More Fun in February

What an amazing February week in Lower School.  First of all, the weather has been absolutely delightful.  Everyone seems to have a “spring” in his or her step thanks to this nice shot of warm weather.  Secondly, there have been so many wonderful events this week.  Please continue reading to see pictures and highlights from the many special opportunities that came our way this week.

Monday was Valentine’s Day.  The students arrived in a sea of red, pink, white, and purple.  The Parents’ Association Valentine’s Day Dance was a huge success.  The DJ was great at getting the kids involved and teaching lots of dances.  After working up a sweat from dancing, the kids could have drinks and snacks provided by the Parents’ Association.  Thank you to everyone who decorated and organized the event.  Lots of fun was had by all!  Check out some pictures from this special day.

The School Internet Safety Symposium was held on Wednesday.  Students in grades 1-12 participated in many different activities throughout the day.  First and Second graders attended a NetSmartz presentation by Mrs. Congregane and Mrs. Meier in the morning. Their classroom teachers facilitated follow-up discussions about the information presented to them.

Third, Fourth, and Fifth graders attended a different NetSmartz presentation with Mrs. Burg and Mrs. Meier, as well as a talk by FBI agent Steve about how to stay safe on the internet.  They asked lots of good questions during the presentations.   As with the younger students, the classroom teachers facilitated follow up discussions in their rooms.  Here are a couple of pictures from the event.

Overall, I feel the Internet Safety event was a great success.  I had the students share things they had learned that day at lunch and students from every grade level had something important to share.  With the advances in technology and our ever-changing world, I feel it is so important to be proactive with Internet safety.  Please feel free to visit www.netsmartz.org to learn more about Internet safety and see the presentations your children did during our symposium.

On Thursday, some fourth and fifth grade students performed at our Winter Lower School Cabaret.  We had singers, pianists, a dancer, a drummer, and a Tabla player.  The students did a wonderful job and are incredibly talented.  It takes quite a bit of confidence to come up and perform in front of your peers.  The rest of the Lower School did a fantastic job as the audience.  I appreciated how well they listened to their classmates while enjoying their lunches.  Good manners are certainly something to be proud of in our students.  I can’t wait for the Spring Cabaret!

Notes and Reminders

-There is no school for students on Monday, February 21^st due to Presidents’ Day and on Tuesday, February 22^nd due to a Faculty In-service Day.  There is ENCORE available on Tuesday.

-Second Trimester report cards will be mailed the week of February 28^th.  Please look over your child’s report card before coming to your parent/teacher conference.

-Parent/Teacher Conferences are on Friday, March 4^th.  If you haven’t signed up already please contact your child’s teacher to make arrangements to attend.  There is no school for students that day, but ENCORE is available starting at 8:00.

-The Upper School Musical this year is Beauty and the Beast.  It starts on Friday, March 4^th and runs through Sunday, March 6^th.

Have a fantastic weekend!

Mrs. Baier

February Fun

The first snowy recess was certainly a hit with the students.  Just getting outside was quite invigorating.  I enjoyed helping some students build a snowman on the playground.  Please continue to send boots and other snow gear with your students on these warm winter days.  We will go out to enjoy the weather as much as possible.  Here are some pictures from that first snowy recess.

Thursday night is Lower School Family Night.  Our theme this year is Healthy Bodies, Healthy Minds.  The teachers and students have come up with some great activities.  The event will take place mainly in the AP Room with a couple of classrooms in the lower school being used, as well.  A program of activities will be available when you arrive.  We will all gather in the AP Room at 6:30 where I will give a brief overview of the program before sending people off to the locations of the various activities.  The event runs from 6:30-7:30.  Please join us!

Today I took a group of parents on a tour after our Admissions Information Session.  I love the Information Sessions during the week because it truly gives parents a chance to see what makes our school such a special place.  I have to share some of the activities we saw today. 

·      5^th graders were having a class discussion in science about the layers of the earth and how fossils are made and settle into the layers.

·      2^nd graders in Science and Technology were talking about germs and the experiment they had just completed to grow germs.  For their experiment they touched potatoes, blew on potatoes, and rubbed them in various places in the classroom to see which ones grow more germs.   I can’t wait to see the results of their experiment.

·      There were 4^th graders presenting their paper bag book reports on a historical fiction book.  They summarized their book and then pulled items out of a bag that were related to their book.  As the students pulled out the items, they had to explain why they were chosen to represent the book. It was not only a valuable academic lesson, but a great public speaking opportunity.

·      One 1^st grade class was performing Reader’s Theater with the Three Billy Goats Gruff.  Later, those students went down and performed in front of the Kindergarten class to give them a taste of what they can look forward to in 1^st grade. 

This is just a taste of what we saw and really made for some great discussion among the tour group.  Thank you to our teachers for providing these opportunities on a daily basis for our students!

Upcoming Events

-February 14^th is the Lower School Valentine’s Day Dance.  Your child’s teacher has information on the times for their class.  Students may dress in red, white, pink, or purple that day.  If they do not have red, white, pink, or purple pants or skirts, students should wear regular uniform pants.  No jeans please!

-The Lower School is closed in honor of President’s Day on Monday, February 21^st.  On Tuesday,February 22^nd school is closed for a teacher inservice.  There is ENCORE available on February 22^nd.

Have a wonderful week!

Mrs. Baier