September 14, 2017



IMPORTANT UPCOMING DATES
Thursday, September 14
Soccer vs. St. Michaels
5:00 p.m.
Perry Cabin Park, St. Michaels

Tuesday, September 19
Little Creek Parent Night
6:00 - 7:00 p.m.

Friday, September 22
Spirit Day!
PROGRAM SPOTLIGHT - DISCOVERY!
Each week, we will be highlighting one of our programs or offering resources for parents to illustrate The Radcliffe Way!

One of the common activities in Discovery classes at Radcliffe is making and coloring maps. There are so many skills involved in reading and making maps. The development of visual-spacial skills, understanding scale and the cardinal directions, and using a key or legend. Historical maps can be especially interesting and challenging! For example, students in Ms Usilton's classes are learning about the Civil War during the first term. As they read and make maps of the United States during the 1800s, they see that many states were not even in existence yet! This can be confusing, so coloring small and large versions of these maps in class and for homework is a great example of incorporating kinesthetic, tactile, and visual learning to facilitate comprehension. Coloring maps and diagrams is not just for the younger students- even for college level students. 

Edward Alcamo, PhD, author of the Biology Coloring Workbook published by The Princeton Review, explains in the preface that "Coloring engages you in the learning process...you put all of your senses to work...it gives you immediate feedback...coloring is a great way to fix an important concept in your mind. You focus on the topic at hand, select matching and contrasting colors...soon, your mind is following your hand as the concept becomes fixed in your mind."

Take a look at some of the beautiful maps in Discovery classrooms or that your children make throughout the year when you have the opportunity. 



THE PTC NEEDS YOUR HELP!





Thank you to all our parents who have completed the PTC Volunteer Form!

Nothing teaches hope, kindness, courage, and compassion like helping others! Please complete our volunteer form  HERE  and return it as soon as possible!

Volunteering starts where you are...use what you have...do what you can...our kids are counting on it!
8TH GRADE TRANSITION
As a reminder for the things that should be considered for transitioning your eighth grader to high school, please keep in mind that prospective schools often require testing. Often times a school will accept psycho-educational testing completed by a psychologist, while other schools require other placement tests such at the SSAT, Catholic Placement tests, etc. It's important that you contact the prospective schools to find out what they require. In the meantime, however, standardized educational testing will be completed by Debbie Cohee-Wright, Radcliffe's Special Education Learning Specialist. If you have already had standardized testing completed recently by a private psychologist and your eighth grader does not need further testing, please notify Debbie Cohee-Wright as soon as possible.  Otherwise, you will be notified when your child is scheduled to be tested. 

For more information or questions, please contact Debbie Cohee-Wright or visit the transition page on our website.
AROUND THE CREEK
Animal Club Enrichment plays animal heads up to practice describing animal characteristics as well as asking questions about different animals.


Mrs. Kirby's little scientists are learning about matter through the use of balloons. Balloons filled with air represented gas; balloons filled with ice represented solid; and balloons filled with water (which Douglas is throwing in the photo) represented liquid!


John and Luke play UNO while reading fluency phrases with Mrs. Fish.



Little Creek's Three's Classroom students are learning about friendship and practicing problem-solving skills  during this fun Play-Doh activity!




Ms. Serio's Language Arts class wrote paragraphs about themselves to get to know one another! 


Little Creek's Toddler Class enjoys multi-sensory art using glue and feathers!


Students in Mr. Boyle's  STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) class used the scientific process to solve problems as they designed and built a floating raft. Students made predictions as to which raft would hold more paper clips based on their newly discovered knowledge on buoyancy, density, and surface tension. 



Fun in Little Creek's Infant Room! Calvin enjoyed some time in the tunnel and then the class participated in apple rolling painting!
Radcliffe Creek School
201 Talbot Boulevard
Chestertown, MD 21620
410-778-8150

Discover. Create. Thrive.