UPPER ELEMENTARY

Hello Upper El families! Welcome to April. March seems to have flown by with activity and some beautiful weather. The students have been taking advantage of the nice weather by working outside and playing at the end of day in the space just outside our classroom.

Ms. Tabatha’s Elementary II training officially started on March 5 and she has been enjoying the refresher on Montessori philosophy while also getting to know her fellow trainees from around the country. Starting in April, Ms. Ari will only need to help in the Children’s House classrooms on Wednesdays and Fridays. We are excited to have Ms. Ari with us on a more regular basis throughout the week. Miss Ari has also taken it upon herself to spearhead some activities that focus on the social and emotional health for this age group. The students have enjoyed varying activities that have focused on: what they love about themselves, what they find great about their classmates, and what things they truly have control over, can influence, or have no control and/or influence at all. It has been a great way to strengthen our community as an Upper Elementary classroom.

Elementary Presentation Night

Thursday, April 18 will be our annual Elementary Presentation night. Please let us know if your child will not be able to attend. More information will be coming soon.

Guinea Pig Snacks

Just a reminder that we have a Sign-up Genius for the guinea pig snacks. They are spaced out for every two weeks. Even though we have started growing some vegetables for Carmel, it will be some time before they are ready for her to consume. We GREATLY APPRECIATE all the families who have donated vegetables and hay over the last few weeks. 

History

The fourth graders continue to study Wisconsin history. This month, they will be focusing on the changing industries of Wisconsin and the growth of Wisconsin because of these industries. We are considering a project that will tie into the upcoming Farm Day at the school later this month. 

The fifth graders have completed their studies on the American Revolution. They created many timelines and researched several key people from the revolution. This month we will begin focusing on the formation of our national government and taking a deeper look at the individual branches of government and how they work together. 

Sixth grade is finishing up their studies on the Roman Empire. They enjoyed creating mosaics, writing with Roman numerals, and are now focusing on the architecture and impact of the Romans on our world today. The next unit of ancients will focus on Ancient China.

On March 14, we celebrated Pi Day! The children were introduced to pi and solved some problems as a group using pi. Later in the afternoon, we ate vegan chocolate mousse pie made by Miss Ari, put together a pi puzzle, painted circles, and made a Pi chain that went to the 100th spot past the decimal. It is now hanging in our classroom.  It was a fun day of learning about Pi!

Since the weather has been getting warmer and sunnier, the students have had the opportunity to work outside during the morning work cycle or play outside after clean-up in the afternoon. It has been nice to see the many smiling faces and hear the laughter as they either chat with a classmate or they are rolling down the small slope outside the classroom. 



After clean-up in the afternoons, some students have chosen to play cooperative games. A favorite has emerged called Here to Slay. This was a recommendation from my son and it has been a HUGE hit amongst the students. Everyday, more and more friends join in the fun and it has been fun to hear that many of the children have gotten their own, for their homes.

We have finished our study on Vincent Van Gogh and have moved to our new artist, Claude Monet. I hope you have had a chance to see the beautiful renditions of Van Gogh’s Sunflowers on display in the front hallway of the school. The students took a great deal of time and pride in their recreations. 

As we study Monet, we will be looking at how his style of impressionistic painting changed as he got older while also studying a little bit about impressionistic style. The students have already discovered the lack of blending colors and the use of quick rapid brush strokes to create the paintings. They are currently working on renditions of Monet’s Japanese Bridge and focused on the lily pads he often painted from his own water gardens.

Field Trips

Our overnight field trip to the Mackenzie Center is fast approaching. It will be on Thursday, May 2 through Friday May, 3. Be on the lookout for more information as the time gets closer. 

March's Read-a-Thon

Visit to Middle School

Visit to Middle School

March's Read-a-Thon

Cooking Muffins

Human Body Experiment