Blog

This Week in Upper El

Posted on by Karen Sankey

As the year winds down and lessons wrap up, we have many end-of-year activities. This week, we squeezed in many math lessons during work cycles, prepared for the Spring Concert, and planned for next week’s trip to Nature’s Classroom.

As your children pack for our trip, please remember that they will have to carry their bags to the cabin. We went over the packing list together in class and talked about packing light. Nature’s Classroom does not allow electronics, including eBook readers, phones, smartwatches, and tablets. I will allow any children who would like to call and say goodnight to use my phone. We cannot bring food into the dorm, so please don’t pack any snacks in the suitcase. I have created a What’s App group chat for communication during the trip. I’ll send photos as often as possible and update you throughout the week.

NECESSITIES

  • water bottle
  • small backpack (to carry to all activities)
  • sleeping bag or sheets and a blanket, pillow
  • toiletries (soap, shampoo/conditioner, toothpaste, toothbrush, towel, comb)
  • pajamas
  • underwear
  • socks (6 pair)
  • pants for hiking and activities
  • short sleeve shirts
  • a long sleeve shirt
  • warm outer layer
  • closed-toe shoes (2 pair)
  • poncho
  • sunblock and insect repellent (no aerosols)

OPTIONAL

  • hat, sunglasses
  • flip flops or shower shoes
  • shorts for the cabin
  • book, notebook, pencils, deck of cards
  • disposable camera

 

Middle School: Expert Presentations

Posted on by Michelle Lamb

 

It was a wonderful evening listening to the graduating class of 2024 present their research project to families and students in our community. The topics were as follows:

Black Women Poets Whose Colorful Words Helped Change the World
3, 2, 1 Action! How To Form a Film
Cybersecurity: How to Keep Your Information Private
The Distance From the Tee: The History of Golf
Ideas That Bloom: Successful Steps for Entrepreneurs
This project is a culmination of five months of research on a topic of the students’ choosing. They develop a thesis statement and questions to guide research and interview at least two experts in the field to support their research. Next, students write a research paper. Finally, they develop their 10-20 minute presentations from the research.
Students at Fraser Woods begin presenting as Kindergarteners. They practice reading their work to classmates and teachers. Each year, FWM students have opportunities to present their work, both formally and informally. The 8th grade Expert Project is the culmination of this progression.
We are incredibly proud of our 8th-grade class and all the work they did leading up to Expert Presentations. Bravo!

Mrs. Wilson: The Gazillion Whys

Posted on by Cynthia Wilson

In the first three years of their lives, children are in the Unconscious Mind phase, where they absorb information without actively questioning it. From age three to six, they transition into the conscious mind phase, marked by their curiosity and constant questioning of “why.” They are eager to make sense of the world around them and are actively engaging their thinking and reasoning abilities.

To nurture their inquisitiveness, it’s important to continually encourage their thinking and exploration. Help them find answers to their questions, engage in discussions about why they think a certain way, and explore answers together. It’s perfectly fine to acknowledge when you don’t have an immediate answer to their inquiries. So, as tiring it is to hear the word why, we don’t want them to stop asking questions. We want the children to become critical thinkers and always have that wonder.

Throughout this week, the butterflies slowly emerged from their chrysalids. The children were very excited to see them drying their wings and eating from a ripe banana. We also noticed that all of the ladybugs have hatched from their pupae. We took them outside to set them free. Maybe we will see them on the playground one day. The tadpoles are still tadpoles for now, but they are getting bigger. Hopefully, we will see them grow their legs by the end of the school year.

This was our last week of Spanish class with Senora Ray. We want to say Gracias to Senora Ray for taking the time every Wednesday to teach us Spanish.

Food Tasting: This week, we tried edamame. It was a fun experience eating them from the pod as some of the soybeans popped out. All the children enjoyed them and had multiple helpings.

Thank you so much for all the birthday love! I appreciate the lovely cards, flowers, and treats.

Cynthia and Sara

Mrs. Sargeant: A Peek at the Week

Posted on by Christine Sargeant

This week has been delightful. From our window, we spotted two pileated woodpeckers in the woods. We’ve been patiently waiting and quietly watching for birds to visit our new window bird feeder. We’ve seen a few cardinals, sparrows, and other beautiful birds waiting in the nearby bush, observing us as we observe them. One day, the children were absolutely convinced they had heard an owl. Their sheer excitement and awe were contagious!

This week, the children tasted rhubarb, and most seemed to enjoy its tartness. They also had a lot of fun simply saying the word “rhubarb.” We danced around the room as we listened to Laurie Berkner’s catchy song about rhubarb pie. 

We also tasted seedless mandarins, which every child enjoyed. The children were then free to choose the mandarin peeling activity. In addition to mandarin peeling, we had a cucumber-cutting activity available to the children this week since they were all so keen on the cucumbers we tried a few weeks ago. In our Montessori toddler classroom, the excitement around food preparation activities is palpable. With eager anticipation, children embrace the opportunity to take charge of creating their own snacks. This newfound independence not only fills them with pride but also nurtures their self-confidence. Engaging in these multi-step activities they not only satisfy their hunger but also strengthen fine motor skills.

Each morning, many of the children’s first order of business is to check on our chrysalises. We are looking for any slight changes and eagerly awaiting the magical metamorphosis that will take place.

We are looking forward to sharing our symbolic “Bridge Crossing” event with all of you on Friday, June 7th from 10-10:30.

Here’s to a reflective Memorial Day weekend. Enjoy the extra day with your families.

Christine & Lizette

Mrs. Hood: Discovering Joy in Everyday Moments

Posted on by Andrea Hood

 

One of the joys of watching children grow is being constantly reminded to appreciate the little things in life. What we often take for granted as mundane or routine, children see as wondrous, new discoveries and engaging challenges. Everyday activities like preparing food, dressing themselves, watering plants,  cleaning and more are, for them, exciting tasks that help them feel empowered and connected to the world.

This week, we introduced a new practical life activity: window washing! Our windows had gotten quite dusty, so I enlisted the help of some of our older toddlers. Quickly, the rest of the class got excited for a turn!  They eagerly took on the task and approached it with great seriousness. Using a spray bottle felt like a special treat to them, and adding a squeegee to the mix made it even more exciting. It was heartwarming to see their sense of independence, responsibility, concentration, and pride as they contributed to our classroom environment.  Their growth and enthusiasm are truly remarkable.

Another hit this week was a Sensorial activity in our practical life area focused on pouring and spooning. We added a twist by using vinegar instead of water for pouring and baking soda instead of regular objects for spooning. The fizzing sound and bubbling reaction brought by mixing baking soda with vinegar brought priceless smiles and laughter to your children. This was definitely a favorite activity!

On another note, we had double the fun during Sharing Time this week (we ran out of time last week). The children delighted in sharing one day their favorite hats and another day their favorite instruments. We ended up having an impromptu fashion show and a great musical concert! It was a fabulous experience for the whole class.

Lastly, we couldn’t finish this beautiful week without a celebration! Another friend turned 3 years old, and we couldn’t be happier to celebrate her! What a privilege to see her grow!

A big thank you to all the parents who came to support the FWM children during the spring concert and joined us for the school picnic. Your presence and support mean so much to us!

As we honor the brave men and women who have sacrificed their lives in service to our country, we wish you a wonderful Memorial Day weekend.

Warm regards,

Mrs. Hood and Ms. Mollie

Makerspace: Monthly Update

Posted on by Carl Frisk

The Kindergarteners have been working diligently on dioramas to accompany their animal research projects. After modeling their animals in clay in Art with Miss Sara, we have been working on creating the settings and backgrounds within their boxes using everything from paper and markers to dried moss. We will continue to work on these in our remaining classes and have wonderful environments for their animals.

Lower El spent a few weeks working on a Lego town, and a stroll down their main street can be seen below. We have a number of houses, a football stadium, playground, and a spaceport. Since its completion, we have begun a project using cardboard as the main material, focusing on visualizing the structure and construction needed to complete the projects. Guided by the children and as time allows, they have also been continuing their knitting projects on the circular looms. As the year comes to a close please return any circular looms and hooks when possible. If their project has been completed, please have them come visit me, and I will help them finish it off and remove it from the loom. 

Upper El has been busy with all sorts of challenges and projects. With the airplane launcher, we tested a number of designs to see which elements helped make them fly further. Then we took on a Spaghetti Challenge presented by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory using x20 pieces of spaghetti and x1 yards of masking tape to build a tower that holds a jumbo marshmallow as high off the table as possible.​ Teams of 4 students had exactly 18 minutes to brainstorm, collaborate, and build the structures. We were able to do two rounds during class and it was great to see how they all used the knowledge gained from the first round to improve their structures. 

In Robotics, we studied gear ratios and how they can help make the Lego motors spin faster, culminating in a few tops spinners, one motorized and one which used a hand crank. Next, we designed and tested various tops to see which one could spin the longest, the record being an impressive 1 minute and 1 second. We’ve also used simple robots with some complicated coding to make art, similar to spirographs. By tweaking the code and movements of the robots the students were able to make a wide variety of shapes and designs. We let a few of them run until the markers ran out to see how complicated the patterns could get. Since then we’ve focused on proximity sensors, utilizing them to help prevent the robots from falling off the tables.

The Middle Schoolers have been hard at work finishing up the stuffed animals drawn by the Kindergarteners. The Kindergarteners have been constantly asking how things are going, and I’ve kept the progress a closely guarded secret. We are hoping to present them to the Kindergarten classes the last week of school. 

In STEAM, we studied momentum and pendulums, creating a number of pieces of art by swinging cups filled with paint from a long string. By changing the length of the string and the weight of the cups, we were able to alter the patterns created by the pendulums. For a final experiment, we used a weighted stand to hold three colors and let it swing for as long as it could. It ended up swinging through two classes, finally stopping after 1 hour and 22 minutes.  

Inspired by the pendulum art and a previous Robotics class spent trying to code a robot to write their names, the students used robots to create art of various shapes and designs. Next, we used the proximity sensors to prevent the robots from falling off the tables and avoid any obstacles on the floor. 


In the Trees with Lower El

Posted on by Ashley O'Connell

The highlight of this week was an amazing field trip to The Adventure Park, filled with climbing, zip lines, bravery, and trust. Each of us challenged ourselves to try elements of the ropes course that were demanding and, at times, even a little scary. Every student should be proud of their efforts, not only in trying new things but also in helping and encouraging their classmates along the way. They worked together, with more experienced climbers assisting the less experienced ones. Words of motivation were offered when friends were nervous and cheers when their peers completed a course. These students exhibited outstanding teamwork. Bravo, Lower El!

Thank you so much to the wonderful parents who volunteered to chaperone; you were a tremendous help!

Mrs. Lopes: Fun at Flanders

Posted on by Amanda Lopes

On Wednesday, the Kindergarten children spent time at Flanders Nature Center in Woodbury. We began by taking a hike through the woods to the Botany Pond. The children then had the opportunity to catch and identify amphibians, reptiles, and insects. We found tadpoles, beetles, newts, giant water bugs, and salamanders. We observed turtles resting on a rock, fish swimming, and even found one of those elusive frogs. When we were done, we released any living thing we had collected and climbed aboard for a tractor ride. We were able to get up close to a beaver lodge and get a peek at a nest with three-day-old baby birds. It was informative and impressive to speak with a Flanders volunteer, who explained how and why the beavers dam up a culvert each night. Walking back, several children shared what a great day it was! Flanders is open to the public, and we encourage you to take advantage of this amazingly beautiful nature center. They also offer several summer programs. You can find more information on their website.

Wishing you all a week filled with much peace and love.

Amanda & Hema