Friday Fun
11/22/2019
Friday is a fun day for both students and teachers alike. Not only is it the end of a long and hard week of learning. It is also dress down day and a chance to get out of uniform! However, the big event on Friday is ACE! This time is great for students and teachers alike! For students they get to learn and try something new, that is not offered in regular academic lessons. For teachers it is also a chance to break away from regular academics and teach something new that they have a personal interest and passion for. You have probably already heard about ACE, about the fun things they did or who they worked with and perhaps have seen an ACE project or two make their way home. It may sound like students are just messing around and not doing anything academic however ACE provides students a vital opportunity. ACE stands for Academic and Character Enrichment. It is an elective based program where each students has their own freedom to choose what program they take part in based on their own personal preferences. Since it is own personal choice the groups that come together for ACE are multi aged. These groups collaborate together, learning and growing together alongside each other, sharing ideas and the older students often shouldering responsibility and mentoring the younger. This mimics real life situations. People interact with others of all ages and ability levels. With the more experienced guiding the new. Research indicates that in schools multi-age groupings actually improve social emotional learning and class bonding. While our model at PNA is not multi-age classrooms, we can reap the benefits of these learning environments through programs like ACE. Every three weeks, students are given the opportunity to try a new ACE offering. Students choose their top three personal preferences. It is important to encourage students to not just follow their friends and to try and find their own personal interest and expand their horizons even if that means leaving their friends and moving out of their comfort zone. They are then placed into groups based on these choices and the fun ensues... While they are having fun they are also practicing the very important 21st century skills such as collaboration, cooperation and creativity. They are using their critical thinking skills and expanding their content knowledge with the use of hands-on materials and technology. So ACE is not just a time to mess around and goof off. It is actually an important part of the school curriculum allowing for Academic Character Enrichment. Have a great Thanksgiving break! Here are a few snaps from the 2nd and 5th grades Thanksgiving Parade Project!
The Outside Community
11/15/2019
We often talk about the importance of community, and how vital it is to develop, create and foster a healthy and positive community in the class and school. Where everyone works together towards common goals. It is necessary however for students to realize and understand that community is not just confined to the classroom and actually extends out from the school into the wider area. Being a positive and contributing member of the wider community is function we strive to achieve as individuals and as a school. Recently we have been contributing to the wider community with our green bean and corn drive as part of our Thanksgiving celebrations. As well as contributing to the wider community it is vital to be welcoming of people from said community who come to PNA to share their own experiences, passions and teachings. These are great opportunities for us as learners to get an insight into the many different real life experiences there are out there. The people we welcome into school are often specialists or experts in their field who can share knowledge and lessons we might not be able to get anywhere else. For example having Su a NASA Engineer come to PNA for Space Week. This week we welcomed representatives from the NSAA who came to share their passions and experiences and provide students with an opportunity to try Ski Jumping! Also this week we had a chance to study a moose heart! A break from our current science topic of energy but it is not everyday that we get that chance!
The importance of computers in education
11/8/2019
At PNA, we often talk about the development of the child as a whole and to make students lifelong learners. Part of this is preparing students for life after PNA, for life after college and education. We do this through the development of 21st century skills. To prepare our students for every success in the future. Of these 21st century skills having literacy in information, the media and in technology is, and will only become, more prevalent. Computers play a vital role in every field. They aid industrial processes, they find application in medicine; they are the reason why software industries developed and flourished and they play an important role in education. This is also why the education system has made computer education a part of school curriculum. Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is important in primary education because it enables students to search for the information they need and to organize what they have found. As students progress through the school system, they become increasingly responsible for their own learning. Being able to efficiently use a computer, its programs as well the effective use of the internet will play a role in their self efficacy. The Internet can play a huge and important role in education. As it is an enormous information base, it can be harnessed for retrieval of information on a variety of subjects. We might not be able to go into space but through the internet we can listen and learn from experts around the world who have. We can peer into the past thanks to images online from satellites. We can be amazed from video footage of rockets and alien moons, all from our classroom. Both teachers and students benefit from the Internet. Teachers can refer to it for additional information and references on the topics to be taught. Students can refer to web sources for additional information on subjects of their interest. However being able to use the internet effectively also means being able to use it safely. Teaching students how to stay safe online as well as being able to distinguish between truth, misinformation and to understand the way information can be manipulated by others is paramount. Today, a life without computers is unimaginable. This underlines the importance of computer education. To succeed in the Age of Technology students need these 21st century skills and computer learning gives students the opportunity to expand their horizons and to learn skills they would not have the opportunity to acquire in the traditional classroom. Parents and School
11/1/2019
Parent Lunches are a great way for students to share their learning with parents. Sometimes, the activities showcase the end results of what students have been learning,. Other times parents are thrown into the learning process itself and still other lunches are simply about engaging with class family members in a social setting. Thank you to all those who came and contributed food items and their time. As a teacher, I always become slightly nervous when parents come into class, however the students love it when their parents come into school and they have the opportunity to show off. Not only do students enjoy it but parental involvement in school has been shown to lead to better academic progress for students. Ongoing research shows that family engagement in schools improves student achievement, reduces absenteeism, and restores parents’ confidence in their children’s education. Students with involved parents or other caregivers earn higher grades and test scores, have better social skills, and show improved behavior. Becoming active in a school’s parent group is an important way to increase involvement. Involvement also encompasses:
"Parents are the ultimate role models for children. Every word, movement and action has an effect. No other person or outside force has a greater influence on a child than the parent." |
Martina HenkeMartina Henke has been a K-8 educator for 30+ years. A life-long learner, she loves working with kids of all ages, new technology, great books, fiber arts, and her wonderful family! Archives
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