ACS Athens Elementary School - The Muse April 2014

ACS ATHENS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL THE MUSE

Volume 3, Issue 2 April 2014

Message from the Principal Reflecting on the wonderful exhibitions of learning in the Elementary School as the second trimester came to an end, this newsletter will give you a glimpse of what was happening in the classrooms and around our school. We can celebrate the positive energy, creativity and enthusiasm that you will find as you read these pages. We are very proud of our children!

One of the key themes weaved into the Elementary School students’ academic life throughout this year is that of "good citizenship."

The topic was not limited to items related solely to civic responsibility, but rather it was interpreted to include the importance towards the development of personal character.

We have illustrated examples of how respect of others, personal responsibility and appropriate behavior is just as important in being a good citizen, as it is to following laws in society. We have further developed this concept with the students to include the importance of ethos, defined here as “doing

the right thing when no one is watching”. The children’s exhibitions of learning further reinforce how these key themes promote teamwork and ultimately establish the basis of being a good leader.

Leadership is a core/ fundamental theme we teach, and being a good citizen, a good individual, and a good team player are the first steps in becoming a great leader.

We cannot thank our PTO enough for organizing the Teacher/Staff Appreciation Week (March 11-14) culminating with a luncheon not to be forgotten. Your continued support is greatly appreciated.

Student—Led Conferences are scheduled in May. Parents will be asked to come in, according to scheduled appointment, on one of the two days to attend a conference led by your child.

A letter will be sent home the beginning of May, with details about the conferences.

Once again kindly be reminded, as the weather is getting better and children may want to stay after school, Elementary School students cannot be on campus without parental supervision.

The safety of the children is of paramount importance.

Spring Break this year will be from April 11th through April 22nd.

Plan to spend time with your children guiding them in acquiring positive habits.

Museum visits, art exhibitions, nature walks, athletic events, interesting films, popular theatrical productions can be most rewarding for everyone.

Lastly, in order to assist us in planning for the next school year, it is imperative for us to know your intentions for your child(ren) attending the ACS Athens Elementary School for the 2014-2015 school year.

Once we have this important information, we will be able to plan for the number of sections we will need for each grade level. If you have not already notified the office please do so as soon as possible.

Enjoy the Spring Break with your family.

Sincerely, Cathy Makropoulos Elementary School Principal

Message from the Assistant Principal The ACS Athens 3R’s: Citizenship in Action There’s been some Really, Remarkable Rumblings recently in the elementary school! You may have already seen or heard of it. Our ACS Athens Second Graders have been hard at work these last few months learning the 3 R’s: being Respectful, Responsible, and Ready and they are ready to share that work with the rest of the school! These traits are the seeds that grow successful students, both academically and emotionally, and we are already seeing great things sprouting from this hard work.

So far, the second graders have been practicing the elements of the 3R’s in their homeroom classrooms, special classes, and around the school.

They have been creating a “compliment chain” with new links added for the demonstration of these behaviors, have held three monthly “Village Meetings” to recognize those students doing an especially good job with each of the “R’s”, and have been breaking in a new school song, and even “professionally” recorded it!

The response from this initiative has been an amazing team builder for students and teachers alike. It has been such a successful pilot in the second grade that we are very proud to announce the second grade will also take on the role of “teacher”, and in the coming months will begin leading the expansion of this

initiative in ACS Athens Citizenship to the rest of our elementary student body.

It is our goal through this program that our children will develop self-confidence, build self-esteem, and gain sovereignty over themselves while working positively in our community of learners.

We look forward to sharing this work with all of you very soon!

Ways You Can Support the ACS Athens 3R’s at Home Being Respectful We can help our children be respectful of others by modeling basic social interactions, saying “please”, “thank you”, and “excuse me” to each other, our children, and people we come in contact with on a daily basis.

As well, modeling respect of others even when we disagree with them is a valuable way for children to successfully adopt respectful behaviors.

Being Responsible Te a c h i n g responsibility makes your children more self-reliant and independent.

Some ways you can do this is by assigning children some a g e - a p p r o p r i a t e accountability such as picking up after themselves, self care such as brushing their own teach or dressing themselves, or having another age-appropriate “job” at home. Certainly, modeling any skill, in this case that of responsibility, is the best way to teach it.

Being Ready This skill goes along with becoming more self-reliant.

In order to promote readiness, please allow your child opportunities to practice this, such as packing their own backpack.

You can also begin to use timers at home that give them clues for how much longer they have, for example, until it is time to get their shoes on, get in the car to go to school, or when homework time needs to begin or end.

One very important way to help your child be ready is to get and keep them organized so they know where everything is and can easily “get ready” by themselves when it is time.

Using the Language of the 3R’s Please reinforce these concepts by using the language we are using in school. Tell your child when they are doing a good job being Respectful, Responsible, or Ready. Please be specific in your praise in order for that praise to be most effective.

Thank you for your support and reinforcement as we work collectively towards the same goal!

Ginger Carlson Elementary School Assistant Principal

Junior Kindergarten News Dear Parents, The JK has started a new and exciting unit on “Insects and Spiders”. The children are exploring these wonderful creatures and learning about their habitats. As we often do in JK, we continue to use games, songs, and stories to investigate and find out about insects and spiders.

Look forward to your child sharing his/her art projects with you! Be sure to ask them about the different creatures and about their characteristics. If you find yourselves spending time outdoors with your family, take the time to discuss and count the different insects you come across. This is a great way to reinforce counting skills as well as make a meaningful home—school connection!

In addition, we will soon be turning our Dramatic Play Area into a “Flower Shop”. Dramatic play helps to develop children's creativity and imaginations. This “flower shop” play area will let them experience adult activities like working in a store and shopping for flowers as they pretend to arrange, order and deliver flowers to their classmates. In this area, students will be provided with artificial flowers and plants, vases and pots, misting bottles, watering cans and small cards to put on flower arrangements. Tissue paper and ribbon will also be used for decorating their arrangements. Children will also be working with a cash register with play money, aprons, and a notebook and pencil for taking orders.

We would also like to take this opportunity to thank all of our room parents who have done such a wonderful job organizing our holiday parties this year. We truly appreciate all your help and look forward to working with you through the rest of the school year!

And remember… if you ever have any questions or concerns about your child’s progress and achievements, please do not hesitate to contact us or make an appointment to discuss your concerns.

Ms. Vicki and Ms. Korinna

Kindergarten News

The Kindergartners were swirling in action during the second trimester. They have completed all the alphabet letters! Our Red Hot Readers program is going very well; we love to hear the children read with such confidence and interest.

We have been reading all kinds of print…

from a long list of high frequency words to our morning messages, calendar words, short stories with Backpack Bear, and other books in our classroom library. We have also become writers! Our monthly journals include lines that provide space for writing about directed themes related to books that we have read, to our unit topics. We are working on adding more details to our drawings and writing to describe events.

The kindergarteners use finger spacers to write words on their own and have become

aware of conventions such as beginning a sentence with a capital letter and ending it with a period! Our interactive writing sessions are great fun and the students love to engage in educational group activities on the Starboard including hangman, word machine, and sentence construction games.

The children are impressive in their math skills by adding to find ways to make different

Kindergarten News continued numbers up go 10. We use 10 frames, unifix cubes, and other manipulatives to first build a problem and then solve it using our individual math skills. We are sorting objects up to 10 in each group and prove we can sort more than this just by cleaning up our toys after free time! We continue to recognize patterns and make graphs; we even vote many times in our class to find out what our preferences are for foods, activities, hobbies, etc. We reached 100 days of school and celebrated with activities galore!

We continue to practice counting to 100 by ones and tens and looking at place value using tens and ones.

Our happy helper of the day is in charge of this activity as well as the weather graph and calendar.

We completed our social studies unit Seasons, by reading many fiction and non-fiction books about how the weather changes. We discovered how we dress in each season, what happens to nature as the weather changes, and we even conducted experiments such as making rain in a bag and a cloud in a jar. We also created collages representing various activities we do, colors we see and clothes we wear in each season.

through the adding of artwork on our bulletin board as we read stories and discuss what makes a neighborhood. So far we have made houses, shops, hospitals, fire and police station, schools, parks, and more to come. We will expand on neighborhood with our next unit about Community Helpers.

Kindergartners have much to be proud of as we definitely are proud of them!

Ms. Anna and Ms. Stavi

Our unit about Neighborhoods has become interactive

1st Grade News Dear Parents, As you are all aware, Captain Chip has helped make your child’s first grade experience that much more rewarding.

Thanks to shelterpups.com, we each have a little puppy in our classroom that helps us read and inspires us to share & care, play, and write in a nightly journal. We gladly welcome Island, Black Jack, and Atlas to our team.

Due to the success of The Life of Captain Chip in the first grade, we have now

introduced phase two: PAWS in Action. On Thursdays, Captain Chip and your child/ ren work closely with dog trainer extraordinaire – Theo Koutsopoulos.

The focus is on Meet and Greet Etiquette: Training basic commands with treats.

First graders are learning how to use specific commands to achieve set goals. In turn, this will improve students’ self esteem as they see Captain Chip respond to their requests and Captain Chip learns to respect the command

requested because of pack leadership. By learning how to stand strong and use their voices to elicit a response in Captain Chip, our first graders are learning important life lessons in respect, s e l f - e s t e e m a n d empowerment. Students work as teams to help each other and the rewards are

1st Grade News continued immediate! One of our goals with PAWS in Action mirrors the vision of the school – having students become architects of their own learning. Learning how to train Captain Chip will give First graders a tangible experience in leadership, thus empowering students to become accountable decision makers in all areas of life. We welcome the PAWS in Action program as we know it will be instrumental in focusing, channeling and connecting positive energy and memories this school year.

This has been a very special trimester – from Valentine’s Day School to the 100th Day of

celebration, and lastly – a celebration of learning with our “Mad Scientist” Special Sharing Investigations. With all this said and done, we are looking forward to our new unit on plants, with our noses to the ground and green thumbs ready while we reach for the sun and grow! Please feel free to send in any packets of seeds that need planting as well as any potted plants/ flowers – as our classrooms will be transforming into Greenhouses before our very eyes!

Parent-Teacher conferences preceding Spring Break.

Ms. Birbil, Ms. Lamprou, Ms. Safaris

We are looking forward to meeting with you during

2nd Grade News In this trimester, s e c o n d graders have d e l v e d further into operations in mathematics as well as working with American and European units of currency and standards of measurement. We learned how to read nonfiction across the curriculum areas, accessing our schema and making connections with new information. These experiences were instrumental in helping us create our own nonfiction chapter books which we researched, wrote, and illustrated.

We spent time exploring balance and motion and the way objects move when affected by gravity and other forces. We proudly presented our projects about our

communities in Greece, showcasing our research and speaking skills. We are now traveling to Africa. It is very exciting learning about the highest mountain and the longest river in that continent. As we are learning

something new every day, we are also taking into account our 3 “R’s” Ready, Responsible, and Respectful!

Ms. Merrill, Ms. Moros, Ms. Spiliot

3rd Grade News

The highlight of the second trimester for third grade was our living wax museum. This social studies and language arts project enveloped many skills both new and old, furthering their abilities to apply the writing process and learn how to research a figure from the community who has contributed to society. The children not only learned about their chosen figure but they also gained knowledge from their classmates during this project. They did an excellent job giving their speeches and dressed up as their characters for the museum. We had many positive comments from students, teachers and parents.

In addition, third graders learned how to develop a thesis and write a five paragraph essay.

Their thesis ideas

ranged from personal interests to observations from daily life. Entries in their journals evolved into essays including small narratives to share their ideas and thoughts with the reader. In reading, we have been delving into nonfiction books, both informational and narrative. They have been working on highlighting parts of texts, answering questions and als o t aking one nonfiction book of their choice and putting their notes into a PowerPoint presentation during technology class.

this trimester so that all the third grade teachers and students have more time to interact. We visited the Lavrio museum last month to participate in a hands-on activity with rocks and minerals, which relates with our Earth Materials science unit.

All in all, a fantastic trimester in third grade!

Mr. Maloff, Ms. Mukri, Ms. Theodoropoulou

The math skills we focused on were multiplication, division and geometry. In math class, we try to balance the lessons by using manipulatives, Starboard activities and games in addition to the textbook.

Math skills are better developed if the children can visualize problems and build models to represent numbers and problems.

We continue to do our science units where the children rotate classrooms

4th Grade News In Math, students re-visited the concept of division while utilizing their knowledge of multiplication, as well as the use of arrays, to solve division problems up to dividing a 3-digit number by a 1-digit number. Students also explored fractions and decimals conceptually and procedurally.

During the second trimester, students completed two units: The Structures of Life or the Water Science Units and the Social Studies Unit of South America. In Science, students further developed their skills in predicting, experimenting, comparing, recognizing relationships, and observation.

In Social Studies, each student focused on researching a South American country and applying various presentation skills during the exhibition. Students also had the opportunity to develop their reading and writing skills by critically analyzing non-fiction text, constructing an outline and applying it as a guide to write and present a thorough research report. Finally, students wrote their own clever folktales after reading authentic South American folktales for inspiration.

They worked on adding and subtracting fractions, as well as multiplying fractions by whole numbers.

Students converted, compared, and simplified fractions and were also introduced to expressing fractions as decimals. We will continue working on more thought-provoking problem solving activities, such as Math Olympiad problems, in order to extend our th grade knowledge of 4 mathematics.

In Language Arts, students continued to read various genres and present very informative and creative book projects. Parents joined our February book report presentations and the students really shined and took pride in their work.

We also worked on persuasive writing and learned about the organization and structure of a persuasive letter.

Students learned the importance of stating the counter-argument and using convincing language to get their point across.

We have started off the third and last trimester productively and creatively.

We cannot believe how fast the year is flying by and we thank you for all of your time and support.

Ms. Vagras, Ms. Killam, Ms. Koutsioukis

5th Grade News

Fifth grade students have been discussing and learning about colonization in America and the Revolutionary War during Social Studies. To supplement this theme, 5th graders read The Sign of the Beaver. This historical novel vividly portrays early settlement life on the frontier during this important time period of American History.

Fifth graders also continued working on independent reading in Reading Workshop and/or Literature Circles, during this trimester.

written essays, summaries, and literature responses to enhance their learning.

Students have been construct ing organized, well-composed paragraphs supported with important facts and details.

During Language Arts students have been reviewing grammar rules as well as tips for writing correctly and clearly.

Students worked hard on the previous Mixtures and Solutions unit exploring how to separate and combine substances. They learned experimental procedure, how to work in collaborative teams and write up lab reports. They also researched an element and presented their findings in a PowerPoint report. We also completed the Levers & Pulleys unit in which the students also participated in many exciting experiments and practiced the skills of writing up lab reports. On one special day we invited parents to participate in a lab experiment as our exhibition of learning!

We have completed the Fractions Unit in Math, and have also completed a Unit on Multiplying and Dividing Decimals and then Variables and Expressions which is a Unit on introducing the students to Algebraic concepts and thinking. Now we are starting Geometry and looking forward to a very special field trip to the Herakleidon Museum where we will discov er t he connections between math and art.

We are all hard at work, as Middle School will soon be here!

In Writing Workshop our focus has been on writing memoirs.

Students have learned the technique of showing an event rather than just telling about it, and have learned to add many details to make their stories come alive. Students have also

Ms. Coklas, Ms. Maratou

Ms.

Kynigou,

Optimal Learning News that they can influence their success rate and can state what affected their lower grade, for example. Attributions can also be categorized as ‘stable’ or ‘unstable’, as they indicate whether a student demonstrates consistency in their perception of their personal failures and successes.

Who's Fault Is it, Anyway?

Attribute Theory and Motivation While researching online, I came upon the article in Education World “Who’s Fault is it, Anyway? Attribute Theory and Motivation” by Chick Moorman. The article explains how students view their personal successes and failures.

What the article goes on to explain, is that some children are able to acknowledge the relationship between their effort and their success, while others don’t. Attributions, which are the links between effort and success or failure, can be either external or internal. Those who make external attributions are the ones who ‘blame’ external factors for their failures, for example “the teacher put the wrong questions on the test” or “it wasn’t explained well” or “it wasn’t my lucky day”. They perceive success as something beyond their control. The ones who make internal attributions are the ones who can make statements such as “I stayed up too late and couldn’t focus for the test”, “I didn’t review for History”, “I know these are difficult words and I could have practiced more”. They know

This has great relevance to us as teachers and parents.

Once we have observed our students’ reactions to their successes and failures, we can begin using “teacher talk” which Moorman describes as “skillfully designed” talk that provides direct feedback. By making statements such as "John, your test score went up again. Using note cards seems to work for you as a study aid”, or “Maria, choosing not to complete the make-up assignments hurt your grade this time” helps students connect their results with 1) effort, 2) strategy or ability and 3) it helps “them take responsibility in the present and raise expectations for the future.” The next step will be for the student to recognize what exactly contributed to his or her success, so that he or she can use the same strategy again. Moorman states that the goal is for students to see “the cause and effect” relationship between their behavior and a successful outcome in order to experience the maximum benefit from the experience”.

I suggest we all listen to what our students and children are saying about their personal successes and failures and once we have determined how they connect with each experience we should guide them towards recognizing what part they had in it.

On a different note, I would like to inform you of a new pilot program that has been taking place at ACS Athens.

I have been participating in two Homerooms (one in the 1st Grade and one in the 2nd Grade), and the activities therein, twice a week since October. I have been working with small groups and with individual students, to help support the learning needs of thesse two classes. My time spent there has been highly rewarding and I enjoy watching student growth in the larger setting.

Ms. Kaldelli

News from the Art Room Greetings from the Art Room!

artwork. Both the process and product will be documented and used for the Elementary School yearbook.

Stay tuned for more information about this year’s yearbook!

We have been very busy in the Elementary School creating artworks in a variety of media.

Just to name a few of our most recent projects:

Ms. Stauffer

Our 1st grade artists have been busy creating small buildings out of papier mache—covered juice boxes and are now making Faith Rinngold—inspired memory drawings.

In 5 th grade we’ve been exploring sculpture: first, abstract sculpture with wire and wood, and now in clay to create animal heads inspired by the sphinx at Delphi.

And finally, Kindergarten is exploring overlapping shapes both with tube fish in the secondary colors, and now with owl collages.

In 4th grade we focused on positive, negative space studies and large collaborative animal forms to supplement the interactive museum on South America.

Our 3 r d grade students assembled small Haitian Tap Taps (colorful buses) which are hanging from the cafeteria ceiling, and are now working on layered paper artworks depicting jungle scenes.

In 2nd grade we made Dr. Seuss self-portraits and Kandinsky hands; now we’re exploring perspective through Monet– inspired water lily paintings.

The next several weeks will involve a collaborative effort across all grades to create a small scale model of the Elementary School.

Each child will have a hand in this

News from the Music Room Music is a way of expressing oneself and applies to all ages!

During lessons, students are guided through the learning of the basic ideas of music. They listen, learn, compose and perform music from different parts of the world and of different styles. They are encouraged to use a number of tuned and untuned instruments.

Their presentation during the Winter Concert where they performed music to the accompaniment of a live band was met with great success.

Kindergarten students have been focusing on the basic elements of music. They explore and learn music through a number of games and activities. Kinesthetic learning is largely used in music les s on s.

St ud ent s ar e encouraged to utilize the music vocabulary they learn.

Well done Kindergarten!

First grade students have been exploring ways of reading and writing music. They have learned how to read and create graphic scores. They have composed, notated, and performed their own music with awareness of the different parts and instruments involved. They have also learned about the different families of instruments and have expanded their music vocabulary. First grade should be proud of their achievements this trimester. Well done First grade!

Second Grade students were introduced to the worlds of Prokofiev's 'Peter and the Wolf' and to Orchestral Music. They learned a lot of facts about the orchestra, its setting, the instruments involved, about how music and specific instruments can express moods, emotions, and the action of a story itself. They also composed their own music for a cartoon and played along with the action on the screen. Second grade were also introduced to xylophones, metallophones, and glockenspiels. They learned to recognize and follow the direction of pitch in music and use this knowledge accordingly.

Well done Second grade!

Third grade students have been developing their recorder skills and their understanding of traditional notation. They also learned about Structure in music and have implemented their knowledge through compositions and performances of their and other peoples' music. Group work has been at the core of music lessons with students learning how to work successfully in teams and how to solve problems.

Well done Third Grade!

Fourth grade students have been developing their recorder, music notation, and team work skills. They learned the very important musical device in music called ground bass and performed music in two part harmony. A handful of students also gave a beautiful demonstration of salsa music during the museum event which was a commendable thing to do!

A very well done to Fourth Grade!

Fifth grade students were taught the blues. Learning about the history of the blues and the importance of this style of music was very exciting for all students.

Using instruments such as recorders, xylophones, and also in some cases guitars, we played the 12-bar blues bass line and chords.

Students then formed their own bands and composed lyrics and melody that were

News from the Music Room continued based on the blues scale.

Well done to Fifth grade!

News from the Computer Lab! .

All Kindergarten—5th grade student presentation during the Winter Concert where they performed music to the accompaniment of a live band was met with great success!

Bravo to all students!

Ms. Apostolou

Kindergarten and first grade students have been working on reading and math concepts with www.morestarfall.com.

First graders have taken it one step further with learning how to use the word processor for their writing.

Second grade students used “Storybook Weaver” to illustrate and write about their knowledge on sea turtles and on different types of communities. They have also worked on beginning research skills for their unit on Africa!

Third graders researched information for their bibliographies for their “Wax Museum”. They have also learned how to use “PowerPoint” to create electronic book reports on a fiction or non-fiction book that they have read. They are currently working on a Web Quest on China.

In connection with the unit on South America, fourth

graders researched South American countries and animals.

They then applied their findings to create PowerPoint presentations and to make brochures using Microsoft Publisher.

Fourth grade students also used the MIT program SCRATCH where they learned how to write scripts (basic programming) to create an animation.

Fifth grade students have been working on their keyboarding s k i l l s w i t h www.typingweb.com. They are competing for top keyboarding speed and accuracy skills.

They have also participated in the Fifth grade blog by adding their writings and offering comments to classmates’ entries while practicing their “Blog etiquette”. In addition, fifth graders are working on “Google Sketchup” where they have created some interesting 3D models of houses.

Ms. Sarantes

News from the ESL 3rd , 4th & 5th grade

I am very proud of all my students as they are doing a wonderful job and I would also like to congratulate those who exited ESL successfully!

1st & 2nd grade 1st graders have successfully finished their Starfall Series and now moved on the Pearson Language Center 1 books, the textbook, where they work on various units to expand their speaking skills, their vocabulary and background knowledge.

2nd graders are working hard on their grammar units and have successfully finished the plurals; they are currently working on the present and the past tenses.

Both grades love singing our thematically—based songs, like “Mr Tinam, the Robot” while discussing shapes and adjectives.

All these songs will be given to the students in a booklet at the Student—Led Conferences!

Grades 3 – 5 have come a long way since the beginning of the school y e a r , especially the beginning classes! They all seem to be fast learners and enjoy studying the English language in depth.

They are all working eagerly on all skills and continue to display progress day by day.

Last, but not least, please continue encouraging your child to practice their English outside of school!

Reading a book together in English is a great way to familiarize your child with old and new words while also working on comprehension. The internet has some fantastic sources, like

News from the Arabic Classes

The Arabic classes have been busy working on their curriculum and doing their best in every level.

In the current month, KG students are ready to complete the alphabet in Arabic and will start reviewing the letters in their new alphabet book.

In first grade, students are excited working in their new textbooks and have started to read paragraphs and to fill in sentences correctly.

Our second graders are reading short stories and answering reading comprehension questions in writing.

http://reading.ecb.org/ for reading material, or you can have fun together at www.pbskids.org

In grade three, along with reading, students are focusing on grammar, writing sentences, and spelling.

Ms. Gaki

Our fourth and fifth graders have done a great job reading stories, spelling new vocabulary, and working on challenging grammar activities.

Well done for all the effort and progress.

Ms. Accari

News from the Greek Classes Greek classes have been l e a r n i n g a b o u t Apokries” (Greek Carnival) and the customs that take place during this time. They have also celebrated the Greek Independence Day. The Elementary School performance took place on March 21st at the Theater at ACS. All students (JK-5) of Greek classes performed on stage.

Congratulations to all all students who participated in the celebration of the Greek National Day! In the months of January and February: Greek Language A classes (Greek native and nearnative speakers): Students in grades 3—5 started to work on their history books: 3rd grade “Odyssey” / “Stone Age”, 4th grade “Persian Wars” / “Ancient Athens (Golden grade Age)” and 5th Byzantine history.

They have also been working hard on various writing activities and grammar units (i.e. ten parts of speech, verbendings, conjugation of nouns, and tenses).

Our JK students have worked on the units: “Numbers”, “Fairy Tales”, and learned fun songs.

KG students have completed

their second alphabet book.

They are now working on their final alphabet workbook.

In grade 1, students progressing in reading writing.

are and

In grade 2, students have been working hard in Gr eek grammar, especially in articles and nouns.

They have also read many interesting stories and poems.

Greek Language B classes (non-native speakers) KG students are doing a wonderful job practicing songs connected to various units of study! Since the winter break we have been working on fall and winter, the weather, the numbers, clothes; we have talked about feelings and body parts.

We have also been reading stories!

1st graders have completed the first part of the book that refers to the recognition, the sound, and the writing of the letters of the Greek alphabet. We are reviewing all the vocabulary taught so far through speaking (recognizing / labeling objects in pictures) and singing.

In 2nd grade, students are still working on thematically based vocabulary through rhyming.

They have finished books 2 and 3 from the textbooks and have just started with the 4th, through which they are familiarized with the

combination sounds like γγ, ου, τσ, etc.

3rd graders are still trying to help Zoggo, their textbook hero, learn Greek and teach him some grammar!

After having worked hard on all units of study from the book so far and having mastered the grammar that refers to plurals, adjectives, present tense, and personal pronouns, 4th graders have started learning about wild animals!

In 5th grade, students are still learning the Greek language using all skills (reading, writing, speaking and listening) through everyday situation dialogues.

Well done to all hard-working students!

our

Ms. Stratoglou, Ms. Rovoli, Ms. Papageorgiou

BUSY BEES IN P.E. “A VARIETY OF CHALLENGES IN P.E.” Are you ready to be challenged?

Are you ready to be stopped?

We’re the mighty ACS Athens Elementary students And we’re reaching for the top!

Many units have been taught in P.E. since December. All students, K-5, were

introduced and challenged in the units of volleyball and softball. Students learned about each sport’s history, rules and regulations, and all the skills involved in executing each task successfully.

Each grade l e v e l obtained the skills that are relevant to their age group and capabilities.

Students had fun learning all about the vocabulary included in each unit, as well as all the equipment needed to be worn for safety reasons.

Students were also assessed on each unit’s content standards and benchmarks, and they got the opportunity to see what assessment in P.E. is like through mini and fun games.

Students in Kindergarten and 1st grade also learned all

about the fast and furious game of broomball. Broomball was first played in Canada in the early 1900’s by street car workers using a ball and corn brooms! The sport evolved and was brought down to the U.S. It was reportedly played in Minnesota, which is considered the birthplace of U.S.A. broomball. Broomball is very similar to ice hockey, and it contains most of the same rules and regulations.

The sport of broomball helps students to acquire many skills, some of which include: hand-eye coordination, shielding, trapping, throwing, and dodging. It also teaches students social skills, some of which include: teamwork, sportsmanship, guidance, cooperation, motivation.

While broomball was being played, grades 2-5 were acquiring the necessary knowledge and skills needed to play street hockey, and they began to see the connection between eye and hand coordination.

They have had loads of fun learning and mastering the skills involved in playing street hockey, as well as the rules and regulations, and what it takes to be a united team.

Additionally, students in grades K—5 experienced the

racket game of badminton.

The object of the game is to hit the birdie back and forth over the net without permitting it to hit the floor in bounds on your side of the net.

The students learned about the history of badminton, and all of its rules and regulations. They also learned all the skills involved in playing badminton, as well as the different racket hits (lob, drop, smash, and drive.) All s t u d e n t s enjoyed this wonderful game of deception as they played mini games of doubles.

Currently, all students, K-5, are being exposed to a mini-tennis unit. They are being introduced to the basic concepts of mini tennis.

They are learning all about the tennis regulations and the vocabulary that is involved in the sport. This unit enhances the students’ motor skills, movement patterns, and improves their hand-eye coordination.

As you can see, our students are constantly being challenged while learning a variety of sports and activities, and while acquiring the necessary skills needed to participate in each task. Swimming has started and coming up next ... wall climbing, track and field, and much more! Stay tuned and drop by anytime to see your children in action. Thank you!

Ms. Salouros and Mr. Kourtis