Wonder and Awe

“All this he saw, for one moment breathless and intense, vivid on the morning sky; and still, as he looked, he lived; and still, as he lived, he wondered.” ~Kenneth Grahame, The Wind in the Willows

The awakening of wonder and awe in students is a preeminent part of Classical Education.  A true Classical Education begins in wonder and awe and ideally ends in wisdom. Since the School of Grammar is the beginning of formal Classical Education, it only makes sense that teachers are trying to awaken wonder and awe in their students.  As parents you did this when your children were younger and hopefully continue to build upon the wonderment and awe they bring home from school each day.  In an effort to share some of those wondering and awe-inspiring moments, we have made a bulletin board outside the School of Grammar office.  It is the “Wonder and Awe” board.  Students and teachers are adding their moments of wonder and awe to the board.  Take a look at a few of the things that have come up just recently.  They may inspire some wonder and awe in you, as well.

The first grade took a field trip to the Old Log Theater in Excelsior to see a play.  They watched Cinderella.  First graders are learning to compare and contrast different versions of fairy tales in their reading classes.  Watching the play gave them another version to analyze and helped them learn how to be a good audience at a special event.  Thank you to the parents who sent their children in formal dress (as required for field trips).  As you know dressing differently for an occasion can heighten the sense of importance for that occasion.

Speaking of uniforms and dress code…please make sure your child comes to school in a uniform that is clean and neat in appearance.  Items with rips, holes, and tears should be relegated to play clothes or mended before students wear them to school again.  If you have having any financial difficulties with uniforms, please let me or your child’s teacher know.  We sometimes have ways to help families purchase some new pieces if the old ones are outgrown or just worn out and finances are an issue. Also, watch the Eagle Eye for the next PTO sponsored used uniform sale. 

Have a wonderful week!

Mrs. Baier

Rocks

"The rock I'd seen in my life looked dull because in all ignorance I'd never thought to knock it open.  Rock collecting was opening mountains.  It was like poking about in a grimy alley and finding an old, old coin.  Nothing was as it seemed.  The earth was like a shut eye.  Pry open the thin lid and find a crystalline intelligence inside, a rayed and sidereal beauty. Crystals grew inside rock like arithmetical flowers.  They lengthened and spread, adding plane to plane in awed and perfect obedience to an absolute geometry that even the stones-maybe only the stones-understood." ~Annie Dillard

Rocks…why study rocks? There are so many reasons!  History of the earth and discovery of true beauty are a couple that pop into my mind.  Fourth grade students have been studying rocks and minerals in science for many different reasons.  Mrs. Madigan noted in her newsletter that, “Geologists should have keen eyes and be good at selecting the correct tools to use in their work.  Geologists are discoverers and should always look for patterns and make educated guesses using the knowledge they have.”  The things discovered from a simple rock can be quite amazing.  The fourth graders made some amazing discoveries when they tried to identify rocks and minerals in class last week.  I wonder if they will look at simple rocks in the same way ever again!

Please consider joining our parent coffee book study of The Gift of Failure by Jessica Lahey.  If you plan to join please let me know, so we can reserve a spot for you.  The next parent coffee will be on Tuesday, January 5^th at 8:00.  I hope to hear from you and see you there!

Have a wonderful week!

Mrs. Baier

Gratitude

Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life.

It turns what we have into enough, and more.

It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity.

It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend.  It turns problems into gifts, failure into successes, the unexpected into perfect timing, and mistakes into important events.

It can turn an existence into a real life, and disconnected situations into important and beneficial lessons.  Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates vision for tomorrow.

~Melodie Beattie

We talk a lot about being thankful to students for what we have, but as adults rarely take stock ourselves.   In this crazy world today take a moment to experience real gratitude.  We always want more and more, but so often do not realize how fortunate we are to have what we do.  Think about your life comparatively, not just at this time of year, but anytime you believe that you “need” more of something.  You might just find you have everything you need already!

Here are a few things our students are thankful for this year…

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving Break!

Mrs. Baier

Not Yet

Be not afraid of going slowly; be afraid only of standing still.  ~ Chinese Proverb

I recently watched a short TED video in which Carol Dweck was speaking. (If you are interested you can watch the video here: https://www.ted.com/talks/carol_dweck_the_power_of_believing_that_you_can_improve#t-18800)

 If you don’t know Carol Dweck, she is the researcher who coined the “growth mindset.”  In this video she started by speaking about a school where when students did not pass a course, the grade they received was “not yet.”  In schools we grade our students on their work, but what do those grades truly mean to students.  The words “not yet,” truly resonated with me.  If we want students to strive and keep trying, we need to encourage them.  We need to praise wisely.  Praising and rewarding the process and the effort they have put forth not the end product.  No, they may not have mastered the concept this particular time, but that doesn’t mean mastery is not yet to come.  Using simple words like not yet help children see acquiring knowledge is a process and not an event.  It also helps them know that just because they didn’t get it the first time doesn’t mean it won’t happen.  Try using those words in your home and see if they make a difference!

Last week our students participated in our annual Veterans’ Day programs.  Our 3^rd and 5^th grade students had the opportunity to perform both the National Anthem and America the Beautiful.  Gigi (1^st), Adriana (1^st), Luke (3^rd), and Ellie (5^th) impressed us all with their recitations of The Gettysburg Address.  Thank you to my kindergarten and first grade helpers, who passed out flags to Veterans at the programs.  We were honored to have family members attend our programs and hope the Veterans in attendance felt our heart-felt thanks for their service to our country.

Have a great week!

Mrs. Baier

Patience First

“Patience is the best remedy for every trouble.” ~ Plautus, playwright

We live in a society of such immediacy that we have forgotten how to be patient.  I hear adults (Yes, we are all guilty of this.) talk to children about being patient, but they do not model that patience themselves.  With all of our technology alerting us immediately to communications, it has become a reflex to jump on things right away.  I feel we are losing our ability to pause and take time to reflect before we answer.  We all know our first attempts at things are not always our best.  Personally, I struggle with satisfying the need to take care of a task with my fervent desire to do the best I can in everything I do.  I would encourage you to take some time to think about how you practice patience in your professional and personal lives.  How do you model patience to your children and others in your life?  Are you ruled by the ding of the alert or do you rule it?  Just a few things to contemplate…

Second grade students have been studying life cycles in science.  One of their latest life cycles was the life cycle of the frog.  Miss Hopper’s class worked with their 4^th grade buddies to share the life cycle of the frog and build a frog.  It was a great collaborative project allowing the second graders to share their knowledge with older students, who could add on to that knowledge.  Here are some pictures of their time together and some completed frogs.

Thank you to everyone who came to the Gala on Saturday to support filling the library in our new location next year.  A fun time was had by all and the generosity of parents and staff in donations of money, items, and experiences made for a very successful evening.  I look forward to hearing the final total raised for books when it is released this week!

Don’t forget about our annual Veterans’ Day programs on Wednesday.  School of Grammar programs start at 8:30 with 3^rd-5^th graders attending.  The K-2 program is at 9:00.  I am proud of our dedication to recognizing those individuals who serve our country. 

When I was attending the ERB conference in San Diego, I had the opportunity to tour the Naval Special Warfare Command Center-SWCC (where Navy Seals train) and meet the head of SWCC, Commander Jay Hennessey.  After his remarks to us, we thanked him for his service to our country.  He stopped us and said it was his pleasure and no thanks were necessary.  He got up each morning and did something that he loved to do, serve his country.  His remarks stuck with me, but  I still believe in thanking our Veterans every chance we get. To answer such a calling is truly noble!  

Below are a few pictures from my time at SWCC (that I am allowed to share), in case you are interested.  I was also struck by the connections I saw between what we teach students to prepare them to be great citizens of the world and what the Navy Seals expect from their recruits.  We are truly preparing students for anything they choose to do once they graduate from Eagle Ridge Academy!

Have a wonderful week!

Mrs. Baier

What is fair?

“Safety" and "fairness" are the preoccupation of the wounded. "Being" and "joy" are the unconscious realities of the free and living.” ~Mea McMahon

How many times as parents do you hear the words “That’s not fair” in your house?  As we come upon the time of school report cards you may hear it more.  Are there times when things are presented to us and our children unfairly?  Of course there are, but any situation that helps children develop resiliency is inherently “not fair” to them.  There are always excuses for why they “failed” at something.  If we, as adults, want to help alleviate the victim mentality we can’t give credence to those excuses, but teach children how to use those setbacks to gain more than they lost. 

As I think back to our time at Feed My Starving Children and connect the words “It’s not fair,” I find myself turning it around.  It’s not fair my family has never had to worry about where they are going to live or what they are going to eat.  We never think of fairness in this way.  It has nothing to do with fairness.  It has more to do with hard work, virtues, and blessings in our family that we don’t have those worries.  Yes, as we often tell children life is not fair, but what about if we thought of fairness and felt gratitude as opposed to victimization.  It could be an entirely different world!

Mr. Anderson has graced the School of Grammar’s Office walls with some wonderful art work.  In keeping with the season, first grade students have been working on still life drawings of fall leaves.  Some of their finished painted products are on display in the pictures below.  Check them out the next time you are in the office.

Next Saturday (November 7^th) is the Eagle Ridge Academy Gala “A Night in New Orleans.”  It is not too late to get tickets to attend. You can register here: Gala.  It is a wonderful evening for parents and staff to come together in a social setting to support our school.  All proceeds from this event go directly to the library in the new building.  Every bit helps and there are many fantastic donated items and experiences you can bid on to help raise those funds for books and other library resources.  If you are unable to attend, please check out the online auction open now at https://www.32auctions.com/ERAGALA2015 to see the offerings. 

Have a fantastic week!

Mrs. Baier

Service

“No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.”  ~Aesop

Last week was a time to celebrate service to self and others in the Eagle Ridge Academy School of Grammar.  It was the first Pillar ticket drawing of the school year.  All the students who earned Pillar stickers in September put the backs in the Pillar ticket jar in the School of Grammar office.  Mrs. Baier drew out five tickets for the September winners.  In order to get their Pillar stickers, students had to demonstrate the Pillars either for themselves or others.  Those acts of kindness or demonstrations of virtues are so important for children to learn and do.  Recognizing them for making the choices they know are right is key to cementing these key virtues.  Make sure you are recognizing that Pillar behavior at home to make the connection for your children that these virtues are important everywhere not just at school. 

The five September Pillar ticket winners went for a walk around the school and had a snack on the playground with Mrs. Baier.  The winners were Sam (1^st), Maximus (2^nd), Bhuvan (3^rd), Saanvi (3^rd), and Spencer (3^rd). 

After conferences, faculty and staff at Eagle Ridge Academy joined together for a team community service event at Feed My Starving Children.  It was a great way for the staff at Eagle Ridge Academy to model the community service we believe is core to teach to students.  It was truly moving to see everyone working together happily to benefit others.  If you have ideas for future community service for students and staff, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me.  All grade levels in the School of Grammar are designing one internal (benefiting Eagle Ridge Academy) and one external community service project for students for the school year.  I look forward to sharing those projects with you, as they occur. 

Have a wonderful fall break!

Mrs. Baier

Making Amends...

“It is the highest form of self-respect to admit our errors and mistakes and make amends for them.  To make a mistake is only an error in judgment, but to adhere to it when it is discovered shows infirmity of character.” ~Dale Turner

Lunch at Eagle Ridge Academy is a social time for students, but as you can imagine (if you’ve never experienced it for yourself) lunch with 138 students can become quite an occasion.  Students can sometimes get a bit too loud in the Commons at lunch.  Our lunchroom monitors do a nice job of keeping the volume at an acceptable level, but some days the students make choices that are not the best regarding their voices and how they respond to the supervisors at lunch. 

Last week was one of those noisy days during fourth grade lunch.  It seems the students were not making choices to be the best versions of themselves and were not affording the lunchroom supervisors with respect.  When they were called on their non-Pillar behavior they were also asked to reflect and make amends with the lunch staff. After reflecting on their own behavior and the jobs of the lunchroom staff, many of the students wrote letters to the staff in apology for their behavior that particular day.  What impresses me most about these letters is that they just aren’t the usual “I’m sorry for what I did letters.”  They own up to their own behavior, yet they are also showing appreciation for the lunchroom staff and you can even see some personal relationships in them. Making mistakes is a normal part of life, but truly making amends is the most important part of any mistake.  I appreciate how the Eagle Ridge Academy staff is teaching our students ways to do just that! You can see a few of the letters below, and if you visit the Commons they are all posted on the bulletin board by the water fountains.

Speaking of lunch…if you come to have lunch with your chlld, please do not have other children come and sit with you.  Students should not have friends join them with their parents for lunch because it does create hurt feelings for those that cannot.  Teachers then have to deal with the aftermath of those hurt feelings in the classroom in the afternoon.  Having lunch with your child can be a special time just for you!

Next week are parent/teacher conferences.  Please make sure you are signed up before the conference scheduler closes at 11:00pm on October 8^th.  There will be a Scholastic Book Fair sponsored by the PTO in the Commons on both conference days (October 12^th and 13^th).  Funds raised will be saved to help supply books in our new library in 2016-17. 

Have a wonderful week and lovely fall break!

Mrs. Baier

Best Version of You!

 “There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self.” ~ Ernest Hemingway

I read a book in 1^st grade last week called  Why Am I Here?.  It was given to me by a parent and I love the message it imparts, that we are all in this world to “Be the Best Version of Ourselves.”  As you can guess it repeats this message over and over and the students really latch onto the words. They are excited to say them with me as I read the book.  For a first grader becoming the “best version of him/herself” is simple, but not always easy.    It is making good choices with their actions and words.  Choosing to take turns, doing homework instead of playing, cleaning up instead of leaving a mess.   First graders begin to learn that making those good choices makes them feel good inside.  The book also lets children realize they are not perfect and they don’t always make those good choices, but they should try each day to get better and better. 

The more I think about the book, the more I realize it is that simple for all of us (but not always easy).  We should always try to be the “best version of ourselves” because the “best version of ourselves” makes things better for everyone (not just ourselves).   We are never too old to strive to be better in our interactions with each other and the choices we make.  Expecting perfection from each other is an impossible standard to uphold and to hold others to each day. Becoming a superior self is always possible and as Ernest Hemingway said, certainly something noble to reach for in our lives. I'm going to try to think about it in my everyday choices and hope you do, too. 

Second grade students have been studying synonyms.  The teachers created a fun project to go with their study.  Try saying this one several times quickly (or in my case one time slowly) correctly…Synonym Cinnamon Rolls!  While the creation of them didn’t fill our hallways with that yummy cinnamon roll smell, the students created lovely projects that showed their understanding of synonyms. Here are a few pictures of those finished projects.  

Next week there is no school on Friday (10/2) for a teacher Professional Development Day.

Have a wonderful week!

Mrs. Baier

Community Spirit

“One can acquire everything in solitude except character.” ~Stendhal

There was certainly no solitude at Eagle Ridge Academy last Friday evening.  Community spirit was in the air at Rockin’ the Ridge.  What a wonderful time to come together and share experiences!  Thank you for taking the time to bring your family to the event.  It felt so energizing to see people come out, despite the rain to bond with others in the Eagle Ridge Academy community.  A special THANK YOU to the PTO for all of their work in planning and carrying off the special event.  I know I am looking forward to our next community event to make connections and feel that sense of belonging.   Here are a few pictures from Rockin’ the Ridge to brighten your day!

Kindergarten students have been learning about plants.  They have learned the different parts of plants and found out that all parts of plants can be edible.  They even had a special day to gain first-hand experience on what different parts of plants can taste like.  Check out these pictures from Mrs. Palm’s class.

Have a wonderful week!

Mrs. Baier

Connecting Learning

If you want to go fast, go alone.  If you want to go far, go together.  ~ Unknown

It has been a great week of collaboration in learning at Eagle Ridge Academy.  We certainly want our students to go far and are always looking for ways to connect student learning to real life and bring others, whether from the school or the community, together for learning.  At Eagle Ridge Academy, teachers work together (across grades and disciplines) to make learning meaningful for students.  They also look outside to the local community to make those connections.  The African proverb of “It takes a village…” is certainly true and our teachers understand the importance when it comes to the education of your children.  Read more of my blog to see what has been happening at Eagle Ridge Academy this week in regards to community, learning together, and making connections.

Fourth grade students have started the school year with a science unit on meteorology.  They have been learning about air pressure, weather fronts, severe weather (and its effect on our environment), along with many specific meteorological terms.  Mrs. Madigan reached out to local meteorologist Chris Shaffer (WCCO) to let him know what our fourth graders were studying and how they had been challenged to watch the weather each night to make note of the terms the meteorologists were using.  Mr. Shaffer was so impressed he highlighted our school at the beginning of his weather report on Thursday, September 10^th.  You can see his report at this link:

http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/show/wcco-4-news/#.VfIFg46PM_w.email

By doing this Mr. Shaffer made a real life connection for our students and shored up the importance of what they are learning for them.  Thank you to Mr. Shaffer and the fourth grade teachers for making this learning extra meaningful to our students!

Mr. Anderson turned his classroom into a cave.  Why on earth did he do this?  I can think of a couple of great reasons.  First of all, the 1^st grade students have been studying the cave paintings in Lascaux during art this year.  They have learned about the different animals that lived in caves and during the time of these cave paintings.  The 1^st grade students also study habitats in science and while caves are not a habitat they dive into, the connection Mr. Anderson made will extend their learning further.  The art/science/history connection is another way to make learning meaningful.  Check out the pictures below to see the cave paintings the students made (Authentically by painting on their paper on the wall not on a table, I might add.).  Thank you Mr. Anderson for the experience!

Next week is our first formal dress day of the year.  Students are expected to wear their formal dress uniform on Wednesday, September 16^th.  We have picture retakes that day, so students who need their pictures taken or retaken will be in their formal dress already!  Please make sure you review the formal dress requirements on the website.

I look forward to seeing you on Friday evening (September 18^th) at Rockin’ the Ridge.  It is an exciting community event that runs from 6:00-10:00.  The PTO is still looking for some volunteers, so please check out the opportunities on the website.  In honor of Rockin’ the Ridge, we will have our first spirit wear day for students and staff on Friday.  Students can wear Eagle Ridge Academy spirit wear.  They should not wear jeans, but can wear any Eagle Ridge Academy bottoms or their regular uniform bottoms.

Have a wonderful week!

Mrs. Baier