February is I Love to Read Month

Monday, February 27th, 2012

SRR high school and elementary students LOVE TO READ! A highlight of I Love to Read Month is when high school athletes come to Pleasantview and read to students. This year students from the football team came to show their love for reading. Pleasantview students listened attentively and asked the athletes many questions at the end of the story. The athletes stressed the importance of reading and doing well in school. What a great opportunity for high school students to be positive role models!

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Rachel’s Challenge Returns!

Monday, February 27th, 2012

In February, Sauk Rapids-Rice High School hosted Rachel’s Challenge for a second year. Rachel Scott was the first person killed in the Columbine school shootings in 1999. Rachel’s Challenge is an anti-bullying program focused on kindness and compassion.

This school year 100 students and 25 staff members participated in a 6-hour intensive training in the Rachel’s Challenge Chain Reaction day. This day was filled with a variety of high-energy, life changing activities that inspired leadership, teambuilding, trust, and respect. The day was designed to draw students together, break down barriers, and influence students to make changes in our school. Students respond to the day’s challenges with self-reflection and the acknowledgement of personal responsibility that leads them to start their own positive Chain Reaction.

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School Readiness Preschool Celebrates “I Love to Read” Month

Monday, February 27th, 2012

To celebrate “I Love to Read” Month, the three-year-old School Readiness Preschool class made their very own books of the story Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? The early childhood program celebrated “I Love To Read” Month by reading and exploring books by the well-known author Eric Carle. These favorite books included Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? The Very Hungry Caterpillar, The Very Busy Spider and The Very Quiet Cricket. After reading the books, the children and families completed activities related to each story. One of the many highlights for all of those involved included interacting with live crickets after reading The Very Quiet Cricket.

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SRRHS Students Successful at District DECA Competition

Monday, February 27th, 2012

DECA Students from SRRHS and from around central Minnesota competed in various business-related events at the Crossroads Mall in early February. Over 50 students from our DECA chapter are now eligible to advance to the State DECA Competition, which will be held in Minneapolis in early March. Pictured are a few of the senior DECA members who advanced to State Competition. Students who perform well at the State DECA Competition will be eligible to compete at the International Career Development Conference in Salt Lake City in late April.

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Battle of the Books Medals Awarded

Monday, February 27th, 2012

The first annual District Battle of the Books was held on February 21. Building champions from Rice, Mississippi Heights, and Pleasantview battled for the District Championship.  Students had read 15 books and they competed in teams to be the champions for 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade in each school.

The building champions have been re-reading and studying chapter response logs to prepare for the final battle. Teams were asked questions such as, “In which book is the main character a pig named Wilbur?”  After three rounds and 25 questions, the district champions were determined.

Our champions in third grade were Drew Burling, Emma Johnson, and Nicole Agre from Mrs. Hopper’s class at Pleasantview Elementary. Fourth grade champions were Tiegan Blum, Oliver Rittman, and Morgan Thompson from Mrs. Lund’s class at Pleasantview Elementary. Fifth grade champions were Cade Milton-Baumgardner, Jacob Knapek, and Jared Morrell from Mrs. McKenzie-Marlin’s class at Mississippi Heights Elementary. Congratulations to all who participated.

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“Math Talk” Deepens Understanding

Monday, February 13th, 2012

Students in Mr. Krupa’s fourth grade math class at Pleasantview have been working in collaborative groups on the math concepts from the most recent round of MAPS testing. Students were trained as math leaders to help explain strategies for division, time, angles and number sense. The leaders of each session asked questions of the others in the group to get discussions going about understanding the concepts. It was amazing to watch the excitement of students as they worked in their groups.

Math teachers have been working in collaborative groups with a focus of encouraging “Math Talk” in classrooms. This is a great example of students being able to explain math concepts so others understand them. Long division takes on new meaning when you get to use miniature marshmallows to regroup!

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Middle School Activity Day Has Something For All

Monday, February 13th, 2012

Middle school students show off their sewing projects that they completed on Activity Day. Students could select from a wide variety of activities such skiing, snowboarding, tubing (all at Powder Ridge), ice skating, hockey, trampoline park, board games, basketball, volleyball, nature walk, painting, drawing, archery, bowling and more.

Left to Right: Emily Schrader, Rose Rubenstein, Brooke Burgardt, Paige Taylor

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SRRHS One-Act Play Enjoys a Successful Season

Monday, February 13th, 2012

The 2011-2012 SRRHS One-Act Play “Heart’s Desire” by Caryl Churchill won the 8AA One-Act Play Sub-Section Competition hosted at SRRHS Performing Arts Center on January 26, 2012, receiving 1st place rankings from all three judges.  The students received 1st place medals and advanced to the 8AA One-Act Play Section Competition at Alexandria held February 2, 2012.  “Heart’s Desire” tied for 2nd place overall with Alexandria and received one 1st place ranking from one of the three judges.  “Heart’s Desire” also had two public performances at the “Night of One Acts” with Two Rivers Community Theatre’s One-Act Play “The Philadelphia.”

Julie Christenson and Assistant Director Jim Christenson directed “Heart’s Desire”.  The set designer and light designer was Jon Christenson.  The cast included:  Andy Lupinek, Rebecca Sonbol, Jaclyn Dinndorf, Jared Dingmann, Carl Lindholm, Kelsey Spies, Mae Wennekamp, Zoey Steidl, Sarah Murphy, Emily Hallermann, Megan Myers, Zac Hiemenz, Logan Mastey, Rachel Hannahs, EllaRose Kayfes, Bryana Klebs, and Brandon Weathers.

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District Spelling Bee Winners 2012

Monday, February 13th, 2012

C-i-n-n-a-m-o-n. Cinnamon. H-i-l-a-r-i-t-y. Hilarity. I-m-a-g-i-n-a-r-y. Imaginary. D-i-s-c-i-p-l-e-s. Disciples. Those were the winning words at the Sauk Rapids-Rice 2012 District Spelling Bee, which was held February 6 at the Sauk Rapids-Rice Middle School.

Three students qualified for the Regional Spelling Bee. Sydney Bitz, eighth grade, first place; Emma Fedor, 6th grade, second place; Marissa Leeb, eighth grade, third place.

Thirty-three Sauk Rapids-Rice area students participated in the Spelling Bee, which went into eight rounds and covered 158 words. All participants received prizes donated by area businesses including: St. Cloud Times, Burger King, Papa Murphy’s, and Coborn’s. The three winners received trophies and dictionaries, lapel pins, a medallion.

The Regional Spelling Bee is scheduled for February 23 at St. John’s University.  Regional winners proceed to our State Spelling Bee. This is all part of the competition that leads up to Script’s National Spelling Bee, which is held annually in May in Washington D.C.

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One District, One Book Literacy Program Engages School and Community

Monday, February 13th, 2012

All of our district families, kindergarten through grade 8, are reading “The Cricket in Times Square” at the same time! The key ingredient is that parents read the novel aloud to their children at home on a daily basis following a calendar that is provided. Each day at school there are trivia questions regarding the previous evening reading.

Fun activities were provided to do at home and Family Night events brought families to school to do activities based on the book, and have a fun evening together. It was a lot of fun!

Everyone is invited to the culminating Family Night on Friday, February 24 from 6:00-8:00 p.m. at the SRR High School for some fun activities and to celebrate the end of the book. There will be pizza and pop for sale, so please come for dinner. The Cricket in Times Square movie (30 minutes) will be showing at 6:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. in the PAC. There will be a Kung Fu performance at 7:00 p.m. and end of the book projects as well.

The founder of the One District, One Book program is a non-profit organization called Read to Them. They are spearheading a movement that advocates reading to children for just fifteen minutes a day. Listening leads to understanding. The benefits of comprehension during this brief period of listening are well documented. For more information about this organization, please check out their website at www.readtothem.org.

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