Although it was a shorter school week, it was nice to get back to our regular routine after all of the Research Morning preparations. On Wednesday, the students enjoyed decorating Valentine’s bags and sharing Valentines with each other. Thank you to the families that sent in treats and supplies for our Valentine’s celebration. Lessons resumed after our long weekend break and we visited the Eli Whitney Museum. The students learned about force and angles as they designed their own pinball machines to take home. As you can see from the pictures they each came up with a unique design concept. This experience was a good starting point as we will explore inventions for the spring Science Fair. One final “thank you” to everyone for the thoughtful cards, beautiful flowers, and Red Sox t-shirt for my birthday! I always enjoy the hand made cards from the children.
Upper Elementary: Ancient Civilizations
All of the hard work of the Upper Elementary students over the past month resulted in a fantastic research morning event! This work included gathering notes, transferring those notes to a slideshow format, making a miniature model of the civilization, and bringing a food from their culture to share with their guests. The collaborative slideshow was the most impressive piece I noticed among all of their responsibilities. This was because it was a first time for our level and it demonstrated collaboration, creativity and teamwork to put it all together. Congratulations, on a job well done!
Upper Elementary: Research Preparation
This week the students began constructing their group civilization models in class. They formed a plan last week and divided up responsibilities to bring in supplies. In the meantime for homework they are making the final touches on their slideshow presentations. This is the first year the Upper Elementary has ever presented using slideshows. Mrs. Faust and I are excited about this new format!
On Monday we had a visit from two members of the Newtown Rotary Club. They provided dictionaries for each 4th year student and explained the purpose of the Rotary Club. We learned that although they are dictionaries the books they received are sometimes referred to as gazetteers, because they provide more than just definitions.
Not only did we work on models and have visitors this week, but we also celebrated five January birthdays at our birthday breakfast on Monday. That is a record for the largest birthday breakfast so far!
Upper Elementary: Change from Routine
This week was a break from our normal morning routine as the students spent time taking the CTP5 standardized test. Although we do not tailor our curriculum or lessons to prepare students for this specific test, the reality is that the students will be exposed to more testing as they get older and it is a learning experience.
On Tuesday the basketball team came through with a victory over The Mead School, by a score of 20-8. We were so proud of their effort, teamwork, and sportsmanship!
Looking ahead to next week the students will begin their civilization models in class. They are welcome to bring supplies from home for their models. The slideshows are coming along nicely and we will look over their first rough drafts of the presentations on Friday January 25.
Upper Elementary: Peabody Museum
On Wednesday we visited the Yale Peabody Museum in New Haven. Our day began with a presentation about Egypt. This included learning about the underworld, hieroglyphics, the great pyramids, and mummification. Afterwards we toured the museum and visited the hall of gems and minerals, dinosaurs, and the live animal exhibit. Several students enjoyed observing the live animals and being present during feeding time.
Upper Elementary: New Year
We kicked off our 2019 school year by writing New Year’s Resolutions. The student resolutions covered various areas such as, organization, improving academics or sports’ skills, and relationships.
This month we will spend a lot of time preparing for Research Morning (February 7). Each student received a packet inside a blue folder with all of the information and due dates. The students were divided into groups to research the ancient civilizations of China, Rome, Greece, and Egypt.
On Wednesday January 16 we will visit the Peabody Museum to learn about Ancient Egypt and explore the museum. This will be a great experience to connect to our ancient civilization studies!
Basketball Fun in PE Class and After-School!
This month Kindergarten through Middle School students practiced and participated in the team sport of Basketball. At the Kindergarten and Lower Elementary levels, the objectives are designed to develop hand-eye coordination and spatial awareness. We practiced dribbling a ball with either hand while changing pathways, direction, and speed. We worked on passing a ball to a stationary and moving target using both a bounce and chest pass.
In addition, students had to catch a passed ball while they were stationary and in motion. We demonstrated the proper technique of pivoting while holding a ball and identified markings on the court. Students were also given a choice to use a blue basketball which is lighter and easier to shoot into the net. A shorter net was also used for those students not able to reach the taller nets. The goal is to modify each sport to have students be successful.
At the Upper Elementary level, we learned to differentiate roles of offensive and defensive players and understand and use simple basketball rules. Games played are: Dribble Knockout, Knockout, Spot Takeaway, and Steal the Bacon. At the Middle School level, the focus is on practicing the fundamentals such as: foul shooting, passing, lay ups, ball handling, dribbling, rebounding, defense/guarding, and footwork.
Students in grades 4th through 8th grade are encouraged join the FWM basketball team. Practices for the Upper Elementary level are held on Tuesdays and Thursdays after school until 4:15 PM. The focus is to practice the fundamentals of basketball and to go over game like situations. The middle school practices are held during the school day from 1:55 to 2:50 PM on D, E, and F day. All games are held after school for both groups. The Upper Elementary has one team and the Middle School has a varsity (7/8) team and junior varsity (6/7) team. The season for each team consists of four games played against other independent schools.
Upper Elementary: Season’s Greetings
On Monday the students spent time decorating holiday cards and wrapping gifts for children that reside at the St. Vincent DePaul Shelter in Waterbury, CT. They put such care and effort into each card and gift. Once the gifts were wrapped we headed off to deliver the gifts. We got to tour the facility upon our arrival. The students listened respectfully and got a true appreciation of what this season is all about through this rewarding experience. Thank you once again for the donations of gifts and time to help successfully coordinate. On Thursday we celebrated the December student birthdays along with some of their family members. Wishing you all a joyful, peaceful holiday.