Message from the Director
Hello Kindians,
“They’re blending … they’re blending!”, the teacher brought the two children jumping in joy with both kids smiling. They were not blending fruits for a cocktail juice or ingredients for a tasty meal. They were blending letters and are well on their journeys to sound words and start reading. This apex first milestone took place after many months of hard work applying different strategies and much encouragement on the teachers’ side and endless hours of attempts on the children’s side.
This simple situation showcases the emotional and personal investment our teachers have in your children. In our small community of Kindi, a student is not just a name on the roster, but an integral part of our teachers’ daily life. The success and excellence of our students inseparably inhibit our minds and souls.
The quality of education our students receive at Kindi is not a trivial event. It is the outcome of an infinite feedback cycle of planning, execution, and evaluation of lessons and functions. It is also the natural result of small-group instruction where each student matters and none can disappear invisible in the background.
Kindi is founded on the believe that students have a great potential that goes untapped most of the time. We strive daily to test the limits and stretch the boundaries! Our daily mission is to build distinguished academic athletes. We’re forming their brain “muscle” one skill at a time. While this might be challenging and unsettling for some, the process of building any muscle is never easy, but a definitely rewarding one after all. During this whole process, we’re still tending to our children’s emotional, social, physical, and spiritual aspects and needs. They live their full life at Kindi!
I do hope that you are all observing the positive changes and progress in your children. And while you’re at it, be thankful and count your blessings! Happy Thanksgiving!
Best wishes,
Hatem Elagha
Executive Director
Kindi Academy
“They’re blending … they’re blending!”, the teacher brought the two children jumping in joy with both kids smiling. They were not blending fruits for a cocktail juice or ingredients for a tasty meal. They were blending letters and are well on their journeys to sound words and start reading. This apex first milestone took place after many months of hard work applying different strategies and much encouragement on the teachers’ side and endless hours of attempts on the children’s side.
This simple situation showcases the emotional and personal investment our teachers have in your children. In our small community of Kindi, a student is not just a name on the roster, but an integral part of our teachers’ daily life. The success and excellence of our students inseparably inhibit our minds and souls.
The quality of education our students receive at Kindi is not a trivial event. It is the outcome of an infinite feedback cycle of planning, execution, and evaluation of lessons and functions. It is also the natural result of small-group instruction where each student matters and none can disappear invisible in the background.
Kindi is founded on the believe that students have a great potential that goes untapped most of the time. We strive daily to test the limits and stretch the boundaries! Our daily mission is to build distinguished academic athletes. We’re forming their brain “muscle” one skill at a time. While this might be challenging and unsettling for some, the process of building any muscle is never easy, but a definitely rewarding one after all. During this whole process, we’re still tending to our children’s emotional, social, physical, and spiritual aspects and needs. They live their full life at Kindi!
I do hope that you are all observing the positive changes and progress in your children. And while you’re at it, be thankful and count your blessings! Happy Thanksgiving!
Best wishes,
Hatem Elagha
Executive Director
Kindi Academy
News from our 3-6 Class
Ms. Radhika & Ms. Heathers Class,
“What the hand does the mind remembers.” ~Maria Montessori
This month we started off with learning about the skeleton and parts of the body! Children learned about the five senses and tasted foods that were sour, sweet, salty and bitter. We visited the Cosley Zoo and learned a lot about different animals including ducks, llamas, cows, hogs, white-tailed deer, coyotes, foxes, raccoons, owls, and more!
We also dove into a pumpkin investigation when we carved a pumpkin together in class! We discussed what one can do or make with a pumpkin, adjectives about the pumpkin, and guessed the number of seeds and its weight. There were 370 seeds and the pumpkin weighed 10 pounds! The children helped by pulling out the seeds and fibrous strands – they said it was wet, cold, and slimy! Along with the parts of the pumpkin, the children learned about its life cycle! Everyone enjoyed tasting homemade pumpkin seeds, and surprisingly, many of the kids loved the salty, buttery taste!
The end of the month was topped off with Character Day! All of the children dressed up as a character of their choice and talked about how their character made a difference in the world and/or the importance of their character. We had some wonderful choices! There was a mix of medical professionals, first responders, scientists, inventors, and make-believe heroes/heroines! They participated in a parade and had a great time showing off their costumes to the rest of the school!
In the midst of all the fun, the children have been hard at work. Many have started reading, word-building, and writing creative sentences! Some kindergarteners have begun making 4-digit numbers with golden beads as well as adding 4-digit numbers! Our youngest children have been working on sounds and numbers on a daily basis, and they are doing great! We are proud to see so much progress in just a little over 2 months!
~Room 101
Ms. Krystyn & Ms. Nosheen's Class,
October was a busy month for classroom 102, and it went by so fast! We
started the month off with a fun packed field trip to the zoo before the weather took a
cold turn! The children loved the duck pond and seeing the various types of ducks
swimming around. They even got to hand feed them! Another big hit was the horses
and owls! Aside from the animals, the children throughly enjoyed playing on the
pumpkins and jumping on the hay stacks.
The kids have been learning about the life cycle of a pumpkin and the parts of a
pumpkin. We even investigated a pumpkin during class! The children enjoyed the
hands-on activity of taking out the fibrous strands and guessing how many seeds were
inside. There were 407 altogether! We also guessed the weight of our pumpkin, which
ended up being 10 pounds. Lastly, we wrote down descriptive adjectives about our
pumpkin. Then the class put the final touches in of pin pricking its face to carve it.
We also learned about our skeleton system. The children practiced building a
skeleton and labeling it once put together. We even had a snack of cinnamon puffs in
the form of bones! Our classroom ended the month by having a blast dressing up for
character day. They did a wonderful job parading through the school! Afterwards we
sampled homemade pumpkin pie that Ms. Krystyn made.
Aside from the spooky themes of October, we also talked about the season of
Fall. The children learned about the changes in Fall through writing, drawing, and
talking about it. We also started learning about the world map and what continent we
live on. Some of our classmates will be bringing home their completed maps soon!
On a side note, congrats to Izzah and Haadi’s family on the arrival of their new
baby boy born this month named Humza!
-Room 102
October was a busy month for classroom 102, and it went by so fast! We
started the month off with a fun packed field trip to the zoo before the weather took a
cold turn! The children loved the duck pond and seeing the various types of ducks
swimming around. They even got to hand feed them! Another big hit was the horses
and owls! Aside from the animals, the children throughly enjoyed playing on the
pumpkins and jumping on the hay stacks.
The kids have been learning about the life cycle of a pumpkin and the parts of a
pumpkin. We even investigated a pumpkin during class! The children enjoyed the
hands-on activity of taking out the fibrous strands and guessing how many seeds were
inside. There were 407 altogether! We also guessed the weight of our pumpkin, which
ended up being 10 pounds. Lastly, we wrote down descriptive adjectives about our
pumpkin. Then the class put the final touches in of pin pricking its face to carve it.
We also learned about our skeleton system. The children practiced building a
skeleton and labeling it once put together. We even had a snack of cinnamon puffs in
the form of bones! Our classroom ended the month by having a blast dressing up for
character day. They did a wonderful job parading through the school! Afterwards we
sampled homemade pumpkin pie that Ms. Krystyn made.
Aside from the spooky themes of October, we also talked about the season of
Fall. The children learned about the changes in Fall through writing, drawing, and
talking about it. We also started learning about the world map and what continent we
live on. Some of our classmates will be bringing home their completed maps soon!
On a side note, congrats to Izzah and Haadi’s family on the arrival of their new
baby boy born this month named Humza!
-Room 102
Ms. Brooke and Ms. Sabera's Class,
The most important period of life is not the age of university studies, but the first one, the period from birth to the age of six. For that is the time when man’s intelligence itself, his greatest implement is being formed. But not only his intelligence: The full totality of his powers.
Maria Montessori
The Absorbent Mind
Dear Families,
Greetings! I hope everyone is well and enjoying the fall weather! In
October we learned and talked about community and working
together. We had lessons on pumpkins, the skeleton, a fun trip to
the zoo, and more about leaves!
The Silence Game
“Autumn leaves are falling, falling to the ground. They don’t make a
sound.” Our class has been practicing mindfulness with the silence
game. This practice is an important aspect of Montessori philosophy
as the children work toward increased self control and a sense of
accomplishment. Children watch the sand timer or simply close their
eyes while we are completely quiet. After, we ask questions about
what sounds were heard during the quiet. Did you hear the birds
chirping outside?
Class Job Chart
The children are enjoying our new class job chart! In an effort to increase and foster the children’s independence, we have started a job chart. Each week children are assigned to a job that cares for the environment and classroom. They are all so eager to be responsible for their job and are doing an amazing job! Ask your child what job they have this week- watering the plants? Scrubbing
the lunch tables?
Pumpkins and Skeleton 103
The children joined together and carved a class pumpkin. Each childtook turns in hollowing out the squishy strands and seeds then pin pushed shapes to make a face! We talked about the parts of a
pumpkin and its life cycle. The class also had a presentation on the Skelton. We discussed how many bones we have, and the largest bone in our body. It took 3 rugs to assemble “Mr Bones” and many
children made their own skeleton poster!
CHARACTER DAY
The very anticipated Character Day finally arrived! The children were so excited to come in their chosen costumes! They were able to share with one another why they chose it and its positive attributes. We blasted off with our very own Neil Armstrong, also included were: doctors,(both veterinarians and a Dr. Faucci) an architect (inspired by the late Mimar Sinan) police officers, a scientist (MAD), lovely princesses, an Egyptian goddess, a robot, a Lego builder, and of course crime-fighting, courageous spidermen! Everyone had great costumes and lots of fun!
Upcoming Lessons
In November we will learn about the native Americans, the four
elements of the earth, the earth’s layers, and parts of a volcano.
The KG children will work on the North America map and continue
reading “Me On the Map” with extension booklets.
Thanks and have a great month!
- Room 103
The most important period of life is not the age of university studies, but the first one, the period from birth to the age of six. For that is the time when man’s intelligence itself, his greatest implement is being formed. But not only his intelligence: The full totality of his powers.
Maria Montessori
The Absorbent Mind
Dear Families,
Greetings! I hope everyone is well and enjoying the fall weather! In
October we learned and talked about community and working
together. We had lessons on pumpkins, the skeleton, a fun trip to
the zoo, and more about leaves!
The Silence Game
“Autumn leaves are falling, falling to the ground. They don’t make a
sound.” Our class has been practicing mindfulness with the silence
game. This practice is an important aspect of Montessori philosophy
as the children work toward increased self control and a sense of
accomplishment. Children watch the sand timer or simply close their
eyes while we are completely quiet. After, we ask questions about
what sounds were heard during the quiet. Did you hear the birds
chirping outside?
Class Job Chart
The children are enjoying our new class job chart! In an effort to increase and foster the children’s independence, we have started a job chart. Each week children are assigned to a job that cares for the environment and classroom. They are all so eager to be responsible for their job and are doing an amazing job! Ask your child what job they have this week- watering the plants? Scrubbing
the lunch tables?
Pumpkins and Skeleton 103
The children joined together and carved a class pumpkin. Each childtook turns in hollowing out the squishy strands and seeds then pin pushed shapes to make a face! We talked about the parts of a
pumpkin and its life cycle. The class also had a presentation on the Skelton. We discussed how many bones we have, and the largest bone in our body. It took 3 rugs to assemble “Mr Bones” and many
children made their own skeleton poster!
CHARACTER DAY
The very anticipated Character Day finally arrived! The children were so excited to come in their chosen costumes! They were able to share with one another why they chose it and its positive attributes. We blasted off with our very own Neil Armstrong, also included were: doctors,(both veterinarians and a Dr. Faucci) an architect (inspired by the late Mimar Sinan) police officers, a scientist (MAD), lovely princesses, an Egyptian goddess, a robot, a Lego builder, and of course crime-fighting, courageous spidermen! Everyone had great costumes and lots of fun!
Upcoming Lessons
In November we will learn about the native Americans, the four
elements of the earth, the earth’s layers, and parts of a volcano.
The KG children will work on the North America map and continue
reading “Me On the Map” with extension booklets.
Thanks and have a great month!
- Room 103
Updates from Our 6-9 Classroom
“Free the child's potential and you will transform him into the world.
Maria Montessori
Our students are on the path of discovery and exploration with new concepts every week. The desire for learning is leading them towards a successful journey.
Our First year students are working hard to learn new spellings and create their own sentences. They are excited about writing picture stories in their journals. The first part of speech, Noun, has been introduced with the categories of proper and common nouns. Students are taking pride in understanding the concept of rounding off numbers. Beginning of geometry with the understanding of lines has been introduced which will serve them for future concepts.
Students are making their charts for Fundamental Needs of Humans and loved to make the projects of the Water Cycle. Introduction of Vertebrates got them excited to understand their external parts in depth.
Our Second year students are diving into advanced word study materials. They are creating sentences to understand the correct use of vocabulary with the correct usage of parts of speech. They are on the road to enhance their writing skills. They are excited to learn the special math material "Checkerboard" for advanced multiplication problems. They are learning the place value of the checkerboard to completely understand its function.
Students are working in full swing on the projects of Fundamental Needs of Humans, Water Cycle along with the continued study of Vertebrates.
Our Third year students are continuing to polish their paragraph writing skills using proofreading strategies. Reading and writing is an integral part of all their learning. Addition and subtraction of fractions with unlike denominators using LCM has been introduced. Students are studying Types of Angles which will build the future concepts of advanced geometry. Children are demonstrating a high level of work in producing social sciences projects.
Children are excited for our next Field trip to the Field Museum on Nov 10th. This will bring life into our classroom for their learning with the concepts of History, Botany and Zoology.
"A child’s success in school and ultimately in life, depends on having a solid educational background, one that is gained through punctuality and regular school attendance. "
Warmly,
6-9 Teachers Team
Physical Education
First and Second Grade Physical Education classes continue to build our knowledge of rules, safety and strategies during physical activity. We practice movement within our safe space and following directions. First graders are developing important listening skills to enhance daily exercise safety in physical education.
Ask your student about our listening lesson of Red Light/Green Light where each round we add in new colors like blue or purple light to incorporate other gross motor movements like skipping or hopping. All PE classes begin with a warm up each session to build a foundation for overall physical fitness. First and Second Graders perform jumping jacks, lunges, push-ups, and 3 minutes of jogging before getting into our daily game. This week as an extension activity we did the “Chicken Dance” to learn rhythm, practice listening, spatial awareness, and friendship as we skipped and clapped as a group.
Maria Montessori
Our students are on the path of discovery and exploration with new concepts every week. The desire for learning is leading them towards a successful journey.
Our First year students are working hard to learn new spellings and create their own sentences. They are excited about writing picture stories in their journals. The first part of speech, Noun, has been introduced with the categories of proper and common nouns. Students are taking pride in understanding the concept of rounding off numbers. Beginning of geometry with the understanding of lines has been introduced which will serve them for future concepts.
Students are making their charts for Fundamental Needs of Humans and loved to make the projects of the Water Cycle. Introduction of Vertebrates got them excited to understand their external parts in depth.
Our Second year students are diving into advanced word study materials. They are creating sentences to understand the correct use of vocabulary with the correct usage of parts of speech. They are on the road to enhance their writing skills. They are excited to learn the special math material "Checkerboard" for advanced multiplication problems. They are learning the place value of the checkerboard to completely understand its function.
Students are working in full swing on the projects of Fundamental Needs of Humans, Water Cycle along with the continued study of Vertebrates.
Our Third year students are continuing to polish their paragraph writing skills using proofreading strategies. Reading and writing is an integral part of all their learning. Addition and subtraction of fractions with unlike denominators using LCM has been introduced. Students are studying Types of Angles which will build the future concepts of advanced geometry. Children are demonstrating a high level of work in producing social sciences projects.
Children are excited for our next Field trip to the Field Museum on Nov 10th. This will bring life into our classroom for their learning with the concepts of History, Botany and Zoology.
"A child’s success in school and ultimately in life, depends on having a solid educational background, one that is gained through punctuality and regular school attendance. "
Warmly,
6-9 Teachers Team
Physical Education
First and Second Grade Physical Education classes continue to build our knowledge of rules, safety and strategies during physical activity. We practice movement within our safe space and following directions. First graders are developing important listening skills to enhance daily exercise safety in physical education.
Ask your student about our listening lesson of Red Light/Green Light where each round we add in new colors like blue or purple light to incorporate other gross motor movements like skipping or hopping. All PE classes begin with a warm up each session to build a foundation for overall physical fitness. First and Second Graders perform jumping jacks, lunges, push-ups, and 3 minutes of jogging before getting into our daily game. This week as an extension activity we did the “Chicken Dance” to learn rhythm, practice listening, spatial awareness, and friendship as we skipped and clapped as a group.
Updates from upper elementary classrooms
4th Grade English Language Arts and Reading
The 4th graders have been working hard in English. The students are on the path of being great writers, but we must start from the beginning. Students review the Parts of Speech. Students then had to create fantastic posters to demonstrate their understanding. Now, students are learning about the different types of sentences. Having an understanding of these concepts will help students grow as writers.
Students have also been working on being better readers. Students learned about Figurative Language and the different examples of it. Students have just started reading our first novel which is Wonder by R.J. Palacio. Students participate in book discussions to better understand this wonderful book.
4th Grade Social Studies/World Regions
The 4th graders are traveling through the continents of North and South America.. Students have learned about both Canada and Mexico. They have been examining all themes of geography to help them understand our neighbors to the north and south. Students are learning note taking and map skills in class. Now, Students are learning about the continent of South America. They are gaining knowledge of the world around them.
The 4th graders have been working hard in English. The students are on the path of being great writers, but we must start from the beginning. Students review the Parts of Speech. Students then had to create fantastic posters to demonstrate their understanding. Now, students are learning about the different types of sentences. Having an understanding of these concepts will help students grow as writers.
Students have also been working on being better readers. Students learned about Figurative Language and the different examples of it. Students have just started reading our first novel which is Wonder by R.J. Palacio. Students participate in book discussions to better understand this wonderful book.
4th Grade Social Studies/World Regions
The 4th graders are traveling through the continents of North and South America.. Students have learned about both Canada and Mexico. They have been examining all themes of geography to help them understand our neighbors to the north and south. Students are learning note taking and map skills in class. Now, Students are learning about the continent of South America. They are gaining knowledge of the world around them.
Happenings in the Science Room
The 4th graders got to use and work with measuring tools as part of the ongoing scientific method exploration. Later they got to create a 3D model of the solar system to understand why scientists use models to represent something that is too big to investigate directly.
They also designed bridges after working on their blueprints. They had to test for the strength of the bridges and had to make improvements to their designs until they were strong enough to pass the strength test!
The 5th graders learned about how erosion and deposition by water, wind, ice and gravity affect Earth’s surface and the landforms that are created by these two processes.
After the unit on erosion and deposition we started learning about soil formation. Here they got to make compost. To close the unit, they and fun creating an edible soil profile where they got mo make the different soil horizons which they got to enjoy after the lab was done!
They also designed bridges after working on their blueprints. They had to test for the strength of the bridges and had to make improvements to their designs until they were strong enough to pass the strength test!
The 5th graders learned about how erosion and deposition by water, wind, ice and gravity affect Earth’s surface and the landforms that are created by these two processes.
After the unit on erosion and deposition we started learning about soil formation. Here they got to make compost. To close the unit, they and fun creating an edible soil profile where they got mo make the different soil horizons which they got to enjoy after the lab was done!
As part of the cell processes unit, 6th graders learned about osmosis while doing a lab where they observed how gummy bears behaved when exposed to different solutions.
The 7th graders had been working on solubility curves of different ionic compounds, and to bring theory to practice they created their own solubility curve.
7th and 8th graders explored Starved Rock park!!!
8th graders have been learning about Newton’s laws of motion. This month we worked on the second and third laws, we experimented with force and acceleration, free fall and air resistance and action and reaction forces.
7th and 8th graders explored Starved Rock park!!!
8th graders have been learning about Newton’s laws of motion. This month we worked on the second and third laws, we experimented with force and acceleration, free fall and air resistance and action and reaction forces.
News from our Middle School
English
Hello from middle school English! I am always impressed with the students here at Kindi. We have had a great month filled with reading, writing, and hard work. In addition to all the awesome learning in class, each of the students researched an influential person from history for Character Day. Their presentations and costumes were amazing and everyone had a good time! Thank you for your help!
The 5th graders have finished their first essay. It was definitely something new for them and they did well. They have also been reading the novel, Esperanza Rising. The book is about a Mexican girl who moves to California with her family during the Dust Bowl. In order to help their comprehension of the novel, students have also been reading and learning about the time period of the Great Depression, migrant workers, and soon will be learning about labor unions and strikes. The students have reviewed the various types of sentences and how to write them correctly. They have practiced their grammar using IXL and games in class. They also had their first mulit unit test in vocabulary and did really well! We are still working on using assignment notebooks in class each day, so please be sure to ask your student to share theirs with you each night.
The 6th graders have been excitedly reading their second novel, The Giver. In order to help support their understanding of the society in the novel, they have been reading about North Korea, arranged marriages and drones being used as surveillance. They are anxious to complete reading the book (they want to know how it ends already)! I love to hear their ideas about what is fair and what is not in a society. The students have also finished their first formal essay and did a fantastic job! Additionally, we have spent time reviewing types of sentences and clauses and practiced these skills using IXL. Finally, the students took their first vocabulary multi unit test and did a great job. They are now working on vocabulary from their novel. Please help your students remember to use their assignment notebooks each day so that they can stay on top of their classwork.
The 7th and 8th graders also finished their first formal essays. Overall, they blew me away and I can't wait to see what they write next. The students are currently reading their second novel of the year, Fever 1793, about the yellow fever outbreak in colonial Philadelphia. It has been really interesting to hear the students compare an outbreak from history with the current Covid pandemic. They also have been reading several poems and really enjoying the analysis aspect of what a poem could mean. (Their current favorite is The Bells by Edgar Allen Poe.) Additionally, we have spent time reviewing types of sentences and clauses, compound and complex sentences, and appropriate punctuation for each. They are practicing the structures at high school level using IXL and although it is challenging, they are doing great! Finally, the students took their first vocabulary multi unit test and are now working on vocabulary from their novel.
All the students continue to work hard and I am really proud of them. Thank you for all you do to help these amazing young people become better thinkers and readers.
Ms. Andrea
Drama / Creative Expression 4th-8th Grade
Students have been having fun and gaining confidence when it comes to public speaking. We did activities to help students learn how to get into character. This helped prepare the students with their Character Day speech.. Students did an amazing job being famous and historical figures. Students then have been doing some workshops on debating. The have been learning the tricks of how to be a good debater.
Hello from middle school English! I am always impressed with the students here at Kindi. We have had a great month filled with reading, writing, and hard work. In addition to all the awesome learning in class, each of the students researched an influential person from history for Character Day. Their presentations and costumes were amazing and everyone had a good time! Thank you for your help!
The 5th graders have finished their first essay. It was definitely something new for them and they did well. They have also been reading the novel, Esperanza Rising. The book is about a Mexican girl who moves to California with her family during the Dust Bowl. In order to help their comprehension of the novel, students have also been reading and learning about the time period of the Great Depression, migrant workers, and soon will be learning about labor unions and strikes. The students have reviewed the various types of sentences and how to write them correctly. They have practiced their grammar using IXL and games in class. They also had their first mulit unit test in vocabulary and did really well! We are still working on using assignment notebooks in class each day, so please be sure to ask your student to share theirs with you each night.
The 6th graders have been excitedly reading their second novel, The Giver. In order to help support their understanding of the society in the novel, they have been reading about North Korea, arranged marriages and drones being used as surveillance. They are anxious to complete reading the book (they want to know how it ends already)! I love to hear their ideas about what is fair and what is not in a society. The students have also finished their first formal essay and did a fantastic job! Additionally, we have spent time reviewing types of sentences and clauses and practiced these skills using IXL. Finally, the students took their first vocabulary multi unit test and did a great job. They are now working on vocabulary from their novel. Please help your students remember to use their assignment notebooks each day so that they can stay on top of their classwork.
The 7th and 8th graders also finished their first formal essays. Overall, they blew me away and I can't wait to see what they write next. The students are currently reading their second novel of the year, Fever 1793, about the yellow fever outbreak in colonial Philadelphia. It has been really interesting to hear the students compare an outbreak from history with the current Covid pandemic. They also have been reading several poems and really enjoying the analysis aspect of what a poem could mean. (Their current favorite is The Bells by Edgar Allen Poe.) Additionally, we have spent time reviewing types of sentences and clauses, compound and complex sentences, and appropriate punctuation for each. They are practicing the structures at high school level using IXL and although it is challenging, they are doing great! Finally, the students took their first vocabulary multi unit test and are now working on vocabulary from their novel.
All the students continue to work hard and I am really proud of them. Thank you for all you do to help these amazing young people become better thinkers and readers.
Ms. Andrea
Drama / Creative Expression 4th-8th Grade
Students have been having fun and gaining confidence when it comes to public speaking. We did activities to help students learn how to get into character. This helped prepare the students with their Character Day speech.. Students did an amazing job being famous and historical figures. Students then have been doing some workshops on debating. The have been learning the tricks of how to be a good debater.
Physical Education
Grades Four and Five have completed fitness testing the various components of physical fitness with a 1-mile run, push-ups, sit-ups, and planks to which they will complete again in the spring looking for personal growth and improvement. Each PE class is started with a warm up similar to grades 1-3 with simple body weight exercises jogging, burpees, push-ups, squats, lunges to build overall physical fitness prior to starting a game or sport. We have started volleyball drills using balloons to practice hitting the “ball” with a volley and work as a team. We even completed a standing long-jump competition!
Art
4-8th graders have just completed their first Art Quiz for the year with great success! They have demonstrated knowledge of pointillism, surrealism, portrait proportions, and one-point perspective. Today we will begin caricature illustration with our classmates to have fun getting to know one another.
Ms. Jackie
Grades Four and Five have completed fitness testing the various components of physical fitness with a 1-mile run, push-ups, sit-ups, and planks to which they will complete again in the spring looking for personal growth and improvement. Each PE class is started with a warm up similar to grades 1-3 with simple body weight exercises jogging, burpees, push-ups, squats, lunges to build overall physical fitness prior to starting a game or sport. We have started volleyball drills using balloons to practice hitting the “ball” with a volley and work as a team. We even completed a standing long-jump competition!
Art
4-8th graders have just completed their first Art Quiz for the year with great success! They have demonstrated knowledge of pointillism, surrealism, portrait proportions, and one-point perspective. Today we will begin caricature illustration with our classmates to have fun getting to know one another.
Ms. Jackie
5th-8th Grade Social Studies News from Mr. Memisovski
Our Social Studies Classes have been working very hard the past month! Our 5th graders finished the unit on Ancient Egypt and made their own sarcophagus! We’ve just begun our unit on Ancient India. The students will be putting together their own Newspaper highlighting a few major events/developments from Ancient India in the coming weeks.
Our 6th Grade Geography class is finishing up our unit on Latin America now. The students were “hired” as Travel Agents- tasked with putting together travel brochures to highlight important tourist destinations (as well as geographic, historical, and economic facts) about their country. We will begin our unit on Europe next week.
The 7th Graders have just finished up their unit on Europe and will be studying Russia, the Middle East, and Africa soon. The students did a great job on the Europe Travel Brochure project, highlighting many cool travel destinations and important details regarding the country’s history, demographics, economics, and culture! Great job 7th grade!
The 8th Graders are wrapping up our next unit in Modern World History, where we studied the Ottoman, Safavid, and Mughal Empires. Before we began this unit we did a brief 3-day introduction to writing DBQ Essays, something that is absolutely necessary moving into Honors/AP courses in the future! Our first one was on the Invention of the Printing Press, and the kids needed to use historical documents (primary and secondary sources) to prove whether the printing press was an important invention. We analyzed documents and wrote thesis statements. In November we will be studying European Exploration of the East and the Western Worlds, and do more work with DBQs.
Thanks for all your support in your child’s education! For regular updates on our Social Studies classes, be sure to check our website (http://memisovskisocialstudies.weebly.com)
Best,
Sevim Memisovski
Social Studies Teacher
Technology Class News from Mr. Memisovski
The Technology classes have been working hard the past month! Our 4th and 5th grade classes have been working with Google Slides, creating a slideshow presentation about the person they researched for Character Day. The kids have also been working with Google Drawings. 4th grade is just beginning their Personal Logo Project. 5th graders have created their own Personal Logo and will now be making an Animal using various shapes and line tools on Google Drawings. We will be continuing with Google Drawings, Google Slides, and Google Sheets in the coming weeks.
Our 6th, 7th, and 8th grade classes have been working hard on their Infographics for the person they researched for Character Day. We’ve also been working with Google Drawings, creating our own Vision Boards with short and long term goals for ourselves. They’ve also been designing their own Monochromatic Animals and Landscape Scenes. In the weeks to come, we will be working with different presentation tools like Google Slides and Prezi, as well as using spreadsheets on Google Sheets to organize data (and make our own Battleship game as well!).
All Technology classes are continuously working on their Keyboarding Skills. This is such an important skill for the kids to learn as they progress throughout their academic years and beyond! They have weekly assignments on Typetastic that they should be completing. Please encourage your students to work on Typetastic and ensure they are placing their hands on the keyboard correctly!
Thank you for your continued support in your child’s education! For updates on technology class assignments and links, please visit my website (http://mrmtechnology.weebly.com).
Best,
Sevim Memisovski
Technology Teacher
Our Social Studies Classes have been working very hard the past month! Our 5th graders finished the unit on Ancient Egypt and made their own sarcophagus! We’ve just begun our unit on Ancient India. The students will be putting together their own Newspaper highlighting a few major events/developments from Ancient India in the coming weeks.
Our 6th Grade Geography class is finishing up our unit on Latin America now. The students were “hired” as Travel Agents- tasked with putting together travel brochures to highlight important tourist destinations (as well as geographic, historical, and economic facts) about their country. We will begin our unit on Europe next week.
The 7th Graders have just finished up their unit on Europe and will be studying Russia, the Middle East, and Africa soon. The students did a great job on the Europe Travel Brochure project, highlighting many cool travel destinations and important details regarding the country’s history, demographics, economics, and culture! Great job 7th grade!
The 8th Graders are wrapping up our next unit in Modern World History, where we studied the Ottoman, Safavid, and Mughal Empires. Before we began this unit we did a brief 3-day introduction to writing DBQ Essays, something that is absolutely necessary moving into Honors/AP courses in the future! Our first one was on the Invention of the Printing Press, and the kids needed to use historical documents (primary and secondary sources) to prove whether the printing press was an important invention. We analyzed documents and wrote thesis statements. In November we will be studying European Exploration of the East and the Western Worlds, and do more work with DBQs.
Thanks for all your support in your child’s education! For regular updates on our Social Studies classes, be sure to check our website (http://memisovskisocialstudies.weebly.com)
Best,
Sevim Memisovski
Social Studies Teacher
Technology Class News from Mr. Memisovski
The Technology classes have been working hard the past month! Our 4th and 5th grade classes have been working with Google Slides, creating a slideshow presentation about the person they researched for Character Day. The kids have also been working with Google Drawings. 4th grade is just beginning their Personal Logo Project. 5th graders have created their own Personal Logo and will now be making an Animal using various shapes and line tools on Google Drawings. We will be continuing with Google Drawings, Google Slides, and Google Sheets in the coming weeks.
Our 6th, 7th, and 8th grade classes have been working hard on their Infographics for the person they researched for Character Day. We’ve also been working with Google Drawings, creating our own Vision Boards with short and long term goals for ourselves. They’ve also been designing their own Monochromatic Animals and Landscape Scenes. In the weeks to come, we will be working with different presentation tools like Google Slides and Prezi, as well as using spreadsheets on Google Sheets to organize data (and make our own Battleship game as well!).
All Technology classes are continuously working on their Keyboarding Skills. This is such an important skill for the kids to learn as they progress throughout their academic years and beyond! They have weekly assignments on Typetastic that they should be completing. Please encourage your students to work on Typetastic and ensure they are placing their hands on the keyboard correctly!
Thank you for your continued support in your child’s education! For updates on technology class assignments and links, please visit my website (http://mrmtechnology.weebly.com).
Best,
Sevim Memisovski
Technology Teacher
Updates from our spanish classroom
Spanish with Maestra Kim: Noviembre
The 3-6 year old Spanish classes read a book called “La Calabaza Perfecta” about a pumpkin patch. We are learning clothing vocabulary and expressing our likes using “me gusta.” Our color for noviembre is “café” so we are on the lookout for “brown” objects around us.
The 6-9 year old Spanish classes have worked on learning parts of the body. Grades 2 and 3 labeled these terms on playful skeletons for el Día de los Muertos. Grade 3 has also been learning some animal terms as well as using adjectives to describe the animals.
Spanish with Maestra Alicia:
4th Grade:
I am beyond proud of my 4th graders! They happily do all of their work and are eager to
learn. Students engage in different activities to learn numbers 1-30. They had fun
reading the “FIESTA” book, which requires students to verbally engage in storytelling. It
was a fun way to review numbers and introduce new vocabulary. “Sumas y Restas”
(additions and subtractions) are incorporated to learn and practice how to write
numbers. They also have been learning how to form questions using interrogative
words such as:¿Cual? and ¿Que? Also, how to answer accordingly. Soon we will start
learning to name classroom objects and school supplies.
5th Grade:
Students have been reviewing and exploring new phrases to talk about their feelings
and ask others about their feelings. They have fun singing along to “yo tengo lo que
necesito”, which helps to understand the grammatical structure of the verb “tener.” Now
they are very comfortable using “tener” to say their age and ask about the age of others.
Promptly I will introduce the grammatical concept of formal vs informal to learn when to
use “tu” and when to use “usted.”
6th Grade:
Students are learning the days of the week, weather expressions, and classroom
commands.They are able to say what day of the week it is and describe the weather by
asking and responding to questions like: ¿Qué día es hoy?(What day is today?), ¿Qué
día es mañana?(What day is tomorrow? ), and ¿Qué tiempo hace hoy? (what's the
weather like?) Students are very comfortable using their language knowledge to
communicate more effectively in the classroom. We have completed the preliminary
lesson of the textbook and I am excited to begin Unit 1 of our “Avancemos” textbook
with new vocabulary :”Comidas y bebidas” ( foods and beverages.)
7th, 8th Grade:
Students have been working hard and rising to the challenge of using as much Spanish
as possible, in class. I introduce the present tense of -er and -ir verbs focusing on
personal pronouns and their proper endings. Students were able to master the
conjugation practice. I am so proud of my Middle School class. We will engage in
conversation by talking about eating healthy foods using the -er and -ir verbs. We will
connect the verb “ tener” to the -er verbs using questions and answers: Que hacen en
la cafetería? ¿Qué haces tú? Once the lesson 1 of unit 3 is completed we will conclude
by learning the song “La Compra.”
The 3-6 year old Spanish classes read a book called “La Calabaza Perfecta” about a pumpkin patch. We are learning clothing vocabulary and expressing our likes using “me gusta.” Our color for noviembre is “café” so we are on the lookout for “brown” objects around us.
The 6-9 year old Spanish classes have worked on learning parts of the body. Grades 2 and 3 labeled these terms on playful skeletons for el Día de los Muertos. Grade 3 has also been learning some animal terms as well as using adjectives to describe the animals.
Spanish with Maestra Alicia:
4th Grade:
I am beyond proud of my 4th graders! They happily do all of their work and are eager to
learn. Students engage in different activities to learn numbers 1-30. They had fun
reading the “FIESTA” book, which requires students to verbally engage in storytelling. It
was a fun way to review numbers and introduce new vocabulary. “Sumas y Restas”
(additions and subtractions) are incorporated to learn and practice how to write
numbers. They also have been learning how to form questions using interrogative
words such as:¿Cual? and ¿Que? Also, how to answer accordingly. Soon we will start
learning to name classroom objects and school supplies.
5th Grade:
Students have been reviewing and exploring new phrases to talk about their feelings
and ask others about their feelings. They have fun singing along to “yo tengo lo que
necesito”, which helps to understand the grammatical structure of the verb “tener.” Now
they are very comfortable using “tener” to say their age and ask about the age of others.
Promptly I will introduce the grammatical concept of formal vs informal to learn when to
use “tu” and when to use “usted.”
6th Grade:
Students are learning the days of the week, weather expressions, and classroom
commands.They are able to say what day of the week it is and describe the weather by
asking and responding to questions like: ¿Qué día es hoy?(What day is today?), ¿Qué
día es mañana?(What day is tomorrow? ), and ¿Qué tiempo hace hoy? (what's the
weather like?) Students are very comfortable using their language knowledge to
communicate more effectively in the classroom. We have completed the preliminary
lesson of the textbook and I am excited to begin Unit 1 of our “Avancemos” textbook
with new vocabulary :”Comidas y bebidas” ( foods and beverages.)
7th, 8th Grade:
Students have been working hard and rising to the challenge of using as much Spanish
as possible, in class. I introduce the present tense of -er and -ir verbs focusing on
personal pronouns and their proper endings. Students were able to master the
conjugation practice. I am so proud of my Middle School class. We will engage in
conversation by talking about eating healthy foods using the -er and -ir verbs. We will
connect the verb “ tener” to the -er verbs using questions and answers: Que hacen en
la cafetería? ¿Qué haces tú? Once the lesson 1 of unit 3 is completed we will conclude
by learning the song “La Compra.”
Updates from our Arabic Room
Salam, Marhabah!!
In Kindi our trip into the Arabic word keeps rolling beautifully.
Our students were working on the family unit this month, we studied the extended relations in the family. The students were amazing by tracking their own family and drawing their family tree. We also worked in writing a complete paragraph about our families and the occupations of each member in the Family.
Those Youngster are amazing, and lots of love from our Kindi family to all our families
Ms. Hayat
In Kindi our trip into the Arabic word keeps rolling beautifully.
Our students were working on the family unit this month, we studied the extended relations in the family. The students were amazing by tracking their own family and drawing their family tree. We also worked in writing a complete paragraph about our families and the occupations of each member in the Family.
Those Youngster are amazing, and lots of love from our Kindi family to all our families
Ms. Hayat