CHOIR NEWS

If you think back to any team or organization you have ever been a part of, you will likely recall some people were leaders. Sports teams have leaders. Some of these leaders are team captains, some are coaches. Some people become leaders based on their energy and focus. Energy and focus are characteristics that describe the 2016-2017 Lester Prairie Varsity Choir, a group filled with leaders.

In the spring of 2016 The LP Varsity choir, made up of singers from grades 9-12 performed Queen’s ‘Bohemian Rhapsody”. It was a monuments work that gained a well deserved standing ovation. The soloist Logan Groff remarked, “Bohemian Rhapsody focused the choir.” And yes, it did. Logan’s performance and vocal abilities were a great source of this focus. When you speak of leadership, his leadership is one of inspiration. It’s the kind of leadership that is game changing.

Fast forward 10 months and the Lester Prairie Varsity Choir found itself performing in it’s first Large Group Vocal contest in 20 years. The song they brought to the Watertown Performing Center was ‘Shut De Do’, a traditional American spiritual. The song has a great deal of energy and excitement. Director David Rue comments, “This song demands a lot, you’ve got to have the right singers and soloists to pull it off. The great thing about this year’s choir is their ability to focus. And, I’m proud of what they gave to this song.” The LP Varsity Choir came out of Watertown with three ‘Excellent’ ratings. Alysha Curtis remarked “It felt great to be recognized. We worked hard.” 

Building on the success Mr. Matthew Abernathy, a New York born music director at the Minnesota Opera, came out to work with the Varsity Choir. Lauren Trittabaugh states, “It helped us. It was fun and interesting.”

Things continue to look up for the LP Varsity Choir. This year’s spring concert features both ‘Shut De Do’ and a contemporary piece by Jake Runestad called ‘Nyon Nyon’. The song is the choir’s most challenging by far. But, as with every song, new leaders are emerging. Ruby Lezama puts it this way, “It’s not easy that’s for sure. But, it’s fun and challenge to over come.” True words from another of the Lester Prairie Varsity Choir’s many leaders

Visiting Musician Mr. Matthew Abernathy from the Minnesota Opera

Some suggested for summer Math Resources for 6th – 8th grade students.

             by Amy Smith, 6^th, 7^th, and 8^th grade math teacher at Lester Prairie Schools

First of all….math in the summer?  Yes!  Just a little bit of work will help boost your child’s learning for the fall.  There are many skills to learn.  However, even just keeping up on your basic facts will be a plus.  6^th graders should have their math facts polished.  7^th graders have learned operations (add, subtract, multiply, and divide) with negative numbers so keeping these skills fresh in their mind would be helpful, along with fraction operations.  8^th graders need to be very comfortable doing operations with negative numbers and fractions. 

Lots of math facts sites or apps are available to solidify your child’s basic math facts.  Some suggestions are the flash cards at aplusmath.com, some of the games at funbrain.com, or just regular old-fashioned flash cards. The Dollar Store has lots of them. 

If you are interested in other math practice check out IXL.com – it is free for 20 practice problems or you can get a monthly membership for your child.  There are many lessons, math and other subjects, available for your child to practice over the summer. 

Khan Academy.com has informative instructional videos on many math topics.  This is a good resource to use both in the summer and throughout the year if your child needs math help. 

In case you are going camping or someplace where there will be no cell service a good non-technology option is to purchase a workbook.  Many books stores have a variety of good workbooks with 6^th grade, PreAlgebra, and Algebra topics.  Purchase one and take your child away from their electronic device to work on their math skills.  They will be so happy!   J  

Whatever you decide, just helping your child keep their math skills over the summer will give their learning a boost for classes in the fall.  Looking forward to another great year!

LPHT Drama Success with Buckshot and Blossoms!

Lester Prairie/Holy Trinity Drama Department presented Buckshot and
Blossoms, by Tim Kelly and directed by Julie Olson, on Friday, April
21 at 7pm, and Saturday,  April 22 at 7pm at Lester Prairie School.
Audiences enjoyed this fast-paced, western/melodrama and the students
enjoyed performing for them. This west was not only wild, it was
hysterically funny!
The cast for this rip-roaring comedy:
Cactus Kate … Kaylee Scheevel
Mrs. Juniper … Emilie Berry
Letty … Brooke Heimerl
Miss Gray … Sydney Sheehan
Gabby Ways … Grace Jeurissen
Alibi … Delaney Sebora
Hopalot … Trisha Nyberg
Whip Lash … Andrew Jackson
Pearl of the Pecos …Jamie DeBruyckere
Saddleblanket Rawlins … Nick Sponsel
Sally Sutton … Gerri Williamson
Minerva … Ellen Guggemos
Mrs. Norton … Hannah Hollister
Mayor Norton … Rodrigo Medina
Johnny Wright … Logan Groff
Henrietta Geyser … Erynn Amundson
Dolly Roger…Hope Feltmann
Annabelle Rawlins … Olivia Sanders
Judy Ford … Zoe Edlund
Nellie Rectangle… Paige Heimerl
The Durango Kid … Cody Roush

                                                                   Cast and Crew

 Ellen Guggemos, Andrew Jackson, Rodrigo Medina, Grace Jeurissen, Kaylee Scheevel, and Jamie DeBruyckere

Kaylee Scheevel, Brooke Heimerl, Sydney Sheehan, Emilie Berry

Andrew Jackson, Rodrigo Medina, Logan Groff, Jamie DeBruyckere, Kaylee Scheevel, and Hannah Hollister

Zoe Edlund, Olivia Sanders, Logan Groff, Andrew Jackson

Para Professionals at LP

According to the MN Dept. of Education, Paraprofessionals may work in a variety of positions in a school district including, but not limited to, instructional assistants, pupil support assistants, special education paraprofessionals, job coaches, lunch room and playground assistants, hall monitors and media center assistants. Many teacher assistants work primarily or exclusively with students who have special educational needs. Their duties vary according to the needs of the student from physical assistance and care to behavioral management and academic assistance.  In Minnesota, paraprofessionals must meet specific locally developed requirements depending on the role and duties they are assigned.

In the Lester Prairie School District, we have 8 paraprofessionals that work with our students.  They are a group of kind, compassionate men and women that assist our students with whatever they may need throughout the day.  Many of our paraprofessionals go above and beyond to ensure the students have a great educational experience each and every day!  They are all extremely cooperative and don’t hesitate a minute when we have to make changes to the schedule or if someone else needs assistance.   Many, many thanks to each and every one of you for your giving spirit, friendly smile, and big heart!  We all appreciate you and what you bring to the students and staff of Lester Prairie Schools!  J

From Cathy Scoblic, Lester Prairie Schools.

LITTLE LEARNER PRESCHOOL TAKES FIELD TRIP

Lester Prairie Little Learners Preschool took a field trip to Pinwheel Play the last week of March! Pinwheel Play is located in Chanhassen and opened in August of 2016 so it was a fun new place for the preschoolers to visit. There were plenty of fun costumes for the children to dress up in and a small stage if they wanted to perform and show off their skills. A separate room was devoted to art with supplies including sequins, dobbers, glue sticks, paper and scissors so that the children had lots of options when making a project. The preschoolers loved getting creative in the art room!

For those children who had some extra energy to burn, they could go in the large motor “sport court” area where there was a soccer net, hoola hoops, hopscotch mat, and balls. They could also head over to a room where they could walk on the zig-zag, straight, and curvy tape lines on the floor or play with legos and other games with smaller pieces. There was also a climber with slides, telescopes, a steering wheel and an open area underneath for the children to play in. Around the main room students could be found playing with puzzles and wooden blocks, reading, or walking on the balance beam and shaky bridge. Many of the children chose to play in the mini kitchen area that was equipped with shopping carts, play food, dishes, and a doll house.  They loved playing grocery store with the shopping carts. The final room the student could play in was an interactive game area with multiple games the children could play on the floor. A projector would shine the gam down on the floor so that the children would play using their bodies. There was also a really neat light table in the room. Highlights for the students included looking for letters hidden around the play areas, finding the fairy doors, and spending time with their friends and parents/grandparents, and taking a bus ride. 

Mrs. Lester - Preschool Teacher

BAND GETS NEW INSTRUMENTS

The band program has had a very exciting year adding and upgrading new instruments to their inventory. The first new purchase was a set of four copper bottom timpani that replaced a very aged set of three that dates back from the 1960’s. This was purchased with the help of the banner program, the Lester Prairie Booster Club and the Lester Prairie Parent Teacher Organization. The most recent instruments were made possible through the Foundation for Education’s Bulldog Bash on April 8th. They were able to raise over $6,000 for the band program alone to purchase a brand new tenor saxophone, a set of quad toms and a marimba. All of the new instruments can be seen in action at their next concert on May 18th at 7:30pm.

Mrs. Schuft-Helland

Lester Prairie Second Graders Learn About Plants

Second graders at Lester Prairie Elementary School participated in all kinds of activities that taught them about plants. They read the books The Tiny Seed and Ugly Vegetables in reading class, which taught them the conditions that must be met for a plant to grow as well as how tasty a garden can be.  In science class, they planted and observed the growth of marigolds and beans, making sure the plants got enough sunlight and water to grow.  Writing activities included making a circle book showing the life cycle of a bean plant.  When folded properly the pages turned over and over making it a never-ending book—just like the life cycle.  When opened up, the book formed a big circle. They also made a diagram book that described the job of each part of the plant. To top it all off, the second graders had a visit from members of Holasek’s Flower Power Greenhouse, who taught them all about plants and sent a plant home with each of them.  All of these activities were part of the Minnesota second grade standards for science education.

READING COTPS

We are fortunate to have Minnesota Reading Corps at Lester Prairie School.  Ms. Bonnie Fries is our Minnesota Reading Corps Member.  As a full-time member, she completes about 45 service hours each week.  The service year began in August 2016 and ends in June 2017, for a total of 1720 hours.  She attended a three-day training in Minneapolis at the beginning of the school year to learn specific reading interventions to help our students become more fluent readers.

Ms. Fries provides tutoring in reading for Kindergarten through third grade students.  She works with a caseload of 15 students, tutoring the students individually for 20 minutes every school day.  Ms. Fries has an on-going support system from her Master Coach, Jeana Wibstad from Minnesota Reading Corps, and Krystina Peterson, Title I Instructor at Lester Prairie School.  Together as a team they decide which reading strategies Ms. Fries will use, and progress monitor the students’ growth each week.  Minnesota Reading Corps has been a beneficial program at Lester Prairie School to help our students become proficient readers.

Lester Prairie School is in the process of recruiting one full-time Minnesota Reading Corps Member to complete 1700 service hours during the 2017-2018 school year.  Interested candidates may inquire more information by contacting the Lester Prairie School Principal, Nathaniel Boyer, at 320-395-2521 or boyer@lp.k12.mn.us.  Additional information and applications are found online at www.MinnesotaReadingCorps.org.

Krystina Peterson - Title I Teacher

Birkholz Receives Award

Saturday April 1, Adam Birkholz of the LPHT Football staff received the Butch Nash Assistant Coach Award at the Hall of Fame banquet in front of 400 FB Coaches, wives, and family members.

The Butch Nash assistant coach award is awarded to those coaches who demonstrate total loyalty, coaching competency, outstanding rapport with players and fellow coaches, integrity beyond reproach, and many years of dedicated service.

“I am very pleased Adam was selected for this prestigious award” stated Head Football Coach Joe Scoblic. “He is very deserving and has worked very hard to earn it”.

LP/HT Drama Department Presents Buckshot and Blossoms!

Lester Prairie/Holy Trinity Drama Department proudly presents Buckshot and Blossoms, by Tim Kelly and directed by Julie Olson, on Friday, April 21, and Saturday,  April 22, 2017 at Lester Prairie School. Admission for adults is $6, and $3 for students. Wear your cowboy boots and cowboy hats because the audience becomes part of the cast!

This is a rip-roaring spoof of the old west! This west is not only wild, it’s hysterically funny! Down at the Trail Dust Hotel, the villainous Whip of the Whip Lash Gang is concocting nasty schemes to rob citizens while his partner-in-crime, Pearl of Pecos, deals marked cards. Meanwhile, the town has a new sheriff, our hero Johnny Wright, also known as “The Fastest Gun in the West.” Alas! The lovely Annabelle Rawlins, owner of the mine that Whip is trying to claim as his own, turns up with her campaign against guns inside town limits. She favors blossoms over bullets. The Durango Kid, the meanest gunslinger alive, and the Sheriff play High Noon in the hotel lobby … without a single shot being fired!

The cast for this rip-roaring comedy:

Cactus Kate … Kaylee Scheevel

Mrs. Juniper … Emilie Berry

Letty … Brooke Heimerl

Miss Gray … Sydney Sheehan

Gabby Ways … Grace Jeurissen

Alibi … Delaney Sebora

Hopalot … Trisha Nyberg

Whip Lash … Andrew Jackson

Pearl of the Pecos …Jamie DeBruyckere

Saddleblanket Rawlins … Nick Sponsel

Sally Sutton … Gerri Williamson

Minerva … Ellen Guggemos

Mrs. Norton … Hannah Hollister

Mayor Norton … Rodrigo Medina

Johnny Wright … Logan Groff

Henrietta Geyser … Erynn Amundson

Dolly Roger…Hope Feltmann

Annabelle Rawlins … Olivia Sanders

Judy Ford … Zoe Edlund

Nellie Rectangle… Paige Heimerl

The Durango Kid … Cody Roush

Produced by special arrangement with Pioneer Drama Service, Inc., Denver, Colorado.

Written By - Ms. Olson 

4th Grade Journal Writing

Every day, the fourth grade class gets a chance to write in their writing journals. In these journals, they get to write about anything they want. They can write about what they did over the weekend, they can write a poem, or they can even write a fictional story. It is a great chance for them to be creative and practice using new and exciting words. In the picture below, from left to right, you can see Edwin and Derek working hard in their writing journals. The students enjoy the opportunity to write and share their ideas with each other. 

Mr. Oie - 4th Grade Teacher

GREAT STATE FAIR

The Lester Prairie fourth grade students have been working hard to prepare for the upcoming Great State Fair!  With an open house coming up on Friday, April 7 from 1-2:30 in the Lester Prairie School Library the fourth grade students have been working to prepare their projects. 

Each student chose a state that they would like to learn more about.  After researching using multiple resources, each student wrote and then typed a report about their findings.  When students finish their reports, they begin to work on a board that will showcase their state at the Open House. 

Students also have the option to complete a slideshow to share their information. It is a great opportunity for students to use technology.  They have learned to do research online, type on chromebooks, and find pictures to go with their information.  It has been an awesome learning experience.

This is a big project for these fourth graders.  It takes a lot of dedication and effort to pull off this type of presentation.  Please come support Lester Prairie’s fourth grade students at the Great State Fair!

By: Petra Montagne– 4th Grade Teacher

Pennies For Patients

The Lester Prairie School recently participated in the 2017 Pennies for Patients Campaign. Our school goal was to raise $2017.00. We exceeded our goal and raised $2099.38 for the Leukemia Lymphoma Society! The money was raised by classroom/grade collections, selling suckers at home sporting events, dress up days, and of course by bidding to pie a teacher/staff. Way to Go Bulldogs!

 Picture 1: from Lt to Rt: Front: Jamie DeBruyckere, Kaylee Scheevel, Hope Feltmann, Jenna Dolezal, Middle: Brooke from Pennies for Patients, Elizabeth Krienke, Chase Engelke, Arlene Nowak, Renee Ahlbrecht, Back: Leighton Buhr, Andrew Jackson, and Kayla Weinzierl

 Picture 2: 5th Graders Angel Diaz and Robert Medina pie their teacher Ms. Carmine

 Picture 3: 5th Grader Emma Eckstein gently pies 4th Grade teacher Mrs. Montagne

 Picture 4: A group of 7th grade girls pied Social Studies teacher Mrs. Amundson

Picture 5: 2nd Grader Kaison Walstrom got the privilege of pie-ing his dad, REACH Teacher Mr. Walstrom

Roaring Twenties and the Great Depression

In 9th Grade U.S. History class at LPHS students are learning about the time periods of the 1920’s and 1930’s. Students are not only learning about topics from this era but they are also teaching others about the topic of their choosing. The assignment required students to research information about their specific topic and then present that information to the class. They split into groups of three and used the class Chromebooks to research their information on the internet. Topics ranged from the Jazz Age, the Harlem Renaissance, Gangsters, FDR and the New Deal, the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression. Students were also encouraged to bring in visual aids to enhance their presentations. Some groups went above and beyond and brought in amazing things. One group created a documentary style video about Gangsters. Another group brought in a record player and played Jazz music and another group dress up in 1920’s clothing (see picture). The students did an amazing job on this project so next time you see a 9th grader from LPHS ask them about the Roaring Twenties and the Great Depression.

3M Engineers Visit Lester Prairie Kindergarteners

by Kelly Kramer

                  The Kindergarteners at Lester Prairie Elementary had a special opportunity recently.  Two engineers from 3M in Hutchinson came into both classrooms and presented a STEM experience on Toys in Space.  Engineers Tim Welsch and Tony Wehsler spent time discussing with the kindergarteners the job of an engineer. They used the example of Toys in Space to show how engineers have to plan for how things will work differently in space due to the absence of gravity.

In the experiment, the kindergarteners were able to have hands on experiences with different toys that were also brought up into space.  The toys included a spring frog, basketball hop, racecar track, gravitron, magnetic marbles, and several others.  After playing with and experimenting with the toys, the children then made predictions as to how the toys would work differently in space without gravity.  They then watched actual video footage of astronauts using the same toys in space and were able to observe the differences.

The kindergarteners enjoyed having the experience of interacting with the toys and learning from the engineers.  It was another example of how science, technology, engineering, and math are present in our everyday lives.

Emerson Zabel and Madelene Ancira working with Engineer Tim Welsch and the spring frog.

Brenno Raiche and Mackenzie Dammann using the gravitron.

Tim Welsch and Tony Wehlser demonstrate the racecar track to Mrs. Kramer’s kindergarten class.  Students pictured include Annabelle Ehalt, Amelia Johnson, Carson Janisch, Grady Meyer, Madelene Ancira, and Allie Rehmann

Educating a child is a team effort. We are all in this ride together.

There are three months left in the Lester Prairie school year but what a year it’s been so far.   Six great months to date, but the final three months are the most challenging.  The spring can lead to some detours but as long as the staff at school and the parents at home are working together, success will be had.

Home.  The home is just as important in educating a child as the school is.  Educating a child is an all day journey but teachers cannot be at the wheel for every second a child is awake. 

Math, Spelling, Language Arts, Reading, Science, Music, Social Studies, Arts, and everything in between, several teachers share in guiding on this journey from 8am to 3pm every day (and coaches in extra curricular activities).   But parents, you take the wheel when the students are at home and we need your efforts with the responsibility of school too. 

Not just in guiding a child, but in teaching a child life, and academics.  There will be longer assignments, longer books to read, and tougher math assignments.  Year end projects are due and together we need to stay on top of everything.  Together. 

It’s a tag team effort.  When you send your child to school on the bus or drop them off with the ladies at the front door you give the school the nod “it’s your turn”.  When they are sent back on the bus, picked up at the door, or when they walk or ride bikes home, teachers tag the parents back in. 

We all share the wheel on this journey.  Picture a long drive.  A teacher or a parent, they can not drive from 7am until 9pm.  It’s 14 hours so a number of people must share behind the wheel at different times. 

The children along for the ride, we all have a goal for them and together we can guide them on this journey.  It’s okay that some of us want to drive 70 miles per hour on the highway and others want to take detours or a 50 mile per hour route.  Nothing wrong with that at all.

What matters is that together as parents and teachers we guide our young people to the final day at the end of May.   The road is tough but it can be traveled as long as we work as a team.  It cannot be done any other way.

Good luck and travel safe!

Written By Ryan James—Special Ed Teacher

Second Grade News

Everyone feels better when they look on the positive side. Second graders at Lester Prairie School were all smiles as they thought about and wrote down some of the many things that make them feel lucky.  Students then enjoyed coloring a four-leaf clover and reading their sentences to classmates. 

Connie Murphy—2nd Grade

Lester Prairie Fitness Class

 Lester Prairie students have the opportunity to participate in a zero hour fitness class for the school year. Students may elect to take the class for credit or for individual fitness improvement. While many students are sleeping, these students are lifting, training, and jumping their way to becoming bigger, faster, and stronger. These students see and feel the results and are excited to continue.

This year we have had the privilege of Mr. Sam Scoblic assisting and bringing his knowledge and expertise of workouts and plans he has used at St. John’s University with the football program there. The results have been outstanding! Our students enjoy the diversity of these workouts with incorporating the power lifting of the past.

The commitment these students make to workout are above and beyond the easy path many choose. These students arrive by 6:45 am 4/5 days a week for the school year. They also have commitments to academics, National Honor Society, drum lines, jazz band, plays, athletics, etc. This shows the character of these students, and the work ethic they have developed over the years. It also shows the great support system they have from their parents.

We encourage many more students to join us for the next school year. Sign-up sheets for classes will be out shortly. I challenge you to make yourself better. 

Coach Neubarth

                                                    Tyler Scheevel doing front squat

 from Left to Right- Front Row (kneeling) Tanner Scheevel, Kayla Weinzierl, Myranda Hentges. Back Row (standing) Dylan Ruzicka, Parker Bayerl, Michael Ziermann, Chase "Ace" Engelke, Wyatt Tuebert, Tyler Scheevel, Leighton Buhr.

5th Grade and 6th Grade Challenge Club Students Create Rubik’s Cube Mural.

As a part of the Challenge Club curriculum, 5^th and 6^th graders learned how to use algorithms and patterns to solve the Rubik’s Cube. Students are selected for Challenge Club based on their natural math ability and high math test scores. At first, they just learned how to solve the cube using these patterns. Once they have mastered the cube, the group designed a mural to make purely out of Rubik’s Cubes. The group decided on a classic PacMan design featuring Pacman himself, fruit, and 3 different-colored ghosts. After weeks of organizing and planning for the mural, the students used a total of 206 cubes to create their design. The finished mural is in Miss Kraemer’s 5^th grade classroom until the second week of March.