Elementary Basketball Skills and Fun Games

Posted on January 25, 2018February 25, 2018 by Gina Tryforos

: Practicing our bounce and chest pass skills with partners.

: Let’s try to bounce and chest pass with two basketballs!

: Basketball shooting game.

: Spot Take-away is favorite basketball shooting game.

: Assessment question before the end of class.

: Assessment on the proper way to hold a basketball before throwing the ball in the hoop.

This month the Lower and Upper Elementary practiced and participated in the team sport of Basketball. 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. In the Upper Elementary level, we learned to differentiate roles of offensive and defensive players and understand and use simple basketball rules. We especially enjoy the games. Games we play are: Dribble Knockout, Knockout, Spot Takeaway, and Steal the Bacon.

This month, I also started incorporating Plickers Magnets. Plickers magnet assessment is a relatively new to in the Physical Education community. Plickers magnets help students gain autonomy, mastery, and purpose. Each student now has more control over his or her individual road to mastery of various skills. It is a tool that allows the assessment of students’ knowledge through multiple choice questions or assessing how they felt they did in class. Plickers allows students to take ownership of their learning and creates a respectful class culture around individual differences. Every student is given a number so that they remain anonymous from one another.

Reading Musical Notes with Recorders

Posted on January 25, 2018February 25, 2018 by Yun-Kyung Kim

: Much bigger than Soprano Recorder!

: First day using Alto Recorders

: Sounds lower than Soprano!

: Note reading in Do Re Mi

: We are carrying high notes!

: Reading sheet music

For the past couple of months, Upper Elementary students have been working on learning how to read musical notes. We used Solfege syllables and rhythmic cards when we were working with various pitched instruments. By learning to play recorders, students become better at reading sheet music and understanding the sound of different notes. 5th years began to work with Alto Recorders in addition to the Soprano Recorders.

The recorder is a woodwind musical instrument in a group known as internal duct flutes—flutes with a whistle mouthpiece. A recorder can be distinguished from other duct flutes by the presence of a thumb-hole for the upper hand and seven finger-holes (three for the upper hand and four for the lower). The recorder was well known in Europe in the Middle Ages. The instrument, with its eight finger holes, is recognizable in numerous Medieval and Renaissance paintings. Many historical recorders have survived, showing broad variation. Soprano, sopranino, alto, tenor, and bass recorders were crafted from natural materials as diverse as pearwood, boxwood, and even narwhal tusk. The earliest were carved from one or two pieces. By the baroque era, recorders were typically made from three separate pieces, which allowed for more accurate tone. The recorder’s expressiveness earned it a significant place in baroque era ensembles.

2018 Winter Olympic Games!

Posted on February 23, 2018 by Pam Pascarella

: Four person bobsled!

: Four person bobsled!

: Ski Jump

: Bobsled

: Curling

: Ice Hockey

: Skeleton

: Biathlon

: Luge

: Ski Jump

: Bobsled

: Bobsled

: Curling

: Bobsled

: Bobseld

: Speed Skating with the Olympic Torch

: Skeleton

: Assessing which Olympic games were a favorite

The Extended Day, Lower Elementary, and Upper Elementary participated in Winter Olympic Games stations in class. The students were questioned on their knowledge as to why there are only five rings and what the colors represented. They were also asked where they Olympics were taking place and what continent that country was located in. The students participated in the following winter Olympic Game stations: Curling, Biathlon, Speed Skating, Ice Hockey, Skeleton/Luge, Ski Jump, and Bobsled. At the end of class the students assessed which station they liked the most. The stations they most enjoyed was the bobsled and ski jump!

Upper Elementary: Moving Up, Take Two

Posted on February 23, 2018 by Brian Comstock

: Finn and Max prepping flowers.

: Kayla, Nadia and Alexa working together.

: Fraction lesson with 3rds and 4ths.

: Charles, JP and Max working together.

: Simone using the microscope while Morgan works on fractions.

: Sadie, Zhariya and Finn working together.

: O’Connor and Logan working on fractions.

: Norah and Veronica working together.

: Sadie and Zhariya getting snack.

: Nadia and Alexa working on RFC.

: Logan and O’Connor working with tangrams.

: Veronica and Norah completing the noun layout.

: JP, Charles, Simone and Morgan working in the small room.

: Sadie trying to make a guess in our group game.

The students experienced another Moving Up Day on Wednesday after our long weekend break. The fifth years were so excited to visit the Middle School for a second time and the fourth years could not wait to guide our third year visitors. What added to the buzz this time was the opportunity for a full day visit where they could experience an entire day with new friends and classmates. The third years got to experience a new fraction lesson using Singapore Math. Although the fifth years cannot wait to move on to Middle School we are not ready to let go of them just yet.

Additionally, I wanted to say “thank you” for the birthday wishes, cards and cake that was made for my birthday! It was much appreciated.

With last week’s warm temperatures, ticks that were dormant became active. Therefore, it is essential that parents begin checking their children for ticks at the end of the day. Below is important information from the Center of Disease and Prevention about ticks.

Check your clothing for ticks. Ticks may be carried into the house on clothing. Any ticks that are found should be removed. Tumble dry clothes in a dryer on high heat for 10 minutes to kill ticks on dry clothing after you come indoors. If the clothes are damp, additional time may be needed. If the clothes require washing first, hot water is recommended. Cold and medium temperature water will not kill ticks effectively.

Shower soon after being outdoors. Showering within two hours of coming indoors has been shown to reduce your risk of getting Lyme disease. Showering may help wash off unattached ticks and it is a good opportunity to do a tick check.

Check your body for ticks after being outdoors. Conduct a full body check upon return from potentially tick-infested areas, which even includes your back yard. Use a hand-held or full-length mirror to view all parts of your body. Check these parts of your body and your child’s body for ticks:

Under the arms
In and around the ears
Inside belly button
Back of the knees
In and around the hair
Between the legs
Around the waist

Upper Elementary: Research and Valentine’s

Posted on February 16, 2018 by Brian Comstock

: Nicole and Zhariya.

: Ayden presenting.

: A hug for JP.

: Josef presenting.

: Family and friends.

: Zhariya presenting.

: Hugs for mom.

: Alexa presenting.

: Sammy, Josef and James.

: Nadia presenting.

: Family and friends.

: Joanne and Nadia.

: Max presenting.

: Peter and Ayden.

: Paige and Michele.

: Marley presenting.

: Finn presenting.

: Josef’s grandparents.

: More hugs.

: Emiko and Sammy.

: Finn with our visitor, Julian.

: Valentine’s snack from Marley.

: Leslie and Alexa.

: Logan presenting.

: A lesson about the evolutionary strip.

: Kayla presenting.

: Around the world.

: Morgan presenting.

: Paige presenting.

: James presenting.

: Counting and graphing Starburst.

: Nicole presenting.

: Sammy presenting.

: Starburst activity.

: JP presenting.

: Sienna presenting.

: Starburst graphing.

: Norah presenting.

: Valentine’s snacks.

: More Valentine’s snacks.

Last Thursday evening the students presented their ancestry research to friends and family. We alternate research projects during our two year cycle, focusing on ancient civilizations one year and family history the next year. This project ties in nicely to the in-class lessons for history where we compare our closest living relatives and closest fossil relatives. What a joy it was to hear the family stories and see the family keepsakes that have been passed down!

On Wednesday, we celebrated Valentine’s Day with some snacks provided by parents. Students decorated their Valentine’s bags and in the morning we did a graphing lesson using Starburst candy. We discovered that in a bag of Starburst you will most often choose a cherry flavored Starburst due to the disproportionate number.

When we return to school on Wednesday, February 21 the students will experience another moving up day. Third year students will visit us for the entire day while fifth year students will visit Middle School.

Upper Elementary: Eli Whitney Museum

Posted on February 2, 2018February 12, 2018 by Brian Comstock

: Introduction to camera obscura.

: Sienna, Marley, Nicole and Alexa building.

: Logan, Finn, JP, Josef, Paige and Sammy building.

: Group work.

: Working together.

: Whole class focused.

: Ayden says, “Smile for the camera!”

: Liz and Joanne comparing cameras.

: Rotary Club visit with 4th years.

: Girls playing cards during indoor recess.

: Max and Morgan building with dominoes.

: Kayla and Nadia in a battle of chess.

: Using DOGO News for our current events lesson about newborn cheetahs.

: Max, sharing his reading response based on The Witches.

One of the expectations of students in the Upper Elementary is to complete reading responses each school year. These responses allow students to use their individual writing skills and creativity in order to express how they felt about a book they read. We have a binder of activities students may choose from but sometimes they come up with their own unique ideas. Recently, Max did just that by using Minecraft on his computer to craft a scene from the book, The Witches. His joy of reading and Minecraft shown through as he shared the creation with his classmates!

On Wednesday we enjoyed an educational, hands-on field trip to the Eli Whitney Museum in Hamden, CT. We learned about cameras and how our eye takes in light and projects an upside down image on the retina, similar to how a camera obscura functions. Students then made their own camera obscura to look at images and to project images. This was a great introduction to concepts we will study for our science fair later in the spring. Thanks again to Liz and Joanne for chaperoning.

Parent Teacher Conferences will be on February 15 (1 pm start – last conference at 7:30 pm) and February 16 (8:00 am start and last conference at 11:30 am). Please schedule your appointment by 5:00 pm on Wednesday, February 14^th.

If you would like to meet outside of the scheduled conference times, please email me directly and we could set up a mutually convenient time. In addition, if you would like to meet with one of our enrichment teachers, please email them directly to set up a time to meet. Enrichment teachers will be available for parent conferences on Thursday, February 15^th from 1:00 pm to 6:00 pm and on Friday from 8:00 am to 11:30 am.

We look forward to talking with you about your child’s progress at school.

Upper Elementary: Outreach

Posted on October 19, 2017February 4, 2018 by Brian Comstock

: Josef taking care of Captain Nibbles.

: Creepy Friday the 13th snack.

: Sandwich making group 1.

: Sandwich making group 2.

: Sandwich making group 3.

: James sent a smile in a sandwich.

: Chris (MS) assisting Logan with the noun layout.

: Tyler (MS) working with Nadia on her story.

: Zachary (MS) conferring with Finn about his story.

: Morgan and Norah using Chromebooks.

: Boys finishing a follow up math activity.

: Fifth year girls during work cycle.

: Maker space team construction.

: Tower builds are a favorite in our class.

: Boys posing with keva build.

: Action in the gaga pit..

: Jayne, speaking to the class about the kageno kids cultural exchange.

On Monday the students worked together with support from their teachers and a few parents to make sandwiches for the St. Vincent DePaul Mission located in Waterbury, CT. This was a rewarding experience that was kick started about 8 years ago with help from Mrs. Zaums. Our goal is to make sandwiches every month, so be on the lookout for opportunities to assist us in the classroom. Thanks for all of the food and supply donations from parents!

On Wednesday, Max’s mother, Jayne stopped in to share with us an exciting opportunity to do an art and cultural exchange with a children in Kenya and Rwanda, called “Kageno Kids.” We are in the beginning stages of how our class and possibly the larger school community can help out. Here is a link to their website, http://www.kagenokids.org/index.html . Thanks again, Jayne for your enthusiasm and insight to this wonderful project!

Lastly, this is a friendly reminder that the Upper Elementary class coffee is scheduled for Monday after drop off. We also have a field trip planned to the New Canaan Nature Center on Wednesday.

Upper Elementary: We’re Moving On Up

Posted on January 25, 2018 by Brian Comstock

: Jayne came to visit for Max’ birthday breakfast.

: Girls taking a break from testing.

: A quick testing break.

: Healthy birthday breakfast.

: Boys taking a testing break.

: Veronica working with Morgan using the noun layout.

: Boys viewing and trading cards.

: 3rd and 4th years trying to line up in alphabetical order.

: MS visit.

: Sadie and Kayla working together.

: Zhariya and Finn working on fractions with Parker.

: Alexa and Norah completing fraction work.

: MS visit.

: O’Connor and Logan enjoyed the pattern block activity.

: Parker, Charles, Finn and Max playing UNO.

: MS visit.

: You can’t visit the UE without Captain Nibbles making an appearance in his exercise ball.

: Logan and O’Connor in a heated chess match.

: Nadia, Kayla, Sadie and Simone enjoyed working with tangrams.

The students were relieved to wrap up the CTP4 testing on Monday. In between exams they took short breaks to enjoy a snack, stretch, socialize or play some quick group games. We are happy to be back to our normal work cycle and routine!

Before Monday testing got underway we celebrated the January birthdays of Miss Hope, Max and Zhariya with a birthday breakfast. As I reflect on these celebrations I am so glad we decided on this new format this school year. It is a healthy, positive way to begin the day and recognize each student’s special day along with their family.

On Tuesday our Upper Elementary gray team won their first game of the season by defeating The Mead School, Stamford. They played well as a team considering it was their first action of the season! A huge “thank you” to Michele, Liz and Amy for driving students to the game and an additional “thank you” to Leslie for the snack.

Our morning work cycle took on a different feel on Tuesday as we welcomed the 3rd Year students to our classroom and the 5th Year students visited Middle School. As you can see from the pictures the 4th Years were excellent guides as they assisted their 3rd Year friends in our classroom. We are looking forward to the 3rd Years joining us next fall, but we will miss our 5th Year friends.

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