I wish each of you family time and lots of “game-on” fun as we head into the Holiday Break. Below are resources shared by parents at our Early Childhood and Elementary check-ins. Some of these bring out the competitive edge while others require a team effort (for example, see games by Peaceable Kingdom). In addition to your great suggestions, our fifth and sixth graders, as our on-campus experts, added a few of their favorites. Besides their choices listed below,...
“This is gonna be great!” “Minecraft coding is awesome!" “CodeCombat is the best!” These are just some of the enthusiastic comments students have made this week while participating in the Hour of Code. Throughout the week, students have been using a variety of apps and programming languages during their coding activities. Our PreK students engaged in “unplugged” activities to learn about how to give computers instructions. They played a variation of “Simon Says” where one student plays the role of the...
Our Gillispie at H.O.M.E. (Hands On Mindful Exploration) program offers Early Childhood families who elected not to have their child/children on campus this year a lively distance cohort experience. We've already begun the second of nine monthly sessions, and the positive feedback has been tremendous! While this interactive community has been offered in a daily format to children ages 2 through Prekindergarten, we are opening up another opportunity for students ages 20-36 months with a once-a-week model. Parent Toddler at H.O.M.E will offer 8-week sessions that will include...
Keeping our community well is our highest priority. As such, we have been monitoring our community health during the normal cold and flu season, and also in consideration of the media coverage of the 2019 Novel Coronavirus. It is important that families continue to monitor the health and wellbeing of their children and themselves, and take all necessary, routine precautions that we would expect: washing hands, remaining home from school for at least 24-hours following any symptoms...
It has been over a decade since Gillispie first rolled up its sleeves and hosted the first blood drive, and the tradition continues with our annual Grade 3 Blood Drive and Bake Sale February 11, 2020. An event that was organized to support a former Gillispie family affected by childhood leukemia has now turned into our blood drive--a life-saving, annual event that our local community depends on. Over the past ten years, our Gillispie blood donors have saved...
Now more than ever, it is crucial that children learn how to become creative and empathetic solution builders, and the development of the skills needed for success can begin as early as preschool. In order to give children the opportunity to hone their creative problem-solving skills, it is important for them to be allowed to construct their own knowledge and understanding of the world through both experience and reflection on those experiences. This approach is referred...
Our recent Early Childhood Parent Coffee featured a panel discussion about child nutrition, spurring a healthy ongoing conversation among parents. The speakers on the panel consisted of current Gillispie parents with backgrounds in nutrition, cooking, and treating eating disorders. A few key phrases that came up: “You provide, they decide.” “Don’t yuck my yum!” “Food is neutral.” Some interesting take-aways include the following tips: Include kids in the process of making a meal. Include them in grocery shopping, food preparation,...
At Gillispie, we recognize the importance of preparing children for a future that is increasingly lived online. We give students opportunities to research, communicate, and create using online tools across the curriculum and across grade levels. As children develop these important skills, they must also develop the ability to protect themselves and to behave appropriately while online. Digital citizenship is a recurring theme throughout Gillispie's program in Media Literacy classes and in any other class where online...
The family of a former student reached out to me recently with a dilemma: Although their oldest child was a voracious reader, their youngest child didn’t seem to be interested in books at all. The parents wondered if I might “work my magic” on their youngest child, to ignite the spark that would eventually become a raging fire for books. As flattered as I am to be credited with this power, the secret to turning reluctant readers...
Gillispie students PreK to Grade 6 were treated with visits from Practical Karate owner and Gillispie parent, Frank McCarroll, who engaged students in interactive workshops designed to help children create an environment of kindness at school and cope with confrontational or bullying behaviors from other students or strangers. Using the book Have You Filled a Bucket Today?: A Guide to Daily Happiness for Kids and his own experiences growing up, Frank showed students that making a conscious...
