I hope all of our families had a relaxing and restful winter break. The New Year brings endless possibilities, resolutions, and the opportunity to start fresh. We hope that 2025 is a positive one. If at any point your family may need any help or assistance, please reach out.
Bryn Mawr will be participating in the Great Kindness Challenge from January 10th through February 14th. We will kick off the Great Kindness Challenge with a Kindness Assembly on January 10th. We will be sending home a white circle snowball the following week for students to decorate and write a random act of kindness they have done at home or in the community and return to school on January 24th. We will have kindness spirit week January 27th - January 31st. See our important dates below for the spirit themed days. Mrs. Moriarty will focus on SEL kindness lessons, there will be books shared with grade levels, and each classroom and specialist will nominate Captains of Kindness to spread kindness throughout our community on February 14th.
Bryn Mawr School will be collecting boxed food for Auburn Youth and Family Services from January 10th - February 7th. There will be a competition where each boxed food item will count as 1 vote, and cereal donations will count as 5 votes for a staff member to dress up as a heart. We will send more information about this soon, but if you come across a few good sales please be thinking about this donation collection!
This is a reminder that with the cold weather, students will need to wear coats, hats, gloves or mittens, and boots while on the playground. If there is snow on the ground, snow pants are also required to play in the snow. Please dress warmly, as we try to go out whenever the temperature and wind chill are at safe levels to enjoy some fresh air and the opportunity to run around.
A healthy child not only exhibits physical well-being but emotional, social, and intellectual wellness as well. Below are tips and ideas for promoting a healthy, well-rounded lifestyle for your child.
Nutrition: Ensure your child has a balanced diet that includes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, proteins, and dairy products. Limit sugary and processed foods where you can. When students come to school after a healthy breakfast, they have the energy they need to start the day!
Exercise: Encourage physical activity by incorporating movement into your child's daily routine. Activities like playing sports, going for walks, or riding bikes together can be fun and healthy for the whole family.
Sleep: Make sure your child gets adequate sleep for their age. A good night's rest is essential for growth and cognitive development and changes children’s overall mood! Hydration: Talk with your child about the importance of staying hydrated by drinking water throughout the day. When children are dehydrated, they can be unfocused and lack energy. Also, limit sugary drinks or caffeine for children, their bodies do not need it, and it often affects their mood and behavior.
Emotional Regulation: Teach your child to recognize and manage their emotions. Offer strategies for coping with stress and adversity and remind children that everyone experiences a range of emotions, but how we handle them is what matters! Giving children the tools and words to accurately communicate, process, and deal with their emotions can help them more than we as adults realize!
Healthy Relationships: Help your child build positive relationships with family, peers, and teachers. Encourage empathy, respect, and kindness in their interactions, and model healthy relationships in your own life.
Boredom: Kids don’t like to be bored, and it’s easy to hand them a screen to buy you time and peace. However, boredom is key to their development. It encourages them to be creative and use their imagination. Ensure your child has unstructured, independent time each day.
Model Healthy Habits: Lead by example. Your child can learn from seeing your healthy behaviors, so prioritize your own well-being.
Creating a healthy child includes nurturing their physical, emotional, social, and intellectual well-being. By focusing on these aspects, you are helping your child develop the skills and resilience they need to live a healthy, well-balanced lifestyle.
Happy New Year!
It has been an absolute joy meeting all of my new students and getting to know them better each day! I am truly amazed by the incredible talent and creativity these young artists bring to the classroom. The kindness and support I’ve received from both the staff and your children have been heartwarming and deeply appreciated.
So far this year, we’ve been diving into the elements of art, starting with line and shape, and we’ve just begun exploring color!
In Kindergarten, students explored geometric shapes by using foam pieces to design their own castles or cities. Next, we introduced organic shapes, highlighting their flowing, freeform lines. To bring this concept to life, students created whimsical organic shape monsters using oil pastel, starting with a string to outline their unique forms. The results were fantastic, and the students are so excited to bring their artwork home to share with you! We’ve just begun exploring the element of color and started creating vibrant mouse color wheels inspired by the book Mouse Paint by Ellen Stoll Walsh.
First graders have been exploring the element of shape through an engaging organic shape collage project. Using beautifully designed scrapbook paper of their choice, they cut out organic shapes and took inspiration from the work of Henri Matisse, learning about the art of collage along the way.
We’ve now transitioned to the element of color, discovering how Sir Isaac Newton invented the color wheel and revealed the science behind the rainbow. To bring this knowledge to life, students have begun a vibrant "Birds of Color" project using watercolor, inspired by the story Mixed by Arree Chung. It’s been an exciting journey of creativity and discovery!
Second graders have been exploring the elements of art through a variety of exciting projects! They took inspiration from artist Paul Klee to design vibrant geometric shape cities or castles using colored pencils, while also learning how to use a ruler to create straight edges.
Next, we transitioned to organic shapes, discovering how humans and even our shoe prints are made of organic forms. Students traced their shoes and transformed the outlines into colorful shoe print animals using oil pastels—a project they absolutely loved and worked hard to complete!
Now, we’re diving deeper into the element of color by creating stunning rainbow watercolor forests. Students have learned techniques for drawing trees, blending watercolors, and adding abstract leaves for extra flair. These masterpieces are turning out beautifully!
I am looking forward to this new year! Stay tuned to see the incredible creativity and exciting learning happening in art class!
Happy New Year!
I hope everyone had a wonderful, restful vacation. Prior to vacation, the students had been hard at work on their fitness, soccer and basketball skills. The students were introduced to long distance running and played a variety of scooter games like pac-man and scooter hockey! Students worked hard on their manipulative skills through dribbling with hands and feet, passing, and shooting.
As we return, the students will be working on manipulative skills which are movement skills that require the ability to handle an object or piece of equipment with control. The target skills will be practiced through basketball (dribbling) and striking with different implements. Each unit will continue to highlight PAK’s values of being safe, respectful, responsible, and kind. I look forward to continued progress as we enter the end of the year. After the new year, we will be starting floor hockey which is a brand new unit this school year! I look forward to everyone's continued progress and best effort.
Please send in pictures of your child being active outside of school! You can send in a picture or email me a picture and I can print it out. I will be putting together a bulletin board in the hallway showcasing activity outside of school. A reminder as we enter the cold winter months, please send your child in with a pair of sneakers on PE day for safety. I would also appreciate paper towel donations to help clean up the occasional water spills. Thank you for your continued support!
In good health,
Miss. D
Happy New Year! Exciting developments are underway in our Technology class this year. Over the past few weeks, we have been engaging in Science (STEAM) Units through the innovative program, Project Lead the Way, which is sparking creativity among our students!
In Kindergarten, students are diving into the world of coding and programming. In this unit, they are tasked with assisting Mylo, Suzi, and Angelina in animating characters for a story. This experience will help them identify, discuss, and rectify errors, teaching them that mistakes are a natural part of the learning journey.
First Graders are embarking on a unit focused on writing and animating their own stories. They are currently in the storytelling phase and will soon bring their narratives to life using the Scratch Jr. coding program for animation.
Second Graders will tackle a project that involves designing a game with controllers that they can enjoy with their friends. This project presents a greater challenge as the coding involved is becoming more complex. Nevertheless, students have been collaborating effectively, learning coding tips and how to send messages to characters using codes in Scratch Jr.
We aim to keep developing our coding skills while also incorporating typing through the Keyboarding without Tears Typing Program. This program is designed to assist each student by demonstrating proper finger positioning and teaching essential typing skills.
Stay tuned for some wonderful learning going on in Technology class.!
Scan the QR code below to learn more about the coding app Scratch Jr.
(Can be scanned using the camera on your device)
