September 18, 2017
It is Back To School Time!
2017-2018
Welcome to the Elementary program! This year’s thematic unit will be the First Timeline of Man. We will study early man and technological advances through the ages allowing man to populate the Earth. We will learn about the challenges of the Fundamental Needs of People, and the development of technology to overcome those challenges.
As part of the culture studies, we will be focusing on Asian and African people, and will be examining the influences of religions and local traditions of those continents. This will include the spread of Islam and the influence of Islam in the world then and now. We will be exploring foods, music, landscapes, and animals found on the continents of Asia and Africa.
In Peace Education we will learn about peaceful resolution of conflict as we proceed through our Character Education program.
Your child will be developing 4 albums with their work in math, language, science, and history/culture. Most returning students already have these in the class and will continue to build on these as they remain in the Elementary Program. Feel free to stop in to review your child’s work at any time. These albums will be in the classroom.
Children will meet with me weekly to develop their work plans. They will use their individual journals or their albums to record their work and plan future studies in areas of their interest. Some of the work plan will be teacher directed and some of the work plan will be student choice and will be selectable from a list of work that the child has already been introduced to and he/she wishes to continue building competence in.
In order to progress through the program, a child will need to demonstrate competence in an area, to be sure that they fully understand before moving on. I will be developing portfolios for each child including photos of work completed, work plans, and an assessment form. These will always be available for viewing by a parent by making an appointment to meet with me.
Here is a list of supplies that your child will need:
4 heavy duty binders 1.5inches. (I would like them to have the following colors but they can choose differently if they would like): Red-math/geometry, yellow-langugage arts/literature/writing/spelling, Blue- Geography/History, Green-Science/Biology
A personal organizer notebook. I would suggest the Mead Five Star Hybrid Note Binders. It has subject dividers and pockets as well as a three ring binder. The children will be able to keep their work organized if they are carrying this book to and from school, as well as organize their work in it all day, so something creative that they can use would be great. The children can customize this or have a design that they like. Some have closures on them to keep the contents from falling out.
Single subject wide ruled notebooks or comprehension books. For K and 1st graders, these comprehension books should be “Primary” which have larger lines, and a dotted centerline for early writers. Loose-leaf paper, (wide ruled reinforced preferred). For K and 1st graders, this should also be “Primary” paper (although I have never seen reinforced primary paper. It usually comes in a tablet.)
Graph paper (graph ruled reinforced preferred), a geometry kit, sketch pads, colored pencils (prang or something of similar quality, some colored pencils do not sharpen well and frustrate a child), pencils (I personally prefer Ticonderoga based on how well they sharpen and stay sharp), dry erase markers, crayons, paints, erasers, a pencil sharpener, scissors, glue sticks.
In the class the child should wear slippers or soft shoes that do not go anywhere but in the class. They should wear comfortable clothing that they will not mind sitting on the floor in. They should have a pair of sneakers for the gym, and a change of cloths in their cubbies. Please also be sure that your child will be prepared for indoor and outdoor activities. We will be outside as much as possible. When it starts getting colder, they will need coat, hats, gloves, snow pants, boots.
The children may bring their own placemat for meals or they can borrow one from the school. Food should be contained in lunch boxes and eaten as part of meal/snack routine. Please avoid sugar in snacks.
Feel free to contact me at the school if you have any questions.
Mr. Paul