Specials Spotlight

Fifth graders are learning about Filipino artist Pacita Abad. She is famous for her trapunto fabric paintings which are giant, painted quilts. Her use of the elements of art and priciples of design made for a really rich art discussion that could have lasted the whole art class. Sadly, we had to end the discussion so we could start painting. Neon paints on cotton fabric rectangles will be the bases for our mini trapuntos. Fifth graders could paint whatever they wanted, and most settled on abstract designs. Next week, we will use embroidery thread to add stitching designs and beads to quilt our fabric onto batting and felt. Students are using many Studio Habits of Mind throught this process including Understanding the Art World, Observation, Engage and Persist, Develop Craft, and Stretch and Explore. Plus, they'll leave art class knowing how to use the running stitch to sew on a button or mend a ripped seam, such a great life skill.

It was another fantastically busy week of reading in the library as we got closer to Halloween! Students across all grades enjoyed a variety of festive stories and checked out a great selection of books.

Here's a look at what each grade was up to:

• PreK students enjoyed a reading of Going On a Leaf Hunt, complete with acting out the actions, singing, and dancing to fall-themed songs.

• Kindergarten listened to Monster Trouble and let their imaginations run wild drawing their own friendly monsters.

• 1st graders heard the tale of Frankencrayon and then creatively used scraps of paper to construct their very own "Frankencrayon."

• 2nd graders read How I Met My Monster and used a chart to describe their own unique monster creations.

• 3rd grade enjoyed the classic Spookley, the Square Pumpkin and then designed their own wonderfully unique pumpkin patch.

• 4th grade listened to Fright Club and put their design skills to use by sketching their own spooky clubhouse.

• 5th grade read The Widow's Broom and drew a pencil sketch of how they would use a magical broom to help them with a task.

Our Middle School Students pivoted from stories to digital literacy, beginning exciting projects to showcase their knowledge of our recent Internet Safety Lessons:

• 6th grade will be designing an informative poster using Canva.

• 7th grade is creating a class website using Google Sites.

• 8th grade is working in small groups to develop an engaging podcast.

Support Our Growing Library!

As always, if you'd like to donate books to help our library continue to grow and provide new adventures for our students, please visit our Amazon Wish List:

https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/80ZLRMVG1PGP?ref_=wl_share

Thank you for your continued support!

This week in music our youngest students will be exploring voice types. We will be practicing using our talking, whispering, singing, shouting, and thinking voices. Have fun trying these at home!

The older students are still hard at work on the various longer term projects we have started earlier in the year. Both 4th grade and 6th grade have been working on mastering their respective instruments (recorders and ukuleles), and 3rd grade will be getting back into drumming after taking a short break. They will be learning a Latin American rhythm known as "Tumbao" that is a lot of fun!

The 8th grade students have just started giving conducting a try. This is a challenging skill to work on, but my hope is that some of the 8th graders will be able to utilize their conducting skills throughout the year (maybe at Operetta and/or Songfest)!

Last week we wrapped up our Football unit, which brought tremendous growth school-wide. PreK through 1st Grade students were all able to catch at least one pass. 2nd and 3rd Grade ran a predetermined route while catching a pass. 4th and 5th Grade students incorporated offensive and defensive strategies in a modified game to score touchdowns. 2nd and 3rd Grade students also learned Gaga Ball. There will be rules posted on the Gaga Pit soon, which are more student friendly to involve everyone.

Middle School started our Volleyball unit on Friday. The first day was about consecutive rallies, in which 8th Grade led the charge with 17. This week PreK through 1st Grade students are volleying with a balloon using various body parts (hands, knees, thumbs, etc.). 2nd through 5th are demonstrating the three key skills (bump, set, and serve). There has been great progress already this week.

Last week, our 3rd graders had the opportunity to participate in a STEM activity exploring ultraviolet light (UV) rays. We began the lesson with a video and a brief discussion to build their background knowledge on the topic.

The goal of the activity was for students to test a hypothesis about which common materials (tin foil, plastic, or fabric) best block UV light. The first class successfully went outside to conduct their experiments using the sun as their UV source. They did a fantastic job testing their materials and collecting data!

Unfortunately, by the time the second group was ready, it started to rain and we had to move back to the STEAM Lab inside the building.

Although it was disappointing that we did not get to complete the activity due to rain, it actually provided a great opportunity back in the STEAM Lab. The kids got to test using our regular lights and flashlights. They discovered that neither of these sources give off any UV rays. This was a great way to reinforce that UV light comes mostly from the sun, and the lights we use inside are totally different!

Don't worry, the second group will definitely get their chance to finish their experiment outside and grab that final data soon!