Principal's News
Homyak Happenings May 2021 EditionHomyak Happenings
| Principal Post |
Principal: Julie Garcia
As we close out the end of the school year, I reflect back to the beginning of the school year. We started the year worrying about if our students would be able to wear a mask all day long. We were also wondering how on earth we would be able to teach remotely and in person all at the same time! Our level of concern was high that we would just get in a groove and we would be quarantined and our students would be glued to a screen for hours and hours. Teachers were worried about their health, their families health, and also keeping their students healthy. In the final hour, we were rearranging class lists to balance remote students with in person students. Teachers were taking trainings to learn how to use software to best support their students. Our master schedule was done, re-done, and re-done again to ensure students only made contact with four adults in the day and cohorts weren’t crossed. Elliot was learning what cleaners were safe and effective and creating sanitizing schedules. We wondered how we keep kids in their cohorts while promoting community and culture. In August, Mrs. Stead, Ms. Spitler, and Mrs. Sanders were trying to revamp an entire curriculum because we couldn’t share equipment, sing, use instruments, or have community materials. Ms. Lonna and Ms. Jasmine were in training after training with our district nurse to make sure we knew what to do when kids were exposed, had a fever, or tested positive. Teachers were rearranging desks and tables to be 6 feet apart, putting up plexiglass, making mask holders, and questioning everything they had done in the past. As a staff, we thought about all the what ifs, worst case scenarios, and best case scenarios. The outcome, we realized, we can do hard things!
This year was hard! It was hard on our staff. It was hard on our families. It was hard on our students. But, we did it! Our families were honest and communicative, they kept students home when they were exposed to be cautious. Our community stepped up and supported us. Choices were made that were best for kids. We kept a positive attitude (most of the time:- We did what we do best, we put our best foot forward, engaged our students in learning and showed them they were safe and cared for. Our teachers are exhausted and this year will go down in history, but Homyak can do hard things and we can do it well! Thank you for the support and grace you have shown throughout the year.
Next week is Teacher Appreciation Week, this year I would like to show our teachers EXTRA love! We are planning a spirit week with some extra goodies for our teachers. We do have fun activities planned for the end of the year, don’t forget to check out the upcoming dates at the end of this newsletter.
Pre-K: Ellie Walters and Stacie Austin
Math: Children are learning concepts of one to one correspondence, as well as concepts of
addition and subtraction.
Science: We have now wrapped up our unit on animals and nature and are transitioning to learning about moving onto Kindergarten.
Writing: Children are learning and reinforcing best practices in pencil grip, posture, and letter formation. We have finished all 26 Letters of the Alphabet.
Reading: We are reading stories connected to our four seasons.. Children are learning and reinforcing letter sounds and are understanding concepts of word, beginning sounds, and rhyme.
Kindergarten: Meaghan Page and Megan Hiatt
How in the world are we already into our last month of Kindergarten?! Our almost first graders are tying up loose ends with all standards and content, and we are fine-tuning skills that need practice or review. Our unit on plants was full of fun experiments to welcome the spring weather, and we will finish the year with our Earth Science unit that explores the Sun. Kinder friends are close to finishing the Everyday Math curriculum, so the end of the year will bring many engaging activities to review math skills. Your favorite Kindergarten teachers will also be hard at work reading with students to celebrate what their end of year independent reading level is! We couldn’t be more proud of our little readers, so we highly recommend reading daily over the summer to nourish the excitement and joy associated with reading. Thank you for such an amazing Kindergarten year, we are sending our students to first grade full of confidence and pride in what they can accomplish and who they will become!
First Grade: Andrea Hart
It is so hard to believe we are nearing the end of this school year! This is when the weather is warming up, and fun end of the year activities take place. We will be finishing up our Economics unit and head into our Living Things Unit, which pairs perfectly with Spring. In math we are wrapping up our unit on Geometry and will finish the year learning about two-digit addition and subtraction and reviewing what we have learned this year. I am so excited to finish this year strong with these hard working 1st graders!
Second Grade: Alexis Fehringer and Danielle Kumaus
Second grade is kicking off one of their final projects of the year - FAMOUS AMERICANS! We are super excited for this project as it utilizes a variety of skills students have learned in second grade: reading fluency, comprehension, research, and how to deliver an oral presentation.This project will end with a live Wax Museum where students deliver oral presentations as their Famous Americans. Second grade is also finishing the year learning the foundations of multiplication, the difference between renewable and nonrenewable resources, and economics. We can't believe we're down to the last several weeks of the school year! It's been a fantastic year and we are so proud of how much each of our students have grown!
Third Grade: Samantha Ciolino and Sarah Jacobs
Third Grade continues to be hard at work. We are continuing to fine tune our multiplication and division skills, and are even working on two-digit by one-digit multiplication facts. We will be spending some time reviewing concepts by doing a construction room transformation. Third grade will also be forming their opinions in writing about which book was their favorite this school year. In reading we will be spending some time going over the core stories, including an excerpt from Adventures of Alice in Wonderland. In science, third grade is studying life cycles and habitats. It has been such a wonderful time with these awesome kids!!!!
Fourth Grade: Shelley Brenner and Teresa Ryley
May finds the Fourth Grades wrapping up our Medieval Unit by holding a tournament between Ryley Knights and Brenner Knights. Students will use their personal coat of arms shields to represent their uniqueness as they joust and compete in an archery shooting. The final component of our Medieval Unit is the sharing of their Coat of Arms Essay with an Author's Chair. We will be starting our May Mythology unit. With Spring in the air student's will read and create poems using their poetic voice. We have covered the Fourth Grade Math Standards and are looking forward to participating in fun math projects that will review these standards. Social Studies we learned about the American Revolution and are now learning about our local and state government. Earth Science will be our final unit of the year.
Fifth Grade: Sheri Lohmann
Math: The class will be finishing up Unit 6, covering measurement and working more in-depth with decimals. We will then cover Unit 7 , which includes multiplication of mixed numbers and graphs. You can find information and support at: https://everydaymath.uchicago.edu/parents/5th-grade/em4-at-home/
Core Knowledge Literature: We are reading literature with connections to the Civil War and slavery. These texts include Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass and a shortened version of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.
Science: 5th Grade will be learning about the Solar System, stars and gravity in our unit on Astronomy.
Social Studies: The class is learning about the Civil War, including the events that led up to it and what happened after. We will finish the year with a short unit on the conflicts that the Native Americans endured in the history of the US.
MS Team: Sara Jakobsen, Tatum Fjelstad, Jason Pflaum Ben Whetsell
In the MIddle School, students are continuing to dive deeper into new topics in each subject area. In Math, students are currently exploring linear functions, 3-D shapes, and inequalities. Students are focusing on wrapping up their last novel of the year, writing essays, and fine tuning their skills they have learned throughout the school year in English. Science has the students investigating the galaxies in the universe, cells and heredity, as well as electricity and circuits. In Social Studies, students have been learning about the different human and physical geographies of the provinces and territories in Canada as well as exploring the articles and amendments that compose the U.S. Constitution.
Physical Education Happenings: Nicole Stead
With the warmer weather, please make sure to pack gym shoes (and water) on the week that you have P.E. It is very difficult to participate in class when you are wearing sandals!
Mark your calendars for Wednesday, May 26th for our 5k fun run during school! Be on the lookout for a flyer, as I will need parent volunteers to help make the event safe and successful!
Several classes have participated in our Homyak Spring Sock Hop! We traveled back in time and the kids spent their P.E. class learning a 50’s dance and participating in different activities that were popular in the 50’s. There is still a group that will have their sock hop on May 7th!
Learning Center Updates: Candace Uvalle
The Learning Center is popping with activity, as students confidently approach assessments ready to show what they've worked to learn! Students continue to set goals and monitor their progress towards these goals and are actively trying self-advocacy strategies in their classrooms that help them to become more confident in asking for help when needed. As all students do, the children in the Learning Center have worked diligently to progress and master learning targets, and they are feeling pride in their work! Students are making more than a year's growth in a year's time in both reading and math! Way to go, kiddos
Reading Intervention/English Language Development Teacher: Bobbi Baeza
Hello Homyak Families! As we wrap up our learning in reading intervention and English language development, I can’t help but think about this past school year and the challenges faced by our students, families, and communities. I am so proud of the students I have served over the past nine months and the resilience and grit they have shown to make it through a non-typical school year.
Third-grade Huskies will be finishing Summer According to Humphrey and getting ready to plan for their own summer adventures. First-grade Huskies are learning about blends and continuing to read decodable passages. Kinder Huskies are exploring the alphabet world through realia, games, and the OG sequence that teaches them pronunciation, letter formation, picture and word connection, and sight words. Second-grade Huskies continue to work on decodable reading and comprehension, while learning about magic e in multisyllabic words and the sounds of two and three letter blends, with and without digraphs. My ELD middle school Huskies finished reading Nightbird. A tale about a cursed family and how a community came together to accept the one who was cursed and save the local woods from destruction. They also learned how characters change throughout the telling of a story. My other middle school Huskies and fifth-grade Huskies are at the end of Tuck Everlasting and Lawn Boy and will be wrapping up comprehension activities that take them deeper into the themes of the stories.
Have a wonderful summer and encourage your student to read, visit the local library, and get outside and play! Please stay safe, and I look forward to the next school year with all my kiddos.
Music Happenings: Kara Spitler-Job
Kindergarten & 1st Grade
In music we are learning how to echo basic rhythmic patterns and transferring those patterns to classroom instruments such as shakers, wood blocks, and drums. We are also continuing to work on singing skills by incorporating the 4 different types of voices in our singing (speaking, whisper, calling/shouting & singing) and dramatic storytelling.
2nd-5th Grade
We have been learning how to divide the beat in music by echoing, reading and playing more advanced rhythms. We are working on vocal technique by learning how to sing in skips and steps using Solfege. Students are also learning to sing in parts by singing simple rounds and cannons while staying on an assigned part.
Middle School (Music)
Music students are learning correct posture, fingerings, and playing technique on their instrument of choice. They are working independently on music theory and applying it in their playing. They have enjoyed playing familiar tunes and some students have even tried writing some of their own songs!
Middle School (Drama)
Middle school drama students are working on an adaptation of Robin Hood. We have blocked all of the scenes and we are currently working on memorizing lines. In the next couple of weeks we will be adding the set, props and costumes. We are planning a performance for the younger grades in the last week of school!
Art: Krystina Sanders
Hello Homyak Families,
This school year has come with so many art challenges but we have overcome so many and we are at the finish line. I always look forward to the district art show but I have decided to change it up a bit. Instead of a judged show I am creating an online gallery showcasing students' art.Students choose a piece or two that they feel is their best work. Mrs. Garcia will post the slide show on facebook and I will send it out with a link on my artsonia newsletter. I wanted my students to have a more active role in the art picking process. Look out for that post closer to the end of May. I am so proud of all the art my students have created this year.
NJHS Historian:
NJHS/NEHS will be holding its annual Induction Ceremony to officially accept our new members of the National Junior and National Elementary Honor Society on Wednesday, May 12th. This is a very exciting time, as we were not able to host the ceremony last year due to the COVID 19 outbreak. A long list of students have waited over a year for their official induction and we are excited to finally be able to provide that for them. The ceremony will be held in the Homyak PK-8 auditorium at 6:00. Due to social distancing, two guests per student are allowed. We look forward to seeing you there!
PTSA:
Hello Homyak Families!
Congratulations on another successful school year parents, students and staff! As we work on closing this academic year, the PTSA is looking forward to continuous support through the summer and into next year. Keep scanning your receipts for BoxTops, swiping your KingSoopers card, add us to your Amazon smile account or mention Homyak PTSA at American Furniture Warehouse to take advantage of our community partners programs. Our board will be sending out information on how to become members in the upcoming school year to help in running the PTSA and working on events for the school. If you are interested in joining please reach out with questions!
Thank you!
Homyak PTSA
April Student of the Month
Upcoming Dates
May 10th & 11th No school for Preschool
May 12th NJHS Induction @ 6:00 pm
May 18th Fehringer Wax Museum @ 6:00 pm
May 19th Kumaus Wax Museum @ 6:00 pm
May 25th School BBQ @ lunch for all students and staff
May 26th Homyak Fun Run & Kona Ice
8th Grade Continuation @ 6:00 pm
May 27th Last Day of School for Students