Saturday, June 01, 2019

The Days Ahead: What's on the Agenda

The final days of school include a number of great learning events including the following:

Eleanor Roosevelt Project
Global Changemakers Celebration
This wonderful human timeline of extraordinary people past and present displayed via portraits, interviews, students acting in character, and digital posters will provide a meaningful real-time opportunity to learn history in a multi-sensory way for families, educators, and students throughout the school. There's still good work to do to prepare for this event

Middle School Transition
Our school system over the years has put together a terrific agenda of events to make the transition to Middle School successful. This week will include a visit to the Middle School and a visit from Middle School teachers to our school.

School Concert
Our wonderful school musicians which equals the larger part of third, fourth, and fifth grade students will present a concert to the school community.

School Picnic and WTA Last Meeting
These celebratory, culminating events will bring the school community members together.

Letters to Future Selves
My colleagues ask students to write letters to their future selves, and then they send those letters out to the students when they are seniors in high school. I know that the seniors love receiving those letters. This is a great tradition that creates a full circle effort of encouragement and gratitude.

Changing Bodies
A dedicated colleague leads our efforts to introduce the students to the facts and information about changing bodies--this is a great, short, and pointed program that helps prepares children well for the years ahead. We allow parents to preview the program prior to teaching, and if a parent wants to opt out for any reason, that choice is supported.

Sexual Abuse Prevention Program
Our school counselors promote a wonderful program which is focused on student safety--it's sensitive, accurate, and very helpful with regard to keeping our students safe.

Field Day
Students love this day of active sports and play. It's great to see some students demonstrate their talent, skill, and sportsmanship during this day.

Global Cardboard Challenge
Students playfully use cardboard and all kinds of recyclables to create a playground arcade and play spaces for all students in the school. The arcade takes place during lunchtime on the playground. This is a very creative activity that also serves as a good way to clean up and well-use the leftover classroom materials.

Memory Books
Parents put together a wonderful 5th grade Memory Book for children. They autograph each other's Memory Books and then get signatures from teachers and other students in the school. They love reading these books together.

Progress Reports and Cum Cards
Teachers have some paperwork to create online and offline by the last day of school.

Jump In
Throughout the year we show a number of wonderful films. We try to introduce children to positive ideas about activities, choices, and people in these films. This year we are ending the year with the popular and positive film, Jump In, which is a terrific film for pre-teens. We show a little bit at a time during indoor recesses, at the end of the day, and when everyone needs a relaxing break.

Fun Day
The last day is a Fun Day with all kinds of special, creative, low-key events, a culminating slideshow, and clap-out.

Lots of positive activity ahead. Onward.