More Merriment...the band plays on

Don't Forget!  Gift Service  St. Stephen's  9:30 AM

From Hanukkah to Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree

In keeping with the spirit of this special time of the year, our class gave an informative, energetic and wonderful presentation of the history and meaning of Hanukkah. Thanks to Vicki Green and Caroline Connell,  the lower school girls have a much clearer understanding of the festival of lights.  A few hours later, they put down their swords and shields and  got out the construction paper, the glitter, and the glue, put on "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" and made Christmas stockings for our class fireplace.  What a versatile and creative bunch of girls they are! In the last few days, they have written memories of previous Christmases, done some holiday math, and generally had a rollicking, good time filled with great learning.

Practices for the Gift Service at St. Stephen's have begun.  Every girl has a part.  Some are singing in the choir, others are part of the strings ensemble, and some are shepherds, pages and readers, and even the angel.  The service will begin at 9:30 on Friday at St. Stephen's.  Afterwards, the girls will walk back to the classroom, where parents may pick them up directly after the service.  Thanks to all of you for making this a season of joy for all!

Hanukkah Presentation on Monday

Hi Everyone,

As you know, the Roberts' Fourthies have been preparing for our chapel on Hanukkah.  We are grateful to Caroline Connell and Vicki Green for their instruction,vision, and hardwork in preparation for this informative and fun presentation.  The girls have had a wonderful time learning about the history and tradition behind Hanukkah, and they are so excited to present to the lower school on Monday at 8:15.

If you are able to attend, we would love to have you join us!

Best,

Pam

Flying Anywhere?

If you happen to be taking a vacation and money is no object, then you might ask your daughters how to calculate air distances from Washington, D.C. to exotic places in the world, such as Stockholm, Cairo, Rio de Janeiro, or even Shanghai.  The girls learned how to use a globe scale and based on that information, they measured and converted the measurements to miles.  If you're going to be a global citizen, you do need to know where places are, right?!  This group of girls worked well with their partners and team, and they loved learning about this.  We use maps almost every day in our classroom in every subject because the girls are so interested in the world!  Check out the pictures below!

We are STEAMED UP in our class---getting ready for the big day on Friday!  How do you build a bridge?  Can we build a bridge?  How will we use our recyclables in this endeavor?  Final question!
Will it hold a pound?  If last Friday's dry run, working on a different problem, with Mr. Tullner's First Grade is any indication, then we have a good chance.  First and Fourth graders teaming up together!  This will be fun and interesting!
We can't wait, so stay tuned.

globe animation

Mysteries, Engineering, Building, Art and Halloween--All in a Day

This week was alive with the excitement of Halloween.  The girls wrote stories, worked math problems, quizzed their parents on their favorite candy, graphed the results, and guess what?  The fun is not over!  The girls will be counting their own candy tonight, so we can compare the data.  It's called real life math! One of our favorite activities was with the fabulous, creative book projects that were presented today.  The girls explained the process of making them and wove that into the fabric of the story they had read. These girls are on fire with learning! Then they built their own haunted house, complete with lights! At some point, everyone participated.  A lot of discussion, planning, some engineering, some art and real-life building took place.  They even lit up their house.  Now, all they need is spooky music!

Swimming Starts November 4

                                                                                                October 28, 2014

            On Tuesday, November 4, your daughter will begin the swimming unit of her Physical Education class.  The classes will be held every Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday through November 14.  If there is a deviation from the schedule, the girls will be notified.

            Swimming is a wonderful fall activity; however, there are a few pointers to remember.  Your daughter should come to school wearing a one-piece swimsuit under her school clothes.  She should bring a swimming bag in which she stores her underwear (in a plastic, Ziploc bag, please), towel, swim cap, goggles, hairbrush, and a healthy snack, as well as anything else she may need. This next item may not apply because of the current warm weather, but tights are a troublesome piece of clothing to put on after being in the pool, so it is recommended that they not be worn on swimming days.

            This year the girls will swim from 8:00-8:45. Upon arrival at school, the girls can drop their backpacks in the classroom, then go to the playground, as usual.  When they are dismissed from the playground, the class will walk to the Kenny Center for swimming.  We are looking forward to a wonderful two weeks of swimming!

           

           

Math, Math, and More Math

The girls are having a ball as they learn how to gather and organize data, so that the numbers mean something to them. At any moment in our classroom, you might see the girls measuring each other's heads...just in case they might want to sell hats or having a" Musical Moment" to the tune of Happy. Do you know how many times Pharrell sings the word "Happy"? They do, and based on that, they know how to find the median, mode and range. Organizing data with Halloween candy is next, as well as, Halloween problem solving. Fall is in the air, and that is the perfect way to have fun doing a word problem! We are finishing Number the Stars, doing some wonderful research on our Famous People of the Forties, and in the process, learning how to take notes and do a bibliography the digital way---very cool. After we have our next FlexTech session this Wednesday, ask your daughters to show you how to do this. You won't believe it!