OCTOBER 2021
"THE PRICE OF SUCCESS IS HARD WORK, DEDICATION TO THE JOB AT HAND, AND THE DETERMINATION THAT WHETHER WE WIN OR LOSE, WE HAVE APPLIED THE BEST OF OURSELVES TO THE TASK AT HAND."
VINCE LOMBARDI
VINCE LOMBARDI
Message from the Director
Dear Kindi Community,
Welcome to Kindi Academy, where students are the center of all we do. Our passion for teaching your children and strong motivation to nurture them is what drives our decisions daily. At Kindi, all our teachers and staff work in tandem as one body to deliver the best service to you and the best education and support to your children. Kindi’s motto of “follow the child” makes it such that students receive the instruction that matches their academic level and meets their potential. While Kindi is not officially a “0ne-on-one” teaching place, practically it is! Your child is not just a name on the roster, they are known for who they are. Teachers have a deep understanding of your child’s emotional, social, and academic standing. This understanding contributes to the noticeable progress of students within few weeks into the school year.
After over a decade of graduating top notch students, I can confidently say that the level of academics and the diverse set of skills our students graduate Kindi with is unmatched except maybe in a handful of some elite schools that have been around for many decades over.
An essential factor contributing to the success and achievement of students is the family. The collaboration between school and home is one of the cornerstones of success for our children. Parents who understand and support the school’s philosophy lay the ground for children’s prosperity and happiness at school. I encourage parents to portray the school in a positive shade to their children, and reach out to teachers and staff with any concerns they have so as to complete the circle of cooperation between both pillars of a child's growth, school and home.
I congratulate you for choosing Kindi Academy for your child’s education. You gave them the gift of success. We are humbled and they'll always be grateful. Thank you!
Best wishes,
Hatem Elagha
Executive Director
Kindi Academy
News from our 3-6 Class
Ms. Radhika & Ms. Heathers Class,
Hello! The first month and half of school has been busy, exciting, and fun! We started the year off by creating rules together as a class and reminding each other of those rules. We practiced rolling rugs, walking around a rug without stepping on someone’s work, and overall grace and courtesy (i.e., being polite, sharing, taking turns, waiting patiently). We have discussed the importance of taking care of our environment (the classroom) and the materials as well as taking care of ourselves, especially during Covid. We wash and sanitize hands and surfaces regularly and make sure everyone wears their masks.
Being a Montessori child focuses on independence and personal growth, both academically and emotionally. We encourage children to try on their own and offer assistance only if needed. By doing this, children are given the opportunity to build confidence, self-pride, and self-motivation.
Last month was focused on apples! We talked about the parts of an apple, its lifecycle, and tasted many different kinds of apples! The children had a wonderful time apple-picking at All Seasons Orchard! They enjoyed a guided tour about bees and apples, a wagon ride, picking apples, and feeding the cute farm animals! Everyone came home with a bag of apples and an apple cider donut…yum! We look forward to going to Cosley Zoo this month for our next field trip!
~Room 101
Ms. Krystyn & Ms. Nosheen's Class,
We have been off to a busy start this school year! The students have been
learning how to do various works in different subject areas and how to take care of our
classroom environment. They learned the importance of using a rug or table mat to do
their works as well as how to put back works in their place. A key part in Montessori is
to teach how to care for the classroom environment by giving children tools to create
independence so that they can do things on their own.
We started September learning about the life cycle and parts of an apple. We
even had a blast tasting various apples! This prepared us for our field trip at the apple
orchard. They not only learned about how apples grow, but also about the pollination
process with bees. This was helpful in installing care of our earth and to not be afraid
of bees! The children enjoyed the wagon ride and apple picking. Overall, the favorite
part of this field trip was feeding live animals and the fresh cider donuts! This month
we will be going to Cosley Zoo!
-Room 102
We have been off to a busy start this school year! The students have been
learning how to do various works in different subject areas and how to take care of our
classroom environment. They learned the importance of using a rug or table mat to do
their works as well as how to put back works in their place. A key part in Montessori is
to teach how to care for the classroom environment by giving children tools to create
independence so that they can do things on their own.
We started September learning about the life cycle and parts of an apple. We
even had a blast tasting various apples! This prepared us for our field trip at the apple
orchard. They not only learned about how apples grow, but also about the pollination
process with bees. This was helpful in installing care of our earth and to not be afraid
of bees! The children enjoyed the wagon ride and apple picking. Overall, the favorite
part of this field trip was feeding live animals and the fresh cider donuts! This month
we will be going to Cosley Zoo!
-Room 102
Ms. Brooke's Class,
“The Greatest gifts we can give our children are the roots of responsibility and
the wings of Independence.” ~ Maria Montessori
The children had an exciting and successful month! They have been acclimating
to new schedules, a new classroom, new procedures, new rules, making new
friends, and much much more! With these responsibilities and expectations,
they are taking steps everyday toward independence and feelings of
accomplishment! I am happy and proud of all of their efforts!
Living/Non-Living
Our class went on a few nature walks as we brought our lesson of living/non-
living to life. The children collected pieces of nature that we used for classifying
along with various objects. What makes something a living thing? Does it grow?
Eat? Need water? The children learned the questions we ask and characteristics
for determining living things. The collected pieces from our walk were used to
make a nature collage.
Apples And Apples
“One apple, two apples, three apples, four, five apples, 6 apples, lets learn some
more!” The children learned lessons on The Parts of an Apple, as we cut in half
and labeled each part and its function. They learned the apple tree’s life cycle
from it’s beautiful apple blossoms to the tiny seed where it all begins. We ended
our study of apples with preparing and cutting our own apple, and sampling the
different types of apple. Golden Delicious was a popular favorite! Last, we went
on a fun-filled trip to ALL SEASONS ORCHARD!
First Day of Fall
We learned about the four seasons and CHANGE. The children made a season
wheel. Each seasons with its 3 months and clothing, weather, and many
changes in nature that take place four times a year.
Upcoming Lessons
In October we are study pumpkins, it’s life cycle, and learn and label the parts of
a pumpkin with hands on experience. We will present lessons on parts of a
skeleton learning the names of bones, how many, which is our largest bone? We
will continue to collect leaves and analyze the changes and different types, and
which shape they correspond to from our metal inset work. Last, we will visit Cosley zoo for our second field trip!
Updates from Our 6-9 Classroom
"Knowledge can be best given where there is eagerness to learn. This is the period when the seed of everything can be sown, the child's mind being like a fertile field, ready to receive what will germinate into culture"
Maria Montessori
To Educate the Human Potential
We are off to a great start of the year. Our students have been very busy and excited about their learning. Everyday brings a new joy to the children for their accomplishments.
Our First year students stepped into a new level of independence where they are immersed in learning how to construct sentences with proper structure. They have started their journal writing with sequencing stories using their creative imagination.
They are on the road to develop their Math concepts using the unique and scientific Montessori Materials, which will enhance their mathematical mind and organizational skills. They are taking pride in making their solar system booklets. They are learning about cardinal directions and concepts of Botany and Zoology with small projects.
Our Second year students are refining their skills of writing sequential stories in their journals. They have been introduced to write 3 and 4 times tables with advanced concepts of multiplication and division with the Montessori materials.Use of dictionary is bringing a new level of enthusiasm into their learning.They have started to analyze the sentences with the function of parts of speech. Social sciences are an integral part of their learning and they are taking pride in creating projects.
Our Third year students are diving into paragraph writing using proofreading strategies. Higher level of grammar and word study has been introduced to strengthen their writing skills. Advanced levels of multiplication and division problems have been introduced to strengthen their precision using the Montessori materials. Students are excited to learn the lowest common multiples which will serve as the basis of addition, subtraction of unlike denominators. Children are demonstrating a high level of work in producing social sciences projects.
Ongoing presentations of students' autobiographies is a wonderful way to connect to their lives.
Children are well settled into their class routine. We are enjoying and celebrating their everyday accomplishments, academic collaboration and teamwork.
We look forward to a wonderful year!
Warmly,
6-9 Teachers Team
Physical Education - Grades 1 & 2
Education classes have been aligned with the Illinois State Standards and we have started our year with working on building 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 walking song! We follow movement patterns to rhythm and verbal
cues of walking, balancing on our tip toes, galloping, skipping, gliding, and jogging.
This the past two weeks we have worked on improving our understanding spatial awareness
and relationships to objects and people. We worked on our “balance lines” and played “Magical
Island” with hula hoops to build team work and cooperate to share space with others while
controlling our bodies.
Physical Education - Grade 3
To begin our year, Third Grade has also been working on building our knowledge of rules, safety and strategies during physical activity. We practice movement within our safe space and following directions. Third Graders have begun to analyze various movement concepts and applications has they learn how to execute basic movement patterns using simple obstacle courses with mini hurdles and agility hoops.
To develop team work in physical activity, we have used cooperative strategies in selected
activities and games. Pictured above is a game of “Continuum Ball” where students must work
as a unit to keep the ball in the air as long as possible. They can use simple movements and
communicate with each other to build up to being able to identify offensive and defensive
strategies within selected activities and games.
Maria Montessori
To Educate the Human Potential
We are off to a great start of the year. Our students have been very busy and excited about their learning. Everyday brings a new joy to the children for their accomplishments.
Our First year students stepped into a new level of independence where they are immersed in learning how to construct sentences with proper structure. They have started their journal writing with sequencing stories using their creative imagination.
They are on the road to develop their Math concepts using the unique and scientific Montessori Materials, which will enhance their mathematical mind and organizational skills. They are taking pride in making their solar system booklets. They are learning about cardinal directions and concepts of Botany and Zoology with small projects.
Our Second year students are refining their skills of writing sequential stories in their journals. They have been introduced to write 3 and 4 times tables with advanced concepts of multiplication and division with the Montessori materials.Use of dictionary is bringing a new level of enthusiasm into their learning.They have started to analyze the sentences with the function of parts of speech. Social sciences are an integral part of their learning and they are taking pride in creating projects.
Our Third year students are diving into paragraph writing using proofreading strategies. Higher level of grammar and word study has been introduced to strengthen their writing skills. Advanced levels of multiplication and division problems have been introduced to strengthen their precision using the Montessori materials. Students are excited to learn the lowest common multiples which will serve as the basis of addition, subtraction of unlike denominators. Children are demonstrating a high level of work in producing social sciences projects.
Ongoing presentations of students' autobiographies is a wonderful way to connect to their lives.
Children are well settled into their class routine. We are enjoying and celebrating their everyday accomplishments, academic collaboration and teamwork.
We look forward to a wonderful year!
Warmly,
6-9 Teachers Team
Physical Education - Grades 1 & 2
Education classes have been aligned with the Illinois State Standards and we have started our year with working on building 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 walking song! We follow movement patterns to rhythm and verbal
cues of walking, balancing on our tip toes, galloping, skipping, gliding, and jogging.
This the past two weeks we have worked on improving our understanding spatial awareness
and relationships to objects and people. We worked on our “balance lines” and played “Magical
Island” with hula hoops to build team work and cooperate to share space with others while
controlling our bodies.
Physical Education - Grade 3
To begin our year, Third Grade has also been working on building our knowledge of rules, safety and strategies during physical activity. We practice movement within our safe space and following directions. Third Graders have begun to analyze various movement concepts and applications has they learn how to execute basic movement patterns using simple obstacle courses with mini hurdles and agility hoops.
To develop team work in physical activity, we have used cooperative strategies in selected
activities and games. Pictured above is a game of “Continuum Ball” where students must work
as a unit to keep the ball in the air as long as possible. They can use simple movements and
communicate with each other to build up to being able to identify offensive and defensive
strategies within selected activities and games.
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.
Happenings in the Science Room
At the beginning of the year 8th graders were introduced to the laws of physics by being challenged to build the tallest freestanding structure by using only 20 spaghetti sticks, a marshmallow, string and tape. Also the students are testing Newton's first and second laws of motion.
The 7th graders are busy analyzing samples of "foul water" as they use three different methods of filtration. As part of our unit with mixtures they had a lab were they were working with homogeneous and heterogeneous mixtures.
At the beginning of the school year the 6th graders were learning how to use a microscope and its parts. They also observed onion cells by mounting and staining their own slides. During our unit on cells, the 6th graders created the cell membrane's phospholipid bilayer, and after learning all about animal and plant cells what a better ending than to finish by making their own edible cell complete with all the organelles!
At the beginning of the school year the 6th graders were learning how to use a microscope and its parts. They also observed onion cells by mounting and staining their own slides. During our unit on cells, the 6th graders created the cell membrane's phospholipid bilayer, and after learning all about animal and plant cells what a better ending than to finish by making their own edible cell complete with all the organelles!
The 5th graders have been busy learning about Earth's five spheres and how erosion and deposition by various agents affects the geosphere, and just before we started our journey through earth science, we explored the densities of different liquids.
The 4th graders have been busy learning all about the scientific method. They have been exploring how scientists come up with ideas and hypotheses, how to set up experiments, how to use the different tools for measurement and observation and collecting and interpreting data.
News from our Middle School
English
Hello from middle school English! All of your students have been hard at work this quarter. They have been working hard at learning new vocabulary, reviewing grammar and parts of speech, while reading and writing.
The 5th graders have been reading The Bridge Home and various short stories all based around the theme of friendship. Currently, they are finishing up that unit by writing their first essay about what it means to be a friend. They have reviewed character traits, plot structure, main idea, theme and summarizing. Additionally the 5th graders have been working with the Scope magazine and reading verious articles and plays to help practice their comprehension of various genre. The students are great at learning their vocabulary and have also enjoyed playing various vocab review games. Their organization is improving and they are also practicing using their assignment notebooks. They will soon be reading a new novel, Esperanza Rising and starting to review grammar using IXL.
The 6th graders have also finished their first novel. They read The Outsiders, a collection of poems and articles relating to the novel, finished a character analysis project and are writing their first analysis essay of the year about the story. They have reviewed and practiced plot structure, figurative language, character traits, theme and symbolism. The 6th graders are also practicing their comprehension using the Scope magazine and a daily comprehension practice. They are full of energy and and amazing ideas. They will be starting their new novel The Giver and practicing grammar through IXL later this week.
The 7th and 8th graders have been reading Animal Farm. It has been so much fun to listen to their ideas and hear them analyze a political satire. Their ideas and insights continue to surprise me daily! They have also read several articles about the Russian Revolution, behavior patterns of groups of people, various poems and short allegory stories. They have written allegories, completed projects relating to Animal Farm and are writing their first essay of the year about how ignorance, manipluation and power hoarding affect the governments in power. They are also practicing their comprehension daily with short reading passages and will be starting their new novel, Fever 1793, next week. They will also begin using IXL to practice their grammar.
All the students have been working hard and I am very proud of all they have accomplished. Thank you for your continued support of these amazing young ladies and gentlemen.
Ms. Andrea
Drama / Creative Expression
Lights, Camera, and Action! Students are finding their voice in our newest class Kindi has to offer. Students are learning about public speaking and knowing the dos and the don’ts. Practice makes perfect when it comes to gaining confidence in public speaking. Students have already given speeches. The first speech, the students had to tell the class about themselves and share an object that represents them. The second presentation, the students had to read a picture book to their class. Students are learning voice and volume control, gestures, and good posture. Students are letting loose and raising their voice in Drama class.
Ms. Lisa
Hello from middle school English! All of your students have been hard at work this quarter. They have been working hard at learning new vocabulary, reviewing grammar and parts of speech, while reading and writing.
The 5th graders have been reading The Bridge Home and various short stories all based around the theme of friendship. Currently, they are finishing up that unit by writing their first essay about what it means to be a friend. They have reviewed character traits, plot structure, main idea, theme and summarizing. Additionally the 5th graders have been working with the Scope magazine and reading verious articles and plays to help practice their comprehension of various genre. The students are great at learning their vocabulary and have also enjoyed playing various vocab review games. Their organization is improving and they are also practicing using their assignment notebooks. They will soon be reading a new novel, Esperanza Rising and starting to review grammar using IXL.
The 6th graders have also finished their first novel. They read The Outsiders, a collection of poems and articles relating to the novel, finished a character analysis project and are writing their first analysis essay of the year about the story. They have reviewed and practiced plot structure, figurative language, character traits, theme and symbolism. The 6th graders are also practicing their comprehension using the Scope magazine and a daily comprehension practice. They are full of energy and and amazing ideas. They will be starting their new novel The Giver and practicing grammar through IXL later this week.
The 7th and 8th graders have been reading Animal Farm. It has been so much fun to listen to their ideas and hear them analyze a political satire. Their ideas and insights continue to surprise me daily! They have also read several articles about the Russian Revolution, behavior patterns of groups of people, various poems and short allegory stories. They have written allegories, completed projects relating to Animal Farm and are writing their first essay of the year about how ignorance, manipluation and power hoarding affect the governments in power. They are also practicing their comprehension daily with short reading passages and will be starting their new novel, Fever 1793, next week. They will also begin using IXL to practice their grammar.
All the students have been working hard and I am very proud of all they have accomplished. Thank you for your continued support of these amazing young ladies and gentlemen.
Ms. Andrea
Drama / Creative Expression
Lights, Camera, and Action! Students are finding their voice in our newest class Kindi has to offer. Students are learning about public speaking and knowing the dos and the don’ts. Practice makes perfect when it comes to gaining confidence in public speaking. Students have already given speeches. The first speech, the students had to tell the class about themselves and share an object that represents them. The second presentation, the students had to read a picture book to their class. Students are learning voice and volume control, gestures, and good posture. Students are letting loose and raising their voice in Drama class.
Ms. Lisa
Pyhsical Education - 4th/5th Grade& Middle School
Grades Four and Five have had similar initial lessons as 3 rd grade to practice basic skills upon
which we will build a foundation for more organized sports. Seen above, we were working on a
recreational game of badminton to apply basic offensive, defensive, and cooperative strategies
in selected activities, games, and sports. Upper Elementary students participate in weekly
moderate to vigorous physical activity while performing multiple basic movement patterns with
additional combination movement patterns we learn and apply rules and safety procedures in
physical activities. We engage in health-related and skill-related fitness (e.g., flexibility,
muscular strength, balance) with Yoga days, sports-drills day, sports, and cooperative games.
Students in grades 6th - 8th have been challenged this year to regularly participate in physical activity for the purpose of sustaining or improving individual levels of health-related and skill-related fitness. In the
Montessori Spirit of learning, these students help keep score, encourage fair play with each
other, referee games and activities, and help develop new games. We have done different
tournaments to engage students with “Tug-of-War”, “Limbo”, “3 on 3 Basketball” and more!
Middle School students help to develop rules and safety procedures for physical activities along
with selecting and and applying offensive, defensive, and cooperative strategies in selected
activities, games, and sports. With our “Tug-of-War” tournament, we compared and contrast
efficient and inefficient movement patterns talking about how a lower center of gravity and
larger base of support by using a low, squatting stance can help maximize a strong pull!
Grades Four and Five have had similar initial lessons as 3 rd grade to practice basic skills upon
which we will build a foundation for more organized sports. Seen above, we were working on a
recreational game of badminton to apply basic offensive, defensive, and cooperative strategies
in selected activities, games, and sports. Upper Elementary students participate in weekly
moderate to vigorous physical activity while performing multiple basic movement patterns with
additional combination movement patterns we learn and apply rules and safety procedures in
physical activities. We engage in health-related and skill-related fitness (e.g., flexibility,
muscular strength, balance) with Yoga days, sports-drills day, sports, and cooperative games.
Students in grades 6th - 8th have been challenged this year to regularly participate in physical activity for the purpose of sustaining or improving individual levels of health-related and skill-related fitness. In the
Montessori Spirit of learning, these students help keep score, encourage fair play with each
other, referee games and activities, and help develop new games. We have done different
tournaments to engage students with “Tug-of-War”, “Limbo”, “3 on 3 Basketball” and more!
Middle School students help to develop rules and safety procedures for physical activities along
with selecting and and applying offensive, defensive, and cooperative strategies in selected
activities, games, and sports. With our “Tug-of-War” tournament, we compared and contrast
efficient and inefficient movement patterns talking about how a lower center of gravity and
larger base of support by using a low, squatting stance can help maximize a strong pull!
4th-8th Grade Technology News from Mr. Memisovski
Our students have been very productive in our Technology classes! The 4th and 5th graders have been working hard with the basics of Google Docs and navigating the Google Workspace. They’ve also been working very hard on Typetastic, our keyboarding program. We’ve also been working on Digital Citizenship as well, focusing on topics like Media Balance, the difference between personal and private information (what you can share, what you can’t share online), and the overall benefits of using technology. Our 5th graders created Anti-Bullying Posters using Google Docs or Google Drawings and we will vote next week on the most creative ones!
Our 6th, 7th, and 8th grade classes have also been doing a great job with navigating the Google Workspace. The kids did a great job creating Photo Journals using Google Docs the last two weeks in class. Now, we are learning about how we can stay organized using technology! This week, the kids were tasked with keeping track of their homework using a “Digital Assignment Notebook” with Google Calendar. We’ve also been discussing Digital Citizenship, learning about Media Balance, Cyberbullying, Phishing, and Copyright/Fair Use.
Best Regards,
Sevim Memisovski
Technology Teacher
5th-8th Grade Social Studies News from Mr. Memisovski
Our Middle Schoolers have been working very hard in our social studies classes this quarter. 5th graders have just completed our unit on the Ancient Mesopotamians and are now beginning to explore Ancient Egypt. Students completed research projects where they completed Google Slides Presentations about the Achievements/Contributions of the Sumerians.
In 6th grade Geography, students have finished an exciting few weeks where we learned about culture. The kids put together their own presentation about their culture for the class, came dressed in traditional clothing and even brought in food! It was a great day for all! We continued with looking at population and demographics, and created population pyramids using data from other countries. Then, we started our first “adventure” around the world with the United States and Canada. We finished up that unit this week and are now moving on to Latin America! During this unit, the kids will be making their own Travel Brochure about a country of their choice in the region.
Our 7th graders have also been studying Human Geography and are finishing up our unit on Latin America before studying Europe next week. Our Europe unit will include a research project where students will create a travel website using Google Sites to highlight not only important tourist destinations of that country, but also provide some important background on the history, government, economics, and demography of the country as well!
In 8th grade, the students completed the Constitution Unit and all did an amazing job on the Constitution Test. Now, we have switched gears and began our Modern World History course. We are currently finishing up our unit on the Renaissance and Reformation. We’ve been analyzing different pieces of Renaissance artwork and even some Renaissance writing pieces. This course is meant to prepare the students for Honors/AP Social Studies courses they will likely take in high school and as such I will be including many of those assignments and expectations in my class.
Best Regards,
Sevim Memisovski
Social Studies Teacher
Our students have been very productive in our Technology classes! The 4th and 5th graders have been working hard with the basics of Google Docs and navigating the Google Workspace. They’ve also been working very hard on Typetastic, our keyboarding program. We’ve also been working on Digital Citizenship as well, focusing on topics like Media Balance, the difference between personal and private information (what you can share, what you can’t share online), and the overall benefits of using technology. Our 5th graders created Anti-Bullying Posters using Google Docs or Google Drawings and we will vote next week on the most creative ones!
Our 6th, 7th, and 8th grade classes have also been doing a great job with navigating the Google Workspace. The kids did a great job creating Photo Journals using Google Docs the last two weeks in class. Now, we are learning about how we can stay organized using technology! This week, the kids were tasked with keeping track of their homework using a “Digital Assignment Notebook” with Google Calendar. We’ve also been discussing Digital Citizenship, learning about Media Balance, Cyberbullying, Phishing, and Copyright/Fair Use.
Best Regards,
Sevim Memisovski
Technology Teacher
5th-8th Grade Social Studies News from Mr. Memisovski
Our Middle Schoolers have been working very hard in our social studies classes this quarter. 5th graders have just completed our unit on the Ancient Mesopotamians and are now beginning to explore Ancient Egypt. Students completed research projects where they completed Google Slides Presentations about the Achievements/Contributions of the Sumerians.
In 6th grade Geography, students have finished an exciting few weeks where we learned about culture. The kids put together their own presentation about their culture for the class, came dressed in traditional clothing and even brought in food! It was a great day for all! We continued with looking at population and demographics, and created population pyramids using data from other countries. Then, we started our first “adventure” around the world with the United States and Canada. We finished up that unit this week and are now moving on to Latin America! During this unit, the kids will be making their own Travel Brochure about a country of their choice in the region.
Our 7th graders have also been studying Human Geography and are finishing up our unit on Latin America before studying Europe next week. Our Europe unit will include a research project where students will create a travel website using Google Sites to highlight not only important tourist destinations of that country, but also provide some important background on the history, government, economics, and demography of the country as well!
In 8th grade, the students completed the Constitution Unit and all did an amazing job on the Constitution Test. Now, we have switched gears and began our Modern World History course. We are currently finishing up our unit on the Renaissance and Reformation. We’ve been analyzing different pieces of Renaissance artwork and even some Renaissance writing pieces. This course is meant to prepare the students for Honors/AP Social Studies courses they will likely take in high school and as such I will be including many of those assignments and expectations in my class.
Best Regards,
Sevim Memisovski
Social Studies Teacher
Updates from our spanish classroom
Spanish with Maestra Kim:
The 3-6 year old Spanish classes are getting lots of exercise moving and identifying parts of the body while singing lively songs! We have been learning the names of common classroom objects, as well as colors, calendar, counting, and so much more.
As the 6-9 year classes are introduced to Spanish or get reacquainted after a year and half without classes, we are practicing our essential vocabulary of numbers, colors, months, and conversational phrases. Students are expressing what they have and don’t have in their pencil pouches, and we’re filling our two 30-minute classes a week with as much fun and meaningful Spanish interaction as possible!
Spanish with Maestra Alicia:
4th Grade
I see my 4th grade students twice a week for 30 minutes and we maximize every
minute! The students have been learning how to use greetings. For example, ‘Hola!’,
‘Buenos Dias!’, ‘Adiós!’, ‘Hasta Luego!', etc. They also learned how to introduce
themselves, greet their classmates, and express how they feel. This week, 4th Graders
are learning to say many different objects and people in their classroom such as, ‘El
Pizarrón’, ‘El Escritorio’, and ‘La Maestra’. In addition, they started to learn how to use
numbers in their everyday life.
5th Grade
5th Graders have been engaging in real life communication using casual vocabulary
that describes things they like or do not like to do in different seasons and months of the
year. For example, ‘me gusta’ or ‘no me gusta’. 5th Graders enjoy learning how to
express themselves and asking their classmates about their feelings. For example,
‘Tengo hambre’ and ‘Tengo sueño’. I also encourage students to add gestures to
emphasize their self expression to make the language easier to understand. Students
are also using the education app Duolingo in which students can play games as they
learn the language.
6th Grade
The students are learning a variety of new phrases and questions to help them
comprehend the language on a more advanced level. This helps them to express their
needs and thoughts more clearly and effectively (es fabuloso!). I have introduced new
vocabulary such as greetings, countries, numbers, and cultural topics in addition to
reviewing the Spanish alphabet. As they expand their vocabulary, students will be able
to introduce themselves to others, ask how to spell names, exchange phone numbers,
and say where they are from. We also use the website www.conjuguemos.com where
students can practice verb conjugations, grammar, and vocabulary, using activities that
correspond to each lesson and unit of our textbook.
7th & 8th Grade
I am proud of my 7th and 8th graders! They have established a strong sense of
community by working together and helping each other in Spanish class. They are
learning new vocabulary which include Food and Beverage items and Interrogative
words. They are learning new grammar such as the verb “Gustar” with nouns. Using this
new vocabulary and grammar, they are able to have a conversation about their
preferred food/beverages. They also learned how to ask and answer questions related
to food/beverages that they like and do not like. We are also learning about Puerto
Rican culture in this unit! This week, we will begin using the website
www.conjuguemos.com where students can practice verb conjugations, grammar, and
vocabulary, using activities that correspond to each lesson and unit of our textbook.
The 3-6 year old Spanish classes are getting lots of exercise moving and identifying parts of the body while singing lively songs! We have been learning the names of common classroom objects, as well as colors, calendar, counting, and so much more.
As the 6-9 year classes are introduced to Spanish or get reacquainted after a year and half without classes, we are practicing our essential vocabulary of numbers, colors, months, and conversational phrases. Students are expressing what they have and don’t have in their pencil pouches, and we’re filling our two 30-minute classes a week with as much fun and meaningful Spanish interaction as possible!
Spanish with Maestra Alicia:
4th Grade
I see my 4th grade students twice a week for 30 minutes and we maximize every
minute! The students have been learning how to use greetings. For example, ‘Hola!’,
‘Buenos Dias!’, ‘Adiós!’, ‘Hasta Luego!', etc. They also learned how to introduce
themselves, greet their classmates, and express how they feel. This week, 4th Graders
are learning to say many different objects and people in their classroom such as, ‘El
Pizarrón’, ‘El Escritorio’, and ‘La Maestra’. In addition, they started to learn how to use
numbers in their everyday life.
5th Grade
5th Graders have been engaging in real life communication using casual vocabulary
that describes things they like or do not like to do in different seasons and months of the
year. For example, ‘me gusta’ or ‘no me gusta’. 5th Graders enjoy learning how to
express themselves and asking their classmates about their feelings. For example,
‘Tengo hambre’ and ‘Tengo sueño’. I also encourage students to add gestures to
emphasize their self expression to make the language easier to understand. Students
are also using the education app Duolingo in which students can play games as they
learn the language.
6th Grade
The students are learning a variety of new phrases and questions to help them
comprehend the language on a more advanced level. This helps them to express their
needs and thoughts more clearly and effectively (es fabuloso!). I have introduced new
vocabulary such as greetings, countries, numbers, and cultural topics in addition to
reviewing the Spanish alphabet. As they expand their vocabulary, students will be able
to introduce themselves to others, ask how to spell names, exchange phone numbers,
and say where they are from. We also use the website www.conjuguemos.com where
students can practice verb conjugations, grammar, and vocabulary, using activities that
correspond to each lesson and unit of our textbook.
7th & 8th Grade
I am proud of my 7th and 8th graders! They have established a strong sense of
community by working together and helping each other in Spanish class. They are
learning new vocabulary which include Food and Beverage items and Interrogative
words. They are learning new grammar such as the verb “Gustar” with nouns. Using this
new vocabulary and grammar, they are able to have a conversation about their
preferred food/beverages. They also learned how to ask and answer questions related
to food/beverages that they like and do not like. We are also learning about Puerto
Rican culture in this unit! This week, we will begin using the website
www.conjuguemos.com where students can practice verb conjugations, grammar, and
vocabulary, using activities that correspond to each lesson and unit of our textbook.
Updates from our Arabic Room
Marhaba, Hi and welcome
Come and join us for a daily trip to the Middle East.
In our Arabic class we focus on teaching the language and the culture together. We tailer our lessons according to the students ability and about the language that any visitor to the Arab countries will need.
Teaching through hand on activities, lessons written specifically for them and through games.
Our students are done with the unit of greetings and introducing themselves in simple dialogues.
Pictures attached shows 5th graders practicing the new vocabulary by playing the ladder and snake game.
From ms. Hayat Al-Quttub
Come and join us for a daily trip to the Middle East.
In our Arabic class we focus on teaching the language and the culture together. We tailer our lessons according to the students ability and about the language that any visitor to the Arab countries will need.
Teaching through hand on activities, lessons written specifically for them and through games.
Our students are done with the unit of greetings and introducing themselves in simple dialogues.
Pictures attached shows 5th graders practicing the new vocabulary by playing the ladder and snake game.
From ms. Hayat Al-Quttub