Happy Sunday!
One of my goals this year is to share out class news via blog style, so today marks the first official classroom blog. Included will be highlights from our classroom, as well as school news and upcoming events.
What We Are SEEKING; What We Are LIVING By
On the first day of school 4th graders were given6 plastic bags that contained puzzle pieces and were told two things:
- There are 6 puzzles that need to be put together.
- You have to work with at least one other person.
It didn’t take long before someone figured out that Mrs. Priddy can sometimes be sneaky…
“She mixed up all the puzzles! Guys, I think we should work together. Each bag isn’t one puzzle! They all have parts of one another! We all have to work together to put together the 6 different puzzles!” There's no fooling these 4th graders!
Students quickly figured out that the words came directly from St. Paul’s mission statement which is:
“Seek Truth, Knowledge, and Excellence; Live by Faith, Compassion, and Integrity.”
As students came together as a class, they completed the 6 puzzles which spelled out: Truth, Knowledge, Excellence, Faith, Compassion, and Integrity.
The class loved the challenge and did a fantastic job of collaborating and problem solving.
Students were then invited to break down the mission statement in more kid-friendly terms to help us understand exactly what the mission statement means. Words like integrity and compassion are vague terms for 9 year olds.
This week we revisited those words and brainstormed what they mean to us. Every child got an opportunity to write something about each word. We then came back together as a class and shared and discussed our thoughts. Next week we will begin making the posters that will go up on our walls for the year using a website called Canva.
From these activities I learned a lot about your children as teammates, leaders, problem solvers, learners, and friends.
Interview with a 4th Grader
The best way to get to know one another is to ask each other questions and then actually listen to the answers. Hence, instead of having your child write about themselves (they already know what they did this summer, what book they enjoyed reading, and a fun fact no one knows about them) I asked them to first interview a classmate and then write a fascinating paragraph about their interviewee. We talked about using hooks and language that would make the listener(?) want to hear more. Hmmm…
But we weren’t finished there!
Next they practiced reading (or memorizing) their piece and then recorded themselves using an app on our new class iPads. Then we downloaded the recording to our class Google Drive, where it was turned into a QR code. It might be a good idea to download a QR code scanning app onto your smartphone (if you have one) before Parents’ Night this Wednesday… J
Free Dress Day
Thank you for your support and contributions this past Wednesday! The Lower School raised over $600 for the Senft Family! It was amazing to see and hear so many students coming out to support another student and his family. We all continue to keep Archer in our thoughts and prayers.
Forms and Field Trips
I know there are tons of forms that come home the first few weeks of school, so thank you for being so on top of them! I have the majority of the forms for our field trip to the Chesapeake Bay this Friday and almost half of the yellow Hopes and Dreams forms we asked you to fill out about your child. If you have not done so already, please send in both by this Tuesday (9/15). Please also let me know if you need another copy of either.
Buddies
One of my most favorite things about teaching 4th grade is seeing the 4th graders with their Kindergarten buddies! They started asking about them the first day of school and finally got to meet them on Tuesday before Chapel; it was an incredible sight. Even Dr. Powell wrote an email following Chapel to compliment the 4th grade on a job well done.
The fun continued yesterday as we went down to Mrs. Rice and Ms. Joseph's room to draw t-shirts in celebration of T-shirt Day. I have to give props to these amazing 4th graders again, as they were patient, thoughtful, helpful and kind throughout the entire experience. I heard lots of compliments and saw tons of fist bumps J
We finished the school day playing outside and Sensei came out to take lots of pictures!
ESP Helpers
I have to give a final shout out to all of the 4th graders who have been volunteering to help with the Kindergarteners during ESP. They have taken their jobs very seriously while making sure every Kindergartener got their snack, was escorted to and from the bathroom, escorted to the library when it was time to go home, and was checked out when they leave. They also played with them on the Kindergarten playground and volunteered to be “It” during games of tag. They are showing true leadership and are embodying what it means to be a Big Buddy.
This Week:
- Wednesday is Parents’ Night. We hope to see you at school at 6:30 and cannot wait to share what we have planned for the year!
- Friday is our field trip to the Chesapeake Bay. Please have your child’s permission slip signed and returned to school by Tuesday.
- I will not be in school tomorrow as it is a Jewish Holiday, but the students are in great hands with Mrs. Black.
And that does it for our first classroom blog post! Thank you for your time and support! It means the world to us!
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Have a wonderful weekend,
Jennifer Priddy
