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Mrs. Lopes: A Look at Our Week

Posted on by Amanda Lopes

 

A large part of our work with young children is to lay the foundation for developing emotional intelligence—the ability to recognize, understand, manage, and express emotions. Cultivating emotional intelligence in children is crucial for their social and emotional well-being.

Teaching children to identify and name emotions is the first step in teaching children about their own emotions and the emotions of others. Being able to identify and name their feelings can help children to feel heard and understood. Introducing children to a diverse range of emotions through books, stories, and discussions will develop their emotional vocabulary. Since children often mimic the actions and attitudes of the adults around them, demonstrating healthy ways to express and manage emotions is crucial – such as taking deep breaths to calm down when feeling frustrated. One of our favorite games in the classroom is the “Silence Game”.  This is a fun way to teach the children how to meditate and center ourselves when the classroom begins to get too noisy or boisterous.  During the Silence Game, we reinforce how much self control it takes to keep our bodies quiet and still, to “make silence”.  After playing the game, I encourage the children to share what they heard or noticed while being quiet and also notice how their body feels after taking the time to sit quietly.  This reinforces how we can sometimes miss a lot of what is going on around us if we don’t take the time to center ourselves.  

Wishing you a week filled with peace and love,

Amanda & Hema

Mrs. Wilson: A Heartfelt Valentine’s Celebration

Posted on by Cynthia Wilson

This week’s highlight was our special Valentine’s Pizza Party! Valentine’s Day is a wonderful time to express love and appreciation for our friends and family, and we made it extra special by creating our very own pizzas for a fun lunch date with our classmates.

This event was a huge success, thanks to the incredible support of our parents. We are so grateful to everyone who contributed ingredients, party supplies, and volunteered their time to make this celebration memorable.

While two children took turns making their pizzas, the rest of the class stayed busy decorating goody bags with colorful foam heart stickers. We also enjoyed a heartfelt storytime, reading In My Heart by Jo Witek, a beautifully written book that explores different emotions in a way young children can understand.

In addition to our Valentine’s festivities, the children were (re)introduced to the Pikler Triangle. This large motor piece of equipment helps children develop patience, safety awareness, and body coordination, along with many other important skills. Each child was encouraged to climb as high as they felt comfortable. Some explored just one side of the triangle, while others confidently climbed up and over. It was wonderful to watch them challenge themselves at their own pace!

It was a joyful week filled with laughter, creativity, movement, and delicious food. Thank you again to our wonderful families for helping make this celebration so special!

With love, light and warmth for a snowy weekend

Cynthia and Sara

Makerspace Monthly Update

Posted on by Carl Frisk

The new year has been keeping everyone very busy in Makerspace!

The biggest project has been the Middle School Play which culminated in their wonderful performance a few weeks ago. The Middle Schoolers used all of their skills to create props, set pieces, backdrops, and even parts of their costumes. It was truly inspiring to see them work together to create such a cohesive and visually stunning production. Since the play ended we’ve returned to some personal projects while we erase back into things. One particularly exciting project has been our first successful use of the knitting machine by one of our 8th Graders (after many failed attempts on my part). The machine itself is about 50 years old, but we’re using old and new tech to continue to create with it. A hand drawn pattern is converted to lines of dashes and x’s, which is then converted to a dot pattern that we laser cut and feed into the machine. It might be a bit overly complicated, but the results are very exciting. One exciting recent Robotics challenge has been pulling as much weight as possible. The different solutions was amazing to see and we even had one car with the correct weight distribution, 4 wheel drive, and tire selection to pull  nearly 2 kg of weight (including the weight holder).

Upper El has been busy with a variety of small personal projects ranging from gumball machines to clothes. A Lower El students sweater that is almost finished  inspired a few Upper El students to begin their own. In robotics we’ve continued to explore outside of the Lego Spike kits on occasion to use the Sphero and OZObots, but we will also begin to get familiar with the drones and learn how to code with those as well. But one fun challenge with the Spike kits has been making drawing robots, which always produces exciting results.

Lower El has been taking full advantage of our new cardboard cutters from ChompShop. They are typically given an open ended challenge at the beginning of class and their imaginations help them create everything from animals, to laptops, to mailboxes, and masks. There are also students who have finished up knitting projects and have created scarves, pillows, and bags. As with he cardboard cutters, they learn a skill and their imaginations take them to wonderful places.

Kindergarten has been focused on knitting and sewing after seeing their older peers. Finger knitting has been a hit and we’ve seen many wonderful sewn, stuffed, and decorated felt bears. There have even been blankets knit for their bears. We will likely jump up to knitting on small circular looms and more difficult sewing projects and their skills continue to expand.

I honestly can’t wait to see what all these Makers create next!

Middle School: Week in Review

Posted on by Michelle Lamb

It was an exciting week with both a field trip and a snow day! Our field trip to the Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum in Ridgefield, CT, was a huge success. It is of no surprise that educators there were impressed not only with the knowledge of FWM students’ art techniques but of their critical thinking skills and ability to speak so profoundly about art.

Announcements:

  • Please continue bringing in weather-appropriate apparel. Thank you for your effort with this!
  • No School: Monday, 2/17 for Presidents’ Day
  • 8th Grade Internships: Monday, 2/24- Wednesday, 2/26

Humanities

It is Black History Month, so all humanities classes this month will begin with a brief presentation on influential Black Americans. They will also be working with Ms. Sara and Ms. Reid on a project inspired by contemporary artist, Nick Caves.

Additionally, all humanities classes began their research projects this week!

6th graders chose their topics for their research topics, developed goals, and wrote questions to launch their research. They also had lessons in finding reliable resources and well as taking research notes for the project. Next week, students will learn how to develop their thesis statements and complete their research. This is their only homework for the week, so they should be working on it each night.

7th graders also chose their research topics and completed topic proposals with rough thesis statements and questions to guide their research. They received a brief review in finding reliable resources as well as taking research notes. Finally, they are picking up their Utopia Projects and will complete those over the next week in conjunction with their research. Research is their only homework, so they should be working on it nightly.

8th graders finished their topic proposals and drafts of their thesis statements for Expert Projects. This is an exciting capstone project for FWM Middle School students that will carry them into mid-May. Students are also seeking out opportunities for their internships at the end of the month. Finally, in their US history class, 8th graders are studying the evolution of White Europeans beginning with the Age of Exploration.

Science

6th graders started a new unit this week, Earth’s Systems. The focus this week was Energy Transfer and the Water Cycle.  Students learned the roles the sun and wind play in the water cycle and how Earth has a specific amount of water that goes through a constant cycle. Next week, students will work on an experiment to demonstrate this cycle.
7th graders reviewed basic atomic structure and began exploring the periodic table. They learned how the periodic table is arranged into rows and columns, periods, and families. The class also discussed the major groupings in the periodic table: metals, metalloids, non-metals, and noble gases. Next week, students will conduct experimentation to explore the properties of each of these groupings.
8th graders reviewed the cell cycle and mitosis. Students reviewed the importance of Interphase in preparing the cell for cell division and discussed how cells spend the majority of their time in this preparation stage. They then reviewed the phases of mitosis and what occurs during each. Next week, students will work on an experiment looking at mitosis in onion root tip cells, and they will begin to discuss what can occur when cell division goes awry or unregulated.

Math

It was an incredibly productive and engaging week in Middle School math! After an action-packed January filled with the excitement of the Math Carnival and the Middle School Play, students in all four math courses were eager to dive back into the curriculum. The week kicked off with a fun review session that helped students refresh their math skills. Through whole-class discussions, students revisited key concepts learned prior to the Math Carnival, with plenty of opportunities to actively engage. They practiced problem-solving on their whiteboards, collaborated in pairs to tackle more challenging problems, and wrapped up the week with an independent “show me what you remember” assignment. This assignment will be invaluable for assessing which concepts have truly “stuck” and which will need further attention before moving on to new material. It’s been a great balance of reinforcing prior learning while preparing for the exciting challenges ahead!

Ms. Mollie: Hello February!

Posted on by Mollie Smith

The month has only just begun, and it’s been filled with so much fun! We have had so many different adventures throughout the Fraser Woods Campus! We have enjoyed playing on the field, playing in the gym, learning to weave with Mrs. Reed in the Maker Space, playing in the snow on our Toddler playground, and, as always, exploring new works and lessons in our classroom! 

The books Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? and Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear? by Eric Carle have been instrumental in helping children understand how to use our eyes to see and our ears to hear. In helping our young friends develop the skill of listening and watching, it’s always great to use literacy as a fun way to connect. The children have asked each day that we take out our felt “story” and they love to hunt for the different pieces. 

This month has so many wonderful experiences that lay ahead, next week we have a pink pancake breakfast where we celebrate the friendships in our classroom! I want to say a sincere thank you to all the parents who were able to observe this week in the primary classrooms, it truly is a window into what is next for your child’s journey here at Fraser Woods and I know that the magic of primary is truly special. 

With Full Hearts, 

Ms. Mollie, Ms.Lizette and Ms.Anabelle

This Week in Upper El

Posted on by Karen Sankey

 

 

Last week we took a trip to the Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum, and it was amazing to see the world of art come alive. The exhibits were fascinating, especially the works of Wen Liu and Martha Diamond. Their unique styles really inspired us and got our creative juices flowing. We even had the chance to create our own wet-on-wet paintings, channeling some of Martha Diamond’s techniques. It was a fun and enlightening experience, allowing us to play with colors and textures.

This week also marked our third round of Book Buddies, which just keeps getting better and better. It’s so heartwarming to see the students becoming more independent as they eagerly connect with their buddies for reading time. The friendships forming between our Upper El students and the Kindergarteners are really something special—they’re bonds that will last beyond the classroom!

Looking ahead, we have an exciting week planned. On Monday, we’re thrilled to welcome Donna from the Brian O’Connell Homeless Project. She’ll be speaking to both Upper El and Middle School students about the important work they do, plus we’ll be putting together Brian Bags later in the week alongside our Middle Schoolers. And we’re excited to welcome a new student, June, to our classroom! We can’t wait for her to join our community!

As Friday gets closer, our excitement builds for Valentine’s Day! We’ll be exchanging cards and having a little party to celebrate. But before all that fun, we’re dedicating part of our morning to making sandwiches for the St. Vincent DePaul Soup Kitchen. It’s a great way to mix our festivities with a meaningful cause, reminding us all about the importance of community and kindness.

Ms. Handibode: All You Need is Love!

Posted on by Michelle Handibode

We asked the children what love means. Their answers are sure to bring a smile to your face. In similar posts that we’ve done in the past, we always say the world would do well to listen to these children. It rings true with this post as well. We hope you enjoy their responses as much as we did!

  • Arya–              Love is helping people when they need it.
  • Connor–        Love means lots of hearts and playing with people you like.
  • Ella–                Love is sharing my toys with my little sister.  I only share some of them with Mila though, not the really special ones.
  • Hadley–         Love is building princess castles with my Mommy and Daddy.
  • Hannah–       Love is playing robots with my brother Luke.
  • Harper–         Love is playing with other people even when they are upset or alone.
  • Jacob–            Love is helping Mommy do puzzles that have more than 100 pieces.
  • Jaxxon–          Love is when we give hugs.
  • Joseph–          Love is helping Mommy and Daddy take care of the house.
  • Maayan–        Love is building Legos with my Daddy. We build lots of different houses.
  • Melina–          Love is sharing toys with my cousin.
  • Morgan—        Love is giving someone lots and lots of hugs.
  • Oliver–           Love is giving my Mommy and Daddy lots of hugs.
  • Reagan—         Love is being kind to everyone and sharing things with other people, even my Teddy Bear and heart pillow.
  • Remi–             Love is playing race cars and Hot Wheels with my Mommy and Daddy.
  • River–             Love is washing the dirty dishes.  I just have to remember to use cold water so I don’t burn myself with hot water.
  • Ryan–              Love is giving my Daddy hearts and my Mommy lots of hugs.
  • Tommy–         Love is letting my little brother follow me all around.
  • Wilder–          Love is something you show other people, and you share your toys.
  • Zaki–               Love is being with your friends.
  • Zion–              Love is teaching my little sister how to be kind to people and to respect Mommy and Daddy.

Wishing you a week filled with peace and love.

Michelle & Maria

Mrs. Lopes: A Look at Our Week

Posted on by Amanda Lopes

We asked the children what love means. Their answers are sure to bring a smile to your face. In similar posts that we’ve done in the past, we always say the world would do well to listen to these children. It rings true with this post as well.

  • Amelia– Love is playing with my friends Kimberlin and Elanour.
  • Arhan– Love is dinosaurs.
  • Arian– Love is kissing and hugging my Mom.
  • Ben– Love is riding my bike with Dad and Kian.
  • Brisa– Love is cooking with my Mom.
  • Brooke–Love is playing with my sister Taylor.
  • Casey– Love is Friday Fort Night with my brothers.
  • Declan–Love is hugging my Mommy and Daddy.
  • Elanour–Love is cupcakes and birthdays.         
  • Enzo– Love is when I play Legos with my Mom.
  • Evie– Love is “Daddy Night” and playing Daddy Dinosaur.
  • Fiona– Love is making my Mom a paper heart.
  • Helena– Love is giving Mom a big hug.       
  • Kaiah– Love is making a card for my sister when she is sick.       
  • Kimberlin– Love is snuggling with my Mama.
  • Love–Love is playing tag with my Mom.
  • Nicolas– Love is playing games with my sisters.
  • Olivia–Love is seeing my sister Vanessa.
  • Ryder–Love is kissing my Mom on the forehead and showing her pictures of rocket ships, houses, and pipes.
  • Sadie– Love is playing Barbies with my Mommy.
  • Scotlyn– Love is hugging my brother, River.
  • Zion– Love is playing ball with my brother and sister.              

Wishing you a week filled with peace and love.

Amanda & Hema