at Triangle Town Center's SECU bank, giving our children a greater appreciation for the role of public art. Recent entries into a Google futuristic gadget design challenged student imagination and we're hopeful that we'll have a winner. Our Gifts of Gold entry choice is going to be a difficult one, there's so much great student art to choose from...NFP has a truly creative bunch of students:)

Mistakes Are For Learning

make your mistakes work for you by learning from them.

The second quarter is off to a great start! Third, fourth, and fifth grades have weekly

technology special starting in January. For the second quarter, kindergarten, first grade, and

second grade have technology special each week .

All grades are learning about SOARing in technology special and the rules for

keeping equipment safe. Students are learning to navigate Google Chrome, KidPix and Win-

dows 7 in addition to editing and using Microsoft Word 2013.

Kindergarteners are learning about par ts of the computer. They have been prac-

ticing typing their student ID number to log into the computer, using a mouse to navigate and

click/select items, and typing their name with a capital letter. They will type a sentence and

add a clip art picture about the fable The Lion and The Mouse.

First graders are learning about the par ts of the computer. They will learn special

keys (Shift, Enter, Backspace) and type both lower and upper case letters. In addition, they

will type a sentence and add a picture from a kid-friendly website about rocks. They will copy

and paste the website as a way to correctly obey copyright rules.

Second graders will practice editing documents in Word including center ing a title,

indenting a paragraph, and correcting spelling mistakes. Then they will be creating a Power-

Point on an article read on whales in captivity versus in the wild. They will add text and a pic-

ture to their document citing the website used for their picture.

Falcon students are gaining many technology skills this year!

Page 5 Specials News

Technology Tidbits

Danielle Rawls, Technology Facilitator

Mistakes Are For Learning

You build on failure and use it as a stepping stone.

Page 6 Specials News

Music Melodies

Carrie Long, Music Specialist

I am Carrie Long the new music teacher and I am so excited to be at North Forest Pines! I am truly enjoying getting to know your children while we sing and play mu-sic together!

In Kindergarten and First grade, we have been working hard on a variety of songs for an upcoming winter concert. It will be held December 13th. Please make sure to check Monday folders and the NFP website periodically for forthcoming infor-mation. We will be doing 2 songs for Hanukah, 2 for Kwanza, 3 for Christmas and 2 for winter. Ask your children to sing them for you!

Second and Third grades have been working on playing steady beats with both un-pitched and pitched, barred instruments. We have begun to experiment with over-lapping different rhythms on designated instruments. This process is new to them and requires higher level thinking as it utilizes both left and right sides of the brain. Students are doing a good job of maintaining their individual parts, and we will con-tinue to practice this skill throughout the year.

Fourth and Fifth grades are covering a variety of patriotic and seasonal songs. Their instrument playing is coming along nicely, and we have even begun to layer up to 3 different sections. They are excited to be playing on the xylophones and metallo-phones, and are doing a great job focusing and staying on task. I would also like to thank the students who auditioned for Chorus. Every student was informed and giv-en the opportunity to audition. If they expressed interest, they were given infor-mation to take home on multiple occasions. I am excited to begin in January with the many students who expressed interest.

Last, I would like to send a big thank you to Jeffery Nolte, On Site Automotive, and Jaime Riehle for helping us get a beautiful new rug for the music room! We are all extremely grateful!

PTA Meeting & Kindergarten/ 1st Grade Chorus Concert Tuesday, December 13

6:30 –7:30

Page 7 Specials News

Come along for a ride on The Magic STEM Bus! What a great ride it has been. We started off the school year right, with learning about the 4C’s (critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and creativity) to diving right into STEM activities/challenges. Kindergarten and First grade have been using LEGO’s to create animals and their habitats. The students enjoy using hands-on materials to show knowledge of a variety of animals. We have also been working on diagrams and labeling. The “Kinders” have learned about fish, snails, and tur-keys and are working on identifying parts of animals. First graders are taking their learning an ex-tra level by using concept/bubble maps and listing what animals can, have, and are. The Magic STEM Bus has taken the Second graders on a ride to the STATES OF MATTER. We have talked in great detail about the following properties of solids: texture, flexibility, shape, color, weight, man-made vs. natural, size, sound, shiny/dull, roll/stack, clear/cloudy, and many more. We have tested a variety of solids for these properties, with FALL matter being our most recent materials. We observed pumpkins, gourds, Indian corn, pine cones, corn, and acorns. Third grade botanists have been busy learning all about plants, their parts, and their func-tion. We have learned about the lifecycle of plants and how each plant varies, from leaves to uses. We have dissected a bean and discovered the embryo just waiting to “bloom” inside. Most recently, we searched through magazines for food that we eat that comes from plants to include: fruits, veg-gies, wheat (bread, cereal, cake, cookies, etc). I look forward to introducing our junior botanists to the raised garden beds and composting in the spring. Our Fourth graders are “digging” into the topography of the earth and its landforms. We have learned about a variety of features on the earth’s surface. We also used LEGO’s to show knowledge of landforms. We are just beginning a research project on landforms in which the stu-dents will present posters and information using a variety of technology platforms…exciting stuff! Lastly, our fantastic Fifth graders have “jumped” in to discovering human body systems. We have learned about the skeletal and muscular systems and are just beginning to learn that our brains control all of our functions, aka the nervous system. We started the year observing our traits and working with genetics and heredity. Our latest project was an awesome ROBO Finger which allowed us to see how our joints, “hinges”, and tendons work to help move our hands and fin-gers. We will be exploring the circulatory, respiratory and digestive systems later in the school year. I am looking forward to making models, with the students, for each of these amazing body systems! ***The STEM lab could ALWAYS use more science resources. Right now, we are in need of more LEGO’s so that we can continue to build and use our engineering skills as future leaders! Scientifically Yours, Scientist Wilson

S.T.E.M. News Betsy Wilson, Science Specialist