Pitching Perseverance...

“But the person who scored well on an SAT will not necessarily be the best doctor or the best lawyer or the best businessman.  These tests do not measure character, leadership, creativity, or perseverance.”

~William Julius Wilson

 

As you know, we are always striving to help the students understand and live the Pillars of Eagle Ridge Academy.  The Pillar of Perseverance has been in the news recently, as researchers and educational professionals begin to exalt the importance of grit, effort, and perseverance.  Classical educators have long known the importance of encouraging students to make mistakes and persevere through difficult situations.  By choosing Eagle Ridge Academy, you have signified that you feel it is important for your children to gain the ability to persevere.  We will continue the important work of teaching students how to persevere and know that you will support your children in learning this important virtue at home.  Please let us know if you have questions about perseverance or would like some support on how to encourage the development of perseverance in your children at home.

 

Angela Lee Duckworth and Carol Dweck are two leading researchers on effort and grit.  As a staff we are studying their work and the work of others in the field to see if we can learn anything new about teaching students how to persevere.  Below is a link to a video that may answers some questions you may have about perseverance or grit.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rkoe1e2KZJs

The 5^th grade teachers took some fortunate 5^th grade students to the Minnesota Twins game last Sunday.  Going to the game with the 5^th grade teachers was an item for purchase in the annual Eagle Ridge Academy Gala.  A great time was had by all the teachers and the students (Meghan B. and Lauren W.).  Meghan was lucky enough to be chosen to receive Brian Dozier’s uniform after the game.  The whole group was able to go down to the field for the honor.  Time spent with their teachers forging new relationships and shared memories is priceless! 

1^st grade students have been learning about the rainforest.  They are learning the different layers of the rainforest and what animals live in those layers.  In their classrooms, there are trees so they can have reminders of the information they are learning.  Those students who are visual learners will have a wonderful resource to refer back to in order to reinforce their learning.  Check out the different trees from each classroom in the pictures below.

Conference sign ups open next week.  Please sign up for conferences with your child’s homeroom teacher or specialists only until October 9^th.  On October 9^th, if there are open slots for your child’s math teacher, you are welcome to sign up for one of the slots.  With our self-contained classrooms, it is important for all parents to have access to their child’s homeroom teacher first.  If math only parents sign up right away it limits the slots for homeroom parents.  You are always welcome to schedule a conference (phone or in-person) with any of your child’s teachers.  You do not have to wait for scheduled conference times.

Homecoming week is coming for the Upper School.  As in the past, Lower School students will not be participating in homecoming activities.  They may order homecoming t-shirts and wear them on the spirit wear day on Friday, October 10^th of homecoming week.  Those shirts can also be worn on any future spirit wear days.  

Have a wonderful week!

Mrs. Baier

Learn to read and read to learn

 “It is what you read when you don’t have to that determines what you will be when you can’t help it.” ~Oscar Wilde

When one thinks of education often the first thing that comes to mind is learning to read, as well it should.  Reading is the springboard for all other learning. I vividly remember my mother bucking the system and trying to teach me to read before I went to kindergarten.  She was (still is) a voracious reader and wanted me to be the same.  Luckily for her, I took to reading right away.  The same could not be said for my younger sister.  It took her much longer to develop her reading skills, but in the end she did.  The point I’m trying to make is that some children develop the skills for reading right away and others take a bit longer. Rest assured, at Eagle Ridge Academy we understand reading skills develop at different speeds and are always teaching children at their level of development and understanding.

Last year, we introduced the STEP Assessment for reading.  It has been invaluable for teachers in gaining concrete data about student reading skills.  All of this data is then used in the classroom to guide instruction.  It is also given to you as parents, so you know what particular skills your children may need extra support in at home and what level of books they should be reading.  It is especially helpful in showing growth (or lack thereof) in overall reading.  We are starting our first round of STEP Assessments next week in the Lower School for students in kindergarten through third grade (and 4^th graders who did not reach STEP 12 last year).  The results of these STEP Assessments will be shared with parents at Parent/Teacher Conferences on October 14^th and 15^th.  More information about conferences will be available in the coming weeks.  Please sign up for a conference to continue working as a team with your child’s teacher in their educational process.

If your child rides the bus, you know we have a new transportation company this year.  The bus drivers are strictly enforcing rules of behavior on the bus, which we appreciate.  Our students have to learn the Pillars apply in all aspects of their lives, not just in the classroom.  I have seen an inordinate amount of bus behavior forms so far this year.  Due to this, I ask that you please talk to your children about their behavior on the bus.  Teachers have reviewed bus behavior in the classroom already this year.  If I receive an incident report from the bus driver the following process applies:

1^st report- Send home incident form to parents and talk to student

2^nd report- Send home incident form and suspension from the bus for 3-5 days

3^rd report- Contact parents and suspension from bus for up to 10 days

4^th report- Student will be expelled from the bus for the remainder of the school year

You can read the complete transportation policy at this link. ERA Transportation Policy

Please assist Eagle Ridge Academy in ensuring a safe bus ride to and from school for every student.

Aquila has flown to Mrs. Rickard’s classroom for next week.  Lilly Miller from her class earned it by showing good citizenship and integrity in the hallway with younger kindergarten students.

I hope to see you at Rockin’ the Ridge tomorrow at Eagle Ridge Academy.  It looks to be a beautiful day for this wonderful community building event!

Have a fantastic week!

Mrs. Baier

Make the world a little better....

“Education is for improving the lives of others and for leaving your community and world better than you found it.” ~ Marian Wright Edelman

One of my favorite books I read to students when I was a classroom teacher was Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney.  The book was written right in line with the above quote.  If you have never read it, I encourage you to do so and share it with your children.  It is quite impactful.  It is about what individuals should accomplish in their lives and how they can make the world a more beautiful/better place.

How do we help our children grow into the type of people who understand the importance of leaving their community and the world better than they found it?  I believe it starts with imparting knowledge and teaching them the importance of community at a very young age.  This year we are taking our Lower School Pillar Program to the next level.  It will still contain the same pieces as last year, but we are adding an all-important community service component this year.  Each classroom or grade level will be completing two community service projects.  One project is intended to benefit just the Eagle Ridge Academy community, while the other is intended to reach out to a broader audience and show students how their actions can benefit people outside of their everyday existence.  Students will learn to take pleasure in simple acts of kindness and see how the communities they know and people they may not know are benefited.  Look for more information to come from your child’s teacher about these projects in the future.   If you have ideas for community service for young children don’t hesitate to send me an email with the information.

Thank you to everyone who attended our 2^nd Annual Lower School Curriculum Night last evening.  It was delightful to see so many families turn out to learn more about the classrooms and the education their children are receiving here at Eagle Ridge Academy.  We appreciate your willingness to be a part of your child’s education team, as you are the most important part!  Please continue to be involved, ask questions, volunteer in the classroom, and attend as many community building events as you can.

The first Lower School Parent Coffee will be held on Tuesday, September 30^th at 8:00 a.m.  Please consider staying after drop-off or stopping in on your way to work.  The topic of conversation will be the new Lower School Homework Philosophy.  It was shared with families by teachers at Curriculum Night.  For those who are interested, I would love to share the background regarding its creation, the process, and talk about the always controversial topic of homework.  Please consider joining me for coffee and conversation that morning.

If you saw my blog the first week of school, you know that the 3^rd grade is started the school year with their first science experiment.  I wanted to post a picture to update you on how that experiment is going.  The 3^rd graders walk by their seeds each day and make observations. They are amazed at the changes since day one, as you may be too! Our philosophy in science is to make students aware of what should happen in any experiment and have them try to replicate that experiment.  It is one way we teach students “truths.”  

Kindergarten students have been learning about the parts of a plant.  One of their science activities was to make and label the parts of a plant.  I especially like how they attached pieces of sponges to the roots to help them remember that the roots absorb food and water for the plant.  

Speaking of kindergarten…today Aquila the Eagle went to visit Mrs. Palm’s class for the next week.  They earned Aquila by showing respect in the hallway.  It is their job to look for students or other classes who should earn Aquila next. 

 

Have wonderful week!

Mrs. Baier