Fitness Boxing

Posted on by Pam Pascarella

This month the Upper Elementary students participated in Fitness Boxing. Fitness Boxing provides a positive outlet where stress can be relieved while promoting positive energy. It does not create aggressive behavior. It is a high-intensity workout so students actually feel more calm post workout. Fitness Boxing improves athletic performance. It will improve a person’s agility, strength, conditioning, and endurance. Fitness Boxing can help hone hand-eye coordination. Students practiced with a partner. One partner punched as the other held up padded mitts. Students were taught and then practiced jabs, hooks, and crosses. After so many punches, students completed a fitness activity such as running, squats, push-ups, and planks before punching his or her partner’s mitts again. By the end of the unit, you could see the students had improved their confidence and self-esteem. Students were asked to respond to a self and peer assessment.

Upper Elementary: Teamwork

Posted on by Brian Comstock

 

Lately, we have taken some much needed breaks from our routine to play group games. Some of the favorites include four corners, seven-up and Native American chief. These breaks help the students come together as a community and reset their brains for focused learning.

We are nearing the end of the basketball season and we had the largest turnout ever with the entire class participating.  As a result we divided the group into two teams of nine and both teams won their first game vs The Mead School. Thank you Jayne for the tasty oranges! Our final two games are vs Unquowa; one home and one away.

On Wednesday we resumed our outreach to the St. Vincent DePaul Mission in Waterbury through our monthly sandwich making project.  The students worked in teams of six to make, wrap and label sandwiches. This project would not be possible without the support of the families that donate supplies and come in the classroom to assist with the preparation. Thanks again to Mrs. Nieminen for all you do to coordinate the activity!

 

Upper Elementary: Presentations

Posted on by Brian Comstock

Our class got to experience the annual presentation of the Periodic Table of Cupcakes by the 7th Year students.  This is always a fun presentation that excites and engages the younger students. As teachers, we also love to see the growth and maturity of the 7th Years when they share what they learned.  The short, catchy videos they provide help to make the concepts of the periodic table and names of the elements resonate with all of us. At the end of the presentation, each student chose an element cupcake to enjoy with their lunch.

In our classroom, the students spent much of their time sharpening their oral presentations. They used their initial reports and chose the information that most interested them to incorporate into their presentation for research night. Through this experience, they learned some interesting and insightful facts about their ancestry that we hope they will remember for a long time.

 

Elementary Basketball Skills and Fun Games

Posted on by Gina Tryforos

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 by Yun-Kyung Kim

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 by Pam Pascarella

 

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 by Brian Comstock

 

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 by Brian Comstock

 

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.