Issue #21: January 30, 2025

MS Updates

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From the Principal

Ms. Michelle Alzamora

Dear Families,

Throughout the first semester I shared information about the standards that we use as the basis of our curriculum. This week, I would like to highlight our art standards. We believe that art education is an integral part of a well-rounded education. Our elementary art curriculum is designed to foster creativity, critical thinking, and a lifelong appreciation for the arts.

A Focus on the National Core Art Standards

Our art teachers utilize the National Core Art Standards to guide their instruction. These standards emphasize the importance of:

Creating Art: Students engage in a variety of art-making experiences, experimenting with different media and techniques.
Knowing and Using Art Materials and Techniques: Students learn about the properties and uses of various art materials and develop technical skills.
Understanding and Responding to Art: Students learn to analyze, interpret, and respond to works of art from diverse cultures and time periods.
Connecting Art to the World Around Them: Students explore how art reflects and shapes human experiences and connects to various disciplines.

A Concept-Based Approach

Our art teachers employ a concept-based approach to develop engaging and meaningful learning experiences. This approach focuses on exploring overarching concepts, such as "change," "identity," or "movement," through the lens of art.

By integrating these concepts across different art forms, students develop a deeper understanding of the world around them and develop the skills to express themselves creatively.

Collaboration and Articulation

To ensure a seamless and progressive learning experience for all students, our elementary art teachers meet regularly to:

Share best practices: Discuss effective teaching strategies, innovative lesson plans, and successful student projects.
Articulate skills: Discuss how art skills and concepts are developed across grade levels, ensuring a smooth transition for students as they progress through the school.
Align curriculum: Ensure that the art curriculum is aligned with the overall school goals and that students are receiving a comprehensive and well-rounded art education.

The art teachers are looking forward to sharing your child’s growth at our upcoming Spring Conferences. Please be sure to drop into the art classrooms at conferences to celebrate your child as an artist!

Yours,

Michelle

Rainy Day Expectations

A peek at the weather forecast shows the possibility of rain next week. Below is a reminder of our rainy day expectations in the ES.

We believe that outdoor play is essential for children's physical and mental health, so we want to provide opportunities for students to go outside as much as possible, even on rainy days. Should students prefer to stay indoors during rainy weather, they will be allowed to visit the LC, Wonder Room, or a grade level classroom that is designated for a quiet indoor activity.

Students that choose to go outside during inclement weather should be keeping to our promises of being safe, kind, and responsible:

Bring appropriate clothing.
No splashing or rolling in puddles.
Choose games that ensure safety and responsible expectations on surfaces.
Notify a duty teacher if they would like to go inside.

To maximize outdoor play time, we ask that you please send your child to school with weather-appropriate gear, including:

Raincoat or poncho
Rain boots or waterproof shoes
Hat
A Change of Clothes

Parent Talks

Thank you to those who were able to attend the Parent Chat this week on talking to your children at home about sex. We enjoyed your thoughtful questions and discussion around how we can navigate these important conversations with our kids at all stages of their development. We hope you came away with some helpful tools and ideas.

If you were not able to attend, please check out this Google Drive folder, which contains the slides and additional resources shared at the session.

Please mark your calendars for the following parent talks. More information will be coming soon about the time and location.

Feb 24 - Rigour - What does rigour look like at ACS?
April 28 - Generative Artificial Intelligence - How are we handling GAI at school?

From the ES Counselors

Updated Resource Webpage - Discussion ideas and coping strategies when approaching unfairness, violence, crime and war with your child.

Talking about topics like unfairness, violence, crime and war can be hard. You might not know what to say in the moment. Being ready for these talks can help. Please check out the resources on this page and let us know how we can support you!

Tim Steadman and Hayley Jeanes

From the ES Learning Commons

Get Ready to Celebrate Reading Week! 📚
From February 9-13, let’s dive into the magical world of books!

All Week Long: Show your love for books by dressing up as your favorite book characters. Get creative and let your imagination shine!

🖍️ Book Reading Tracker: Share how your reading adventures make you feel! Color in the emoji that best represents your mood for each book you read. Pick one up from the LC.