Muse December 2014

ACS ATHENS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Volume 4, Issue 1 December 2014

THE MUSE

Message from the Principal As the end of the calendar year is soon approaching and we can take a quick look back over the first four months of school, it is very obvious that the first trimester has been a very active and eventful one here at the ACS Athens Elementary School. The children are involved in learning in so many ways.

First trimester report cards will be posted on Skyward Family Educator Access for all of our students. All of them deserve a pat on the back for their efforts. If, for whatever reason they may not be performing up to their ability then we need to work together to help them be more successful next trimester. The key once again is the home—school connection and it makes all the difference in the world.

Thanks again for your continued support and interest.

Now that we are off for our holiday break, the work will be interrupted for this short period of time but learning

will continue is so many ways.

When the children come back in January they will be bursting with stories of their vacations and the exciting things they did.

We will welcome them back to our learning community for the activities of the months ahead.

For updates or changes in our calendar, please check our website at www.acs.gr. Visiting our website is a quick and easy method to stay informed. Also please be reminded that Elementary School parents now have access to moodle where you can find documents such as the Elementary School Handbook as well as the Curriculum at a Glance.

Furthermore, The Muse, our newsletter, will also be available on the website at the end of each trimester. There you can be informed about all the wonderful learning opportunities and experiences

your children have been involved in throughout each trimester.

The last day of school before our holiday break is December 19th.

Classes resume January 7th, 2015.

With the New Year just around the corner let me thank each of you for your support during the past year.

Coming to work each day is indeed a pleasure for me. Let me also, wish you and your family the very best wishes for the year to come. Cherish the magic of the holidays with your children, family and friends.

Sincerely, Cathy Makropoulos, Elementary School Principal

Message from the Assistant Principal Pearls on a String: How Reading Aloud Links Our Brains and Souls

By Ginger Carlson, Assistant Principal The poet Julius Lester says literature is a way to "link our souls like pearls on a string, bringing us together in a shared and luminous humanity." As you head into this holiday season and new year ahead, there is no better way to use literature to "link our souls" than through the family read aloud.

devour their books and really enter the world created for them on the page.

Reading aloud can happen in many ways, at many times, for many different purposes.

Reading aloud:

Begin Your Day with Reading



Take a few moments in the morning to read a shared few lines of poetry or introduce a new story.

Or, before children even get out of bed in the morning, continue reading the same chapter book you fell asleep reading together the night before. Use it as a point of connection as you begin your day.

helps our children know what it is to lose themselves in the drama of a story



develops a positive attitude toward books as a source of pleasure and information



increases vocabulary



expands the child's knowledge base



satisfies and heightens curiosity Cuddling up for a good read is one of the most special times in the lives of  stimulates imagination a family. Yet, as our  stimulates understanding children grow as readers, of language patterns and become more independent in their  sharpens observation skills reading, it becomes easier and easier for us to give up  enhances listening skills our read-alouds. But, we mustn't. If there is one  promotes self-confidence single thing that parents and self-esteem can do to continue to help our children grow as  offers many new friends readers and learners (even since book characters can bewhen they may already come quite real reading Chaucer's Tales independently) it is  helps develop problem solving skills and critical thinking continuing to read aloud.

The Benefits of a Read Aloud



encourages positive social interaction

Reading aloud is perhaps  helps them to become successful readers who love the single most important books thing we as parents can do to help create proficient So how can we link our souls to and avid readers who help along all these wondrous happenings?

Revisit Old Favorites Revisit books that your kids have loved or even just kind of liked in the past. Find new magic in them together. Let the stories be re-experienced and see what comes up. Revisiting books again and again can offer your readers new ways to look at a story they already know. They will see new richness in the piece when given the opportunity to hear it time and again, and may grow to have a deeper understanding of messages that lie within the text.

Read What They Love Support your child's interests by reading aloud non-fiction books about what really lights your kids' fires. Start with simple texts that introduce the subject they are interested in and move to more complex text. By starting simple, you will poise your children to learn more so that they can get more out of the more complex texts. Once you do move to the more complex texts (often being something they wouldn't be able to comfortably tackle on their own),

Message from the Assistant Principal continued... you will help them So grab your choice and make increase their vocabulary read aloud time special again. and their understanding.

Turn off the lights. Get that cozy lamp going. Flop on pilModel a Love of Reading lows in the living room or curl One of the single most up in bed together. And don't important habits we can forget to try to do it every day. help children develop in Even as your children become seemingly don't their reading is an older and engagement of text and need you for that bedtime story love of literature. So as you anymore, revive your read are reading with your kids, alouds. They can, once once special, go there, really get involved again, be the most in the characters as they and important time of your take their journey. Ask day. questions. Wonder about the sto ryline or a Ginger Carlson, character's choices.

Assistant Principal So, if I can, I would like to leave you with this, written

by Strickland W. Gillian from the poem The Reading Mother: You may have tangible we a l th u n to ld ; Caskets of jewels and coffers of gold, Richer than I you can never be - I had a mother who read to me.

Junior Kindergarten News Happy Holidays! It’s December and that means there’s lots of seasonal festivity and fun in our classrooms! This month will be an exciting time for your child. We will learn about the winter season and some of the traditions that take place during this holiday time. Your child will bring home many projects, crafts and decorations to share with you.

Take the time to discuss these activities with your child. A lot of time and effort are put into these projects and you can show your child that their work at school is important by displaying them at home as well. You can continue your child’s learning fun at home by: Observing and discussing the weather with your child. 

Sharing holiday traditions that are unique to your family. 

Helping your child make holiday decorations. 

Reading holiday and “wintertime” books with your child. 

We will also continue to observe and discover how we use our senses as we conclude our unit on “All About Me”. Upon our return in January, we will begin our next unit on Fairy Tales and Nursery Rhymes.

Junior Kindergarten News continued..

During this holiday time, please also take the opportunity to incorporate some of the math skills your child has been learning at school. For example, if you are expecting guests, your child could help you set the table by counting the number of plates, silverware, napkins, etc. that are needed; or as you hang decorations on a holiday tree, have your child identify the colors on the ornaments.

Even some of your daily routines can be a great learning opportunity!

Have a wonderful holiday season!

Sincerely, Ms. Korinna and Ms. Angela

Kindergarten News The children have been adjusting very well to the new challenges of Kindergarten su ch as t aki n g m o re responsibility through unpacking t he i r bags, cleaning up their tables, playing nicely together and sharing. During this first trimester they have been working on letter names, sounds and vocabulary.

During Halloween week, they put together 3 sounds to begin forming words like bat, sat, cat, etc. They are reading high frequency words in their decodable books.

In Math, we have been covering many concepts during our morning calendar.

We have been working on number recognition and fluency from numbers 1-10.

We are also using manipulatives to show that numbers represent quantities and to create patterns and structures. Additionally, we have been busily graphing the weather each morning, as well as recording our likes and dislikes.

We then discuss our data and decide which is more, less, or equal.

We completed our first unit I Am Special in which we learned more about ourselves,

comparing our similarities and differences with others.

Our current unit of study is Trees. We began this unit by taking a schoolyard walk to observe, smell and touch the many trees we have right here at school.

We encountered olive, conifers, palm, orange, and mulberry trees.

We discussed that they are all different but have the same structure including leaves, branches, trunks and roots.

We will explore trees and leaves more closely as we determine how they are affected by seasonal changes.

We look forward to continuing our adventure of fun and learning throughout the school year.

Ms. Anna and Ms. Eleftheria

1st Grade News Hello to All, and especially our Fantastic First Grade Parents!

We h a ve su c ce s s f u l l y completed our first trimester and enjoying our year thus far, as children have settled into the classroom routines and are becoming responsible and respectful first graders.

Children are making great strides and effort in their writing. As growth in reading and writing are closely united, it is imperative to continue positively reinforcing children and boosting their self esteem throughout all their endeavors, both at home and at school. Remember that at this stage in your child’s writing, using phonetic awareness for inventive spelling, environmental print, sight word spelling and word walls are all part of the process.

We want to congratulate the enthusiasm your children have shown for the Captain Chip Reading Club. Keep up the daily oral reading to improve fluency, comfort, self-esteem and enjoyment for the written word.

Our dinosaur unit has definitely provided fodder for the imagination in journal stories, directed writing

assi g n me nts and o n the playground as well.

The rehearsals for our Dino-Daze play have been amazing! We thank you for helping your children practice their lines at home. We hope you share in the excitement and success of each and every effort made during the process of our much-acclaimed dinosaur play. We would like to thank our parent volunteers in advance for helping construct dino-costumes with Ms. Stauffer. Save the date, for our Dino-Daze show will be on Friday, January 30th at 10:00am.

A sneak peek into the near future will reveal a common thread based on our discussion of dinosaur extinction – we will be studying about contemporary endangered and extinct animals.

On a lighter note, as we were looking forward to the Christmas Holidays — a time for giving — all of us were looking forward to choosing a “Secret Santa”.

Your child pulled a name of a peer out of a hat for which they put a gift under our classroom Christmas tree. The gift was an English storybook. All students were so excited about this gift exchange.

Speaking of the holiday season, in school, we focus on holidays presented in the United States. In order to enrich our curriculum, we remind you of our open invitation to present your favorite holiday from your heritage to share with your child’s homeroom (does not necessarily need to fall on the date of the holiday). Again, just

let us know which holiday you will be presenting and your preferred date.

Saving the best for last, Captain Chip and your children have made such an amazing connection and we are delighted to have your support in this endeavor.

Not only is Captain Chip an inspiration in self-esteem he is also inspiring children to read to him and write about him and more over, care and empathize with others. This is truly wonderful and you all should be as proud of your children as we are of them!

We look forward to our year ahead with all of you.

Jubilantly, Ms. Birbil and Ms. Lamprou

2nd Grade News Second graders have been working hard during first trimester learning about various topics, such as, Air & Weather, The Moon and its phases, Pioneers and solidifying their computational skills daily!

students have experienced the lifestyle of these groups and more. Students are able to slide up and down the time line to make comparisons about the Pioneers, Pilgri ms Native Americans and how their life then differs from our life in the Air & Weather is always a big present. hit with 2nd graders, as the students get to experiment with Second grade math has been trapping air under water, focusing on learning alternative studying wind & air pressure ways to add and subtract by and even observing cloud types being exposed to various and how their movement effects strategies. They are working weather. Students learned hard on becoming fluent in both about different types of clouds addition and subtraction skills and weathe r con di ti on s. covering facts from 1-20.

Weather conditions included Recently, place value has been tornadoes, winter storms, introduced in order to build lightning, and floods. They are knowledge of how larger number also expanding their knowledge concepts will be constructed. on air pressure, wind, and air resistance.

In reading, all students have been assessed and assigned a Our Moon connection was even Daily 5 Reading group that suits more exciting as it gave us a their reading at an independent chance to learn about the sun level.

Now students practice & earth’s orbits, axis, and lack daily reading at their level for a of gravity on the moon.

In minimum of 15 to 20 minutes addi ti on we re ad some per day. fascinating stories about the first people in space along with Stu dents have co mpleted the first animals in space. reading at independent levels Apparently, the students they work hard on learning Story enjoyed designing moon phases E l e m e n t s (setting, plot, on OREOS…what a yummy c h a r a c te r s , p r o bl e m a n d lesson that was! solution, as well as sequence of Learning about Pioneers has events).

Students have also exposed us to life in the past. been introduced to more Some of these shocking details in-depth strategies depending on lead us into our more recent their independent reading levels. topic of Thanksgiving. Students Strategies include decoding learned about traditions and i n s t r u c t i o n , text-to-self the daily life of the Pilgrims and connections, and comprehension Native Americans.

Through techniques. These skills will various virtual field trips and assist them in connecting with reliving the Mayflower boat ride

the characters and understanding why the characters change throughout the story.

Grammar lessons have been the consolidating piece for all of these units, as students have been practicing writing Personal Narratives and beginning to learn about paragraphs.

These writing pieces include a focus in constructing stories with a beginning, middle and end, sequencing and using correct grammar and punctuation.

We are looking forward to continued success and excellent work from all our stu de nts as th e ye ar continues with more ”funtastic” lessons!

Ms. Moros, Ms. Safaris and Ms. Spiliot

3rd Grade News The Third Grade has enjoyed an action packed first trimester!

Students have been involved in a wide array of educational experiences that has fostered critical thinking and teamwork across the grade level.

In Reading, our focus has been on comprehension and vocabulary development.

Students have been connecting skills taught in class with fiction books read in small groups. Skills such as main idea, author's purpose, and compare and contrast, have been reinforced through this literature. In addition, students have been participating in the Strive for 25 reading challenge.

They will have the entire school year to read 25 books from many different genres. Furthermore, students complete one standard book report per month alternating between fiction and non-fiction topics.

Our classes have been involved in the Writer's Workshop program this year. Our focus for the first trimester was descriptive writing through the exploration of the Personal Narrative.

Through the application of strong verbs, adjectives, and a step by step writing structure students have l e a r n e d ne w te c h n i q u e s to engage their readers. We have also linked the weekly challenge spelling words to support our writing goals.

In Math, we are currently

working on the concept of multiplication.

Students have been learning this skill conceptually through the use of hands-on manipulatives.

To enhance student interest, we have dedicated one day a week to math stations. For an hour, students partake in 4 different math activities or games. As this has proved to be a successful addition to our third grade math program we pl an on continuing these fun filled learning stations into the second trimester. We have also implemented a new format of small group support four times a week which allows students to explore math topics and concepts more in-depth.

In Social Studies, students have been learning about world geography with a focus on Greece.

Students from both classes constructed globes labeling the continents and oceans. In addition, they have been learning what key components communities have in common.

Mr. Maloff's homeroom started the creation of a community. There were five groups: the architects, builders, city planners, regional planners, and landscapers. Students met in small groups, developed a plan of action, and came together to build a beautiful community complete with a zoo, hospital, a skyscraper, and several houses.

Ms. Dimas’ class will continue this community in the upcoming weeks.

In Science, the third graders have embarked on a journey of discovery in the wonderful world of sound. Students are observing and comparing sounds through a series of experiments, projects and small group discussions which lead to fascinating results.

This project based unit has enabled students to reflect on their every-day lives and the importance of their senses.

The third graders have explored (Ms. Stavi’s class) or will explore (Mr. Maloff’s class) notions such as the relationships between pitch and volume, sound source and receiver, and also how sound travels through solids liquids and air. In addition to this, the students uncover some of the mysteries of molecules and gases and how they function in our world and beyond.

We are so excited to continue on our journey together into the second trimester. Go Third Grade!

Ms. Dimas and Mr. Maloff

4th Grade News The first part of the trimester They have worked hard to create found the 4th graders learning characters like them and stories by doing!! which they wished existed in the world. The fourth graders have In Science, some students carefully created well thought examined ‘Structures of Life’, out stories, with the help of story while others began with the maps, which have a clear unit on ‘Water’.

In the beginning, middle and end. In ‘Structures of Life’ unit, the Reading, our students have students learned about the life learned to closely examine a text cycles of plants and animals. and discuss how they feel Students were fascinated with connected to it, to discern the this unit as they had the story plot from the moral of the opportunity to watch small story, and make statements bean seeds turn into enormous about the text with the use of plants and examine snail struc- supporting details from the tures!

Students who began story. They have also learned with ‘Water’ dove into a variety how to pick a book at the right of experiments examining the level for them and to carefully water cycle. The students also monitor their reading habits to came up with their own e n s u r e that they are scientific questions and through comprehending what they have the scientific process, reached a read. conclusion.

Finally, in Math we have been In Regions of Our Country, reviewing the importance of students have been thinking as place value and how knowledge social scientists, economists, of place value can help us solve geographers, and political addition, subtraction, and scientists!

They have been multiplication problems. reading, writing, and using their newly developed map skills to learn detailed information about what makes the U.S.A such as beautiful and diverse country.

They have also transported themselves back into the past, playing games, reading primary sources and listening to music which helped shape the United States.

In Language Arts, 4th graders had the opportunity to delve into all the details that make realistic fiction interesting and appealing to their readers.

In addition, we have been paying special attention to the promotion of critical thinking skills.

We have given and we will be giving our students numerous opportunities to solve novel problems that require the use of strategies that have been thoroughly practiced in class.

Th a n k you for continuous support!

your

Ms. Killam, Ms. Mukri, and Ms. Vagras

5th Grade News

“I honor you!� These were the words of our first literary hero, the brave, little mouse, in the novel, Despereaux.

Fifth graders have started the year honorably, demonstrating that they are responsible, caring students and good role models for younger children.

Through discussions and writing assignments about our class literature book, Despereaux, students are examining qualities that make writing excellent. They have already learned literary terms to evaluate character traits and numerous reading strategies during our very popular Reading Workshop, the favorite part of the day for many of our students! The special feature of this cycle of lessons in our reading program is that students participate in a mini lesson focused on a reading skill before having time to read independently from self selected literature. Students then apply the skills learned in class in their book notes for homework. We are proud to see our 5th graders building reading stamina and learning the love of reading.

Fifth graders have been learning how to write well while they acquired knowledge about their first u n i t o f s t u d y , Exploration.

Additionally, students started researching and finding facts about individual explorers.

They pr acti ce d pa r aph ra si ng information, taking notes, and organizing them into logical, sequential paragraphs to create a simple research project and an explorer presentation. Students used their notes on their famous explorers to write a report.

Furthermore, students have been studying geographical locations and plotting longitude and latitude coordinates. These skills will be useful for fifth graders to understand international connections, identify countries and continents, and locate the journeys of different explorers on maps.

Definitely, we have all seen how exciting those early days of exploration must have been!

Our new unit of study is Mixtures and Solutions, an introduction to lab work and chemistry. Everyone enjoys the hands on science labs and the opportunity to work collaboratively in teams. As part of this unit of study, students will research an element and share their information with the class!

Ms. Kynigou, Ms. Evloyias and Ms Maratou

Optimal Learning News math. http://www.bbc.co.uk/ schools/ks1bitesize lower elementary grade levels for numeracy and literacy (you may opt for sound off, but I find students prefer it). http://www.bbc.co.uk/ schools/ks2bitesize upper elementary grade levels for numeracy and literacy (again, sound is an option). http://www.iknowthat.com so many game resources!

In this issue of the Muse newsletter, I would like to offer you a brief list of websites that consist of educational games.

The skills contained within touch on skills our students are learning, so they aim to support and reinforce what is being taught throughout the school day. Please take a moment and browse through them – your child might find multiplication facts slightly more fun and engaging if he/she is shooting and blasting fruit at the same time. www.sheppardssoftware.com click on math games and map skills. www.bbc.co.uk/skillswise browse through, it is full of useful games for literacy and

h t t p : / / www.learningenglish.org.uk/ kids/ focused on ESL learners, but applies to aspects of the English Language. http://www.numbernut.com/ index.html tons of math skills and games. http://www.softschools.com literacy and numeracy games. http://www.education.com/ games/educational/ a whole selection of games. http://pbskids.org/games/ same as above.

These are only meant to reinforce what has been presented and worked on during the school day. If there’s additional time after homework, or on the weekend, and your child is willing to continue working then the

above might offer a nice “recreational” exercise.

On a different note, please be alerted that as a part of the Inclusion/Partnership model, I have been participating in both Ms. Killam’s Friday’s math lesson, and in Ms. Spiliot’s 2nd Grade Monday and Friday math lessons.

Have fun, Ms. Kaldelli

News from the Art Room Greetings from the Art Room!

Currently grades K-4 are collaborating on a large banner celebrating the 70th year of ACS. We are using texture painting, recycled materials, tissue collage, and papier mache to create the artwork.

Kindergarten has been exploring line and feeling portraits as well as the primary and secondary colors in a variety of projects. We created books with all of our feeling self -portraits using a different media, and have moved on to wintertime landscapes. We will next be moving on to clay specifically working with impressed texture.

First grade students made beautiful autumn leaf, mixedmedia artworks and dinosaur wax resist paintings both incorporating use of the horizon line. We are now finishing up texture fish while practicing mixing paint. Next we will paint our Dino Daze hats in preparation for the upcoming theater production!

Second graders used pattern and texture while creating Gustav Klimt—inspired selfportraits. We have spent the past couple of weeks using a tape resist technique for a tree covered landscape.

Color blending and the incorporation of foreground, middle ground, and background were major themes in this project. Next we will create texture paintings and animal self-portraits.

Third graders just finished warm and cool color silhouettes collages with abstract watercolor backgrounds.

We are just starting to papier mache our juice or milk boxes to make Tap Taps (colorful buses inspired from a visit to Haiti).

Thank you for your donations!

Fou rth grade stu dents recently wrapped up abstract sculptures using sticks collected from the tree trimmings in front of the Elementary school.

We installed them for a short time in the trees.

We then discussed the spectator’s experience in Art museums in preparation for our field trip to the Vorres Museum of Greek Contemporary Art.

Fifth graders have successfully completed two projects studying value: one with charcoal and chalk, and one with painting using tints and shades. We next hope to collaborate in small groups to study either an artist’s style or a technique which will then be applied to a papier mache owl. These owls will be used as our school’s mascot of sorts. Be on the lookout for owls around our school campus in the coming months!

Thank you for donations of materials and for supporting the work we do in the visual arts!

I look forward to creating more with our Elementary students.

Ms. Stauffer

ESL News and 2nd grade!

3rd , 4th & 5th grade

I am thrilled with the progress students have made these past three months and am excited to see continued growth in their abilities to more fully understand and communicate their ideas in English! Way to go!

1st & 2nd grade After having learned or revised the English alphabet (through the booklet “Look, I can read”), 1st and 2nd graders (beginners) are now able to read CVC words and several sight words (that frequently appear in texts); they are always eager to read the stories from the “Starfall” series and work in the workbooks. Besides reading, they are expanding their vocabulary on units of study we focus on every week; so far we have worked on thematically based words connected to the body parts, feelings, the colors and the clothes and also the farm ; they have managed to acquire many words and grammar patterns through rhyming, singing (“Sing and Learn” booklet), playing and story reading; they love it when we play charades, trying to guess what each one is doing, thus working on verbs and grammar at the same time! Great job 1st

Doing projects with 3rd, 4th and 5th graders has been really fun! Students are asked to conduct 1st and 2nd drafts on particular units like sports, natural disasters, musical instruments, etc., before they can actually present their work in class. (“It’s on the tip of my tongue” thematically based vocabulary and grammar pattern). Besides working on this and their textbooks and workbooks, 3rd, 4th and 5th grades work on grammar as well, through the method of noticing; no rules are given to be learned, but students try to find a pattern through repetition of grammatical structures and syntax, so that they understand the “how” and the “when” something is used.

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

News from the Computer Lab! December 8-15, 2014 is Computer Science Education week. Students from around the world participate in “The Hour of Code”, where they will be learning computer programming with 1 hour tutorials available in over 30 languages. All ACS students from kindergarten to fifth grade participated in this event. Our kindergarteners, first and second graders learned a visual programming course called Tynker, www.tynker.com. Third graders used Scratch, www.scratch.mit.edu/ to create interactive cards, stories and animations.

Fourth graders used CODE, www.code.org and fifth graders used CODE and CODE with Anna and Elsa from Frozen!

In addition, kindergarten stud e n t s h a v e u s e d www.starfall.com to work on beginning reading and math concepts and Tux Paint for illustrations.

Our first graders have been using www.morestarfall.com for reading and math. They also went on a virtual dinosaur dig from the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History where they learned how paleontologists excavate a specimen and the whole process of finding a fossil!

Second graders have learned

to present it to their classmates.

Furthermore, they have worked on their keyboarding skills.

how to use Mathletics and Raz-kids for math practice and reading.

They also began using Microsoft Word for their writings.

Additionally, they are learning how to use Storybook Weaver to illustrate and write about the Pioneers!

Third grade students are learning how to format font, insert images and format text with Microsoft Word.

They have also created a PowerPoint presentation about themselves which will be included in their E-Portfolios.

Fourth grade students used Learn TCI, History Alive to enforce their learning about States and Regions. They just finished creating a PowerPoint presentation about a State of their choice and they had

Fifth grade students have been busy learning how to research a topic, using the 5W’s (who, what, where, when and why) for evaluating a web site. They have researched a famous explorer and they are currently working on the elements of the periodic table.

They are also using www.typingweb.com for keyboarding practice.

They have also learned how to login and navigate “Moodle” and Student Webmail. They have been active users of this platform.

Ms. Sarantes

News from the Music Room ACS students welcomed again this year with music from around the world. First grade sang and played music from the Caribbean. Second grade played African drums and sang songs from different parts of Africa. Third grade students were introduced to recorders and explored Chinese music.

Fourth graders continued developing their recorder skills through the performance of Greek music. Fifth grade students explored Russian music and performed using tuned percussion instruments.

Our Kindergarteners used games to learn the meaning of some of the elements of music such as pitch, dynamics, and tempo. They developed their learning and understanding of elements through playing unturned percussion instruments.

All students have developed their creative

self and their confidence through various music making activities.

Rhythm and appreciation of music through the use of percussion i n s t r u me n t s and body percussion have also been key features of lessons this trimester.

With great e x ci t e me n t students prepared for our Winter Concert. Singing and dancing as well as other strands of music were once again integrated in order to produce an entertaining event.

As always the educational elements of such a show are not only music related but also touch upon other disciplines and develop various musical and non-directly musical skills.

This year again opportunity was offered to our 4th and 5th grade students to perform

Christmas carols during the PTO Bazaar.

Presentation and performance on stage are key skills that all musicians need to possess.

At ACS Athens Elementary School we aim to give as many opportunities as possible to our students to showcase their work, their talents, to boost their self confidence, and to express their emotions through music, dance and acting.

Have a wonderful academic year and very happy holidays everyone!

Ms. Apostolou

News from P.E. “Building our character through the sports of the world” All El e me n t a ry School students have been super busy since the beginning of the school year. During the month of September, students were learning and executing different locomotor, nonlocomotor and manipulative skills. They learned how to perform these skills appropriately and how these skills are relevant to their physical performance.

Students were also introduced to running patterns and manipulative skills using a variety of equipment.

During the month of October, with great pleasure we witnessed the students being engaged in jump roping skills with great success, more than that we had the chance to explore our balance, our coordination and the capabilities of our bodies with gymnastics.

November started with students accumulating skills in throwing and catching.

They learned all about the different types of throws and in which sports or activities they can be used. They also learned how to catch appropriately and effectively.

Students are now able to see the relationship and connection between eye and hand coordination.

Currently students have begun to acquire basketball skills. They are performing various drills to further improve their skills in basketball.

Students are learning all about dribbling, passing, shooting as well as the basic rules of the game.

respectf ulness.

The students are continuously being challenged to open up their horizon and see how many different and unique sports are played all around the world.

They are so enthusiastic to learn and play.

“How you play shows some of your character. How you win or lose shows ALL of it!”

Mr. Kourtis

During all of the P.E. units, students are realizing even more the necessary value of teamwork.

Character education is an essential part of sports, and students are shaping their sportsmanship attitude and behavior by noting that it takes more than one person to make a team. Students, through each and every physical education unit, are being exposed to and taught about the six components of character education: f airness, responsibility, citizenship, trustworthiness, caring, and

News from the Greek Classes The first months of school have been very productive for Greek classes. Besides working on speaking, reading, spelling, grammar and vocabulary, students did a wonderful job learning about OXI Day. Our 4th graders had a very exciting time presenting the historical account of OXI Day, at the ACS Theater.

All other grades (JK-5) worked on poems, songs and various texts, according to level.

Special thanks to parents who encouraged students to make the most of this learning experience.

In the month of November, besides their regular work on language: The Greek Language Arts and Advanced classes Students in grades 3-5 worked on their history books: 3rd grade Mythology, 4th grade Ancient Greek History and 5th grade Byzantine history.

Our JK students worked on the unit: “All about me”, ”Feelings” and listened to relevant stories. They also learned Greek poems and songs.

KG students learned the letters of the alphabet and a song for each letter.

In grade 1, students worked hard on reading and writing.

In grade 2, students worked on reading, writing and grammar activities.

The Greek Language Beginning/Intermediate classes worked on thematically based vocabulary, reading, writing and speaking according to grade and level.

In grades 3 – 5, apart from the thematically based vocabulary students learned through the dialogues and texts that their books contain, they also started working on basic grammar rules that refer to the articles, the gender of the nouns and the adjectives, thus improving their speaking and writing.

Kindergarten students learned vocabulary connected to everyday school instructions, colors, shapes, wild and domestic animals through various games, songs, stories and activities.

In grade 1, we worked on the units of fruit, vegetable, food, everyday instructions, objects in the classroom and

animals; students also worked on the letters of the alphabet (focus is placed on sound) and practiced writing. Students in grade 1 also worked on what to say on various occasions, through role playing games, such as “at the greengrocer’s” and “at the tavern”.

In grade 2, students worked on copying words and reading short dialogues with words from the thematically based vocabulary they were taught in class.

In all grades students are encouraged to borrow books from the Greek classroom library.

Well done to all hard-working students!

our

Ms. Papageorgiou, Ms. Rovoli and Ms. Stratoglou

News from the Arabic Classes The Arabic classes are full of enthusiasm and joy for learning the language.

Our friendly classroom welcomes grades KG through 5.

In the month of October, the Parent-Teacher conferences in

the Arabic class were very positive and reflected the appreciation of both parents and students regarding the Arabic language and the learning experience at the elementary school.

In the month of November, students were busy expanding their skills in speaking, reading, writing, vocabulary and spelling.

Through various activities and projects, learning is fun and students look forward to coming to the Arabic class to le arn so me th i ng ne w everyday!

Ms. Accari

News from the Library Library class was off to a good start this year with our discussion about what it means to be respectful, responsible and ready in the library.

In addition, in order for us to help us get to know each other better the second and third graders filled out a short questionnaire and the fourth and fifth graders wrote a paragraph about themselves. We were reading two of these cards or paragraphs each week to see how well we know each other by trying to guess who the person is.

During the next couple of weeks the first through fifth graders learned ways to find books in the library. In first and second grade we focused on where the red and blue picture and re adi ng bo o ks are an d discussed how you can find non-fiction books by looking for the pictures that are on the shelves (e.g., car books where there is a picture of a car). The third through fifth graders learned about the Dewey Decimal system then used their knowledge to find books.

In JK, we read several fun books, e.g.,” Clap Hands”, with some moving around to help the students feel more relaxed in the library. In Kindergarten, we started by reading fiction and non-fiction books related to their first unit – We are all Different. We read “My Many colored Days” and colored a picture of ourselves to show what colors we were feeling.

We continue to work with the grade level teachers by reading non-fiction and fiction books related to the science and social studies units that each grade level is studying in class.

In first grade, we read all kinds of books about dinosaurs some true books and some stories.

“The Mouse and the Dinosaur” is one of our favorites.

Second graders learned some usual weather words like drizzle and blizzard in the “Weather Words” book.

In third grade, we read about sound and talked to each other through our paper cup telephone. The fourth graders

who are studying water learned why snowflakes have six sides and saw how the same piece of aluminum foil could float and sink.

During their explorer unit, the fifth grade learned to use Britannica online and how to do a bibliography for their research. Later, they began learning to use the ACS Library system to find books in the library. At the end of each class we are helping the students find at least one book that is at the student’s reading level.

We would appreciate your help in making sure that they are bringing home books that they can read or listen to and understand. Please let us know if this is not the case.

We hope this will help them begin to develop a lifelong desire to keep reading.

Ms. Anderson