May Fridel is the owner of Passion for Spices in Summit. She taught our third graders about cacao and how it is made into chocolate. Then we had to suffer through dipping skewers of fruit into melted chocolate.
It's a wonderful thing to see the children of our staff members grow up. Our students love meeting and interacting with our own children. Our children get to see what we do every day (and how much love and respect we get from everyone). And we get to see some beautiful qualities emerge in our children that we weren't sure were there. Until next year's Take Your Child to Work Day.
Our fifth graders had a great Teppanyaki experience at Arirang last week. What fun!
Our fifth-grade band has been getting ready for their upcoming concert by drilling their songs!
Each month, the PTO has been surprising teachers with a "Thank you". This month: Lavender, Chocolate, and Fruit. We are so fortunate!
Fifth graders met before school last week to "do good". They made 100 Mother's Day Bags that included hand wipes, hand cream, lip balm, tissues, and candy. They also made 115 sandwiches. All were donated to the good folks at the St. Joseph Social Service Center. Repairing the world!
It's Not Just a Job, It's An Adventure. When you are a food day volunteer, you become a hero.
These second graders read Mercy Watson for extra credit and answered questions that prompted them to think about the book.
"A toast to my students, my darlings, my dears!
You have filled this classroom with a wonder all your own.
May your journey through books always lead you to magical places,
and may you always feel as warm inside as a piece of hot toast
with a great deal of butter on it!"
"A toast to my students, my darlings, my dears!
You have filled this classroom with a wonder all your own.
May your journey through books always lead you to magical places,
and may you always feel as warm inside as a piece of hot toast
with a great deal of butter on it!"
Maybe sometimes, when we thought Michelangelo was painting the Sistine Chapel, he was reading his favorite book?
In the eighth week of the Chess Club, Bobby Fischer defeated Garry Kasparov without having to go to Reykjavik. More than 40 of our students, from all grades, learned that "Every Pawn is a potential Queen."
Our own Frank family travelled to a small village outside Samaná, Dominican Republic, to provide free dental care to the local community (Mom = pediatric dentist; Dad = orthodontist). This year, they took Pierce and his younger brothers along too. They are literally Repairing the World.
Knitting (crocheting, needlepoint...) is another great way for kids to learn to focus and relax during a busy day (along with mindfulness and yoga).
Volunteer Abbie Signore is starting the children off with French spool knitting, a 400-year-old slow-stitching process that creates a knitted tube or rope.
One knitter remarked, "You learn that mistakes can be undone, or you can cover the mistake with a button...."
Volunteer Abbie Signore is starting the children off with French spool knitting, a 400-year-old slow-stitching process that creates a knitted tube or rope.
One knitter remarked, "You learn that mistakes can be undone, or you can cover the mistake with a button...."
We use the phonics program, Fundations, in grades one, two, and three (and Kindergarten). This spring, we were given the opportunity to pilot Fundations in fourth grade. Last week, representatives from the company, along with language arts supervisor Liz Reilly, visited classes and interviewed teachers to gather feedback to improve the program ahead of its upcoming publication.
The first-ever fourth-grade wax museum was held last Wednesday evening in our auditorium. The dress rehearsal the day before for other classes helped them practice delivering their speeches, along with their costumes and tri-fold poster board. Every time a visitor dropped a quarter into their cup, the motionless historical character came to life. In the end, Madame Tussaud was left speechless. (Over $1000 was raised for the St. Joseph Social Service Center. That's a lot of quarters!)
March Madness! It's time for the First Grade Tournament of Books. Each week, students vote for their favorite book after listening to the contenders. Who will make it to the Final Four?
Fourth graders tackled two fun challenges: drawing a square with just three lines and building the tallest tower using only 10 pieces of paper and 10 inches of tape. They had to think creatively, work through frustration, and keep trying until they succeeded. Is there a better way to discover the value of perseverance and learn strategies to push through challenges without giving up?
What a Mess! First graders entered their classroom on Tuesday to find wanton destruction. Not only did the traps that were set all fail, but we were badly outsmarted. Furniture was overturned, everything was out of place, and pixie dust was everywhere. Even the bathroom was defaced. Those Leprechauns!
Two-time Caldecott-winning children's author Sophie Blackall spent the day with us last Thursday. She gave three presentations to all our students, regaled us with stories, pictures, and videos about her work and where her ideas come from, signed a lot of books, and even ate lunch with us.
The Westfield Rescue Squad was one of several groups that helped show our children how they can help their neighborhood at our Community Service Night last week.
"Our PTO is amazing! We are so lucky… It’s such a great treat whenever they pop in… And I think the kids really enjoy it as well… while also learning a wonderful lesson in kindness!" We found a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.
