September in Specials
Sand Creek Elementary Specials Update 🎶🏒🎨💻
👋 Hello families,
Here’s a look at what’s happening in the specials classrooms this month. We’ll share what students are learning, important reminders, and ways you can stay connected and support learning at home.
In this week’s update:
Library Volunteer Update
What's Happening in Specials
Library Update
Thank you so much to everyone who has connected with us and started supporting the library! We truly appreciate your time, flexibility, and help.
Below is the current library volunteer schedule, hours, and some helpful information.
We are getting into a rhythm with library and learning our flow! We are grateful for your help. We still have an opening for a volunteer or two to help on Thursday mornings. Let us know if you are interested.
Library Volunteer Schedule
Monday | 9:20–10:10 AM
- Brittney
- Teachers: Carly (Ms. Horne) & Sarah (Ms. Stenbakken)
Tuesday | 9:20–11:05 AM
- Chris & Lauren
- Teachers: Carly (Ms. Horne) & Sarah (Ms. Stenbakken)
Thursday | 9:20–11:05 AM
- Volunteer support is still open! Having one person weekly would be amazing.
- Teacher: Nate (Mr. Bolser), then Carly (Ms. Horne) & Sarah (Ms. Stenbakken)
Friday | 9:45- 11:05AM
- Chris, Lauren, Maryrose & Brittney (Per Diem)
- Teacher: Ryan (Mr. Nelson)
What's Happening in Art
Kindergarten – Art Room Expectations & Color
In Kindergarten, we are learning how to use our art supplies safely, responsibly, and respectfully. We are practicing how to take care of our materials and keep our supplies “healthy and safe” in the Art Room!
We are also beginning to explore color and learning how artists use colors to create and express ideas. Kindergarten is off to a great start, and we are having fun learning how to be safe, creative, and responsible artists!
1st Grade – The Very Hungry Caterpillar Series
In 1st Grade, we are kicking off our 4-part The Very Hungry Caterpillar art series!
We have just completed our first artwork: a leaf with a tiny caterpillar egg. Through this project, students explored two-tone color, learning how to use two colors together to create an interesting and colorful effect.
As we continue through our four-part series, students will be incorporating and exploring all seven Elements of Art: Line, Shape, Color, Value, Form, Texture, and Space.
We are excited to see how our artwork grows throughout this fun and colorful series!
2nd Grade – Line of Symmetry
In 2nd Grade, we are learning about Lines of Symmetry in Art!
A line of symmetry is an imaginary line that splits a shape or picture into two matching, mirror-image halves.
For our project, students focused on symmetry while drawing a happy-face sun. They used pencils to sketch their designs and then added Sharpies to outline and bring their artwork to life.
We had so much fun creating these bright, happy suns while practicing symmetry and paying close attention to both sides of our artwork!
3rd Grade – Elements of Art: Texture
In 3rd Grade, we are learning about the Elements of Art, and our current focus is Texture!
Texture in art is the way a surface actually feels when touched, or how an artist makes a surface look like it would feel.
Students are learning about the two main types of texture:
- Real Texture (Actual/Tactile): This is texture that you can physically touch and feel. Examples include a bumpy rock, a soft and fuzzy blanket, or thick paint that sticks out from a canvas.
- Implied Texture (Visual): This is when an artwork is flat to the touch, but the artist uses drawing or painting techniques to make it look like it has texture. Examples include drawing soft fur, shiny fish scales, or rough bricks on a flat piece of paper.
We are having fun exploring how artists can use lines, shapes, colors, and patterns to make artwork look and feel interesting!
4th Grade – Paper Weaving
In 4th Grade, we completed our Paper Weaving Project, and the finished artwork looks amazing!
Paper weaving is a fun process where colorful paper strips interlock to create a flat, woven design. Students learned about two important weaving terms:
Warp: The vertical paper strips that run up and down. They create the stable base for the weaving.
Weft: The horizontal paper strips that are woven over and under the vertical warp strips.
Students practiced careful cutting, weaving, and following patterns while creating their colorful designs. We are so proud of their creativity and hard work!
5th Grade – Op Art
In Art, our 5th graders completed a short Op Art project! Op Art, short for Optical Art, is a style of abstract art that became popular in the 1960s. Artists use lines, shapes, and patterns to create optical illusions that can make a flat artwork appear to have movement, vibration, or even 3D depth.
Our 5th graders had fun experimenting with patterns and optical illusions to create artwork that really makes your eyes work!
What's Happening in Music
This month, we celebrated Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15–October 15) by exploring music, songs, dances, and musical traditions from across Latin America!
🎵 4th & 5th Grade
Our older musicians are learning about musical chords and more complex rhythms through instruments, movement, and games. Students practiced instrument routines using rhythm sticks, scarves, and egg shakers, and ukuleles while learning the dotted quarter note through Al Citron. We also learned the Cha Cha with the Cuban song El Bodeguero! These activities give students a chance to hear, see, and physically experience the musical concepts we are studying.
🥁 2nd & 3rd Grade
Students explored the classic Cuban song El Manisero (The Peanut Vendor) using classroom instruments including claves, tone bells, and ukuleles. Through this song, students experienced the 3–2 clave rhythm and practiced listening for chord changes in music.
We also learned how the quarter rest works through Vamos a la Mar and played In and Out the Dusty Bluebells to practice sixteenth notes, turn-taking, listening skills, and body awareness. Another favorite playground singing game, Circle Round the Zero, helps students practice singing with pitch accuracy, turn-taking, and cooperative play.
🐥 Kindergarten & 1st Grade
Our youngest musicians are working hard on one of the most important foundational music skills: keeping a steady beat! Research has found connections between children's ability to synchronize with a steady beat and developing language and literacy skills.
We are also learning about our four voices: singing, talking, whispering, and shouting and when it is appropriate to use each one. This is a great concept to reinforce at home!
Finally, students are exploring musical opposites such as high/low, fast/slow, and loud/soft through songs including El Coquí (The Tree Frog) and Los Pollitos (The Chicks).
🎤 Choir News
Our Sand Creek Choir recently had the exciting opportunity to perform the National Anthem at a Colorado Rockies game! We are so proud of our singers and grateful to all of the families who joined us at Coors Field.
Next, choir is beginning work on our program for the Mountain Vista High School Vocal Feeder Festival! We are excited to continue building our skills and making music alongside other singers from our feeder area.
Didn’t get a chance to join us for the Rockies Anthem? There is still time to join choir! Students who would like to participate can still register through MySchoolBucks:
It has been a busy and joyful start to the year with lots of singing, playing, moving, listening, and learning in the music room! 🎶
Click Below to Watch Our 2nd Graders Play Circle Round the Zero
What's Happening in PE
Students focused on the fundamentals of soccer, including dribbling, passing, trapping, shooting, and controlling the ball. We also spent time practicing teamwork, communication, and good sportsmanship through a variety of games and activities. Students also enjoyed activities that focused on quick movement, changing directions, and avoiding others while working on spatial awareness. It was a great month of celebrating the fun run, developing skills, Outdoor Ed, and having fun in PE!
What's Happening in STEM
Hello Sand Creek Families! I'm Ryan Nelson and I am the new STEM teacher at SCE and am very excited to be here! The biggest change that your student might have discussed with you is that STEM has a much more Science and Engineering focus than the technology class they had in the past and is more of a hands on "maker-space" format.
So far all classes have done a 'get to know' Mr. Nelson and the new STEM Lab space through hands on, problem solving challenges while they use the Engineering Design Process to solve problems logically. All classes are also setting up the STEM notebooks. K-2nd are working on using rulers and graph paper to accurately represent objects, while 3rd-5th are using Orthographic Projection to draw precise top, front, and side views.