CHIT...CHAT...

OUTDOOR EDUCATION 2010

noreply@blogger.com (Kirby Chittenden) — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 16:45:00 +0000

YMCA Camp Pendalouan provided a wonderful setting for two days of outdoor education. Our fifth grade students interacted in challenge games, cross country skiing, broomball, orienteering, survival, candle making, hikes, Native American Life Fair, Gold Rush, and more.

The benefits of Outdoor Education on the lives of young people is well-documented. The results from these studies show an impact on four main areas--personal, interpersonal, academic, and environmental awareness. Some things just can't be learned in a traditional classroom.

Students were "geared up" to tackle the brisk January weather on Big Blue Lake. Fifteen adults joined them throughout the daytime activities and during the overnight camping experience in heated cabins at the 210-acre facility of Camp Pendalouan. Great staff...great parents...great students create unforgettable times.

Enjoy the video and a few of the photo highlights of our outdoor education.

Click the PLAY button for our broomball video.

We may not have it all together, but together we have it all.

Holiday Celebration

noreply@blogger.com (Kirby Chittenden) — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 00:40:00 +0000

THE CHRISTMAS POTLUCK is a classic event at the Chittenden Home and this year was no exception. The food was glorious, the music was grand, and 26 students never looked so fine. Here are some photo highlights of the fun evening.

HOLIDAY SEASON AHEAD

noreply@blogger.com (Kirby Chittenden) — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 18:14:00 +0000

PARENT/TEACHER CONFERENCES were a great success and I want to thank EACH of our families for their participation in these updates. Students will lead their spring conferences where they will provide evidence of their achievement and share areas in which they face challenges.

CANDY BARS arrived today and will be sent home. Students have until December 1 to sell these and return the total balance due to school. Please make checks payable to Lake Hills School and do not send cash. Thank you for your support of our fundraising efforts as we prepare for the outdoor education program at Camp Pendalouan this winter.

OUR THANKSGIVING BREAK is from Wednesday, November 25, through Monday, November 30. School resumes on Tuesday, December 1.

WE COMPLETED our first unit in Geometry this week as we focused on determining the perimeter and area of rectangles, triangles, and complex figures. We completed our test using the Classroom Performance System keypads with an average score of 83.41%. We begin our study of fractions and decimals this week.

EXPLORING A SUNKEN SHIP in social studies this week permitted us to discover the various artifacts archeologists use to help determine information about the early explorers to America. We will complete this short unit of study with a summary review next week and our test on Wednesday.

THE PTA FOOD DRIVE began this week. Please send non-perishable food items to school as we prepare to make Thanksgiving food boxes for area families. It would be great if we could fill two large boxes with items from our class.

OUR FIRST COMPLIMENT PARTY will be mixed with our Writers' Celebration next Friday morning, November 20. We have received 10 unsolicited compliments and will also celebrate our focus on personal narrative writing. This is a "cereal event" where students may bring their favorite cereal and bowl with them to school. I will provide the milk. We will also enjoy a few hours of Monopoly that morning.

THE LAST SOLDIER was the theme of our discussion about Veteran's Day this week. I shared with the class a web site our foreign exchange student constructed for her American History class project at Spring Lake High School. Click HERE if you wish to visit this site and learn about a member of my family who received a medal from the French government for his role in the Battle of Verdun.

THE LEONID METEOR SHOWER is predicted to by quite amazing this year; so, you might want to catch the predawn sky this Tuesday, November 17. Click HERE for more information about this celestial show. Although Tuesday morning will provide the best entertainment, Monday and Tuesday evening may also provide good viewing.

SCROLL DOWN to view our class calendar.

CONFERENCE TIME

noreply@blogger.com (Kirby Chittenden) — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 18:58:00 +0000

PARENT/TEACHER CONFERENCES are scheduled for next Monday and Tuesday, November 2-3. Students will not have class these days and do not need to attend this conference with you. Classes on Wednesday will be dismissed at noon and students will be in class ALL day on Thursday and Friday.

OUR MEAP FEAST was a great way to conclude taking the reading, math, and science assessments in fifth grade. Thank you for your support of this special, fun event. We had a lot of great food to enjoy. The wonderful aromas wafted through our pod.

Miciah and Natalie work on the finishing touches of their science project in Mrs. Baker's class.

THE HALLOWEEN PARTY is slated for this Friday afternoon. Shelley Cannon (616-846-2393) and Donni Jonas (616-842-5144) are in charge of this event. Students may bring costumes and makeup to school for the Halloween parade. The party and parade will begin at 2:30 p.m. Click HERE for the Chittenden family Halloween greeting! Turn up your sound and enjoy.

OUR CANDY BARS for the Snow Camp fundraiser are scheduled to arrive on Friday, November 13. Students will have until December 1 to sell the chocolate bars and return money. Camp is scheduled for January 27-28.

Talia focuses on constructing accurate geometric drawings in her math journal.

TRICK-OR-TREAT FOR UNICEF boxes went home today. Jordan Chusid, a former Lake Hills' student and a GHHS Senior, is the UNICEF Coordinator. Students may help with this collection on Halloween night and return the boxes on Monday. We would like to surpass last year's goal of $700. The classroom that contributes the greatest amount to UNICEF will earn a pizza party. Go Room 15!

Working with oil pastels in art class allows students to learn about blending colors. Mac and Morgan seemed to enjoy it this afternoon.

EATING HEALTHY, washing hands, and getting rest are critical to maintaining our health. Our class has been fortunate (so far) to dodge considerable illness. Today we took a little extra time to use a new de-ionized water device that eliminates 99.9% of bacteria in cleaning our desktops this afternoon. The activated water attracts dirt like a magnet and lifts if from the surface, enabling it to be easily wiped away.

MEAP IS COMING

noreply@blogger.com (Kirby Chittenden) — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 17:57:00 +0000

THE MEAP (Michigan Educational Assessment Program) testing begins next Tuesday morning. Fifth grade testing will be conducted on the mornings of October 13, 15, 20, and 22. It is very important that your child is in school on these days. Make-up testing will be scheduled on other days prior to our October 29 deadline for all testing. Fifth grade students will be tested in reading, mathematics, and science.

Amanda shares from her Writer's Notebook in response to reading a Polish folktale.

OUR ONLINE READING CLASS allows us to see lessons and assignments when we are using the wireless laptops in class. Students may also access the Lake Hills Online School from home. We took a short quiz today in response to reading Prot and Krot, a Polish folktale about a soldier who wishes for modest things when he can ask for anything in the world. Have your child show you our online classroom this weekend. Students can also view their grades for this class from home.

Sady and Cooper play the online Factor Game with the computer as their opponent.

THE CANDY BAR SALE to raise money for our Outdoor Education camp program will begin next month. Orders for 85 Chocolate Shop kits were placed today with World's Finest Chocolate. This year's Snow Camp will be on Wednesday, January 27, and Thursday, January 28, at YMCA Camp Pendalouan in Montogue.

PERCUSSIONISTS are not all that common at Lake Hills. Can you believe we have FIVE students who are now a part of the percussion section in the Lake Hills band? The band, choir, and orchestra meets every Friday afternoon from 1:00 to 1:50 to rehearse.
Mac, Amanda, Michael, Natalie, and Hans show off their percussion kits. Rhythm abounds!

CONFERENCE REQUEST FORMS were sent home this week. Please complete your request for a Parent-Teacher conference and have your child return this form by Monday, October 12. Fall conferences will be held on Monday, November 2, and Tuesday, November 3.

THE ECOSYSTEM PROJECT dues dates for science are now posted in the classroom. Students must have a "creature picture" turned in on Monday, October 12.

October 16 - Creature Adaptation
October 19 - Fact Sheet
October 21 - Food Web (completed in class that day)
October 22 - Project Poster

THE FALL FUNDRAISER product pick-up is from 3:30 to 6:00 pm on Friday, October 23. Be sure to put that time/date on your calendar if your child participated in the fundraiser.

FIFTH GRADE BEGINNINGS 09

noreply@blogger.com (Kirby Chittenden) — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 15:25:00 +0000

WE ARE OFF and running as the routines become more familiar. Keith Pruitt is our teacher assistant from Grand Valley State University. He will be working in our class during the mornings until December. It is always a pleasure to host many teacher assistants and student teachers on our campus.

OUR RECENT FIELD TRIP to the Holland Rock and Mineral Show provided an enjoyable shopping experience for many students. Special thanks to Shelley Cannon, Michael Woodwyk, Annel Olthof, and Cris Anderson for accompanying us on this trip.

THE SCHOLASTIC BOOK FAIR opens at Lake Hills on Monday, September 28. Students will have a chance to purchase books through October 2. We will visit the fair from 2:30 to 3:00 on Tuesday afternoon.

KNOWING MULTIPLICATION FACTS is expected of all fifth grade students. Your child began learning his/her facts in third grade and should be very fluent with multiplication facts through 11. We have taken several "quick quiz" checks on these skills and will continue to expect students to know them. Students may need to practice with flash cards at home if necessary.

MATH EXPRESSIONS is our new math series at Lake Hills. It incorporates the best practices of both traditional and reform mathematics curricula. It offers opportunities for students to interact in pairs, small groups, whole-class activities, and special scenarios. Many of the fifth grade concepts will hinge on an introduction to algebraic expression and problem-solving strategies. In our first unit of study, we are focusing on multiplication and division situations along with developing equations and problem-solving.

NEW LAPTOP COMPUTERS provide an exciting opportunity for our class to connect to the Lake Hills online classroom at EDU 2.0. As we begin to build our online resources, students will reference more lessons, assignments, and assessments via the Internet. This is just the beginning! You are welcome to check out our new virtual school at lakehills.edu20.org to learn more about our educational portal.

THE FALL FUNDRAISER ends on Monday, September 28. This is the last weekend students may contact their Favorite Four to help support the fund raising efforts of our PTA. Be sure to keep the PINK copy of the order form. You have until October 23 to collect the money, which is due when you pick up your orders on October 23.

THE 2009 AUTUMN FEST is next Thursday, October 1, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. This free family event at the school is something you don't want to miss...lot's of fun events...family night at the book fair...and more.

OUR CLASS CALENDAR can always be located at the bottom of our blog. If you use Google calendars, you can subscribe to the public calendar and keep updated on all our events.

CLASS PLAY 2009

noreply@blogger.com (Kirby Chittenden) — Sat, 16 May 2009 15:26:00 +0000

WHO, ME? YES, YOU! was presented on May 13-14 at Lake Hills Elementary School. Our one-act play written by Michelle Davis creatively taught us about being safe, responsible, and respectful. The 23 fifth grade students portrayed some 50 roles in the production which tells the story of a film crew intensely working together to record six television commercials about social responsibility.

Bully Busters--coping with bullies
Store Wars--treating customers fairly and honestly
Driving Lessons--not letting impatience affect driving
School for Super Heroes--resolving problems peacefully
Cod of Conduct--being a good citizen
Alien Encounter--being considerate of others' differences

Produced by special arrangement with Pioneer Drama Services of Englewood, Colorado, the play was funded in part through the Michigan Integrated Behavior and Learning Support Initiative (MiBliSi). Lake Hills was one of the first schools in Michigan to participate in this initiative to increase reading performance and reduce behavioral problems among students.

Logan, Tasha, and Nathaniel as part of the film crew.

Tasha and Nathaniel portray Anne Action and Ian Charge.

Hunter, Michael, and Brock receive direction for the filming.

Hunter as Len Sangle.

Stagehands Miguel and Zachary review their checklist.

Ana (Nodda Clue) and Alex in "Bully Busters."

Ana and Michael (Dustin Bins) "cleaning up" the act.

Ana, Olivia, and Rubee in training for "Bully Busters" clients.

Ana, Lluvia, and Jaslynn inspect the anti-bully earplugs.

Ana offers her "expert advice" to Brooke and Emily.

Isaac (Darth Profit) and Drew (Owe-Me-One Kenobi)
attempt to strike a deal in "Store Wars."

Isaac and Kane portray an unexpected visit.

Isaac observes the "dark side" of business.

Zachary as Luke Skyshopper

Zachary defends himself from the boss.

Isaac (Darth Profit) and Emily (Hannah Solo) strike a deal.

Gaige (Little Chewie) and Zachary (Luke Skyshopper)
checkout the light sabers.

Ana as a multitasking mom in "Driving Lessons."

Alex and Emily as unruly children in the car.

Ana and Jaslynn have a driver-pedestrian encounter.

Michael is not too patient with female drivers.

Rubee, Olivia (Viking Girl), and Brooke
in "School for Super Heroes."

Michael and Gaige trade super hero cards.

Kane (Super Social Responsibility Man)
and Drew share a lesson in respect.

Kane and Zachary (Captain Citizen) discuss appropriate behavior.

Rubee (Skully) opens the "Cod of Conduct" lesson.

Jaslynn (Peg-Leg Meg) and Lluvia (Black-Tooth Bonny)
as pirates.

Gaige (Stub-Toe Tom) scopes the horizon.

Isaac (Captain Sealegs) teaches his crew in "Cod of Conduct."

Alex as Captain Sunny Skies in "Alien Encounter."

Olivia (Hayley Comet), Elizabeth (Dr. Una Verse),
Emily (Luna Starstruck), and Michael (Lars Moonwalker)
aboard the starship.

Jaslynn, Miguel, Brooke, and Zachary as aliens from Jargon 5.

Mr. Chittenden as a concerned police officer and
Michael (Guy Slate), who parked his car in a no-parking zone.

Our celebration cake courtesy of the Design Team--
Ann Tibbe, Muerill Tuggle, Annel Olthof.

MAY MADNESS

noreply@blogger.com (Kirby Chittenden) — Fri, 01 May 2009 19:40:00 +0000

THIS MONTH is packed full of activity for students. Please see our calendar at the bottom of this blog for information about all the events scheduled during May.

ALL COSTUMES for the class play should now be at school. We conducted a technical rehearsal today with lighting and we'll add costuming to all scenes on Monday. Please contact your design team representative if you have a concern.

HAIR CUTS should take place this week for actors...especially the guys. Bangs should be at least a half-inch above the eyebrows and hair should be cut so the audience has a clear view of the stage-lit face. If in doubt, go shorter.

BOXTOPS FOR EDUCATION need to be in by next Friday, May 8. Thank you for your continued support of this effort.

THE CAMPBELL FIELD STATION trip is on for Monday, May 4. Students and parent chaperones will need to bring a sack lunch and drink (no glass bottles). Students should also wear socks, shoes, long pants, and a long-sleeved shirt with a jacket. Annel Olthof, Wendy Walters, Kim Montgomery, and Maricon Hentschel will chaperone this field trip. We will leave Lake Hills promptly at 9:00 a.m.

SAFETY PATROL DINNER is Wednesday, May 6, from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. at the Grand Haven Eagles Lodge.

OUR CLASS PLAY will be presented to students on May 13-14 along with friends and family the evening of Thursday, May 14, at 6:30 p.m. Students will remain after school that Thursday for dinner prior to the evening performance. Seating is limited to about 100 people. Doors will open at 6:00 p.m. for the Thursday evening performance of "Who, Me? Yes, You!"

THE FIFTH GRADE BAND will present their spring concert at White Pines Middles School on Wednesday, May 20, at 7:00 p.m. in the auditorium. Students must report to the band room with their instruments and music at 6:30.

THE FIFTH GRADE FIELD DAY will be held at Lakeshore Middle School on Wednesday, May 27, from 12:15 to 3:30 p.m. Please send Mr. Chittenden an email or note if you can assist with this afternoon event.

THE COAST GUARD PARK PARTY for fifth grade students is set for Wednesday, June 3. Please contact Ann Tibbe (616-846-7285) or Kim Cooling if you would like to help with this event.

FIFTH GRADE GRADUATION will be held in the gymnasium at Lake Hills on Tuesday, June 2, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.

SPRING BREAK

noreply@blogger.com (Kirby Chittenden) — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 18:20:00 +0000

OUR MONOPOLY TOURNAMENT during yesterday's Compliment Party was exciting. Five teams played and the following students were named team champions with the greatest net worth: Nathaniel Hentschel ($6327); Emily Walters ($5239); Isaac Patton ($3759); Olivia Pulaski ($3427); and Michael Olthof ($2547).

Emily, Hunter, Logan, Zack, Lluvia, Michael, and Kane enjoy Monopoloy during our third compliment party.

Elizabeth brought fruit for our Colorful Plate Celebration.

Tasha and Gaige enjoy their colorful plates of healthy food choices.

Jaslynn enjoys strawberries, kiwi, grapes, a banana and other colorful fruit.

OUR CLASS PLAY is in rehearsal now that the cast has been selected. We will present "Who, Me? Yes, You!" on Wednesday, May 13, and Thursday, May 14 for second through fifth grade students. A 6:30 evening performance for families and friends is scheduled for Thursday, May 14. Mueril Tuggle, Ann Tibbe, and Annel Olthof are assisting as members of our design team.

THE SPLASH PROGRAM is for kids with no prior swim experience. For only $1 registration, students may participate in this special YMCA program during spring for a 45-minute lesson for 5 days. Space is still available if you call 616-842-7051, extension 6.

THE GAME DAY after school was a great success with some 50 students participating in board and strategy games until 5:15 p.m. on Thursday. We want to thank our PTA for the purchase of many new games.

Michael and Elizabeth enjoy a new strategy game, GOBBLET, in the Media Center after school.

OUR CHESS CHAMPIONS were recognized during a school assembly today. The recent tournament included students in third, fourth, and fifth grade. Mrs. Baker coordinates this opportunity which allows students to gain confidence and solve problems through this classic game of strategy.

Olivia, fifth grade girls' champion, and Simon, fifth grade boys' and all-school champion, display their trophies as participants in the Lake Hills Chess Tournament.

MARCH MADNESS

noreply@blogger.com (Kirby Chittenden) — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 12:39:00 +0000

TELEVISION TURN-OFF WEEK was a great success--in spite of NCAA March Madness--with 20 students in our class participating in eliminating video entertainment for seven days. Many of us discovered a host of alternative activities to replace our addiction to television.

THE BATTLE OF THE BOOKS was held at Lakeshore Middle School this morning. With 20 of our students participating in this district event, our entire class attended the two-hour battle. Six teams represented Lake Hills and one team walked away as gold medal winners.

Fifth and sixth grade students convene at Lakeshore Middle School for the 2009 Battle of the Books.

LORDS OF THE BOOKS
Brock, Alex, Hunter, Isaac

FOUR LORDS ARE READING
Michael, Michael, Kane, Drew

SCORCHIN' DRAGONS
Logan, Nathaniel, Elizabeth, Emily

MEDIEVAL CASTLES
Kaylee, Jazmin, Andres, Carly

THE MEDIEVAL KNIGHT HORSES
Jaslynn, Rubee, Brooke, Ana

FIRE BREATHING FANTASY
Olivia, Tasha, Lluvia, Gaige

LORDS OF THE BOOKS took the first place, gold medal award for the district. Congratulations to Hunter, Alex, Brock, and Isaac.

OUR THIRD COMPLIMENT PARTY is scheduled for next Thursday, April 2. We will celebrate with a colorful plate party (fruits, vegetables) and enjoy a few hours of Monopoly.

AFTER SCHOOL BRAIN GAME DAY is set for next Thursday, April 2, from 3:55 to 5:15 p.m. A permission form was sent home yesterday for this special event. Our PTA recently purchased numerous new strategy games that kids will really like. Students must return the form by April 1 (no fooling) in order to participate.

SCHOLASTIC BOOK ORDERS are due by Tuesday, March 31. This is a great opportunity for students to purchase books at outstanding prices.

THE 2009 ELEMENTARY ART EXHIBIT begins at the Grand Haven Community Center on Wednesday, March 25 and runs through Thursday, April 16. A group of our students will be recognized at the Open Reception on Wednesday, April 1, from 5:30 to 8:00 p.m. The exhibit and events are open to the public.

CONGRATULATIONS to Jaslynn, Lluvia, Miguel, Elizabeth, Gaige, Ana, Nathaniel, and Michael on being selected to represent our class at the Annual Elementary Art Exhibit at the Grand Haven Community Center.

SPRING FINALLY ARRIVES

noreply@blogger.com (Kirby Chittenden) — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 15:45:00 +0000

THE PTA MEETING tonight begins at 6:30 p.m. and will feature a demonstration of the Promethean ActivBoard that our class is "test driving" for several weeks. The May 5 technology bond proposal will provide for these electronic white boards in our classrooms.

Miguel and Jaslynn help Mr. Chittenden order data on the interactive whiteboard the classroom is using for several weeks. The upcoming technology bond proposal will provide for this technology.

THE LONG WINTER is nearly over. Spring arrives at 7:44 am tomorrow. We are finally experiencing a preview of spring with temperatures we haven't seen since last November. This is a great time for students to move from hibernation mode and get outside for increased physical acitvity.

TELEVISION TURN-OFF WEEK has begun. The class really wanted to make a serious attempt at eliminating television (and computer-related entertainment) for seven days.

THE LAKE HILLS TALENT SHOW will be held at White Pines Middle School Auditorium this Friday, March 20, beginning at 6:30 p.m. Olivia Pulaski, Jaslynn Castaneda, and Brooke Park represent our class in this annual PTA-sponsored event. Your family will enjoy a casual evening of outstanding entertainment. Mr. Chittenden is the Master of Ceremonies.

THE GRAND RAPIDS PUBLIC MUSEUM is our destination next Monday, March 23. Student will need to bring a sack lunch. Those chaperoning this field trip include Melissa Castaneda, Lee Miracle, Kim Montgomery, Annel Olthof, Mike Park, Karri Murphy, Mueril Tuggle, and Wendy Walters.

MARCH IS READING MONTH and students should be reading at least 20 minutes a day at home. They are encouraged to complete the Reading Stars Over Lake Hills form and return it by March 31. They may also participate in the Whitecaps Reading Club by completing their bookmark for reading minutes.

SPRING PICTURE DAY is Tuesday, March 24. For more events, scroll down to our calendar below.

THE BATTLE OF THE BOOKS will be held at Lakeshore Middle School on Friday morning, March 27. Most of our class is participating (wow) and all of us will be attending this special event next week.

FINAL TRIMESTER BEGINS

noreply@blogger.com (Kirby Chittenden) — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 16:34:00 +0000

BATTLE OF THE BOOKS involves many of our students and will be held on Friday, March 27. All teams meet every Thursday during lunch and many reader groups are meeting with adult "book experts" to dialogue about each book. Students may include these reads in their Independent Reading Records, too.

900 PAGES of independent reading is the goal for each student during our last trimester of fifth grade. Students are strongly encouraged to make book choices which are Accelerated Reader selections. A new AR Bookfind is available on the school web site now to see if a selection is an AR book.

THE GRAND RAPIDS PUBLIC MUSEUM is the destination for our next field trip on Monday, March 23. Cost for each student is $10 and for adult chaperones is $5. Please make checks payable to Lake Hills or send cash along with the form recently sent home.

MARCH IS Reading Month and students my participate in several reading incentive programs: The Stars Over Grand Haven and the Whitecaps Reading Club.

FUN WITH DRUMS is a great concert/clinic for families that will be held on Friday, March 13, from 7:00 to 9:00 pm at Nelson School in Muskegon. The 11th annual event will feature drummers Marcus Hunter and Scott Pellegrom. The event is FREE and sponsored by Spread the Music Foundation and others. Free door prizes. [Directions]

SIXTH GRADE REGISTRATION for White Pines Middle School is now available on line. You will need your child's school ID number and log on HERE. They will need to make a Music Elective or Non-Music Elective choice. Students will be visiting White Pines on Thursday, April 30.

OUR CLASS PLAY has been chosen. We will be performing "Who, Me? Yes, You!" this spring in cooperation with Pioneer Drama Services. The play includes 7 sketches about social responsibility: Bull Busters, Store Wars, Driving Lessons, School for Superheroes, Social Responsibility Olympics, Cod of Conduct, Alien Encounter. Play dates will be announced later.

OUR CLASSROOM PHONE will not be working for another week. Please avoid voice mails. The best way to communicate with me is through email...thanks.

FRESH AIR

noreply@blogger.com (Kirby Chittenden) — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 16:01:00 +0000

STUDENT LED CONFERENCES are going well and I am looking forward to seeing all our classroom families this week. I trust you will take advantage of the 6-day "fresh air" vacation as we head into the final trimester of fifth grade.

OUR VALENTINE'S PARTY was a lot of fun and the ice cream brownies were a special treat. Alex, Elizabeth, and Lluvia prepare their decadent dessert. Special thanks to Michelle Strainer, Ann Tibbe, Matt Wilkinson, and Wendy Walters for their assistance.

ACCELERATED READER provides an opportunity for students to improve their reading comprehension skills. We now have an AR Search link on the school web site that allows students (and parents) to check if a particular book is in the AR database of quizzes. Information about the book including grade level and points are included along with a brief synopsis of each book available to our readers. Students receive points based upon the book level, book length, and how well they do on an online quiz which checks for comprehension. Just click HERE or go to the Student or Parent section on the school web site to test drive the AR book find.

THE SWEETHEART DANCE was a wonderful event sponsored by our PTA. Above: Jaslynn, Brooke, Olivia, and Elizabeth are all dressed nicely for the recent dance at Lake Hills. Below: Alex, Nathaniel, Brock, Drew, and Maddy take a break from the Thursday night dance.

OUR CLASS PLAY has been selected, "Who Me? Yes, You!" by Michelle R. Davis. In cooperation with Pioneer Drama Services, the production will feature numerous sketches about social responsibility. The show dates have not been set, but most likely will be in early May. Students will audition for various roles in the next few weeks and we'll need to put together a design team of several parents to help with the production.

THE HOBBIT by J.R.R. Tolkien was selected by the class for me to read aloud to them. We just began this epic journey of Bilbo Baggins after finishing an interesting primer on economics, "Lawn Boy," by Gary Paulsen.

GOBBLET is a four-in-a-row, tic-tac-toe game where you can move pieces around the board to increase your chances of winning--or losing. Michael and Elizabeth enjoyed this strategy game during today's Game Hour recently "purchased" by a group of students with their "Caught Being Good" slips.

THE GRAND RAPIDS PUBLIC MUSEUM is the destination of our Monday, March 23, field trip. The $10 cost per student covers transportation, museum admission, and the planetarium show. Students will need to bring a sack lunch or order one from food services. The field trip form sent home this week must be returned before Thursday, March 12. Please contact me if you are interested in chaperoning this trip.

SCHOOL RESUMES on Tuesday, March 3. Be sure to check the class calendar below for dates and details of events.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ABE

noreply@blogger.com (Kirby Chittenden) — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 16:59:00 +0000

AMERICANS HONOR Abraham Lincoln today on the 200th anniversary of his birth. Our recent Time For Kids featured information about our 16th President and the celebrations across the nation planned to honor his life and impact on our nation. Click HERE to read the TFK feature article, "Remembering Lincoln."

WE ENJOYED a popcorn/movie morning after students combined 200 "Caught Being Good" slips to purchase this class prize. The class is also striving for another compliment party following the accumulation of ten unsolicited compliments. We are planning on a Colorful Plate Party when we receive 3 more compliments. I keep telling people, "This is a great class."

ART CLASS with Irene Sipe always provides a creative time on Thursday mornings. The class is currently using fabric crayons on cloth that will lead to the construction of pillows once they stitch their work to felt. Olivia, below, creates a beautiful butterfly for her pillow.

READING FLUENCY is an important predictor of academic achievement. By the end of fifth grade, students should be reading (aloud) grade level text at a rate of 124 words per minute. Currently, seventy-five percent of the students at Lake Hills are reading at their grade level benchmark.

CONFERENCE APPOINTMENTS are being sent home today. Our class parent-teacher conferences this month are student-led and will be held from February 23-25.

MARCH LUNCH REQUEST forms are also going home today. Students taking hot lunch must have these return by this Monday, February 16.

SCHOLASTIC BOOKS offer outstanding selections for students at reduced prices. Your child is receiving the February and March orders to select books to purchase. Please complete the order form at the back of the catalogue from which they choose books. Make checks payable to Kirby Chittenden or Scholastic Books. You may also choose to order online.

IF YOU NEED to pick up your child before the end of the school day, please send a note to school or contact the office BEFORE 3:00 p.m. that day. Also, please do not leave your car unattended at anytime in the drop-off zone. Park instead in the parking lot adjacent to the sidewalk drop-off areas. Thank you.

OUR CLASS CALENDAR is online at the bottom of the blog postings...scroll down to view it.

OUTDOOR EDUCATION 2009

noreply@blogger.com (Kirby Chittenden) — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 02:34:00 +0000

The benefits of Outdoor Education on the lives of young people is well-documented. The results from these studies show an impact on four main areas--personal, interpersonal, academic, and environmental awareness. Some things just can't be learned in a traditional classroom.

We were fortunate to spend two days at YMCA Camp Pendalouan last week. Our fifth graders at Lake Hills participated in hiking, group challenge activities, cross-country skiing, broomball, orienteering, native American life games, tobogganing, and other outdoor activities that provided memorable experiences for 44 students.

The attitudes and behaviors of our students during these outdoor and adventure activities were exemplary and the leadership provided by the Pendalouan staff was outstanding. Here are a few photo highlights of our outdoor education time. Please visit the Outdoor Education PHOTO ALBUM on our school web site for additional photographs.

SPECIAL THANKS to Trent, Emilie, Karen, Lori, and Adam for their leadership and ability to orchestrate two fantastic days of outdoor education at YMCA Camp Pendalouan. You guys rock!

For More Photographs Visit
Lake Hills Elementary School
Photo Album

SNOW BEGETS SNOW

noreply@blogger.com (Kirby Chittenden) — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 15:53:00 +0000

COLDER WEATHER is predicted for next week. The lake effect snow machine has been very active this year and it seems that snow begets more snow. This is a great chance for our students to test the snow gear they will need for Snow Camp...winter coats, mittens, snow pants, insulated boots, etc. Unless wind chills are below zero, we all enjoy outside recess.

KURT REPPART from International Aid visited our class to receive our class donations of $192 for six HydrAid water filters. He also provided an interesting presentation and video on the need for clean water around the world. We want to thank our class families for all their support of this project.

IF YOUR CHILD ARRIVES LATE for school, please be sure to bring them into the office and check them in with Mrs. Dusnik. Classroom doors open at 8:50 and tardy students must be signed in after that time. Thank you for your cooperation.

SNOW CAMP is coming on January 22 and 23. Camper health forms MUST be turned in by this Tuesday, January 13. We have plenty of parent chaperones for our class and they will need to meet in Room 15 on Thursday morning, January 22, at 8:30 a.m. Chaperones may bring their $24 for camp at that time.

ANOTHER COMPLIMENT PARTY is scheduled for next Thursday, January 15. We will need a few additional Scrabble games that day. We will also be watching "The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe," that day in conclusion of our literature study of the C.S. Lewis classic. Students will need to return a permission slip to view this video. Congratulations to each student in our class for the 10 unsolicited compliments we have received.

BATTLE OF THE BOOKS has begun with several teams forming in our class. Students will be meeting regularly during their Thursday lunch periods. Book chats with adult leaders will soon be scheduled. Here is a list of books each team will be reading:

Because of Winn-Dixie by DiCamillo
The Borrowers by Norton
Charley Skedaddle by Beatty
Danger on Midnight River by Paulsen
Experanza Rising by Munoz-Ryan
From the Mixed-Up Files... by Konigsburg
Gregor the Overlander by Collins
S.O.R. Losers by Avi

OUR CALENDAR is always on our blog site. Simply scroll down to the bottom of this page. It is a public Google calendar that you can add to your Google calendar views.

CHRISTMAS POTLUCK

noreply@blogger.com (Kirby Chittenden) — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 17:01:00 +0000

THE CHITTENDEN HOME provided a festive setting for our class Christmas potluck on the evening of December 11. We'll let the random photos tell the story of our joyous gathering. Instead of a gift exchange, students brought nearly $200 to help purchase 6 HydrAi d Biosand Water Filters for International Aid relief efforts. What a class act!

Merry Christmas!

LET IT SNOW

noreply@blogger.com (Kirby Chittenden) — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 15:00:00 +0000

SNOW CAMP balances are now past due. Total tuition for the two days at YMCA Camp Pendalouan is only $48.00. If your child sold two boxes of candy bars, they will not owe anything for camp. If they sold one box, then their balance is $23.00. Please make your check payable to Lake Hills School. If you are interested in being a chaperone at Snow Camp on January 22-23, please email Mr. Chittenden as soon as possible.

OUR CLASS CHRISTMAS PARTY is scheduled for this Thursday evening at the Chittenden Home, 16432 Brown Lane, Spring Lake. Students should arrive at 6:15 dress in "Sunday best" for this potluck dinner event. Directions to the Chittendens are going home today.

Each guest must bring a dish to pass and may also bring a monetary donation for our project to purchase a HydrAid water filter for International Aid relief efforts. Checks payable to International Aid will also be accepted.

OUR STUDENT COUNCIL representatives--Drew, Olivia, and Ana--stand next to one of the HydrAid water filters that International Aid uses in their relief efforts. Each filter cost only $32 and our class hopes to purchase several with our giving this holiday season.

THE HOLIDAY GIFT SHOP date is changed to Wednesday, December 17. Students will be provided shopping envelopes next Monday. Here is there chance to do their "one stop shopping" for the holidays.

A HOLIDAY CONCERT will be held in the school gym on Friday, December 19, at 1:20 p.m. The fifth grade choir will sing and the band and orchestra will perform. Parents and family are welcome to attend.

'TIS THE SEASON

noreply@blogger.com (Kirby Chittenden) — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 18:25:00 +0000

FIFTH GRADE STRINGS will present a concert tonight at 7:00 at White Pines Middle School Auditorium. String students should report to the middle school at 6:30 p.m.

OUR CHRISTMAS PARTY will be held at the Chittendens next Thursday, December 11, from 6:15 to 8:00 p.m. Students are to dress in their "Sunday best" and bring a dish to pass for the potluck event (A-J bring salad; K-P bring main dish; R-Z bring dessert). Students may also bring a donation for our Water Filter Project with International Aid. Directions to the Chittenden Home in Spring Lake will be sent home next week.

CALCULATORS are always a nice gift at Christmas. The Texas Instruments TI-34 II Plus is the calculator we use in fifth grade. It has a number of nice features that will be applicable to middle school math as well as Algebra I and II. It is available online and in many stores for less than $25.

THE FIFTH GRADE Girls' Basketball Team will be participating in the Play-offs at Grand Haven High School this Saturday, December 6. The team and their coaches are pictured below:

Jaslyn, Ana, Brooke, Lluvia, Jazmin, Alli, Tasha, Coach Mike, Coach Ken.

REPORT CARDS are now scheduled to go home on Friday, December 5. Fifth graders will receive letter grades (A,B,C, or N) in English Language Arts, Math, Social Studies, and Science. The number system which accompanies these grades is different this year with 1 meaning "outstanding" and 4 meaning "needs improvement."

THE VIDEO CONTEST from eInstruction announced the winners of the $25,000 Classroom Makeover Contest today. Take this LINK to view the winning video in the K-5 category. Thanks, again, to all those who supported our efforts. Our video can still be seen HERE.

OUR MATH STUDIES now take us into the world of division. We are becoming aquainted with the partial-quotients algorithm of division. Although this method may seem peculiar to those of us who learned long division, it is a significant improvement over the traditional approach to developing computational proficiency. Here is a LINK to a school district in Pennsylvania that includes several presentations to these alternative algorithms.

MICHAEL works in our Thursday morning art class. He is focused on creating an image of himself playing baseball before tackling his radial design snowflake project.

THE JINGLE BELL PARADE is this Saturday, December 6, at 6:00 p.m. in downtown Grand Haven. The Chamber of Commerce's parade will conclude in Central Park with the lighting of the Community Christmas tree and a carol sing with Santa and Mrs. Claus, led by The Salvation Army Band. This is a great family event!

LOOKING FOR A LAPTOP that won't break the bank? I just purchased the new Acer Netbook which is a great alternative to the laptop. It's smaller, utilizes Windows XP, comes with a 160gb hard drive, 1gb memory, built in web cam, wireless technology and more. If you comparison shop, be careful, because there are a number of these out there with far fewer features. Check out this PDF from CCS Technologies in Coopersville for more information on this "little guy" that packs a punch. 'Tis the season.

WINTER WONDERLAND

noreply@blogger.com (Kirby Chittenden) — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 20:25:00 +0000

OUR MUSIC VIDEO is still online if you click HERE.

OUR FIRST SNOWFALL caught us all off guard. Please make sure your child is prepared for the cold weather. Students should have appropriate winter gear such as a warm coat and boots. Students may participate on the snow hill IF they are wearing a winter coat, boots, gloves/mittens, AND snow pants. Parents should check the link to Spring Lake weather from the PARENT section of the school web site. Unless the wind chill is below zero, students will be expected to go outside for recess.

OUR THANKSGIVING FEAST is this Wednesday. Hot lunch students will enjoy turkey and trimmings. Students are asked to bring a canned vegetable or canned fruit for the food drive.

THE PTA will be meeting this Thursday, November 20, at 6:30 p.m. in the Media Center. Superintendent Keith Konarska will be visiting Lake Hills during this meeting of the Northshore PTA.

OUR FOOD DRIVE concludes this Friday. Fifth grade students are encouraged to bring canned vegetables and canned fruit. Our classroom box is only half full.

FUND RAISER money for Snow Camp must be in before December 2. If possible, please return the money in the form of $10 and $20 bills or a check payable to Lake Hills School.

THE CLASS CHRISTMAS POTLUCK will be at the Chittenden Home in Spring Lake on Thursday evening, December 11, from 6:15 to 8:00 p.m. Students will need to bring a dish to pass and wear "Sunday best" clothing to the event. Instead of a gift exchange, we are going to donate money to International Aid to help purchase one or more HydrAid BioSand Water Filters. Visit the HydrAid site for more information about these life-saving filters.

OUR MUSIC VIDEO continues to receive much attention. Click HERE to view the eInstruction finalists. Winners will announced on December 3. We want to thank Grand Haven Area Public Schools and even Grand Valley State University for classes who viewed our video project. It is still available online in the Learnin' Up blog post. We still think it's THE BEST.

MOVIE NIGHT this Friday from 6:30 to 8:30 at Lake Hills.

SCROLL DOWN to view our class calendar.

FIRST TRIMESTER COMING TO A CLOSE

noreply@blogger.com (Kirby Chittenden) — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 16:45:00 +0000

OUR WRITERS' CELEBRATION gave each student an opportunity to read their selected writing and to hear others "publish" their first project. From stage lights to beginning the "show" with the NFL theme music, we all enjoyed the celebration.

OLIVIA PULASKI walked away from our first Compliment Party with a net worth of $5,156 after a successful game of Monopoly with her team. Other team champions included Jaslynn Castaneda, Drew Strainer, Nathaniel Hentschel, Tasha Jablonski, and Zachery Greenert.

TIMELINE PROJECTS for first trimester are due tomorrow. Students have been using software to develop a timeline of early exploration to North America.

THE FIRST TRIMESTER ends next Friday, November 21. Report cards will be sent home on December 4. Students will receive new job and team assignments for the second trimester period.

CHOCOLATE BARS for our Snow Camp fundraiser will arrive in a few days. If your child chose to participate, they will have until December 2 to sell their World's Famous Chocolate candy bars and return their money to school. Camp balances and all tuition is due by December 9.

OUR CHRISTMAS PARTY (students only) will be held at the Chittenden Home, 16432 Brown Lane, Spring Lake, on Thursday evening, December 11. The potluck dinner will begin at 6:15 p.m. and conclude at 8:00 p.m. Students will need to wear "dress clothes" for this special event. More information will be provided after Thanksgiving.

SEVERAL NEW SITES were recently added to the STUDENT section of our school web site. Check out these links that are also available from www.mylakehills.org/students.php.

Tangram Puzzles
Practice your geometry savvy with this classic 7-piece puzzle.

Monteray Bay Aquarium
This field guide featuring aquatic habitats also includes information about amphibians, birds, fishes, invertebrates, and more.

National Geographic Animals
Amphibians, birds, bugs, fish, invertebrates, and mammals are all here.

SCROLL DOWN to the bottom of our blog for our classroom Google calendar. Click on any event for further details.

CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT

noreply@blogger.com (Kirby Chittenden) — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 16:25:00 +0000

COMPLIMENT PARTY
With 10 unsolicited compliments in the record book, we will conduct our first Compliment Party tomorrow, November 6. Students may bring their favorite cereal and bowl for a morning feast. Each student team will also spend some time participating in a game of Monopoly. Congratulations, class, on receiving so many compliments so early in the school year.

WRITERS CELEBRATION
Tomorrow will feature a time of celebration for our writers. Each student will share the piece they recently selected to "publish" during our first Writers Celebration. Each writer will have a chance to "step up to the microphone" and read their selection. All writing project "stacks" are due tomorrow.

STUDENTS TRICK-OR-TREAT FOR UNICEF
Students recently collected donations for UNICEF on Halloween. UNICEF was created with this purpose in mind – to work with others to overcome the obstacles that poverty, violence, disease and discrimination place in a child’s path...believing that we can, together, advance the cause of humanity. Special thanks to Drew Strainer, Nathaniel Hentschel, Ana Saenz, Gaige Hurst, Rubbee Maloley, Lluvia Arevalo, and Elizabeth Tibbe for their efforts coordinated by former Lake Hills' student, Jordan Chusid.

JUNIOR ACHIEVEMENT BEGINS
Mr. David Brockmyer, our Junior Achievement consultant, will be meeting with us for five Thursday lessons. Mr. Brockmyer is an businessman with iCap Realty Advisors in Grand Rapids. The purpose of JA is to educate and inspire young people to value free enterprise, business, and economics to improve the quality of their lives. Our focus in fifth grade is on the three forms of business: sole proprietorship, partnerships, and corporations.

GEOMETRY COMING SOON
We just completed our second unit in math and students performed very well with a class average of nearly 90% achievement. We will examine properties of basic plane figures and use tools such as compasses, rulers, and protractors. Our lessons will focus on facts concerning the angles and the elements of triangles, quadrangles, and polygons in general.

FOLKTALES ABOUND
We continue to read various folktales in our Junior Great Books studies. We will begin reading "The Devoted Friend," a folktale by Oscar Wilde. Junior Great Books helps students' reading comprehension in the context of thinking about genuine problems of meaning. Students prepare for a shared inquiry through a "directed notes" activity allowing them to explore the many initerpretive issues in each selection.

CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
So, what really is success? A friend of mine recently shared with me that he admired my "risk to learn" and my approach to continuous improvement. I have to admit that maintaining a learner's attitude has not always been easy; but the payoff is well worth the additional effort. The powerful concept of renewal--personal, professional, spiritual--wasn't something I picked up at Grand Valley State University, however. Maybe it was simply knowing the unappealing alternative to renewal that convinced me that seeking continuous improvement (the Japanese call is Kaizen) is a practical means to successful living.

VIDEO CONTEST FINALISTS ANNOUNCED

noreply@blogger.com (Kirby Chittenden) — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 22:05:00 +0000

Here is the email we received on Friday afternoon. For those of you who haven't seen the music video we submitted, scroll down past the email to the media window to view it.

Dear Mr. Chittenden,

Thank you for your submission to the Interactive Classroom Makeover Contest!

The contest judges were tasked with the difficult responsibility of selecting 15 finalists from nearly 300 video submissions representing schools from 40 states and four countries (the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand). Each submission was an amazing demonstration of collaboration and creativity and while your video, Learnin' Up, was not one of the finalists, it will continue to be viewed and enjoyed by thousands of people as we enter the final round.

You should be very proud of what you and your students accomplished. According to our tracking, more than 350,000 people have already visited the site and had an opportunity to watch the videos. Please note, during the first few days of the voting period, your entry will not be accessible. However beginning next week, ALL the videos will be accessible by going directly to your video's page. And once voting has ended on November 14, all videos will be re-posted to the home page.

We encourage you to support your peers by voting for your favorite video after 12 noon ET (16:00 GMT) on Friday October 31 by going to www.eimakeover.com. (The online ratings count for 30% of the final score.) The voting will close at 12 noon ET (16:00 GMT) on Friday, November 14, and the winners will be announced on Wednesday, December 3.

Once again we, and our co-sponsors, want to thank and congratulate you and your students for taking part in the contest and delivering an important message to other educators, students and parents around the world.

LEARNIN' UP

noreply@blogger.com (Kirby Chittenden) — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 04:37:00 +0000

Although we didn't make the final cut, we have to admit that the collaborative effort of working on this classroom project provided benefits beyond those of winning any contest. It was an awesome experience for our 22 fifth grade students at Lake Hills.

We want to thank Grand Haven Area Public Schools and even Grand Valley State University for classes who viewed our video project. Thanks for your support. Leave us a comment or note of encouragement.

Learnin' Up
Lake Hills Elementary School
Kirby Chittenden, Grade 5 Teacher

MUSIC VIDEO CONTEST

noreply@blogger.com (Kirby Chittenden) — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 21:45:00 +0000

THE FIFTH GRADE STUDENTS in Kirby Chittenden’s class at Lake Hills Elementary School are working on a music video to enter in a $25,000 Interactive Classroom Makeover Contest sponsored by eInstruction of Denton, Texas. The class must submit their video by October 24 and a panel of judges will determine the top 5 finalists in each of the three school categories (grades K-5; 6-8; and 9-12).

The finalists will be posted online at http://www.eimakeover.com/ from October 31 through November 14, to be viewed by members of the general public who will be asked to vote for their favorite entry. The online votes will determine 30% of the final score and a panel of judges will determine 70% of the entrant’s final score.

The Lake Hills' students decided to produce a parody on a song by the Jonas’ Brothers. The original song, “Burnin’ Up,” received new lyrics and a rap section created by the class who titled it, “Learnin’ Up.” The instrumental tracks were created by Chittenden on his Yamaha keyboard workstation and the class recorded the vocal tracks on October 3.

The 22 fifth graders also worked in cooperative teams to develop storyboards for more than 60 video clips used in the 2 ½ -minute music video. Final post production work on the project is scheduled for this weekend.

Judging will be based on the following criteria: effectiveness of demonstrating the use of technology in the classroom; the extent to which the entry demonstrates collaboration between the students and teacher in creating the video; and overall creativity and spirit of the entry.

The class will post their video with eInstruction by October 22. You have the option of “rating” our entry at that time. However, we’ll have to wait until October 31 to find out if we are among the finalists in our category…then you can officially vote for our video.

Former Lake Hills student Jeff Chittenden helps with the digital sound recording, mixing the instrumental and vocal tracks. Jeff is now a freshman at Grand Valley State University majoring in film and video production.