In the air...

“This is my wish for you: peace of mind, prosperity through the year, happiness that multiplies, health for you and yours, fun around every corner, energy to chase your dreams, joy to fill your holidays!”     -D.M. Dellinger

The Friday before winter break is always festive in the Eagle Ridge Academy Lower School.  We so appreciate the parent volunteers who help with those magical parties.  It is fun for me to visit each party to see and feel the excitement in the air, no matter what the age or grade level.  The excitement of children is contagious.  It fills every adult heart with joy and makes the day seem so much brighter!  I hope everyone has a safe and relaxing winter break.  I treasure the time I am able to spend with your children each day and appreciate the dedication you have for their education.  The future is bright and 2015 is going to be a wonderful year!

You may have heard about the Lower School Door Decorating Contest from your children.  Classrooms had the opportunity to design and create a holiday/winter door.  There were many excellent entries into the contest.  The grand prize winner was Mrs. Sorenson’s 4^th grade class door.  It is the first picture below.  After that I have included pictures of the other fantastic entries.  I hope this will become an annual tradition in the Lower School.

Have a wonderful winter break!

Mrs. Baier

Hustle and Bustle

“I must govern the clock—not be governed by it.” ~Golda Meir

The hustle and bustle of the holiday season sometimes causes us to feel stressed about what we need to accomplish and how the days are ticking away.  I know throwing those extra events and projects that the holiday brings, into an already packed calendar, can push families into overload.  We see the effects of these busy schedules in children at school each day.  You might want to take some time as a family to evaluate what is truly important to accomplish or do during this time.  You probably can’t do everything, so perhaps you make a list of the non-negotiable items and then let each family member chose an event of project that is meaningful to him or her.  Giving yourself permission to let a few things go can sometimes be all you need to have a peaceful holiday season and help your children enjoy this magical time of year.

As you know, we are using every inch of available space at Eagle Ridge Academy and every moment of possible instructional time.  Mrs. Lewandowski (2^nd grade educational assistant) works with students in one of our guided reading book rooms each day.  She needed to turn a window into a bulletin board to work with those students inside the room.  She was also able to make the outside a morning gathering point by posting weekly brain teasers.  Students stop in the mornings challenging their brains to figure out the latest posting.

3^rd grade students have been studying the skeletal system.  Last Friday, they gathered in the Commons to trace the outlines of their bodies to create life-sized skeletal diagrams of themselves.  Now they are working on placing the 25 main bones in the body on their own diagrams.  Below are some pictures from their initial work.  

The latest Lower School Parent Coffee was on Wednesday, December 10^th.  A small group of us had a nice discussion on media usage in children.  If you are interested in receiving an email copy of the presentation, just let me know.  I would be happy to provide it to you.  

Please mark your calendars for the next Lower School Parent Coffee on February 24^th at 8:00 am.  The topic is Developing Grit and Self-Reliance in Children.  I hope to see you there and please consider bringing a friend.  The more the merrier!

Have a wonderful week!

Mrs. Baier

Giving to others

“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of other.” ~Mahatma Gandhi

The desire to give back to others is an important quality to instill in children.  Helping them develop compassion and understanding for others is so key to do at a young age.  Think about how you feel as an adult when you have done something to serve or help someone else.  While children do not understand how to put words to that feeling they know what it is.   I hear of lots of ways parents work to do this, whether it is donating toys when new ones come in the house, saving a portion of their allowance to donate to others, or taking their children with them for volunteer opportunities.  At Eagle Ridge Academy, we have added a community service component to our Pillar program to also help build these qualities in our students.  Some of our community service projects are in full swing and I am highlighting one in my blog this week.

As I noted earlier in the year, the Lower school has added a community service component to our Pillar program.  Each grade level is doing one internal (Eagle Ridge Academy) community service project and one external community service project this year.  Some of our community service projects are in full swing and I would like to highlight one in this blog.

Third grade students collected food and supplies to send to members of our military community serving overseas.  They collected enough to fill 21 Boxes for soldiers in the Army currently serving in Kuwait.  The students packed boxes and each wrote letters to the soldiers.  The soldiers were very grateful to receive a taste of something from home and to know that a group of students in Eden Prairie, Minnesota were thinking of them and appreciate their sacrifice each day.  Below are pictures of the boxes sent and the food that was stored after the soldiers grabbed what they wanted right away.

Mrs. Nimchuk had a special music sharing day for 1^st grade in November.  The Senguptas (parents of Vijay and Catherine) brought their bandura (a Ukrainian folk instrument) and a 12-string guitar to share with all three 1^st grade classes.  The 1^st graders learned about instruments in the guitar family, different chords, and sang songs.  It was a wonderful cultural and community building experience as you can see below.

Next Friday (December 12th) is Spirit Wear Day for students.

Have a wonderful week!

Mrs. Baier

Gratitude

“Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for.” ~Epicurus

I tend to think we are in a contradictory time of year right now.  We often consider November a time of gratitude and demonstrate that during Thanksgiving, but we often move very quickly (in some cases on the same day) into a time of excess rather than carrying forth with our feelings of gratitude.  The holidays are wonderful times to introduce children to gratitude and to the feeling of being satisfied with what we already have.  The pattern of wanting more and better has become quite pervasive in American society.  I hope you are able to take some time to help your children value what gifts and opportunities they have been given.  

In the Lower School we are helping students reflect on what they have to be thankful for right now.  Below you will find pictures of the school-wide “Be Thankful” bulletin board.  I enjoy reading about the thankfulness of children.  They are honest and heartfelt admissions.  If you are in the building take a moment to read a few in the hallway outside the Lower School Office.

Mr. Anderson has decorated the Lower School office with new artwork from some of our third grade students.  Third graders have a science unit on animals and Mr. Anderson connected to that by reading Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak.  Students were challenged to use their animal knowledge to create a hybrid animal.  The results are on display in the Lower School office and in the pictures below.

I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving, and we are grateful you entrust your child’s education to Eagle Ridge Academy!

Mrs. Baier