PE Update: Gymnastics Scores a Perfect 10
As physical education teachers we pride ourselves on being versatile coaches and incorporating a wide variety of sports into our programming. Yet we have occasional gaps in our expertise (key word: occasional) that might result in certain activities being underrepresented. One such activity was gymnastics. That is until a couple of intrepid third grade gymnasts made a plea for a gymnastics unit.
We also pride ourselves on being child-centered and student-driven, and so we followed this intrepid energy. Cheese mats were ordered, and a recess meeting was convened with the gymnasts to work on the curriculum. And voila! The gymnastics unit was born.
Students worked on skills like balance, rolling, flexibility, jumping, strength, and coordination. They practiced moves and older grades even developed routines. It was exhilarating to see pre-kindergartners, and first and third graders delighting in these challenges, expanding their skill sets, and helping our department expand our own as well.
– Alex Tzelnic, physical education teacher and mindfulness director
Second Graders Read for Seeds!
On Wednesday, you could hear a pin drop in second grade. How is this possible, you might ask? We had our annual Read-a-thon!! The second graders spent all day reading to raise money for Gaining Ground in Concord, a non-profit, organic farm that donates all its produce to people experiencing food insecurity. The students have spent two weeks tracking their reading in order to collect money from sponsors, as part of a program called Read for Seeds. This program culminates in one exciting day where we put change into action during school hours by doing one of our favorite activities: reading.
It was so special to see the BDS community rally behind our changemakers and come read alongside us. We will then get to see the direct impact of our efforts when we visit Gaining Ground during Community Service Day in May. We are so proud of our students!
– The Second Grade Team
Kindergarten Welcomes New Fuzzy Friends!
Kindergarten recently welcomed some new additions–baby chickens! The chick eggs came to our classroom by way of Claire Kamenski, mom to Bennie in first grade and Ella in fifth grade. We have been patiently waiting 21 days for them to hatch and we were so excited to witness some of them hatching right in front of us during Fundations and recess on Monday morning. The others hatched overnight. We ended up with 6 wonderful chicks, who were named by the kindergarten class: Maisie, Chickie, Mega Charizard, Mew, Olivia, and Guacamole! It was bittersweet to bid farewell to our fluffy friends today as they head off to their new homes, but we were honored to host them during the first few days of their lives.
– The Kindergarten Team
Arts Update: Seventh and Eighth Graders Artfully Embellish Fashion
This trimester, students in the seventh and eighth grade arts elective, Embellished Fashion, are learning different fabric arts techniques to add details and imagery to fabric. Some of these explorations include embroidery, top stitching, applique, and needle felting. Artists were challenged to explore these various techniques on 5-inch cotton squares. They also could combine techniques on one patch. After they create at least six different patches, they are incorporating these figurative or patterned squares into a rectangular lined scarf. As the course progresses, students will use these methods to create other embellished wearable artworks.
– Kathy Jo Solomon, visual arts teacher
