10/1/12

News Worth Celebrating!
I’m excited to share with you that 100% of Cornerstone 3rd and 4th graders from last year’s class met, exceeded, or scored proficient on all state assessments!  That’s right, last spring all five students passed the 2012 reading and math and all three 4th graders passed the science assessment with flying colors.  (3rd graders are not tested in science.)  


I am so proud of these hard working students and also proud of the rigorous curriculum and teaching philosophy adopted in Cornerstone and at Pleasantview Academy.  Yes, it is possible to both teach the WHOLE child and to score well on assessments. I’m especially proud that we did well without focusing all year on practice worksheets or “drills” to insure we pass. 


Although we take a few practice tests the week before so that children feel comfortable about the testing procedures, we rely on solid teaching, innovative instruction, high expectations, partnering with parents, small classrooms, and getting to know students’s strengths and weaknesses to help them achieve their best personal growth. We don’t take the easy way in Cornerstone; we always try to do our best for our students, regardless of the time or effort involved.

I was pretty confident going in that these students were going to rock the assessments, but it was still nice to have the tests confirm my beliefs.  The tests are just one indicator of success.  And although I am proud of their scores, I am even prouder of the character of each of these kiddos.  Having the privilege of witnessing and participating in both the intellectual and emotional learning of students as they grow as human beings is my greatest pleasure as a teacher.  I feel thankful and blessed each day to have the opportunity!

Passing state tests is nothing new in Cornerstone.  Annually we do very well.  Unfortunately, the way testing scores are broken down and reported by the state include all 3rd-8th grade students from PA in the “elementary” category; both on-site AND virtual students.  So it can be confusing to parents about how Cornerstone students (a very small section of that group) are doing on state tests. Please continue to contact me with any questions about curriculum or test scores.  And please spread the word:  Cornerstone students rock!

Mrs. Honeycutt
259-9092
 
10/18/12




Cornerstone Field Trip to the Inman Museum




On Wednesday, October 24th, Cornerstone students will travel by bus to the Inman museum for a guided tour of their pioneer school house and artifacts.  




Children need a sack lunch and drink. If the weather is cooperative we will eat outside at the park.  If the weather is bad we have a backup plan to eat inside. Weather permitting, we will also tour the butterfly garden at the pasture park.




This is a free field trip, but we will be stopping at Polk’s Fruit Stand on the way home for a short tour.  If children would like to bring money to make a pumpkin, gourd, fruit or candy purchase they may do so.  Polk’s has pumpkins in all shapes, sizes and for a range of prices:




The mini pumpkins and gourds are  $0.75 or 3 for $2

Baby or pie pumpkins are $2.50

They also have bigger pumpkins from $4 and up.




They will each get a free apple.




We will leave PA at 10:15 after PE, and return by 3pm.  Please have your children dress for the weather. Parents are always welcome.  Just send me a note so I know we’ll have room on the bus!




Thanks, 




Mrs. Honeycutt

259-9092

 
First Week Cornerstone Notes 8/24/12

Dear Families of Cornerstone Students, 




We have had a great first week in Cornerstone.  It is so nice to see returning students and welcome new students into our family.  We jumped right in despite our lack of internet and wrote great journals, started buddy reading groups, started place value and geometry study, and got our portfolios and agendas ready to go. In social studies we are studying rights and responsibilites, citizenship, and communities.  




Now that we all know each other (we have a terrific group of kids this year!)  we are ready to start following our agendas next week.  We’ll also start tabulating our bankbooks and look forward to our first Market Day.  Our first Art and Adventure Day with Kevin was today! It was great timing on this rainy, sleepy day. Really kept us awake and energetic! 




I’m excited that we have internet now.  We still have some problems with it, that hopefully will be figured out in the next few days.  Our district switched providers this year, and it has really been a lesson in patience; especially for our 1:1 laptop school.




Our portfolios are ready and our agendas set.  We will start learning to follow them on Monday. Our specials schedule is set.  It is:




PE- Monday-Friday at 9 am with Mr. Fluis

Music, Art, and Library with Mrs. Kay at 1:35




Monday-Music




Tuesday-Art




Wednesday-Music




Thursday-Art




Friday-Library  (Send books! :)  Students have a two week check out period, so they may want to keep the book longer than one week. 




Please have students come to school in tennis shoes/sneakers. That really saves time in our busy mornings. If they want to bring flip flops or sandals to change into after PE that is perfectly ok. Socked feet are ok in our classroom as long as it is not a distraction.  I want them to be comfortable. Children may bring extra socks in backpacks for days they are wearing sandals.  Bare feet are not allowed at school per the health code. Also, hats must come off and shoes go on before we leave our classroom for lunch, specials, etc.  Toys are ok to bring for recess or free time with as long as a few rules are followed:  1. Permission from parents 2. Toys must be shared and everyone must know there is the possibility of breakage (although we try to be careful.) 3. Toys must stay in backpacks until recess.




Thanks for all your donations and all you do for your students and our school!  We currently collect box tops, Campbell's labels, and Sunny D labels. Call, email, send a note, or stop by anytime with questions or comments. 

Mrs. Honeycutt  259-9092



 
12/8/11
 Cornerstone Christmas Party

Our Christmas celebration will be on Wednesday, December 21st.  We will be enjoying a cozy Christmas read-in, drinking hot chocolate, and having a book exchange.  Students have already picked books they are interested in from the Scholastic Book Club newsletter.  I used Scholastic because they are a very economical way to find a great selection of books by reading level.  They all picked out five books they are interested in for $5 or less.  They don’t know which of the five was ordered, so the actual book they receive will be a surprise.  We picked for names, and the classmate your child is buying for, along with one of the books they picked is enclosed.  Please send the money for the book in the enclosed bag.  You may write out a check to Scholastic Book Clubs if you prefer. I have done gift exchanges in the past with a $5 limit, and found that most children are disappointed with the gifts.  This way, each child will get a book they want for a reasonable amount and we can avoid one more trip to Wal-Mart at Christmas.  Yay!  On the day of the party, we will have a super-secret book wrapping and then have our book exchange.   

Lastly, we will be trying to eat fairly healthy at school in keeping with our new district goals.  Could you also send the following item for us to munch on as we celebrate? Crackers

Thanks so much for your support!  
Mrs. Honeycutt  259-9092

 
http://hnyctt.me/crayon

Kevin blogged about our Remarkable Reptile Reports.  Click the link above to go to his blog and read the story!
 
Cornerstone Thanksgiving Potluck

Thank you so much for your feedback.  The day selected by most everyone was Tuesday, November 22nd.  So we will have our potluck that evening at 6:30 pm.  All family, extended family, and family of the heart of Cornerstone students are   welcome. 
Turkey, coffee, iced tea, and juice will be provided.  
Here are some ideas for sides:

Mashed potatoes and gravy

Corn or corn-on-the-cob

Green beans or green bean casserole

Sweet potatoes or sweet potato casserole

Stuffing

Cranberry sauce

Rolls 

Pie and whipped topping

Quick bread

Salad

Other ___________________________

Each family should bring one dish per child in your family (or just a big serving if you have multiple kiddos), but please circle or write in three dishes you would be willing to bring.  Then I will send you a note back with your dish highlighted.  Thanks so much.  I am looking forward to a fun evening!  The children have been practicing some cute songs to sing for you with Mrs. Kay.  

I know you might need a few days to figure out who all in your family can come.  So I will send another note out later for a final count. 

Thanks again!  Please call with any questions.  

Michele 259-9092 or Patty 662-5516 

Mrs. H

 
Pleasantview Academy

A Better Learning Experience

5013 S. Dean Road

Hutchinson, KS  67501

Terry Fehrenbach,  Principal                                                                    Patty Gier,  Admin. Asst.

[email protected]                                                                                   [email protected]

Phone  620-662-5516                                                                                            FAX  620-662-5031

Penny Wilt, Virtual Program Coordinator

[email protected]

Turkey Time News

2011

The days are getting shorter and the nights are getting longer and when you look ourside the morning frost now covers some very sad looking pumpkins.  We continue funneling student energy into positive learning experiences as we head into the holiday season.  Please review the following dates and classroom information for Pleasantview Academy and, as always, please contact the school if you have any questions.

Dates to Remember

           
            November 22—Cornerstone Thanksgiving—6:30 p.m.

            November 23-27—Thanksgiving Break—No School

USD 312 survey

            We distributed information at parent-teacher conferences concerning a district-wide survey.  Below is the information for parents and students to complete this survey and we hope that everyone has an opportunity to do so.  If you would prefer a paper copy of the survey, please contact the school and it will be made available immediately with any necessary instructions and a postage-paid envelope.

 

Student—High School students only

Survey: http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/WEB22D8AXVGXKH/

Parent/Patron

Survey: http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/WEB22D7RXR6KCC/

        

On-Site High School:

Wow, only 5 weeks until Presentations of Learning! (22 school days)

Several high school students are already making plans for starting new elective courses next semester. Among the OdysseyWare options are Psychology, Media Studies, Business Computer Information Systems, Digital Arts, Essentials of Business, Art History, Personal and

Family Living, Personal Finance Literacy, Music Appreciation and Music Theory. Each of these courses is 1 semester in length and will earn 0.5 credits towards graduation. Several of the electives are project-oriented, meaning that the student will have the opportunity to research and create, instead of taking quizzes and tests. 

Some students are pursuing their own interests and creating their own elective class. Examples include Weightlifting, Music Creation, Woodworking, Music Performance, Welding, Auto Mechanics, Art, Photography, Computer Networking, and ______ [to be filled in by student]. When creating a "free-form" elective, as a former student called it, the student needs to meet with a staff member to set goals, and develop a plan for documenting their time on task and learning.

Early in December, each student will begin preparing for their Presentation of Learning (POL). The POL will be presented to high school staff, family, and anyone else the student wishes to invite. The student will present what that have learned about their learning style, how they learn best, and the most interesting content from the classes they are taking.  Creativity is highly encouraged! More information on the POL process will be given to students in December.

Virtual Program~

With just a few weeks left until Christmas break, we are very close to completing our first semester! OW students will need to have the first five units of assignments completed at that time (unit six for high school students). K-12 high school students will need to have all their assignments completed and turned in, while K-12 kindergarten through eighth grade students will need to be halfway through their courses. To be on target Diploma Plus students should have at least half of their assigned lessons completed as well. Parents are encouraged to check their child’s progress each day by logging in on the student account to see what new lessons have been completed. J

VIRTUAL HIGH SCHOOL

Just a few short weeks left to the semester. Here are some things to be aware of:

•                Required reading for next semester

o               9th grade: The Odyssey by Homer (unit 9)

Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne (unit 11)

o               11th grade: The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway (Unit 9)

o               12th grade: Hamlet by Shakespeare (Unit 7)     

•                In American Government, students are learning about how a bill becomes a law, voting, and the party system. Students have done research about each political party.

•                In English, students are learning about phrases and clauses. We are also learning about sentence diagramming and grammar. 

•                Parents may request a progress report at any time. My e-mail is [email protected].

•                See my blog at http://ragsdale2010.blogspot.com/ for updates and reminders throughout the year!

Erica Ragsdale

K-8 Virtual~

In language arts students have been learning about writing sentences and paragraphs, researching a topic, filling out note cards, making outlines, and putting it all together to complete their research projects. Some middle school students are using these skills to research possible career choices. It has been fun for me to see all the different things the students are learning and writing about.

This quarter K-8 students have been doing a very nice job of completing their lessons and projects in each subject area. I have enjoyed getting to know the students a little better through their work and comments. Parents are encouraged to keep in touch and email me with any questions or concerns ([email protected]). Parents may also want to visit our virtual website to find important information and updates, as well as view the virtual program calendar (http://pavirtualprogram.weebly.com/index.html). I appreciate the effort the students and parents are giving to make this school year successful!

~Mrs. Wilt J

Ms Setters News

Please remind 5th through 7th graders to complete any weekend homework  including spelling, grammar, reading strategies, vocabulary, and literature.  Their L.A. notebooks need to be up to date on or before Monday.  We will begin a short unit on understanding and celebrating self from the 15th through the 21st.  

5th/6th grade students are finishing Mesopotamia and the Epic of Gilgamesh.  7th graders are learning about the World's People which include culture, resources and trade.  8th graders are studying how the idea of Manifest Destiny in the 1800's contributed to the growth of the United States.

On Tuesday the 22nd, before Thanksgiving break, we will spend some time preparing for our Presentation of Learning and finish the day with a small celebration. I will supply snacks.

If you have any questions or concerns, please email me at [email protected]

Mr. Dyke's Classroom News

Still in progress is the space shuttle orbiter even though the 7th and 8th graders haven't worked on it this week. For math they have split into their individual groups to work on different text books. The 7th and 8th graders are also starting a unit called "Energy transformed from one object to another".

Check out the middle level web page at   www.pawebpage.wikispaces.com

November Cornerstone News

Wow, November is a wonderful month for a teacher.  Our class has really come together and knows all the rules and routines.  Things just “fall” together so nicely in November!

We started the month with a little excitement.  All of our entries in the district science fair placed!  So the hard work really paid off for our students.  I’m so proud of them!  Thanks to all of you who helped your children learn and experience science.  The results are:

Most Original-Beth and William Young; Most Technical-Savannah, Ethan and Mackenzie True; Second Place-Kristen and Tori Ebersole; Fourth Place-Allison and Gabe Cheers; Fifth Place-Kai French and Jacob Towle

Congrats to all! We are also full speed ahead on planning our Cornerstone Potluck to be held on Tuesday, November 22nd at 6:30 pm.  I’ll be sending more notes home, and will also be posting them on our website.  pacornerstoneclass.weebly.com

Thanks for your continued support, and I hope to see you all on the 22nd.

Mrs. Honeycutt




Have a safe and wonderful Thanksgiving.




Patty Gier

[email protected]

Administrative Assistant

Pleasantview Academy Charter School

5013 South Dean Road

Hutchinson, Ks 67501

Phone 620-662-5516

Fax 620-662-5031

 
Cornerstone Science Fair Home Project
Assigned: 10/20/11
Due: 11/2/11

Students in Cornerstone Class will be participating in the Haven School District Science Fair on November 4th and 5th.  Your child or children have selected a project that we have talked about and gone over in class. There will be one project per family, so if you have more than one child in class they are project partners. 

To help facilitate the project, we have gathered ideas from a site called Easy Science Fair Projects.  The url is http://www.easy-science-fair-projects.net/index.html

It is also on our website http://pacornerstoneclass.weebly.com/ under the “links” tab.  I have printed out the step-by-step directions to the project your child has chosen.  Please take a moment to go through the instructions with your child or children.  

I wanted to make this a fun and painless way to learn and do science at home, so if you wish, you can just follow the instructions I printed out.  If, however, you (or your child) decide to do something different....that’s great!  Please be sure to include the notebook to answer the five highlighted questions (including listing parent participation) and meet  the basic presentation guidelines in the material sent home for whatever alternate project you might choose. 

All of the projects chosen can be done in 2-4 days.  I can help as needed; just please make any requests in the next few days, so I have time to assist.  If you don’t have a printer for your pictures, a disposable camera is your best bet.  Make sure to leave time to get the pictures developed!  I may be able to print them here as a last resort, but can’t guarantee the quality or that ink will be available in all colors. 

Please remember, this is about fun and learning, not perfection!  We will be sharing our projects in class on the 2nd, they will be transported over to the Haven High gym on the 3rd, students will visit the fair on the 4th, and it is open to the public on Saturday the 5th.  Judging will be done on Saturday.

Thanks for helping your children with their project.  As a veteran parent of many science fairs, I truly appreciate your support!

Please contact me with any questions.
Mrs. H  
259-9092

 
10/27/11
Cornerstone Book Character Dress-Up

Students may wear a costume to school on October 31st for our book character dress-up day.  We will still have PE and a fairly regular day, so something comfortable that can be changed out of easily is the best bet. If the weather is nice enough, we will be walking over to the Dutch for hot chocolate.  If your child would also like a cinnamon roll (or would like to share one with a sibling) please send $1.25 per roll.

Thanks for stopping by for conferences recently.  I really enjoyed talking with each one of you!  We got several great books from the proceeds from the book fair that the students are already enjoying.  So thanks to each of you that were able to purchase a book. 

The food drive for Reno County Food Bank is continuing until November 10th.  Thanks for donating! 

Mrs. Honeycutt   259-9092

 
9/26/11




First Scholastic Book Order of the Year




The first scholastic book order is coming home.  I like Scholastic because they have the most popular and current books for kids at the best prices.  Even if you aren’t ordering, the flyers are still fun to look through, and can sometimes spark conversations about books with your kids if it is a book or series they’ve read.




If you are ordering, please send the orders back or order online by this Friday, September 30th.  You can send one check for all of your kids, even if the catalogs are different.  Cash is ok, too.  If needed, I can usually even hunt up change. I appreciate the orders because they help our class get free books, but if you are not ordering, tell your kids there will be plenty of other opportunities, so they don’t need to fret! :)




If you are ordering online, you can use a credit or debit card. You will need to register an account (an easy process) and then put in our class activation code. It is HPDYJ.  

You can also search for our class by city, state, school and then my name should show up.   After the first order, you shouldn’t need an activation code again, you will use your user name and password instead. 







Please contact me with any questions.  Thanks for reading with your kids! 




Mrs. H

259-9092