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www.pmes.pennsmanor.org 6003 Route 553 Hwy, Clymer, PA 15728 724-254-2666

Education On-The-Go See story on page 3.

Mrs. Ligas’s second grade students (left to right), Kaden Cramer, Will Hadden, and Vinnie Myers complete their notes for the “Bee-Utiful” activity in the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau’s Mobile Ag Lab.

11 Veterans Day: No School

16 4th Grade Parent Lunch

17 PTG Meeting, 6:30 PM

18 Parent Sign-Off Reward: Kickball

22 Early Dismissal, 1:10 PM

22 Parent/Teacher Conferences, 1:30-5:30 PM

23 Teacher In-Service: No School For Students

24-25 Thanksgiving Break: No School

28 First Day of Deer Season: No School

5-8 PTG: Santa's Workshop (Art Classes)

9 PTG: Santa's Workshop Make-Ups

14 Band/Choral Christmas Concert, 7:00 PM

15 Band/Choral Christmas Assembly, 9:30 AM

16 Parent Sign-Off Reward: Movie & Popcorn

21 3rd Grade Parent Lunch

22 Early Dismissal, 1:10 PM

23-30 Christmas Break: No School

November Calendar

December Calendar

Box Tops Race Update Submitted by Mr. Shearer

In the Box Tops race for the pizza party sponsored by the PTG, the second graders have set the pace. They are in the lead with 42 sheets collected. Fourth grade is close behind with 38 sheets, and third grade has 33 sheets. Altogether, all grades have collected 167 sheets! That is 4175 Box Tops worth $417! Keep on clipping! The fall contest ends December 6th!"

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ATTENTION PARENTS!

PARENT-TEACHER

CONFERENCES TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2016

APPOINTMENTS SCHEDULED FROM

1:30 pm-5:30 pm

To schedule an appointment:

Complete the form your child brought home and turn it in to your child’s teacher.

You will be contacted with your scheduled time. OR:

Check the box on your student’s report card requesting a

conference.

You will be contacted with your scheduled time. OR:

Call or e-mail Karen Cramer at

724-254-2666, Ext. 1851

cramerkaren@pennsmanor.org

Source: www.familyeducation.com

1. Talk to your child—ask your child if there is anything they would like you to talk about.

2. Be prepared—write down what you want to talk about before you go.

3. Be on time—arrive promptly or a few minutes early. 4. Start off on the right foot—begin with positive

comments about the teacher or classroom. 5. Stay on track—avoid talking at length about topics

that aren’t related to the reason for the conference. 6. Listen to what the teacher has to say—be willing to

accept suggestions from the teacher. 7. Stay calm—keep your emotions under control. 8. Tell your child what you discussed—take notes and

share with your child. 9. Show gratitude—tell the teacher you appreciate the

time for the conference. 10. Stay within your conference time—don’t stay past

your allotted time. If you need more time, ask to schedule another conference.

Attention Parents/Guardians:

Visitors: When attending an event during school hours, please remember to allow for extra time to sign in at the office. All visitors over the age of 18 MUST be entered into our Raptor security system and receive a visitor’s pass. This requires a state-issued photo ID. Please bring one with you when attending events such as classroom plays and parent lunches. You will NOT be admitted into the building without it.

Late Arrivals: When bringing your child to school late, please understand that breakfast is only served until 8:35 a.m. After that time, your child will NOT be able to eat breakfast at school. There are no exceptions.

Tutoring Cancelled: There will be no tutoring Tuesday, November 22nd due to the Thanksgiving holiday and parent/teacher conferences. Tutoring will resume Tuesday, November 29th.

Classroom Snacks: If your child has a food allergy, it is a good idea to provide their classroom teacher with safe snacks to be given during special activities when treats are given. Please remember that we are a NUT-FREE school. All food items sent in for classroom treats MUST include a list of ALL ingredients and must NOT include any peanuts or tree nuts. Items that do not follow these rules will be held in the office. A parent/guardian will be called to pick up the item.

After Hours Calls: Please remember that our office is closed at 4:00 p.m. If you need to reach someone at Boys & Girls Club after that time, please dial extension 1180 or 1174. If you are having a bus issue, please call Tri-County Transportation at 724-254-2418, extension 3100.

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The “Bee-Utiful” lesson taught Mrs. Ligas’s second grade students how bees are an important part of our food chain by providing a means of pollination, thereby enabling plants to produce food. No bees, no food! This process was illustrated by students using toy bees to “fly” from flower to flower, picking up and dropping off pollen as they go. Students also learned about the parts of a flower and how they are involved in the pollination process.

Instructor Pam Augustine (above, left) talks to fifth grade students about earth-friendly consumable products that can be made from corn, including “plastic” cups. Fifth grade students then learned how to make glue from milk!

Education On-The-Go

The Pennsylvania Farm Bureau’s Mobile Agricultural Education Science Lab returned to Penns Manor Elementary School October 31-November 4. The 40-foot trailer, complete with 12 lab stations, gave students in pre-k through five the opportunity to solve problems as they worked together in small groups to form a hypothesis, conduct an experiment, collect data, and draw conclusions (scientific method).

Instructed by Pam Augustine and Kathy V, the ag lab teachers, each grade level had the chance to conduct one of several experiments focused on farm, food, fiber, and the environment. Teachers then continued the learning process with extension activities in their regular classrooms. In addition to learning about how agricultural products impact our lives, students also learned about careers in agriculture.

Fourth grade had an extra opportunity to visit the lab on Friday, November 4 for The Mighty Smooth Bean lab. Students learned how to make lip balm using soy bean oil and beeswax.

The opportunity to experience the Mobile Ag Science Lab at Penns Manor was made possible through financial support from parents’ and students’ fundraising efforts for our Parent-Teacher Group (PTG), Penns Manor School District, and a sponsorship from the PA Soybean Board, as well as Mrs. Rhea’s and Mr. Grimaldi’s organizational efforts. The students, faculty, staff, and administration at PM would like to thank all these groups for their help and leadership to make this unique educational activity available!

After learning that pizza comes from the farm, not the store, during the “Little Red Hen” session, kindergarten students created “Pizza Charm Bags” with items representing farm products used in pizza making. Pictured above are (top) Mrs. Bethany Lemmon (Ag Lab assistant) and (bottom) Dane Corrado.

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3rd Grade: Macey Pegg (1st & Best Overall), Kaylen Klingensmith (3rd), Griffin Tinsman (2nd) (Thanks for the help, Mr. Frontino!)

KDG (above left): Skylyn Leasure (3rd), Luke Dolges (2nd), Kendra Saunders (1st)

5th: Grace Smith (2nd), Isaac Barnhart (3rd), Christian Ford (1st)

1st Grade (above): Allison Lieb (2nd), Gavin Foehrenbach (1st), Sidney Gray (3rd).

2nd Grade: Lakyn Ropp (3rd), Addison Peterson (2nd), Ava Deabenderfer (1st)

4th: Carley Kunselman (3rd), Breezy Horn (2nd), Aidan Ford (1st)

PreK (left): Marcy Mellott (1st), Devin Klingensmith (3rd), Marley Hardesty (2nd).

Penns Manor Elementary’s 4th Annual Pumpkin Decorating Contest!

As always, the fourth annual pumpkin decorating contest, organized by the science committee, headed by Mrs. Kim Rhea, brought in some incredible entries! All entries were given a certificate of participation and a hearty thank-you for their hard work. This year’s winners, selected by Mr. Bob Paronish, high school art teacher, are:

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Clockwise: Sarah Stiteler, Andrea Schwartz, Jacob Tate, Janelle Hopkins

Clockwise: Grace Smith, Caleb Joiner, Landon Snyder, Ethan Depp, Braden Depp

Penns Manor students have been busy with class projects that have enabled them to show their creativity and strengthen their writing skills.

Just below are samples of students’ leaf project books from Mrs. Carpenter’s fifth grade science classes. Students collect and identify leaves from trees and then create a book for their collection.

At the bottom of the page are several “Thank you” posters written and decorated by first grade students (left to right) Koltin Juart, Marley Smochek, and Isabella Agro. They were displayed for the district’s Veterans Day lunch for area veterans and senior citizens.

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PM Elementary Evergreen

Boys & Girls Club

Monday-Thursday

3:30 p.m.-6:30 p.m.

Grades 4-5

Pick up an application in the elementary office.

Evening With Santa

Mark your calendars now!

December 8, 6:30 PM

Visit Santa’s Workshop! Snacks & Drinks!

Crafts! Games!

VISIT WITH SANTA! And LOADS more FUN!!!

Sponsored by Penns Manor PTG

Math Fact War! Submitted by Mr. Shearer, Math Committee Leader

There are many ways to practice your math facts. One of them is to play the traditional game of war with a twist. You can use dice or playing cards. If you use dice, each player will need 2 die. Each person will roll the dice and multiply, add, or subtract the numbers of their dice together, depending on the skill they are working on. The person with the highest total wins that round. The winner gets to mark a tally for themselves on a score sheet. The final score can be predetermined before the game begins. It is recommended to play to 21. If you play with playing cards, remove the face cards before beginning. After the cards are shuffled and dealt out, each player will play two cards at a time. Depending on the skill you are working on, you will then multiply, add, or subtract your cards together. The person with the highest total wins the hand and takes the cards from the losing hand. The game is won when the opponent is out of cards. Math fact skills are the basis for so many math skills, and it is hard to learn new skills when students are struggling with the basics. Struggling with math facts also makes homework take longer. Please use these fun games as a way to encourage math fact skills practice in a fun way!

Submitted by Mr. Shearer, 5th Grade Math Teacher

Fifth grade students are wrapping up their second unit and are preparing to take their unit 2 test. Here are some problems they have been practicing. Can you figure out the answers without using a calculator? 1) 14 x 10^3 = 2) What is 12.309 in expanded form? (Be sure to

show place values!) 3) Compare (<, =, or >?): 17.884 ____ 17.397 4) Round .498 to the nearest hundredth 5) 4815 x 52 = 6) 9025 divided by 19 = 7) 19.84 + 35.62 = 8) 0.5 x 0.3 = Look for answers on page 8.

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“Dracula’s Favorite Son” Returns During the month of October, the students in Mr. Cowles’ third grade class preformed the annual holiday classic “Dracula’s Favorite Son”. As a play, it is a farce about a vampire-in-training who would rather swing a bat (as in playing baseball) than be a bat (as in vampires turning into bats).

Every student in the class had one or more speaking parts. There were three different cast groups. Each group had an opportunity to perform three different days before a live audience of other students from different classes, as well as family and fiends. (No typographical error—the pun was intentional.)

Pictured below are the students from Cast C. Kneeling or sitting: Macey Pegg, Sidnee Hrubochak, Dakota Pennington, Rebecca Hildebrand, Kaylen Klingensmith, Brooke Cunningham, and Justin Waugaman. Standing: Mason Isenberg, Seth McCracken, Griffin Tinsman, Jace Casses, Brooke Mason, Meghan Galentine, Zackary Yackuboskey, Kaitlyn Germanaro, and Noah Lapso. The tall kid in the back is Mr. Cowles.

School Lunch Accounts Reminder

In order for money sent in to be credited to the CORRECT account, please follow these procedures:

If sending a check, write the STUDENT’S FIRST AND LAST NAME and ID NUMBER on the memo line. Place in an envelope.

If sending cash, make sure to put it in a sealed envelope with the following information written ON THE ENVELOPE:

AMOUNT OF CASH ENCLOSED STUDENT FIRST AND LAST NAME STUDENT ID NUMBER

Love Basket Collection

November 7-18, 2016 Non-Perishable Food Items, Paper Products,

Cleaning Supplies

Items will be collected in homerooms. For each item donated, students will be given a “bucket filler” certificate to display. Please help provide Indiana County families in need with a great Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner! Sponsored by the Penns Manor Elementary Spirit Committee.

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ELECTION DAY Submitted by Mrs. Buterbaugh, Kindergarten Teacher

The kindergarten students participated in their own election on Election Day. The students voted for dog, cat, or fish for the best pet.

The students learned about what a ballot is, how the voting process works, and the importance of voting. Each student voted for their choice and the ballots were counted. Kindergartners voted dog for the best pet! Left: Ty August placed his vote for the best pet!

Answers to “Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader”

1) 14,000 2) (1x10) + (2x1) + (3 x 1/10) + (9 x 1/1000) 3) 17.884 > 17.397 4) .50 5) 250,380 6) 475 7) 55.46 8) .15

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On October 14, fifth grade students visited Fort Ligonier in Ligonier, PA during Ligonier Days. They toured the fort, learned about the history of the fort from period characters, and played early American games such as hob’s quoits, hornbook battledore, shuttlecock, and tug of war.

From left to right are (back row)Trinity Patterson, Jacob Tate, Ben Dalecki, Adrianna Stiffler, General Forbes, Olivia Cramer, Brooke Price, Savannah Bencic, (middle row) Megan Mack, Dakota Mosey, Andrea Schwartz, Caleb Joiner, Sarah Stiteler, Vayda Hagerman, Ethan Depp, Grace Smith, (front row) Aubrey Barkewich, Peyton Koscho, Shawn Harper.

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Balloon Launch Celebrates Red Ribbon Week

After the Halloween parties were all finished on October 28, all elementary students, staff, and faculty gathered at the front of the building to release red balloons in celebration of our pledge to be drug free. 600 balloons were released.