* CLASSES *

Preschool:

  Welcome! We have been very busy in the preschool and it doesn't look like we'll be slowing up any time soon.  We'll be learning about St. Patrick's Day, spring, our state and country, Easter, plants and flowers, insects and bugs, and community helpers. This is in addition to our continued work on our fine and gross motor skills, phonics, math, science, social skills, and spiritual development.  Wow!  There is a lot of fun going on in our preschool classrooms.

  A great big "Thank You!" to our many parents who have given of their time and support.  Whether it is helping during our class parties, chaperoning for our field trips, or making our campus shine, it has been a joy for us to have the opportunity of getting to know you. 

  Miss Karleen

Kindergarten Kapers:

   God is Love!!  This month the Kindergarten students will be very busy indeed.  We will explore Groundhog's Day on February 2nd, as well as continue the week learning about shadows.  We will have a Valentine's Party on February 12th, where the children will exchange cards and goodies with one another.  This month we will also be learning about seeds and will begin sprouting seeds to plant in our garden in March.  We will be exploring the concepts of number writing and clocks in Math.  Gug Hay Fat Choy!! (Happy Chinese New Year!) The Kindergarten students will learn about China and be painting their Chinese names.  Of course, no month is complete without cooking -  this month we will make homemade bread and butter as well as create a hot dog lunch. 

   Ms. Jeffries 

First Grade:

  In the first grade, our days are spent learning about Language Arts, Math, Bible, Social Studies, History, Geography, and Science.

  The following lists the curriculum we use in class:

*  Language Arts (by Reading Street/Scott Foresman): Phonics (word reading), Fluency, Vocabulary, Comprehension, Writing (sentences with nouns, verbs, and adjectives, lists, journal entry, poems, and letters), and Phonemic Awareness (blending and segmenting).                                                                                                                                                                                                                               *  Math (by Houghton Mifflin): Number Sense, Algebra and Functions, Measurement and Geometry, Statistics, Data Analysis, Probability, and Mathematical Reasoning.
*  Bible (by Positive Action): Studying and defining important character traits, analyzing the character trait through a Bible character, teaching students to have knowledge, comprehension, discernment, application, analyzing, evaluation, Bible verse memorization, singing, and prayer.
*  Social Studies/History/Geography (by A Beka): Community Helpers, Communities, Cities around the World, America's Freedoms, Leaders, Symbols.                                                                                                                                                                                                                    *  Science (by A Beka): Enjoying God's Word Science Reader.

  Mrs. Vassil

 Second Grade:

  "Love! Love! Love! That's what it is all about!" We are learning about God's love for us through our Bible studies and how to care and show love to others by our actions and words. We continue to learn 2 digit addition andsubtraction with regrouping. We pray for rain, so that we can test andmeasure rain using our rain gauges that the class has made. We will also do our "groundhog day test" - predictions anyone? Our project this month is Biography Book Report - I can't wait to see all the "famous people" in class Feb. 26th.

  Mrs. Allwardt

Third Grade:

  Curriculum Summary:

  In the third grade we have an exciting day of learning about Math, Social Studies, Language Arts, and Bible each and every day!  We use Houghton  Mifflin for Math; Reading Street/Scott Foresman for Language Arts; Our American Heritage for Social Studies; A Beka for Science & Health; and Growing with God for Bible.

  Each curriculum book serves as the overall structure of the nature of the lessons taught.  Each lesson is specially planned to address the learning needs of the students in the class and is supplemented with age-appropriate learning activities, projects, and games to make the content accessible, relevant, and fun for all learners.

  Miss Chambers

Fourth Grade:

  In February, the "Fabulous Fourth Grade" will be going on two fun field trips. First, we will be going to the Science Center to enhance our study of the human body. This month in science, we will be exploring our bones, the skeletal system, and the muscular system. In social studies, we continue our study of our state as we learn about the Rancho period and the time when Mexico owned California. Our other field trip will be to Leonis Adobe, an original rancho. The students will step back in time as they do chores a boy or girl would do in the 1800's. In Bible, we are reading the parables of Jesus. In math, we are busy multiplying and dividing large numbers. We are also having fun reading and writing poetry and we are finishing the novel James and the Giant Peach.

  Mrs. Chavez

 Fifth Grade:

  In fifth grade, we build upon the student’s academic skills and enhance their learning experience. We learn not only how to succeed in school, but to succeed in life. We learn Christ-like characteristics like integrity, honesty, and responsibility. We learn valuable skills like being organized and time management. We study the Old Testament of the Bible and we have memory verses from Psalms. We are currently studying how our country started after the Revolutionary War in history.  We are studying the physical and chemical properties of matter in science. We are studying measurements in math, and are working with pronouns in language arts.

  Mr. Kruse

 Sixth Grade:

  Sixth grade is an important year at Heart of the Valley, with special privileges, responsibilities, and opportunities to provide student leadership in academics, chapel, sports, and drama.  It is a year to grow spiritually, to mature, and to prepare for the very different academic challenges of junior and senior high school.
 
  Our in-depth study of creation and of man’s earliest history, in Genesis, provides a solid foundation not only for our course in Ancient History, but for understanding every area of academic study and of daily life.
 
  The Bible curriculum “Winning the Race” allows sixth graders the opportunity to think through the living-out of their faith. We also keep a Psalm Log and memorize verses to be Scripture Scholars each quarter.
 
  Language Arts includes reading and written responses to literature, class novels, biography and poetry, with book reports and projects, literary circles, and class interaction. Comprehension is tied to reading in all the subject areas and includes learning to write essays and research reports, as well as creative responses.
 
  Our math curriculum, a foundation for pre-algebra, is based on Houghton-Mifflin Sixth Grade Math, California Edition. After-school math lab in our room supplements the daily hour of math instruction.
 
  Our science curriculum is built around understanding and using the scientific method, with question, hypothesis, research, experimentation, the careful observation and measurement of data kept in a log, graphing results, reaching conclusions, and identifying questions for further research. This prolonged process is showcased in our highly anticipated Science Fair at the end of February. We also study earth science and spend four days of nature science and camp life at the El Camino Pines Outdoor School. 
 

  Mrs. Weitzel

* ENRICHMENT *

Art:

Computers:

  Our goal is to foster and develop an enjoyment of computers in Preschool thru 6th grades. The students will learn all about the computer from what makes a computer work to designing their own Power Point page. Here are some activities the students will learn: hand positions, the four major parts of the computer, different kinds of software, and how to use the internet the right way and safely.

  Mrs. Beulke and Mr. Wells

Music:

  Our goal is to foster an enjoyment of music in Kindergarten thru 6th grades. Activities this year include piano, rhythm, directing, singing, and listening to and learning about classical music from the baroque through the contemporary period.

  Ms. Walden

Physical Education:

  Since school started back in January, PE for grades 1-4 has learned several different playground games including handball, four square andteam dodge-ball. As we transition into the month of March, we will be moving our focus back to our grass field where we will learn games such as kickball, capture the flag, and other field games. PE for Kindergartenerswill also switch its focus from playground games to field games as the students play games such as "Red Light, Green Light" and working on basic passing and catching skills through a variety of different activities.

  Mr. Herringshaw

  Grades 5-6 have started a new sport in P.E.. Welcome to the world sport of soccer! We have been doing some skills and enjoy learning how to play this sport.

  Mr. Sheehy

Video/Theatre:

  This month in Video/Theatre, the older classes will continue learning about the origins of theatre and the beginnings of Hollywood. They will study the early years of film making and learn about the inner workings of a theatrical performance. The younger classes will practice being in front of an audience. They will use hand gestures, facial expressions, and, of course, their voices to express their emotions. We will also take some time to watch clips from past movie greats such as Charlie Chaplin, Harold Lloyd, and Buster Keaton.

  Mr. McCurdy

Resource Center:

  The Resource Center has a safe, nurturing environment where each student can rise to their fullest potential. Each student will use their individual strengths to build up and improve upon their weaknesses. The small group setting encourages and stimulates ALL students to achieve their immediate and long-term goals.

  Mrs. Antos

* Extracurricular *

After School Club:

   ASC remains a fun place to be on afternoons in March! There are plenty of exciting outdoor games, art projects, andfun times in the computer lab planned for this month. But ASC isn't all fun andgames as there is also time for students to complete their homework in study hall. Our "Fun Fridays" will continue during the  monthof March with a variety of end of the week activities for your child.

Sports:

   At Heart of the Valley, each athlete is expected to show God's love to their teammates and other competing teams.  Using their God-given talents, students can participate in a variety of sports throughout the school year. In the fall, Football and Softball are offered.  In the winter, students can participate in Basketball.  We endour school sports seasons in the spring with Volleyball.  Cheerleadingis offered in both the fall and winter seasons. 

Academic Chess:

  We are devoted to promoting the merits of chess among children by using stories, dances, and catchy songs to make the game of chess exciting and easy to understand. This wonderful learning experience not only teaches children to play chess, but also prepares them for life by enhancing their thought process.

 Hip Hop Dance:

  The students are introduced to many different styles within hip hop dance, including breaking, locking, popping, and freestyle dance. We aim to make the class fun, educational, physical, and funky! We work with the students on finding the beat and the rhythm of the music and finding their own style. All the music that we choose will be clean and free from any questionable lyrics or subject matter.