March 2019
HARMAN HAPPENINGS
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Battle of the Books
This year, for the first time ever, The Battle of the Books competition will take place between Smith & Harman LRL Wall of Famers. This highly anticipated battle between buildings will take place on Thursday, May 2nd after school. More details will follow in the weeks ahead.
Gifted Identification Referrals Now Being Accepted
According to Ohio House Bill 282, all public school districts in Ohio are required to identify students for giftedness. This law, however, does not mandate any services for identified gifted and talented students. Areas of gifted identification include: superior cognitive ability and achievement, specific academic (math, reading, science, and social studies), creative thinking, and visual/performing arts (visual art, dance, drama, music).
Assessment procedures vary for each area of identification. Visual/performing arts assessments are offered throughout the school year on an annual basis. All teachers, counselors, and administrators receive notification of students who have been identified as gifted in any of the domains.
If you would like your child to be assessed for gifted identification, referral forms are available in the school offices and through the building gifted intervention specialist (GIS).
The referral form can be completed by parents/guardians, teachers, or peers of children who perform, or show the potential for performing, at remarkably high levels of accomplishment when compared with others of their age, experience, or environment (state definition). If your child has been identified as gifted in one or more of the above domains, additional referral/assessment for that domain is not necessary. Once a student has been identified as gifted in a domain, the student maintains the gifted identification throughout his/her schooling in Ohio. To maintain the eligibility for services, scores attained within the previous 24 months are used. Matrices for gifted services are available online on the Gifted Intervention Specialists' websites or at your child's school.
Whole-grade gifted assessment is regularly completed throughout a child's school career. In grades, 2, 4, and 6, students take the Iowa Test of Basic Skills and the Cognitive Abilities Test. These tests can be used to help identify students as gifted in the domains of Superior Cognitive Ability and Specific Academic Ability. The SAT and ACT can also be used to identify giftedness. Additionally, our Gifted Intervention Specialists coordinate assessments based on parent/teacher referrals.
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CURRICULUM CROSSING
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Second Grade Wax Museum
In January and February second graders read biography books and researched a specific person of their choice to learn more about. In February, on Biography Day, the students dressed up and portrayed the person they had studied. Students posed as wax figures in the wax museum and then gave short speeches in character. It was an educational day for all!
Shaping and Reshaping the Earth's Surface
Fourth Grade Science
What processes shape the Earth's surface? That's what Harman fourth graders were asking themselves recently in science class. Their curiosity led to exploring and learning about forces such as weathering, erosion, and deposition. These forces shape and reshape the Earth's surface slowly over time. Further investigation led to the discovery of forces that can shape our planet's surface more rapidly. Events such as volcanoes and earthquakes have an immediate impact on the surrounding terrain. Every kid LOVES a volcano! No dinosaur movie is complete without a volcano!
Equipped with this background knowledge, Harman fourth graders launched into the study of landforms. In addition to volcanoes, they discovered that there are many fascinating landforms across the surface of our planet. To satisfy their appetite for this subject, the fourth graders researched, designed, and presented desktop models of a famous landform. Their famous landform reports included information on how it was formed as well as statistics and fun facts about their landform of choice. For example, this beautiful model of Devil's Tower, a butte in the Black Hills of Wyoming, was formed by cooling magma that condensed into a tower. Devil's Tower was then shaped by weathering and erosion.
We are very proud of our fourth graders. Their interest and enthusiasm is evident in their work. These models were displayed for the school to see. Fellow Harman students from every grade level could be seen throughout the day looking at and reading about these landforms.
What's next? It's time for a terrific study of ENERGY! LittleBits, Snapcircuits, and electric toys are just waiting to supplement the learning of these fourth graders. This science topic, coupled with a literature unit from the City of Ember book series, will surely pique their interest once again!
NEWS FROM THE NURSE
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March is National Nutrition Month
Having a healthy diet is very important for growth and development. It is important to:
Eat at least 5 ounces of protein a day such as chicken, lean beef, seafood, eggs, nuts, beans, legumes.
Eat at least 6 ounces of grains a day with half of them being whole grain such as brown rice, whole grain wheat bread, whole wheat pasta.
Eat at least 5 cups of fruits and vegetables a day. Fresh and frozen are the healthiest forms to eat.
Have at least 3 cups of dairy a day. Skim or 1% milk is best. You can also have cheese and yogurt.
YOUNG@ART
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Mark your calendars for Young@ART on March 16, 2019 from 7-10 p.m. at Oakwood High School! This jam-packed event is coordinated by Oakwood Arts Bridge in partnership with the visual and performing arts departments at Harman, Smith, OJHS and OHS. All proceeds benefit the amazing arts programs in Oakwood Schools! For more information on Young@ART, including ticket information or how you can become an event sponsor, go to our website: https://www.oakwoodschools.org/community/arts-bridge
PARKER LOVE OF TEACHING AWARD
Nominations are now being accepted for this prestigious honor. The award is presented each spring and honors a current Oakwood teacher who uniquely inspires the full potential of each student with whom he or she works. The Parker Award nomination form is available online at https://www.oakwoodschools.org/community/osf/parker-love-of-teaching. Nominations are due
by March 31, 2019. If you need more information, contact Mrs. Dante Connell, OSF Director, by email at contact@oakwoodschoolsfoundation.org or by phone at 297-5332.
SCHOOL CALENDARS
WEBSITE/SOCIAL MEDIA
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