Good Morning LEW Families,
What we've been doing
As a group, LEW got to perform Life Comes to Earth. Erik told a wonderful, impressionistic story of how scientists believe life came to Earth. The students got to act like the first plants, creep around like the first invertebrates, swim around like fish, crawl around like amphibians, slither and hop like reptiles, and walk and run around like mammals. The students had a great discussion about our job and responsibility as humans to give back to the life around us and to be appreciative. Ask your child about their favorite part of the story.
On Friday, the class also got to make kindness with Teresa Hichens-Olson - an incredible administrator and art expert. Students went around "catching" each other being kind and giving each other the cranes.
First graders are working on number sense and addition, using the colored beads. They are creating a model of a globe with modge podge as well as their own world maps. The are also beginning their work with geometry by learning and feeling 9 different geometric solids (spheres, cubes, cylinders, cones, rectangular prisms, square-based pyramid, triangular-based pyramids, ellipsoids, and ovoids). Ask them about the hidden shapes game. They've had the chance to classify living/nonliving things and plants/animals around campus. They are also exploring different ways we measure time through the seasons, night/day, clocks and being very creative with their follow-up work.
Second graders are wrapping up their study of the world. They are writing stories about 3 types of geometric lines - parallel, convergent, and divergent. They are brushing up on their addition and subtraction facts. Their review of the 5 vertebrates has been very elaborate and it's been a pleasure to observe their scientific brains classifying different characteristics of vertebrates. Second graders are also working on word problems and using calendars to find the answers. They've also had a chance to brush up their functions of words and review the noun family and the verb family. See if they can tell you the different symbols and functions for nouns, articles, adjectives, verbs, and prepositions.
Third graders are also brushing up on their addition and subtraction facts. They've had a chance to review the types of angles we covered last year plus some others like - right angles, acute angles, obtuse angles, straight angles, and more! See if they can remember why we measure angles in degrees (hint: Sumerian scientists measuring the stars) and how many degrees are in each type of angle. In science, they have gotten into classifying different things around them - animals in particular. They are also working on telling time and reviewing the functions of words we worked on last year (noun, article, adjective, verb, preposition, adverb, pronoun).
Lots of big work happening! Please note that a lot of the students' work is being done in their notebooks. So if you're wondering why some of this work is not coming home, it is most likely because they have chosen to do that work in their notebooks.
A Note from our Creative Movement Guide
Greetings and welcome to all new and returning families! I am thrilled to have joined Great River School and be working with your children as Creative Movement Guide. Four afternoons each week we've had the pleasure of moving and grooving as we get to know each other. It is such a joy to have their engaged participation and to witness their creativity and abundant energy. If they haven't already, please encourage your child to teach you the mirror game or another one of their favorite activities that we've done--and enjoy moving together at home!
We've attached a picture of the human peace sign they made for International Day of Peace; a theme we explored during our movements last week.
Please contact me if you have questions or ideas or talents you would like to share with our group. My email is kegge@greatriverschool.org.
Grownups, I look forward to meeting those of you I haven't already met, and students I look forward to more exploration and fun through movement!
Peace,
Karin
A reminder of upcoming special events:
On Friday, October 2, we'll be going to Buttermilk Falls Farm, as you know. Please refer to the GRS Newsletter for full information. A thousand thanks to all of you that volunteered to help with this. There will be more opportunities!
On Friday, October 2, we'll be going to Buttermilk Falls Farm, as you know. Please refer to the GRS Newsletter for full information. A thousand thanks to all of you that volunteered to help with this. There will be more opportunities!
On Tuesday, October 6, in the evening, there will be a lower elementary family night--a bring-your-own-picnic event--at the area just south (and across the street from) of Comotown at Como Park. Here is a map if you need it: http://www.stpaul.gov/DocumentCenter/View/67807. Look for the West Picnic Shelter. Specific time is yet to be announced, but it will be in the range of 5:00 to 7:00pm.
On Saturday, October 10, there will be a Harvest Festival at Great River, from 2:00-5:00pm. It's a great way for all of us to build a strong school community. Look for specifics in the GRS Announcements.
On Friday, October 23, at 1:15 until 3:00, Lower Elementary West will perform the fruits of their two-week residency with the St. Paul ballet in a performance called Luna Bella. After working on campus every day for these weeks, the children will show what they've learned for anyone who wishes to come and see. Hope you can be there!
FYI:
It has been pretty incredible to see our community truly transform - even just in the last week! The students are getting used to the routine, great work is being done, and we've enjoyed observing how well they have been working and playing together.
Warm regards,
-- Jessy Eaton Fabel
Lower Elementary Guide"Our aim therefore is not merely to make the child understand, and still less to force him to memorize, but so to touch his imagination as to enthuse him to his inmost core." ~ Maria Montessori
