The Power of Knowledge

Knowledge is power.  Information is liberating.  Education is the premise of progress, in every society, in every family.  ~Kofi Annan

It is quite apparent as a family, you value knowledge.  You took the time to research schools and make a choice for your children that was different than the norm.  Choosing a school that you feel is a good fit for your family is the first step in the process of educating your children.  Now you should show your children how much you value knowledge.  One good way to do that is to attend Curriculum Night on Thursday, September 11^th.  As Kofi Annan states, “Information is liberating” and gaining information about your child’s classroom each year is quite important in creating that school/home team that is necessary for the success of each child in school.  Please make plans to attend our special event.  It was created with the thought of strengthening the bond between school and home.  It is an adult only event.  Please do not bring small or school age children, so you may concentrate on the information being presented without distraction.  

This week our framed art work from last spring’s Art Expo arrive and was hung in the Lower School Office.  It is so nice to highlight the art work of our students.  Elena R’s work was selected to grace the walls of Lower School Office this year.  When you come to visit check out the details in her picture.  It is a true picture of excellence.  

Aquila the eagle has started traveling around the school.  We have put up a special bulletin board outside the Lower School Office for students to track Aquila’s whereabouts.  This week Aquila is in Mrs. Mills’ classroom.  Her students earned it for showing wonderful citizenship in the hallway.  It is quite remarkable for a kindergarten class to earn Aquila the first week of school.  

Formal Dress Days are a new item on the calendar for this year.  We want students to understand there are certain days to dress in a different manner, whether for special events or other things.  We held our first Formal Dress Day today.  It was intended to be a day to help students and families understand what are appropriate formal dress uniform pieces prior to Picture Day for the Lower School next Wednesday.  Below are the guidelines for Lower School students in case there is any confusion.

Girls- 

Top:White polo with Eagle Ridge Academy logo 

Bottom: Khaki pants, skort, or jumper

Any color uniform socks are acceptable

Only black tights may be worn on Formal Dress Days 

NO leggings on Formal Dress Days

Black or Brown Dress shoes

Boys-

Top: Burgundy polo with Eagle Ridge Academy logo

Bottom: Khaki pants

Any color uniform socks are acceptable

Black or Brown Dress shoes

As I said above our next Formal Dress Day is Wednesday, September 10th for Lower School pictures.  Please let us know if you have any questions about the above requirements. 

Have a wonderful week!

Mrs. Baier 

Time Flies

"How did it get so late so soon?  It's night before it's afternoon.  December is here before it's June.  My goodness how the time has flewn.  How did it get so late so soon?"
Dr. Seuss

Whenever it is time to start a new school year, I always think of the above quote, one of my favorite Dr. Seuss quotes.  We say goodbye to students and families in June with over two long months of time stretching out in front of us.  Then, we talk about how amazed we are that June has turned to July and July to August so quickly.  Time is that elusive creature that we always struggle to understand.  We either have “too much time on our hands” or can never find enough of it.  Regardless, the time has arrived where we come back together at Eagle Ridge Academy.  The hum of excitement is in the air and everyone seems ready to start anew.

Thank you for the large turnout at Meet the Teacher Night last Thursday.  It was nice to reconnect with families and see students dropping off supplies.  Our 5^th grade students were very excited to decorate their lockers.  Having lockers is a privilege for 5^th graders only in the School of Grammar.  Some of the girls created some palaces within their lockers…see below.  

The first day for School of Grammar students went really well.  The students were excited to be here and settled right down in their classrooms.  I’m sure they slept well after their first full day of school.  Thank you to parents for following our parking lot and entry procedures.  Please remember you will not be able to walk your child to class starting on Tuesday, September 2^nd.  Students should be able to walk down on their own at that time and if they have any difficulties, we have plenty of adults waiting in the hallways to help. 

Students have settled right into learning.  Second graders have started by communicating their hopes and dreams for the year.  You can read a few of them from Ms. Rickard’s class below.  

Third graders have already started their first science experiment.  They are doing observations life cycles, starting with seeds.  They are hanging on one of the doors in the Lower School to get enough light to make their experiment successful.  

I love how our teachers know the importance of every educational moment.  They have jumped right in with their classes this week and students have responded well.  We value every moment we have to work with and educate your children and don't allow any of the year to go to waste.

I hope you have a wonderful long weekend!

Mrs. Baier

Summer Learning

“A child educated only at school is an uneducated child.” ~ George Santayana

It is that time of year when we send out students out of the Eagle Ridge Academy classroom into the larger world classroom for learning.  Summertime is upon us and students will leave to explore and participate in new activities to continue their personal growth.  I believe this is valuable time for students to explore new things and develop their interests.  Some want to dig deeper into things they have learned in school, while others want to bridge connections they have made and even try new things.  All of these are okay and their curiosity should be celebrated.  One of our goals at Eagle Ridge Academy is to impart a love of learning to students.  Summer is a time for them to take some control of their learning in different arenas with encouragement and guidance from their families.  

Often parents are asking what their children can read or do during the summer to continue learning.  While reading is of the utmost importance all the time, summer is not a time to plow through a list of books.  I have purposely not asked my teachers to create a list of recommended reading for each grade level.  I have instead asked them to think of suggestions and favorite authors or books they can share with their students to encourage reading.  I was recently sent a blog by a teaching friend of mine that really summed up my own thoughts on summer reading.  I shared it with the Lower School teachers and am sharing the link here, as well.  http://kylenebeers.com/blog/2014/05/04/guidelines-for-summer-reading/  I feel both parents and teachers can benefit from parts of the blog.  If you have thoughts or comments, please feel free to share with me.

Yesterday, I attended the 5^th grade Moving-Up Ceremony.  It is truly bittersweet to say goodbye to each 5^th grade class.  I am proud of the accomplishments they have made, but it is hard to send them on. Having a K-12 school does make it easier.  We are not sending them to an unknown place and we will have the opportunity to remain a part of their lives, as long as they remain at Eagle Ridge Academy.  The speeches our young students made were exceptional.  I am trying to garner copies of them for the future and to share with our community.  To hear them speak so eloquently and from the heart at such a young age made me so proud of them.  I hope they realize how truly impressive they are!

I hope everyone has a wonderful summer.  Times passes quickly and it will be late August before we know it. 

Enjoy,

Mrs. Baier

Public Speaking

“You can speak well if your tongue can deliver the message of your heart” ~ John Ford

One of our fifth grade students had the opportunity to try out public speaking on the steps of the State Capitol on May 7^th.  Sri G. was the 1^st place winner in the Center for School Change Charter School Essay Contest.  She won 1^st place in grades 3-5 out of 900 submitted essays in that category.  Sri and her family were invited to the State Capitol for her to read her essay.  It was a slightly windy day, but at least there was no rain.  Sri did a delightful job reading her essay in front of a large crowd of people.  Below is a video of Sri reading her essay and pictures from the event.  We are very proud of Sri and her accomplishment.  

It is that time of year when teachers are working diligently to keep students focused on learning.  At Eagle Ridge Academy we believe every day of instruction is important and make sure students are learning right up until the very end of the school year.  Keeping routines the same during this time is important for continued instruction.  We appreciate your support in helping us make every day count.

The fifth grade students have been studying adaptations in animals and plants in science class.  They have learned about behavioral and structural adaptations.  To culminate their study they were asked to pick a particular animal or plant and address its adaptations.  Below are pictures of some of the projects hanging in the hallway outside the fifth grade classrooms.

Reminders:

Music Informances on May 20^th

o   All Day Kindergarten 4:30

o   2^nd Grade 6:00

o   4^th Grade 7:00

There is no school for students on Friday, May 23^rd or Monday, May 26th.

Have a wonderful week!

Mrs. Baier