September 20, 2024

 

 

 

 

Good afternoon Prairie Trace Families, 

Thank You for a Successful Fall Fundraiser!

We are excited to announce that, thanks to your incredible support, we have met our goal for this year’s fall fundraiser, Race to Prairie Trace! Your generosity will fund many exciting programs and events for our students. Thank you for making a difference!  Mrs. Browne and I had so much fun at the Race to Prairie Trace and can’t wait to become human sundaes and take pies in the face at a future convocation!  Our topping helpers will be informed by our PTO in the near future!  

Grade Level Highlights

• Kindergarten: Our youngest learners just recently celebrated their learning with Chicka Chicka Boom Boom day. They spent the day working on retelling the book and practiced working on letters and their sounds as well as number identification, counting and number writing in different stations throughout the day. It was a fun day while also connecting what they have been learning in both ELA and math. Many classes have also been busy celebrating with their classes for Boosterthon, as they have been leveling up on their trackers!

• First Grade: We have been working hard on our animal adaptation unit. Students have been focusing on retelling a story and learning to use new vocabulary words such as inspiration, remote, mobile, eager, and migrant. We look forward to sharing our Culture Cases soon. 

• Second Grade: The second graders have been studying life cycles and habitats in science. They also completed their first book report and are excited to share their work with classmates!

• Third Grade: Third grade has been having a blast learning about the sea and the different people who explore it! We have been refining our addition and subtractions skills in math, and learning about our communities during social studies. We also have an author visit on September 25th! 

• Fourth Grade: There are many exciting things happening in fourth grade over the next couple of weeks! In English Language Arts, students will explore poetry and how it creates a deeper understanding of a great heart. Students will continue to be engaged in this topic and will participate in fun activities such as Chalk Talks and a Socratic Seminar. In Science, students will continue learning about the structure and function of living things in hands-on activities. One of these activities is creating a plant that has a certain structure to protect it. All of this is leading up to a fun project where students will design a prototype to help an injured animal. Be sure to ask your child about all these exciting activities and learning going on in the classroom!

• Fifth Grade: Fifth grade is busy working on their states and capitals in social studies and learning about cultural regions and Native American struggles in Wit and Wisdom and social studies. 

Upcoming Events

• Author Visit (Grades 3-5)
  We are thrilled to welcome a special guest author to speak with our third through fifth graders. W. Bruce Cameron will be here first thing in the morning on Sept. 25th. If you purchased a book, students will be able to have it signed after his presentation.  

• Leadership Convocation - September 27th
  Our students will have the opportunity to attend a leadership convocation at the end of the month.  We will celebrate our leaders who have demonstrated the skill for success of initiative.  As a fun reward for reaching our Race to Prairie Trace goal, Mrs. Browne and I will become "human sundaes," complete with toppings chosen by students! Bring on the baked beans! We would love for the students to wear their grade level shirts on this day.  

• Fall Tailgate (Sponsored by PTO) - September 27th
  Join us for a family-friendly fall tailgate sponsored by the PTO! There will be food trucks, pizza, and fun for all ages. Kids will be able to play on the playground, and you can meet new PTE families.  Don't forget to wear your school spirit gear!

• School Custodian Appreciation Week - September 30 - October 4th
  We will be celebrating School Custodian Week to honor our hardworking custodians who keep our school clean, safe, and welcoming. Be sure to say "thank you" when you see them around!  Any cards and kind words from home would be awesome! 

We look forward to a fantastic month ahead! Thank you for your continued support and involvement in our school community.

Warm regards,

Kim Piper 
Principal

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