Grade 6 students took to the stage with their rendition of the play, Superheros, Unite! Students had crowds of peers and parents rolling with laughter–who knew we had so many talented thespians on campus? Special thanks to Mrs. Chaney, director extraordinaire, for leading another wonderful performance!...
Grade 2 students wowed parents and peers during their autobiographical presentations last week. Each student chose a historical figure to research and presented their reports along with a multi-media slideshow they created. Some students even dressed in character! Their reports were informative and well-documented, and their public speaking skills were very impressive!...
Gillispie’s signature community event, Corks & Forks, is bursting with new vendors and Gillispie favorites! On Friday, May 17, 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. on Pirtle Field, Gillispie families (current, past, and incoming) will sip, socialize, and celebrate the year with tastes from California’s top winemakers, brewers, and chefs. This annual event is the perfect occasion to invite your friends and family to campus to see what the Gillispie community is all about – so get...
What do the bold flower paintings of Georgia O’Keeffe, the slashing drips of Jackson Pollack, the enigmatic smile of Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, and the melting clocks of Salvador Dali have in common? Gillispie students! These artists were chosen by our third grade students for their artist biography projects this year. Each year in the art room, third graders select an artist, read a book about their chosen person, write a short report, create an artwork inspired...
During an exploration of the Sustainable Garden with Mrs. Knight and Mrs. Brady, children in Rosewood Room noticed that the lemon tree was full of fruit and decided to pick a few to bring back to class. At first, they used the lemons as a provocation for observational drawings with dry and oil pastels, but soon, talk of lemonade began. Excited about the idea of making the refreshing drink, the students decided they would open a stand. Together,...
Students in Grade 4 have been learning to play the ukulele, including how to hold it, how to tune it, and how to take care of it. One of the benefits of teaching ukulele is that it can be used as a melodic or harmonic instrument. Students can play and sing at the same time. In addition, eye-hand coordination, fine and gross motor skills and whole-body/kinesthetic movement are utilized when playing this delightful instrument! Each introduced instrument is done...
Students working in Occupational Therapy celebrated St. Patrick’s Day in a fun way! They worked on building fine motor skills using gold coins and a pot of gold. These tools can be used to target different skills in a variety of ways, such as: Hiding the gold coins around the room for a treasure hunt to work on visual scanning skills and identifying objects in a busy background. Placing the coins along an obstacle course to work on gross...
There was an amazing show of support for our 10th Annual Blood Drive and Bake Sale! The San Diego Blood Bank collected 45 donations, which will touch the lives of 135 people in just one day. This was our largest turnout since 2012, and our second largest drive ever! Additionally, 13 individuals donated for the very first time. According to the Blood Bank, 30% first-time donors is well above average for their drives. Bake Sale donations were also huge this...
"When faces called flowers float out of the ground - it’s Spring!" - E.E. Cummings Have you noticed the cheerful “faces” beginning to appear above the steps to our Gillispie Library? Each winter our green-thumbed art room volunteer, Claudia Metcalfe, plant tulip bulbs in pots. These bulbs bloom into a lovely array of color that beckons spring into the Art Room and Gillispie community. Within the Art Room, we observe the structure of this graceful plant. We carefully observe...
Recently, our head of school found a large note on her door that read: Dear Ms. Fleming, Can we wear Valentine's Day clothes or hearts, please? We want to look fancy and cool and festive. The party is special and we want the same colors as Valentine's Day so we match. Can we do this, please, on February 13 even though Valentine's Day is February 14? Room 18 The Kindergarten students had written and left the note with the simple ask...