My Favorite Winter Activity is...
Koraline: “getting pulled by dad’s 4wheeler on our sleds and getting sprayed with the snow.”
Amelia: “watching movies”
Lilli: “building snowmen with grandma.”
Penny: “going sledding with my cousins at Pageant Hill.”
Lucas: “sledding with my friends.”
Grayson: “sledding.”
Lincoln: “drinking hot cocoa and building snowmen.”
Coleman: “having snowball fights.”
Allison: “drinking hot cocoa with my mom and dad.”
Jessiah: “looking at lights and drinking hot cocoa with my family.”
Audrey: “putting up lights on our tree.”
Kaylie: “coloring Christmas pictures.”
Jeightyn: “sledding because you can go really fast and you have to dress really warm in case you crash into a snow bank.”
Rhett: “snowball fights, snow forts, and sledding.”
Lucy: “make snow angels”
Emiliana: “jump in puddles when the snow melts.”
Mrs. Treloar: “I love to watch it snow.”
We’ve been having so much fun in kindergarten and have learned so much this year. Not only are we learning addition, subtraction and how to read, we are also learning how to treat others. The week of the Martin Luther King holiday was a perfect time to discuss how we should act towards others in our lives. Students learned that we are the same on the inside, even if we look different on the outside. Students talked about how they have made good friends this year, which made my heart happy.
I was also curious about what my students liked best about kindergarten, these are some of their responses.
Calvin—I think my classmates are nice.
Jordyn—I like playing outside.
Isaiah—I love to learn.
Bellawulf—I like eating lunch.
Aiden—I like the teachers.
Levi—I like lunch.
Novvah—I love learning new math.
Terran—I have the best teachers.
Winter—I like that we get to do Raz-Kids.
Charlee—I like math because it is fast.
Aoki—I like lunch and recess.
Grady—I like meeting new friends.
I feel so grateful for every student in my class. They teach me new things each and every day.
Our school year is going by fast. It's hard to believe that we are already into February. We are working hard in Mrs. Keller's Reading Room. My focus with the small groups I meet with is on explicit phonics instruction. A typical lesson includes phonemic awareness, the study in a specific phonics skill and writing and reading within that skill.
I am including an easy, at home, activity you can work on with your student(s).
These easy-to-use family literacy tips are fast and fun activities for families to complete at home and on the go. The tips are broken down by grade level (K-1, 2-3, and 4-5) and literacy area:
Phonemic Awareness: The ability to hear and manipulate sounds in words
Phonics: The ability to match written letters with the sounds of speech and apply this knowledge in reading and spelling
Fluency: The ability to read text aloud and to one’s self with accuracy, speed and proper expression
Vocabulary: Understanding word meanings
Comprehension: Understanding what has been read
Activity: Sketch It
Reading Focus: Comprehension (The ability to understand the text you read.)
Grade: K-1, 2-3
Here’s a hands-on activity to help your learner remember what they read.
After reading a story together, build one or more scenes of the book with blocks, toys, or other household items. Ask your learner to retell what happened in the story using the scene (or scenes) they created.
Change it up! Create one or more scenes outside with sidewalk chalk. Draw or paint the scenes on paper. Use a recording device to record your learner acting out the important parts of the story.
Activity: Read-Aloud to Remember
Reading Focus: Comprehension (The ability to understand the text you read.)
Grade: 2-3, 4-5
Reading aloud builds on many reading skills, including comprehension. To help your learner remember important parts of the story, try these tips:
- Try reading using different voices for the different characters in the story.
- Ask questions as you read! “What do you think will happen?” “Do you think that was a good idea?” “I wonder what the character will do now!”
- Talk aloud about your own thinking as you read aloud. “I don’t think that was a good idea for the character to do that!” “If that was me in the story I would have been scared!”
- Make connections to the story as you read. “I went on a roller coaster once, I loved it!” “When my friend did that to me, it hurt my feelings.” “I remember when I did that, it didn’t turn out so well.”
I am very excited to announce that Highmark Federal Credit Union has a new offer – The Wildcat Spirit debit card. Do everything you normally do with a debit card and support CHS Activities every time you use it! Please share with family and friends!!
ATTENTION Custer students, parents, faculty, and fans: Open a free
checking account at Highmark and get a free Wildcats Spirit debit card.
Plus, we'll make a contribution to CHS Activities each time you swipe your
Wildcats debit card.
All three of our checking accounts come with:
• No minimum deposit
• No minimum balance
• The convenience of online & mobile banking
• Free Wildcats debit card
Principal's Ponderings
All staff and students seem happy to be back in school. We made it through that awful cold stretch where students couldn't be out for recess for a few days. So glad that the weather has changed from that. With that in mind, make sure your child/children have the proper gear to be outside. If we have windchill or temperature at zero degrees or below, we stay inside. Any temperatures above zero and we go outside for recess. We want all students to be warm, safe and have fun at recess time.
The soup fundraiser that went home today is replacing the pie fundraiser that we used to do in November. The money raised from this will be used to bring assemblies to our school, for class rewards, for student prizes when we have school wide games or contests. We chose this fundraiser because it seemed simple and easy for everyone. Thanks for your continued support for our school.
Mrs. Paulson
605 673-4483
Elementary Fine Arts Schedule 2023-24
October 28 - 3:30pm - Honor Choir (Rapid City, The Monument)
November 9 - 2:00pm - Veteran's Day Program (Armory)
November 30 - 7:00pm - 2nd & 4th Concert (CHS Theatre)
December 7 - 7:00pm - 1st & 3rd Concert (CHS Theatre)
February 5 - 6:30pm - Elder's Wisdom, Children's Song (CHS Theatre)
February 12-17 - 4:00pm-8:00pm Dakota Players Residency (CHS Theatre)
March 4 - 3:30pm - Festival Choir (Sturgis Community Center)
April 29 - 7:00pm - 5th & 6th Band and Choir Concert (CHS Theatre)
May 16 - 7:00pm - Kindergarten Program (CHS Theatre)
Custer Elementary School
Email: barb.paulson@k12.sd.us
Website: https://www.csd.k12.sd.us/CusterElementary
Location: 1415 Wildcat Lane, Custer, SD, 57730
Phone: (605) 673-4483
Twitter: @Custer_Elemen