Edgewood's Tiger Talk
October 19, 2018
Notes from the Principal
For good or bad, technology has changed us. On one hand, my brother lived in China for 2 years, but my kids saw him all the time through Facetime. 10 years ago, they would have only known him through pictures. On the other hand, the thought of sitting in a waiting room without my phone makes me panic--"What will I do without it to keep me busy?"
Technology has changed childhood, too. There are many wonderful things it brings:
- The ability to research and learn...anything!
- Adaptive software and learning tools
- Connectivity
And it comes at a cost, too.
- We notice that many kids have weaker fine-motor skills, because they spend more time swiping than they do drawing, coloring, or cutting.
- Waiting is hard, because we expect everything instantaneously
- We're working hard to hook kids on reading--it's hard to find books that are as instantly engaging as video games
As parents and educators, there's no moving backward. But when we are aware of what we're losing, we can make efforts to include some of what's lost. Here are some things I'm trying/have seen:
- Phone-free policy during dinner and family time
- Bedtime story routine
- Make time for play like drawing/building, and do that before turning on the TV
- Turn off the noise/tech for a small portion of each day
We want kids who are ready for their futures, which will invariably involve technology. But we also want them to be able to sustain attention, persevere, and create. Let's strike a balance.
4th Grade Reading
3rd Grade Celebration
5K Play
Guidance Update from Mrs. Michlig
Our Peer Helper program is up and running. Trained 5th graders are now on the kindergarten playground assisting with small and medium size problems. An new element this year is having Game Organizers help facilitate games. Through this the older students gain conflict resolution and leadership skills. The younger children get extra assistance and seem to really enjoy having their older peers on their playgrounds. This is another example of fostering a positive school community.
In classrooms our 3rd-5th graders are wrapping up their bullying unit with lessons on cyber-bullying. We covered what it is, how to be appropriate digital citizens and how to handle a situation if they are targeted on-line. Please talk to your children about these lessons and how showing Courage and Compassion can help eliminate cyber-bullying.
In K4-2nd grade we are covering identifying and expressing feelings in respectful ways and teaching a basic framework for solving conflicts. Students will be learning I-messages.
I feel ____________ when you___________. Please _____________. This structure along with teaching assertiveness skills encourages students to begin to prevent and solve small and medium size problems on their own.
Music with Mrs. McClanahan
Here we are in October and 2nd-5th grade music students are dynamically marching their way through it. Dynamics, (loudness and softness), are an essential part of Halloween and all of the music that accompanies it. "In the Hall of the Mountain King" by Grieg happens to be one of our favorites. You can ask your child what kind of scene they came up with to explain the music they heard.
K5 and 1st grades are enjoying the series of books by Laura Ingalls Wilder as we sing, move, and play to the songs of long ago. Our book at the moment focuses on Almanzo and his great big pumpkin.
Art with Ms. Nolan
Autumn has arrived quickly in the art room.
In celebrating the Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos) 5th grade artists have created colorful vibrant Sugar Skulls. They learned about symmetry and design as well as filling the space with detail of simple shapes. It's always amazing to see the results when each artist starts in the same place and the end art is unique.
As the days become shorter we see some beautiful sunsets outside. Inside Edgewood you'll find some glorious sunsets too. Students in 2nd and 3rd grade learned the meaning of the word "SILHOUETTE". Silhouette sunsets of bats and artsy trees adorn the halls.
4th grade modeled their silly witches after Pablo Picasso the famous Spanish artist.
EHSA Update
At last month's meeting, we decided to raise money towards a digital sign to have outside our school. We think it'll be a great upgrade, and will be a nice way to communicate upcoming events. This will likely be a 2-year process, as they're not cheap!
Edgewood will be hosting a Scholastic Book fair October 17th-24th. It will be open for shopping during student lunches, the Halloween Dance, and both parent/teacher conference dates. This is a great fundraiser for our school- students can shop for books they are interested in and books can be purchased for classroom teachers from their wishlists. With our school profits, EHSA can continue to support field trips, special events and our classroom teachers.
You may also shop our online fair Oct. 10th-24th for a larger selection- books are shipped to school during our book fair. http://www.scholastic.com/bf/edgewoodelementaryschool26
The Spiritwear sale is running now--it closes Sunday evening, so order now! https://edgewoodgf1018.itemorder.com/
Save the date for our Breakfast with Santa on December 8th. Kids will have a store they can shop at, too!
Parent University (District-wide Events)
Upcoming events include:
- Love and Logic (Early Childhood Parenting Made Fun), Nov. 1, 5:30-7pm (This is a great approach--I use it myself!)
- We Thinkers! (4K Families), Nov. 5, 6-7pm
- Question, Persuade, Refer (Suicide), Dec. 4, 6-7pm
Look out for more information coming soon!
Earn money for our EHSA when you shop on Amazon!
Upcoming Dates
* Wear Spirit Wear Every Friday! * (The sale closes on Monday. Order now!)
10/19: EHSA Halloween Dance, 6-8pm.
10/24: Parent Teacher Conferences (4-7:30pm)
10/25 and 10/26: No School for Students
10/31: Story Book Character Day
Students may wear a costume/outfit from a storybook. Costumes MUST be accompanied by a book (you can use the library for this), and masks and play weapons are not allowed.
11/13: November EHSA Meeting, 6:30-7:30 pm
11/21-11/24--Thanksgiving Holidays
12/8: EHSA Santa's Workshop & Pancake Breakfast, 9-12 @ Edgewood
12/11: December EHSA Meeting, 6:30-7:30pm
12/13: 1st Trimester Report Cards go home
12/24-1/1: Winter Break