Happenings

“I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples.”
― Mother Teresa

The 2^nd Annual Gala for the Pillars was on Saturday evening.  Seeing so many parents and staff there to support the school and build community truly lifted my heart.  The dedication of parents and staff to making an already great school an even better place for the students of Eagle Ridge Academy is really admirable.  It was a wonderful evening with great conversation and connections.  The fact that we were also able to raise funds to expand and enhance the science program was a great benefit.  I want to give a huge thank you to the PTO and everyone involved in planning and organizing the evening.  It took many hands and many hours to make it such a success.  I also want to thank the teachers and staff members who donated items and helped to create baskets for the silent auction.  I am already looking forward to next year’s event and hope you are too!

Please note that students will no longer be given warnings for throwing snow or ice at recess.  They have had enough time and enough warnings to understand the expectation.  Behavior fix-its will be sent home with students who choose to throw snow or ice at recess.  Please talk to your student if one comes home about the importance of this rule for the safety of all students.

Please make sure you sign up for your spring conference using the online scheduling process.  The link and information on conference scheduling is in Tuesday’s Eagle Eye Newsletter.

Next week is a short week for students.  There is a professional development day for teachers on Wednesday, March 6^th and parent/teacher conferences are on Thursday, March 7^th and Friday, March 8^th.  There is TEL available for students on all three of those days.  

Have a wonderful week!

Mrs. Baier

100 Days

"Dear Mama, Papa, Grammy and Grandpa: It is the one hundredth day of school. I can read. I can write. I can count 100 kisses for you. Love, Emily."

It was an exciting week of school for students in the Eagle Ridge Academy Lower School.  There was Valentine’s Day as I shared about last week, but before Valentine’s  Day was the 100^th day of school.  Teachers provided many wonderful 100^th day activities, particularly in grades K-2. Students were excited to be 100 days smarter and more knowledgeable.   Below are pictures from various classrooms and some of the projects completed on the 100^th day.  

March parent/teacher conferences are coming.  The online conference scheduling will be available on February 19^th and will close on March 5^th.  Conferences will be on March 7^th and 8^th.  Please contact your child’s homeroom teacher with any questions about conferences.  We look forward to seeing you at school to discuss your child’s progress on one of those days.

This week 3^rd, 4^th, and 5^th grade students will be participating in OLPA testing.  OLPA testing is practice MCA testing.  It gives the school an idea of where students stand in regards to the standards at a time when we can make adjustments to instruction in order to increase achievement if need be.  We will send home this information as soon as it is available.  The testing days by grade level are below.  Please contact your child’s homeroom teacher for exact times on those days.

3^rd grade-February 19^th

4^th grade- February 20^th

5^th grade- February 21^st

Make Up testing on February 22^nd

The Gala for Our Pillars is on Saturday, February 23^rd at Olympia Hills.  Please see the ERA website for more information on purchasing tickets.  I hope to see you there!

Have a great week!

Mrs. Baier

Valentine's Day

This week each classroom in the Lower School will have celebrations for Valentine’s Day.  Where did this day come from and why do we celebrate it?  The roots of Valentine’s Day go back to at least the year 270.  It is thought that there was a priest by the name of Valentine that fell into disfavor with the Roman Emperor of the time Claudius II.  The rest of the history is somewhat murky.  There are various legends that draw on Claudius II.  One legend claims that Claudius II would not allow young men to marry because he thought they were better soldiers if they were bachelors.  Valentine, the priest, continued to perform marriage ceremonies and eventually he was found out and put to death by the Romans.  A second legend says that Valentine was sent to prison by Claudius II.  While in prison he met the daughter of the jailer and fell in love.  He supposedly sent her a letter before his execution that he signed “from your Valentine.”  

From a classical sense, it was thought that Chaucer was the first to connect Valentine’s Day with love and romance.  Chaucer composed a poem to celebrate the engagement of Richard II to Anne of Bohemia.  The poem The Parliament of Fowls was composed in 1381.

For this was on St. Valentine's Day,
When every fowl cometh there to choose his mate.

The tradition of sharing and exchanging cards and gifts evolved over the years and became common in England in the 18^th century.  It did eventually come to America and a woman named Esther A. Howland has been given credit with producing the first commercial valentines in the 1850s.  As we know the holiday has become quite commercial and I read that 25% of all greeting cards sent are in fact Valentine’s Day cards.  

We, of course, don’t share this entire history with our young students.  We are, however, trying to help them focus on a meaning for Valentine’s Day besides just a party and paper valentines.  We are trying to help them understand that love and kindness are the best meanings of the day, concentrating less on the commercial and more on the intent behind our gestures of kindness.

One of the ways we can share kindness and love is through the latest community service project at Eagle Ridge Academy.  I mentioned last week the entire school is participating in the Pennies for Patients program being organized by the 7^th grade House.  You probably saw a box come home with your child for collecting your pennies last week. In our first week of the project the Eagle Ridge Academy community raised almost $800.  There is a Facebook page dedicated to the project.  Just search Eagle Ridge Academy Pennies for Patients 2013 for more updates and results.

Kindness was also demonstrated to some of our Lower School students when two firefighters from the Chanhassen Fire Department volunteered to share fire safety education with our K-2 students.  John Williams (parent of Luke and Taylor) and Matt Jackson came to school on Friday, February 1^st to do two programs about fire safety.  The students watched a brief video, saw equipment, and learned important fire safety tips.  Below are a few pictures of the different programs.  Thanks to the firefighters for coming and to Mrs. Williams and Mrs. Bradley for organizing the events. 

If you are interested in getting yearbook for your child for the 2012-13 school year, time is running out.  Below is a message from our Lower School Yearbook Advisor:

Hello Lower School Parents:

We are currently taking online orders for Lower School yearbooks through Jostens. While in past years sales have continued well into April, this year we need to guarantee that all books produced are sold. Families that are interested in ordering the Lower School K-5 yearbook need to do so by Friday, February 22nd. There are currently only 45 left for sale. The price is $25 per book. Please follow the link below to order. Questions regarding the yearbook can be directed to Mrs. Madigan, our Lower School yearbook advisor.

http://www.jostens.com/apps/shop/yrbk_catalog.asp?cid=277519&pfid=2012102704175053357

Notes and Reminders

-There is no school on Friday, February 15^th due to a teacher professional development day and no school on Monday, February 18^th due to Presidents Day.  There is all day TEL available on both days.  Please go to the TEL website to register.

Have a wonderful week!

Mrs. Baier

Pillars

One of the things that first drew me to Eagle Ridge Academy was the Pillars on the website. I was impressed there was a school that was taking the time to educate students on perseverance and integrity among others.   I spent the first semester of the school year watching those pillars in action and talking to faculty on how to truly help Lower School students learn to live the pillars.  I also worked with the Leadership Advisory Team on a vision I had to recognize students for their achievements in connection to the pillars.  We have come up with a sticker program to begin to recognize students on a regular basis when they demonstrate the qualities we are trying to instill related to the pillars.  Stickers of the pillars have been created and printed for all staff to use in this program.  Whenever a staff member sees a student demonstrating pillar behavior a sticker is given with the appropriate pillar highlighted.  Students can wear these stickers (if they want) or put them in their planners for you to see when they come home.  If you see your student with one of these stickers, please take the time to ask why he or she received it.  Staff members at ERA will do the same when they see students who are wearing these stickers.  By working together we can show students how important these qualities are and how they are valued in all places (not just at school).  It is just another way for parents and teachers to work as a team in the education of all of our ERA students.

 

On February 14^th, all ERA Lower School students may wear Valentine’s Day socks.

The Lower School will be following the Upper School in the adjustment to the dress code to allow students to wear boots to school.  If students wear snow boots, they will still need other shoes to change into, but everyday boots are allowed.  Please note students should not be wearing dress boots with heels that would make it difficult for them to get around.  Since this is a new addition to the dress code we may be making adjustments to it as we see boots that do not work for everyday activities.

Have a great week!

Mrs. Baier