students in action
First-graders are mastering Star Words! A large group of students have met the end-of-year goal of 200 sight words. Of course, they are busy working on the next hundred, so they can get as far as possible before moving on to second-grade.
A child's ability to read high frequency words quickly and efficiently is key to both reading fluency and comprehension. Expectations for this skill are set high at Haskin and students must work hard to meet these goals. Parents are essential to this process as their children need support at home to practice each night in order to be able to read the required number of words. As we approach the home stretch for this school year, we want parents to be aware of the need to work on this skill with their children.
A child's ability to read high frequency words quickly and efficiently is key to both reading fluency and comprehension. Expectations for this skill are set high at Haskin and students must work hard to meet these goals. Parents are essential to this process as their children need support at home to practice each night in order to be able to read the required number of words. As we approach the home stretch for this school year, we want parents to be aware of the need to work on this skill with their children.
Haskin Elementary first-graders held a fund raising event on Friday. Students who donated $1 to the first-grade fund were allowed to wear their hats all day. The Haskin Elementary dress code does not allow for hats to be worn indoors, but that rule was suspended for one day, to the delight of our students. The class raised approximately $150 through this event. They are raising funds in order to take a field trip to Pueblo Zoo next month. Thanks to all of those who participated in this very successful fund raiser! |
teachers in action |
Haskin students took part in Mayor's Day Cleanup on March 31st. The event was organized by our Vista Volunteer, Arabia Morgan. Kindergarten, first- and second-graders spread out across the campus, picking up trash and tumbleweeds that littered the ground. We found that students are actually doing a pretty good job of keeping our campus clean on a regular basis, so we did not find a great deal of trash, but whatever was there is gone now! Students took pride in doing their part to clean up our school grounds.
Third-, fourth-, and fifth-graders headed to the town park and worked to clean that area, as well. They were able to make a big difference in the appearance of the park as they worked together and gathered many bags of trash. We wish to thank Arabia for organizing the clean up and our students and staff for participating. Let's all continue to show pride in our school campus and city. |
Several Haskin Elementary teachers and staff members attended an Anti-Bullying training after school on Tuesday. The event was sponsored by Mrs. Ruggles and featured a guest speaker who helped teachers define and understand what bullying is, who the participants are (the bully, the target, and the bystanders), and what role each plays in the cycle. Because this topic is being talked about more often, the term "bullying" is often mis-used by children and adults alike. There are actually three elements that make up a true bullying situation. They are, 1) the behavior is repeated, and is not just a one-time offense, 2) there is an intent to harm, either physically or emotionally, and 3) there is a real or perceived imbalance of power between the bully and the target. If these three elements are not present, it is not a bullying situation, but rather another form of conflict between students. Cyberbullying is of particular concern, not only in our school, but in schools across the country. Educating students, parents, and teachers about the risks and consequences to this type of behavior is essential to eliminating it.
Two other training sessions for elementary teachers are planned before the end of the school year. Teachers will have the opportunity to role play the types of bullying behaviors that are sometimes seen among our students and will learn how to deal with them. The majority of students in any given school are in the category of "bystander" and focusing on what these students do when they witness bullying offers the greatest benefit in making this type of behavior unacceptable in a school. This will be a focus of future training.
Two other training sessions for elementary teachers are planned before the end of the school year. Teachers will have the opportunity to role play the types of bullying behaviors that are sometimes seen among our students and will learn how to deal with them. The majority of students in any given school are in the category of "bystander" and focusing on what these students do when they witness bullying offers the greatest benefit in making this type of behavior unacceptable in a school. This will be a focus of future training.