We had a wonderful time seeing families on campus at the 2023 Spring Arts & Design Showcase on May 26. We were blown away by the talented musical performances, the beautiful art galleries, and the amazing science and design projects on display. Thank you to everyone who joined us and to our extraordinary specialty teachers Mr. Lewis, Ms. Walters, Mr. Edwards, Mr. Belsha, and Mr. Lawerence for all their hard work producing this event....
Earlier this year the third graders were treated to a Kamishibai presentation by storyteller Walt Ritter from an organization called Write Out Loud. Kamishibai is a form of Japanese storytelling that literally translates to "paper theater". The Stories are performed by Kamishibaiya (Kamishibai Narrator) using sets of illustrated boards that are placed in stage-like boxes and narrated as each image is changed. After the presentation, the third graders were inspired to design and build Kamishibai boxes and write and illustrate...
It's finally spring and the EC and Elementary students are enjoying many different P.E. activities! EC children are working on striking with an open hand and also with a racket while Elementary students have been enjoying learning about Lacrosse. Many students are also preparing for the Jr. Olympics this Sunday by throwing the softball, working on the standing broad jump, and training on the obstacle course. Ed Whelan and Cheyenne Kibblewhite, P.E. Teachers...
Meals on Wheels delivers special Happy Birthday gift bags to older adults receiving their services. It is a lovely way to show them love on their birthdays! The Community Relations Committee helped Gillispie students make handcrafted cards and artwork that Meals on Wheels will deliver with the birthday packages to older adults. It will surely brighten their day! The students were enthusiastic and the artwork was heartwarming! Thanks to the parents who volunteered to help. The Community Relations Committee...
We were lucky enough to have a few Early Childhood parents come to campus last month to share more information about Nowruz and Ramadan, both celebrated in March. Norwuz (translated as "New Day" in Farsi) begins on the first day of Spring, marking the Persian New Year, and is celebrated for 13 days. Over 300 million people of diverse faiths and backgrounds celebrate Nowruz worldwide. Ramadan is observed by Muslims worldwide as a month of fasting to commemorate...
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)...
Specialty Spotlight: P.E. Students in Early Childhood have been working on large motor movements to music, body control, and throwing and catching. Prekindergarten through Grade 5 students have loved climbing the rock wall the last two weeks. Elementary grades have also been practicing flag football on the field. This week, they learned how to take a hand-off, run through cones, and then evade a defender to score. Grades 3-5 have also been practicing throwing and catching the football. Ed Whelan and...
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,...