Registration for the preschool classes for the upcoming school year will be on Monday, April 28, 2003, from 9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. To schedule an appointment for registration, please call the school office at 243-0363. Please try to bring your child with you to the scheduled appointment. We will also need your child's birth certificate, social security card and shot records.
1. CERTIFIED BIRTH CERTIFICATE from the Department of Vital Statistics of the state in which your child was born. If you do not have this, the school office can supply you with a West Virginia form to send for this birth certificate. If you child was born out of state, the office can supply you with the address to write to.
2. SOCIAL SECURITY CARD.
3. SHOT RECORDS. All students entering kindergarten must have had a DPT and polio booster after the age of four.
Please inform neighbors who may have children eligible for kindergarten next year.
We continue to collect pop tabs
at Elm Grove Elementary which will be donated to the Ronald McDonald Home in Morgantown,
WV. We have received assistance from the West Liberty State College Physical
Education Department, and several other groups who have lent their support. We thank
each of you for contributing to this worthy cause and ask you to continue your collection
of the tabs over the summer so we can have a great start for next year.
Please keep sending in Campbell's soup labels. We have received a VCR and audio tape recorder from the labels for this year. Look in the Sunday, April 11th newspaper for free software and 100 bonus labels. Thank you for your help!!!!
- The banking program for the students continues to have deposit days on the 1st and 3rd Thursdays of each month. The last deposit day will be Thursday, May 20th. We will resume this program in the fall.
This year's Stifel Award qualifiers, each of whom has maintained a 3.5
grade point average during the first semester have been selected. The winners for
this year's Stifel Award will be announced at graduation in June. Winners are chosen
based on their grade point average multiplied times their basic skills standard score on
last year's Stanford 9 test. WE WISH THE BEST OF LUCK TO ALL STUDENTS WHO QUALIFIED.
Mrs. Strong's Class - The preschoolers have been working on "who" questions and talking about things we can hear, see, touch, sell and taste. We are anxious for spring to come as we are planning some fun outdoor activities like flying kites, riding our cars and playing ball. Happy Spring!
- Jackie Hicks, Pam Mitchell, and Debbie Myles
Throughout the year we work on many different things in Kindergarten. In math we begin the year working with shapes, colors, patterns, and numbers. As the year goes on we work on measurement, solid shapes, money, time, large numbers, addition and subtraction. We use a variety of activities to teach all of these skills. The children will do board work, hands on activities, art projects, games, and much more to help them learn all of these concepts. In reading we try to expose children to a variety of good literature and writing opportunities. This is organized into many different themes. Some of these include I am Special, Animals I Like, and Family and Friends. The stories and activities are based on these themes. A primary focus in kindergarten is letter and sound recognition. We introduce and teach an average of 2 letters per week. The alphabet is taught in a random order. It has been shown in many studies that children learn the letters and sounds better when taught in this manner. After the children have mastered letter sound and recognition we begin to blend and read words. The children begin with words and advance into phonic based readers at their level. We work with the first grade teachers to be sure that the children are prepared for first grade to help ease the transition.
- We are working in the Harcourt Reading series. the children learn
many sight words, develop writing sills, learn proper grammar usage, develop a solid
phonetic base, and strive for reading fluent. The reading program is also supported by
our Title I teacher and our tutoring program. We participate in the Read Aloud Program to
encourage an interest in reading.
We are working in the Scott Foresman Addison Wesley Math program. The children work on addition and subtraction; counting collections of money, skip counting by 2's, 5's and 10's, place value to 100, fractions, time and measurement. Our math program is greatly enhanced with the use of computer programs and out Title I math teacher.
During the year, we are involved in many extra activities. Some of them are: Fire Prevention with the Fire House from the Wheeling Fire Department, Family Fun Night with Title I and featuring the works of the author Jan Brett, Bus Safety with Buster the Bus, Maple Sugaring at Oglebay Park, Kaleidoscope sponsored by the Junior League of Wheeling, Character Education throughout the year with the support of the guidance counselor and various health issues with the support of our nursing staff.
- Trish Anderson, Kimberly Miller, and Melissa Porter
Students in the second grade are involved in many activites through hand-on and abstract experiences throughout the year. Various skills and concept are integrated across the curriculum in order to provide students with a "reason for learning." Skills are presented with enthusiasm and interest to the student in the form of grames, puzzles, and one-on-one interaction with one another and the teacher.
Students read a wide selection of reading material that will be assessed periodically in the classroom. Throughout the reading series, various skills are targeted: Comprehension, vocabulary, fluency, and phonics skills. Second graders will also be assessed throughout the year through the Informal Reading Assessment.
This assessment tool gives the teacher the opportunity to assess throughout the year and target areas needing additional attention. The students will then practice the material until the skill has been mastered. This form of evaluation allows the teacher to view students achievement from year to year. Skills not mastered will then be targeted the following year. Students mastering skills will then progress accordingly to the next skill. This assessment tool has been mandated by the West Virginia Department of Education and will be used with ALL children K-3. In addition to the Informal Reading Assessment, the Stanford 9 Achievement Test will also be administered in the spring. These assessment tools are beneficial as they represent the child's progression in the classroom.
- Mrs. Ashbrook, Mrs. Haley, and Mrs. Menard.
The third grade seems to be the transition year for out students. The children still need the hands-on activites and experiences untilized in second grade, but they are now working more to develop good thinking and listening habirs, which prepare them for higher-level skills needed in the upper grades. The children are expected to work more indendently and are encouraged to maintain positive study habits. Throughout the year out students also focus on gaining responsibilities for themselves, their actions, and their learning. Character education plays a major role in helping our students achieve success in their everyday actions and relations with other students.
A major focus in third grade is Reading Comprehension. We concentrate on decoding and using new vocabulary words, reading for meaning and understanding, and reading fluency. Throughout the year, our students are tested on various reading skills with the Informal Reading Assessment. Some of the skills tested are recoginizing and spelling synonyms, antonyms and homonyms, multiple meaning words, and sight words. They also are tested on word recognition, oral reading, and comprehension. In the spring our students are required to take the Stanford Nine Achievement Test covering all areas of our curriculum. Our students practice their writing and spelling daily as they complete journals, writing assignments, and daily oral language.
In math and language the third graders continue to review concepts to stengthen the skills learned in second grade, while they extend the ideas a bit more for their level. In addition to the basic math skills already learned, a major focus in third grade is mastery of the basic multiplication facts. We complete our curriculum with the content areas, learning about our world and the various people in it, living things, such as crayfish, snails, and gerbils, rocks and minerals, changes and heathy living habits.
Our goal in third grade is to provide opportunities for academic success throughout the year so that the students will think positively towards their school experience.
"Cornerstone", a computer program that stresses language. The entire third grade would like to welcome Officer Braden and his DARE Program to our classrooms.
- Debbie Bartolovich, Bob Stechly, and Lynn Clemont
Success in the fourth grade is dependent upon achieving both academic and social skills. Students are expected to handle greater responsibility within the school setting and then carry this over into areas outside the school. Mastery of the fourth grade academic curriculum encompasses many areas. Reading concentrates on exposing the children to different genres. The focus revolves around developing comprehension skills, broadening vocabulary, using context clues and synonyms and antonyms, and incorporating prior knowledge.
Math revolves around mastry for the four operations and developing strategies for problem solving. Fourth grade also stresses the complete writing process. The students are exposed to expository, narrative, and summary writing. The inquiry approach to learning is not only emphasized in the content subjects but also throughout the entire fourth grade curriculum.
- Eva Hehr, Fred Hehr, and Sharon Ramsey
Students in the fifth grade work to develop comprehension, vocabulary, language, spelling and writing skills. In Math, the basic skills are vital and are constantly reinforced. These skills are necessary to master the fifth grade math skills using whole numbers, decimals, and fractions. All Language Arts and Math skills are practiced through computer and homework activites. Each day the students work on language and math activites during homeroom to reinforce what they have learned throughout the year and also as a reteaching activity for test preparation. The students are instucted in Language Arts and Math by their homeroom teacher. Social Studies, Health, Geography, and Science are departmentalized and each teacher is reponsible for teaching that subject to all students. The students work individually, in pairs and in cooperative learning groups in order to maximize their learning abilities. Midterms are sent home to each student during the fifth week of the grading period. Partent-Teacher conferences are scheduled twice a year but maybe held more frequently if needed.
Fifth grade students also participate in the DARE program and in Junior Achievement. These programs are made possible through the sponsorship of the Wheeling Police Department and various businesses. Our students have the opportunity to participate in strings, band, and chorus activites. At the end of the year the students who are eligible participate in a field trip to the Carnegie Science Center and Wheeling Park. The year culminates with a promotion ceremony. Students are recognized for various academic, citizenship, and athletic achievements.
- The following are important dates to mark on your calendar and plan
to participate:
THURSDAY, APRIL 29TH: 7:00 p.m. Second and third grade musical, "Get Hoppin!" All second and third graders involved.
THURSDAY, MAY 6: 7:00 p.m. Chorus Concert, "This Pretty Planet" All fourth and fifth graders participate in our spring concert.
Cayla and Joshua (both 5th graders here at Elm Grove) were 2 of 12 selected from among 75 contestants to perform in the WPHS Spring musical, "The Music Man". CONGRATULATIONS!
- March was National Youth Art Month.
To help celebrate the month, Elm Grove Elementary had several art exhibits on
display. Our "Rainforest" display was on displayed the entire month of
March at the Wheeling Area Chamber of Commerce. The large exhibit filled their
outside window storefront showing the layers and animals of the Rainforest. The
creations were by 1st through 5th graders. During the week of March 12-19, we
displayed artwork at Chris Miller Furniture and Wheeling National Bank, our Partner in
Education. We had over 100 pieces of art work on display at various locations.
Students in 4th and 5th grades also participated in "Design-An-Ad",
a newspaper supplement which promotes businesses and designing commercial art. Two
of our students, Kylin, and 4th grader, and Sunita, a fifth grader, had their art work
featured in the newspaper on March 31, 1999.
The test will be given to all students, kindergarten through fifth grade, the week of April 12, 1999. The test will be given the whole week. Therefore, it is important for parents to see that their children get a good night's rest, eat a well balanced breakfast and arrive at school on time. It is extremely important until the testing is over at the end of that week that children ATTEND SCHOOL ON A DAILY BASIS!!! This request includes scheduling appointments during this week. Test research has shown that students do their best when the tests are taken in a standard testing format, as opposed to make-up testing. This is a new test so teachers must plan special lessons and materials to prepare the children to do well on the test. Success or failure in school begins with good attendance. We would appreciate your support and cooperation.
- Please
mark your calendars --- April 27-30 is our Troll Book Fair in the media center. PRO
parent, Kim Custer, will be scheduling volunteers for the book fair. Volunteers work
from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. OR 1:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. We hope to be finished with
the fair by Friday morning around 11:30 a.m.
The students in physical education class have been working hard preparing
for their mile fitness test. The week scheduled for this test was March 29-April
1. Some classes had to finish testing after the spring break holiday. There
was some good finish times. We had a student teacher, Mr. Chad Gaster, from West
Liberty State College, working in the gym with the children. He had the children
involved with an indoor hockey unit tinikling rhythm unit and many eye-hand coordination
activities. His last day was Friday, March 26th. He will then finish
his student teaching assignment at Brooke High School and graduate from West Liberty State
College in May. We wish him lots of luck in his future endeavors.
