Noble Academy
4021 Thomas Avenue N.
Minneapolis, MN 55412
763-592-7706
www.nobleacademy.us
Faithfully, providing
Minnesota families a
better school of choice for
the Minneapolis, Coon
Rapids, Blaine, Fridley,
Crystal, and Brooklyn
Park/Center Area
Communities.
Upcoming Events
**5/5-7 MCA Science
Grade 5 & 8
*5/8 MCA Science
Grade 5 & 8 Make-up
*5/6 Send Conference
Reminder to Families
*5/7 Parent/Teacher
Organization Meeting (6-8pm)
*5/8 MCA Reading &
Mathematics Grade 3-8 Online
Ends
MCA– Modified Reading &
Mathematics Grade 5-8 Ends
MTAS Reading, Mathematics,
and Science Ends
*5/15 MCA Science Ends
*5/14 Early Release Day/School
Carnival (5-8pm)
*5/18-29 MAP Test Grade K-8
(Reading, Math, Science,
Language)
*5/25 Memorial Day
(No School)
*5/26 Parent/Teacher
Conference Day (9-7pm)
(No School)
*5/28 Annual Meeting (5-6pm)
“USDA is an equal
opportunity provider and
employer.”
v
o
X
a
X
s
a
d
n
a
P
Dais
Volume 3, Issue 9
Lub 5 hlis, hnub tim 1, xyoo 2015
May 1, 2015
Kindergarten Red Pandas
Happy Hmong American Month! The theme for this month is “Oh the Places
You’ll Go!” In May, we will focus on reviewing concepts taught throughout the
year.
For math, we will introduce telling time. We will review simple addition and
subtraction using POWER Math, shapes, patterns, counting by 1s, 2s, 5s, and
10s, color words, and measurements.
For reading, we will review using SUPER 6 strategies, telling the beginning,
middle and end of a story, identifying characters and setting, phonics skills,
concepts of print, sight words, rhyming words, and CVC words.
In science, we will learn about space! Students will even get to make their own
planets!
In social studies, we will introduce human characteristics of places (human
structures, bridges, tower, populations, settlement, patterns, language,
ethnicity, nationality, religious beliefs).
In writing, students will continue to use sentence starters with pictures to
write a simple sentence with a capital letter and ending punctuation (period
and exclamation mark). We will review the question mark and contractions
(ex. can’t, won’t, don’t). We will work on adding details and information to our
writing.
REMINDER: We will be taking the reading and math NWEA the week of May
18th. Please make sure your child gets plenty of sleep, nutritious foods, and
exercise. We will be taking our field trip Friday, May 8th to the Minnesota
Children’s Museum!
1st Grade Elephants
We hope you are enjoying this warmer weather! April was a busy month. We
took the Stanford test. It went well, and we are excited to see all of the scores.
We have many exciting events coming up in May! We will be going to the
Minnesota Zoo. While we are there we will learn about animals and their
habitats. The Noble carnival is May 14th. We hope to see you all there! We
will also be taking the NWEA. Parent/Teacher conferences will be at the end
of the month. We are looking forward to seeing you there. This month, we will
be reviewing concepts from the entire year.
Study Island and Reading Eggs should have been completed by the end of
April. If your child is behind, they need to be working on this every night at
home. We are here to support you and your child, if you have any questions
please let us know!
Page 2
Dais Pandas Xa Xov
2nd Grade Sumatran Tigers
Hello Families,
We cannot believe how the year flew by! It is already May! As the year comes closer to an end we are
continuing to work on many skills in reading to prepare your students to be life-long learners. Starting in May,
we will now begin Unit 6 in reading. During this unit your child will continue to practice compare/contrast,
summarizing, problem solving, base words and endings, and long vowels. We will be talking about different
talents that people have around the world. Have discussions at home about your family’s talents to boost their
background knowledge.
For math we will be jumping into chapter 9 which focuses on measuring yards and meters, as well as finding the
perimeter, area, and weight of an object. There are many ways you can enhance your child’s learning at home.
Provide your students with opportunities to measure many objects around the house. You can also have your
child use weight scales at the store to measure the foods you buy. This will provide your child with real-world
experiences.
Please continue to help your child complete their homework each night. Have them read 30 minutes to
themselves, a sibling, or an adult. Every minute of reading counts!
3rd Grade Chinese Dragons
We’ve been very busy this month finishing up our MCA tests as well as our NWEA tests. These tests help us see
how much growth your student has shown throughout the year.
In math we are reviewing key concepts that we learned in third grade and will need to be successful in fourth.
In reading we are working on our space unit. We are focusing on cause and effect, making inferences and using
context clues. These skills help us with our Super 6 homework, and help us understand what we are reading.
In science we finished our unit of physical science by using simple and complex machines to make ice cream!
Our new unit that we have started is all about our solar system. We will visit the Como Zoo and Planetarium in
June to help us complete this unit and our school year! We’re getting close to the end of the year so please make
sure your students are completing their math homework, Super 6 homework and study for their weekly spelling
and vocabulary tests. Your student should also be working on meeting their AR book goal. If you have any
questions or concerns, please contact us!
4th Grade Indian Peafowls
Hello Families!!
The month of April flew by! We had 2 weeks to prepare for our math and reading MCA test after coming back
from spring break. The kids did wonderful!! Testing is almost coming to a close; all we have left is the NWEA
tests which are coming up in May.
For reading and math, we have spent the month of April reviewing important skills and concepts to help us
succeed on our MCA tests. In May, we will continue to review in math and do fun projects! Homework
expectations are still the same. Students are expected to read 30 minutes, do a reflection on their reading,
exercise for 30 minutes, and practice math facts or work on a math worksheet.
In the beginning of April, we worked very hard at learning our states and capitals of the United States. Once
we finished, each student was assigned a state and had to research that state. Now that our research is done;
the students will start to create a project that will then be presented to the entire fourth grade. We are then
going to use that information to write and type an informative essay. This project will bring us to the end of the
year tying in everything we have learned this year.
If you have any questions or concerns, please let us know!
Volume 3, Issue 9
Page 3
5th Grade Siamangs
Dear Families,
We can’t believe that it’s the end of April already! This month was super busy with MCA Math & ELA testing.
Next month we will have our MCA Science Test and our NWEA math, reading, language, and science tests. It’s
going to be a busy month of testing!
We will continue working on 6th grade materials the rest of the school year in all subjects so students are well
prepared for next year with us. We will also be doing a performing arts and social curriculum activity where
students will choose their groups, pick out a Disney/pixar song, and perform it. They will be creating props,
movements, and actions that portray their song. We will be performing these songs for classes and parents the
last week of school. Make sure that you look in their yellow folders for an invitation!
We hope that students are going outside to do their nightly exercises now that the weather is getting warmer.
As always, please let us know if you have any questions or concerns!
6th Grade Red Foxes
Hello 6th grade parent and guardians!
Well, we are winding down to the end of the year and that means one thing, TESTING! We know that our
students are more than prepared to pass their goals on the MCA and NWEA tests. Encourage your students to
be studying, eating solid meals, going to bed early and sleeping well at night. These are essential to feeling
confident when taking a test.
In reading, we are focusing on book clubs and a persuasive writing project. The students have created their own
inventions and are now writing scripts for a commercial to persuade consumers to buy the product.
In math, we are focusing on the four domains of Numbers and Operations, Algebra, Geometry and Data as a
focus for math centers and activities.
For Social Studies in May our 6th graders will be analyzing the growth and change at the end of the twentieth
century in Minnesota. New immigrant populations such as the Hmong, Mexican, and Somali people have
brought vibrant traditions and cultural diversity to our state.
Later this month, we will be heading to ValleyFair for Physics day as a 6th grade class. Be on the lookout for a
permission slip coming home this month. We successfully raised enough money so that no one has to pay to go!
Way to go 6th grade!
Middle School (7th and 8th Grade) Lion-Tailed Macaques
The end of the school year is coming up very quickly! You can sense the excitement for summer break in the
hallways at Noble. The students are very aware of the warm sunny days, and as much as we like to be outside
there is still learning to do! MCA testing is wrapping up the first week in May. The students have already
finished their Math and Reading tests and the 5th and 8th graders have the pleasure of taking the Science test in
addition to those subjects. Once the MCAs are wrapped up, the students will take their final round of NWEA
tests for the year. The hope is that ALL students will show growth from the beginning of the year. Please
encourage your child(ren) to do their best on these tests as they are very important.
May and June hold many important dates. Please be aware of these upcoming events: May 11-29th – NWEA
testing (math, reading, science, and language); May 12 – Middle School field trip to Base Camp; May 14 – Early
Release Day and Carnival (5-8pm); May 25 – Memorial Day (No School); May 26 – Parent Teacher Conferences
(9am-7pm); June 4th – Kindergarten and 8th grade graduation and the last day of school! We would love to see
all of our families at the carnival, conferences, and graduation!
Page 4
Dais Pandas Xa Xov
Specialists Red Crowned Cranes - Hmong Culture
In addition to taking our post-assessments, we are completing our final unit, which is an introduction to Hmong
stories, music, and games. We started discussing the topic of oral tradition, since it is how most of our Hmong
stories have been shared from one generation to another. Younger students read and analyzed a well-known
fairytale, Jouanah – A Hmong Cinderella Tale and compared and contrasted it with similar Cinderella stories.
We also looked at a few of the different kinds of instruments used to make music. We discussed traditional
songs and how the art of singing has evolved during modern times. We viewed traditional Hmong games that
were popular for children and realized that some of those games are familiar to us. Students were excited to
know that games like hide-and-seek and tag was also a tradition for Hmong children in the ancient villages.
Older students shared their experiences with Hmong stories, music, and games through personal narratives.
Specialists Red Crowned Cranes - Hmong Literacy
Nyob zoo. In Hmong Literacy this past month, all Noble students worked really hard on what they learned so
far since the beginning of the year. The time is getting closer to assessing students to see what they learned
since the beginning of the year. This past month all Noble students are working hard on reading, writing and
spelling besides reviewing. Kindergarteners are learning to read and write Hmong verb and basic Hmong sight
words along with what they already learned throughout the year. Elementary students are continuing to read
and work on short stories, spelling and writing. Middle school students are working hard on spelling and
reading.
This month will be an exciting month for 5th to 8th graders. We are putting on a Hmong Spelling Bee & Talent
Show that will be happening towards the end of May. Students from grades 5th to 8th had been selected for the
Hmong Spelling Bee already. If you child is one of these students, please help practice with them as much as
possible to prepare them for the big day. We all look forward to seeing you for your support. We’re planning to
end this year with a BANG. Until next, Sib ntsib dua.
Specialists Red Crowned Cranes - Music
Kinder-2nd grade students have been learning the basics to square dancing. I believe movement is a very
important thing in music class as it helps with steady beat, rhythm, and it teaches students how to work as a
team. So far the kids really seem to be enjoying it. The square dancing move they enjoy the most is swinging
with their partner.
3rd-5th grade students are reviewing improvisation on their recorders. This is something we did a lot at the
beginning of the year and since their summative test is right around the corner, I thought it would be a good
idea to work on this skill more. It is challenging but we have made it fun by playing with Jazz and Rock
accompaniments so they are not as nervous to play their improvised melody.
6th-8th grade are reviewing chords on their guitars since their summative exam is coming up. Surprisingly they
have remembered most of them and I believe they will do amazing on their assessments. Also, the 8th graders
are preparing to sing for their graduation. They will be singing "Seasons of Love" from the musical Rent.
This month we have a new addition to the Music Department at Noble Academy. His name is Ethan Wightkin
and here is his bio:
I grew up in Pittsburgh and graduated from Kutztown University of Pennsylvania with a B.S. in Music
education. I was a long-term music teacher in Allentown PA before I came to Noble. I am extremely excited to
spread joy of music to the students at Noble and help students reach their highest musical potential. My first
week has been a blast. All of the students were very welcoming!
Specialists Red Crowned Cranes - Physical Education
The end of the year is upon us! With summer right around the corner, it is important to enjoy the Minnesota
outdoors. Some summer activities could be: a walk around the neighborhood, a walk to a community park, a
nature walk, making up a family friendly game outside, or throwing a football, baseball or playground ball
around.
In physical education, K – 3 students will be starting and finishing their fitness tests. We have had a great
year and have been working on our fitness all year. It should be fun to see all the great results our students
will achieve. We will also be reviewing for our post assessment and taking our post assessment.
In physical education, 4 – 8 students will be participating in their fitness tests. Many students have been
working hard towards meeting their own personal fitness goals they made at the beginning of the year. During
physical education, we will also be teaching activities students can do outside. Our hope for students is that
they take these activities with them through the summer. Also in physical education, students will be taking
their post assessment.
Specialists Red Crowned Cranes - Special Education
The time has come where there will be a lot of testing for the students. The MCA tests are being administered
and then will be NWEA/MAP testing. Make sure your child gets plenty of sleep and has a great breakfast
before the testing. The year is rounding up and a lot of things need to be done before the end of the school
year and the move to the new school for the fall. We have seen some really good gains with our students and
pleased with where they are. Keep up the great work, Parents!
Charter School No. 4171
Administration
Mr. Neal Thao, Superintendent
[email protected]
Dr. Mai Yia Chang, Deputy Superintendent of
Academics
[email protected]
Noble Academy
4021 Thomas Avenue N.
Minneapolis, MN 55412
Phone: 763.592.7706
Fax: 763.592.7707
E-mail:
[email protected]
Website:
www.nobleacademy.us