!Feliz Navidad en Guatemala!

Students look inside their shoes for small toys or treats from Los Reyes, the Three Kings.  On the evening of Jan. 5,  the Twelfth Day, children in Guatemala place their shoes on the balcony or in front of the door.  The next morning, small toys or candy fill their shoes.

Friday, November 20

Music Classes---Grades 3,4, and 5

We are having a great time playing Native American songs for Thanksgiving.  Students  used Orff instruments as well as some non-pitched percussion instruments to apply their understanding of rhythm patterns, steady beat, and notes to accompany our songs.  5th graders had the opportunity to create and compose their own patterns for accompaniment.

Our Elementary Chorus is hard at work on music for our Christmas performances.  Don't forget that the TK-5 concert is on December 11 at 9:00 am in the Raleigh campus gym.  Chorus students should wear khaki (neutral) bottoms and Christmas colored tops.  Red, green, and white work best.  Our "Christmas Tour" 2016 will be December 16 when we will travel to Sunrise of Raleigh and Independence Village of Olde Raleigh assisted living facilities.  We will plan a special lunch at Sweet Tomatoes in Cary following the performances.  Expect permission forms and details regarding lunch to be available after Thanksgiving.

Vocal Ensemble (6th grade)

6th Grade Vocal Ensemble is preparing for our Christmas performances.  We will participate in the Crossroads concert which will feature Vocal Ensembles, Bands, and Strings for 6th -12th grade participants. The concert begins at 7:00 pm in the Crossroads Activity Building Gym.  December 10th we will travel to downtown Raleigh and the State Capitol Building to sing for Christmas Open House in the Rotunda of the Capitol.  Performance time is 11:00 am.  A lunch stop at the food court at Cary Towne Center will follow the performance. Please plan to join us for these events.  Expect permission forms to be available after Thanksgiving.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Ellen Kaehler

2nd Quarter - Technology

3rd Keyboarding
The students are learning the top and bottom rows of the letters using Typing Agent.  The students are learning how to sit properly at the computer and demonstrate good typing posture.  The students with the best keyboarding posture get to go to the "Reward Bag".   If students want additional practice the log in information to Typing Agent is located in their planners.  Keep typing 3rd grade!

4th Technology
The students are reviewing their typing skills from 3rd grade the first half of the year.  They are learning  file management and the features in Pages such as formatting text/pictures and editing basics.  They will use these features in upcoming class reports/projects.  Also, the students will learn some digital citizenship this quarter. 

5th Technology
The 5th grade just finished reviewing all the features in Pages.  They will do a Thanksgiving activity that incorporates the basic and advanced features in Pages.  Also, 5th grade is working in Keynote  learning animation, transition, and sound effects to use in their Severe Weather projects.

6th Multimedia
The 6th grade has been busy creating all types of publications.  They have made an iPhoto book (All About Me), Podcast (an event in history/bible they were studying), and book trailers (books they have read within 2 years).  The students have learned several different software applications such as Photo Booth, iPhoto, Garageband, iMovie, and Animoto.  The students have created wonderful projects!

The Sound of Music is coming to GRACE!

Greetings, 

For those who are interested in auditioning or being part of the stage crew for The Sound of Music, with music by Richard Rodgers and Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, there will be an interest meeting on Thursday Oct. 29, 2015 directly after school in room 302 in the Activity Building. The meeting is not mandatory to audition; however, it will be very helpful to answer questions in regards to the show and the audition process.

Auditions for The Sound of Music will be held on Nov. 12 and 13 at 3:30 in room 302.  Auditions are open to all 6th-12th grade students.  Please email Mrs. Hartley at Hartley@GRACEChristian.net with any questions. 

In His Glory,
Jaime Hartley

Spanish Enrichment

el reloj 

After learning letters in Spanish, students worked in small groups to play "Hangman", calling out letters in Spanish to solve a puzzle.

                                                   la primavera                                                                el calendario

BOOK FAIR is here!!

Carol Gehringer
Media Center

Our BOOK FAIR arrives today!!!

Our TK-6th grade classes will preview the book fair Monday-Thursday. Students may return to the book fair with their money during our open slots during the rest of the week.


TUESDAY, Oct. 6 - THURSDAY, Oct. 8     7:45am-3:45pm            in the Media Center
    (closed during student preview for each class)

FRIDAY, Oct. 9th    10:30am-12:30pm                                               in the Raleigh Gym
** Bring your grandparents to the Book Fair after the program!

MONDAY, Oct. 12 - TUESDAY, Oct. 13     7:45am-3:45pm            in the Media Center
** Breakfast with Books on Tuesday at 7:45am-8:15am.

BEST TIME TO SHOP FOR PARENTS: Thurs. Oct. 8 from 7:45am-1pm, and all day Mon. Oct. 12th & Tues. Oct. 13th.

Mrs. Boyd, our Art Teacher, will be signing her book SLEEPSINGING at Breakfast with Books and after our Grandparents Day program. Copies will be available for purchase during out book fair, with a portion of the proceeds going to GRACE.

Volunteers are still needed for our student preview times. Contact Mrs. Walker (swalker@gracechristian.net).

THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS - coming to GRACE Thurs. Oct. 8th-Sat. Oct. 10th!

Jaime Hartley,
Theater

GRACE Christian School Theatre Department Presents: The Wind in the Willows, by T. James Belich, based on the novel by Kenneth Grahame.This production is produced by special arrangements with Playscripts, Inc.

SUMMARY:    What begins as a peaceful summer on the River is soon disrupted by Toad and his obsession with motorcars. After crashing several cars, he then steals one and lands himself in trouble. His friends Mole, Badger, and Rat make every effort to protect Toad’s residence, Toad Hall, but are instead ousted by the Ferrets and Weasels of the Wild Wood. Will Toad regain Toad Hall? Will he learn a lesson about his boastful and impetuous ways? A spirited adaptation of a timeless classic.

Come join us in the Crossroads Campus Activity Building as we join the cast on the river. Tickets are on sale NOW at www.GRACEChristian.net/arts/buy-tickets.

• October 8, 2015 at 7:00pm
• October 10, 2015 at 2:00pm
• October 10, 2015 at 7:00pm

Some of the cast visited our Raleigh campus today (Friday, Oct. 2nd) to give our younger students a quick preview of the play. 

Grandparents' Day MUSIC!

Lou Wells
Elementary Music, TK-2nd Grade

Parents,

We are so excited about our upcoming Grandparents' Day Program (Friday, October 9th).We've been practicing for weeks -- and we can't wait to welcome all of our grandmas and grandpas to GRACE!!

Since this event is "sold out" to the grandparents, ask your child to give you a special "mini-concert." Then, you will get an early preview of our musical selections for those extra special older-folks in our lives!!

Mrs. Boyd's Book Available at Book Fair

Merrily Boyd
K-6 Art

As some of you who have been at GRACE awhile may know, several years ago I had a great opportunity to illustrate a children's book, Sleepsinging.  Written by Lynn Fowler, who was a GRACE parent at the time, Sleepsinging is a sweet book about a little girl who loves singing and sings all the time, even in her sleep (much to her brother's dismay). 

 

Illustrating this book was my first venture into the "real" world of illustration, and I learned a lot about just how much work goes into a children's book--from storyboards, to making sure characters and backgrounds looked consistent across the pages, to editing, and then to final publication, the whole experience helped me grow as an artist.

I'm happy to announce that Sleepsinging will be available at the upcoming book fair, which opens the week of October 5th.  Books will be $15.00, with a third of the proceeds going back to GRACE!  I will be glad to sign and personalize any books and will be there in the gym during the book fair on Grandparents' Day (Friday, October 9th).  I will also be reading Sleepsinging at our Breakfast with Books event on Monday morning, October 12th.

I hope to see you at the book fair next week!  (If you need to stock up on Christmas gifts--this is the place!)  ;)

FALL BOOK FAIR Next Week -- Call for volunteers!

Carol Gehringer
Media Center

We need you to help make our Fall Book Fair a success! Here's how you can help:

We need help with the following dates:

• Moving the book fair for Grandparent’s Day, Thurs., Oct. 8, 7 PM-8 PM

• Grandparent’s Day (10:15 AM-12:30 PM)

• Moving the book fair back to the library, Fri., Oct. 9, 12:30 PM-1:30 PM

• “Breakfast with Books”, Tues. Oct. 13, 7:45AM-8:15AM (music room)

High school students can get community service for helping out.

If you can help us, contact Mrs. Walker (swalker@gracechristian.net) or Mrs. Gehringer (cgehringer@gracechristian.net). 

We appreciate your willingness to help!

The Wonderful World of PE

You may or may not know this, but elementary PE is relatively new to me. I have been a teacher now for about fourteen years and have taught various subjects in various countries. PE is certainly one of those classes that is simply a “whole different animal,” if I can quote my father there. Here’s why:

The atmosphere is just different. I am dressed differently, the classroom is a huge open space, kids are encouraged to be loud and run around the room as fast as possible. That is certainly a change from previous classroom settings.  

The comments. Teaching TK-6th grade allows me to experience all levels of development in early and middle childhood. When I introduce myself at the beginning of the year, I always lay down the rules for class procedures. One of those is “Don’t talk while the teacher is talking.” As I explained this to TK, a little girl raised her hand. I acknowledged her and listed to her question. “Are you sure?” she asked. “Am I sure about what?” I replied, thinking that maybe she was having a different conversation than me. “Are you sure we can’t talk while the teacher is talking?” was her clarification. I have to tell you, I have never even thought that could even be a possible question that could be asked about that rule, so I told her yes. She seemed satisfied with that answer. 

Another favorite of mine: “Coach Taylor, did you know I was getting hot lunch today?” I can say with absolute certainty that I am unaware of the hot lunch status of any and every student in the school. 

There are certainly many other things that set PE apart from my other classroom experiences that I won't go into right now. I look forward to this new year and all of the wonderfully bizarre things that can happen in PE class. 

Databases #2: PebbleGo & PebbleGo Next, especially for younger students!

Carol Gehringer
Media

Let's look at 2 databases that are aimed specifically at our younger students: PebbleGo and PebbleGoNext, from Capstone.

PebbleGo is an award-winning set of 4 kid-friendly databases: Animals, Social Studies, Biographies, and Science. Within each database, every subtopic presents a five-part report with text, photos, videos, links to similar topics, printable assessment sheets, and a correct citation.

PebbleGoNext is a new set of 2 databases designed for our 3rd-6th grade researchers. The databases include U.S. regions and American Indian culture areas. Each article links to downloadable questions to help develop critical thinking skills.

Kids can read on their own, or choose have text read to them. Each database also includes some simple games, an article of the day, and a search field.

The teacher resource section has comprehensive lesson plans, and printable activity sheets. Teachers can use these databases to teach kids about research, reporting, and citing.

Kids can do research on their own or in small groups, in the classroom or at home. Younger kids might benefit from more guided searches and specific assignments.

For more information, see PebbleGo and PebbleGoNext. Contact Mrs. Gehringer for login and password information.

A B C - About Book Clubs at GRACE

Carol Gehringer
Media Center

At GRACE, we love to encourage our students to read. 

A few years ago, we started book clubs in 4th-6th grade. Last year (2014-15), we added book clubs in our 3rd grade, bringing our total to 8 book clubs on the Raleigh campus.

They continue to grow -- in 2013-14, we had 65 students participate, but last year, 2014-15, we had 105 students meeting together to discuss a book we read.

Here's a reminder of how our GRACE book clubs work:

FACILITATORS: Mrs. Walker: 3rd grade & Mrs. Gehringer: 4th-6th grade

HOW OFTEN? Book clubs meet approximately twice a month, with girls one week and boys the following week.

• A schedule will be posted in Talon for the 4th-6th grade book clubs, and Mrs. Walker will notify the 3rd graders of their meeting schedule.

WHEN?  During car pool, 2:45pm-3:15pm. We meet until 3:15pm. Then the students will be dismissed to the lobby or to aftercare.

• MONDAY - 3rd grade              TUESDAY - 4th grade 
• WEDNESDAY - 6th grade       THURSDAY - 5th grade

WHERE?  In the Raleigh library, of course!

WHY BOOK CLUB?

• Good way to encourage reading
• Good way to socialize with others in your grade
• Amount of reading done is decided by the book club
• Book club meets only 1-2 times per month and during car pool, so it doesn't interfere with lunch or after school activities
• No grades! But it might help you in reaching your AR goals (more about this later!)

WHAT DO I NEED TO DO NOW?  

• Talk with your student about it!
• Tell us if your student wants to participate in book club.
• Ordering a book club t-shirt (optional)? Get the money and size information in by next week.

OTHER QUESTIONS?

• Do I need to buy the books?  No - we have multiple copies already purchased specifically for our book clubs. However, if your child loses the book, you will need to pay for its replacement.
• Do I need to read the first book before the first meeting? No, we will hand out the books at our first meeting.
• Do I need to read every book? No, but we will encourage you to read at least the first chapter to try different genres!
• How will this help with my AR goal? All the books we read have Accelerated Reader (AR) quizzes. Students take a multiple choice quiz to test their comprehension of the books they read. Since there is a competition for prizes, they will want to read more books and pass as many AR quizzes as possible. Mrs. Lane, our reading specialist, will be sending out more information on AR in the coming weeks.

Any other questions? Contact me (cgehringer@GRACEChristian.net).

SAVE THE DATE! Fall Book Fair - Oct. 6-13, 2015

Carol Gehringer
Media Center

Mark your calendars for our annual 2015 FALL BOOK FAIR held on our TK-6 campus.

Tues. Oct. 6th through Tues. Oct. 13th (2015)

GRACE gets a percentage of the sales which we will use in the Raleigh library (TK-6). You can purchase books for teachers' classrooms, as well as books and activities for your children.

The book fair will be open during the school day in the Raleigh Library. Extended book fair hours will be posted later in September.

Students will preview the book fair early in the week to create a wishlist to share with their parents and grandparents.

Immediately after the Grandparents Day program on Friday, October 9th, the book fair will be in the RALEIGH GYM. 

VOLUNTEERS needed to help - please contact Mrs. Gehringer (cgehringer@gracechristian.net, 919-783-6618) if you can help. We especially need volunteers on Thurs. Oct. 8th (evening) to help move the book fair from the Raleigh library into the gym.

Watch for more details in a few weeks!

Databases #1: Britannica School & ImageQuest

Carol Gehringer
Media Center

Britannica School is an award-winning online resource with differentiated, reliable information for students in Kindergarten-12th grade.

 Students can move up or down a reading level as needed, using one of the three portals -- Elementary, Middle School, and High School -- to access information via a tablet, laptop, iPad, or other Internet-enabled device.

ImageQuest is a companion resource from Encyclopedia Britannica -- and an award-winning image database for students in Kindergarten-12th grade.

With almost THREE million rights-cleared images, it is an excellent resource for students' homework assignments.

Access to high-quality images on all topics, free of advertising, and from trustworthy sources, in one location makes ImageQuest a valuable resource for schools.

For more information, see Britannica School (school.eb.com) and ImageQuest  (quest.eb.com).

For password and login information, visit your GRACE library!  

Welcome Back Eagles!  I am Mrs. Hartsfield and I am so excited to be teaching at GRACE this year.  I have a lot of fun and exciting things planned this year in the technology classes and I can't wait to get to know all of my students.

3rd-Keyboarding
This quarter we will be getting acquainted with the Chrome books.  We will learn the parts of the Chrome book, how to log in, and simple trouble shooting techniques.  Also, our 3rd grade students will have the opportunity to learn responsibility. They have to assemble themselves in an orderly fashion to retrieve and return the Chrome books.  They are learning proper typing technique and how to effectively use the Home Row keys.  We are on our way to building competent 21st century skills!

4th/5th - Technology/Media
 This quarter Mrs. Gehringer and I will be working together in the 4th and 5th grade classes.  We will be collaborating with classroom teachers and integrating technology with their lessons.  We will start the quarter with Mac basics, Web Browsers, and Pages.

6th-Multimedia
 This quarter we will start with Photo Booth and iPhoto to create our first project "All About Me".  We will also explore the digital camera parts and use and upload pictures to iPhoto to create another project.

Online Databases for GRACE Christian School

Carol Gehringer
Media Center

Now that school has started, it is a good time to remind you of the MANY online resources we have available at GRACE Christian School for our students to use.

I will highlight these databases in separate posts over the coming months, as I introduce them to our students.

• Encyclopedia Britannica 
• ImageQuest (Encyclopedia Britannica)
• PebbleGo
• PebbleGoNext
• FactCite
• CultureGrams
• Country Reports
• PK Science Suite: Life Science, Physical Science, Earth/Space Science

As always, for password and login instructions, contact the GRACE Library.

Spanish Enrichment

This year's birthdays will be celebrated with "un sombrero pequeño".  ¡Feliz Cumpleaños amiga!

Welcome Back!

The GRACE enrichment teachers are excited to welcome you back for the 2015-16 school year!

This blog is the place where we will keep you updated with information about upcoming events as well as what your students have been working on in their TK-5 enrichment and 6th grade elective classes.  Please bookmark this blog and check back often!

Spanish Enrichment

Kindergarten students have been learning weather phrases.   Fourth graders made piñatas out of paper maché in the shape of the Solar System.    Sixth graders went to Los Tres Magueyes to practice ordering and paying in Spanish.

Strategy Games Club, Last meeting on May 7

Mark Edwards
Strategy Games

Please join the strategy games club after school this Thursday,   May 7.  This will be the last chance for 5th and 6th graders to join in the fun of tabletop gaming as the school year winds down for Grace students.  We meet in the library until 4:30pm.

Image courtesy of Nuno Silver

 

(user Stormrover on boardgamegeek.com)

Mr Taylor will be there to help answer questions and teach those interested in the HeroClix miniatures game system with a superhero theme.  HeroClix miniatures are unique because the base of each figure contains a dial that can be rotated to track damage and abilities.  The game is played on a map with a grid overlay.  In a two player game, each player typically has several miniatures to move around the map while seeking a tactical advantage by looking for cover and weak spots in the opponent's location and abilities.

(Courtesy of wizkidsgames.com)

Mr Edwards will be available to introduce students to another game involving superheroes, Dice Masters.  In this two player game players begin with a few basic dice called sidekicks.  These dice are drawn from a bag and rolled.  The dice rolls will either result in a low-level sidekick who can attack the other player's characters or to generate energy that can be spent to purchase additional dice with stronger powers to place in their bag.  As players acquire more powerful dice, they are able to whittle away at the other player's strength.  The goal of the game is to reduce the other player's strength from twenty to zero.

Mrs Michaelsen will be available to answer rules questions and join in games that need an additional player.  Some games we have played recently......

Mr Edwards would like to thank Mr Taylor and Mrs Michaelsen for sponsoring the game club this year and Mrs Thompson for supporting our efforts to introduce table top gaming to our students.
We would all like to thank Mrs Gehringer for graciously sharing library space with us.  Blessings to everyone for a safe and relaxing summer.   Mr Edwards hopes your summer will include some gaming with family and friends!

SPRING BOOK FAIR CONTINUES TODAY

Carol Gehringer
Media Coordinator

FAMILIES,

Thanks for coming out last night (Thursday, April 23rd) for our annual Barnes & Noble Book Fair (near Cary Towne Center).

The Book Fair will continue through SUNDAY, April 25th for in-store purchases, and through WEDNESDAY, April 29th for online purchases (use our book fair code: 11586161 when you place your order).

TODAY'S PERFORMANCES, FRIDAY, APRIL 24th:

3:30-3:45pm    Storytime with Mrs. Gehringer & Mrs. Warmke (& TALON!)

3:45-4:15pm    7th-8th Grade Band

4:15-4:45pm    High School Band

While at the Book Fair, you can

• decorate & pick up your pre-ordered cupcakes (near front of the store)
• shop for Mother's Day (any purchase in the store counts!)
• listen to the storytime and band performances (near back of the store)
• buy your child's summer reading (TK-6th grade only, 7th-12th grade not available yet)
• make a purchase for any grade level classroom or one of our libraries (don't forget to complete the forms)
• get your picture taken with Talon, our mascot (near back of the store)

BUYING A BOOK FOR THE CLASSROOM OR OUR LIBRARY?  Fill out a donation form, so we know who to thank, AND fill our the Cheesecake Battle Form to help your child's teacher win a cheesecake!

While we won't have student performances after today (FRIDAY, April 24th), our students' artwork will be up over the weekend -- and you can purchase books, DVDs, CDs, and food from the cafe over the weekend to help our Book Fair totals.

Just be sure to tell them you want your purchase to help GRACE Christian -- and if you order online, you will need this voucher code: 11586161.

THANK YOU for your support!!

Come See Us Perform!

Lou Wells
K-2 Music

Please join us at the Barnes & Noble bookstore on Walnut St. in Cary on Thursday, April 23rd at 3:30 for a "short preview" of our K-2 Spring Concert music.  (TK will be performing along with us!)

With joyful singing,
Ms. Lou


Schedule of Events:

THURSDAY, APRIL 23rd:

3:30-3:45 K-2 singers with TK

3:45-4:00 Elementary Chorus

4:00-4:30 5th grade band

4:30-5:00 6th grade band

FRIDAY, APRIL 24th:

3:30-3:45 Storytime with Mrs. Gehringer

3:45-4:15 7th-8th grade band

4:15-4:45 HS band

See you there!

Ready...Set...Practice for Field Day!

David Taylor
K-6 P.E.

First graders practiced their sack-racing skills to get ready for Field Day later this week.  Stay tuned for photos from the actual Field Day events!

SPRING BOOK FAIR in less than 2 weeks!

Carol Gehringer
Media Center

Our annual Spring Book Fair on April 23 and 24 at Barnes & Noble (Cary) is coming soon!

You can purchase books from our Required Summer Reading List, as well as ANYTHING in the store (CDs, DVDs, books, games, items from their cafe, etc.) to help. GRACE gets a percentage of the sales which we will use in both the Raleigh and Crossroads libraries.

You can pre-order cupcakes and decorate them there, while we view the student art on display, and enjoy performances by our students.

We are having a competition between classrooms: for every book you purchase from a classroom or library wish list, you can enter your teacher’s name in a drawing.  One teacher will win a cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory! (ATTACH FORM)

We will have student performances Thursday and Friday after school. Our final performance schedule will be available the week of the book fair, but we expect to see TALON there!

Our youngest students (TK, Kindergarten-2nd grade chorus) will perform, as well as our older students in band and chorus.

See you there!

Trash to Treasure: 3rd Grade Needs Plastic Bottles!

Merrily Boyd
K-6 Art

In 3rd grade art, we explore several different types of sculpture.  We learn about "assemblage sculpture" (students assemble found objects to make robot sculptures, which I then spray paint silver), we make pinchpot birds and coil pot nests from clay, and we also learn about and create mobiles (hanging sculpture).  I will share pictures of these different 3rd grade sculpture projects in upcoming posts! 

At this time, we need donations of about 30 plastic 2-liter bottles (green or clear is fine) for our upcoming mobile project.  Third graders will be turning these plastic bottles into amazing fish!

So, don't throw away your bottles!  Please bring empty 2-liter bottles (rinsed out please!) to the art room at the lower campus (room 123) by Friday, April 17th.  Thanks for your help! 

Hour Of Code=Big Hit For 4th-5th Grade

Dana Morrison

Media

Ms. Gehringer and I (Dana) swap off weeks with the 4th and 5th grades.  If it's my week, I have a 45 minute session with each of the classes.  Topics vary.  On the tech side of things we've discussed digital citizenship, creating presentations in Google, laptop care, typing assessments, and a variety of other topics.

Before spring break, we added to the variety by doing an "Hour of Code" on Code.org.  The students programmed with the "Frozen" theme.  They had to move Anna and Elsa while just using blocks of code.  Of course, the programming starts out with really simple tasks, like making Anna move 100 pixels, turn right by 90 degrees, and go forward another 100 pixels.

The tasks get harder and harder.  As I watched the students think through the problems, here are my observations:

1. Code.org could make a great introduction to geometry.  Shapes and angles in coding may help students connect mentally with what various angle sizes mean.  I think it could be used as a lab of sorts in a math class.
2. Collaboration and peer teaching ruled the room.  Some students became stumped by certain tasks.  When their neighbors were successful, you would occasionally hear, "Hey!  I figured it out!" or "What!?  How did you do that?"  During our exercises, I tried to limit the amount of help I directly gave the students and let them help each other out and try to solve problems together.  Best of all, this happened naturally.  I didn't have to force them to collaborate; it just started happening.
3. Overall, the students really seemed to enjoy the easy "drag and drop" programming style.  We even had a few students that completed the 20 exercises in the roughly 30 minutes that we used for the "Hour of Code" (no, we didn't do the full hour).
4. Females and males did equally great.  Females are sometimes under-represented in programming fields. This is a shame and I believe females should be encouraged to explore programming if they show some interest.

Since it may be difficult to base success on my observations, I decided to do a Google form and survey the students.  Here are the results:

52 students, representing 51% -  "I really enjoyed it and want to learn more"

26 students, representing 25.5% - "I enjoyed it"

20 students, representing 19.6% - "It was ok"

4 students, representing 3.9% - "I didn't really like it"

So, that's what I call "a big hit!"

Completed Mexican Folk Art Projects

Karen Harrison
K-6 Spanish

Some of the completed metal-embossing done by fifth graders in conjunction with Mrs. Boyd's instruction of Mexican Folk Art and homeroom/science plant projects. ¡Qué hermoso!

Licensed to Type

Dana Morrison
Media

At GRACE, we have a diverse ensemble of desktops and laptops at our disposal. Most users are working in the world of Apple, using 13 inch MacBook Pros, 11 inch MacBook Airs, and a few odd-ball devices here and there. Oh, and dare I (Dana) forget to mention those that are trapped in the world of all things Windows?

For most engaged in the IT realm, I think we automatically focus on the power tools. We, or at least I, think of the full computer with the full OS and the dedicated hardware as being the tool of choice. Yet, one has to admit that not every tool is appropriate for every staff member or student. Just as you wouldn't think about setting a toddler behind the steering wheel of a moving vehicle, I think it is premature to try to put a 15 inch MacBook Pro in front of a 3rd grader.

Enter Chromebooks. Our 3rd grade students have had the opportunity to learn responsibility. They have to assemble themselves in an orderly fashion to retrieve and return the Chromebooks. They must use them in a respectful manner in the classroom. They must follow the teacher's instructions at all times. They must also demonstrate proper typing technique. Not only is it a great introduction for our 3rd graders, it is also prep for the 4th grade, where they have even greater responsibility and access to a more powerful laptop.

As an educator, I cannot simply plop any device in front of a student and expect a good result if the student has not been properly instructed first. Our 3rd graders won't be creating flyers and powerpoint presentations, editing video, or making a newsletter; however, they are at least licensed to type. We'll worry about all the other licenses later.

Fifth Grade Spanish: Incorporating Art

Karen Harrison
K-6 Spanish

This week fifth graders completed their Mexican Folk Art Metal Embossing projects.  They used research pictures from their plant studies for the Arboretum as inspiration.  (See picture below.)  Mexican Folk Art is displayed outside of the fifth grade classrooms.

ACSI Art Festival & Empty Bowls

Merrily Boyd
K-6 Art

ACSI Art Festival

Friday, March 13th was a busy day for many students here at GRACE!  Each year, GRACE participates in a variety of competitive events held by ACSI (the Association of Christian Schools International), including festivals for visual arts, band, and chorus.

Artwork by 78 GRACE K-12 students was entered in our art festival, and most of those students attended the festival on March 13th.  This event is always a fun time!  Students have the chance to see their work on display, attend workshops, and receive a certificate of participation as well as ribbons in the "Good," "Excellent," and "Superior" categories.  This year from the GRACE students in Kindergarten through 6th grade who attended, 23 students earned a Good, 19 earned an Excellent, and 2 earned a Superior rating.  Great job, students!

Students attended two workshops while at the festival.  In the workshops, they followed along with an art lesson and made their own work to take home. Workshop sessions included activities like quilling (making paper sculptures with rolled up coils of paper), making masks, and a version of "Cupcake Wars"!

Many of the works of art that were entered into the Art Festival will also be seen at our Barnes & Noble book fair in Cary coming up on April 23-24 and possibly at a display at Crabtree Mall in May, so stay tuned!

      

   

   

Empty Bowls Fundraiser

In addition to participating in the ACSI Art Festival and other ACSI events, GRACE also hosted a March Madness for Missions event in the Raleigh campus gym on the same evening!  As part of the event, we held our 3rd annual Empty Bowls fundraiser.

Empty Bowls fundraisers were started by an art teacher several years ago and have since been held all over the US; the empty bowl is a symbol of the many people around our nation and world who don't know where their next meal will come from--after a meal, all that's left is an empty bowl. 

Art students in grades 6-12 spent several classes designing and glazing unique bowls.  For a donation of $10 at the evening event, visitors could not only take home a beautiful hand-glazed bowl to keep forever but also received a simple meal of a bowl of soup for dinner.  Thanks to our students' creativity and willingness to contribute their bowls to this cause, as well as the generosity of those who attended the event, we raised over $1800 for Stop Hunger Now!  It's a joy to see GRACE art students using their gifts to bless others in such a tangible way.