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.