Children's author, Julia Cook, visited Caesar Rodney High School and Simpson Elementary School on March 15th and 16th. CRHS students in Mrs. Finley's Early Childhood classes worked with Ms. Cook on the 15th and then came in and taught a lesson in each of the classrooms after her presentation at Simpson the next day.
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Michelle Sell and Ago Szabo, both from Postlethwait, shared several new strategies for reading non-fiction text, plugged and unplugged, to an audience of teachers from across the district. Everyone left with new tools in their pockets and the opportunity to taste new local cuisine! We hope to see you at our next session at the Governor's Cafe on April 12th! LeAnn Nickelsen returned to Caesar Rodney for her last of three visits this school year. Having already addressed formative assessment and differentiation, this visit focused on flexible grouping. LeAnn met with teams of teachers from each building on the 6th, presented at an evening event at Maple Dale Country Club for new teachers in years 1-3, and then led walkthroughs at Fifer Middle School and Allen Frear. We are looking forward to compiling feedback from participants to help guide planning to follow up for next year. The March district ALT meeting was held at Simpson Elementary School. Mr. Kijowski, Mrs. Martin, and Dr. Herrera showcased Simpson's Responsive Classroom approach with an emphasis on "Academic Choice." ALT's were able to visit a first and fifth grade classroom to see Academic Choice in action. Pictures below are from Mrs. Krugh's first grade class.
Students at Allen Frear said goodbye to Mr. Bill Paramore one of their awesome custodians who retired on Friday, March 3rd. The students met him in the hallway with gifts and cards and sent him off with a clap out! Thank you Mr. Paramore.
Students at Simpson Elementary enjoyed green eggs and ham for breakfast before listening to their guest readers share Dr. Seuss' book Green Eggs and Ham... I really do like them Sam I Am!
Ashlee Upp, 3rd grade teacher at Allen Frear, received a grant this year to purchase yoga mats from Allen Frear's PTA to do implement school-based yoga, meditation, and mindfulness practices with her students.
Here are a few bits of information from her grant: With one in every five children living with some mental health condition, one of the greatest challenges in the classroom is using our impact on students to break through barriers to help our children succeed in the classroom and in the community. The use of yoga and mindfulness in the classroom, primarily during morning meeting, will help set the tone for the day, improve behavior and reduce anxiety and stress. Here is a list of just some of the benefits of yoga, meditation and mindfulness in the classroom.
Research in this field is preliminary, however scientific studies suggest that children who practice yoga-based movement, conscious breathing, and mindfulness/meditation activities are better able to regulate their emotions, manage stress and calm themselves. They may also choose better foods to eat and engage in more physical activity than children who do not (Butzer et al., 2016; Khalsa & Butzer, 2016). Studies also suggest that centered, calm and focused children learn more easily, have better social skills and, in general, are happier kids. Students at all three of our middle schools have the opportunity to participate in distance learning classes where instruction takes place daily via a "teleconferencing" model. At least once a month, students board busses from their middle schools and visit their CRHS classrooms in person!
McIlvaine families enjoyed an evening of STEM fun hopping from one activity to the next with "challenges" linked to some of our favorite Dr. Seuss books! |
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Tara Faircloth
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