Winter Wonderland

“I wonder if the snow loves the trees and fields, that it kisses them so gently? And then it covers them up snug, you know, with a white quilt; and perhaps it says "Go to sleep, darlings, till the summer comes again.”

~Lewis Carroll, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking-Glass

Winter has arrived in Minnesota with the turning of the calendar page to December.  The snow is here along with the typical chill in the air.  As we officially head into our winter months here are some things to remember.  

• ·         Please send your child to school dressed for the weather.  We head out to recess each day until the feels like air temperature reaches 0 (zero) degrees and ALL students need to be prepared to go outside.  They need their snow pants, boots, coats, mittens or gloves, hats and scarves.  Recess supervisors check the equipment each day to see if it is too icy for safe play. 

• ·         Please anticipate a slower carpool lane in the mornings on days we have snow.  Leaving a little early will allow your child to make it to class on time and not miss any instructional time on any snowy days. 

The next Lower School Parent Coffee is next Tuesday at 8:00am.  I will be discussing the NWEA test and other assessments, as well as walking you through an NWEA student progress report.    Our group last quarter seemed to outgrow the office conference room.  We will move our coffee to the Academy Commons (lunchroom) this quarter.  If anyone has any off-campus suggestions for a future Lower School Parent Coffee, please let me know (mbaier@eagleridgeacademy.org).

There is a PTO meeting next Thursday (December 12th) at 6:00 at Eagle Ridge Academy.  Please consider coming and getting involved in some wonderful activities in the Eagle Ridge Academy community.

Next Friday (12/13) is Spirit Wear Day for all students.

Winter parties have been scheduled for the Lower School students.  The schedule is below.  Classroom parents are in charge of planning the parties with the teachers.  Due to parking constraints, we can only have a limited amount of volunteers for each party.  Please check with the classroom parent for your child’s class, if you have any questions.

Winter Parties- Friday, December 20^th

Kindergarten- 10:30-11:30

1^st Grade- 1:30-2:30

2^nd Grade- 10:00-11:00

3^rd Grade- 1:00-2:00

4^th Grade- 11:30-12:30

5^th Grade- 12:00-1:00

This week the students in Ms. Hudak’s class reviewed the pillars and used CIPHER to remind them how they should act at school and at home during this holiday season.  They brainstormed words that would inspire them to remember how they should act towards others.   They then put those words on a special snowflake using white crayons and water colors.  This artistic technique led to a great discussion about resistance and why water and paint will not stick to the wax of a crayon.  What a multi-faceted lesson for these second grade students.  Below are a few pictures of their end results.

Another group of LS students went with Mr. Ulbrich to learn about recovering the flag.  Students from Mrs. Madigan’s fourth grade class spent assisted Mr. Ulbrich one day before the snow flew.  Here are a few pictures.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Mrs. Baier