Dear Families, I would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself! My name is Sara, and I am serving the 2023-2024 school year as Gillispie’s very first School Counselor! I am already so excited to be part of the Gillispie family. It is so apparent how close-knit and welcoming the Gillispie community is, and I feel very lucky and honored to be part of it! My passion for School Counseling began during my time as a student...
It's tulip time in the art garden! The tulip bulbs the Kindergarteners planted in January are now in full bloom in the art garden classroom. They loved the rain and cooler temperatures. We have all enjoyed the experience of watching them grow over the past two months. These tulips have been the source of our artistic inspiration throughout all grade levels recently. - Kindergarten: clay slab tulip gardens - 1st grade: Eric Carle painted paper collages - 2nd grade: oil pastel...
St. Patrick's day is around the corner, and Willow friends will be showing any visiting leprechaun kindness; they have designed a Magnificent House which he would WANT to come and visit. This house includes a two-story bungalow with a nice mailbox for him to receive mail from his family and friends back home. This lucky leprechaun will enjoy his own jeep, airplane, a treehouse with a tire swing, and a waterfall shower out the back. He will have access to a rock wall and...
Learning about sequencing in Kindergarten and early childhood is an important readiness skill that helps young children understand how to recognize patterns and makes their world more understandable and predictable. It is foundational for reading, writing, math, and scientific inquiry. Sequencing is also an important concept for computational thinking. In this unplugged activity, our kindergarten students had fun as they “programmed” each other to go through sequences they created. Taking turns, one child created the program (code)...
To celebrate World Read Aloud Day, two classes had virtual author visits in the Gillspie Library! First, Ms. Leard's and Ms. Young's Kindergarteners met Rebecca Gardyn Levington, author of BRAINSTORM!, a new picture book. Students heard the book read aloud by the author and asked some questions. They wondered how she came up with the idea for the book and how the book was made. The final student comment came from Charlie K., who simply said, “I...
Our Book Buddies program pairs upper elementary students with their younger cohorts for weekly meetings spent reading or playing together around campus. It is back in action after a long hiatus and the students are loving it. In this photo, children in Ms. Hurley's Grade 3 class teamed up with our Prekindergarteners in Juniper and Sequoia for a community storytime where the Elementary students read some of their favorite stories to their young friends. Both classes enjoyed the camaraderie and...
Early Childhood students in Willow Room have been creating art in various forms and using their art to hone other skills. From crafting with loose parts to painting at the easels, they are encouraged to express their creativity and connect with each other through sharing insights and reflecting together on their work. Manipulating with loose parts has been particularly helpful when working on fine motor, cognition, and communication skills. When the children want to design a piece,...
A recent EC Parent meet-up, where we discussed Technology and Our Young Children, served as an important reminder that it takes a village to raise and educate healthy, happy, and tech-balanced children. With this in mind, we thought we would share some relevant tips that came from that meet-up, which we believe could come in handy over the winter break. While the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends screen time and other media limitations, especially for younger...
Early Childhood teachers and students hosted a Thanksgiving Feast on the field before the Thanksgiving break! Students made themed decorations, including painted pumpkins, centerpieces, and placemats, and parents arrived with a pot-luck dish chosen by their little ones. Teachers made the field look special with photo ops and family crafts. Everyone enjoyed this special time together on campus. [caption id="attachment_10208" align="aligncenter" width="880"] FEAST 9900000000079e3c[/caption]...
Recently, Ms. Fleming visited the Kindergarten students to read aloud the book “How Many Seeds in a Pumpkin” by Margaret McNamara for a science and math activity that reinforces counting skills. In the book, the main character, Mr. Tiffin, and his students explore skip counting and estimation as a fun pumpkin-themed classroom experiment. After the reading, the students used the same technique to make their own estimations on a pumpkin Ms. Leard brought to the classroom. Thanks for visiting, Ms. Fleming!...