Yesterday was hot but the wind helped to keep us cool. It was a great day for a picnic!

June 2017

Free Online Resources to Help Michigan

“Build a Better World” This Summer

Dear Parents,

This year’s summer reading theme is “Build a Better World” and the Michigan eLibrary (MeL) is here to help! Students of all ages can go to MeL.org to find eBooks and articles to read, conduct research, prepare for high stakes tests like the SAT®, or maintain/improve basic skills.

MeL provides all Michigan residents free access to quality, vetted subscription databases that can be used all year.  Resources are available 24/7 and are mobile compatible.  Our awesome content providers have created a few short videos for you that highlight their resources for summer use; you can check them out on the MeL YouTube channel playlist  “Summer Slide Videos from our Partners” : (https://goo.gl/fDC4Be). While you are there,  be sure to subscribe to the MeL Channel, so you can keep up to date with the latest tutorials and videos from MeL!

Within MeL, you can find quality resources and weblinks organized into convenient portals.  For children from birth to 5th grade, MeL Kids (kids.mel.org) has four centers that will help support and build basic skills such as reading and math.  For the older students in grades 6 through 12, MeL Teens (teens.mel.org) offers a wealth of resources to not only maintain and build basic skills, but also improve research skills and help students prepare for life after high school with college or career information.  You can easily access the subscription databases in the Homework Help sections of these portals, or simply go to the A to Z database list (databases.mel.org).

This summer, stop by your local public library for programming and learning opportunities. But don’t forget to also use some of the Michigan eLibrary’s popular K-12 databases featured in the attached table. Dive into MeL to help slow down the summer slide and “Build a Better World”!

Sincerely,

The Michigan eLibrary Team

The students have been excavating fossils.

If you are interested – these kits can be bought on Amazon.

tps://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_c_1_10?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=fossil+excavation+kit&sprefix=fossil+exc%2Caps%2C131&crid=1TO00JVVCMBYV

Are you looking for something fun to do with your kids? This website offers some fun ideas to connect with math, science, crafts, food, and so much more. A guided activity like this might help to stop the summer slide. So many students scores drop when they come back in the fall. Fun and learning!

https://www.instructables.com/

Check out the 6 summer science projects.

Tomorrow is our school Field Day. We will be outside from 11:30 to 12:30 for lunch. After a restroom break, we will be participating in outside events from 1:00 to 3:00. Please bring a water bottle that you can refill. There will be water available to refill their bottles outside. Make sure you are dressed to participate in the fun.

The school year may be ending, but my students can still access Newsela on their own all summer long to keep their reading skills sharp. The summer off shows a sharp decline in reading scores. Please consider joining any of the summer reading groups that I post. The students have an id for Newsela.

The summer 2017 club topics include Youth Activism, Sports, History, and more. Students who join a Summer Reading Club will automatically receive ten assigned articles about the club topic. And students who complete the quizzes for all 10 articles by August 31 will receive a shareable completion certificate at the end of the summer.

Instructions for Participating in Summer Reading Clubs

Here’s how Summer Reading Clubs work:

1. Make sure that all students have Newsela accounts. Students who do not yet have Newsela accounts can register by going to Newsela.com and clicking “Join” (students under 13 will need the assistance of a parent or teacher).
2. Students join a reading clubs by going to the Club Link or entering the Club Code on their settings page. You can find all Club Links and Club Codes below, and students can join more than one club.
3. When students join a club, they will receive ten articles on the club topic as assignments in the Binder tab of their Newsela accounts. Assignments will appear in students’ Binders before the end of May. Students should read all 10 articles before the first day of school. We recommend that you also encourage students to take the quizzes that come with each article to check for understanding.
4. Students can access Newsela from a home or library computer, or they can access their reading club articles from the iPhone and Android app.

Reading Clubs

• Youth Activism Club (Link: newsela.com/quickjoin/#/CLUB01, Code: CLUB01)
• Sports Club (Link: newsela.com/quickjoin/#/CLUB02, Code: CLUB02)
• Technology Club (Link: newsela.com/quickjoin/#/CLUB03, Code: CLUB03)
• Dance Club (Link: newsela.com/quickjoin/#/CLUB04, Code: CLUB04)
• History Club* (Link: newsela.com/quickjoin/#/CLUB05, Code: CLUB05)
• Animals Club* (Link: newsela.com/quickjoin/#/CLUB06, Code: CLUB06)
• Myths and Legends Club (Link: newsela.com/quickjoin/#/CLUB07, Code: CLUB07)
• Dream Jobs Club (Link: newsela.com/quickjoin/#/CLUB08, Code: CLUB08)
• Around the World Club (Link: newsela.com/quickjoin/#/CLUB09, Code: CLUB09)
• Environmental Club (Link: newsela.com/quickjoin/#/CLUB10, Code: CLUB10)
• Strange but True News Club (Link: newsela.com/quickjoin/#/CLUB11, Code: CLUB11)
• Media Literacy Club (Link: newsela.com/quickjoin/#/CLUB12, Code: CLUB12)

Information for Parents

Here’s all you need to share with students and families (or use this PDF handout):

Join one or more of the Newsela Summer Reading Clubs for Summer 2017 by following the Club Link or by entering the Club Code on your settings page (to find your settings page, sign into Newsela.com and click your name in the upper right corner). Students without Newsela accounts can create accounts by going to Newsela.com and clicking “Join.” Newsela can be accessed on an internet browser or by downloading the Newsela app from iTunes or from the Google Play store (if students have limited internet access, they can read offline with those apps). Assignments will appear in students’ Newsela Binders before the end of May. Questions about Summer Reading Clubs can be sent to community@newsela.com.   

1. Youth Activism Club (Link: newsela.com/quickjoin/#/CLUB01, Code: CLUB01)
2. Sports Club (Link: newsela.com/quickjoin/#/CLUB02, Code: CLUB02)
3. Technology Club (Link: newsela.com/quickjoin/#/CLUB03, Code: CLUB03)
4. Dance Club (Link: newsela.com/quickjoin/#/CLUB04, Code: CLUB04)
5. History Club* (Link: newsela.com/quickjoin/#/CLUB05, Code: CLUB05)
6. Animals Club* (Link: newsela.com/quickjoin/#/CLUB06, Code: CLUB06)
7. Myths and Legends Club (Link: newsela.com/quickjoin/#/CLUB07, Code: CLUB07)
8. Dream Jobs Club (Link: newsela.com/quickjoin/#/CLUB08, Code: CLUB08)
9. Around the World Club (Link: newsela.com/quickjoin/#/CLUB09, Code: CLUB09)
10. Environmental Club (Link: newsela.com/quickjoin/#/CLUB10, Code: CLUB10)
11. Strange but True News Club (Link: newsela.com/quickjoin/#/CLUB11, Code: CLUB11)
12. Media Literacy Club (Link: newsela.com/quickjoin/#/CLUB12, Code: CLUB12)

*All articles assigned to the History Club and Animals Club will also be availabl

PBIS Celebrations

Dear Families,

On Wednesday, May 31st we will be having a PBIS celebration to recognize your child’s positive behavior. This month’s celebration theme is All School Picnic! We will be having our picnic outside, so let’s hope the weather stays pleasant!

Your child may bring a towel or blanket to sit on during the picnic, and we strongly encourage students bring a brown bag lunch since we will be eating outside. However, lunch will still be available for purchase in the cafeteria.

Thank you,

Haigh PBIS Committee

Please read the two letters sent home today.

1. The students are not to bring their fidget spinners to school.

2. Please come and join us for the Clean Up Parade this Monday, May 22.