1. education
2. school

Brandon Valley
School District
Assam Anchor
Fred Assam
Elementary
March, 2015
FOSTER’S FOCUS:
MARCH . . .
In like a lion ~ out like
a lamb?
Reminders for everyone as we transition from winter to
spring . . .
Outdoor clothing is still necessary!
If you bring lunch in – please do not bring pop. Water and/or
Juice are great options.
8:08 first bell; 8:10 school begins. Even a few minutes late is too late.
Morning drop off begins at 7:30am.
Please do not park along the curb in the entrance/exit area! If all drivers
would follow this procedure – traffic would be able to flow much
smoother.
Be sure to check out lost and found on our website. Numerous items need
owners!
Important Phone Numbers
Fred Assam Office
582-1500
Transportation
582-3514
Child Nutrition
582-3926
Spring Picture Day
Tuesday
March 24th
Brandon Valley School/First National Bank
2015 TEACHER OF THE YEAR
The Brandon Valley School District and First National Bank have once again joined in partnership to recognize the Brandon Valley “Teacher of the Year” for the 2014-2015 school year.
Parents, students and staff are encouraged to nominate a Brandon Valley teacher to receive this award. Nomination
forms may be obtained from any district principal’s office, at our website or the office of the superintendent. Forms
need to be submitted with two (2) letters of recommendation attached no later than April 17th.
Teachers nominated will be sent an application form to be completed and returned to the Superintendent’s Office for
review by a selection committee consisting of representatives from school, business and parents. This committee will
select the 2013 award recipient from the top three finalists. All candidates and finalists will be recognized at the Brandon Valley Teacher of the Year\Retirement and Recognition Banquet on Tuesday, May 5, 2015.
Do you know an exceptional teacher in the Brandon Valley School District who you would like to see recognized? If so,
please take a few moments to nominate him/her. It is an honor to be nominated and an even greater honor to represent the Brandon Valley teaching staff with this award.
Name of Candidate:
School:
_______________________________________
______________________________________________
Grade(s) Taught:
________________ Subject(s) Taught: ______________
Immediate Supervisor:______________________________________
A classroom teacher has a class of his/her own and spends at least three or more hours per day, five days a week, for
six or more calendar months during a school year teaching students.
BASIS FOR SELECTION OF NOMINEE (attach separate sheet if needed)
Please explain why you feel this nominee should be the Brandon Valley School District’s Teacher of the Year, citing
specific examples of the teacher: meeting student needs; impacting student achievement; appealing to students, parents and staff; participating in community involvement; and his/her commitment to lifelong learning.
.
SIGNATURE OF PERSON NOMINATING ______________________________DATE __________________
(Please print)
Candidate must currently be employed as a teacher in the Brandon Valley School District.
Attach two (2) letters of recommendation.
How to Use Book Reading to Improve Your Childs’
Speech and Language Skills
Submitted by FAE Speech and Language Pathologists
Information from: http://speechandlanguagekids.com/book-reading-for-language
Did you know that reading to your child is one of the best ways to improve his/her speech and language skills? It’s
true! If you only have time to do one thing per day to help your child’s communication, our suggestion would be to
read to him/her. Here are some tips on how to make the best use of your book-reading time in an effort to increase
your child’s speech and language skills.
1. Read Slowly: Children learn more from books when they are read to slowly. It will sound very weird to you to read so slowly, but trust me: it
will help! If you are really struggling with reading at a slower rate, try using longer pauses between the sentences.
2. Re-Read Books that you’ve Already Read: Has your child ever asked you to read the same book so many times that you thought your head
might explode? That’s great! Children also learn more from books when they are read over and over again. The more times you read it, the more
he/she will pick up. It’s like when you watch a movie for the second time and you pick up on things you missed the first time around. That is how it is
for children reading books.
3. Trace Your Finger Under the Words while you Read: This is a great strategy because it begins to teach children that the words on the page
contain the meaning of the story. It also shows them that text is read from left to right and from top to bottom.
4. Ask Your Child To Point to Pictures In The Book: Do this as you’re reading the book by saying “where is the cat?” or “show me the “dog.”
This will help your child’s vocabulary and knowledge of common objects. It can also help keep your child engaged in the story.
5. Ask Your Child Questions About What Is Going On in the Book: This will increase your child’s understanding of what is happening as well
as their ability to answer a variety of questions. You can ask yes/no, who, what, where, when, why, which and how questions.
6. Find Books that are of Great Interest to Your Child: Children are much more likely to enjoy reading if you can find books that he/she wants
to read. Or, if your child has a less common interest, such as caterpillars, go o-line and see if you can find books about that topic.
7. Read a Lot of Different Types of Books: Make sure you have a wide variety of books including fiction books (made-up stories), non-fiction
books (books that tell facts about a topic), books about different people, and books with a lot of pictures. This will help your child understand all of
these different styles of learning.
8. Do Activities that are Similar to What Happened in the Book: You could act out scenes from the book or make something that the characters in the book made. You could also draw pictures of what happened or use play dough to reconstruct the scene. All of these will help your
child’s retention of what happened in the book.
As always, if you have questions about your child’s speech, language or hearing, please contact Molly Calkins (grades JK-3, Shelly Naser
(grades 4-5) or Jeri Keenan-Cattnach (auditory-oral program).
Title I Connection
MARCH 2015
Ms. Francis, Mrs. Glammeier, & Ms. Rauk
Thank you to all of you who attended our Fred Assam Elementary conferences. We enjoyed visiting with you about the
progress of your children. If you have any immediate questions or concerns, please contact us at the school by our
email address or the school’s phone number. We will get
back to you as soon as possible.
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
(605)582-1500
Good readers use comprehension strategies to make sure
they understand what they are reading:
Synthesize and Retell—put the information together and think
about what you read. Retell the story or what you learned in your
own words.
Visualize—put pictures in your head as you read. See and think
about the story like a movie in your head.
Infer—Make predictions, draw conclusions as you put information
together, and reflect while you read.
Make Connections—Connect to what you already know: text to
self, text to text, text to world. Activate your background
knowledge.
Race to the Ranch
Thursday, April 16
What: -Elementary track meet for students in grades 4-6
-Track meet is NOT limited to BV students
Time: - Registration for events begins at 4:15 with events starting at 5:00. The make-up date in case of rain will
be April 28th at 5:00. If we are unable to get the track meet in on April 16th or 28th because of weather, we will
run it on Thursday, April 30th.
Location: Brandon Valley High School track complex
Registration fees: $15 to pre-register, $20 the day of the track meet.
-T-shirt included with registration. Guaranteed sizes for pre-registrants only.
Track meet events: 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, 4x100 relay, softball throw, long jump
-Athletes will sign up for events the day of the meet and will be limited to
no more than 5 events.
-Relay teams will be formed the day of the track meet. Please do not
form your own team. All relay participants will receive ribbons.
-Ribbons will be awarded to top six places in each individual event.
***Track meet will be sponsored by the Pizza Ranch of Brandon and E. 10th in Sioux Falls. BV track
and field athletes will work the meet. All proceeds go to the
Brandon Valley track program. Pizza and concessions will be available.
 Deadline for pre-registration is April 10th.
 Registration form and payment can be handed in to Justin Mashlan (BE),
Kory Scholten (RBE), Tara Scholten (Fred Assam), Lindsey Smith (Valley
Springs), and Matt Mueller (BVMS).
 Registration can also be mailed to:
Justin Mashlan
501 East Holly Blvd
Brandon, SD 57005
Track Meet Registration Form
Name:____________________
School & Grade:_______ _________
Address:_____________________
Phone:_____________
Parent Signature:______________
T-shirt (youth) M L
(adult) S M L
Email [email protected] or [email protected] with any questions
regarding the track meet.
Notes from the Band Room
The 5th grade band students have been very busy the past few months since the holiday break! We have worked hard at learning more new notes, new rhythms and other new musical concepts as well as reinforcing previously learned concepts. Most of
the band members have continued with their home practice schedules, reinforcing all
of the new material. Thanks for continuing to encourage their practice time at
home.
Middle School and High School All-State Band!
Congratulations to the 14 former 5th grade band members who were selected to be
part of this year’s Middle School All-State Band. Congratulations also goes to the 14
former 5th grade band members who were selected to be part of the year’s High
School All-State Band! Brandon Valley is well represented in our All-State Bands and
we are excited to see so many of our former 5th grade band members be chosen for
these elite ensembles. We would also like to congratulate Mr. Miller and the BVHS
Symphonic Band on being chosen to perform at the State Music Inservice on Feb. 13
in Brookings. This was quite an honor for the band students and Mr. Miller to be invited to perform for this occasion! It was exciting to see all of the former 5th grade
band students on stage!
Combined 5th/6th grade Band Concert
Make sure that you mark Monday, March 16 on your calendars! This is the date
for our ‘first ever’ combined 5th and 6th grade band concert. The 5th grade band has
been working diligently on 4 selections that we will perform. The 5th grade band will
play 2 pieces alone and then combine with the 6th grade band for the final 2 pieces.
This will be a fun collaboration between these two ensembles. The 5th grade band
members are really excited to be performing with the 6th grade band! This performance will be in the auxiliary gym at the high school and will begin at 7:00pm. The
5th grade band members will need to assemble in the high school band room at 6:30
that evening.
As always, thank you for your continued support of our instrumental program and
for encouraging your child to continue practicing their instrument. Also, thank you
for giving them this exciting and rewarding opportunity to be part of our program!
Until next month….
Mr. Hubers
Hello from the Fred Assam Art Dept. We were busy this February creating art
with “heart” and learning about new artists. Kindergarten made stained glass
hearts from tissue paper and used them to make great Valentine’s Day Cards for
parents and grandparents. The 1st grade learned about a contemporary artist
named Jim Dine. 5th and 3rd grades are doing cityscapes. 2nd grade is creating
bird’s eye views of snowmen and 4th grade is creating geometric designs using
graph paper. It won’t be long and spring will have sprung and with that the parks
will be opening up. The next project for the 5th grade will be our community art
project in which we decorate garbage cans that will be placed in the local Brandon Parks.
Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time.
~Thomas
Merton
Valentine Sucker Sales
Your generosity allowed our Student Council to present a check
for $1,146 to Jenna Johnson, mother of RBE student Ashley Johnson. THANK YOU to all who participated in our Valentine Sucker
Sales and Staff Jean Day!
What’s going on in PE: Jungle Gym
The Jungle Gym is an incredibly versatile piece of fitness equipment. It
incorporates a student’s own body weight as resistance for a total
body workout in a short amount of time.
As part of Mrs. Gordon’s 4th and 5th grade PE routine, the Jungle Gym
is used by students to incorporate resistance strength training. It is
simply straps attached to the wall with handles. The handles are adjustable to create a wide variety of strength activities. The activities
are broken into four categories: Push, Pull, Core, and Legs. The progression of difficulty is stability, strength and power. 4th and 5th grade
students have learned the forward row in the stability position. Third,
fourth and fifth grade students are working on a ten minute circuit this
week. If you have a 3rd, 4th or 5th grader, ask them to tell you more
about the Jungle Gym system!
Popcorn Word Practice in Mrs. Rist’s
Kindergarten
Read the Popcorn Words on the cup, build a tower and then
knock it down!
st
1
Grade Science
The 1st graders are learning all
about plants! This week we focused on plant needs and plant
parts. Later on, we will use our
knowledge to grow and care
for our own plants.
News From Mrs. Presler’s Class
Indoor recess again? Students have tried to stay active as we’re enduring our cold days!
Writing biographies about classmates and helping each other understand subtraction of 4
digit numbers!
Learning how money travels in a community during Jr. Achievement with Rachell Henning.
We are 100 days smarter in Mrs. Livingston’s
class! Check us out celebrating the 100th Day!
Two future geologists discovering
fossils, rocks and gems in our classroom!
Students interviewed each other
and wrote biographies.
Mrs. Hunsaid, Mrs. Jones,
Mrs.VanLeur, and Mr. Ganschow
March 2015
SPECIAL POINTS OF
INTEREST:
 3rd Quarter ends on March
12th. Check with your child to
make sure they are reading
their AR books to meet their
goal. AR is 25 % of their
reading grade. We have a
challenge between the 4 sections of third grade to see
which class will have the most
students meet their AR goal
with accuracy of 85% or
better.
 Please remember to send winter clothing to school. Even
if you think we will stay inside, it is best to be prepared
in case we do go out.
 Science fair is on Monday, Mar.
9th at the BV High School.
 End of the Year Field Trip will
be May 14th. We will be
going to Luverne, MN to swim,
picnic in the city park, and
watch a movie at the Palace
Theater. More information to
come.
 Wax Museum date has been
set for May 7th at 8:30.
More information to come.
3rd Grade Review
Fred Assam Elementary—Brandon Valley School District
Winter Fun
If I Were President…….
Third grade students enjoyed a
fun time on the
slope!
Valentine’s Day
writing activity.,“I Show I
Care By…..
ScienceWater Cycle in
a bag!
Are you smarter than a 4th grade science student?
The 4th graders have put together a list of science questions to test your
knowledge of science. We wish you the best of luck!
1. How many Earth years does it take Pluto to revolve around the Sun?
2. How many planets are in the solar system?
3. How many moons does Jupiter have?
4. What is the largest planet in the solar system?
5. Who invented the first telescope?
6. How many years has the hurricane on Jupiter been going?
7. What is the closest planet to the Sun?
8. What kind of telescope was the first ever made?
9. How many miles away from the Sun is Mercury?
10. What are the phases of the moon?
11. What is an organism?
12. How many years ago did 70% of life go extinct?
13. How many millimeters of rain does the desert get in a year?
14. What is a food web?
15. What kind of tree did scientist make aspirin from?
16. Which animal has a heartbeat that goes from 400 beats per minute to
11 to 25 beats per minute when it hibernates?
Challenge Question:
Who was the first person to figure out that the Earth revolves around
the Sun?
Challenge: Nicolaus Copernicus
1. 249 years 2. 8 planets 3. 63 moons 4. Jupiter 5. Galileo Galilei 6. 300 years 7.
Mercury 8. a refracting telescope 9. 360 million miles 10. New moon, crescent, first
quarter, gibbous, full moon, gibbous, third quarter, and crescent 11. a living things
12. 65 million years ago 13. 250 millimeters 14. a group of food chains that overlap
15. The White Willow Tree 16. a bat
5th Grade Science Happenings!
*We just wrapped up our unit on space! We were busy learning all about the planets,
solar system, the moon, and galaxies! The next units we will be covering are light and
matter! The 5th grade Dakota Step testing will be from April 6th-8th!
*Moon Phases with oreos!
*Toilet Matter Solar System Lab: Each square of toilet paper=250,000 miles! Space is huge!
*Planet and Moon Webquest!
& FAE
FAE Student Council is doing a Service Project for Cure Kids Cancer.
During lunch the week of March 9th-13th, Student Council will have
(scented pencils) available – 10 different scents. For $1.00 you can have
a cool pencil and help Kids with Cancer.
All money raised will be given to the Cure Kids Cancer Radiothon March
26th – 28th. Last year, FAE raised $562.50 which got a triple match at
the Radiothon resulting in $1687.50 for Kids with Cancer – AWESOME
JOB!
Let’s Help
The mission of Cure Kids Cancer is to help children's cancer centers find lifesaving treatments and eventually cures for children's cancer by raising funds and
awareness.
Parents/Guardians:
Preparing students for success on the new Smarter Balanced assessment
This spring, South Dakota will begin using a new state assessment called Smarter Balanced that is based on the state’s standards in
English language arts and math. This test is administered to students in grades 3-8 and 11. It will replace the Dakota STEP test in
English and math. The test was developed by the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium, a group of 22 states, including South
Dakota. More than 100 South Dakota educators served on Smarter Balanced work groups as the test was being developed.
The Smarter Balanced assessment was field tested in spring 2014. That practice run gave our district’s teachers and schools a
chance to practice test administration procedures, and students the opportunity to experience what will be expected of them on
the new assessment. Since the field test, a number of South Dakota educators have served on panels to help set achievement levels
for the new test.
Delivered entirely online, the Smarter Balanced assessment offers significant improvements over multiple choice, paper-and-pencil
tests of the past. Students now have the opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge in a variety of ways. Writing is required at
every grade level, and performance tasks ask students to demonstrate an array of research, writing and problem solving skills. This
variety in test items means test results will provide a more meaningful picture of what students know and can do. The new test
also offers expanded accessibility features to better meet the needs of all students.
Because the new assessment measures student mastery of new, more rigorous standards, student performance on Smarter Balanced should not be compared to performance on Dakota STEP. Any time a new test is introduced, there will be a period of adjustment as students become familiar with the new concepts being assessed. If you must compare results of the two tests, expect
to see a drop in the number of students demonstrating proficiency (Levels 3 and 4). This should not be cause for alarm; it means
we are challenging students and preparing them for the rigors of postsecondary education and careers in today’s world.
It is also important to remember that your child’s score on the state assessment only reflects their performance at one moment in
time. Throughout the school year, your student’s teachers continually measure his or her progress through a variety of methods.
If you have questions or concerns about the new test, please contact me or your child’s teacher. I also encourage you to try a
practice test by visiting http://sd.portal.airast.org/students-and-families/
Sincerely,
Susan Foster
Susan Foster, Principal
TESTING INFORMATION:
Week of April 7: 5th grade Science test – online
Week of April 13: 3rd grade testing – DISTRICT wide – online
Week of April 20: 4th grade testing – DISTRICT wide – online
Week of April 27: 5th grade testing – DISTRICT wide – online
Due to the dedication of our many volunteers, Junior Achievement is making it possible for students to understand the importance of
money-management and education!
By sharing their personal and professional experiences our volunteers play a vital role in helping students make the connection between
what they are learning in school and what they will need to succeed in work and life.
Please extend a special thank you to the volunteers and teachers listed below whose participation during the 2014-15 school year enabled
us to inspire over 50,000 South Dakota students.
If you would be interested in sharing your knowledge and business experience with students in elementary, middle, or high school, please
contact the JA office at (605)336-7318 or [email protected]. Volunteers are crucial to JA’s mission to provide students with a better understanding
of their financial and economic future.
Brandon
2014-15 Junior Achievement Volunteers and Teachers
Fred Assam Elementary
Grade
Teacher
JA Program
JA Volunteer
Employer
2
Angie Kautz
JA Our Community
Alexie Gregory
Capital One Financial
2
Kyla Kroger
JA Our Community
Bobbi Baxter
CitiGroup
2
Missy Livingston
JA Our Community
Natalie Schmidt
U.S. Bank
2
JoAnn Presler
JA Our Community
Rachell Henning
Woods, Fuller, Shultz, and Smith, PC
3
Jeff Ganschow
JA Our City
Kristina Baker
Capital One Financial
3
Jessica Hunsaid
JA Our City
Susie Hanson
Eide Bailly, LLP
3
Deb Jones
JA Our City
Kevin Lippert
First PREMIER Bank
3
Chelsea Vanleur
JA Our City
Kris Monger
Farm Credit Services of America
4
Sarah Harte
JA Our Region
Casey Delaney
4
Peggy Reiter
JA Our Region
Tina Birath
Meta Payment Systems
4
Tara Scholten
JA Our Region
Brian Peterson
Wells Fargo Bank, N.A.
4
Noel Sunne
JA Our Region
Holly Twedt
CCC Information Services Group Inc.
2014—2015 School Calendar
March 13
School IN SESSION
March 19
Snow Day-NO School if unused
March 20
Inservice Day—NO SCHOOL
April 3
NO SCHOOL - spring break
April 6
NO SCHOOL - spring break
May 20
Last Day of School
***ATTENTION FIFTH GRADE PARENTS***
As in years past, we will be offering your fifth grader an opportunity to learn more about the phase in their life known
as adolescence. Guest speakers will present wellness information as well as discuss issues dealing with puberty. The
boys and girls will have separate presentations, including a video dealing with adolescent development. Richard Briggs,
MD, from Avera McGreevy Clinic in Brandon, will lead the discussion for the boys and our school nurse, Margie Hanson, RN, will lead the girls’ discussion. We are fortunate to have such highly qualified presenters to meet with our students.
You are invited and encouraged to attend the presentation with your child on Friday,
April 10, at Fred Assam Elementary from 1:15 p.m. until 2:45 p.m. Parents who prefer that their children be excused from these discussions can make arrangements by
calling Ms. Foster at 582-1500.
If you would like to preview the materials or have questions, please contact Margie
Hanson, School Nurse at 582-1500 or email [email protected]
Brandon Valley School Calendar
For School Year 2015-2016
Kindergarten
Screening @
FAE
PTA Meeting
Kindergarten
Screening @
FAE
@ 6:30 p.m.
BOE Meeting
End of 3rd
Quarter
@ 6:30
Science Fair
FAE/VSE 1st
Grade Chorus concert
@ 7:00 p.m.
BOE Meeting
@ 6:30
Spring
Picture Day
NO SCHOOL
Teacher
In-Service Day
Health
Fair
**School In
Session**
NO
SCHOOL