Bruno Upper EL Classroom

Short school weeks don’t slow down our learning in upper elementary! Like every week, we continue our Positive Discipline meetings to support social and emotional growth in individual students and the upper elementary community. Students make thoughtful and meaningful contributions to our discussions, and we have seen positive results in our culture throughout the school year.

Students in Science turned in their first assignment for the Science Fair project. They’ve been exploring the Scientific Method, how it is used professionally, and how it will be used in our classroom. Next week we will begin preparing materials to start our experiment in the classroom. The problem question for our classroom experiment (and the 4th-year Science Fair topic) is, “How does microgravity affect plant growth?” Information for all upper elementary levels is posted on Google Classroom, under Science.

Students in Geography have been exploring continental US time zones and the layout of the world based on a game. The objective is to gain control of different countries through import, export, and other relations. They will continue exploring the game through next week.

Students in 6th-grade history continue to explore WWII. This week they viewed a video of a Holocaust survivor speaking about their experience in the Auschwitz concentration camp and how they were able to escape. Students also explored other events and real journal entries surrounding the Holocaust time period.

Students in Culture are exploring early China, including dynasties, and the three early philosophies that influenced Chinese culture (Confucianism, Taoism, and Legalism). Next week they will further explore each philosophy, including infamous Confuscious quotes.

In Foreign Language, Ms. Carmen guided middle school students through research on Carnevale, an annual celebration in Italy, which is similar to French Mardi Gras. Middle school students then gave presentations to upper elementary students on their research about Carnevale.

Thank you to our PTO members and families who assisted with and donated to the auction! A special thank you to our room parent Gisela for organizing the upper elementary’s Game Night basket. Also, a special thank you to upper elementary parents, owners of Jubilee Joe’s, and PTO president Sharmeen and her husband Kashif for organizing and graciously hosting this fundraising event. A great variety of items were donated to the auction and dinner at Jubilee Joe’s was amazing! Any money raised is a success, and our small community always comes together to generously support our school. If you or your company ever feel the need to donate to our school, our 40th Anniversary Fundraiser is still open, or you can send a check directly to the PTO itself. To stay updated with PTO discussions, you can look at their PTO minutes.

Reminders:

• The vocabulary review unit is due on Monday and the test will be on Friday, March 3rd.
• Vocabulary unit 13 will be due next Monday, March 6th. 
• Parent’s Night is on Tuesday, February 28th.
• Return field trip permission forms asap. We will see a Birmingham Squadron game on Tuesday, March 7th, and the cost is $35. 
• All Science Fair information and resources are posted on Google Classroom under the Science section. Any information or resources missed in class will be posted in a timely manner for makeup or reference. 
• The 6th-year WWII History project is due Tuesday, March 7th. Presentations will be on Thursday, March 8th. 
• The Peter Pan play will be on March 10th and 11th at 6:30. 
• Congratulations to our upper elementary basketball team for a great season and for placing 3rd in the league’s division! 

Despite the crazy weather this week, students in upper elementary had a great week! Students in Geography studied hard and competed in the final round for the countries of Asia Geography Bee. Our class did a nice job of cheering each other on. Students in 6th-year History have been exploring the Navajo language in an activity to use clues to decipher a code, just as the Navajo Talkers did during WWII. We cannot forget the fun we had on Valentine’s Day. Students enjoyed a morning of games together, exchanging cards, and enjoyed a few treats at lunch.

Reminders:

• No school on Monday, February 20th, in observance of President’s Day
• The vocabulary review unit is due on Tuesday, February 21st
  • The vocabulary review unit test will be on Friday, March 3rd
• The PTO Dinner and Auction is on Thursday, February 23rd
• Parent’s Night is on Tuesday, February 28th
• Our field trip to see the Birmingham Squadron is on Tuesday, March 7th
  • Please return permission slips and payment
• The Peter Pan play will be on March 10th and 11th

Student’s enjoyed the nice weather this week and were able to spend more time enjoying the fresh air. We continue to use Positive Discipline strategies in our classroom to maintain a positive culture and relationships in our upper elementary community. Our morning meetings allow open discussion of issues affecting students, then students vote on a strategy to help resolve the issue. Our students have continuously offered well-thought solutions for resolution.

In 5th-year history, the class has been exploring the Revolutionary War. This week, students discussed the Boston Tea Party, then made “tea crates” as a STEM extension. The objective was for the crate to float and keep the tea bag dry. Ask your 5th-year student what happened to the crate they constructed. In Geography, students have been studying the countries of Asia and are in the final round of the Asian Geography Bee.

Reminders:

• Vocabulary unit 12 is due Monday and the test is on Friday, February 17th.
  • The next vocabulary unit is a review unit. It will be due Tuesday, February 21st, and the test on Friday, March 3rd.
• Tuesday is Valentine’s Day. More info in our class email.
• No school on Monday, February 20th, in observance of Presidents Day.
• The PTO Dinner Fundraiser and Silent Auction are on Thursday, February 23rd.
  • Link to purchase tickets
• Parent’s Night is on Tuesday, February 28th.
• Please return field trip permission slips and payment to see the Birmingham Squadron basketball team in March.

Cold, rainy days kept us inside most of the week, but that didn’t hinder our learning inside! We made some changes to our afternoon classes, mixing up individuals in groups for Culture, Geography, and Science. One of the staples of a Montessori classroom is having students in a 3-year cycle within the same plane of development, which in upper elementary is 9-12 years old. Dr. Maria Montessori stated, “The main thing is that the groups should contain different ages because it has a great influence on the cultural development of the child. This is obtained by the relations of the children among themselves.” She also stated, “Our schools have shown how children of different ages help one another. The younger ones watch what the older ones are doing and ask all kinds of questions, and the older ones explain. This is really useful teaching, for the way that a five-year-old interprets and explains things is so much nearer than ours to the mind of a child of three that the little ones learn easily, whereas we would scarcely be able to get through to him. There is harmony and communication between them that is not possible between an adult and such a young child. There is a natural mental osmosis between them. A child of three is also quite capable of taking an interest in the work of a five-year-old because, in fact, the difference in their abilities is not that great.” Although she specifically mentions 3 and 5-year-olds, the same interactions and relationships occur at each plane of development (elementary 6-9 and 9-12). We’re thankful we were able to rearrange our schedule to fulfill Dr. Montessori’s philosophy.

Reminders:

• Unit 11 vocabulary is due Monday, February 6th and the test will be on Friday, February 10th.
  • Unit 12 vocabulary will be due on Monday, February 13th.
• No school on Monday, February 20th, in observance of President’s Day.
• The PTO Dinner Fundraiser and Auction is Thursday, February 23rd.
• Parent’s Night is Tuesday, February 28th.
• The Science Fair project will be due on April 18th, and parents can visit on the afternoon of April 19th. An information packet will be sent home next week.