Music

Students in grades K–2 have been learning a variety of songs and games to celebrate Thanksgiving. Our kindergarteners also did a wonderful job performing their Veteran’s Day song at the recent ceremony! Meanwhile, students in grades 3 and 4 are exploring movement in a fun dance unit, and our chorus is hard at work preparing for the upcoming concert.

All students are creating holiday trees to be displayed in the store windows at Holiday on Main Street on December 6th.

Kindergarten- learning about primary colors through collage and photography, and how to use them to create secondary colors using paint

First- learning about the color spectrum, ROYGBIV (rainbow order) and how to create all the colors using red, yellow, and blue

Second- creating paintings of suns and moons while learning about hot and cold colors

Third- learning about art during medieval times and creating an all about me coat of arms with drawing supplies

Fourth- learning about three dimensional forms and learning how to create the illusion that shapes are 3D on flat paper

Fifth- cutting geometric and organic shapes to create a balanced “notan” (a Japanese technique meaning light and dark harmony)

Sixth- wrapping up our observational drawing unit by learning to shade objects in color using color theory concepts

6th grade: Constructing questions and formulating answers on the topic of likes and dislikes in regards to common activities. (ex. I like to play sports).

5th grade: Identifying the rooms of the house in Spanish. Analyzing and answering questions based on a visual interior picture of a house.  

4th grade: 4th grade: Listing, matching, recognizing numbers 10-20.

Asking and answering, ¿Cuál es tu número favorito? (What is your favorite number?) 

Asking and answering ¿Cuántos años tienes tú? (How old are you?) 

3rd grade: Identifying months of the year in Spanish.  Examining the differences in spelling and grammar points of the months in English and in Spanish.

2nd grade: Naming, matching, recalling a variety of vegetable vocabulary. Asking and answering, ¿Te gusta?( Do you like it?)  Me gusta (I like it). 

1st grade: 1st grade: Dancing to a variety of songs ( “Cabeza, Hombros Piernas, Pies” y  “Cuando un Amigo Baila”)  while identifying parts of the body.

Kindergarten:  Identifying the letters of the Spanish alphabet, recognizing beginning sounds of words in Spanish. 

In the garden and greenhouse we had pumpkin-palooza! All grades have been observing attributes of pumpkins, seed collecting and tasting pump[kin seeds.  5th graders learned the impact of pumpkins and food waste in our landfills and completed methane gas experiments in our greenhouse. Did you know 1 billion pounds of pumpkin end up in our landfills every year? The garden has officially had its first frost and over the next few weeks we will clear and prep our garden for the winter.

Grades K-1 are engaging in hands-on building activities using a variety of materials—including pop cubes, popsicle sticks, dominoes, magnet tiles, ten blocks, and KEVA planks—to create Thanksgiving-themed projects. Their creations range from turkey hideout shelters to Thanksgiving tables designed to support multiple holiday food items. 

Second graders are finishing up the LEGO Spike Essential unit and are beginning the keyboarding unit. As part of this unit, students will be using the Kodable app, which provides engaging, game-based activities that help them build typing confidence and strengthen their early digital literacy skills.

Third graders are discovering how simple machines make work easier by creating their own pulley systems to lift a spider to its web. As they move through the engineering design process, students gain a deeper understanding of both pulleys and the unique behaviors of spiders.

Grades 4-6 are beginning the Digital Citizenship unit, which focuses on preparing students to navigate the digital world safely and responsibly. Throughout these lessons, students are learning to think critically about online interactions, make responsible choices, and take ownership of their digital presence.

K–1 students are getting creative with all kinds of building materials as they make fun Thanksgiving-themed creations. Grades 4–6 are kicking off a Digital Citizenship unit to learn how to be smart and safe online.

After we closed out last month with our spooky themed stations, the students have been participating in different offensive/defensive strategy activities which translate to the many team sports they play.  This time of year our classes are starting to transition to some indoor activities and sports. Currently, this week, we are working on Pickleball skills and activities. Next week we look forward to some “Turkey activities” before the Thanksgiving break.

Grades K-2 are reading books to help us celebrate Thanksgiving and traditions. Grades 3-5 are reading folktales to celebrate Native American Heritage Month. Our 6th graders are exploring the novel Nightmares by Jason Segel and its themes about friendship, perseverance and facing challenges. We are getting ready to host the school book fair so our students can gobble up some good books just in time for the holidays.