Student Council Website
PHS Assessment ToolsAcademic Honor Roll and Perfect Attendance Quarter 4Student Intervention Forms3rd Quarter Honor Roll LuncheonGrandparents Breakfast 2017Third Grade Fun with FractionsThird grade has been working very hard on fractions! This is a new concept to them, and they are ROCKING it! They have been learning different ways to represent fractions such as parts of a whole, strip diagrams, and number lines. They love practicing what they have learned immediately using their interactive notebooks. In this activity, students learned and identified unit fractions by coloring in a piece of a whole and labeling the unit fraction.
Second Grade InvestigatorsSecond graders enjoyed investigating the states of matter with a snowman.
Junior High Scientists7th grade students built their science skills as they participated in a genetic crosses virtual lab that included
fruit flies with and without wings! Second Grade ResearchersMrs. Spradling's class is working non-fiction writing by researching Arctic Animals. Each student got to pick an animal and read information about that animal, fill in a graphic organizer and turn it into a research paper. Once they wrote their rough drafts we edited them and checked out rubrics. Once completed they have a wonderful piece to share with our friends in the hallway!
Caring LightsSecond grade made a holiday themed character counts activity. After watching "The Town That Santa Forgot" we discussed ways to be caring during the holiday season. We added these to Christmas lights to help decorate the hallway! We also asked Mrs. Baker's class to join in on the fun!
Character Counts in First GradeAs part of our Character Counts Caring theme, the first grade students drew names, and made cards for each and every child in the class. They wrote thoughtful letters, showing their sincere appreciation for each other. Afterwards, the children read their cards aloud in front of the class.
Holiday Happenings in Pre-K Through 2On November 22nd, students in pre-K through second grade came together to celebrate Thanksgiving before fall break. We read two Thanksgiving themed books, watched "A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving," and had our very own feast inspired by the movie we watched. We enjoyed spending this time together before being home for break to celebrate with our families. We hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! Happy Holidays!
Daily 5 in Pre-KOur preschool class has started doing our own version of the Daily 5! Every day the students will go to their stations to work on math skills, writing, team work, word work, and listening!
Character ExplorationThe 8th Graders worked collaboratively to create life size drawings of characters from the novel And Then There Were None. They had a great time researching how the characters were described in the book to draw them!
Multiplication MagicThird grade has begun the long awaited multiplication! Last week we learned strategies to multiply including equal groups, skip counting, repeated addition, and building arrays. This week third graders are learning different facts! We learned the zero property of multiplication and the identity property of multiplication! This means students know how to multiply by 0s and 1s. When Miss Olson put a fact on the board, students got to choose which strategy they wanted to use to mutliply! We ended our day playing multiplication tic tac toe with 0s and 1s!
Fitness at PHSPhysical Education classes participated in fitness testing during the month of October. Fitness gram tests are a part of the presidential fitness tests. Tests included a mile run, pacer, push ups, sit ups, and sit and reach.
First Grade Math FunFirst graders have been busy learning about 10 frames. They have been making groups of ten and adding ones to make a new number. This has been helping them with their "teen" numbers as well. They are having a great time using the manipulatives and creating numbers.
Fall Fun In KindergartenOctober in Kindergarten means participating in "The Great Apple Crunch" with our school and students around Illinois, learning about Christopher Columbus, creating some fun, fall crafts, and doing some
pumpkin investigations. Marshmallow and Pumpkin ChuckingThe second and third graders built a catapult to shoot their marshmallow as far as they could. They will be working on other types of projects like this throughout the year.
First Grade InvestigatorsWe got the chance to cut open a pumpkin to see what is inside in real life. We love the opportunity to get our hands dirty in the name of science!
Erupting VolcanoesThe 8th grade class finished up their unit on volcanoes at the beginning of October. To show what they learned about the types of volcanoes, the structures, the types of lava flow, and their eruptions, they created and erupted their homemade volcanoes. All of the 8th grade students went above and beyond. They not only showed their knowledge, but they also displayed their creativity.
CrankensteinOur second grade class decided to decorate our pumpkin for the contest as Crankenstein. He is an interesting character that we will be identifying character traits on. We all know that sometimes we can be our very own "Crankenstein" at times!
Congratulations Mrs. BakerCongratulations to Pleasant Hill's Second Grade Teacher who recently wrote for a Waste Reduction grant from Peoria County Recycling and was awarded the grant. She received a variety of recycling containers to promote recycling here at Pleasant Hill. Mrs. Baker also received some classroom activities to encourage students to engage in recycling activities.
Vocabulary SwatThe Junior High reviewed their Greek and Latin root vocabulary words with some friendly competition. They went head-to-head using fly swatters to see who can identify the correct root that went with the definition read to them first.
Jumping Into First GradeOur first graders have been busy painting their sight words. After writing their words in crayons on paper leaves, the students painted over the words, creating gorgeous fall colors for our bulletin board.
Shapes All AroundBright Futures have been learning about shapes. They were super excited to find a square box. Together the students decided to turn it into a house. The students worked together to paint it. When it dried we put it in our quite area for them to read in.
Scientific NotationThe 8th graders scramble to see who can complete a scientific notation puzzle first. Their goal was to match standard form with its scientific notation form.
Multiplication RollSixth Grade students are learning their multiplication facts by playing Multiplication Roll Em
Sum Dog ContestThe Fourth Grade Class has been competing hard in the Sum Dog Math Contest this week. All the students have been looking forward to the competition to show off their math skills.
Good Luck 4th Grade Vocabulary FunThird graders have been loving vocabulary this year! They have worked hard to find synonyms and antonyms of vocabulary words, find prefixes and suffixes, and to draw pictures. Here third graders got to use some fun materials to practice word work with their vocabulary words! They had a variety of choices including sand, stamps, wikki sticks, whiteboards, and rainbow roll!
Construction FairOn Thursday, September 22 the 8th graders took a field trip to explore the construction trades. They were given the opportunity to get hands on experience wiring a light bulb, painting with virtual reality, and operating a tractor. They also learned about the requirements needed to enter the field and to be a success.
Apple TowersSecond and third grade competed for the tallest tower that would hold an apple.
Here are the winners Third Grade Math RockstarsThird graders are math ROCKSTARS! They have been practicing independent and partner activities during the daily 3. Students choose from a wide variety of activities including rounding, ipads, interactive notebooks, and drawing and expanding numbers. They love having a choice of whether to engage in math with someone or math by self. They also love completing interactive hands on notebooks immediately after a lesson. Soaring high in third grade math!
Second Grade SharksFor the last two weeks Second Grade has been studying the ocean and the animals that live there. Here are a couple of pictures of the students being sharks and crabs.
K-2 Monthly Referral Free CelebrationFor our August monthly celebration we had our back to school celebration. We read The Book Who Ate my Dog, one of our monarch books. We also made dogs, ate letter cookies and played letter games. We had a great time!
Junior High LiteratureThe 7th and 8th Graders have been learning all about annotating informational pieces of literature. To practice their newly learned skill, they worked together to close-read and analyze current events articles by making predictions and asking questions about the information!
Our School Has Heart!Kindergarten through 8th grade students produced a collage of hearts which are proudly display in the halls of Pleasant Hill!
Remembering 911This week we started discussion of 911 in preparation of reading Terror 911. Students in the pictures are 6th & 8th grade students completing a chart using the article titled "The Real Story of 911" which shared facts about the attack on the World Trade Center.
The Book Tasting CafeThird graders practiced picking "good tasting" or good fit books by dining at The Book Tasting Cafe. Students were given a menu and were seated as they waited for their books to arrive. Once students received their books, they were able to dig in and taste the books to decide whether they would be what they ordered from the cafe! Students had a great time trying out different books and deciding which books would be the perfect taste!
First Grade Authors
It's only August, and our first graders have already been busy being authors. The students put together booklets titled "School is Cool" for Open House. Here are some sample pages.
Title I FunTalia and Kenna practicing their CVC words in Mrs. Kluesner's room. Keep up the great work girls!
5th Grade CompetitionFifth grade is back and ready to learn. We have started the year off with some math competitions, and a lot of group work.
4th Grade MultiplicationThe 4th Grade Class has been reviewing single digit multiplication. The students are working hard together; as one student is performs the teacher role the other recites multiplication facts aloud. The student performing the teacher role will help guide the other student through the facts correctly. Nice Job 4th Grade
Second Grade Jitter JuiceSecond grade got rid of their first day jitters with some jitter juice!
Congratulations to Pleasant Hill's Graduating Class of 2016!
Reading Buddies8th Grade students created unique books in their English Language Arts class with Ms. Bruno. They had the opportunity to read their stories to the Kindergarten students in Mrs. Jennings and Ms. Douglas' class! Kindergarteners loved working with their 8th Grade buddies.
Daily 5Miss Douglas' kindergarten and Mrs. Spradling's first grade decided to enjoy the beautiful day on Friday by reading outside together. We chose to all do read to someone as part of our daily five routine while being surrounded by dandelions and sunshine.
MeasurementSixth graders work on their measuring skills. They practiced measuring various objects in the classroom to the nearest 1/16th or 1/8th of an inch. Not only were they measuring, but they were required to simplify fractions to lowest terms while collaborating with others in the class.
We Love Monarch Books!The book called Bear Alert was this years Monarch award winner in Illinois. Students in Kindergarten through third grade can read or listen to the Monarch books and then vote for their favorite one. Bear Alert also won at Pleasant Hill! These second graders all voted for Bear Alert as their favorite.
K-2 St. Patrick's Day FunOn Friday, Kindergarten, 1st grade, and 2nd grade students came together for some St. Patrick’s Day fun! We read a book, had a snack (Irish soda bread and green punch), and hunted for leprechaun rocks which were hidden outside near the playground. When found, the rocks were placed in a bucket of vinegar which helped dissolve the rock so that students could discover the surprise hidden inside – a coin from a leprechaun’s pot of gold! We had so much fun celebrating together!
We Love Our GrandparentsWOW! What an amazing turnout we had for our annual Grandparent's Breakfast-over 100 guests! It was wonderful to see all the Grandparents enjoying a special breakfast with their grandchildren. The Grandparents loved being able to take tours of the classrooms and shop with their grandchildren at the book fair. THANKS so much to all the PHS staff members for helping to make this event so successful!
Trustworthy Junior High StudentsThe Junior High practiced their trustworthiness by guiding one another through a maze while being blindfolded! Students were only allowed to listen to their "guider" while they were blindfolded. The "guiders" had to lead the person blindfolded through the maze using only words without bumping into any obstacle. We had a great time learning to trust one another!
Happy Birthday Dr. SeussHere are some pictures of K-2 celebrating Dr. Seuss's birthday with cupcakes. We let the kids frost them in Dr. Seuss colors and then they got to draw with chalk and play outside.
Compound WordsSecond graders are working with compound words. We are building big words out of little words
3rd Grade Math Writing
Third graders have been practicing building their math writing skills. Each day, students receive a new math problem. They have learned how to follow 6 steps to solving a word problem. They use their six steps, and journal starters to not only solve these problems but EXPLAIN their thinking. Third graders watched Miss Olson solve a problem, then they helped Miss Olson, and then got a chance to work with a partner to share ideas. Now, third graders have begun practicing solving and explaining these problems on their own. We are learning to become GREAT math writers!
Junior High Math7th Grade students examine how to find the area of circles by cutting a paper plate into 8 triangles. They formed a parallelogram and applied the area formula of the parallelogram to identify the formula for finding the area of circles.
Snowball Fight
Yes, the temperatures are well above freezing, but that did not stop the 7th and 8th graders from having a good old fashioned snowball fight...in the classroom! Friday was spent tossing homework around the room as a snowball. Each student would gather a new snowball, answer the question, sign it, and then throw the snowball across the room. This activity was a big hit for all who participated! What a great way to review math topics while having a little fun in the meantime!
Fourth Grade CARES
The Fourth graders have been talking about the Character Counts word: “Caring”
Because we say the Pledge of Allegiance every morning before class, we thought it would be interesting to examine what it means. We discussed how the word “caring” fits into the pledge. As a class we talked about how people in the United States “care” about one another and how they “care” about this great country we live in. So each student in the fourth grade decided to write their own pledge promising to be true to something. Here is an example of a pledge written by a Fourth Grade student... Second Grade Gingerbread
Here are the second graders reading, writing and comparing different gingerbread stories. We read 7 different gingerbread stories and did a compare and contrast with each. Then we wrote our own versions. We also practiced using adjectives to write wanted posters for our lost gingerbread man. We ate some gingerbread men too!
A Very Happy Friendsgiving
On the day before Thanksgiving, K-2nd grade students at PHS came together to celebrate their good behavior and Thanksgiving. We had our very own “Friendsgiving.” We watched the movie “A Charlie Brown
Thanksgiving” and then had a special meal together just like the characters in the movie. Our teachers surprised us with crackers and butter, jelly beans, pretzels, popcorn, and craisins – yummy! We loved spending time together and are very thankful for the teachers and staff at PHS, our peers, our friends, and our families. We hope that everyone had a great Thanksgiving! Comparing Numbers
Mrs. Spradling's class has been learning to compare whole numbers. Mr. Alligator has helped teach us that he will always eat the larger number. If the numbers are the same he turns his head to fast in confusion that he becomes an equal sign. The class has been working with foam numbers and Popsicle sticks, playing cards and dice to make up their very own problems and decide which number is greater than, less than or equal to. Some of them also challenged themselves by picking two cards and adding them together to compare double digit numbers and practice their addition. They have especially enjoyed working in partners and as a classroom community.
First Grade ThespiansMrs. Sneed’s class has been performing a skit based on the book Hey, Little Ant. The book teaches empathy for others and reverence for all creatures, big and small. The book and skit were perfect additions to the curriculum for our current Character Counts’ theme: Caring. In addition, the children were thrilled to show off their newly discovered acting skills to other classes. This photo is a scene from one of our practice sessions.
Fifth Grade Wall of HonorFifth grade was able to have a discussion during the week of Veterans Day. We had each student come to the front of the class and talk about someone that they would like to honor on Veterans Day and then write that persons name on the board.
Junior High ELA Fun
The 8th graders reviewed Language Arts terms definitions by playing a challenging game. Half of students had a definition taped to their back, while the other half of students had a word that defined the definition. The objective of the game was for the class to help each other find their pairs without giving away what was written on their back. We all had a blast!
AR ChallengeMrs. Pendleton and Mrs. Griffin's students are in competition to see which team can pass the most AR tests! The 6th and 8th graders are the tikis leading with 16 tests! The coconuts are following with 11 tests! The winner will win a pizza party and movie. Which team will it be?
8th Grade Loves Crickets!
Eat bugs, that's right, bugs. Crazy, right? Well, that's what we did in 8th grade science class. After watching CNN Student News, a segment about a cricket farm grabbed our attention. We learned that crickets are loaded with iron and have more protein and magnesium than beef. So we gave them a try. I ordered them online, Chili-Lime Crickets.
The 8th graders were so excited when the crickets arrived. I've gotta admit, Ms. Dunn and I were excited too. Most of the kids tried these edible bugs and most thought, "not too bad". We Love Crickets! WARNING: If you are allergic to shellfish, shrimp, etc., don't eat crickets. Visit from a VeteranAs part of our celebration of Veterans we had a guest speaker. Mr Tom Skaggs of the Morton VFW post came to tell the students in Kindergarten and Second grade what a veteran was and how they help our country. Also Mr. Skaggs brought flags for all of the students. They were so excited.
Donuts with DadWe had an AMAZING turnout for our first Donuts with Dad here at Pleasant Hill. It was so exciting to see all the Dads, Grandpas, Uncles, and other guests join us for this event. During this event, students were able to spend some time with their special guests while enjoying breakfast. Guests were then invited into classrooms where they participated in a variety of fun activities! We are very thankful all of you were able to take part in this special event. We look forward to Muffins with Mom in the spring.
Kindergarten Pumpkin FunDuring the week of October 26th, Miss Douglas’ kindergarten class learned about pumpkins. We learned about the life cycle of a pumpkin, completed some pumpkin investigations, read books about pumpkins, and
did some fun pumpkin-themed activities. We finished our fun-filled week by carving into and digging out the seeds of a pumpkin. It was slimy and gooey, but it sure was fun! Celebrating the Positive in K-2
On October 29th, K-2nd grade students celebrated their good behavior during our monthly celebration. We began our fun-filled afternoon by reading “The Thirteen Nights of Halloween” by Rebecca Dickinson. The
rest of the afternoon consisted of some fun activities – constructing a skeleton using q-tips, decorating a pumpkin (an orange students could eat when done), playing roll-a-monster, and making a spooky owl craft. Each student got to choose what 2 activities they wanted to participate in. We finished the afternoon by reading “Pete the Cat and the New Guy” by Kimberly and James Dean to introduce our new Character Counts focus pillar for the month of November – caring! We had a great afternoon and look forward to celebrating our good behavior again soon. Hard at Work With Daily 5 in 3rd Grade
Third grade continues to work extra hard during daily 5! We have finally begun implementing a student favorite; Word work! Students get to use many different activities to spell their spelling words. Some of the options are sand, rainbow roll, playdough, wikki stix, and stamps! Students really enjoy getting to be craft while also building their spelling skills! We are working towards building our stamina to ten minutes!
PASTA FOR PENNIES
Please help Pleasant Hill School raise money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society by donating money to the Pasta for Pennies Program. All money raised will go directly to the children and families who are affected by Leukemia. The class here at Pleasant Hill that raises the most money will receive a FREE catered lunch from Olive Garden. Students will be collecting money all throughout the month of November. Each student has received an individual box to gather donations in. At the end of each week, donations will be counted. We will also host 3 spirit days to help in raising money for LLS!
If you would prefer to make an online donation to help the children, please click on the link below http://events.lls.org/pages/il/PleasantHillElementarySchoolPeoria First Quarterly Celebration
Students enjoyed the first quarterly celebration. They had the opportunity to play musical chairs and a fun pumpkin toss game. Students were excited to receive special classroom awards, perfect attendance, as well as honor roll awards. The prizes were a big hit! Thanks to the junior high teacher team for planning this celebration. Congratulations to all the students who received awards for their hard work at PHS!
Honor Roll Luncheon
Our first honor roll luncheon was absolutely amazing.It was great to recognize 50 of our 4-8th Grade students for their academic achievements.They were thrilled to have a special lunch where they were able to celebrate with guests of their choice.During the luncheon, each student had the opportunity to visit with their guests.After the luncheon, a group of 5th grade students performed a skit to share what they learned about being respectful.A group of 8th graders also performed a skit to share what they learned about the Boston Tea Party.
Pre-K's Pete's A PizzaOur Success by Six story of the month is Pete's a Pizza by William Steig. Each student received the book to take home. We read the story as a class then made our own pizza for snack. While the pizza was cooking we watched the video of Pete's a Pizza! We are also adding a pizza place in the dramatic play center for them to reenact the story.
The Outsiders
8th Graders have been hard at work to analyze the characters in The Outsiders, the book they have been reading in Reading class. They traced each other to create life-size character descriptions using evidence from the text indicating their traits.
Mrs. Pendleton's 6th and 7th grade students are saying Aloha to their progress monitoring goals!!
K-2 Monthly Referral Free Celebration
K-2nd grade students spent Friday afternoon celebrating their good behavior by participating in some fun activities. They got to choose which two activities they wanted to do, The choices were - tasting
various types of apples and voting on their favorite, painting with apple slices to create their own masterpiece, using apple chunks and toothpicks to construct an apple tower, playing “Back to School” Jingo, and playing on the playground. After completing the activities, we came back together to learn about our next focus pillar in Character Counts – RESPECT. We read the book, “Do Unto Otters” by Laurie Keller and discussed ways that we can demonstrate respect at home and at school. Everyone had a great time together and we look forward to celebrating our great behavior again soon! Construction FairThe 8th grade class took a field trip to Expo Gardens to learn about the construction trades. They learned the requirements needed to enter the trades and what it takes to be successful. The students were able to participate in hands on activities such as wiring a light bulb, bending conduit, plastering, and running a jack-hammer. It was a valuable and educational trip for all of the 8th graders
5th Grade Mon "STARS"The fifth grade "Mon-stars" have been hard at work implementing Chrome books and all the exiting new technology into the class room. We have made it possible for all of the students in our room to have the ability to step into the classroom from anywhere that they can access the internet. It has been amazing to see how fast that the class has picked up on all of the new things that we have been doing.
Second Grade CrowsSecond grade got to make crows for the fall display in the cafeteria. We had a terrific time and loved sharing them with Ms Baker and Miss Tara.
4th Grade MathematiciansThe Fourth Grade Class has been working hard on their Math review ! With so much to learn and new and exciting math concepts this year, Mr. Harrmann is ready for a fantastic year in Math !!!
Please continue to review multiplication facts with your son or daughter. Remember, learning can take place not only at school, but also at home! Thank for your hard work Parents and Guardians Mrs. Phillips Classroom Happenings!The kindergartners are learning about the letter "B". We have been busy learning the sound of the letter B and brainstorming words that begin with B. The students have been drawing pictures of words that begin with the letter B and also tracing the letter, so they can become familiar with it. They have been hard at work and excited about learning.
The 5th graders have been tracking their reading fluency. They have been setting goals for the end of the quarter. I created the bulletin board so they can watch their fluency grow. They are excited about it and want to have a pizza party if they meet their goals!! Hint, hint!
Vincent Van Gogh’s
Sunflowers
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| Claire Rainbow Reader |
Responsibility Matters in First Grade
In Mrs. Spradling's class, we discussed responsibility during our Character Counts time throughout the week and came up with a few ways we are responsible at school and at home. With this response we made a responsibility tree where the light green leaves are responsibilities we have at school and the dark green at home. The students had fun being creative and showing their knowledge.
Library Makeover
The junior high students were more than happy to utilize the new look of the library! Students picked books within their Accelerated Reading range and had a chance to relax on the new bean bags and at tables to jump into their new books to meet their reading level goal!
Physical Education
"It has been a wonderful start to the school year in the physical education classroom! I have been working with the students on different locomotor movements, such as skipping, galloping, hopping, and running. We have also been working on our spatial awareness by taking part in different tagging activities that have allowed the students to move safely in general space. The junior high students have been working on their Frisbee skills by taking part in the game of ultimate Frisbee. We also recently just started soccer. The different activities I have been able to do with the students thus far have been very enjoyable and it is great to see the students leaving class with a smile on their face. My goal of teaching the students different life-long fitness skills and activities is off to a great start here at Pleasant Hill school district!"
Sixth Grade Shopping Spree
The 6th graders are working on estimation by going on a shopping spree. They were asked to provide the actual prices and then round them to nearest dollar. They will compare their actual money spent to the estimated money to see how rounding affects their shopping experience.
Mrs. Sneed's Class is Having a Whale of a Good Time
The children have been studying whales and learned that the blue whale is the largest animal ever. To compare themselves to a blue whale, the first grade students laid down head-to-toe in the hallway. The students were 61 feet long collectively, which is the approximate length of a humpback whale. However, a blue whale is 100 feet long!
Character Counts in Kindergarten
This year, students and staff at PHS are learning about and
implementing a character education program called Character Counts.
It is centered around the values of trustworthiness, respect,
responsibility, fairness, caring, and citizenship also known as the
Six Pillars of Character. On Friday, students in kindergarten through
2nd grade were introduced to these pillars of character.
During our time together, we read the book “What If Everybody Did
That?” by Ellen Javernick and shared how we can and do demonstrate
these values each and ever day. The teachers even put on mini-skits
to see if the students could name which value they were acting out.
We look forward to continuing to learn and grow with the help of this
character education program.
implementing a character education program called Character Counts.
It is centered around the values of trustworthiness, respect,
responsibility, fairness, caring, and citizenship also known as the
Six Pillars of Character. On Friday, students in kindergarten through
2nd grade were introduced to these pillars of character.
During our time together, we read the book “What If Everybody Did
That?” by Ellen Javernick and shared how we can and do demonstrate
these values each and ever day. The teachers even put on mini-skits
to see if the students could name which value they were acting out.
We look forward to continuing to learn and grow with the help of this
character education program.
Discovering Sponges in Science
Here are some 7th graders testing the absorption of real sponges and artificial sponges. Some students were amazed to find out that there such a thing as a real sponge from the ocean. Others testing if true sponges would hold more hot water or more cold water. The answer, surprising to them, was cold water.
Lots of Love
At the beginning of February I started having the kids write what they LOVED about Pleasant Hill. It was also getting close to our 100th day of school, so we were celebrating both Valentine's Day and our 100th day with this bulletin board. Parents and students enjoyed reading the hearts at conferences. We didn't get 100 hearts on the board, but we had more than one thing written on several hearts. It's nice to see all of the things kids love about school! Thanks for helping create it!
Third Grade Finds the Area
Third graders are working hard to find area in many ways. In this activity, students are relating area to multiplication by using their knowledge of finding products of arrays. Students got to pick from a stack of cards and find the area of the shaded rectangle. Whichever player had the highest product won that round! They had a blast!
First Grade Authors
Our first grade students have been busy writing fictional
narratives. They first studied a series
of books by Laura Numeroff such as If You
Give a Mouse a Cookie and If You Give
a Cat a Cupcake. They learned about chain reactions and the concept of a
“circular tale.” Mrs. Sneed wrote a narrative titled If You Give a Hippopotamus a Handshake that she shared with the
class, and the class followed up by collectively
writing a narrative titled If You Take a
Penguin to the Park. Finally, the students wrote and illustrated their own
stories with creative titles such as If
You Give a Shark a Pickle, If You Give a Chihuahua a Valentine, and If You Take a Gorilla to a Carnival.
Agriculture in the 4th Grade Classroom
The AG department visited the Fourth Grade students. The teachers brought a special friend with them. The students loved meeting the pig.
Kindergarten Guest Readers
Kindergarten students in Miss Douglas' class love when visitors stop by to read to our class! We are thankful that we have had some awesome second graders (with many more to come) volunteer to read to our class at the end of the day. We even had a very special visitor this week -- Mrs. Weaver! She read "Green Eggs and Ham" to help us get excited about Dr. Seuss' birthday in a couple of weeks. Thanks Mrs. Weaver and Mrs. Meis' students for being such awesome reading role models! We are working hard to become great readers just like you!
Children's Author Kate Klise Visits Pleasant Hill School
As
part of Pleasant Hill School District’s initiative to build reading skills,
the school partnered with Illinois Reading Council to welcome award winning
children’s author, Kate Klise. She provided a hands on opportunity for students
to learn about the process of writing a book. Kate engaged in some Reading and Writing
activities with students in small groups throughout the day.
Safe School Ambassadors
The Junior High Safe School Ambassadors continue to meet weekly to discuss how they are using the skills they learned in their training this past fall. These weekly meetings give the Ambassadors the opportunity to role play with their newfound skills and determine what changes they need to make in order to be more effective in utilizing their skills to reduce bullying.
Fourth Grade Time Lines
The 4th Grade class has been researching events that have taken place during their life time. They are now turning those events into a timeline.
Weakest Link
Here are the 6th graders working on and testing their weakest link. This was the Christmas Junk Box war in class. One sixth grade team won the event for all of junior high. Their chain held all the ornaments and still weighed only 11 grams. Great Job!
Parents Club Winter Festival
A big thanks to the PHS Parents Club for all their hard work in preparing the Winter Festival! It was a huge success. Families enjoyed lunch together, pictures with Santa, games and activities in the gym, and much more.
Winter Concert
We are thrilled to have the Fine Arts back at Pleasant Hill School! As we welcomed back the Music Program here at PHS, we also welcomed back our Winter Concert for grades K-5! Our new Music teacher, Mrs. Rohrer, did an amazing job preparing students for this event. Mrs. Rohrer and her students definitely took the spotlight at the concert. We truly enjoyed the performances throughout the evening!
First Grade Word Work
In first grade we have been busy with Daily 5 lessons. Among our classroom's favorites is Word Work, in which students practice spelling and reading new words through a variety of activities. They write on the large and on small marker boards, play word games, make words with Play-Doh, read around the room, and build their reading vocabulary with activities on the iPads. Some of the students also read sight words or books to classroom volunteers during this time.
Social Studies in Third Grade
The students in third grade have been using their research skills to learn more about the seven continents! Our target has been to name and identify the seven continents and four oceans. Students got to dig a bit deeper as they were assigned a group and a country to learn some interesting facts about! Students will organize their research, and present what they have found the class!
Fourth Grade Fun on the Titanic
These 4th grade students are practicing for their play based on true facts of the great ship, Titanic.
First Quarter Reading Competition
Congratulations to the students who participated in the first quarter Reading Competition. We are very proud of you for reading all of those books. Thank you to the parents who read with their students or made sure their students were reading. Keep up the good work. Quarter two will end December 19! Keep reading!!
Kindergarten is Thankful!
Kindergarten students at PHS geared up for Thanksgiving by learning about the very first Thanksgiving, doing many holiday related activities and crafts, and by watching a classic, “A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving.” We even got to have a “Thanksgiving feast” just as they did in the movie. We are so thankful for our school, our teachers and staff at PHS, our families and friends, and the many opportunities we get to learn while having fun along the way. Happy Holidays!
PBIS Monthly Celebration
Students in grades 3-5 enjoyed spending some free time on the computers in the mobile laptop lab as a reward for positive behavior during their monthly referral free celebration.
Titanic Exploration
Thanks to the 8th grade students, the 4th
grade power points should be a huge success.
The 4th graders have been working very hard on Titanic power
point presentations and the 8th grade class helped them fine tune
their presentations.
Pasta for Pennies
Since
1994, students and educators throughout the US have raised more than 233
million dollars to support LLS. Pleasant Hill raised over $1100 last year for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Students will collect money daily through the
month of November to donate to LLS. The
top fundraising class will receive a pasta lunch from Olive Garden. Our school goal is to raise at least $700! Please help us in our efforts to raise money for LLS here at Pleasant Hill by clicking on the link below and donating to this cause!
Pasta for Pennies at Pleasant Hill School
Pasta for Pennies at Pleasant Hill School
Heart Art
Students were so proud of their "Heart Art" they created during the school-wide community service project! Thank you Pastor Preston and City on a Hill Church for allowing students to put their creative touches on your storage unit. A big thank you to the teachers for their patience and flexibilities.
LHS Haunted Hallways
On Saturday, October 25th, some of our junior high student council members participated in Haunted Hallways at Limestone High School. Students had fun decorating their designated location and passing out candy to all the kids in their Halloween costumes.
Writing with Details
The Fourth Grade class is proud to show off their writing with details class project. The students had to read a story and take notes on each page they read. Included in their notes were key details about the story. The students then had to use their detailed notes and write a summary of the story. WOW, what a great job they did !!!
Student Led Conferences
Our first annual student led parent teacher conferences here at Pleasant Hill were a huge success! A big thanks goes out to the teachers who worked hard in preparing their students for this new experience. Students stepped up and gathered their work samples, test results, and practiced what they wanted to communicate with their families. They were so excited to be able to share with their parents/guardians their progress and areas in which they need to make improvements during the next grading period.
Halloween Fun in 2nd Grade
The second graders are busy painting a dragonfly and flowers that are outlined on a pumpkin. They will be participating in many activities that are based on Halloween. They will be story writing about the pumpkins, black cats, witches, ghosts, the life cycle of a pumpkin, and many more activities that go with the Halloween theme.
Creative 3rd Grade Spelling
Students in third grade have been working very hard on their spelling words, in very fun ways! They used playdoh, white boards, sand, and stamps to work on their individualized spelling words. Students did an amazing job staying focused and working the whole time while building word work stamina! These creative and fun spelling activities help students memorize their words quickly and easily!
Pre-K Field Trip
Bright Futures went on a field trip to the Hult Center to learn about their bodies. Mary the mouth taught them the importance of brushing their teeth. Mr. SeeMore Bones taught them how to take care of their bones. TAM the body taught the students about their muscles and skin.
Building Reading Skills
First grade students are working very hard in Mrs. Kluesner's room on writing, sorting and reading CVC words. They created a foldable to complete this project. They will be showing their parents' their projects next week at student led conferences.
First Grade Readers Theatre
In first grade we are employing a variety of methods to teach the Word Wall words. The students are currently practicing their sight words through the use of Readers Theatre, a style of theater in which actors don’t use costumes or props and don’t necessarily memorize their lines. Our first grade students are merely expected to read their lines, albeit with lots of expression.
Our first Readers Theatre script is titled Rafael Is a Rat. The storyline of this play is based on Frog and the Stranger, a lovely book by Max Velthuijs that teaches children not to stereotype. It encourages tolerance and acceptance of individuals who may be different from us and is a celebration of diversity.
Our first Readers Theatre script is titled Rafael Is a Rat. The storyline of this play is based on Frog and the Stranger, a lovely book by Max Velthuijs that teaches children not to stereotype. It encourages tolerance and acceptance of individuals who may be different from us and is a celebration of diversity.
Third Grade Math
The 3rd graders have been busy building their Math skills when they used dice to practice finding estimating sums with rounding! They caught on to rounding so fast, and used mental math strategies to add the two numbers together! They used their perfected "choose a smart partner" skills to find partners that they worked extremely hard with!!!
Physical Education
Right now in PE we are working predominately on bowling/rolling (bowling for older kids, rolling for younger), and we will also be beginning our first fitness test of the year. That test will be the shuttle run. Most grades have data from their shuttle run test last year, which I will be comparing this year's results to. Grades K-3 (probably end up 1-3 or 1-4) will be getting introduced to Yoga soon, for the first time this year. Those kids are excited to do it, having learned it last year.
Fifth Grade Happenings
It has been a very busy first 6 weeks for the PHS 5th grade class. The group works very well in group based assignments. Right now we are centering our learning around team building. In Reading, we are doing group work on a short story. The students will be reading a story together and then doing things like writing a summary. The students will then be given an assessment test that they will take together in their groups. The final step for the story will be creating a story board. The group will split the story up into parts and each student will have to put their part onto the story board with an illustration. We will be doing something similar in Science. The class will be given information about different types of weather and then they will do research on the computer to do a team project. We will also be doing a lot of preparing for the upcoming student led conferences. We were also lucky enough to be able to go outside for art last week and paint a storage shed for City on a Hill Church for a school-wide community service project!
Butterfly Life Cycle
Kindergarten has been growing butterflies this quarter. Mrs. Jennings' class started with 4 caterpillars and Miss Douglas' class started with 3. Kindergartners watched them chomp on milk week leaves for weeks! While the caterpillars were growing, Kindergarten learned about the butterfly life cycle. After the caterpillars had grown to the size of our thumbs, they curled up in the top of their houses and spun chrysalises. The students really enjoyed seeing the caterpillars literally spin their new homes. After the chrysalises were formed, the waiting game began. The students waited. And waited. And waited. Finally, the chrysalises began to change color-the butterflies were coming! Miss Douglas' butterflies emerged first. Three big, beautiful butterflies! The Kindergarten classes released them soon after they emerged. Mrs. Jennings' class has only had one butterfly emerge-but they are keeping their fingers crossed for more!
Ocean Research
The Fourth Grade Class is finishing up their research on the Ocean. Students have researched the Ocean finding information on fish and plants. They have had to draw and give information about each of their plants and fish.
Science Fun
The 8th graders are studying properties of matter this month. Here are some pictures of our gas laws demos and experiments. We looked at Boyle's Law which explains the relationship between pressure and volume and Charles Law which explains the relationship between pressure and temperature.
Panther Community Service
One of our goals this year at Pleasant Hill School is to get more involved in the community and build relationships with members in the community that surrounds us. In order to help achieve our goal, we have planned a school-wide community service project each month. Our first service project is in collaboration with City on a Hill Church and Pastor Preston. With the help of our creative and talented Art teacher, Mrs. Willenborg, students worked cooperatively to paint the church's storage shed. The theme for the project is hearts!
8th Grade Field Trip
On Wednesday, September 24th the 8th graders went to a construction fair. They learned what it takes to enter the trades of construction, electrician, and brick laying, just to name a few. The students enjoyed the hands on learning activities provided by each trade. This was a great opportunity for our 8th graders to get a first hand look at what it takes to enter the trade workforce.
Junior High Math
The 8th grade students are sharpening their math skills during an intervention class with the use of our mobile lab. They use websites such as Sumdog, Magna High, and Hooda Math to reinforce math topics such as integers, order of operations, fractions, and algebra.
8th Grade Poetry Cafe
For the past month, students have been immersed in poetry! As a culminating event to the poetry unit, students transformed the classroom into a café setting where they read aloud some of their favorite poems they have written. Family members were in attendance and refreshments were served. Great work to all the 8th grade students who shared their creativity. Thanks to Ms. Dunn & Mrs. Pendleton for all your hard work in planning and organizing this activity.
Pleasant Hill Staff Accept the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge
Students at Pleasant Hill raised over $240.00 for the local chapter of ALS. Students raised money based on how much water each staff member had to dump on their heads. The event was very successful, and students did a great job in supporting a great cause. Good Job Pleasant Hill!!
A big thanks goes out to our Physical Education teacher, Mr. Stambaugh, who organized the ALS ice bucket challenge here at Pleasant Hill! A special thanks to our Junior High volunteers who worked very hard the day of the ice bucket challenge to get everything prepared!
Daily 5 Reading in the 3rd Grade Classroom
Students in the 3rd grade classroom have been busy learning all about the Daily 5 Reading Program during the first week of school! They enjoy practicing Read to Self each and every day!
Academic Honor Rolls/Perfect Attendance at Pleasant Hill
Congratulations to all Pleasant Hill students for their success in the classroom. Click on the link below to view all Pleasant Hill students who achieved honor roll status or perfect attendance. We are very proud of their hard work and dedication!
All About Me Books in 1st Grade
The children in Mrs. Sneed’s classroom have been diligently working on their All About Me books. These autobiographical books highlight the students’ favorite things about first grade, what they like to do after school, what they want to be when they grow up, and their favorite foods. While working on the books, the students pay special attention to proper sentence formation, spacing, grammar, capitalization and ending
punctuation. The students also get to showcase their creative artwork. The books will be laminated so they will
likely enjoy them for many years to come.
punctuation. The students also get to showcase their creative artwork. The books will be laminated so they will
likely enjoy them for many years to come.
Leprechauns visit Pleasant Hill
3rd grade created some very cool leprechaun traps last week! We used our creativity to build traps that would lure leprechauns! Then, we created a step by step list explaining how to build our traps and snatch the leprechaun! We left them out over the weekend and checked them on Monday morning! We couldn't believe that we found footprints, glitter, and that all of our gold was stolen! I guess those leprechauns were too tricky for us!
We Love to Read at Pleasant Hill
Our second quarter reading competition has come to an end. These are pictures of some of the students who participated. We are very proud of these students and their reading accomplishments. We're beginning our third quarter competition, and we're excited about the hard work and dedication from our students. Great Job!!!
The Opera Visits Pleasant Hill
Pleasant Hill students and staff had the opportunity to see an amazing opera performance this week put on by the Chicago Opera Playhouse performers! Chicago Opera Playhouse is a touring company made up of young professional musicians who are dedicated to bringing a love for musicals and operas to today's youth. The musicians performed Hansel & Gretel for Pleasant Hill. It was a fun-filled show that had students excited about Hansel & Gretel’s adventures and anxious to see what the evil witch was plotting. The Hansel and Gretel performance had our students engaged and fascinated by the world of opera and musical theater. This was a great way for students to engage in the imaginative and educational world of music.
8th Grade Students Learn About the Underground Railroad
Mrs. Handlin a former Elmwood 5th grade teacher came to speak to the 8th grade class about the Underground Railroad in the central Illinois area including Peoria, Elmwood and Farmington. She began with a story found in the Illinois Liberty Lines book by Delores Saunders. She told the story of how 5 slaves and a conductor came to the A.B Thomas home. She told the story of how they fed and hid the slaves and then prepared for the slave catchers they were sure were coming. After the slave catchers searched the house for slaves and found non they left. Breathing a sigh of relief Mr. and Mrs. Thomas kept their guests until night fall when the next conductor came. This is a story from Farmington.
Mrs. Handlin talked about Phelps barn, the Luther Birge home and other landmarks in Farmington and Elmwood. She talked to the students about Harriet Tubman and her early life as well as when Fredrick Douglas came to Elmwood. He came to visit his friend E L Brown from Elmwood. Needing a place to stay
Mr. Brown sent him to Peoria to stay and introduced him the Mr. Ingersoll. The class really enjoyed listening to these personal stories.
Mrs. Handlin talked about Phelps barn, the Luther Birge home and other landmarks in Farmington and Elmwood. She talked to the students about Harriet Tubman and her early life as well as when Fredrick Douglas came to Elmwood. He came to visit his friend E L Brown from Elmwood. Needing a place to stay
Mr. Brown sent him to Peoria to stay and introduced him the Mr. Ingersoll. The class really enjoyed listening to these personal stories.
Reading Buddies at Pleasant Hill
Third grade and Bright Futures have started reading buddies! Every week, the third graders and bright futures students pair up to enjoy a book read by the third graders. The third graders really enjoy being role models and showing off their reading skills to the bright futures kids. The bright futures kids love hearing and listening to the third graders teach them many things about reading!
Toby the Tire Visits Pleasant Hill
Students in grades Kindergarten through 5th enjoyed a special program this past week from Jesse White’s
Secretary of State Office. This program is called Toby Tire School Bus Safety. Students learned all about how to keep safe while riding the school bus by using Toby Tire’s recipe for school bus safety. Some of the ingredients for Toby’s recipe include; stay away from strangers, stay 3 giant steps away from the road, respect your driver by staying in your seat and talking in your inside voice, once you get off the bus-get away from the bus, and look both ways whenever you cross the street or roadway. Student’s favorite part of the program was seeing Toby Tire the robot in action!
Secretary of State Office. This program is called Toby Tire School Bus Safety. Students learned all about how to keep safe while riding the school bus by using Toby Tire’s recipe for school bus safety. Some of the ingredients for Toby’s recipe include; stay away from strangers, stay 3 giant steps away from the road, respect your driver by staying in your seat and talking in your inside voice, once you get off the bus-get away from the bus, and look both ways whenever you cross the street or roadway. Student’s favorite part of the program was seeing Toby Tire the robot in action!
Safe School Ambassadors Programs at Pleasant Hill
Pleasant Hill received a grant from the Heart of Illinois United Way. This grant is called Supporting Student Success! With the help of the United Way grant, our school was able to initiate and implement the Safe School Ambassadors Program (SSA). This program is an "inside-out" approach to improving the school climate. It relies on STUDENTS to help stop bullying and violence. Students interact with one another on a
different level than adults do. Therefore, they can intervene in ways adults can't and make a lasting
impact on their peers. Students play a vital role in positively impacting their peers and reducing the incidence
of bullying in our schools, which is why the SSA program is so effective. In November, twenty Pleasant Hill
students were selected and trained as Safe School Ambassadors. The training provided students the opportunity to learn essential communication and intervention skills for working with their peers. These Ambassadors will continue to meet in family groups weekly to build those skills and create a positive school climate at Pleasant Hill.
different level than adults do. Therefore, they can intervene in ways adults can't and make a lasting
impact on their peers. Students play a vital role in positively impacting their peers and reducing the incidence
of bullying in our schools, which is why the SSA program is so effective. In November, twenty Pleasant Hill
students were selected and trained as Safe School Ambassadors. The training provided students the opportunity to learn essential communication and intervention skills for working with their peers. These Ambassadors will continue to meet in family groups weekly to build those skills and create a positive school climate at Pleasant Hill.
Giving Back at Pleasant Hill
The month of November will be a time for Pleasant Hill to show our thankfulness for what we have been given. We will also focus on giving back to those around us who are less fortunate. The organization we will be working with is the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS). LLS is the world’s largest voluntary health organization dedicated to funding blood cancer research and providing education and patient services. The LLS mission is to find a cure and improve the quality of life for their patients and families.
Since 1994, students and educators throughout the US have raised more than 233 million dollars to support LLS. Pleasant Hill will be joining the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society this year by participating in the Pasta for Pennies campaign. Students will collect money daily through the month of November to donate to LLS. The top fundraising class will receive a pasta lunch from Olive Garden. Our school goal is to raise at least $600! Students have each received a box to collect their money in. Money from these individual boxes will need to be turned in every Friday in the month of November! Remember, each and every coin counts! Thank you for your support!
Since 1994, students and educators throughout the US have raised more than 233 million dollars to support LLS. Pleasant Hill will be joining the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society this year by participating in the Pasta for Pennies campaign. Students will collect money daily through the month of November to donate to LLS. The top fundraising class will receive a pasta lunch from Olive Garden. Our school goal is to raise at least $600! Students have each received a box to collect their money in. Money from these individual boxes will need to be turned in every Friday in the month of November! Remember, each and every coin counts! Thank you for your support!
Pleasant Hill Student Celebrations
The first quarter celebration was held on October 18. Students in grades K-8 were honored for perfect attendance, classroom awards and reading competition awards. The students in grades 3-8 were also presented certificates for honor roll. Keeping with our great team theme, there were two games, a running the bases relay and a ball toss. Prizes were awarded including the big prize which was an MP3 player for 3-5 and 6-8 and a leapster from K-2. Way to go students! We are proud of your accomplishments!
Fifth Grade Reading Lunch Bunch
These Fifth grade students participated in our Reading Lunch Bunch for the month of October. The students had four different books to choose from. Some students read more than one of the books. After reading the book, they took a test on the book or wrote a summary. On November 1st, we ate lunch together and discussed the books they had read. They could earn more Halloween candy if they could answer questions
I had about the books. During November they can read My Teacher Is an Alien or The Case of the Kidnapped Candy. Let's see who can read both!!
I had about the books. During November they can read My Teacher Is an Alien or The Case of the Kidnapped Candy. Let's see who can read both!!
October Celebration with Fruit Kabobs
Fruit Kabobs were part of the October celebration for good behavior. Each class was able to create fruit and vegetable kabobs. Mrs. Baker arranged all the fruit and also made some extra fun things for us including the picture of palm trees made out of fruit and a marshmallow fluff dip. The students really enjoyed the day and the experiences. It is a favorite.
Halloween Parade at Pleasant Hill
Students came to school dressed in costumes for Halloween on Thursday! Pre-K through fifth grade students celebrated the holiday by marching in a parade to show off their unique and creative costumes. Families joined students for this exciting event and had a chance to see all the children disguised in their Halloween costumes. After the parade, teachers held classroom parties for their students to enjoy. Thanks to all the parent volunteers for your help in making the classroom parties run smoothly. We hope you had a wonderful Halloween!
First Grade Loves Math!!
Great things are happen in first grade. In first grade we are using a variety of activities and methods for learning addition. We add with dice, counting the dots on each die. We do addition with crayons, using the crayons as manipulatives. We draw pictures to represent our addition facts. We draw circles next to each addend. We use number lines that are taped to our desks. We make tally marks. We count beads on abacuses. We create math story problems with our classmates. We use ten frames. Through a rich variety of strategies, our students are able to gain a firm foundation in addition.
Reading Competition at Pleasant Hill
Our first quarter reading competition “Falling for a Great Book” has come to an end. These are pictures of some of the students who participated. We are very proud of these students and their reading accomplishments. Our second quarter competition “Students Are Driven to Read at PHS” has begun and will continue until December 20th. Keep Reading!!!
Community Service at Pleasant Hill
The middle school students participated in a community service project on Friday, October 11. They helped to clean and straighten up part of the Lutheran Cemetery down the hill from the school. The students did a terrific job and worked hard. The next community service project will be to send supplies to a few of our soldiers. We are very proud of the work that our students put forth in the community.
8th Grade Students Attend the Construction Expo
The 8th graders enjoyed their field trip to learn about the construction industry. The hands on field trip allowed students the opportunity to operate a jackhammer, raise/lower a scoop on a tractor, and wire a light bulb, just to name a few activities. They walked away with a lot of useful information on what a career in these fields
require. You can also view the news segment on the construction field trip at http://www.cinewsnow.com/news/local/Students-get-hands-on-in-learning-various-construction-trades-225532852.html.
require. You can also view the news segment on the construction field trip at http://www.cinewsnow.com/news/local/Students-get-hands-on-in-learning-various-construction-trades-225532852.html.
