Bruno Upper EL Classroom

It has been an incredible first half of the school year! Our school has had a hectic past two weeks, but we made it to the end of 2022! In Science, students wrapped up the Zoology unit with an assignment that leads into the next unit- Earth, Planets, and Space. Students used the characteristics of insects for inspiration to design an extraterrestrial robot that can survive the conditions of Mars. Students viewed images of NASA robots where scientists used insects as inspiration for the design and function. Students made some amazing designs!

We wrapped up the end of our week with our First Annual Upper Elementary Holiday Feast, and it was a huge success! Students enjoyed an extended lunch with many different dishes, sides, and desserts. They enjoyed a laidback lunch, talking with one another, and sampling a variety of dishes. Thank you to everyone who sent in dishes and especially to our volunteers who spent hours setting up and cleaning up. The feast was a bigger success than we had hoped for, and your participation helped make it a great memory for your children. We’re looking forward to making this an upper elementary tradition each holiday season! On our final day of 2022, we enjoyed a movie, games, and pajama day. Thanks to our room parent, students were able to enjoy hot chocolate, popcorn, cookies, and other leftover desserts from our feast. It was a well-deserved relaxing day for students to enjoy one another’s company while getting to explore different games too.

The past several weeks have gone beautifully, despite the many changes and alterations to our daily schedules for different activities. Students stepped up and completed the work they needed to, while also staying focused on the many other activities and events that have been happening within our school. The upper elementary has ended 2022 on a high note, and there’s no doubt students will continue to rise as 2023 begins.

Thank you to all parents and family members for the support you’ve offered to the upper elementary. As a small school, the more involvement from families we have, the more successful students will be. We cannot say thank you enough for putting your utmost trust in us to guide your children through their upper elementary journey. We wish all of you a safe holiday break, rest, and a memorable time with your families.

We look forward to students returning on Tuesday, January 3rd, 2023!

This week was packed with a lot of activities and events! Upper elementary started the week by practicing with Mr. Jonathan for the holiday concert and a visit from St. Nikolaus. Ms. Carmen has been leading presentations on the German tradition of St. Nikolaus, which is celebrated on December 6th. Students also visited the middle school holiday store, practiced more for the holiday concert, and had a field trip to Birmingham’s Children’s Theatre to see The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe. Thursday evening the Upper Elementary represented themselves well with an excellent performance of The Twelve Days of Christmas and Silent Night (in English, sign language, and German). Everyone was quite impressed with their performance, as well as all of the other levels! Great job students!

Reminders:

• Return any school picture orders asap.
• Thursday, December 15th, will be our First Annual Upper Elementary Holiday Feast. Please cancel your child’s lunch for this day. Gisela, our room parent, has sent an email with more information and sign-ups for food.
• Friday, December 16th, 1:00 dismissal and no aftercare.
  • This will be a pajama, board game, and movie day. Lunch is normal.
• Students return to school as normal on Tuesday, January 3rd, 2023.

Can you believe it’s already December? Students continue to stay busy and engaged in lessons throughout the week. In Junior Great Books, students are wrapping up The Mixed Up World of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler and will be presenting their projects on December 13th and 14th. Geography students continue to make educated decisions regarding their businesses and the stock market, and some are learning real-life lessons about taking big risks, versus playing it safe. The ancient colony of Harapu is still an ongoing interesting topic in Cultural. In Science, students are wrapping up the end of the Zoology unit with discussions on animal adaptations and needs.

We have a lot of great events coming up, so keep checking your email and calendar so nothing slips by:

• Vocabulary Unit 7 is due on Monday, December 5th. The test will be on Friday, December 9th.
• Return any school picture orders asap.
• Students should bring in a clean shoe on Monday, December 5th, so St. Nikolaus can leave a German treat that evening.
• Our class will visit the Middle School Holiday store on Tuesday, December 6th. More information in an email.
• We have a field trip to the Birmingham Children’s Theatre on Thursday, December 8th. Please return permission slips and payment.
• The Holiday Concert is also on Thursday, December 8th. Friends and family may all attend at 6:30.
  • Information about student attire in an email.
• Thursday, December 15th will be our First Annual Upper Elementary Holiday Feast! Please cancel your child’s lunch order for this day. Gisela, our room parent, has sent an email with more information.
• Friday, December 16th, 1:00 dismissal and no aftercare.
  • Students may wear pajamas on this day.
  • This will be a game and movie day with a normal lunch day.
• Students return to school as normal on Tuesday, January 3rd, 2023!