The Rockhill first grade students celebrated their 100th day of school on Wednesday, Feb. 5. Students participated in a variety of activities centered around the number 100 including making Fruit Loop necklaces with 100 Fruit Loops, solving 100 math problems, reading a poem with 100 words and even making a snack with 100 treats. Many students even made 100 item collections to share with their classes. These included bags or bottles of 100 items, posters with 100 items and even t-shirts with 100 items. 100 days of learning has been fun.
Renee Marinchek's art classes have begun working on the bottle cap mural. After voting between seven different mural designs, students (and many parent volunteers) painted the mural and have just started to drill the caps onto the design. We are thrilled with the progress so far and we can't wait to show it off when it's completed.
Rockhill School Counselor, Tracy Lahr, has begun a new program, Aviator's Earning their Wings. Students meet during their lunch/recess time once a week and identify triggers that make them angry, coping skills and positive ways to express their emotions. The program is six to eight weeks in length. A program that has continued from last school year is Kid2Kid. This program also meets six to eight weeks and is open to all grade levels. Students practice good communications skills, learn about personal space, working together and picking up on social cues.
Technology
The third grade students at AES participated in the Valentine’s Day district-wide community service project. They created Valentine cards on their Chromebooks using Google Drawings, then printed them to be delivered to residents at area nursing homes. We also celebrated our third grade “cool keyboarders” for the second quarter. The students with the highest rankings on Typing.com were treated to doughnuts at Parkway and pizza at Rockhill.
Music
First graders are learning how to read rhythms and play different instruments in music class. They are also trying out some improvisation skills using the rhythms they are learning. Second graders are starting to learn how to write their own rhythm patterns and add up beats to fill measures of music. They are exploring patterns of two beats and four beats. Third graders are also practicing writing their own rhythm patterns and adding up beats to fill measures of music. They are exploring patterns of two beats, three beats and four beats. They are learning about 16th notes and how the beat can be divided and how they can relate what they are learning in math to music. They are also learning a folk dance and exploring the different rhythm patterns within the dance.
Library
The third and second grade classes are doing great in I-ready. If the students pass their lesson with at least a 75% or higher, they get to put their name in for a raffle to win an ice cream treat. The students love working in the media center to pass their lessons. The first graders are checking out books and working on independent reading.