January

Ever Feel Hung Out To Dry?

I walked out of my office one day recently and ran face to face into this poor soul who seemed to be suffering from the throws of winter. Yes, the days of January can seem long, especially when our favorite football team is done for the season and suddenly the Superbowl parties don’t seem so great anymore. Fortunately, there’s still a lot going on at Emanuel this month, and much of it can make you smile.

Remember when Miss Schmidt and Miss Ladwig shared the video of themselves on their educational learning experience in Wiiliamsburg last summer? Well, the 4th and 5th graders expanded their learning of the colonies lately in, of all places, gym class. After very little practice, they were able to perform one of the colonial dances associated with that period of history. The video shows how genteel these youngsters can be!

Kids in both Miss Schmidt’s Miss Ladwig’s rooms became budding philatelists in January. I’ll save you the trouble of looking that word up, and tell you they had fun with a stamp project from an organization of the American Philatelist Society called Stamps Teach. They state their purpose as providing educators with lesson plans, activities, and worksheets that use postage stamps as hands-on learning tools.

Some sample activities we’ve done within core subjects:

English – We looked for people, places, and things.
Geography – We located many of the foreign countries for which we had stamps.
Math – We made addition, subtraction, and multiplication problems.
Science – We looked for living and nonliving things. and objects that would use simple machines (levers, pulleys, etc)

The excitement was obvious as they shared their unique finds with one another.

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Enjoy the last week of January!

Did You Have a Good Day at School?

How often have you asked your child (our students) that question?

As I parent I was also a teacher in the school here at Emanuel, so I felt I was pretty familiar with what was going on around the building in the classrooms. I really enjoyed that as then I could ask that question and some good followups to get my children talking about their daily life in school. I think it is vital that parents and students communicate along those lines as this is where not only academic growth, but emotional and spiritual growth is taking place daily. Conversations about Bible stories, and more importantly, their applications in daily life at home and in school are significant topics that encourage extension of spiritual growth in the child. It is also such a blessng for a parent to be uplifted by the spiritual concepts that are clearly understood and lived out by their children.

As we begin the new year here at Emanuel, please take advantage of the opportunities you have to know more about what is going on in your child’s life at school. One thing you might think about doing is planning a couple hours to visit during a normal school day. I see  parents coming in to eat lunch with their child sometimes. How about sitting in on a class or two, or even going out for recess? Perhaps you could join us for our Friday morning chapel service or mission presentation. Hearing the student body sing praises to our Lord in such a unified group is very compelling. They know their savior and what he has done for them.

The teachers would welcome you to come anytime. Our school doors are open to you as well as your children. Remember, we are partners in this awesome challenge of equipping children for lives in the world in which we live, and preparing them for the world to come.

Student Body – Dec. 2011

Click on photo to see larger image.

Christmas is Almost Here!

Christmas is still a week away, but our 4K-5K kids have been the recipients of a great new “toy”. Their interest is shown in the photos below, followed by an explanation of how the new computer filled with learning software appeared in their classroom one day recently. Click on individual photos for enlarged view.

This new learning tool came to us through the IBM Smart Kids program which is a global learning initiative that originated in 1998, through the IBM company.  Volunteer hours in the community served by IBM employees are recorded and converted to products such as computer stations that can help promote learning in the primary grades.  Mr. Randy Behnke, our school committee chairman, is an employee of IBM, and it was through his many hours of volunteer service to the community, and especially to Emanuel school and church, that we were enabled to be part of Smart Kids. Randy has served on several church board positions, and he coached our boys “A team” basketball for many years.

It was also due to those volunteer hours that IBM was able to provide, through Randy’s service, a much needed printer for the school office of our principal, Mr. Aswege, as well.

Finally, let me wish all of you a Merry Christmas as you and your families worship at the manger again during this next week. I’ll be back following the holiday break and begin blogging into our New Year of 2012. See you then!

Signs of the Season

You can tell Christmas is coming as you walk down the halls and hear the students practicing their musical pieces for the cantata, The Birth of Jesus, written by Mary Dorn Lippert.

The children’s Christmas service will sound a bit different, perhaps, this year because it is a cantata which is a musical story of Christ’s birth. That means the usual oral recitations of the familiar Bible passages will be heard through song instead of spoken word. It’s going to be a beautiful service in which we once again marvel at the telling of that wonderful birth on that night long ago.

Another sign of the season that has become an annual tradition of the sixth grade, is the making of gingerbread houses. Annette Kehl and Bev Meyer are two ladies with the know-how and are welcomed each year as eager hands create their own individual masterpieces. I’m sure there is enough frosting that is sampled along with the frosting that makes its way onto the gingerbread house’s rooftops!

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Skypes!

Here are two photos of different Skype activities done in two different classrooms during November. I like people to see how we use technology to help kids connect to the outside world and to learn in that way.

Callie Dorsey and Alissa Wagner led the seventh grade geography class in a Skype Internet session with the Caribbean Island of Grenada as part of a geography project at Emanuel Lutheran School in New London. Emanuel has had a long time mission partnership with Grenada, and the people there, Pastor Steve Soukup and their new principal,  were happy to share information with the students. Skype is an application that allows an Internet  connection between individuals  and allows them to share audio as well as video as they communicate. It is a powerful teaching tool for “asking the experts” where ever they may be located.

Following a unit on Internet safety, the sixth graders of Emanuel Lutheran School in New London created posters and used them to give presentations to the younger students in the school as well as to their grandparents on Grandparent Day. At the close of the unit an Internet Skype session was done in which the students were able to ask any remaining questions to an expert. Officer Joel Kutz, a Student Resource Officer from Wauwatosa, WI, shared his time with the student through a Skype session over the internet. Many questions were asked and answered and awareness for the importance of online safety was highlighted.

Click on the photos to enlarge.

Technology is amazing in the classroom!

This and That……

A little of this and a little of that this week…….

Take a look at these little faces all dressed for winter and the bus ride home from 4k. Once in awhile I get the privilege of waiting for the bus with these three adorable little girls. We have some enjoyable conversations about their new friends, pets at home, and anything else they are thinking about. I have several grand- daughters this age so I can “speak their language” – which is mostly being able to listen.  My daughter related a story to me this week about our Abigail who had asked about the devil and if he was a real monster. After an in depth conversation with her mom, she went off for quiet time in her room. When mom checked in on her she was ‘reading’ her children’s Bible aloud, and upon being asked what she was up to, replied, ” I’m readin’ about Jesus a lot ‘cuz the devil isn’t going to get me anytime soon!” The faith of these little children is something Jesus pointed to as exemplary and something to be sought after. May we be filled with the desire to teach our children whether at home or school, the truths  of God’s Word as preparation for their journey through this world and into the next.

What’s going on in the world of AR – Accelerated Reader? Second quarter brings us to the all school point contest. If we accumulate a total of 3,000 point with a percentage correct figure of 85%, each participating classroom will receive snacks and a movie for a reward. We made it  last year, kids. Can we top our record? Let’s do it!

What better way to spend the afternoon on that early Wednesday snowy day in early November than to gather the eighth graders and the K-1 kids are work together  on the props for the grandparent day festivities. They look very busy, and note that beautiful background of heavy snow outside. How cozy to be able to be in full view  of that scenery in a place where you can be toasty warm.

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Finally, the 4th and 5th graders joined an effort today to create a world record for the number of speed stackers performing their skill at one time across the globe. Would you believe they were joined by 30 other schools in Wisconsin, but also but children as far away as Australia and Venezuela. If you would like to see more, watch the video below and check out the WSSA website.

World Speed Stacking 2011

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11-11-11

It’s a special day at Emanuel. The cool factor of the date’s format this year is eye-catching, but not really worth celebrating. The fact that this day happens to be what my grandparents used to call Armistice Day, and we call Veteran’s Day, is surely worth a moment of pause. That is why we chose today to honor not only all veterans, but also all grandparents  as we hosted Grandparent Day at Emanuel.

The morning began with our Friday all school worship, and it was wonderful to worship this week with our school family joined by so many grandparents that we almost filled up the church. It is so encouraging to sing praises to the Lord of all generations and join in hearing and learning from his word whether we are  four or eighty-four. The Lord speaks in Joel 1:3

 Tell it to your children,
and let your children tell it to their children,
and their children to the next generation.

Isn’t that what our school is all about? We daily assist parents to carry out this command and with joy we lovingly prepare the foundation of the next generation. What a privilege we have!

After visiting classrooms, the gym became the stage for a short patriotic program in observance of the day. Each classroom added a special touch to some of the familiar songs of our American heritage.

Please enjoy some of the photos of the day. May God bless all our grandparents and veterans alike! After the slideshow I have included a  little about my favorite veteran.

Grandparents’ Day 11_11_11

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On a personal note……

This is a photo of my favorite veteran. Framed against the beauty of the Swiss Alps stands a soldier of WWII who served his country during the battles in Europe and, through God’s protection and in accordance with God’s will, he later returned home to marry a young lady that had lived around the corner from his childhood home in Neenah, WI. He would become the father of five children who learned about love of country and family through him. He would never want to be termed a hero, yet had been awarded a handful of medals that we played with on those days we discovered the treasures of our attic.

Although I miss him since he went to be with his Lord and Savior  five years ago, being buried on another 11/11, I’m thankful I got to know him as I realize many soldiers do not return from their battles. So, thanks for allowing me to share with you today my favorite veteran, Roy Murray Douglas, my dad.

Dad on Leave near Swiss Alps

One of the “Rs”….

Reading is so important in the academic development of a child. We all know that, and we know we approach that skill from many different methods here at Emanuel.

Combining reading with creating and sharing really has been one of those methods that seems to work very well, and produces a lot of excitement and joy during the day as well.

Let me share a few photos to illustrate that point this week.

Jonah and Chase

Kyle and Friend

The eighth graders have become reading buddies with this year’s first grade class and both grades love it. The first graders are so proud of their own personal eighth grader! Lots of “hi” in the hallways during passing time each day because of these relationships. And I can’t mention any names, but how precious is that to see an eighth grade boy take his first grader by the hand and walk him down the hall and back to class! Community building and skill building all wrapped up in one half hour on Wednesday afternoons. It’s great.

Grace and Landon

The second graders were the first class to use the iPads and the app Book Creator this fall. That is what they did, created a book as an extension of their science class. Groups worked together to combine their own scanned artwork and their additional text and color to create The Life Cycle of the Butterfly. And we have learned that sharing knowledge is the point of gaining it in the first place, so these little authors were thrilled to be able to read their own books to the Kindergartners. The Kindergartners have used the iPads already this year, but were very interested in how it could be used to create one’s own book. Perhaps they will be next!

Kirstyn and Friend

Speed Stacking

A few weeks ago one the sections of my blog mentioned the Speed Stacking that was going on in the 4th and 5th grade room. I took video of them showing their speed in the classroom tournament.

Well, I just had to keep you updated on the progress of that activity and those kids. The 4th and 5th graders have become so fast  that several eighth graders commented that they couldn’t even see their hands move! It is a pretty impressive sight to watch.

The younger grades performed for the 8th grade and they have borrowed the material and begun practicing on their skill at Speed Stacking. They want to be as fast as the younger kids!

The purpose of this activity, besides having lots of fun, is to increase the use of your right and left side of the brain, as well as improve hand-eye coordination. It takes plenty of concentration to do the activity and thinking skills are involved as much as the hand and eye.

There are many variations on the basic activity and include even relay races in the gym for PE class.

You know it must be a hit when parents are being prodded to ask where they can get one of these kits for Christmas.

You can’t find them at the Toy Sale at Fleet Farm, but Miss Ladwig has the information on the best way to go about purchasing a set, and she says she will be very good at helping you not only buy, but keep it a secret. She is sold on the value of Speed Stacking. She’s getting pretty fast at it, too, but not, she says, as fast as her kids. Enjoy the video here and another at the links.

Speed Stacking

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All the links have different videos:

Miss Ladwig’s Blog

School Website

Showme!

Nope, that is not a missing space or incorrect spelling in the title today. Showme is the name of an iPad app that I was able to share with the teachers as part of our monthly teacher tech in-services this week.

The app is connected to a website repository of indexed “showmes” for all curricular areas of learning. You need the free app and an iPad (unfortunately not free) and you are enabled to create a piece of learning as you can write and record your voice of explanation simultaneously.

I’m going to include an example here to illustrate. This showme will teach you how to add three digit numbers using a pictorial method. Have patience as it will take a while to load before it plays.

After you create a lesson you can post it to the showme web interactive repository of lessons so others can benefit, or you could embed  it into your own classroom website, wiki, or blog. Imagine how quickly and easily teachers could  create some lessons for kids that they could refer to again and again when that particular reminder of learning was needed.

Better yet, imagine kids “talking math” as they create showmes to explain how they got the answer to a word problem or other challenge. These could be used again as well.

I just wanted you to hear about some of the cool things that new technology enables the teachers of Emanuel to do in order to serve the learning needs of the students in as many ways as possible, all for the purpose of  helping to increase understanding.

Come and visit sometime and you may be surprised how much learning as changed since you were in school. We’d love to have you come!