Learning Fun in December at McKay Creek Elementary
During December, several McKay students’ classes embarked on fun learning units and projects to celebrate the holiday season and winter.
The two 1st Grade classes worked on creating a calendar to give to their parents – each calendar featured 12 pieces of amazing art (one for each month) created by the individual student. Wendy Phillips, 1st Grade Teacher, said, “Our Christmas Calendar project is 12 months of amazing art wrapped into one special gift. This has been a traditional project at McKay for many years, and it’s been great this year to continue this tradition.”
First graders also began their Reindeer Unit. Phillips said some of the interesting things they have learned together are:
- Caribou means “snow shoveler”
- Arctic Tundra has permafrost; the climate is never warm enough to melt the frozen ground
- Moss, lichen, shrubs, and short grasses grow in the tundra
- One animal adaptation there is hollow fur to help them float
- Animals have huge nostrils to warm air before breathing
- Cow, bull, and calf communicate through snorts and grunts
Second graders in Shelby Spriet’s classroom were busy with their “Around the World” unit during December. Spriet said the class “flew” to Australia, England, France, China, and Israel. They also will be going to Germany and Russia.
To make the world traveler experience as authentic as possible, Spriet dresses up as a pilot, and the class watches a video of an airplane taking off. Then they go to “baggage claim” each day to grab their “luggage,” and they have passports where students place country stamps each time they travel to a new country.
“The kids love it! When we go to each country, we learn about the holidays they celebrate this time of year and how they celebrate. We learn the foods they eat and the traditions they have,” Spriet said.
McKay’s two fifth-grade classes, taught by Linzie Noble and Cathy Walters, got into the holiday spirit by creating multimedia pictures of tree boughs with watercolor ornaments.
PHS Recognizes Their Counselors
/in District Site News, High Schools News /by rthornburgKaren Demianew, Maddy Stuvland and Ron Murphy serve as advocates, mentors, coaches, cheerleaders, and teachers, and they are truly the glue that holds so many aspects of our schools together. As we recognize their hard work and dedication this week, we want to express our appreciation and gratitude to each of our amazing school counselors. We know students cannot learn unless their social and emotional needs are being tended to, and our school counselors are there to remove barriers and help students to navigate challenges. We are so lucky here at Pendleton High School to be surrounded by such a talented and creative group of school counselors.
National School Counseling Week – February 6-10, 2023
/in District Site News, News - District & All Schools /by rthornburgNational School Counseling Week 2023 (Feb. 6-10), sponsored by the American School Counselor Association (ASCA), highlights the essential contribution of school counselors within U.S. school systems and the tremendous impact they have in helping students achieve school success and plan for a career. Every student deserves a school counselor to help with academic achievement strategies, managing emotions and applying interpersonal skills, and planning for postsecondary options. School counselors are #HelpingStudentsDreamBig. Take a moment to thank your local school counselor(s).
PELC Visual Communication Board
/in District Site News, Early Learning Center News /by rthornburgThe Pendleton Early Learning Center has installed a visual communication board on its playground so that non-verbal students can communicate during recess. The board has about 60 small word-picture icons with a variety of subjects, actions, and more — things like “run, slide, yes, no, go, cold, bathroom.” Students can point to one of the icons to communicate with adults or with other students.
On a smaller scale, this visual communication tool is used in classrooms for non-verbal students as well.
Angela Lattin, Principal at the PELC, said there are several non-verbal students in the school who will benefit from the communication board, as will many of their classmates. “Our goal is that every child can communicate their needs. These boards provide exactly that access in the play setting,” Lattin said.
A second communication board will be installed on the other playground soon.
SMS Student Activity Hour
/in District Site News, Sunridge News /by rthornburgThe staff at Sunridge Middle School are always looking for ways to motivate students to grow academically while having a little fun along the way.
PELC Field Trip to the Arts Center
/in District Site News, Early Learning Center News /by rthornburgPELC students see and make art.
Sherwood Principals Appreciate Staff
/in District Site News, Sherwood School News /by rthornburgMessage from Superintendent Headings – January 12, 2023
/in News - District & All Schools /by rthornburg1/12/2023 @ 10:45 am
This morning across the street from McKay Elementary School a power pole “transformer” blew and set off the fire alarms at the school. Students were safely evacuated and the fire department was dispatched. The building was checked inside and out by the fire department and once deemed safe, students were allowed back into the school and will continue with classes.
Pendleton High School Holiday Season Wrap-Up
/in District Site News, High Schools News /by rthornburgPHS students found several ways to give back to their community during the recent holiday season.
Last month, an annual tradition they completed was PHS Adopt-a-Child, where PHS teams/groups/staff “adopt” a child to provide holiday gifts through Salvation Army in Pendleton. In December, PHS adopted 45 children, an “outstanding effort by our students and staff,” said Stu Clem, PHS Leadership Advisor.
Also, during the holiday season, all district schools — elementary, middle, and high — participated in the Canned Food Drive, with students collecting hundreds of non-perishable food items for local families.
Finally, PHS Leadership hosted their annual Little Bucks Day on December 15th. The purpose of this half-day event is to give back to the Pendleton community and provide a fun day with various activities for some Little Bucks, pre-elementary children, with Big Bucks (PHS students) as role models. The Little Bucks are children of PHS staff members and friends.
There were 20 participants in Little Bucks Day this year. According to Advisor Clem, “We have had about ten former Big Bucks in our leadership class bring their own Little Bucks to this event the last three to five years.” Clem thanked PHS student Grace Pitner, who he said was an amazing chairperson of the Little Bucks committee. “It was the best Little Bucks Day we have had!” Clem said.
McKay Creek Elementary Learning Fun in December
/in District Site News, McKay Creek School News /by rthornburgLearning Fun in December at McKay Creek Elementary
During December, several McKay students’ classes embarked on fun learning units and projects to celebrate the holiday season and winter.
The two 1st Grade classes worked on creating a calendar to give to their parents – each calendar featured 12 pieces of amazing art (one for each month) created by the individual student. Wendy Phillips, 1st Grade Teacher, said, “Our Christmas Calendar project is 12 months of amazing art wrapped into one special gift. This has been a traditional project at McKay for many years, and it’s been great this year to continue this tradition.”
First graders also began their Reindeer Unit. Phillips said some of the interesting things they have learned together are:
Second graders in Shelby Spriet’s classroom were busy with their “Around the World” unit during December. Spriet said the class “flew” to Australia, England, France, China, and Israel. They also will be going to Germany and Russia.
To make the world traveler experience as authentic as possible, Spriet dresses up as a pilot, and the class watches a video of an airplane taking off. Then they go to “baggage claim” each day to grab their “luggage,” and they have passports where students place country stamps each time they travel to a new country.
“The kids love it! When we go to each country, we learn about the holidays they celebrate this time of year and how they celebrate. We learn the foods they eat and the traditions they have,” Spriet said.
McKay’s two fifth-grade classes, taught by Linzie Noble and Cathy Walters, got into the holiday spirit by creating multimedia pictures of tree boughs with watercolor ornaments.
Sunridge Middle School Fisheries Field Trip
/in District Site News, Sunridge News /by rthornburgEarlier this fall, about 40 students at Sunridge Middle School went on a field trip to learn about fish management in eastern Oregon. The students are enrolled in the Fisheries and Wildlife elective class taught by Science Teacher Matt Baty.
The class traveled to Three Mile Falls Dam on the Umatilla River, near Umatilla. The students were able to tour the facility and watch the fall spawning process. According to Baty, while in the fish trap, they viewed Chinook and Coho salmon as well as steelhead coming in. Staff at the dam, including Clinton Case, explained how the trap works and guided the class through the experience. “The students got to see and touch some of the biggest fish I’ve ever seen come out of the Umatilla River,” Baty said.
The students then explored the spawning part of the facility, where the staff was spawning Coho salmon and checking for any diseases. Baty said it was great because the students got front-row seats to the entire process, and everyone at the facility came by to talk with the students about the why of what they were doing.
During the last part of the tour, the group saw the runs that hold the salmon and how that operates. “The entire tour was great, and I plan on a spring tour at either this dam or McNary Dam for semester two during the Chinook run,” Baty said.