LAST DAY OF SCHOOL!

Wednesday is our last day!  Please note, we have a noon dismissal, and there is no Extended Day Care on that day.  Buses will pick up all bus riders at noon.

We wish you a joyous summer full of sunshine, light, laughter and love!

Lower School Home and School - REMINDERS

Lower School Home and School

REMINDERS

 Teacher Appreciation Luncheon and Letters

Friday, June 12th Noon    

On Friday, June 12th, Home and School will show our appreciation for the wonderful faculty and staff that enrich the lives of our children over the course of the school year.

Your help is needed in two ways:

1.   Appreciation Letters and Acknowledgements

We will be collecting letters of appreciation to give to the faculty and staff on the day of the luncheon. Please spend some time with your child writing a letter or drawing a picture to express your gratitude for the wonderful work of the faculty and staff. Please deposit letters/drawings in the box marked “LETTERS” in the Lower School Lobby no later than June 10th.

2.   Volunteer

Volunteers are needed to provide food, set-up, serve, and clean-up at the luncheon. Use the link below to volunteer or look for a prior email about this event with a link. VOLUNTEER LINK

*Please note that students are not invited to the luncheon as this is intended to be a relaxing meal for the teachers. However, children may help with the set-up and/or clean-up.

Parent Survey

Please be sure to complete the short survey that was sent via email, posted on the blog or use the following link to access it-SURVEY LINK

It will not take much time, but will provide valuable feedback for the Lower School Home and School Association to help make next year even more successful!

Coffee and Conversation

Wednesday, June 10 8:00 AM

Thank you for your support

Questions- Contact Betsy Madway atbetsy.steven@verizon.net

Coffee and Conversation

Please Join the Lower School 

Home & School Association

for the last

Coffee and Conversation

of the Year

Wednesday, June 10

8:15 am

Introducing the AFS Lower School Math website

Lots of parents have asked me how they can help their child keep his or her math skills sharp over the summer.  There are lots of ways, including math games (such as Set, 24, Blink), math worksheets, and online math practice games and activities.

To help you sort through the many math game websites out there, I have compiled a number of sites that I think are worthwhile in one location... the new AFS Lower School Math website.  I am very excited about this site, and I hope that you (and your children) are too!

Earlier in the week, the second and third graders served as "website reviewers" and played a variety of games.  I asked them to write down which games they loved, liked and didn't like as much, both so they could get comfortable with the new site and that they would feel some ownership over its creation.

First Grade Explores Cinderella Stories Around the World

Where in the world is Cinderella? It turns out that the Cinderella story is told in many countries around the world with some of the stories beginning in the oral tradition more than a thousand years ago. Students in first grade have discovered many of the more than five hundred versions of Cinderella. Although first graders didn't read five hundred, many were read originating from many different countries including, France, Mexico, Egypt, the Arctic, Russia, China, Korea, Africa, Ireland and the Caribbean. This spring students discovered that while many of the story elements are the same, there are marked differences as well. In the Chinese Cinderella, a magical fish and ultimately the fish's bones help the Cinderella character, Yeh Shen, to escape from her cruel stepmother and stepsisters and find the King. He can tell that she is the one for him when he realizes that she has the tiniest feet. The main character in the Egyptian Cinderella is named Rhodopis. This version is considered one of the oldest and was first recorded in the first century BC. A number of our first graders loved this version of the Cinderella story. In the Korean Cinderella, one student noted that he loved the symbols on the gong and the parade that happened in the story. Adelita, the name of the Mexican Cinderella story was a favorite for the beauty of her name and the illustrations in the story that reflected her culture. The Irish Cinderella story has the main character a lad called Cinderlad instead of Cinderella.

The culture of a particular country and group of people is reflected in their particular Cinderella story. After listening to different versions of the Cinderella story students compared elements using Venn diagrams and charts. They then picked their favorite Cinderella story and wrote a reflection that included specific details to show why this particular story was their favorite one. This then went on a display in the hallway outside of the first grade classrooms with pictures from the various Cinderella stories and a map showing their location. First grade students have discovered that although the world is wide and varied, there are common themes and also unique customs that appear in these stories.

Los animales en el jardín de infancia / The Animals in Kindergarten

To compliment kindergarten’s in-depth study of animals, the students learned a variety of names and characteristics of animals during Spanish class. Many games and activities were provided to enhance their learning for animales domestico (domestic), animales de la granja (farm), animales salvaje (wild), and animales en peligro de extención (endangered).

To introduce the students to the Spanish vocabulary for some of the common animales, we read many books and viewed YouTube videos such as these:

Animales Domesticos para Niños y Bebés [2:11]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=80Q1thtAXTU

Animales Salvages [2:25]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWlbQnn97SQ&src_vid=80Q1thtAXTU&feature=iv&annotation_id=annotation_1887963443

10 animales en peligro de extención

http://www.sostenibilidad.com/top-10-animales-en-peligro-de-extincion#1

In their homeroom class, each kindergartener chose a particular animal of interest to do further research. So, it only seemed right to explore this idea during la clase de español (Spanish class) as well. After learning their chosen animal’s name, the students were introduced to the Spanish vocabulary that describes some of their characteristics, {e.g., cabeza (head), ojos (eyes), orejas (ears), nariz (nose), boca (mouth), cuello (neck), cola (tail), cuernos (horns), cornamenta (antlers) patas (feet), and aleta (fins). To help reinforce the learning, the students participated in a variety of games and activities. To culminate the study, each Kindergartener was provided with a picture of their chosen animal and they were encouraged to draw and label the parts of their animal. What fantastic work!

Trouble with your Net Community Family Update Form?

If you are having trouble completing the online 2015-2016 Net Community re-enrollment forms, please contact Tricia who will be glad to help! These forms are used to generate our emergency contact information for teachers, medical permission forms, and they include field trip permissions.  Please fill them out prior to the last day of school.  Thank you!

Lower School Home and School End of Year Events

Lower School Home and School

End of Year Events

Cupcake Party and Spring Celebration

Friday, June 5 2:30-3:30

Following the Lower School Spring Program, Pure Imagination, join the entire Lower School community outside the Muller Cafeteria for a cupcake party and outdoor fun to celebrate the end of the school year.

We will also be honoring Jason as he moves on to his new leadership role in Washington D.C.

Hope you can join us!

Teacher Appreciation Luncheon and Letters

Friday, June 12th Noon    

On Friday, June 12th, Home and School will show our appreciation for the wonderful faculty and staff that enrich the lives of our children over the course of the school year.

Your help is needed in two ways:

1.   Appreciation Letters and Acknowledgements

We will be collecting letters of appreciation to give to the faculty and staff on the day of the luncheon. Please spend some time with your child writing a letter or drawing a picture to express your gratitude for the wonderful work of the faculty and staff. Please deposit letters/drawings in the box marked “LETTERS” in the Lower School Lobby no later than June 10th.

2   Volunteer

Volunteers are needed to provide food, set-up, serve, and clean-up at the luncheon. Use the link below to volunteer : 

VOLUNTEER LINK

*Please note that students are not invited to the luncheon as this is intended to be a relaxing meal for the teachers. However, children may help with the set-up and/or clean-up.

Survey

Please be sure to complete the short survey that was sent via email or use the following link to access it: 
SURVEY LINK

It will not take much time, but will provide valuable feedback for the Lower School Home and School Association to help make next year even more successful!

Final Coffee!  Join us for a cup of coffee or tea and a sweet treat in celebration of the last day of school on June 10 at 8:00 a.m.

Thank you for your support

Questions- Contact Betsy Madway at betsy.steven@verizon.net

Kindergarten Creek Walk

The kindergarten enjoyed a lovely visit to the Wissahickon Valley Watershed Association.  We were accompanied by our amazing science teacher, Roseanne, and some intrepid parents and grandparents. Roseanne taught us about all of the critters that live in a healthy stream.  The children were incredibly excited to get into the water.  They were beside themselves with glee whenever a new life form was found.  They were particularly ecstatic when we found snake skin and a big crayfish!  Walking in the creek was the perfect activity for a hot spring day.  The children loved getting soaked, and all were mesmerized by the idyllic natural beauty of the setting.