Eagle Ridge Academy School of Grammar Blog: March 2015

Friday, March 20, 2015

It's Your Move...

“Chess helps you to concentrate, improve your logic. It teaches you to play by the rules and take responsibility for your actions, how to problem solve in an uncertain environment.”

~ Garry Kasparov

You may not be aware of the fact that Chess Club is the MOST popular club in the Lower School. There were over 90 students signed up to participate in Chess Club during 3^rd quarter. While I don’t know why students are choosing to participate in Chess Club, I do know the benefits they receive by learning to play chess. Chess is not just a tactical game. It actually helps develop both sides of the brain and is thought to help students with ADHD. While the educational benefits of chess are still being researched and documented, this link (http://www.chess.com/blog/PRINCESTER/10-big-brain-benefits-of-playing-chess) shares what are thought to be some of the benefits of playing chess. Regardless of the proven benefits, we are thrilled that students at Eagle Ridge Academy find such a challenging game to be fun! Think about signing your child up for Chess Club the next time it is offered.

Today, trophies were given out from the recent Chess Club tournament. K-3^rd tournament winners were 1^st place: Neeraj (1^st grade), 2^nd place: Carter (3^rd grade), 3^rd Place: John (3^rd grade). 4^th grader Adhiraiyan placed 2^nd in the fourth through eighth grade tournament. Thank you to the Chess Club sponsors and helpers: Mrs. Grabanski and Mr. Sutton and all of their helpers to make this session of Chess Club such a success!

2^nd Graders have been talking about how they value things in their lives. In honor of St. Patrick’s Day they each picked something they value more than a pot of gold. Below you can see what some of them chose.

Students in Mrs. Trow’s class have been keeping a secret for quite a long time. They wanted to have a baby shower for Mrs. Trow and thanks to many wonderful parents and staff they managed to have a surprise book shower for her on Wednesday. They each contributed a page to a book on parenting advice for Mrs. Trow and brought in books for her to read to her baby. It was quite an exciting time and 23 second graders kept it a surprise. Mrs. Trow truly had no idea! What wonderful team work and how special it was for them to share in this momentous event in Mrs. Trow’s life.

On a completely different note, I would like to enlist your assistance in the Beyblade issue we are experiencing at school. We are banning all Beyblades from school at this time. They have become a source of distraction and arguments among students. Please do not allow your child to bring Beyblades to school. We want to keep our focus on learning during these nice spring months and do not need anything to take away from this focus. Thank you for your help!

I hope everyone enjoys the first official weekend of spring!

Mrs. Baier

Friday, March 13, 2015

In pursuit of knowledge...

“All wish to possess knowledge, but few, comparatively speaking, are willing to pay the price.” ~Juvenal, Roman poet

Thank you to everyone who attended parent/teacher conferences last week. I have heard how fruitful the conversations were from both teachers and parents. Guiding children to the possession of knowledge is not an easy task. While children are naturally curious, the work that they need to put in to gain knowledge and reach goals is not natural for all. This leads us back to our focus on grit. There are trade-offs and setbacks in the pursuit of knowledge and as I’ve said before parent/teacher teamwork is key in helping children develop the qualities needed for a successful knowledge quest. Thank you so much for forming those parent/teacher relationships that support the children at Eagle Ridge Academy. Those formidable teams make it extremely difficult for any child NOT to succeed!

Mr. Anderson has been decorating the LS Office with art again! This time we have some amazing kindergarten pictures based on Vincent Van Gogh’s Starry Night. Take a moment to look at all the different layers in the picture. All of the different types of learning in just one picture is amazing to me!

Third graders have been writing couplets. They had a couplet competition. The winners were posted on the 3^rd grade Wall of Excellence in the hallway. Check out the pictures below for a chuckle or two!

On Thursday, March 26^th we will be having our 2^nd Annual Lower School Historical Character Day. Teachers have communicated the themes for each grade level. It is an exciting day that brings together the knowledge they have learned in many different subjects. If you have any specific questions about costumes, please contact your child’s homeroom teacher.

Have a wonderful week!

Mrs. Baier

Friday, March 6, 2015

Celebrate...

“There are exactly as many special occasions in life as we choose to celebrate.” ~Robert Brault

Thank you to everyone who attended parent/teacher conferences today. The halls of Eagle Ridge Academy were humming with parents and students throughout the day. It is wonderful to see the collaboration taking place between home and school to support all of our students! I hope you will take some time to celebrate successes before jumping into this last leg of the 2014-15 school year.

Speaking of celebrations…last Saturday fourth grade students were invited to attend “A Day in Sherwood Forest” at Eagle Ridge Academy. This was a celebration to culminate their reading of Robin Hood. Students participated in archery tournaments, cudgel battles, made their own family banners/shields, and experienced what it was like to be in a merry band of outlaws. The event served a dual purpose by allowing the 4^th graders to collect donations for their water sustainability service project. A good time was had by all, as evidenced by the pictures below.