Ranch View Review

Volume 32, Issue 2 January 24, 2018

From the Desk of Principal Angela Stallion

Happy New Year to the Ranch View Community! The school year is moving right along and we are busily preparing for an exciting nd2 half of the year. 2018 will bring many great opportunities for our students to learn and grow! CELEBRATIONS: STEM Education:

Once again select 4th and 5th graders participated in First Lego League. Students were challenged to think like scientists and worked in teams while attempting to solve real world problems. Through this experience teams get to: “Research challenges facing today’s scientists.” “Design, build, test and program robots using LEGO MINDSTORMS technology.” “Apply real-world math and science concepts.” “Learn critical thinking, team-building, and presentation skills.” “Participate in tournaments and celebrations” “Understand and practice Gracious Professionalism” We are very proud of the students who participated this year as they worked to study and present on hydro-dynamics. Presentations revolved around exploring the location, use, storage and movement of water. Information about our spring STEM program is coming soon! Social Emotional Learning:

The Ranch View SEL committee created a school wide behavior matrix which clearly and positively outlines behavioral expectations for our Ranch View School community. This Inside this issue: was created in an effort to capitalize on our focus of SEL instruction in the classroom as FROM THE DESK OF 1-2 well as in the building at large. The matrix is posted in each classroom and posters exist in PRINCIPAL ANGELA STALLION hallways around the building to assist our students. Morning announcements highlight positive behavior expectations and we are planning other opportunities for students to be RLC UPDATES 3 part of reinforcing these behaviors to ensure we have a safe, supportive environment for HOME & SCHOOL 4 PRESIDENT’S LETTER students and staff. SPECIAL PROJECTS/ 5-6 PARCC Assessment: FUNDRAISING ELL, ART, MUSIC, P.E., 7-18 Scores from the 2016-2017 school year have been published. Ranch View School continues RUNNING CLUB, K-5TH GRADE, & ACADEMICALLY to perform at a high rate in the areas of literacy and math, with scores remaining well above TALENTED CLASSES the state averages. Teachers have reviewed the data from PARCC as well as Performance CALENDAR OF EVENTS 19 Series and have created a School Improvement Plan designed to create a rigorous

Ranch View Review

Continued… From the Desk of the Principal Angela Stallion educational environment for students while maintaining a focus on Social Emotional Learning. More information about PARCC can be found on the Naperville 203 website, www.naperville203.org or the Illinois State Board of Education website, www.isbe.net. PARCC testing for the 2017-2018 school year will occur from April 9-15, 2018. 2017 Overall PARCC Performance for Ranch View Elementary

School Improvement Plan:

We are pleased to announce that Ranch View’s School Improvement Plan was approved at the December ROE meeting. This year Ranch View has three goals which are listed below.

Reading- By 2019, 74% of students will meet or exceed English Language Arts/Literacy learning standards expectations as measured by PARCC. Math- By 2019, 74% of students will meet or exceed Mathematics learning standards expectations as measured by PARCC. SEL-Ranch View School will nurture a positive SEL climate for students, staff and parents. The full plan can be viewed on Board Docs and includes benchmarks for success as well as alignment to Rising Star Indicators. Please note that the plans are written for two years. Should we find that we have met our goals prior to the completion of the plan, we will be increasing the percentages of proficiency. The staff has worked very hard on this plan to ensure our students receive optimal instructional services and we are so appreciative of the support we receive from our families. The success of Ranch View is a team effort and we are proud to work alongside you on behalf of your student! Respectfully,

Mrs. Stallion Page 2

Ranch View Review

Tales from the

November was Internet Safety month in the RLC. Grades K-5 had various lessons from online safety to “netiquette.” 4th and 5th grade will continue in the coming months with lessons on copyright, safe searches and plagiarism as well as lessons taught about cyber bullying by the Naperville Police Department.

Students celebrated Computer Education Week with the theme of “Ready-Set-Code!” during the month of December. They programmed several robots and tried a few coding programs.

Read to Succeed is back! This reading program allows students to track the number of minutes read and earn a ticket to Great America. Earning the ticket requires keeping track of the numbers of minutes each child reads and returning the form to school. Keep recording your reading minutes on your log.

Students also have an opportunity to earn a ticket to Ranch View Night at the Kane County Cougar Stadium. This also requires logging reading minutes. Both logs are due March 9th.

Spotlight Selections In keeping up with the Illinois Standards Aligned Instruction for Libraries (I-SAIL) we encourage the students to read both fiction and nonfiction books. Our spotlight selections for the next few months include books about winter, Martin Luther King and black history. Remind your child to check out these book displays the next time they come to the LC.

In late January, Mr. John Schumacher will visit grades 3-5 for an entertaining and informative literacy presentation. “Mr. Schu” is a blogger and lecturer at Rutgers University. He is also the Ambassador of School Libraries for Scholastic Book Fairs. Thank you Scholastic Book Fairs for sending him to us for FREE! More information about Mr. Schu is available at http://www.scholastic.com/bookfairs/reading-summit/john-schumacher READ-DISCUSS-LEARN-GROW!

Mrs. Mougette Mrs. Haidinyak Page 3

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From the President of Home & School, Jill Wroble Happy New Year! May the beginning of 2018 be a healthy and pleasant start for our Ranch View community. While the academic year may be half over, the work of our dedicated volunteers is never done. All our events and fundraisers would not be a success without the tremendous efforts of volunteers like you. Want to know more about what Home & School does? The best way to learn is to attend our monthly meetings!

We hope you had a chance to visit the book fair during the October Parent/Teacher conferences. This event was wonderfully orchestrated by Carrie Tilton and Joann Nieciecki. Please remember to visit our Spring Book Fair the week of February 12th here at Ranch View.

The Charleston Wrapping Paper fundraiser led by Stacie Quigg, Ginger Kreitz and Jen O’Sullivan was very successful as was our Art to Remember fundraiser run by Ellie Laneville and Mariya Koci. Our Rangers are decked out in awesome Spirit Wear thanks to Jie Su and Jen Maulding. We also thank all those families who have participated in our Direct Donations program monitored by Wendy Puglielli. Ranch View raised a great deal of money in our first few months of school. Thank you to all who organized and supported the fundraising efforts that support our school.

The sound of children laughing could be heard throughout Ranch View during our autumn and winter classroom parties. Thank you to Jen O’Sullivan and Jen Olson as well as all our room parents for creating these memorable days for the children. We still have one more party this year! Our Valentine’s Day party is scheduled for February 14th.

Volunteers Kim Kedziora, Jing Kite, Valentina Minkova and Stephanie Fiore successfully hosted a fantastic Roller Skate Night in November. Thank you to them and to all the families who participated in this wonderful annual event. Mark your calendars for April 19th at 6pm for the Spring Skate! Let’s also thank our volunteers who work many of our monthly fundraisers: Barb Akkeron with Restaurant Nights, Melissa O’Shea and Michelle Kudulis for Manna Cards and Staff Appreciation Donations and Ellie Laneville and her committee assisting with the Health & Safety Vision and Hearing screenings.

Save the date! Saddlefest is planned for March 10th. Ranch View heads West for some rootin’- tootin’ fun! This is an exciting and fun filled day for all of the students and their families and is a major fundraising event for Ranch View Home and School! Games, raffles, food, prizes, bake sales and much more will keep all our Rangers busy for hours. Don’t forget to visit our Silent Auction to see what Ranch View staff exclusives we have available. Thank you to Audrey Minor. Laura Bahula and their team for creating this memorable day. Thanks to Megan Benton and her team for their hard work soliciting staff donations for the silent auction. You won’t want to miss this event! More info will come home in mid- February.

The Ranch View Review is an invaluable tool for our community to keep up on current events at our school. I would like to thank Wesley Gosselink for her effort editing this important publication. She is our newest Ranch View Review editor and we are indebted to her!

It takes many people to make Home and School a success! If you are interested in getting involved, please feel free to contact me at 630-776-6942 or [email protected]. We welcome you to the team!

Our next Home and School Meeting is scheduled for February 6th at 1:00pm at Ranch View. All parents are part of Home and School and are welcome to attend. See you there!

Jill Wroble RV H&S President [email protected] Page 4

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Special Projects and Fundraising Calling ALL Rangers! Saddlefest is March 10th

HOWDY PARDNERS! Are you ready for the biggest event we have at Ranch View? That’s right, it’s almost time for SADDLEFEST!

Our newest families are probably wondering what in tarnation is Saddlefest? Only the best part of the year here at Ranch View!! Our parent volunteers (and boy there are a LOT of them) set up fun carnival games, a bake sale, and a kitchen for getting yourself some snacks. There’s also a silent auction, a cake walk, face paintin’ & MORE. The greatest, most amazing part? Our little pardners can put their teachers in jail! How ‘bout them apples?

So mark your calendars for March 10th & keep an eye out for more information. We’ll be sending out a request for the grown-up pardners to volunteer in early February. Can’t wait to see you in your cowpoke hats!

If you have a question, just give us a holler! Audrey & Laura [email protected]

Ranch View Review Special Projects and Fundraising

“Paws” for books at the Book Fair! At Ranch View on February 12-16

We hope to see you at the Ranch View Book Fair! The kids love it and it’s a great way to get them excited about reading. Stay tuned for fun activities for the students and parents leading up to the fair. The sales schedule is as follows:

Students Open to All (Cash Only; Max $20) (Cash, Check, CC) Monday, Feb 12 8:30am – 2:30pm ~ Tuesday, Feb 13 8:30am – 2:30pm ~ Wednesday, Feb 14 8:30am – 2:30pm 2:30pm – 4:30pm Thursday, Feb 15 ~ 4:30pm – 8:00pm

Friday, Feb 16 ~ 8:00am – 11:00am

Volunteer Help: A volunteer sign up is sent in late January. There are opportunities to set up the fair, work during sales and take down.

QUESTIONS? A GOOD RULE OF THUMB TO TEACH KIDS PURCHASING BOOKS ON THEIR OWN: FOR EVERY DOLLAR IN BOOKS, Email: [email protected] SET ASIDE A DIME FOR TAX.

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News from the ELL Room by Ms. Jill Stoner

Bonjour! Hola! Labas! Assalaamu alaikum! OLÁ! Li ho bo! Namasthe! H,ej! Guten Tag! Geia sou! Dzień dobry! Buna

Greetings from the ELL Room! We are so happy to welcome a new 2nd grade ELL student to Ranch View School. Welcome to Ziwei Tang from China. We are so proud to have 25 languages spoken in the homes of Ranch View families! We will be administering the ACCESS for ELLs 2.0 this semester. This assessment is a language proficiency assessment given annually to assess each of the four language domains of Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing. The purpose and use of this assessment is to help students and families understand students’ current level of English language proficiency along the developmental continuum. It also provides teachers with information they can subsequently use to enhance instruction and learning in programs for their English language learners. Upcoming Holidays to note: Seollal: February 15- 17 In South Korea, Soellal is one of the largest holidays of the year. Soellal celebrates the lunar New Year. It is a time to pay respect to ancestors, but it has also become a mechanism of keeping families together. Soellal emphasizes family closeness and happiness. Chinese New Year - Year of the Dog: February 16 Chinese New Year, also known as Spring Festival in China, is the most important traditional holiday in China. Chinese New Year's Day is the first day of the Chinese lunar calendar. The date is different each year on the Gregorian (internationally-used) calendar, but is always between January 21th and February 20th. Chinese traditionally celebrated the start of a new year of farm work, and wished/prayed for a good harvest. This has now evolved into celebrating the start of a new business year and wishing for profits and success in various vocations.

Wishing you happiness,

Mrs. Stoner and Mrs. Walsh Page 7

Ranch View Review Art News by Mr. Arndt

The Art Room at Ranch View is bustling with creativity and hard work. Kindergarteners have created their first clay sculpture. The students began with basic hand building techniques forming the clay into flat shapes and then cutting the clay into a snowflake shape. The sculptures were fired in the kiln and the students then painted them. Kindergarten students also have been working on a snowman project as they continue to work on their drawing, cutting, gluing and coloring skills. These projects will be on display at open house. First grade students have been working with geometric shapes. They were challenged to create and use as many geometric shapes as they could out of construction paper and then assemble them together in a space ship or vehicle they created with their own imagination. These masterpieces will be on display at open house. Second grade students have been learning about perspective and landscapes. They drew and colored beautiful winter landscapes that they completed by painting on certain details such as snow. These projects will be on display at open house. Third grade students have completed their first clay sculpture. This monster sculpture builds upon techniques introduced in kindergarten, first and second grade. They started with basic hand building skills and then added detail using the score, slip and smooth technique. Fourth grade students are completing a unit on perspective drawing. They have created one-point perspective drawings of their dream room. These brilliant drawings will be on display at open house. Fifth grade students are completing a unit on self-portraits and caricatures. Each student has created a self-portrait in the caricature style. The drawings look like themselves and the backgrounds show various interests that they have. Please stop by the art room during open house to see our amazing Ranch View art gallery! Thanks, Mr. Arndt

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“NOTES” from MUSIC

January 2018 HAPPY NEW YEAR: Welcome to 2018. The 2017 December Winter Program was a success, great job to all the students!! Now it is time to forge ahead into the musical adventures of the winter & spring.

DISTRICT MUSIC ASSESSMENTS: Kindergarten= Kindergarten does NOT have a formal district music assessment.

1st Grade= First grade does NOT have a formal district music assessment.

2nd Grade= Second grade DOES have a district music assessment. To prepare for that, the students are singing songs, playing instruments, and responding to the music through movement. Their district music assessment covers form, pitched and unpitched instruments, and reading basic one-measure rhythmic patterns.

3rd Grade= Third grade DOES have a district music assessment. ALL 3rd GRADERS WILL NEED A RECORDER. They can purchase one thru Mrs. Sass or bring one in. It needs to be a “Soprano Recorder with Baroque Fingerings”. Notes will go home with 3rd graders explaining the details. To prepare, the students are learning about rhythmic note values and the pitches on the music staff using the Treble Clef. The students will begin playing the recorder in late January to help them read music and better understand pitches and basic rhythms. Students will read and perform basic melodies on the recorder for their district music assessment.

4th Grade= Fourth grade DOES have a district music assessment. The students are using music technology to compose a piece of music that contains specific elements of music. The assessment will cover the elements of form, dynamics, tone color, and music texture.

5th Grade= Fifth grade DOES have a district music assessment. Their assessment is cross-curricular in nature. It combines their background knowledge from social studies with their American music history unit. The students are working on an American music history unit covering patriotic music, spirituals, jazz, blues, and early rock-n-roll.

CHORUS: Chorus is a singing opportunity open to 5th graders. Spring Chorus will begin in early February. Information packets will be given to 5th grade students closer to that time.

BAND/ORCHESTRA: If you have questions about BAND, please contact the band teacher, Mr. Brad Frendewey at [email protected] If you have questions about ORCHESTRA, please contact the orchestra teacher, Mrs. Shawnita McClure at [email protected]

Best Regards, Mrs. Sass, Vocal/General Music Teacher and Chorus Director [email protected] Page 9

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P.E. News by Mr. Blondell

2018 is off to a fun start in PE with one of the students’ favorite units, floor hockey! Students in kindergarten through second grade are working hard on developing their basic skills of stick handling, passing, and shooting. They will finish the unit with offensive and defensive strategies that will help prepare them to play full games at the end of the unit. The third through fifth grade students will be working on many of the basic skills mentioned above before starting their big hockey tournament. This is one of the most exciting events of the year. The kids look forward to it. Not only is it fun and competitive, it teaches them all about the responsibilities of teamwork and sportsmanship. This year, we will continue our partnership with the Chicago Wolves hockey team. Partnering with the Wolves provides our students with two gifts. The first gift is a class set of home and away Wolves jerseys to be used in our tournaments. The second gift from the Wolves is a certificate for each student that includes a voucher to a FREE Chicago Wolves game! More information about these tickets and a special District 203 Night will be sent out soon. Now that winter is here, please help your children remember to bring their gym shoes to school on their PE days. When they wear their boots to school, please pack their gym shoes in their backpacks so that they can change into them before P.E. class. This will ensure that they can safely participate in all of our activities. Student safety is one of my top priorities. Students will need to complete an alternative activity if they forget their gym shoes. Thank you for your help! Lastly, third, fourth, and fifth grade students will be participating in a two week climbing wall unit between January 29-February 9. This will be their full-climb unit involving harnesses. Please consider volunteering for these P.E. classes. Don’t be intimidated by the sound of “rock wall.” Volunteering is easy and parents are taught the simple belaying technique during their volunteer time. You will be able to sign up for these volunteer opportunities on Ranch View’s Sign Up Genius site. Thank you and feel free to contact me at any time with questions ([email protected]). Mr. Blondell

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by the Kindergarten Team: Mrs. Kolbe , Mrs. Sheridan, Mrs. Dill and Ms. Furgason

Reading Workshop During read aloud and whole group instructional time, our focus is using inferencing skills to better understand the characters in a story. We use the 5 finger strategy when retelling stories. We also are continuing the strategies of using pictures and sounding out words during guided reading instruction. Moving forward, we will begin to study the genre of non- fiction.

Writing Workshop During writing, we are focusing on creating super sentences which include uppercase letters at the beginning, spaces between words and punctuation at the end. We are encouraging details using words and in illustrations. We are writing narratives and how-to’s.

Math We are understanding the concepts of addition and subtraction. We continue to practice math fluency daily. During instruction and independent practice, we are looking to see how your child is demonstrating the following math practice standards:  Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them.  Reason abstractly and quantitatively.  Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others.  Model with mathematics.  Use appropriate tools strategically.  Attend to precision.  Look for and make use of structure.  Look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning.

Science and Social Science Our focus for science is forces and interactions-pushes and pulls. We investigate this by doing experiments in the classroom. We are looking at famous people’s contributions to our society. We are continuing to learn how to be successful members of our school community

SEL We have been actively practicing skills for learning. We have learned to focus attention, listen to the speaker, use self-talk when needed, and be assertive when needing help. We will continue to work on skills throughout this year.

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by Mrs. Ferro, Mrs. Meluch FIRST GRADE FUNDAMENTALS and Mrs. Wielgat

Reading First graders will delve into the world of fiction this trimester. In this unit, students will think more deeply about the look, sound, and purpose of fictional stories. The students will enhance their understanding of traditional tales, fables, fantasy fiction, and realistic fiction by comparing and contrasting characters, events, author’s message, and story elements. The students will also explore how dialog and illustrations can be used to enhance meaning and comprehension. Continue reading with your child every day. We can really see the growth they are making in their reading and comprehension skills. Thank you for helping to make their reading lives successful. Writing Our focus for the upcoming months in writing will be opinion writing. First graders will learn that opinion writers write with lots of reasons, and they support those reasons with details. The unit culminates in writing book reviews. Students will work on the essentials of persuasive writing, making claims or opinions, supported by examples and explanations for those reasons. Students will be constantly revising to make their claims more powerful and convincing.

Math First graders will be learning about place value. They will be counting, reading and writing numbers to 120. As the unit progresses, students will understand that each digit has a particular value: hundreds, tens or ones. The students will learn strategies to represent teen and decade numbers. We will continue to learn new approaches to add within 20, then advance into adding two-digit numbers and a one–digit number (54+6=) , as well as, adding two-digit numbers by a multiple of 10 ( 17+10=) within 100. As in all of our other math units, students will be expected to explain their reasoning in a variety of ways. The Weather Outside is Frightful … Chilly weather is here! Please remember to send hats, mittens/gloves, and a warm coat each day. If the wind chill is zero or above we will go outside for recess, so please make sure your child is prepared for cold weather. If there is snow on the ground, students must wear boots and snow pants in order to play in the snow. PLEASE, label all of your child’s outerwear. We have no way of knowing whose black snow pants are whose… or gloves or hats or mittens or boots! We really appreciate your help with this. Page 12

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Second Grade Notes Mrs. Sara Wszolek Miss Eman Suleman Miss Ariana Marrone Miss Amanda Reiman

Dear 2nd grade families, Happy New Year! We hope that you enjoyed your winter break. We are off to a great start in 2018 with new resolutions and goals for success at home and in school! In this newsletter, we will highlight our academic plans for January as well as some reminders and school mission information. Math: We are moving into Unit 4: Subtracting 2-digit numbers. In this unit students will meet the following targets: solve one-step word problems within 100, solve two-step word problems within 100, add and subtract within 20, and apply and explain appropriate strategies for addition and subtraction within 200. At the same time, your child will also work with the 8 standards for mathematical practice which include: making sense of problems and persevering in solving them, reasoning abstractly and quantitatively, constructing viable arguments and critiquing the reasoning of others, modeling with mathematics, using appropriate tools strategically, attending to precision, looking for and making use of structure, and looking for and expressing regularity in repeated reasoning. Reading: We have just begun unit 3: reading nonfiction and informational texts. In this unit students will read and study three types of nonfiction (reference, biography, and literary). They will develop an understanding of various forms, features, and purposes of nonfiction. Students will understand the structure, layout, and text features associated with each particular type of nonfiction writing. They will enjoy the aesthetic features of nonfiction texts while appreciating the clear and accurate information and presentation of facts. Nonfiction reading often leads to inquiry and students will develop passions for locating information, finding answers to questions and wonderings, and deepening their understanding about the nonfiction topics they are reading and learning about. Students will learn and apply specific reading skills and strategies that will enable them to discover facts, identify big ideas, and learn new information about the topics they are reading about. Writing: We are entering our exciting Superhero writing unit. In this unit students will create a superhero to send on an adventure. During this unit we will focus on narrative writing with an emphasis on revision. From there, we will move into Unit 3 which focuses on information writing (lab reports and science books). During this unit students will participate in a shared class science topic. They will conduct an entire experiment while being encouraged to ask and record questions, along with design and conduct multiple trials of a simple experiment. Provided with a four- page lab report booklet, students will take notes using words and drawings, … Continued on Next Page ... generate their hypotheses, explain their procedures and develop their Page 13

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Continued… Second Grade Notes by The Second Grade Team

conclusions. Students will internalize the scientific procedures and writing process. Students will feel like experts in writing real-world lab reports. They will be able to independently design and conduct an experiment, record their processes on the lab reports using domain-specific vocabulary. Finally, they will write their own informational book that teaches readers about a well-known topic.

SOCIAL SCIENCE: We are continuing with social science and continuing to focus on how and why communities change. Specifically we are looking at Naperville Then vs. Naperville Now and how our community has changed over time. Students are beginning to understand that change happens when people interact with each other and their physical environment. Some of our guiding questions have been: What is change? What is the relationship between change and our physical environment? How does change affect people’s needs and wants? What are the effects of change on people? During this unit the students will travel through time learning from the Potawatomi Indians, Joseph Naper, and the settlers. It is sure to be exciting information!

Mission Strand for December/January – Collaborative Worker. How can you help your child be a collaborative worker at home and at school? Here are some ideas: Setting the table as a family Cooking/Baking with mom or dad Playing team sports Sorting and putting away laundry for the family Building a project with mom or dad Caring for the family pet

SEL Learning Targets I can handle making mistakes. I can manage anxious mistakes. I can manage anger. I can finish tasks.

REMINDERS: Cold Weather – As the weather changes please be aware that we will go outside for recess unless the temperature falls below zero. Please be sure that your child is prepared! Please understand that sweatshirts are not enough! We should see clearly labeled coats, gloves, hats, and scarves. On snowy days your child can bring an extra bag for snow pants and boots as needed!

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Ranch View Review Thinking Third Grade

Julie Groves, Laura Meath, Chris Hayman, Alyssa Keeling Our classes have held class meetings to discuss SEL topics and the Habits of Mind. Our next focus is the Habit of Mind of Listening and Understanding Others with Empathy.

Thinking about our Reading Our unit of study is on fiction. We have been exploring the genre of folktales through Myths, Fables, Folktales and Fairytales. Elements that we are focusing on include character traits, themes in fiction and use of literal and figurative language. Students have learned that folktales come from a variety of cultures and teach the different morals and values of that culture. Our next unit will be the study of non-fiction. In this unit, we will spend a lot of time analyzing text structures to determine how they help the reader understand the information better. Some examples of text structures are: cause/effect, problem/solution, main idea/detail. Overall, students will be reading informational pieces and trying to “get the gist” of what the author is trying to teach. Our Time For Kids subscriptions are a great resource for this unit. Students will be asked to only read non-fiction during Independent Reading. At home and when they have extra time in class, they may continue to read fiction. Encourage your student to check out books that explore topics of interest during this unit.

Thinking about our Writing Students practiced using their storyteller’s voice as they completed an adapted fairy tale. Our students have such imaginative ideas! One writing target was to change some elements of a classic fairy tale but keep others so a reader would be able to know which fairytale was being adapted. Students also needed to include dialogue and figurative language and also write in paragraphs. In support of our writing we are working on traditional grammar. We have worked on verbs and pronouns and will continue with adjectives and adverbs. Last but not least, students continue to make progress in correct spelling of High Frequency Words.

… Continued on Next Page ...

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Continued… Thinking Third Grade by the Third Grade Team

Think like a Mathematician

We have been hard at work on the Measurement Unit. The unit covers measurement in inches to the nearest quarter inch, units of measurement that are customary such as cups and pints, and metric such as milliliters and liters. Students have a benchmark item for each measurement to help them make reasonable estimates.

Ask your child what object they think of to help them remember the mass of a gram or a kilogram. We have worked on how to tell time to the nearest minute and how to figure out elapsed time. Students can solve three different types of elapsed time problems! The beginning of January had us finishing up Unit 3 with a study of graphs: pictographs, bar graphs and line plots. A learning target is for students to create their own bar graph from a data table. Next up, we will begin our unit on Fractions. Key learning targets will be: recognize, generate and compare fractions, and identify and analyze equivalent fractions. If you can include your child in baking or measuring ingredients, it would be a great real-life opportunity to discuss fractions. Thinking about Science We have completed our Light unit in science. During investigations, students discovered information about the path of light. We found out that light reflects or scatters. Students classified materials into 3 categories: opaque, translucent and transparent. They found out that light can also change directions when it goes through a transparent object.

We are right in the middle of the winter months. Please have your Am I thinking child prepared for cold weather recess with the proper outerwear. like a 3rd grader?

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Winter News for Our Wonderful 4th Graders Mr. Jay, Mrs. Krause, Mrs. Pace and Ms. Rouse

Now that we are halfway through the school year, we are looking forward to conferences coming up in February. The conference dates are February 15th and 16th. Preparation has already begun and the students are excited! Spring conferences will be student led, which means that student attendance at the conference is required. ePortfolios will be used to showcase strengths and areas in need of growth. Students are collecting evidence to self- reflect on their progress for this trimester and set goals. Be on the lookout for additional information regarding conference scheduling so that you can witness your child’s rigorous academic growth for yourself.

Open House is Thursday, February 1st. You will have the opportunity to visit your student’s classroom. This is a time for your child to boast about their incredible learning environment. Being a fourth grade student and coming to Ranch View to learn each day is their job. Think of this as your child’s “Bring your family to work day”.

Each week, our fourth graders continue to improve their Social Emotional Learning (SEL) skills. Fourth grade students are currently focusing on the Habits of Mind and relationship skills. Social Emotional learning has a direct, positive impact on student’s learning. Applying Past Knowledge to New Situations, Listening with Understanding and Empathy, and Demonstrating How to Work Effectively with those who are Different from Oneself are all ways to help us develop mindful habits.

On February 27th and 28th, the DuPage Children’s Museum will be at Ranch View, providing an opportunity for our students to explore “Wheels, Levers, and Pulleys.” In March, “Mr. Illinois,” John Lynn, will present “The Illinois Primer,” where students are immersed in everything that is Illinois. Mary Browning from the Naperville Police Department will present the “Be Smart, Be Safe” program in April. Students will learn rules for personal safety, suspect identification, and internet safety.

Thank you to all the parents who have volunteered their time for our book talks through Sign -up Genius. All of the books selected are from the “Battle of the Books” list. If you haven’t seen this list, it’s a great place to get book recommendations. The students are excited to have their parents read to each of our classrooms, and we look forward to these talks every two weeks. Be on the lookout for more opportunities to participate in the next round of talks staring in January. Page 17

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By: Mr. Pinelli, Mrs. Porter, Mrs. Brunski and Miss Shabel

Reading: We are beginning our intensive unit of study in nonfiction reading. We will begin with focusing in on the various text structures common in nonfiction pieces. By identifying the text structure of a reading piece, we will be able to better comprehend and take notes on what we are reading so that we can continue moving forward with our written responses to reading as well as orally sharing our understanding with one another.

Writing: In 5th grade at Ranch View all students are working on improving our literary essays and format when writing in response to any multimedia or texts. We will continue to look at writing a theme statement, supporting our understanding with evidence and growing our thinking to show understanding in what we have learned in connection to the author’s message.

Physical Science: Our second science unit is focused on energy and matter and how it is present everywhere, even though we can’t always see it. Also, we will be conducting experiments that help us to understand that energy and matter may change state but the total it is still a constant based on laws and properties of physical science. We will investigate a variety of different types of energy and states of matter to identify their properties.

Math: In the coming weeks we will move into working with decimals again. This time we will be working towards mastery of multiplying and dividing decimal numbers from thousands to hundredths. It will be important to not only be able to employ the standard algorithm to identify the solution but also to be able to explain how and why the algorithm works conceptually. As always, we’ll continue to review the concepts that we have covered in working with fractions, so far, this year. Students are now able to work with all four operations with fractions and mixed numbers in equations as well as in real-world word problems.

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Ranch View Review

Calendar of Events

2017-2018 School Year: Feb 1st Manna Orders Due Feb 1st Ranch View Open House Feb 6th RV Home and School Mtg @ 1:00pm @ Ranch View Feb 12-16th Spring Book Fair Feb 14th Valentine’s Day Parties, 1:30-2:15pm Feb 15th Institute Day- PM Conferences Feb 16th AM Conferences Feb 19th NO SCHOOL— President’s Day Feb 23rd End of Trimester March 2nd NO SCHOOL— Institute Day March 8th Manna Orders Due March 10th Saddlefest March 12-20th Flower Sales March 20th RV Home and School Mtg @ 1:00pm @ Ranch View March 26-30th Spring Break April 5th Band/Orchestra/Chorus Concert @ 7:00pm April 19th Roller Skating Party @ 6-8pm May 4th Half Day Institute May 6-12th Teacher Appreciation Week May 8th RV Home and School Mtg @ 7:00pm @ Ranch View May 10th Manna Orders Due May 21st 5th Grade End of Year Party May 23rd Field Day May 24th Last Day of School

Ranch View Rangers: Partnering to Build True Grit! G-Goal Attainment R- Resiliency I- Integrity T-Twenty-first Century Skills Greatness Requires Internal Toughness

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