Alumni Spotlight: Liz Heilbronner, Class of 2005
Peabody is pleased to feature Liz Heilbronner as our 2021 Spring Alumni Spotlight!
Liz is the Summer Camp Director at Camp Horizons, a coed sleep-away summer camp in Harrisonburg, Virginia. She started at Peabody in 1996 in Kindergarten, and after graduating attended Charlottesville High School as a member of the class of 2009. She obtained her B.A. in Communication and Human Development at Virginia Tech and returned to Charlottesville to obtain her M.Ed in Counselor Education from the University of Virginia. Click HERE to read more about Liz's experience at Peabody!
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Healthy Tech Habit Reminder for 3rd-5th Grade Families
As we head into the spring, we wanted to offer some suggestions for helping you tweens / pre-tweens develop healthy tech habits at home!
Although very few (if any) of our 3rd-5th have cell phones or access to social media, we do know that some of our students use personal devices (iPads etc) outside of school, including messaging on these devices. While this can be a great way for kids to stay connected to their friends, especially during the isolation brought about by the pandemic, it is also important to help kids understand healthy boundaries around their tech usage and habits.
It is never too early (or too late) to start having conversations with your child about family expectations around tech usage at home. This might include:
- setting limits on hours of usage each afternoon/night
- setting expectations around parental monitoring of devices/online activity including chats/texts, etc.
- setting boundaries for device usage to prioritize healthy sleep habits (i.e. no usage for an hour before bedtime, leaving device downstairs rather than in child's bedroom)
- establishing norms for digital citizenship and kindness (i.e. it can be a lot easier to say hurtful things to a friend online than it is in person)
One great resource is Common Sense Media. Here are two links to get you started:
Another great resource is Google Families (https://families.google/), which offers guidelines and resources related to tech use at home.
We are looking forward to continuing to partner with you as your child navigates the digital landscape as they grow up at Peabody!
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Congratulations!
Congratulations to Amy Brudin, Chris Haske, Colleen Fennessey & Sarah FitzHenry! The Peabody team received a grant to participate in the ISTE-GM AI Explorations program. The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) has developed a best-in-class professional learning program funded by General Motors, which cultivates future Artificial Intelligence (AI) programmers and provides powerful professional learning for educators to support student-driven AI explorations. They will participate in an online course, designed to help them integrate concepts of AI into their classrooms as well as become a part of an online community of teachers working to educate students about the Future of AI.
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Camp Invention
Camp Invention will run June 22-26, 2021 in an ALL VIRTUAL format. Campers have the option of participating in daily activities from 9:00 – 3:00 each day OR they can complete activities on their own! This flexible program reinvents distance learning — it can be screen-free and self-led, or it can be enhanced through online collaboration sessions with coaches and fellow participants.
Imaginations soar with our at-home program, Camp Invention Recharge™! Children in grades K-6 receive four exciting activity kits packed full of materials to get them outside and active as they explore:
- Open Mic™: Campers amplify their creative voice, reverse engineer a wireless microphone, and then develop and promote their own extraordinary invention.
- Duck Chuck™: Through hands-on experiments with trajectory and velocity, children build their own device to launch rubber ducks around the world.
- Road Rally™: Imaginations accelerate as children design nature-inspired vehicles that can zoom across land and have prototype elements for moving through air and water.
- SolarBot™: Campers take care of their very own solar-powered robotic cricket, and create protective gear, a customized habitat, and a fun cricket playground.
Camp Invention At Home: Campers follow a daily schedule that includes virtual sessions where they receive guidance from their certified educator Coach and enjoy opportunities to collaborate with other campers. Featuring the same curriculum and exclusive items as the in-person Camp Invention format, our at-home experience also includes built-in time for kids to get outside, experiment, and test their new inventions. Unique to this format, we also provide new tools that allow children to create their own inventing space, including:
- Maker Mat: A special surface where innovators are encouraged to create and experiment.
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Pegboard: A customizable board where children can attach their Inventor Logs and additional creative supplies.
- Toolbelt: A wearable toolbelt participants can use to store their invention supplies.
Visit invent.org/camp or call 800-968-4332 to register. Contact Amy Brudin, Camp Invention Director, if you have any questions!
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Spring Break Travel
We know that many families have planned travel during Spring Break. Although the number of vaccinated adults is increasing, students have not received vaccinations. We are still following the CDC travel guidelines.
The kind of travel that you engage in does matter. There is no quarantine/testing required if traveling by car and lodging with household members only (or other fully vaccinated individuals).
If you have planned travel for spring break, please complete this form so we can provide guidance upon your return.
Virtual Learning is not intended as a fallback for vacation travel. We know that this has been a long road and that everyone is doing their best to maintain balance. Despite some light at the end of the tunnel, we want to finish the year strong by maintaining all the protocols that have worked throughout the year.
Thanks for your understanding!
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A Note About Spring Sports
Please be aware that if you choose to have your student participate in spring sports, there is a risk that they will need to quarantine at some point for a COVID-19 exposure. According to the Blue Ridge Health District, once a positive case has been identified on a student's team or the opposing team, it is very difficult for them to determine who has been within 6 feet of the positive player for a cumulative 15 minutes or more. As a result, they will often quarantine the entire team/opposing team for a full 14 days. Please reach out to us if you need any clarification on the BRHD policy.
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Sign-Up to Help our Teachers!
Once again, we are asking our parents to help our teachers with lunch and recess coverage. See the sign-ups below! Thank you!!
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2020-21 Annual Fund
Your participation in the Peabody Annual Fund provides essential operating support to Peabody. The generosity of our community supports almost everything that keeps Peabody running, from salaries and classroom technology to arts and supplies. This year, we are also faced with increased expenses for items such as technology infrastructure upgrades, outdoor learning spaces, additional cleaning supplies and protective equipment, and additional aid to Peabody students and families who felt the financial impact of COVID-19. We hope that you will support Peabody in this area and that you will keep in mind that your Annual Fund gift, of any size, really matters to the school.
Thank you in advance for your consideration of a gift to Peabody School for the 2020-21 year and for being such strong supporters of our wonderful school!
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Parent Information Center
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As the weather warms and we head into our final months of the school year, we are noticing that many of the camp chairs that children brought to school in August are on their (literal) last legs! Please check with your child to confirm they still have a functional, safe camp chair for the next few months.
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We Love our Peabody Students and Teachers!
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