Gratitude

“Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for.” ~Epicurus

I tend to think we are in a contradictory time of year right now.  We often consider November a time of gratitude and demonstrate that during Thanksgiving, but we often move very quickly (in some cases on the same day) into a time of excess rather than carrying forth with our feelings of gratitude.  The holidays are wonderful times to introduce children to gratitude and to the feeling of being satisfied with what we already have.  The pattern of wanting more and better has become quite pervasive in American society.  I hope you are able to take some time to help your children value what gifts and opportunities they have been given.  

In the Lower School we are helping students reflect on what they have to be thankful for right now.  Below you will find pictures of the school-wide “Be Thankful” bulletin board.  I enjoy reading about the thankfulness of children.  They are honest and heartfelt admissions.  If you are in the building take a moment to read a few in the hallway outside the Lower School Office.

Mr. Anderson has decorated the Lower School office with new artwork from some of our third grade students.  Third graders have a science unit on animals and Mr. Anderson connected to that by reading Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak.  Students were challenged to use their animal knowledge to create a hybrid animal.  The results are on display in the Lower School office and in the pictures below.

I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving, and we are grateful you entrust your child’s education to Eagle Ridge Academy!

Mrs. Baier

Enchanting Snowfall...

“The first fall of snow is not only an event, it is a magical event.  You go to bed in one kind of a world and wake up in another quite different, and if this is not enchantment then where is it to be found?”

 ~J.B. Priestley

Last week we experienced the first snowfall of the season.  I always try to see the first snowfall through the eyes of the children.  Last week, I was not thinking about the travel delays, the shoveling, and the wet dog feet I have to clean each time he goes outside.  Instead I looked at the snowfall with wonderment.  Was there going to be enough to build a snowman, could I go sledding, was there enough cushion to fall and make a real snow angel?  It certainly brought out my inner child to think that way and made the adult practicalities that go along with snow much easier to bear.  I remembered doing all of those things as a child and the specific memories associated with them made me smile to myself well into the evening.  I hope you are able to associate some fond memories to snowfall as we start this winter a wee bit early.  If not, try looking at it through the eyes of your children and you’ll be amazed at the difference it makes.   

Now for the practical winter weather things we need to address…Please make sure your child is coming to school with the proper winter weather attire each day.  Students should have their coats, hats, gloves/mittens, snow pants, boots, etc.  each and every day until spring arrives.  Students at Eagle Ridge Academy go outside for recess until the temperature or wind chill hits zero.  At that point we will have indoor recess.  We do not make the call for indoor recess until just before our first recess each day.  If the temperature warms up as time goes on earlier recesses may stay inside, while later recesses go outside.  Please make sure your child is prepared for recess each and every day.  

In conjunction with our annual Veterans Day programs, we ran poster and essay contests in the Lower School.  Mia J. (3^rd Grade) and Shreya P. (4^th grade) were the essay contest winners.  Their winning essays are noted below.  Mia read her essay at the K-2 program and Shreya read her essay at the 3-5 program.  All poster contest entries were displayed throughout the programs via a slide show.  The winning posters were from Nethra S. (1^st grade) and James W. (2^nd grade).  Pictures of the winning posters are below, as well.  We appreciate all the effort the students put into honoring our veterans on this very special day.  

Have a wonderful week!

Mrs. Baier

History and Sacrifice

Listen my children, and you shall hear

Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere,

On the eighteenth of April, in seventy-five;

Hardly a man is now alive

Who remembers that famous day and year.

~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

I spent the week of October 27-30^th in Boston, Massachusetts.  I was fortunate to be able to attend the ERB (Educational Records Bureau) Conference there.  The conference was a wonderful learning opportunity for me, but visiting Boston really made it a special event.  I had never been to Boston before and am still in awe of the history I was able to experience.  Walking the cobblestone streets and visiting places like the Old North Church, Paul Revere’s House and the site of the Boston Tea Party (to name a few) was really inspiring.  

I have to admit, I often take for granted what it means to be an American.  I don’t think on a regular basis about the sacrifices that have occurred over time to allow me to live the life I do today.  Walking around Boston and soaking up the history really helped me remember the patriots who gave everything they had to create our country.  It is significant to talk about this topic in preparation for Veterans Day.  While not everyone can take a trip to soak up the historical significance of our country, we probably all know a veteran who sacrificed more than we will ever be able to understand to protect the achievements of those patriots from so long ago.  Take a moment to reflect and reach out to say thank you.

Eagle Ridge Academy will be hosting our annual Veterans Day programs.  If you have time on Tuesday, November 11^th please feel to come to school to see one of our programs.  They are divided by grade level and will last between 20-25 minutes.  The times are listed on the Eagle Ridge Academy website.  

The winners of last week's Pillar Ticket drawing are below.  The students were allowed to pick a staff member that they wanted to enjoy lunch with one day.  

Kensley Mc.- Mrs. Mills

Harshada J.- Mrs. Merritt

Greta L.- Mr. Schloesser

Matthew D.- Ms. Orr

Junior O.- Mrs. Trow

Have a wonderful week!

Mrs. Baier

Time to reflect

“Winter is an etching, spring a watercolor, summer an oil painting, and autumn a mosaic of them all.” ~Stanley Horowitz

This has been one of the most beautiful autumns I have experienced in Minnesota in quite a few years.  The weather has been wonderful and the leaves on the trees magnificent in their colors.  I hope you have been able to take some time for a fall walk (as I have with my dog) to savor the season.  Time is always pushing us from one season to the next, but rarely do we slow down and enjoy the one we are in at the moment. 

It is the same here at school.   We finish one activity or goal and are already jumping onto the next one.  Let us not forget to celebrate those moments of success and learning (complete with mistakes and failure) with the children.  Take some time to talk to your children about their academic and social successes and failures in the first quarter of the school year.  Allow them to relish the moments and after that you can move onto the next goal or project.  Make sure you don’t dwell, but acknowledge and then move forward.  

4^th Grade students went on a field trip to Target Field before fall break.  They take this trip each year in connection with their conservation unit in science.  Target Field has a unique Rain Water Recycle System (RWRS) that ties in directly to our 4^th grade study of water conservation.  The students enjoyed the trip and learned quite a bit about the recycling and conservation that occurs in such a large facility.  Students  created some conservation posters that are posted around the Lower School to share their knowledge with others.

On Thursday, October 30^th Lower School students will be able to wear Halloween socks and/or ties (if wearing a button-down shirt where the tie would be appropriate).

I will be out of the office next week attending a fabulous professional development opportunity provided by ERB (our new assessment provider).  If you have any immediate questions or concerns while I am away, please contact either Susan Roeber (sroeber@eagleridgeacademy.org) or Jason Ulbrich (julbrich@eagleridgeacademy.org).  

Have a wonderful week!

Mrs. Baier

Working together...

"Coming together is a beginning, staying together is progress, and working together is success." - Henry Ford

Next week are the October Parent/Teacher conferences.  While we do have two scheduled sets of Parent/Teacher conferences each year, these are not your only opportunities to connect with your child’s teachers.  I have stressed in the past the importance of the home/school learning team for children and want parents to meet and chat with teachers whenever needed to keep the team together and everyone moving in the right direction for the achievement of your child. 

Harvard’s Family Research Project has put together some principles for helping to have successful conferences between parents and teachers.  They used the acronym “BE HEARD” to help us all remember.

B- Best intentions assumed

·       It is helpful when parents and teachers come together to realize that everyone has the best of intentions and wants what is best for the students/children involved.

E- Emphasis on learning

·       Keep the focus on the learning of the children (academic, social/emotional, and behavioral).

H- Home/school collaboration

·       Find ways to connect to keep the collaboration between home and school going throughout the school year.

E- Example and evidence

·       When talking about specific items bring up examples or provide evidence or samples to help each other understand.

A- Active listening

·       Often when we are listening to others we are forming the response to what they are saying in our heads and not really listening to the words being said.  It is okay to take a moment to gather your thoughts to respond after listening to each other.  Clarity is important and rushing to respond often causes clarity to suffer.

R- Respect for all

·       Respect each other and the position you each hold in the life of the child.  Show respect in your interactions and in how you talk about each other when not together (particularly in front of the children).

D- Dedication to follow-up

·       Make a plan for following up on any needed items before you leave a conference.  Having everyone on the same page for the future shows dedication and willingness to work together.

The third grade students took a field trip to the Minnesota Zoo last week.  The weather did not cooperate, but the students had a nice time and learned a lot, regardless.  To connect their field trip to their current learning, students were asked to design a zoo (using their animal and map skills knowledge).  Below are a few pictures of their zoo designs.

Last week we drew the first five Pillar tickets for the 2014-15 school year.  The five lucky winners took a fall walk around the school grounds with Mrs. Baier.  We talked about leaves, trees, and our favorite things about fall.  Below is a picture of the winners who enjoyed the day and checked out the leaves with Mrs. Baier.  Congratulations to Alexandra C., Ekansh D., Ashfaq H, Sathvik V., and Jackson S. for demonstrating the Pillars!

Speaking of fall…Mr. Anderson brought a bunch of beautiful fall leaves to the Lower School Office.  1^st graders have been learning about painting and how to draw still life pictures.  Mr. Anderson had them combine their knowledge in these two areas to create the leaves you see in the pictures below.

Just a reminder there is no school for students next week due to conferences and fall break!  We will see you again on Monday, October 20^th.

Have a wonderful fall break!

Mrs. Baier

2014-15 Assessment

 

Dear Families,

Last year at a Lower School Parent Coffee and at the spring State of the School address, I spoke about the assessments taken in the Lower School, the need for streamlining assessments, and finding an assessment that better met the needs of the students at Eagle Ridge Academy.  Students at Eagle Ridge Academy scored very high on their NWEA-Map assessments.  The NWEA-Map assessment did not give specific information to teachers to be able to help our students (particularly our high-performing ones) grow each year.  Since we give up instructional time to administer assessments, we want to make sure they are valuable in many ways.

After spending last year researching and analyzing the different types of assessments available to our school and students, a new assessment has been selected.  Eagle Ridge Academy will no longer participate in the NWEA-Map testing starting with the 2014-15 school year.  Instead, we will take the ERB-CTP test in the spring of 2015 in grades 2-5.

ERB stands for Educational Records Bureau.  ERB is a well-known educational member association for private schools, some charter schools, and high-performing public school districts.  CTP stands for Comprehensive Testing Program.  The rigorous test includes reading, listening, vocabulary, writing, math, and in some grades verbal and quantitative reasoning.  You can learn more information about ERB and the CTP test at https://erblearn.org/https://erblearn.org/

We are looking forward to using the information gained from this assessment to help drive our instruction and curriculum in the future.  The first year is our baseline year, so please remember there will be nothing to compare the scores to initially.  However, the specific information you receive about your child’s achievement in different areas will be useful in helping him or her grow.

In the spring, I will hold a parent coffee dedicated to reading and interpreting the ERB test results.  I want to make sure you understand the format and how to get the most out of the results for your child.  More information about this event will come at a later date.

I look forward to our new assessment, as I believe it will give us more instructional days in the classroom, and provide the home/school team with needed information about academic growth and skills for each student. 

Sincerely,

Melanie Baier

Principal of the School of Grammar