Co-Curricular Newsletter Fall, 2011
JK-1st Grade Science Music Spanish Discovery Lab Technology Art Physical Education Library
Oh God
clean heart,
CREATE in me a
Art Is A Multi-Media Activity The lower school art program is a literaturebased art program. Connecting literacy and creativity is so exciting for my students. In addition we see God’s truth in every story, and we celebrate it! We talk about the way God fearfully and wonderfully
made each of us, and how we are all unique. Each art creation will be a unique creation just as we are unique creations. So far, we have been busy creating with paint, colored pencils, oil pastels and chalk. The children painted self-portraits, made a lion collage and
experimented with color mixing. We enjoyed reading Mouse Paint, Hermie The Common Caterpiller and Andy and The Lion. The multisensory experience of using the pastels and the finger paint was a joy for them each time we met.
Projects on the horizon: making paper pumpkins with glue and chalk cupcakes with textured paper a study of Claude Monet!
FALL
M O N T H LY
N E W S L E T T E R 2011
ART 2 ND - 6TH G R A DE
WHAT’S NEW IN THE MCGUFFEY HALLWAY?
All School Art Project Each year the students at St. Paul will be creating an all-school art project.
encourage one another and build each other up; just as in fact you are doing.
“foundation” and leaders of encouraging others. They are
This year the project was based directly on the theme verse that the
Each of the 388 students drew a selfportrait on a printed building-block
“building” each other up! Please come to the McGuffey hallway just
6th graders picked for us, 1 Thessalonians 5:11; Therefore
2ND GRADE PAINTING WITH NO PAINT
piece of paper. Each block was adhered to a board. The 6th graders were placed at the bottom as the
3RD GRADE TWISTED TREES
outside the office to see the selfportraits.
4TH GRADE ARTWORK AT ZOES KITCHEN IN THE HILL CENTER
2ND GRADE 2nd graders have been creating fall leaf paintings using NO paint! If you have a 2nd grader, they will be excited to trick you into thinking they painted these leaves, but in fact, they are made using washable marker and plain water.
3RD GRADE 3rd Graders have found a whole new use for paper towels Twisted trees! Students have been creating wonderful twisted trees. The leaves are made from tissue paper, the grass from construction paper, and the trees, well of course, twisted paper towel.
SAVE THE DATE!!!
An Evening with the Arts October 25, 2011 5:00pm 2nd and 3rd grade leaves and trees will be on exhibit during the Evening with the Arts. Be on the lookout for more information.
4 T H G R A DE A RT WO R K AT Z O E S K I TC H E N IN THE HILL CENTER 4TH GRADERS CREATED ART FOR ZOES. ARTWORK WILL BE ON DISPLAY FOR THE FALL SEASON. LOOK FOR MORE INFORMATION ON A ZOES/SPCA ART SHOW NIGHT WHERE A PORTION OF THE SALES WILL BENEFIT THE SPCA ART DEPARTMENT. THANK YOU 4TH GRADERS! I AM SO PROUD OF THE WORK YOU PUT INTO YOUR FALL PAINTINGS.
5TH GRADE 5TH GRADERS HAVE BEEN CREATING OIL PASTEL CITYSCAPES. THIS IS A FAVORITE PROJECT AROUND CAMPUS. NIGHTTIME CITYSCAPES ARE CREATED USING BLACK PAPER, GLUE LINES, AND BRIGHT OIL PASTEL.
SKETCHBOOKS 5 T H A N D 6 T H G R A D E R S H AV E B E E N G E T T I N G LO T S O F D R AW I N G PR A CT I C E B Y U S I N G THE I R SKETCHBOOKS. R ECEN TLY THEY SPEN T A CLA SS PER IOD WOR KIN G ON AN SP C A ST I LL L I FE I N S PI RE D B Y T H E P E P R A L LY. G O S A I N T S ! !
MISS ATEMA’S WEBSITE FO R MO R E A R T I N FO R MAT I O N, VISI T M I S S AT E M A’ S W E B S I T E V I A T H E ST. PAU L WE B SI T E .
6TH GRADE 6th graders created class paper quilts. The subject of the quilts was their favorite St. Paul Memories. Students used fabric squares to create their “quilt square,” then drew their favorite memory in the middle. Students had to work together as a class to put the quilt squares where they wanted them and tie everything together. Please go by and see the quilts in the Kuyper Hallway!
discovery lab Cooperation, Communication, and Creativity 5th and 6th Graders Engage in Creative Problem-solving Activities In Discovery Lab, 5th and 6th graders have been involved in a series of activities designed to enhance skills related to cooperation, communication, and creativity. Activities have
included creative storytelling, creative decision-making, creative endings to fairy tales, brainstorming ideas, creative categorizing, creative question generation (in which students are given an answer and challenged to come up with as many questions as they can), creative connections (in which students make connections between two seemingly unrelated items),
and creative acting (in which students are given a story starter, and they generate a short skit based on that beginning point). All these activities are designed to help students approach problem-solving creatively, learn to work productively in teams, and communicate their thoughts and ideas confidently and clearly.
FALL, 2011
FALL
U P D A T E
1ST EDITION
C . S. LEWIS LIBRARY
UPPER SCHOOL STUDENTS ENJOY GIVING BOOK TALKS TO GET THEIR FRIENDS EXCITED ABOUT READING SOMETHING NEW.
We have started our year off with a bang in the C.S. Lewis Upper School Library.
converting URL addresses, and organizing their favorite websites into bookmark folders.
their new-found skill set to find that special book they seek. Ask your student about the Melvil Dewey Rap.
Early fall has found the 4th graders busy splitting their time between learning basic research skills and hearing stories.
4th grade students have become adept at finding various reading materials in the library too. They have learned the Dewey Decimal System, how to use our online card catalog, and how to take
Fourth graders are eager to hear new stories so book talks and reading excerpts are all part of our time together.
This month we have concentrated on learning about search engines,
MEET MELVIL DEWEY
SOME OF OUR FAVORITE BOOKS
ARE YOU SMA RTER THAN A 4TH GRADER? ASK YOUR STUDEN T TO HELP ORGA NIZE YOUR WEBSITES INTO FOLDERS
The C. S. Lewis Lower Library has been hopping with author skype visits and visual literacy studies. The main goal of the C.S. Lewis Lower Library is to instill a delight for reading and to aid students on the path to all literacies-verbal, visual, and auditory. Storytime fun: With Jk-1st we are all about learning to delight in stories. We have read about pouty fish, selfish frogs, and topsy turvy houses. Children have been encouraged to hunt for treasures among the bookshelves. We agreed not to judge a book by its cover when we discovered an old plain book that looked like a cast-off but when opened, it had brilliant illustrations and a very funny story. Featured Author: Leo Leonni Students have become big fans of Mr. Leonni’s work by reading several of his books and trying out artwork in his particular style. Mr. Leonni was a sculptor and artist. When he became an illustrator for his books he would shape animals by tearing paper to form a collage. Come by and see our collage pond brimming with frogs, fish, and mice in Mr. Leonni’s unique style. Some of our favorites: George and Martha, We Were Tired of Living in a House, Ding Dong Bing Bong
JK / KINDERGARTEN
JK loves Mini Racer by Kristy Dempsey
THIS FALL WE HAVE CONCENTRATED ON VERBAL DEVELOPMENT AND SPEECH REPETITION WITH MANY STORIES TOLD IN VERSE. WE SPEND A LONG TIME LINGERING ON ILLUSTRATIONS AND GUESSING WHAT COMES NEXT IN THE STORY.
1 ST G R ADE 1st grade makes their best pouty face for The Pout Pout Fish
1ST GRADE HAS BEEN CONCENTRATING ON LANGUAGE PATTERNS SUCH AS RHYME AND ALLITERATION AS WELL AS WORD DEFINITIONS. WE ARE LEARNING TO BECOME EXPLORERS IN THE SHELVES, AS WELL AS AVID FANS OF CERTAIN AUTHORS. 1ST GRADERS HAVE LEARNED ALL ABOUT ARTIST/ AUTHOR/ILLUSTRATOR LEO LEONNI. ASK THEM HOW TWO NAUGHTY GRANDCHILDREN INSPIRED HIM TO BECOME A WRITER.
2ND GRADE HAS CHARGED AHEAD WITH AN INDEPTH STUDY OF THE ELEMENTS OF STORY OR THE 3 P’S: PEOPLE, PLACES, AND PROBLEMS. WE HAVE CONCENTRATED ON EACH ELEMENT FOR SEVERAL WEEKS AND ARE ABOUT TO BEGIN WRITING OUR OWN STORIES. THE PINNACLE OF OUR UNIT ON UNDERSTANDING THE STORY PROCESS CAME WITH A SKYPE VISIT FROM AUTHOR KRISTY DEMPSEY. MRS DEMPSEY IS AN AUTHOR, LIBRARIAN, AND MISSIONARY IN BRAZIL. MRS. DEMPSEY BRAINSTORMED WITH THE CHILDREN ABOUT STORY IDEAS AND READ FROM TWO OF HER BOOKS. IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN ORDERING HER BOOKS GO TO www.kristydempsey.com/mybooks.
2 N D G R ADE
2nd Grade travelled to Brazil to visit with author Kristy Dempsy. They witnessed the world premiere reading of Mrs, Dempsey’s book Surfer Chick
J AN E AUS TE N S CH O L A R V I S I T S UPPER SCHOOL
Upper School Library Students Get a First-hand Experience in Publishing ! 5th and 6th graders were treated to a rare opportunity when they were invited to critique a manuscript. St Paul mom, Christine Shih is a nurse practitioner and Jane Austen scholar. She is collaborating with others to write and illustrate a children’s story called
The Story of Charles Blake: A Young Gentleman's First Ball. Mrs. Shih has excerpted the story of Charles Blake from Jane Austenʼs unfinished novel called The Watsons. She invited our students to participate as young literary critics and editors. They read her
manuscript and gave her feedback on the story as well as the illustrations they might hope would accompany the book. We then hosted a focus group of student representatives to relay the studentsʼ ideas about the forthcoming story. ! This is an exciting opportunity for our students to participate in the publishing process in a hands-on way. Mrs. Shih has invited us to track her progress this year as she works with her illustrators and editors, and shops it to publishers. We pray for her success as she tries to glorify God with her story.
MRS. DICKERSON
J K - 2 MUS IC
OUR NEW GONG AND WINDCHIMES
Music Highlights JK-2 Music has been a vibrant and busy place. We started the year with our fun parachute activity. You can view this activity on the My SPCA page as well as the St. Paul Facebook page.This activity included creating words to sing along with a piece of classical music. Then we
TWINKLE STARS
moved the parachute to match the form of the piece, including lifting it high while partners traded places underneath. Lots of squeals and laughter. We have enjoyed getting to know the new musical instruments that were
BOOMWHACKERS
added to our classroom this year. We created a story about “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” and took turns playing the sound of the moon on the gong, and the sound of the wind on the windchimes. Orff instruments and movement completed the activity.
MRS. CALLISON’S “STAFF”
Music AT ST. PAUL CHRISTIAN ACADEMY
Music is fun and so much more! Why is music important to your child’s education? Musical training helps develop brain areas involved in language and reasoning. Learning music encourages creative thinking and problem solving with various solutions. Performing music helps remind us that we are given talents and gifts from God. Learning an instrument helps develop coordination. Learning music improves concentration. Playing music with others teaches us how to work as a group. Learning music specific to cultures or time periods encourages students to envision other cultures and ways of life. Learning a musical instrument teaches the value of hard work and practice. Playing music is relaxing, stress relieving and FUN! In music, nothing is perfect… and that is beautiful! Mistakes will be made. Learning music helps teach patience for one another and one’s self. Learning a musical instrument helps children develop positive self-confidence. Playing music is a controlled and safe act of self-expression. In music class, students not only learn information by observing, they learn by doing and experiencing with mallets and guitars in hand. Both tools are essential for the rest of a child’s life.
3rd Grade
Third graders have had a huge few months in music class at SPCA! My third grade friends learned all about time signatures and measures. During the past few months, we’ve learned to sing many songs in 3/4... our new time signature! Third grade friends have learned all about rests and how important they are in music. We’ve also learned about the dotted half note and ties! Most importantly, third grade musicians have been learning to read music notes on the treble clef staff! Third grade friends have learned all about rondos and codas... and even danced to rondos! Just recently, we’ve delved into dotted quarter and eighth notes and their friend, the eighth rest. Student have colored pictured of all three new concepts and their musical artwork is on display outside of the music room. At the end of September, we had a campfire... we sang all sorts of campfire songs and roasted marshmallows! Over the past few months, your third grader has experienced many instruments such as the xylophone, glockenspiel, metallophone, wood blocks, shakers, triangles, guiros and more! Their new knowledge has been applied to new instrumental pieces as well as songs they’ve learned to sing. I have seen such amazing progress, not just in their understanding of music notation, but in their listening skills and emotional maturity.
Take a look at us!
Since the start of the school year, fourth graders have explored
4th Grade
lots of music! The fourth graders have been reviewing time signatures and rhythms and students were introduced to 16th notes! Students reviewed notations in both treble and bass clefs. I love watching their progress, as they are reading much faster and more efficiently. Fourth graders have explored the evaluation of music, forming opinions based on concepts learned in music. Students are also broadening their music vocabulary and understanding concepts in music such as rondo, coda, syncopation and more! Students in the fourth grade have been so excited about our composers of the month, and I love watching their enthusiasm for researching more about music! Fourth graders are busily preparing for a “Buddy Concert”, where they will perform pieces on instruments for their JK and Kindergarten Buddies. Some selected concert pieces include “Shalom”, “No One in the House”, “Twinkle, Twinkle” and more! They are doing such a great job at playing our instruments… I am pleased with their musicianship.
Check out what we are doing!
5th and 6th Grades
What a blessing to have such a supportive school! During my first few weeks at St. Paul, I presented the idea of fifth and sixth grades learning guitars. Within days, my request was granted! Mr. Cheeseman and other administration made it possible for us to purchase 20 beautiful Mitchell guitars, which have inspired the students! Students are excited each class… and everyday I hear, “Are we going to play the guitars today?” The children have been working on chords and chord changes, as well as songs such as “This Land is Your Land”, “Michael Row the Boat Ashore”, and “Go, Tell it on the Mountain”. We began the school year learning a few songs on the Orff instruments. Mrs. Hoover’s class presented an Orff orchestration of “Seek Ye First”, which all fifth graders learned. In addition to learning these instruments, in the past few weeks, students have delved into music theory, something not often learned until high school! Students have shown great comprehension and interest in learning these concepts. Students are currently learning about scales, intervals, chords and primary chords, all relating to the guitar. Also, fifth and sixth graders have been developing their music vocabulary, understanding terms and definitions such as counterpoint and crescendo, to name just two!
Some pictures of our classes!
PHYSICAL EDUCATION “Certainly, we live, move, and exist because of him.” Acts 17:28a
Highlights It has been an exciting first quarter for Physical Education! Below are a few highlights for each developmental group:
JK & KINDERGARTEN We have spent considerable time introducing and practicing key locomotor skills like skipping, galloping, side-sliding, marching and even crab walking.
1ST & 2ND GRADE In addition to continued practice in locomotor skills, we have also been exploring objects of all shapes, sizes, weights, and colors. Tag, rolling/ bowling, and throwing have been a primary focus for the first quarter.
3RD & 4TH GRADE Individual and group challenges including tag games, relays, and collecting/transporting have been the primary focus for this quarter.
5TH & 6TH GRADE Each day we balance our time between fitness activities and Football skills challenges/games have been our primary focus for the first quarter.
Second Grade has fun with the 50’ parachute!
Parachute Play Parachute activities are much more difficult than they appear. In addition to coordination and listening skills, simply lifting the parachute up can be a full body workout for the legs, shoulders, back, and arms. Additionally, the parachute allows for the opportunity to connect physical experiences with principles outside of the realm of
FOURTH GRADE GETS WARMED UP FOR THE ACTIVITY ON THE NEWLY OPENED ERIC LIDDELL TRACK.
Physical Education, such as: domes, waves, gravity, and properties of air. Junior Kindergarten through 3rd grade spent instructional units working with the parachute. Ask your child about those activities to engage and discover their big takeaways!
Junior Kindergarten ready for P.E.!
ST. PAUL SCIENCE JK-1ST
SUSIE HADDOCK
SEPTEMBER 2011
EXPERIMENTS ARE ALWAYS A LOT OF FUN!
A year of Physical and Earth Science has begun! JK The Jk classes are off to a wonderful start! The first week of class the students were introduced to H2O. We decided we would talk like real scientists in science class! We experimented with soap and discovered which type of soap made the most bubbles. We have learned about dif ferent kinds of weather and discussed the changes we will see as Fall is revealed.
KINDERGARTEN & FIRST GRADE FIRE SAFETY WEEK
Kindergarten and 1st grade began the year reviewing and mixing colors! It was awesome to watch colors change by simply mixing 2 colors together. We made color wheels and bead bracelets. We looked at several types of weather and created a water cycle that we are still observing in our classroom. The end of the month allowed us time to learn about Sir Issac Newton and Galileo. Last week was very exciting as we experimented using Newton’s Laws. Sometimes it isn’t “magic” it is really science!
OCTOBER 9-15, 2011
Sir Issac Newton developed 3 Laws. Which one should be a reminder to fasten your seat belts? COMING SOON: RO C K S, M I N E R A L S A N D VOLCANOES!
SPANISH EDITION EL 7 DE OCTUBRE DOS MIL ONCE
L A E D I C I ÓN E S PA Ñ OL A
We love our smartboard in Spanish!
2nd-5th Grade Spanish: La Rutina Diaria-Daily Routine Curious about our daily routine in Spanish? By now students are well acquainted with our
places and traditions in “el mundo hispánico!” We then turn to the front of the class to review
everyday customs. Before being seated, each child chooses their Spanish name tag to use during class. Next, they find a desk labeled with an Hispanic symbol of their choosing. This has been a fun way to get to know a few famous
and recite our “everyday español.” This includes weather, seasons, days, months, colors, and basic conversational vocabulary. (continued next page)
¿CÓMO TE LLAMAS? WHAT IS YOUR NAME?
THREE OF THE NINE DESKS WHERE CHILDREN SIT IN SPANISH
DAILY ROUTINE CONTINUED Next, the main lesson begins. Thus far in the 2nd-5th grade program, we have covered greetings and conversational Spanish, and are now moving into a unit on food and restaurant vocabulary. While an upper school student may at times be covering the same topic as a lower school student, our program is cumulative. A
ABOVE:
EVERYDAY ESPAÑOL
lower school student has a greater emphasis on language
JU NI O R KINDERGARTENF IR ST GR ADE SPANISH
input and the building blocks of vocabulary, while upper school navigates more toward conversational Spanish and
IN JK-FIRST GRADE SPANISH, WE HAVE BEEN LEARNING “GREETINGS” VOCABULARY. WE ARE SINGING, RHYMING, PLAYING GAMES, AND SPEAKING WITH ONE ANOTHER. STUDENTS LOVE THE
actual output. After the lesson is over, if our class has done well for the day, we earn the reward of moving our “pelota” down the soccer field!
Lower School Parents:
Can your child : -Ask “how are you” in Spanish? -Give you three responses to the above question? -Tell you their name in Spanish?
Upper School Parents:
Can your child: -Tell you two ways to ask “how are you?” -Tell you five responses to “how are you?” -Tell you four ways to say “goodbye?” -Tell you their name in Spanish?
Have you been told about“super sombreros” yet?
Señor Calabaza
“BUENOS DÍAS” AND “CÓMO TE LLAMAS” SONGS. HAVE YOU HEARD THEM AT HOME? THIS WEEK WE HAVE STARTED TO LEARN OUR COLORS IN SPANISH.
PA R L E Z-V OU S FRANÇAIS? IN THE 6TH GRADE FRENCH PROGRAM, STUDENTS HAVE BEEN FOCUSING ON BASIC CONVERSATIONAL FRENCH. WE HAVE JUST MOVED INTO A FRENCH FOOD UNIT-BON APPÉTIT! HAS YOUR CHILD SUNG THE FRENCH NAME SONG FOR YOU?
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Kindergarten iPads
First Grade iPads
iPads are a wonderful tool to use with young children. We have learned the correct terminology for the parts of the iPad while exploring and discovering the many apps on our iPads. We have worked independently and cooperatively. Ask your child about brain activities.
Moving ahead with our iPads this year, we have reviewed the correct terminology for our equipment and learned some new apps. The students have started journaling and will keep their book going throughout the year. The most exciting utility we have added this year is iMover, an app that will allow us to print some of their work.
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Story Journaling in First Grade The students have started writing sentences and illustrating in iDiary. We will continue to work throughout the year. Moon Posters Fourth Grade students designed Moon Posters in Pages. Each poster had 5 elements that had to be included. The students did an excellent work. Gingerbread Men After their adventures with the Gingerbread Man, the children created Gingerbread Men in Cookie Doodle.
Second Grade Learning to use a laptop and a touchpad and the terminology for a laptop have been part of every lesson this year. The students are such eager and rapid learners. We are using KidPix for our word processing and slideshows this year. The students are developing writing skills and applying them during tech class. After the trip to Hatcher Dairy Farm we wrote reflections from the trip.
Third Grade This year will be a real step up for third grade. We will be using all the Apple programs. We have begun using Pages and Keynote and the editing skills that are available to the students, like the thesaurus and spell check. We are also learning about safe searching on the internet. I have given them a number of search engines to use. I have listed the search engines on my webpage.
Fourth Grade Reviewing the main points of Keynote and Pages began our year. We learned the correct format for papers in Fourth Grade. We have created posters in Pages about the Moon. This included a brief lesson on searching for and downloading images. Now we are ready for video. Using flip cameras, we will review WordlyWise vocabulary words by filming short skits about the words and then sharing them with the class.