Science 10/28/2019-11/1/2019

Dear Parents,

This week we will be learning all about animal needs habitats. We will begin investigating bats through a literacy and science connection using the book Stellaluna as a mentor text! Some questions we will answer during our study will be: Do all animals live in the same place? Why or why not? What do animals need to live and grow? How do you know?

Vocabulary:

habitat – experiment - organism - nocturnal - echolocation

Supporting your student at home:

Discuss, write, and draw about animals that live in the ocean, dessert, forest, or arctic.

Miller Farms Field Trip Update 10/21/2019

Hello Parents!

We are so excited for our field trip this week! We will be reaching out on Monday to notify all chaperones. Please remember that if you were not selected this time around, we will have several other field trip opportunities in the future. All chaperones must have a completed background check prior to the day of the field trip.

What to bring:

All students and chaperones should bring a sack lunch that can be completely thrown away as well as disposable water bottles because we will not have access to refill reusable water bottles. Food and drink should be labeled with your child's name please.

What to wear:

We will be riding in a tractor full of hay bales and digging through dirt fields to harvest fresh veggies. Students need to dress in layers and in shoes and clothes that allow them to get dirty while staying warm.

- Tennis shoes or boots

- Long Pants

- Layers in the event the weather shifts and it gets warmer or colder

- apply Sunscreen before students come to school.

Weather:

We are keeping a close eye on the weather and will update you if the field trip is canceled due to rain or snow.

Thanks!

Ms. Chalstrom

Science Update: Needs of a Plant 10/14/19

Hello Parents,

This week we are starting our unit on Living and Non-Living things. We will begin by looking at the needs of a plant and the plant lifecycle. Students will be able to identify the parts of a plant, label the plant lifecycle, and illustrate what plants need to survive.

Vocabulary:

living – nonliving - experiment - seed - roots - stem - bud - flower

How to Support Your Student at Home:

Observe how the change in weather this last week impacted the plants and other living things in our community. Discuss the impact of the sun and weather on living things.

Social Studies 9/23/19-9/25/19

In Social Studies this week we are finishing up our Past and Present Unit! We are reading about toys from past and present. Students will continue to work on their books, and be able to sort pictures of past items vs. present items.

Please share with your child toys you used to play with when you were little!

Theater Auditions information

Westgate, in conjunction with Missoula Children’s Theater, presents, Pinocchio!

Westgate is pleased to announce our new partnership with Missoula Children’s Theater (MCT) for the 2019-2020 school year! Missoula Children’s Theater is the nation’s largest traveling children’s theater and has been touring the US for 50 years. Over the period of one week, MCT holds auditions and rehearsals and finishes the week with two performances. They provide the directors, sets, lights, costumes and props, makeup and everything else it takes for a production, except the cast. Westgate will be holding open auditions for students K-12 to cast the 50-60 roles for the production. Students must be able to attend the entire audition to be eligible to be cast.

Auditions:

Who: Any student K-12 may participate in auditions

When: Auditions will be held Monday, October 14^th from 4:00-6:00PM in the gym

If students are cast, the rehearsal schedule is as follows:

Monday, October 14, 2019 6:15pm-8:15pm

Tuesday, October 15, 2019 3:45pm-8:00pm (15 minute break from 5:45-6:00)

Wednesday, October 16, 2019 3:45pm-8:00pm (15 minute break from 5:45-6:00)

Thursday, October 17, 2019 3:45pm-8:00pm (15 minute break from 5:45-6:00)

Friday, October 18, 2019 3:45pm-8:00pm (15 minute break from 6:45-7:00)

Please note-not all students are required at every rehearsal. Individual schedules will be given out after auditions. Students who are cast should pack a snack for before rehearsal and for during the break.

Cost: If cast, the cost for participation is $60 payable to Westgate by 3:30pm on October 15^th

Performances:

Performances of Pinocchio will be held at Westgate on Saturday, October 19^th at 3:00 and 5:30pm. Tickets will be $5.

Parent Support:

Homestays: We are in need of a homestay for our two wonderful directors. Each must have their own private bedroom to sleep. Our directors do not need to stay in the same house, but only have one vehicle. If you are interested, please contact Chelsea Crow at [email protected] for additional information.

Accompanist: We will need a piano accompanist for the performance. The accompanist must be able to read music and must be available for rehearsal from Wednesday on. A meeting with the directors will be held before or after the audition on Monday to pick up the score. If you are interested, please contact Chelsea Crow at [email protected] for additional information.

Social Studies 9/16/19-9/20/19

Dear Family,

This week we will be going back in time! We will be comparing events from the past with the present. We will see what has remained the same and what has changed. Students will compare and contrast schools, communication, transportation, and homes from the past and today. Students will create several art projects and even learn how to make butter from scratch!

Vocabulary:

past – present – slate – shelter – electricity – communication – transportation – homemade - plastic

How to Support Your Student at Home:

Draw a picture of the item for then and now:

House

Phone

School

Transportation

Social Studies 9/9/19-9/13/19

This week in Social Studies we need to finish up our Me on the Map books. This includes talking about what planet, continent, country, state, city, and neighborhood we live in. When finished we will begin our history unit called "Then & Now."

You can support students at home by going through family photos that show what family members wore or looked like in the past, compared to what they look like now.

Kindergarten Social Studies 9/3/19-9/6/19

This week the children are building geography skills. The sense of self they've worked on will now branch out into what their place and space are in the world, in the country, in the state, in their home, and in their own room.

You can support kids at home by showing them how you use your GPS to get around and how it helps you keep a sense of direction and plan how you get around from point A to point B. Talk about the directions with your kids. Explain how they can see which direction is east because the sun rises there, and here where we live, we can see which direction is west because the mountains are to the west of us.

Kindergarten Social Studies Week of August 26

In Social Studies this week we are continuing to help students develop a healthy sense of self and a good self-image. They will be learning to understand why it is important to like themselves even if others don't like them.

We've talked about how we are all different from some people, and that those differences make us unique and special and we can love our differences and our similarities to others.

You can support kids at home by reminding them of all the wonderful reasons you love them, and that no matter what happens that won't change.

It's going to be a great week!

Laura Chalstrom

Social Studies Update: I am me 8/19/19

Dear Family

This week your child will develop a sense of self and a positive self-image. They will be able to find reasons to like themselves and know that it is okay to be different from others. Students will identify their unique traits and we will graph them as a class. Students will compare and contrast their individual interest, attributes, and skills. We will create an art piece that depicts what they love about themselves to showcase in the hall!

Vocabulary Words and Guiding Questions:

Skill - What is a skill and what skills are you good at?

Self- image - Self-image is how you view yourself and your place in the world. How do you see yourself? What makes you unique and interesting?

Actions - What are actions? How do your actions impact those around you?

Supporting your student at home:

- Discuss with your child what they are good at.

- Discuss with your child what your favorite features are and what you love about your student. Model what positive self-image is.

Ms. Chalstrom's Science/Social Studies Class

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