The Weekly Bulldog
February 13, 2020
From Tim: What one hundred means...
Last week was a busy one indeed for our youngest students! Thursday morning, each homeroom had the opportunity to share dance performances led by director, Angie Martyn. The dances were expressive, uplifting and joyful, and I can’t imagine a more direct embodiment of our value of creativity, joy and the celebration of childhood.
The week also included one of our great K-1-2 traditions, our annual “hundreds day” celebrations marking the hundredth day of school. For those of us actually closer to 100 years than we are to the first hundred days of our lives, the period of one hundred days may not seem like much – in fact, it tends to go by in a flash. But from the perspective of a child who’s only been around for maybe 1,800 days in all, one hundred days represents something quite different.
In typical creative fashion, our students displayed individual representations of what one hundred looks like. This year's variety included everything from one hundred “W” words to one hundred coins to a giant dragon made with one hundred cardboard layers. The imaginative projects integrate math, art, and presentation skills, and at the heart lies a key element of our approach to teaching mathematical concepts.
We give students many ways to experience what numbers mean. Instead of simply talking about a number like one hundred, which for K-1-2s is a substantial number indeed, we give them hands-on opportunities to build their understanding of what "one hundred" looks like. One student chose to create one hundred ways to make one hundred with addition and subtraction- with such equations as “63 + 37= 100” to “1,900 – 900 = 100.” Once the concept of a hundred is firmly in place, students then are able to expand their personal number sense to larger numbers, i.e., "if one hundred looks like this, what would a thousand look like?" “What about a million?”
Speaking of a hundred, K-1-2 room 3 is about to hatch about a hundred axolotls. Intrigued? Stop by to check it out.
All the best, and happy St. Valentine’s Day,
Tim
Top Three Things
1. From Erin: World caretakers taking root at Stanley
Using GlobalGoal.com's World’s Largest Lesson as their framework, 3-4-5 students and Learning Resource Teacher Erin embarked on an authentic project to help students broaden their global awareness. Students explored each of the United Nation's 17 Sustainable Development goals, selected one of personal importance to them, and created their own inquiries. >>Read more about this fruitful project in this week's Learning Report...
2. Our community and the coronavirus
You may have heard the troubling reports about a new virus originating in China called the novel coronavirus. At Stanley, the chances are extremely low that this virus will impact our community; even so, Stanley school administrators are watching for any changes in the recommendations of the CDC and WHO (Centers for Disease Control and the World Health Organization, respectively). But there’s always reason to keep germs from spreading around campus! >>Read on for resources about the coronavirus and Stanley’s 6-step wellness policy…
3. Be wrapped in stories about wild things
Upcoming Events
February 13
8th-grade-vs-staff Basketball Game
Bricks & Brews Stanley Parents Pickup Basketball
February 14-17
February 20
Middle School ERB testing (through Friday)
6-7-8 early dismissal & Middle School conferences
Ordering ends for March Stanley lunches and extended day
February 21
K-8 early dismissal & Middle School conferences
February 22
Storytelling Evening with special guest Jane Treat
February 24
First day of Middle School spring sports
3-4-5 classroom tours for current 2nd-grade parents
February 25
Family day/night out at Chook Chicken
February 26
K-5 Early dismissal and K-5 conferences
February 27
Stanley British Primary School
Email: admin@stanleybps.org
Website: www.stanleybps.org
Location: 350 Quebec St., Denver
Phone: (303) 360-0803
Facebook: facebook.com/stanley.british/
Twitter: @stanleybps