Hustle and Bustle

“I must govern the clock—not be governed by it.” ~Golda Meir

The hustle and bustle of the holiday season sometimes causes us to feel stressed about what we need to accomplish and how the days are ticking away.  I know throwing those extra events and projects that the holiday brings, into an already packed calendar, can push families into overload.  We see the effects of these busy schedules in children at school each day.  You might want to take some time as a family to evaluate what is truly important to accomplish or do during this time.  You probably can’t do everything, so perhaps you make a list of the non-negotiable items and then let each family member chose an event of project that is meaningful to him or her.  Giving yourself permission to let a few things go can sometimes be all you need to have a peaceful holiday season and help your children enjoy this magical time of year.

As you know, we are using every inch of available space at Eagle Ridge Academy and every moment of possible instructional time.  Mrs. Lewandowski (2^nd grade educational assistant) works with students in one of our guided reading book rooms each day.  She needed to turn a window into a bulletin board to work with those students inside the room.  She was also able to make the outside a morning gathering point by posting weekly brain teasers.  Students stop in the mornings challenging their brains to figure out the latest posting.

3^rd grade students have been studying the skeletal system.  Last Friday, they gathered in the Commons to trace the outlines of their bodies to create life-sized skeletal diagrams of themselves.  Now they are working on placing the 25 main bones in the body on their own diagrams.  Below are some pictures from their initial work.  

The latest Lower School Parent Coffee was on Wednesday, December 10^th.  A small group of us had a nice discussion on media usage in children.  If you are interested in receiving an email copy of the presentation, just let me know.  I would be happy to provide it to you.  

Please mark your calendars for the next Lower School Parent Coffee on February 24^th at 8:00 am.  The topic is Developing Grit and Self-Reliance in Children.  I hope to see you there and please consider bringing a friend.  The more the merrier!

Have a wonderful week!

Mrs. Baier

Giving to others

“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of other.” ~Mahatma Gandhi

The desire to give back to others is an important quality to instill in children.  Helping them develop compassion and understanding for others is so key to do at a young age.  Think about how you feel as an adult when you have done something to serve or help someone else.  While children do not understand how to put words to that feeling they know what it is.   I hear of lots of ways parents work to do this, whether it is donating toys when new ones come in the house, saving a portion of their allowance to donate to others, or taking their children with them for volunteer opportunities.  At Eagle Ridge Academy, we have added a community service component to our Pillar program to also help build these qualities in our students.  Some of our community service projects are in full swing and I am highlighting one in my blog this week.

As I noted earlier in the year, the Lower school has added a community service component to our Pillar program.  Each grade level is doing one internal (Eagle Ridge Academy) community service project and one external community service project this year.  Some of our community service projects are in full swing and I would like to highlight one in this blog.

Third grade students collected food and supplies to send to members of our military community serving overseas.  They collected enough to fill 21 Boxes for soldiers in the Army currently serving in Kuwait.  The students packed boxes and each wrote letters to the soldiers.  The soldiers were very grateful to receive a taste of something from home and to know that a group of students in Eden Prairie, Minnesota were thinking of them and appreciate their sacrifice each day.  Below are pictures of the boxes sent and the food that was stored after the soldiers grabbed what they wanted right away.

Mrs. Nimchuk had a special music sharing day for 1^st grade in November.  The Senguptas (parents of Vijay and Catherine) brought their bandura (a Ukrainian folk instrument) and a 12-string guitar to share with all three 1^st grade classes.  The 1^st graders learned about instruments in the guitar family, different chords, and sang songs.  It was a wonderful cultural and community building experience as you can see below.

Next Friday (December 12th) is Spirit Wear Day for students.

Have a wonderful week!

Mrs. Baier

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