The bits I most remember about my school days are those that
took place outside the classroom as we were taken on countless theatre visits
and trips to places of interest. ~ Alan Bennett
Spring is often a time of field trips for students. There have been many studies done on whether
students truly learn from field trips. I
am a firm believer in field trips for students.
Learning true academic content on these trips is not always a
necessity. As we strive to educate
students in all ways, field trips are helpful in making this happen. All learning is worthwhile, whether a student
learns the appropriate way to behave in a theatre or simply is exposed to a
location he or she has never experienced.
Our teachers do an excellent job of connecting all field trips to
academic content, but also understand the importance of the other areas of
learning on these trips. April has been
a busy month in regards to field trips.
I have highlighted many of them below.
The 5th grade took their overnight field trip to
the Minnesota Science Museum in early April.
Prior to arriving at the science museum the students visited the State
Capitol. We had a very willing group of
chaperones who seemed to enjoy the trip as much as the students did when they
returned. While this year’s trip was
free due to a grant from the Flint Hills Foundation, I will be looking into
seeing if it is something we can offer every year (at a cost of course) to our
fifth grade students. It is certainly a
nice culmination to their fifth grade year at Eagle Ridge Academy. Here are a few pictures from the trip.
The 1st and 3rd grade students went to Stages Theater in Hopkins to watch performances. The show was The True Story of the Three
Little Pigs. The 1st grade teachers are using it with compare and contrast lessons and teaching students about variations in fairy tales. The 3rd grade
has used this story to teach cause and effect, dialogue, and point of
view. They are also using it to
influence their classroom readers theater.
The 2nd grade went to the Minnesota History
Center. The teachers connect the
experience to Minnesota state standards on how people change over time. The students participated in a lesson on what
is in an immigrant’s trunk and explored the different exhibits in the Minnesota
History Center. Here are a few pictures
from their trip and some pictures of what they wrote after returning from the
field trip.
If you are the parent of a 3rd, 4th,
or 5th grader, you know it is MCA testing time. All three grades have already taken their paper MCA
reading tests. Our 5th
graders have also completed their MCA science tests. In the next two weeks, all 3rd, 4th,
and 5th grade students will take their online MCA math tests. The MCA math schedule is below. Please make sure your students are
well-rested and have good breakfasts on these days (although that is important
every day).
April 29th- Grabanski and LeVahn
April 30th- Walker and Sorenson
May 1st- Pettinger and Madigan
May 6th- Orr and Rau
May 7th- Schloesser
Tuesday, April 29th is the first of this year’s
music informances. 1st, 3rd,
and 5th grade are performing.
Please be reminded students should be in formal dress for these
performances, including black or brown dress shoes. Please consult Mrs. Nimchuk’s website for
particulars about these informances.
Friday (May 2nd) is the annual Eagle Ridge
Academy Art Expo. The gallery opens at
7:00 on Friday evening. It is truly a
week of Fine Arts at Eagle Ridge Academy.
Have a great week!
Mrs. Baier
