Perseverance

“What is harder than rock, or softer than water?  Yet soft water hollows out hard rock.  Persevere.”

~Ovid, Roman poet

I have written about perseverance in the past in my blog, but as we are going through the pillars each week I still find it to be a worthy topic.  The pillar of perseverance is what drew me to Eagle Ridge Academy, but I find it to be the one we as adults have the most trouble allowing students to learn.  Our teachers understand the importance of perseverance.  Nothing means more than to accomplish something you have worked so hard to do.  It is often hard as an adult to watch a child struggle to learn or accomplish something.  We want to step in and help ease the way for them, but we all have to take a step back and remember how good we have felt when we finished something on our own.  When we jump in to make things easier we are taking away important life lessons and experiences from children.  Here is the circle on perseverance the students see each day in the hallway.

Homeroom classes did activities related to perseverance last week.  Mrs. Palm’s kindergarten class read The Little Engine That Could.  Now when Mrs. Palm says the word perseverance the students say “I think I can, I think I can.”  Ms. Gillitzer’s kindergarten class read the same book and each student created a box car with something he/she was going to work on this year (tying their shoes, read a book on their own, make a goal in soccer, etc.)

Mrs. Madigan had Mr. O’Brien from the Upper School come down and give her students a lesson in perseverance by teaching them how to make an origami crane.  If you have ever made origami, you know if you miss one step your piece will not turn out.  The fourth graders had to really persevere to make their cranes. Here is a picture of some of the completed cranes.

Fall conferences are coming up.  They are on Monday, October 14^th from 8am to 8pm and on Tuesday, October 15^th from 8am to 11:30am.  The conference scheduler (Virtual Paragon) will open on October 1^st and close on October 10^th.  Please click on the link during those dates to schedule conferences with your child’s teacher.  http://www.virtualparagon.com/eagleridge/conference/

All parents are invited to Eagle Ridge Academy on Friday, October 4th from 5:30 to 8:30pm to our Classical Education Parent Night. Mr. Andrew Kern from the CiRCE Institute will give a presentation about  Classical Education.   Mr.  Kern coauthored the book Classical Education: Movement Sweeping the Nation. Refreshments will be served and we look forward to seeing you there.  To learn more, please visit http://www.eagleridgeacademy.org/event/2013-10-04-223000-2013-10-05-013000/530pm-classical-training-parents

Last week I announced MDE would have MCA II results to our school by October 18^th.  According to our latest communication from MDE, this has been delayed.  We will let you know when you can expect the results, as soon as we have further communication regarding them from MDE.

I hope you have a wonderful week!

Mrs. Baier

Integrity Insights

“Integrity is what we say, what we do, and what we say we do.” Don Galer

Last week in the Lower School teachers introduced the idea of integrity to students during their Pillar time.  It was defined to students as thinking before you act and taking responsibility for actions.  At school they are encouraged to follow the rules, even when there may be no one watching, and admitting when they make mistakes.  The first graders in Mrs. Bradley’s class have few ideas about integrity, as you will see below.  

Today was the first Pillar ticket drawing of the year.  Five students were selected for snack time with Mrs. Baier next week.   Congratulations go to…

Joey B. 4^th grade

Matthew D. 2^nd grade

Roopak D. 1^st grade

Ashfaq H. 1^st grade

Paul H. 1^st grade

Next month's Pillar ticket drawing will allow the selected students to choose any Lower School teacher to have lunch with at the end of October. 

Aquila, the eagle flew from Ms. Hudak’s room to Mrs. Peitz/Sahli’s class.  Iliya earned Aquila for his class by demonstrating good integrity in the hallway.

Another part of our Pillar Program are CIPHER posters in each classroom.  Each class has a CIPHER poster with pockets.  As the class earns a compliment or demonstrates one of the Pillars an eagle feather is put into the associated Pillar pocket.  When a class fills in all 6 pockets, the teacher chooses a reward.  Again, we are staying away from the tangible rewards and trying to provide things that fit with the Pillars.  This week Mrs. Madigan’s class earned their first reward.  Their reward was flashlight reading time.  Students brought in flashlights and headlamps, the lights were turned out and they had reading time.  Some read in groups, some on their own, but it was a fun way to read and something different from the ordinary.  Here are a few pictures from the time and a picture of a CIPHER poster.

Next Tuesday at 8:00am is the first Lower School Parent Coffee for the year. We will plan to meet in the Academy Commons (lunchroom).  I will go through the complete Lower School Pillar Program and answer any questions relating to it during our time together this quarter.

The Minnesota Department of Education has informed us that the 2012-13 MCA test results will be delivered to ERA by October 18^th.  Results will be sent home to parents the following week.

I hope to see you all at Rockin’ the Ridge on Saturday.  If you have not already volunteered, there are still spaces available.  It is a great time for the entire Eagle Ridge Academy community!

Picture Day for Lower School students is next Wednesday.  Please remember students should be in formal dress uniforms on this day.  You may review the formal dress uniform requirements at this link:http://www.eagleridgeacademy.org/studentsparents/uniforms

Have a wonderful week.

Mrs.Baier

Citizenship

It is not always the same thing to be a good man and a good citizen. ~Aristotle

The Lower School students have started their brief introductions to the Pillars.  Each week they will talk about one of the pillars and truth, beauty, and goodness.  Starting in November the teachers will focus on one pillar each month for a more in-depth study appropriate for the grade level they are teaching.  Every grade level has set aside 15-20 minutes once a week for Pillar time.  This is a part of the new Pillar program in the Lower School.  

Last week’s pillar was citizenship.  Citizenship seems to be one of easiest pillars for students to understand.  Examples like, following rules, taking care of yourself, helping others, and taking care of the school are easy ways to help students begin to understand citizenship at an elementary level.  As they get older, we teach students there are civic values that bind us all together and we share those commonalities no matter what religious, ethnic, or cultural ties may divide us.  

I would like to share a bit of history on citizenship, as it helps to know a bit about where it comes from to understand why it is one of the Eagle Ridge Academy Pillars.   Citizenship has historically (based on the classical tradition of Aristotle and Rousseau) been defined as the highest moral and political role for humans based on justice, freedom, equality, and participation.  Most people think that citizenship is something natural (everyone gets and has it) and we often take it for granted.  People born in one country who have immigrated to another country do not take the idea of citizenship lightly and tend to understand better than the rest of us the importance of citizenship (the rights and responsibilities).

The idea of citizenship in a republic came about during the rise and fall of the Greek city states.  It was developed further in the Roman Republic.  It continued to grow and develop in Western Europe and America through the 19^th century.  Living in the United States our founders drew upon the Graeco-Roman ideals and those of Western Europe.  They did make their own contributions to the idea of democratic citizenship.  We seem to now be in another period where the definition and idea of citizenship is being adjusted because of the changing world.

When you study the origin of the idea of citizenship, there are two main thoughts that come about.

1. Citizenship was based on being a member of a political community rather than a family, clan, or tribe. 
2.  Citizenship meant laws were made and carried out by citizens who were both ruled by someone and who may rule others rather than a king or priest who simply made and shared the laws.

These were big changes from how things had happened in the world at the time and those changes were slower to come in some areas of the world.

As Aristotle wrestled with the idea of citizens and citizenship, he shared his definition of an ideal citizen.  He said an ideal citizen is not someone who just immerses himself in academic studies.  He is an orator who knows academics and also studies rhetoric, logic, political science and ethics.  He is devoted to public affairs and accepts the duties and obligations of citizenship.  You may notice that this definition fits the type of education we embody at Eagle Ridge Academy.  While citizenship may be easy for students to begin to grasp and understand, it is actually quite a deep topic that will be revisited and added onto throughout the classical education process at Eagle Ridge Academy.  

Students have been making some citizenship posters to hang in the halls.  Their understanding of citizenship is generally age appropriate, although we do try to stretch and bring them to a higher level of understanding and connection as they progress through the Lower School.  Here are a few of the 3^rd grade citizenship posters hanging on Respect Blvd.  You may notice a common good or helping others theme, which fits the progression of understanding.  The final picture is the Pillar circle for citizenship that is hanging outside the Lower School Office for students to see each day.

Aquila the eagle flew from Mr. Schloesser’s room to Ms. Hudak’s room on Friday afternoon  Livia, from Ms. Hudak's room earned Aquila for her class by demonstrating both good citizenship and good integrity.  She went above and beyond helping a friend at recess when she skinned her knee and found the owner of a lost sweatshirt on her own.  All students should keep up the good work in demonstrating Pillar behavior.  

The first Pillar ticket drawing is next Friday (9/20).  Mrs. Baier will personally visit the winners of snack time with Mrs. Baier on Friday.  The winners will be announced in this blog and in the morning announcements on Monday (9/23).

At Eagle Ridge Academy safety of students is a top priority.  We continually practice various safety drills and have looked at our procedures and policies.  As parents, we need your assistance with one of our policies in the Lower School.  In order to know who is in our building at all times, we ask that you sign in at the main or Lower School office.  This includes in the mornings.  Lower School students should be walking down to their classrooms on their own at this point.  We have multiple adults in the hallway to assist anyone unsure of where to go, but I have not seen any student unsure this week.  

In the mornings if you feel you need to walk down with your student to drop something off, you still need to go to the main office and sign in.  Ms. Twetan will call down to make sure the teacher is in the classroom.  At 7:45 teachers are expected to be attentive to students and while it may seem like a good time to ask a teacher a quick question or make a request, it takes their attention and focus away from the students.  If you would like to do this please email or call the teacher to set up a time prior to 7:45 to come down.  You will still need to check in at the main office and Ms. Twetan will let the teacher know you are on your way down.  All of this is for the benefit of the students. If you come down without a badge, you may be asked by any staff member to return to the office to get one.  While it may be inconvenient at the time, it is done to ensure the safety and security of all Lower School students.  If you have any questions about these procedures, please feel free to contact me.  Thank you in advance for your support and cooperation.

Thank you to all of the families who attended the first Lower School Curriculum Night on Thursday.  It is my hope that you found it informative and enjoyed having the opportunity to interact with and ask questions of your student(s) teachers.  Since this is the first time we have hosted such an event in the Lower School, I would love to hear your feedback on the evening.  Please email your thoughts or comments to me at mbaier@eagleridgeacademy.org

As you may know an exciting event is approaching very quickly.  The PTO is once again sponsoring Rockin’ the Ridge for the Eagle Ridge Academy community.  It is on Saturday, September 21^st.  In order to make this even happen, they are in need of many more volunteers.  Please consider volunteering for a couple of hours to make this event a success.  You can check out volunteer opportunities at this link: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090544ADAF2BA31-rockin1

Have a wonderful week! 

Mrs. Baier

From Telegraphs to Computers

Electronic communication will never be a substitute for the face of someone who with their soul encourages another person to be brave and true. ~Charles Dickens

The statement above is attributed to Charles Dickens.  It actually comes from the passage below in a work by him entitled “The Wreck of the Golden Mary.”  The character in the story is lamenting on the way orders were being given by telegraph rather than in person…

O! what a thing it is, in a time of danger, and in the presence of death, the shining of a face upon a face!  I have heard it broached that orders should be given in great new ships by electric telegraph.  I admire machinery as much as any man, and am as thankful to it as any man can be for what it does for us.  But, it will never be a substitute for the face of a man, with his soul in it, encouraging another man to be brave and true.  Never try it for that.  It will break down like a straw.

This statement reminds me of our communication between home and school.  I have talked in the past about how convenient electronic communication is and the expectations of this type of communication.  While we no longer communicate by telegraph, we sometimes rely on electronic when what we really need is that face to face interaction to be able to communicate effectively with each other.  I would like to remind everyone that while email is great for communicating facts and simple concrete answers, phone calls and in-person meetings are best for things that require lengthy answer or interpretation.  It is an Eagle Ridge Academy expectation that staff members will reply to or acknowledge an email or voice mail within one business day.  I ask that teachers not reply to emails during student instructional time, which limits the times they may reply during the day.  Thank you for your support in allowing the teachers to concentrate on your students during the day and reply to questions at other times.

Next week at curriculum night, teachers will be explaining more about our new Pillar Program.  Last week I talked about the Pillar Tickets students may put in the jar in the Lower School Office.  This week the students were introduced to Aquila, our Pillar Program mascot (see the picture below).  Aquila is the Latin word for eagle.  Aquila will be traveling to different classrooms in the Lower School throughout the year.  I was the first one to award Aquila to a classroom.  It was a difficult decision, as I had so many great examples of good citizenship to choose from this week.  Aquila is living in Mr. Schloesser’s third grade classroom next week.  Two students (Adhithi and Naomi) from his class earned Aquila for their class by demonstrating wonderful Pillar behavior.  Mr. Schloesser will be looking for students demonstrating good Integrity or other Pillar behavior next week.

As another part of our Pillar Program, students have been writing about their hopes and dreams during Pillar time in their classrooms.  Here are some of those hopes and dreams hanging in the hallway.  Teachers will be doing hopes and dreams check-ins later in the year to see if students are demonstrating excellence by reaching for those dreams.

I have been visiting classrooms this week and doing some reading to them.  In the younger grades I have read picture books and tied them to a particular purpose or life lesson I would like them to learn.  In the older grades, I have started a children’s version of the Aeneid by Virgil.  I will continue reading this book to 4^th and 5^th graders throughout the school year.  They will first read the actual poem in 9^th grade, so a read-aloud at this age is a good introduction.  I love being able to spend time in the classrooms with students and will be reading in each one monthly.

Notes/Reminders

• ·         Curriculum Night: Thursday, September 12^th (adults only event)

o   Please note Mrs. Palm (K) and Mrs. Sorenson (4^th) will have their events on Tuesday, September 10^th at 6:00.  Specialists will not be available on that evening.

• ·         Rockin’ the Ridge is on Saturday, September 21^st.  Please see the Eagle Ridge Academy   website for more details.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Mrs. Baier