Greetings,

This is a busy time of year in the elementary community! Along with our daily lessons, we are preparing for camp, attending field trips, and planning for International Night – considered to be the most thrilling day of the school year! However, in order for it to be a grand event, all the work needs to be put in first. Students will be changing gears a little requiring a bit more collaboration than normal. In the elementary community, International Night provides our students with an opportunity to practice their skills of independence, leadership, and creativity.

This year we will be showcasing the different cultures throughout North America and Australia. Our upper elementary students will be researching Australia, while our lower elementary students’ focus will be on North America. We are dividing the lower elementary into groups of two or three students. Each group will be choosing a different country within North America to study. The groups are also in charge of providing at least two handmade projects to go along with their academic reports. Upper elementary students will also be doing an academic report along with handmade projects to help highlight their area of study.

As I take International Night into consideration, I cannot help but acknowledge our students, your children, for all of their efforts throughout the year. This night is truly a celebration of how far the children have come since entering their elementary community. One of our main focuses is on promoting independence within each child and this event is a testimony to how much they can accomplish on their own. While the children are working on their projects, we are merely overseeing their efforts and step in only when necessary.

As this is one of our biggest events of the year, we try our hardest to turn our classroom into the given continent of study in order to make this an authentic event.  Having artifacts from the places we are studying is always a plus. If you happen to have anything that could increase our authenticity or decor, please feel free to e-mail either Ms. Christine or Ms. Sara.

On a side note, we wanted to take this opportunity to let you know that Ms. Torey will be implementing her outdoor science knowledge in our classroom. She will begin working with the students in small groups. She is beginning with lessons on producers and consumers and branching into ecosystems, habitats and food webs. We are excited for this to be taking place!

Peace,

The Elementary Team