Feeling Spacey

The elementary students continued their study of space in science class this past Friday.



Plastic cups, spray painted black on the inside, became constellation viewers.





A star is born, as Ms. Pat demonstrates burning magnesium.



As a fun activity at the end of class, the children went out to the playground, where hammocks and a plastic tarp had been hung from the dome-climber. The idea was that they were setting up a space colony and this was the bio-dome they would be living in.

The First Day of Art Class

Our multi-talented Ms. Pat has been teaching art classes for middle school and high school students for years, but this Friday was the first class for the elementary students.

Before class began, Pat took the children to see the art work of the middle and high school students.





She also showed them examples of famous paintings.



Learning to mix colors:

Paul Revere and The Sons of Liberty

For the younger children, our study of the American Revolution will be focusing on famous patriots. This past week we turned our attention to Paul Revere.

Books we read:








A copy of "The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, for the children to keep in their logbooks:


The class working on a moving picture of Paul Revere:




Paul Revere gallops across the bridge on his way to tell the colonists that the British Regulars are coming:






The entire elementary school watched the Disney movie, Johnny Tremain, in which Paul Revere is an important character and "the Boston tea party" is a major event.




The older children finished up their study of the "Boston tea party"



and began working on a play.



During our lunch-time reading this week, we all learned what people ate during the American Revolution, by listening to the following books:





As a special treat, Friday morning, the whole elementary had a tea party. The teachers made tea, while the children shook a jar of heavy whipping cream until it became fresh butter for bread and butter. Butter making is a great way to harness all that "kid energy".





There are many ways to keep a mason jar full of cream moving until it becomes butter:

Respect

Each child coming into Trilogy School is told that this is a place where they will be safe. We take that promise very seriously. That doesn't mean that problems don't occur. Sometimes children and adults need to be reminded that a harmonious school environment requires work. None of us is perfect, but we must do our best to show respect for each other and to find non-violent ways to deal with anger and frustration. This was an important theme in our school activities this past Friday.

The middle school students made posters, spoke to the younger children, and put on a short play to explain the importance of respect.







In the elementary school, we watched a movie that explained what government is and why laws are important to society.



Then we introduced the children to the Middle School Contract, the form that all incoming middle schoolers must sign before attending Trilogy.



With our small class sizes and low student-teacher ratio, we really try to make the students feel that this is one big happy family and stress the importance of everybody being friends. A child who really exemplifies what we hope all our students will become is, middle school student, Gavin Marsac.



He saw how badly some of his friends were treating another student. "They were acting like he was a disease," Gavin told me. " I told them that they were no different than he was." I can't tell you how proud we are of Gavin!


"It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to your enemies, but a great deal more to stand up to your friends."
- Prof. Albus Dumbledore ( from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,2001)

Happy Birthday Pat!

Today was the 60th birthday of our very loved and respected science teacher, Pat. There was a full school assembly to surprise her.





The short, morning party included a cake to share with all the students and staff, as well as, an individual size cake for Pat to take home.





The elementary students made birthday cards, and even one birthday poster, for her.



Happy birthday Pat!

Pennies for Pasta

We had a visitor at school today from the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, who spoke first at a middle and high school assembly and then came to speak in the elementary school. She introduced the children to a program called Pennies for Pasta, which raises money to help children with blood cancer.



The poster of these brave children, who have survived cancer, now hangs on our classroom door



and each of the children have been given a collection box to take home. Parents, please help your child/children to fill these boxes. Take the boxes to work, church, sporting events, family, and friends.

The children in the elementary felt so strongly about helping, after hearing that this money would go to help sick children, that they wanted to give whatever change they had in their backpacks and lunch boxes. It's really touching to see young children being motivated, not by the promise of the prize at the end of the contest, but by a true desire to help other children in need.

Valentine's Day

It was classes as usual all morning, but at lunch time, the Valentine's Day party fun began.

The children had all decorated bags for their Valentine cards.









The parents provided lots of wonderful treats for our party!





One of the teachers introduced us all to these fun, self-inflating Valentines:





We finished off our day playing outside.

Learning A New Song

Now that the children are learning about the American Revolutionary War, it's time to add a new song to their History song repertoire. Today's rehearsal of "The Tea and the Taxes", a song about the Boston Tea Party:



We were short several children today due to illness.

A New Addition to the Classroom Games

The older elementary students have a new game to play on those days when the weather doesn't permit outdoor recess, this small air hockey table.