Ms Sweet and I would like to remind you that our next Parent Coffee with the ES Administration will be on Wednesday, March 6th in the elementary school library. The topic of this meeting will be student-led conferencing. Beginning in the fall of 2013, the traditional parent-teacher conference will be replaced with the student-led conferencing. Ms. Deepa, Ms. Sherman, Ms. Kristina, and Ms. Chris will be leading this presentation.
Last week, I wrote about the several visitors we had on campus and the many wonderful learning opportunities for teachers to enhance their classroom practice. A commitment to quality professional learning is one of the characteristics of an effective
school. It enables staff to develop the skills and knowledge which is central to improving student learning.
This week, let's take a look inside some of our classrooms to "see" just some of the many exciting and creative learning experiences in which children are engaged. Our first stop is Ms. Jayasri Santosh's PS 3+ class. This week, students were introduced the iPad for the first time. The children were super excited to get their hands on an iPad. They learned the key vocabulary words on how to operate an iPad and later played with the app called Agnitus. Agnitus is a free educational app designed to teach children about math, colors, shapes, and much more.
As I continued my journey, I happened to look into Ms. Kristie's classroom and saw children hunched over aquariums. Exciting! I entered the room and within a few seconds, students told me that they were studying organisms, and that they were learning about two different environments for organisms—the aquarium (water) and the terrarium (land). Ms. Kristie told me that the Grade 2 teachers want children to develop a deeper appreciation for the diversity of life and to cultivate a
sense of respect for all living things.
Next, I found myself in Ms. Kamini's Grade 3 classroom where the students of 3D opened their
classroom door to their parents. The students read the non-fiction books
they wrote using Book Creator on the iPads. They talked about the
investigation they are doing in science and demonstrated their understanding of
the different types of rocks by walking their parents through the brochure
they made as a class. Then it was on to social studies. The students showed their parents 3D models of the imaginary islands
they created. I even assumed the role of student, and three students talked to me about the model they built. Finally, everyone watched a Google Earth presentation during which time each student showed his/her home
along with other information they had written that colorfully caught the audience's attention through explanations using their five
senses. The students were really excited and did a great
job informing their parents on what has been happening in the classroom.
This journey would not be complete without a story from the 3rd floor. The students of 5D enjoyed the morning of Tuesday, February 26th reading and creating poetry. The day was even more special because the students worked with their mothers.“A ‘Haiku’ is a Japanese
form of poetry,” Alessio could be heard explaining. This was the kind of poetry
that was the focus of the morning. To kick off their creative minds, the students
produced a special type of artwork using the beauty of symmetry. The children then created beautiful poetry, using their artwork as a source of inspiration. What a grand way to begin the unit of poetry! It truly was a
celebration of learning!
This has been yet another great week of fun and learning at AISC. I thank the many parents who were able to be in their child's classroom this week, or those were involved in some other way. Our mission statement is alive! "Together we inspire a love of learning..." I wish I had the space to share pictures of the many exciting experiences happening in each one of our 34 classrooms; the journey continues!
Please be sure to click on ES Physical Education News about the upcoming swimming units and the After School Activities link for information about an international sports camp coming to AISC.
Have a great weekend,
Kevin Hall
Elementary School Principal