The Blue Jay Chatter | Page 4

Elementary News Summer School Detectives Wanted… Do you have a 4 year old curious about the world around them? Are you or your 5 year old anxious about starting kindergarten in the fall? Send them to summer school and let the mysterious exploration begin! Pre-K Full or half day; you decide. Half day: 7:50 am-11:00 am and full day: 7:50 am-3:15 pm. Students must be 4 years old by August 1st. Your student will solve mysteries and explore each weekly theme through play and hands on experiences. Kindergarten Students will make new friends, meet the kindergarten teachers, and explore the 21st century classroom. Incoming kindergarten students will be introduced to the new routines and get excited about school. Students must be 5 years old by August 1st to attend. Grades 1st-6th Students will discover weekly “crime” scenes, receive daily clues, and solve the mystery of each weekly theme! In addition to math, reading, and writing, students will have the opportunity to participate in field trips, hands-on exploration, and water day! Summer School will be held May 24th-June 10th from 7:50 am-3:15 pm. Enrollment forms have been sent home but additional forms can be picked up in the elementary office. We ask that all forms be returned by April 25th. Come and join the fun and help solve the weekly themed mysteries at the Summer School Agency! Author Roland Smith visited West Platte in March. 4 Students recognized for March Character word - Courage. Rebecca Henshaw, Principal Fifth grade students working with robots in computer class. AUTHOR VISITS WEST PLATTE PROJECT LEAD THE WAY The West Platte School Libraries hosted an author visit with Roland Smith on Tuesday, March 15th. Mr. Smith was at our school all day, presenting four different times between the elementary and the high school students, signing books for students and teachers, and having lunch with a small group of elementary students. Mr. Smith talked about how his life experiences working as a lead zoo keeper and research biologist inspired many of his books. Mr. Smith has written over 40 books of fiction and nonfiction for children and young adults. Over 15 of his books have won multiple literary/ writing awards. In Ms. Maxwell’s elementary computer class, fifth grade students are finishing their robotics module. The final part of their project based learning is to design a mobile robot that can remove hazardous materials (represented by blocks) from a disaster site. Students are then challenged to design, model, and test a mobile robot that solves this design problem. The fifth grade robots should be able to remove a minimum of five “hazardous materials” within a two minute time period while protecting the water. Sherry McGhay, High School Librariosn Angelica Maxwell, West Platte Elementary Computer & Technology Teacher