This week, four mothers from our Japanese community were guest teachers in Mr. Ken's grade 4 art classes. They taught each student how to write his or her name in Kanji and Hiragana, which are two of the three character sets in the Japanese writing system. Kanji, adopted from the Chinese, are pictograms, and each character has its own meaning and corresponds to a word. There are 2136 Kanji designated as "Kanji for everyday use" (www.japan-guide.com). Hiragana is used to write Japanese words for which there are no Kanji.
The enthusiastic teachers first modeled the correct way to hold the paintbrush and how to complete each stroke of the brush. It did not take long for the students to master these techniques. Once they did, students were given a sheet of newspaper so that they could practice writing their names. Then came the moment each student was waiting for- a clean sheet of white paper! "Okay, I know how to do this!" exclaimed one student. The children really enjoyed this activity. Thank you very much to the parents who volunteered in the grade 4 art classes this week.
This week, several of our students visited a rainforest right here at AISC! As part of their unit on "Rainforests" students in 3B built a rainforest museum in the classroom. The docents (museum tour guides) provided students from visiting classrooms with detailed information about the different layers of the rainforest, as well as the types of flora and fauna which call the rainforest home. Congratulations, 3B! A special thank you to the parents of 3B for your help!
And the Winner is...
Book Week 2013
This year’s annual book week will be a celebration of all of the reading our students have done this year! We will celebrate everything from our favorite genres (types of books) to our favorite book to listen to (read aloud).
Here is the itinerary for the week:
Monday: Favorite Author
Special Events: Kick-off Assembly (students only)
Scholastic Book Fair: Elementary Courtyard
Tuesday: Favorite Read Aloud
Special Event: Celebrity Guest Readers (students only)
Scholastic Book Fair: Elementary Courtyard
Dress: Pajamas
Wednesday: Favorite Genre
Special Event: Storyteller, Auntie Jeeva (students only)
Scholastic Book Fair: Elementary Courtyard
Thursday: Favorite Character
Dress: Students may dress up as their favorite book character
Friday: Favorite Book
Special Event: AISC Book Awards Show 2:30-3:00, PAC Auditorium. Dress: In true red-carpet style, we ask students to dress up for our awards show. Parents: We ask you to act as “paparazzi” outside the auditorium. Please bring your camera and get ready to cheer on our stars as they walk the red carpet into the auditorium.
Special Event: AISC Book Awards Show 2:30-3:00, PAC Auditorium. Dress: In true red-carpet style, we ask students to dress up for our awards show. Parents: We ask you to act as “paparazzi” outside the auditorium. Please bring your camera and get ready to cheer on our stars as they walk the red carpet into the auditorium.
Ways Families Can Get Involved:
* Save time for a special read aloud every night
* Talk to your child about their favorite books, authors, etc., each day
* Plan dress up outfits for the theme days
* Act as photographers (paparazzi) before our awards show on Friday
Have a great weekend,
Kevin Hall
Elementary School Principal
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