Lower School Update - October 15, 2018

Thank You Parents!

Last week our teachers were honored to have a week to celebrate them. Thank you parents for creating such a wonderful and appreciative event on campus. From yoga classes, to special breakfasts, a fantastic dinner, and relaxing massages, we truly appreciated everything you did to make us feel special!

The Eagle’s Nest
Two classes were awarded the Golden G award today for demonstrating respect the past week. Congratulations to Ms.  Fernanda O’s Pre-primary class and Mr. Ro’s third grade class!

Eagle Way Tip of the Week

Teaching integrity is more than just a series of lessons, but also a way of being.  This article, written specifically for parents, shares 4 ways to teach integrity every day:

1. Lead by example by acting with integrity.

2. Be specific in your reasoning.

3. Offer examples of positive moral behaviors.

4. Understand that outside influences will affect character development.

Read the article for more information about each of the four strategies.

Report Cards

Just a reminder trimester one report cards will be available on Veracross on October 17. Please do review this report with your child.

Student-Led Conferences

This Wednesday and next Wednesday we will have Student-Led Conferences for students in K5 to 5th grade. There are no classes on these days, students only attend during their scheduled conference time. Please review the information about Student-Led Conferences below to have a better understanding of the purpose and roles.

LS Reads

Families, we invite you to join us in our first whole-school read! Reading together provides quality time to bond, while showing your children that this is an enjoyable, lifelong activity. When we return from vacation in January, students will have opportunities to talk with others about the book.

You can access a digital copy of the book for FREE through Tumblebooks, or you can pre-order a hard copy (in English OR Portuguese) through Livro Facil. Visit Livro Facil before Nov. 1 if you'd like to pre-order your copy. The books will take about 30 days to arrive, so they will be here before the vacation. The English copy will be R$44,90. The Portuguese copy will be R$42,00.

Upcoming Important Dates

October 17	Student-Led  Conferences (no classes for students)
October 19	LS Community A Assembly 8:15 am (auditorium)
October 24	Student-Led  Conferences (no classes for students)
October 26	LS Community B Assembly 8:15 am (auditorium)
October 29/30	5th grade field trip to Salesopolis
Nov. 1	Halloween Parade 2:00 pm (field)
Nov. 2	No school - Finados Holiday
Nov. 6	4th grade field trip Serra do mar (Ms. Thibodeaux & Ms. Trabelsi) Pre-primary field trip Dedinhos Verdes (Mrs. Oppenheimer & Mrs. Malvezzi)
Nov. 8	4th grade field trip Serra do mar (Mr. Braszell & Ms. Murphy)
Nov. 9	LS Community C Assembly 8:15 am (auditorium)
Nov. 10	PTA Thanksgiving Celebration
Nov. 13	Pre-primary field trip Dedinhos Verdes (Mrs. Martinelli, Mrs. Rodrigues & Ms. Boturão)
Nov. 15	No School - Proc. da Republica Holiday
Nov. 16	No School - bridge to the holiday (Proc da Republica)
Nov. 19	No School - bridge to the holiday (Consciencia Negra)
Nov. 20	No School - Consciencia Negra Holiday
Nov. 23	No School - Thanksgiving
Nov. 27	Pre-primary field trip Dedinhos Verdes (Mrs. Hudson & Mrs. Thomaz)
Nov. 30	LS Community D Assembly 8:15 am (auditorium)

Around the Lower School

Lower School Update - October 8, 2018

The Eagle’s Nest
Two classes were awarded the Golden G award today for demonstrating respect the past week. Congratulations to Ms.  Joyce and Ms. Alex’s K5 students who won the Golden G for their great work in art class with Ms. Cris! We also want to congratulate Mr. Wolfe’s fifth grade class!

No School for Students on Thursday and Friday

We will have another Professional Development day for all Graded faculty on Thursday. Our consultant Natalie Bolton will be working with our teacher all this week to continue the work on assessment for learning that we started at the beginning of the school year. Friday is a public holiday. Enjoy your long weekend!

Report Cards

On October 17, trimester one report cards will be available for parents on Veracross. The purpose of the report card is to provide parents and students feedback on the progress made in the first trimester and suggestions for future growth.

Student-Led Conferences

Student-Led Conferences will take place on October 17 and 24. There will be no classes on these days, so children will only attend school during their scheduled conference time. Please review the information about Student-Led Conferences below to have a better understanding of the purpose and roles.

Upcoming Important Dates

October 8 to 10	PTA Teacher Appreciation Week
October 11	Faculty Professional Development Day (no school for students)
October 12	No School - Our Lady of the Apparition Holiday
October 17	Student-Led  Conferences (no classes for students)
October 19	LS Community A Assembly 8:15 am (auditorium)
October 24	Student-Led  Conferences (no classes for students)
October 26	LS Community B Assembly 8:15 am (auditorium)
Nov. 1	Halloween Parade 2:00 pm (field)
Nov. 2	No school - Finados Holiday
Nov. 9	LS Community C Assembly 8:15 am (auditorium)
Nov. 10	PTA Thanksgiving Celebration
Nov. 15	No School - Proc. da Republica Holiday -
Nov. 16	No School - bridge to the holiday (Proc da Republica)
Nov. 19	No School - bridge to the holiday (Consciencia Negra)
Nov. 20	No School - Consciencia Negra Holiday

Around the Lower School

Curriculum Update

Math: Unit 3 is a review and extension of topics second graders are already familiar with. The four main areas of study include:

• place value in 2-digit and 3-digit numbers
• coin values and exchanges among coins
• time (digital clock) notation
• data (gathering and analyzing)

Reading: Students will begin to explore non-fiction text by focusing on the hard and flexible

work readers need to do as they solve tricky words, concepts, and domain-specific vocabulary

inside nonfiction reading books. They will work to develop an understanding of how text
features work to teach readers important and varied information about a topic. They’ll learn to read
features not only to learn from but also to check their understanding.

Writing: Students are beginning their opinion writing unit. They will develop opinions about their

reading and preferences in general. Students will learn to state opinions clearly and support these
ideas with reasons and evidence.

Science: The study of insects is in full swing as students start to observe, write notes and gather information about insects which includes their life cycles, defense systems and whether or not they are harmful to humans. Students will also be learning about different types of bees and their roles in a hive. Exploring the inside of an ant colony will also be covered.

Português: Os alunos estão escrevendo narrativas pessoais "como 2nd graders", ou seja, prestando atenção para fazer um bom início (ação, barulho ou ideia), desenvolvendo seus textos com mais detalhes para que o leitor realmente os compreenda "como se estivesse na história". A seguir, iniciaremos o trabalho de gramática a partir do texto, enfocando feminino, masculino, singular e plural (concordância nominal), a partir de um texto sobre o Saci Pererê.

Lower School Update - October 2, 2018

The Eagle’s Nest
Two classes were awarded the Golden G award today for demonstrating respect the past week. Congratulations to Ms. Joyce’s Pre-primary grade class, and Ms. Thibodeaux’s fourth grade class!

Report Cards and Student-Led Conferences

On October 17, report cards will be available for parents on Veracross. The purpose of the report card is to provide parents and students feedback on the progress made in the first trimester. Additionally, there will be suggestions for areas to focus on moving forward.

Student-Led Conferences will take place on October 17 and 24. During these days children will direct their parents through a number of activities in order for them to play an active role in their learning. Since students prepare for these conferences, and the conferences are very important for the children to document their growth and set future goals, we request all parents to attend. More information about conference sign up will be sent out on Wednesday.

Teacher Professional Development Days - Why does Graded have them?

Last Friday, all Lower School faculty gathered for a Professional Development (PD) day. On days like this, all faculty gathers to focus on particular areas of student learning. The goal is look at data and our teaching practices with a focus on continual improvement. Last Friday, our classroom and support teachers had an opportunity to focus on the standards we use to teach reading and writing. With this work, there was also time spent refining our assessments to ensure they match instruction (and can be used as tools to provide specific feedback to students). We also had a session on math, where teachers learned about the eight mathematical practices, or skills that can be transferred to use of math.

A Note from the PTA Regarding Teacher Appreciation Week

NOW IS THE TIME FOR THE GRADED COMMUNITY TO THANK OUR EDUCATORS,
THE WAYS THEY SUPPORT US, AND THE LASTING IMPACT THEY HAVE AT THE
FUTURE OF OUR KIDS AND OUR WORLD.

MAKE A DONATION
Together we can sponsor a very special week for our Graded teachers! Please consider donating R$50 or more per child so we can guarantee all our 170+ teachers and assistants are recognized. The funds will pay for the week of festivities and individual gifts for each one of our Graded educators. This year in addition we are accepting online credit card and PayPal to make the donation process easier for everyone. Please use the following link: www.graded.br/taw2018

THANK YOU NOTE
Use this opportunity to write something special to your chidren’s teachers. Teachers are used to getting notes from our kids, but feel extra special when parents take the time to write them a few words. Feel free to write notes to teachers from previous years. And please do not forget our Assistants, Librarians, Special‘s teachers (PE, Music, Art, etc) and Principals. Use positive examples of times when your teacher really made a difference in your kids’ lives. Please understand this is not a requirement but a suggestion to make our teachers feel appreciated.

Donations and Thank You Notes will be collected from September 24th through October 5th. Please place your donation in the envelope labeled TEACHER APPRECIATION and drop it off at the booth located outside the Cafeteria/Student Center, or you can send the envelope to the Lower School Office.

ORIGAMI
Help your child make an Origami Butterfly to decorate the events for the teachers. Use the provided Origami paper and follow the instructions written here. Please return your butterfly by October 3rd to your child’s teacher. Kids love to be involved!

Upcoming Important Dates

October 5	LS Community D Assembly 8:15 am (auditorium)
October 8 to 10	PTA Teacher Appreciation Week
October 11	Faculty Professional Development Day (no school for students)
October 12	No School - Our Lady of the Apparition Holiday
October 17	Student-Led  Conferences (no classes for students)
October 19	LS Community A Assembly 8:15 am (auditorium)
October 24	Student-Led  Conferences (no classes for students)
October 26	LS Community B Assembly 8:15 am (auditorium)
Nov. 1	Halloween parades
Nov. 2	No school - Finados Holiday
Nov. 9	LS Community C Assembly 8:15 am (auditorium)
Nov. 10	PTA Thanksgiving Celebration
Nov. 15	No School - Proc. da Republica Holiday -
Nov. 16	No School - bridge to the holiday (Proc da Republica)
Nov. 19	No School - bridge to the holiday (Consciencia Negra)
Nov. 20	No School - Consciencia Negra Holiday

Around the Lower School