Horizon Elementary News
On the Path to Possibilities - March Newsletter
Dear Families,
March Madness at Horizon!
Happy March, Horizon Families! It is officially that time of year when our school calendar moves at lightning speed. We have several important dates and reminders to help your family navigate the busy weeks ahead. Please note that there will be no school on Friday, March 13th, as our teachers will be participating in a Professional Development day. Additionally, we look forward to a restful Spring Break from March 30th through April 3rd. I also want to take a moment to highlight School Board Appreciation Week (March 16th–20th); we are so grateful for the dedicated leaders who support our students and staff every day!
Looking ahead, our Statewide Assessments are scheduled for April 27th through May 12th. These assessments take place first thing in the morning, so we kindly ask that you reschedule all morning appointments during this window to ensure your child is present and ready to show what they know. Finally, the Panorama Survey window opens March 16th through March 27th. This survey is a vital tool that helps us understand our students' experiences and how we can continue to grow as a building. If you have any specific questions regarding the survey, please reach out to your child's teacher. Thank you for your continued partnership in making this a great year!
Thank you for all you do!
Take Care,
Mrs. Kristi Mellon
Horizon Elementary Principal
Early Childhood:
In celebration of Read Across America Week, we are learning all about Dr. Seuss and reading some of his silly stories. When we are finished with our Dr. Seuss unit we will begin talking about all things spring. The students love this unit because we get to spend time outdoors going on nature walks, making spring crafts, and growing our own flowers. We will open up our “flower shop” when we return from Spring Break. We will continue to review our letters, numbers, colors and shapes we have learned about so far this year. Our Second Steps focus will be on Friendship Skills and Problem Solving. We will work on having fun with friends, fair ways to play, saying the problem and thinking of solutions.
Warrior Preschool:
Kindergarten:
ELA: We are learning all about Native Americans in our CKLA unit. Our skills unit will focus on three additional new elements: consonant clusters, letter names, and reading text independently.
Math: We are working on our teen numbers and using base 10 blocks to represent numbers.
Science/SS: We will continue to learn about presidents Abraham Lincoln and George Washington and the importance of President’s Day.
SEL: Our second steps this month will focus on problem-solving. Students will learn how to apply their emotion management and communication skills to solve interpersonal problems and demonstrate strategies to effectively deal with conflict.
First Grade:
ELA: We are looking forward to celebrating Read Across America week. We will spend some time enjoying some fun books. This month in CKLA we are focusing on spelling alternatives for consonant spellings. We will also work on opinion writing. In our Knowledge unit we are learning about fairy tales from around the world.
Math: We will finish out third quarter adding and subtracting two digit numbers. We will learn how to add two digit numbers that require regrouping.
Science/SS: We will begin a science unit that focuses on light and sound.
SEL: This month we continue to practice ways to be kind to others.
Second Grade:
ELA: We are excited to start the month off with Read Across America Week, when we will focus on getting students engaged and excited about reading! This month in CKLA we are focusing on spelling alternatives for vowel sounds and the schwa sound. In our knowledge unit, we will be learning about people that have made positive changes around the world.
Math: This month in math we are beginning our unit all about geometry. Students will get the chance to learn about all kinds of different shapes and their attributes. We will also learn how to partition shapes into equal sizes as we introduce fractions.
Science/SS: We are beginning our next science unit all about changing landforms. Students will be learning about the main causes of erosion and see how landforms change over time.
SEL: This month, we will continue to help students work on their problem-solving skills. As we go throughout different scenarios each day, students are becoming better independent problem solvers.
Third Grade:
In third grade, our students are working hard to grow in preparation for their first MAP test season, finishing third grade strong, and the journey into fourth grade.
ELA: In ELA, we have recently wrapped up our study of Native Americans, which included a small research project, practice with presenting, and general reading comprehension. We have begun a novel study of Charlotte’s Web, which will allow us to explore characters in depth.
Math: Now that we have wrapped up with our study of fractions, we have moved into a unit on area and perimeter. This will be followed by a unit of study focused on word problems. We will also be spending our RTI time on covering some math concepts, including geometry, graphing, and elapsed time.
Science/SS: We are wrapping up a social studies unit over the history of early Missourians. We are excited to be starting our science unit next over forces and motion!
SEL: After finishing Second Step curriculum, we have revisited topics with our students to help them remember key concepts, including demonstrating kindness and practicing self-discipline.
Fourth Grade:
Fourth Grade: March is here, bringing fresh energy, new goals, and many exciting learning opportunities ahead.
ELA: Our new unit--Road to Independence: The American Revolution--centers around the big idea that disagreements about principles of government led colonists in North America to seek
independence from Great Britain. By learning about the causes, major figures, and consequences of the American Revolution, students gain an understanding of what caused the thirteen original colonies to break away and become an independent nation, as well as the ideas and values at the heart of the conflict. Students will demonstrate an understanding of key vocabulary, develop proficiency in subject-verb agreement with both regular and irregular verbs, deepen knowledge and understanding of prefixes and suffixes when added to root words, and write a five-paragraph cause and effect essay.
Math: We are working on all things fractions in fourth grade this month! We have already tackled equivalent fractions and comparing fractions, and are ready to start adding and subtracting! Students will learn to add and subtract both fractions and mixed numbers with like denominators as well as how to use those skills to answer fractional questions involving line plots. From there, we will move into multiplying fractions by whole numbers. It’s sure to be a busy month!
Science/SS: We have been working on the adaptations of plants and animals! We are transitioning into focusing on the constitution and what it does for our country! Students will also learn the symbols of America, and the bill of rights!
SEL: Along with our social studies unit we will be starting our third second steps unit!
Fifth Grade:
We are about to embark on the part of the school year when time is of the essence. It's time to learn, learn, LEARN! End of Quarter 3, MAP Testing, End of Year activities, all of these things are about to hit us whether we are ready or not....so ready or not, here we come! Let's keep pushing and persevering through the 5th grade grind.
ELA: In our upcoming unit, students will explore Native American history, cultures, and stories, with a focus on how tribal traditions and values are passed down through generations. Through complex informational and narrative texts, students will build vocabulary and practice key reading comprehension skills such as making inferences, citing evidence, and comparing themes. Students will also study important language skills, including verb tenses, conjunctions, and word parts (prefixes, suffixes, and roots). As a culminating project, students will gather and organize information to write a research-based informational paper.
Math: Here in fifth grade mathematics we usher in March with our study of dividing fractions. This is always an amazing journey of deepening our understanding of division itself, which for our fifth grade minds is a great thing! The remainder of the month is dedicated to writing and evaluating Algebraic expressions (understanding order of operations). Students soon realize that they have been evaluating expressions for quite some time...they just didn't realize it. It should be an exciting month of growth, critical thinking and discovery here in Room 113!
Science: This month in science, students have been learning about patterns in space and how they affect life on Earth. We explored how Earth’s rotation causes day and night and how its tilt and orbit around the sun create the seasons. Students examined how the position of the sun changes throughout the day and across seasons, which affects the length and direction of shadows. Through observations, discussions, and data analysis, students practiced identifying patterns and explaining their thinking using scientific evidence and vocabulary. We will finish our space unit by learning about the phases of the moon. Students will investigate why the moon appears to change shape and understand that these phases follow a predictable pattern caused by the positions of the Earth, moon, and sun. They will model the lunar cycle and identify the sequence of phases from new moon to full moon and back again. Next, we will begin our Earth systems unit. Students will learn about the atmosphere, hydrosphere, geosphere, and biosphere and explore how these systems interact with one another. We will examine how water moves between systems, how weather affects living things, and how landforms and natural resources support life. This unit will help students see how interconnected Earth’s systems are and how changes in one system can impact the others. We are looking forward to continuing to build strong scientific understanding and curiosity as we move into this exciting new unit.SS: We have been working our way across the US, learning states and capitals and even a little bit about the different regions like climate, culture, etc. Our goal is to wrap up this unit this month with a test where students will be expected to identify all 50 states. Following that, students will do a short project where they become tour guides of a state of their choice!
SEL: This month in our social emotional lessons students will learn how to identify emotions in themselves and apply strategies to manage their emotions.
Sixth Grade:
ELA: We have started a unit where students will engage in classroom discussions that build our knowledge about the language and elements of poetry. We will gain an understanding of how to approach a poem through observation, analysis, and discussion, with the goal of developing our own ideas about each poem. Additionally, students have the opportunity to try on the poet’s use of language, craft, and structure in creative writing assignments for each poem we read.
Math: Through the first few weeks of March we are going to be wrapping up our Algebraic Unit! Students have done amazing with these concepts and are ready to continue building their skills in algebraic thinking! Through the end of March we will start discussing and looking into positive and negative numbers!
Science/SS: This month, we will learn all about weather patterns. Weather is a complex system that impacts our daily lives. In this unit, students act as forensic meteorologists investigating severe rainstorms in the fictional town of Galetown. They explore how water vapor, temperature, energy transfer, wind, and air pressure influence local weather and contribute to storm severity. Using models, simulations, hands-on activities, data, and science texts, students examine how warm rainstorms form and how factors like evaporation, condensation, and the sun’s energy affect the amount of rainfall. What a perfect unit to have in March!
SEL: Students are continuing to learn how to notice when they feel big emotions or unhelpful thoughts. They are learning simple strategies to practice in order to calm down and handle stress. In our current unit, they are discovering that all emotions matter, because they give us important clues about what’s going on around us. We will also learn how to respond to our feelings in healthy ways that help us take care of ourselves and advocate for what we need.
Technology & Innovation:
March: Screen Time & Mental Health - Feelings are clues — not failures.
Ask, “How do you feel after being on that app?” and reflect together.
Celebrate when your child recognizes it’s time for a break — awareness is growth!
If emotions are running high, say, “Let’s pause and reset together.”
Trash to Treasure
Magazines / newspapers (for collaging and design)
Plastic bags (for weaving/repurposing)
Broken toys (for deconstructing/repurposing)
Unused craft materials (felt, ribbon, etc.)
Students across K–6 are diving into hands‑on, creative, and skill‑building projects that stretch their thinking and spark curiosity. Here’s a look at what each grade is exploring this month:
🟦 Kindergarten: Building With Shapes
Our youngest innovators are gearing up for a project all about 2D and 3D shapes. Students will explore how shapes work together, compare flat and solid forms, and use them to build simple structures. This unit builds foundational geometry skills while strengthening fine‑motor creativity.
📝 1st Grade: First Steps Into Google Tools
First graders are preparing for their introduction to Google Docs and Google Slides. They’ll learn how to type, format, insert images, and create simple presentations—skills that will support them across all subject areas as they grow as digital creators.
🔌 2nd Grade: Circuits & Electricity
Second graders are becoming electrical engineers as they explore circuits, power sources, and conductive materials. Their unit will culminate in designing and building their own paper circuits, bringing art and science together in a bright, hands‑on way.
🛹 3rd Grade: Cardboard Skatepark Engineering
Third graders are deep into a collaborative skatepark construction project. Using cardboard, simple machines, and engineering design steps, students are creating ramps, rails, and features that demonstrate how motion, force, and structure work together.
🤖 4th Grade: Battle Bots Returns
Fourth graders are revisiting our popular Battle Bots project. Students will design, build, and test their own bots while practicing teamwork, sportsmanship, and problem‑solving. This project remains a fan favorite for its blend of creativity and friendly competition.
🎛️ 5th Grade: Student‑Driven Choice Projects
Fifth graders are beginning a choice‑based project cycle modeled after how 6th grade Tech & Innovation operates. Students will take more ownership of their learning by selecting a project pathway that matches their interests—engineering, robotics, digital design, circuits, or media creation—and guiding their own process from planning to final product.
Library:
March is full of fun activities and reading challenges in the library, so students will have a lot of opportunities to get their hands on some awesome books!
Read Across America Week - March 2nd-6th Read Around America Challenge!
Students will be completing reading activities in their classrooms and keeping track of the number of pages that they read during RTI to use as Horizon’s mileage as we travel 14,000 miles around the perimeter of the United States!
Monday, March 2 - Read like a Boss! Grab a book and get comfortable! Put your feet up on your desk and see how many pages you can read!
Our journey around America will kick off in Boston.
Tuesday, March 3 - Read like a STAR! Wear your sunglasses and bring a towel as we pretend to read on the beaches of one of our coastal cities!
Wednesday, March 4 - Read like a COWBOY! Saddle up and straddle your classroom chair like you are riding a horse! Wear your best western gear as we travel through our southern states.
Thursday, March 5 - Read like a CAVEMAN! Students will read under their desk or classroom table as we explore some of our mountainous states.
Friday, March 6 -Read like a VET! Bring a small stuffed animal to cuddle with as we finish our reading journey.
March Book Madness - Horizon students will spend the month of March working their way through our “Basketball” book brackets. We have 16 picture books and 16 chapter books that are competing to be the best new book on Horizon’s library shelves. Each week students will vote for their favorite books in hopes of moving them through the brackets to the finals. It is so much fun to see the competition and excitement on the students’ faces when their favorite book moves on! Who will win? We’ll have to wait until April 1 to find out!
Physical Education:
K-4th grade just wrapped up Olympic events and stations. We had a lot of fun, moving into March we will be focusing on jump roping. We will be setting goals for jump ropes in a row and jump ropes completed in 1 minute. We will also be doing stations that will involve soccer, climbing, and other activities that we are familiar with and are continuing to work on.
5th-6th grade just wrapped up their archery unit. We needed to use a day to get ready, learn through the NASP Archery rulebook for safety and skills. Students got a lot better after getting the hang of it, and I saw their confidence rise with more attempts. This month we will be starting with Warrior Day and testing vertical jumps, which they last did in November. We will then start playing floor hockey, a favorite for many!
3rd-6th grade Fitness Testing: The plan is to wait until the first week back from Spring Break on a Day 1 to start fitness testing.
Music:
Hello Horizon families! Here’s a little bit about what will be happening in the music room in March:
Kindergarten: Kindergarten is continuing to learn about all of our musical opposites. We just wrapped up the opposite of high and low and will now be moving into the opposite up and down. After Spring Break we will also work on a few songs that we will be performing at our Kindergarten celebration to show friends and family all of the amazing things we have done this year in the music room!
1st Grade: 1st grade has been working to identify Ta, Ta-di, and shh through activities such as “Rhythm Tic-Tac-Toe” and “Rhythm Bingo”. As we continue to
expand our knowledge of rhythm, we will begin adding in new concepts of pitch. This is my favorite time to teach students the song Do Re Mi from the Sound of Music! This will occur while we begin learning about music street (otherwise known as solfege).
2nd Grade: Students are experiencing stations in the music room for the first time! Students will be rotating around to different activities in the classroom where they will practice rhythms and the new note: a half note (ta-a).
3rd & 4th Grade: Both 3rd and 4th grade are working on their music for our upcoming music program! Our program this year is called “Wright” and is a fun musical about the Wright brothers and the beginning of flight! Our program will take place March 12th at 6pm in the Smithville Performing Arts Center. Be on the lookout for an email with more details about this show!
5th Grade: 5th graders are learning about the different genres of music. In the music room they are working in project groups to complete a research project on one genre of music. They will then be presenting their projects to the class, so everyone has a chance to learn about all the genres that were selected!
6th Grade: In our 6th grade Music Around Us Class, we are learning about different Careers in Music. Along with this we learned about Foley Artists, who create sounds for film. We will begin a Foley project where we get to become Foley Artists and create sounds to accompany a Tom and Jerry episode!
Choir: This semester the Sunset Singers will be preparing for our annual Smithville Elementary Music Festival. Although it is structured a bit differently this year, students will still get the opportunity to work in a festival type setting while being cliniced by all 3 elementary directors in the district! Our festival will take place on April 14th, please save this date now if you have not already!
Art:
Happy March, families! It’s been a wonderfully creative month in the art room, and I’m thrilled to give you a peek into the projects, skills, and discoveries your young artists have been diving into.
Preschool artists are still happily exploring our “heart‑themed” stations. They’ve been creating play‑doh love monsters, designing heart cards for someone special, making mosaic heart collages, swirling shaving‑cream‑and‑paint hearts (with adult help), and stamping fingerprint flowers. These stations have been a huge hit and are helping our youngest learners build fine‑motor skills and new techniques.
Kindergarten students recently finished creating clay pinch pots, which are now waiting for their turn in the kiln. Once fired, students will glaze (paint) them with colors of their choice. While they wait, Kindergarten has shifted into a self‑portrait unit, learning how to draw a human (themselves), beginning with simple shapes.
1st Grade artists also wrapped up a clay project—beautiful clay coil hearts. These are drying and will be painted after their kiln firing. In the meantime, 1st graders are working on close‑up self‑portraits, practicing how to fill the page and add expressive and fun details.
2nd Grade has been studying how to create space in landscapes. Students learned about horizon line, foreground, middleground, and background, and how changing the size and placement of objects can make things appear closer or farther away. As extensions, they read Sky Color by Peter H. Reynolds and explored Pointillism as a technique they may choose to use in their landscapes. Now that our kiln is repaired, 2nd graders will also begin painting their clay melted snowman sculptures soon.
3rd Grade has spent several weeks exploring symmetry. They practiced by arranging art supplies on their tables to create symmetrical designs, then applied the concept through origami. Most recently, they’ve shifted into drawing figures in motion. We’ve been practicing drawing people in action poses as a group, connecting our work to artist Keith Haring and discussing how art can reflect current events—including the Winter Olympics. Their clay pinch‑pot snowmen are also finally through the kiln and will be ready to paint soon.
4th Grade has been working through a multi‑step unit combining radial symmetry and origami. After exploring radial balance through table‑top design challenges, students learned three foundational origami folds: the hat fold, kite fold, and samurai fold. They are now using these folds to build an origami relief sculpture that pops out from the background. These intricate projects will continue for several more weeks.
5th Grade has been developing a wide range of new skills. To prepare for observational drawing, students created their own still‑life arrangements using objects from the art room. I photographed each setup, and students are now drawing from their printed images with impressive focus and detail. They’ve also completed lessons in origami and learned a new technique called paper quilling. A quick reminder: please help your student complete their encore class survey for 6th grade. Art options include Draw It, Paint It (2-Dimensional Art including Drawing, Painting, Collage, Printmaking), Sculpt It, Stitch It (3-Dimensional Art with Clay and Fibers), and Cardboard Build-It (3-Dimensional Art with Cardboard, Paper, and Recyclable Materials).
6th Grade is thriving in 3D art this quarter. Students have created remarkable sculptures and have even had opportunities to display their work in the hallway. They just wrapped up a paper‑quilling unit, learning how to roll, shape, and glue narrow strips of paper into intricate 3D designs. Next up is Fiber Arts, where students may choose to make a tie‑dyed and sewn pillow, create a soft sculpture or “stuffy,” or design a yarn weaving. I’m excited to see their creativity shine.
Counselor:
match the spirit of the month: Social Awareness, Respect for Self & Others, and Empathy. These skills are the foundation of healthy relationships, a positive school climate, and success both inside and outside the classroom.
Here’s what your child will be exploring:
Social Awareness: Learning to “read the room.” We’ll discuss how to recognize and understand the feelings, perspectives, and cultures of those around us. This includes noticing body language and understanding that others may have different thoughts and experiences.
Respect for Self & Others: We’ll talk about what respect truly looks like—in our words, actions, and attitudes. This means honoring our own worth (positive self-talk, setting boundaries) and showing care and consideration for peers, staff, and family.
Empathy (Our Superpower!): Moving beyond just recognizing feelings to truly understanding and caring about them. We’ll may practice “stepping into someone else’s shoes” through stories, role-playing, and discussions to build compassion and kindness.
Activities will include:
Engaging in cooperative games that require understanding and teamwork.
Practicing “I-Statements” and respectful communication.
Identifying emotions in ourselves and others and exploring appropriate ways to respond.
How You Can Help at Home: Model Empathy: Verbally label feelings (yours and your child’s). “It looks like you’re feeling frustrated because your tower fell. That can be disappointing.” Discuss Perspectives: When reading or watching a show, ask, “How do you think that character felt? Why?” Practice Respectful Interactions: Encourage turn-taking, active listening, and using polite words as a family. Celebrate Differences: Talk about what makes people unique—in your family, your neighborhood, and the world—and how those differences make our community stronger. As always, please feel free to reach out if you have any questions or if there are specific ways I can support your child’s social-emotional growth. Wishing you a month filled with kindness and connection.
PBIS
As part of our Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) process, we implemented a Hallway Monitor program for third quarter. This opportunity was open to 4th and 5th grade students, who completed an application and received teacher input as part of the selection process. In January, we selected 12 student leaders—10 serving in the morning and 2 in the afternoon. Wearing special vests and lanyards, they help ensure students transition safely to class and distribute Tribe Tickets to peers who are following hallway expectations. I am incredibly proud of their leadership and commitment to our school community.
