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. 

ELL/TITLE I NIGHT

Lester Prairie School’s Title I and English Language Learners (ELL) programs hosted a family fun night on Tuesday, February 28, 2017.  Krystina Peterson, Title I Instructor, and Tanya Minnick, ELL Instructor, organized a Game Night, inviting their K-5 Title I students and K-12 ELL students along with their families to a fun evening at school.  The event began with puzzles, board games, and coloring  activities, along with a potluck meal in the cafeteria. During the meal, Miss Peterson and Mrs. Minnick gave short presentations to share what their programs are about. The evening concluded with all students, parents, and staff playing bingo together as a whole group.  Some of the prizes included certificates, which were graciously donated by McDonalds, Hardees, Dominos, Subway, Taco Johns, Dairy Queen, Culvers, and Unhinged Pizza.

Tanya Minnick - ELL Teacher