Week of February 6-10, 2012

The kindergarten class is collecting things for Birthright as a class service project. We want to remember how important each person is to God and to help those in need. Please donate newborn to size 2T clothing, toys, children’s books, baby blankets, bottles, bibs, crib sheets or anything else you feel a new mom and baby could use. They can be new or gently used. We will collect items at school and deliver them to Birthright.

We had a nice visit at Waterford Assisted Living on Thursday. The kindergartners, 1^st and 2^nd graders made pinecone bird feeders with the residents. Then the kindergartners recited their ABC Bible verses and Psalm 100, as well as everyone joining together to sing “America the Beautiful,” a song that we start every day singing.

Bible – Samuel, capture of the ark

Memory verse – Joshua 1:9b Be strong and courageous…for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.

Handwriting – Vv, Yy, Ww

Math – Start a new chapter in geometry

Phonics – We have been learning “special sounds.” So far we know ck in duck, e in me, o in go, y in fly, ay in pray, st in stop, fr in frog, tr in train, sh in ship.

Reading – We read The Mitten, A Ukrainian Fairy Tale, another version of The Mitten, Katy and the Big Snow, My Body, Penguins, The Hat, and a favorite of the class The Littlest Owl. Sight Word Set II, word sorts

February is here! Get out those books and read! 400 minutes is the monthly goal.  A reading grade is given for the number of minutes read.

Science – the season of winter

P.E. – The students and teachers are participating in Live Healthy Iowa Kids. Please record the fruit that your child eats and physical activity. Send the record sheet on Tuesdays.

Library is on Thursday. Please remember to return books or movies so you can check out more.

Lisa Vaughan will clean in February.

All year we save Box Tops for Education and Campbell Soup labels. We have containers for them in our room. Send labels to school whenever you get a bagful. Also save Land O Lakes one gallon milk caps. Our class saves pop tabs for Ronald McDonald House. Several of our staff families have stayed at a Ronald McDonald house and know how valuable it is to have a place like that, so please help us with this project.

Coming up:

February 14 – Classroom Valentine’s Day Party

GOODSEARCH.COM

We’ve discovered the goodsearch.com website.   This search engine donates 1 cent to Ames Christian every time you use it.   There are other ways to use this site which also donate to the school, but we’d like to encourage all our parents to use this site as their regular search engine.  All you have to do is go to the home page, type in “Ames Christian School” in the main screen box, then click “Get Started.” After that, you put in your name, email, and make up a password. Good search will send you a confirmation email, where you’ll click the link and start searching!

For every search you do, ACS earns a penny.  THINK of how many Google searches we do per DAY! At the end of this year, goodsearch.com sends us a check for everything we’ve earned!  We think it’s an incredible way to earn money for the school just by using something we all use daily.  The best part is it doesn’t involve any extra stress on your budget and helps continue the mission of Ames Christian School.

 

Wow!   The weather has allowed us to be outside more than ever in the month of January.  Sorry for all the muddy shoes and clothes. The playground is a mess.  Please continue to send snow pants, boots, etc next week. It sounds like the weather will be changing.

This week the threes continued on with the letter F and Frogs.  We sang and read “Five Green and Speckled Frogs” and then made a paper one.  They turned out really nice.  The kids enjoyed hopping like frogs too.  We have been working on some cutting and counting assessments.  For Bible the threes helped make ‘storm’ sound effects as we listened to the story of Jesus calming the storm.  They did a great job and many assured me they were not afraid of storms!  We practiced our cutting skills by cutting our boat shapes and then fastened our boats to squares of paper seas we’d sponge-painted blue.

The afternoon fours have started on the letter R this week.  We talked about the correct order of colors in the rainbow and then made a rainbow R.  We also sang “Row Row Your Boat” and replaced the word boat with r words.  The kids enjoyed acting out words that start with r like; reach, rotate, rake, etc.  We played a rhyming game and learned a rhyming poem about fish.  We talked about rain and read the story “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs”, then made an umbrella and added raindrops.  The kids enjoyed making a rabbit and we used different textures to decorate them; rice and cotton balls.  The class read stories about raccoons and then we made a raccoon puppet. 

The morning fours read some stories about birthdays. Everyone then decorated paper birthday cakes with stickers, candles and glitter pens.  Everyone used lettered beans to spell out the words Happy Birthday.  The kids loved making cakes out of play dough and then they rolled a dice and put the correct number of candles on the cake.  It was a huge hit.  Everyone pretended to be at the beach and we put numbered crabs in order from 1 to 12.   We also made a beach scene with fish, seed weed, bubbles and sand.

For Bible, the fours learned how Hannah prayed to God for a son.  God answered her prayers and when her son, Samuel, was older he went to live at the temple with Eli, as Hannah had promised God.  God would talk to Samuel.  Samuel grew up to serve and share God’s messages.  The children made a prayer cup by coloring a praying Hannah and putting a glow in the dark star on it to remind them to pray before they went to bed.

Please take time to fill out the surveys that have been sent home. They really do help us evaluate our program. 

Don’t forget the fours will be going to see “Are you My Mother?” on Monday.  Please leave a labeled car seat and sign a permission slip that morning when you drop your child off.  Thanks! 

 Please remember to get your child signed up for next fall, you have to re-register.  With the large amount of the 3 year olds that we have had this year classes will fill up fast. If you want to make sure to get the session that works best for your family, I would encourage you do it quickly.

Book orders are due on the 8^th!

Just wanted to let everyone know there is a chance I will be gone the week of February 13^th if I get selected for jury duty.  I really hope you will be seeing me. I don’t want to miss out on all the Valentine’s Day parties.  Mrs. Bradley will be returning on February 14^th.

Enrollment for the fall 2012 early childhood programs is now available.  Below are links to our preschool director's letter, the early childhood registration form and our tuition and fee schedule for the 2012-2013 year. 

Early Childhood (Preschool) Letter to Parents

2012-2013 Early Childhood Registration Form

ACS Preschool-Childcare Tuition-Fee Details 2012-2013

Bring your child to "Experience Kindergarten" at ACS! March 7, 2012 from 8:30 - 11:15am OR 12:00 - 2:45 pm, children will enjoy a morning in Mrs. Baedke's classroom and learn what it's like to be a Kindergartener.

Parents are also invited to an information meeting on Monday, March 5, 2012 at 6:30pm. See flier for details!

Personalized Christian Education and

Giving to Others Continues at Ames Christian School!  

Topics:

• Christmas Gala
• Operation Christmas Child Service Project
• Grandparents Day
• Muffins with Mom and states of matter
• ACS Teachers have been learning too!
• Upward ACS Matching Funds Drive
• Donuts with Dad learns about snakes!
• Center Grove Orchard host preschool class

Click here for Friends of ACS Newsletter

Bible

We will begin a new study on the Exodus.  We will begin by looking at Moses’s early life.  Verse test over Psalm 100:4-5 will be on Wednesday.

 

Math

3^rd - We will continue to study multiplication facts.  We will look at 6 and 7 as factors and 8 as a factor.

4^th - We will complete our study of multiplying by 2-digit numbers.  We will look at problem solving with two question problems.  We will begin to review Tuesday for a test next week.

Reading

We will continue reading Charlotte’s Web.  Wilbur has realized that as a pig his life is in danger.  Charlotte has promised that she will save Wilbur.  How will a spider save the life of a pig on the farm?

English

We will continue to study verbs.  We will learn about more verbs in the present, verbs in the past, and more verbs in the past.

History

We will continue to study the life of Thomas Jefferson.  We will look at how he helped his country by using his talent.  We will review Tuesday for a quiz on Wednesday.

Science

In Science we will continue to study electricity.  This week we will look at electric discharge and electric current.

Spelling

No spelling lesson this week due to Thanksgiving Break.

Other News

 

Progress Reports - Sent home in today’s Friday folder.

Thanksgiving Sharefeast - Tuesday, November 22^nd.

Class Basket for the Christmas Gala - Our theme is a Picnic Fun.  Please send in items by Wednesday.

Thanksgiving Break - Early dismissal at 12:30 on Wednesday, November 23^rd.  No school November 24^th - 25^th.

Christmas Project for Orphans in India - Mrs. Jensen will once again be traveling to India soon, and our school would like to provide clothing for the orphans she works with.  There are three ways families/students can give. Provide gently used children’s clothing (Ages 6-16) summer (modest), jeans, and sweaters.  Donate money to shop at thrift stores for Nepali/Indian children.  Donate money for shipping clothes to Nepal.  Mrs. Jensen will be sharing details in chapel on November 30^th.

Caroling at Bickford Cottage - Thursday, December 8^th from 1:30-2:30

^{Christmas Program - Mrs. Gardner has sent home a letter in today’s Friday folder with details.}

Order books online:

www.scholastic.com/bookclubs

Class Activation Code: GM3JQ

You are probably wondering what QRS is.  It stands for Iowa’s Quality Rating System.  A voluntary child care rating system for child development homes, licensed child care centers and preschools, and child care programs that are operated by school districts.  It offers providers a guided way to improve the quality of child care they provide.

The QRS was developed to raise the quality of child care in Iowa and to increase the number of children in high-quality child care settings.

Julie Long,  Early Childhood Director, has been participating in this rating system since 2008.  She has increased ACS’s rating over the past few years and has achieved a Level 4 rating in both the preschool and the child care!  A provider who achieves Level 1 has met Iowa’s registration or licensing standards.  A Level 2 provider has received additional training and made the first steps toward improving quality.  Providers in Levels 3-5 have made significant steps in meeting key indicators of quality in the areas of: professional development, health and safety, environment, family and community partnership, and leadership and administration.

Our childcare program is an extended Christian learning environment designed to help children understand concepts and master the skillls necessary to accelerate their growth and development.  If you are interested in our program or would like more information, please email our administrator at administrator@ameschristianschool.org or call the school at 515-233-0772. 

Topics:

• Live Healthy Iowa Kids
• Second Annual Bike-a-thon a Great Success!
• Golf Outing on May 27th - Bring a Foresome!
• Solid Rock Cafe a Hit
• Volunteer Spotlight
• Are You Telling Your Friends About ACS?
• Preschool Happenings
• Two Students Advance to National Handwriting Competition!

 

CLICK HERE to view the Friends of ACS Newsletter

ACS is now enrolling children in Preschool, Childcare, and Elementary for 2012-13.  Please go to the Admission section for all the details and registration documents.

 

   

   On Thursday, December 9th, the inaugural One Starry Night Gala and Auction  will be held at the Iowa State University Memorial Union Great Hall starting at 6:30 p.m. with a half hour social time and silent auction.  At 7:00 p.m. the festivities will begin with dinner and live auction.  Everyone is invited to attend this elegant evening to celebrate the true meaning of Christmas and benefit ACS.  All proceeds will go directly to the school and will bless the children and families that cherish Christian education.  The evening will also include amazing entertainment by the talented Higher Power singing group.

   The silent and live auction will give everyone the opportunity to bid on some very unique packages.  The classes will be putting together themed baskets which are always fun for everyone. 

   The committee is currently looking for individuals or businesses that are interested in sponsoring a table of 8 for $500.   Please click here for more information on the levels of sponsorship and how you or your business can become a sponsor.  This is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the birth of Christ with friends, family, and co-workers without having to clean your home or cook a meal!  Tickets will also be available for couples ($150) or individuals ($100).  To sponsor a table or purchase tickets, you can contact the office at 515-233-0772 or by e-mail at secretary@ameschristianschool.org.

"Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him." Matthew 2:2

 

On October 29^th, Ames Christian School was filled with smiles as students celebrated Grandparents Day.  Grandmas and Grandpas and Nanas and Papas came to see all the wonderful things their grandchildren are learning at ACS.  Students were delighted to show their grandparents around their classrooms.  They also shared a special program, each class making their own exciting presentations. The Early Kindergarten performed silly bible songs. Kindergarten bible verses from A-Z, and performed train songs. The First and Second grade performed "Miss Nelson is Missing".  Third and Fourth graders acted out "Little Late Riding Hood".  The Fifth and Sixth graders read short stories they wrote about fun memories with their grandparents. Preschoolers also had Grandparents Day and enjoyed cookies at snack time, made a craft together, and enjoyed reading books about grandparents.

Grandparents were then able to join their grandchildren in their classrooms where they observed lessons and participated in activities and crafts. The Grandparents finished the day by joining their grandchildren at school for lunch or taking them out to eat. Everyone enjoyed the day, and Grandparents were thrilled to see the many things that their grandchildren are learning at ACS. 

 

1st and 2nd Grade Newsletter

August 29- September 2

 

Dates to Remember:

Monday: Music

Tuesday: P.E.

Wednesday:  Chapel

Thursday: Library/ Music

Friday:Sentence Test (1^st and 2nd)

Spelling Word Test (1st/2^nd)

Memory Verse (1^st/2^nd)

September 15

School Pictures

 

September 23

Family Fun Night

& Bookfair

 

September 26

Insectology

 

September 29

Possible Field Trip to Nady Farm

 

October 5

12:00 Dismissal

 

October 6-7

No school

Hello Parents!!!

          Thank you Thank you Thank you! To all of you who helped cut out Spelling Sorts. You have helped me out more than you know.

          *** I am moving the date to organize the classroom library. We won’t be able to do it on the 10^th like originally planned. There will be a home ISU game and parking will be needed for the fundraiser. So please plan on the Saturday September 17 to come and help.

          Homework: I have had a few questions regarding homework. When your child has a subject/activity/lesson circled in their assignment notebook that means that they did not finish it in class and they have to do it at home. Students are given some work time and are expected to use that time wisely to finish. 2^nd graders are not given as much work time as the 1^st. Things that are expected to be done at home along with writing in their assignment notebook are studying for their memory verse, going over spelling words, and reading 10-20 minutes. 

          Field trips: We will be going on a field trip to McFarland Park for an Insectology trip on September 26 from 1-2:30 pm. If you would like to come please let me know.

          We will also be going on a field trip to the Nady Farm. The date is possibly set for the 29^th. If you would like to come please let me know.

          Book Orders: I am sending Book Order forms home today. If you would like to order please order online. The class receives free books for every online order. It’s a great way to expand out classroom library.    

          Please feel free to call me or email me with any questions or concerns. My number to be reached at is 507-227-5519 or ksikkema@ameschristianschool.org or krstskkm@gmail.com .

God Bless!                                                         

          Mrs. Sikkema 

      

****Chapel: ASC students take turns leading music for chapel each Wed. Mrs. Gardner would like to invite any parents of students leading to come to chapel to watch.

Next week, on Wednesday, September  14 at 10:30 am, the chapel leaders will be William and Quin.

 

Math1^st- ordering numbers 12, problem solving, Adding numbers to 9

          2^nd- adding 3 numbers, making 10 to add to 9, making 10 to add to 8, Subtracting, 0,1,2, doubles

 

Phonics- Special Sounds, ck, e, o, y, ay, st, pl, bl, cl, gl, fl, Phonics test on Friday. Review long and short vowels. Closed and open syllables.

 

Reading-1st- Fun with Pets

            2nd- Story Tree

 

Science: Fish

 

Spelling: I will email them or send them home on Monday.

 

Bible- Isaac, Jacob and Esua

 

English- DOL, Journaling, Handwriting, Verbs, and Pronouns, Questions and telling sentences.

Memory Verse :  Ephesians 4:32 (NIV)

³² Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

Matthew 5: 1-12

 

Introduction to the Sermon on the Mount

 

 1 Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2 and he began to teach them.

The Beatitudes

 

    He said:

   3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit,

   for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

4 Blessed are those who mourn,

   for they will be comforted.

5 Blessed are the meek,

   for they will inherit the earth.

6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,

   for they will be filled.

7 Blessed are the merciful,

   for they will be shown mercy.

8 Blessed are the pure in heart,

   for they will see God.

9 Blessed are the peacemakers,

   for they will be called children of God.

10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,

   for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

 

   11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

 

 

 

Wish List for the Year: If you have any connections to great deals on some of these items please let me know. These are items for the school and classroom to enhance learning and activities for the students.

 

-      Elmo Document Camera

 

-      Copier/Scanner/Colored Printer

 

-      Medium Corner Mounted TV

 

-      Projection screen

 

Other items

-      White board Markers

 

-      Alphabet and Number Stamps

 

-      Ink Pads for stamps

 

-      Small to medium storage bins (shoe box size)

 

-      Colored paper- yellow, green, red

 

-      Extra pencils

 

-      Extra erasers

 

-      Electric Pencil Sharpener

 

-      Cordless Vacuum

 

-      Wire Cube Shelves

 

-      Classroom headphones for the computers

 

Thank you for signing up to help organize the library and sort/cut/Laminate spelling.

 

-     I am planning on organizing the Library on Saturday, September 9 at 9:00 a.m.

 

-     If anyone is able to come in and laminate the spelling word sheets Please email me so I can show you how the laminator works. Then I will be able to send it home with others to help cut and sort. There are lots of them.

 

 

Monthly Cleaning List

 

September- Kris A.

October- Diana K.

November- Donna P.

December-

January- Leah L.

February- Sarah H.

March- Leigh R.

April- Rachel W.

May- Lori H. 

 

    Each spring we test our students using the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills (ITBS).  Three fundamental purposes for ITBS testing are to describe each student's developmental level within a test area, to identify a student's areas of relative strength and weakness in subject areas, and to monitor year-to-year growth in the basic skills.

       It's important to understand scores are reported in the group with which the comparisons are made.  A student's Iowa percentile rank (IPR) compares that student's scores with those of other students in the same grade level in Iowa who were tested at the same time of the year.   The student's national percentile ranking (NPR) compares that same student's score with those of other student's in his/her grade in the nation who were tested at that same time of year.  For example, if Joe earned a percentile ranking of 72 on the Language test, it means he scored higher than 72 percent of the students in the group with which he is being compared.  It also means that 28 percent of the group scored higher than Joe.  Other ITBS scores (not shown) include: developmental standard score (SS), percent correct (PC), raw score (RS).  Iowa grade equivalent (IGE) is a measure of how far students have developed compared to other students by grade in Iowa.   

       We have included summary graphs that show how Ames Christian School classes compare to the core total Iowa grade equivalent, core total national grade equivalent, national percentile ranking and Iowa percentile ranking.  Percentile ranks range from 1-99 (99 is best).  The bar graphs include core totals (reading, language and math) and composite totals (all subjects tested).  Your child's score is unique and will vary from these averages. These graphs show some key strengths of Ames Christian School including:   

• Ames Christian School students are learning ahead nearly half to 1 full grade level compared to other students when comparing core total Iowa grade equivalents
• Superior national percentile rankings across grades and subjects
• Excellent Iowa percentile rankings, especially in core subjects:  Reading, Language, & Math
• Very Good Iowa Composite percentile rankings
• Smaller class sizes and teachers who care about students continues to increase student learning
• Personalized Christian Education produces higher achievement levels

    We will continue to review ITBS information and are already looking into additional testing programs to help us better measure progress of our students in the next school year.  We continue to understand that there is room for improvement in delivering Excellence in Education.  If you have any questions regarding your student's scores, please contact your classroom teacher for a conference or our administrator for more information. 

*Only grades with five or more students have been summarized.

ITBS 2010 Summary - Ames Christian School

Get Involved With Box Tops!

Welcome to another great year at Ames Christian School!  Our Box Tops for Education goal is $700 to purchase any needed items (library books, teaching materials or equipment) for our school.  Last year we received just over $575 cash from Box Tops for Education.   In the past we have used the earnings to update our school’s library with new books, new magazine subscriptions, a study table, books on CD and new play equipment for the preschool playground.  Ames Christian School has participated in the Box Tops for Education program since 2002 and has since earned a total of about $3680.

One of the easiest ways you can make a difference is to sign up at boxtops4education to be a Box Tops Booster for Ames Christian School.  It’s easy, free and you’ll learn about new ways to help our school earn the extra cash it needs.

Exclusive online benefits:

                *Track our school’s Box Tops earnings.

                *Print money-saving coupons for your favorite Box Tops brands.

                *Enter monthly contests to win Bonus Box Tops for our school.

                *Make mealtime easier with family-pleasing recipes.

Plus, you can sign up for regular email updates on our school’s progress!

Box Tops offers three easy ways to earn cash for our school through everyday activities like buying groceries, shopping online and purchasing books –all at no additional cost to you.

Clip – Clip Box Tops from hundreds of participating products.  Box Tops are worth 10 cents each when our school redeems them from Box Tops for Education.

Shop – Shop your favorite online stores at the Box Tops Marketplace.  Up to 8% of each qualifying purchase is donated to our school.

Buy books through the Box Tops Book Club – Order quality titles from award-winning authors and illustrators throughout the school year.  Our school earns one Box Top for every dollar spent, up to $20,000.

Please pass this information on to family, friends and neighbors.  The more people we can involve in collecting for our school, the more money our school will earn.  There are Box Tops collection bins available in the office if you would like to place one at your church or place of employment.

E-mail Suzy Sernett if you have questions:  j_s_sernett@prairieinet.net