Monday, December 21, 2015

GUEST BLOGGER: MRS. NOWAKOWSKI-GRIMM


December brings many different activities and celebrations, one being the annual performance of the Nutcracker Ballet. Third grade attends this event every year and before going they have the opportunity to hear from a Ballet Austin docent.  This year was no different. Our docent, Sean Henry, explained the background of ballet and the Nutcracker. He shared how dancers dedicate hours of practice and hard work to perform on stage.

Last week we saw Act 1 of the Nutcracker Ballet.  Everyone was beautifully dressed and excited to attend the ballet at the Emma Long Center.  Students were entranced by the music and the elegant dancing.  

   

Our Oak Hill students displayed wonderful audience manners the whole time. Everyone had a fun time!


We wish all Oak Hill Families a safe and wonderful winter vacation with family and friends.

Sunday, December 13, 2015

December is a busy time of year!

December is a busy time of year! These last two weeks have been a flurry of activity and we also kept learning during the hustle and bustle of holiday activities. We had the Monster Book Fair and what a great time it was! There were so many fun activities and so many shoppers!  We had an awesome family shopping night and the Soaring Eagle Singers put on a wonderful show.  They really got us into the holiday spirit! Clifford made a daily appearance at the school, which the students really enjoyed. Here are a few of my favorite pictures from the book fair:














We also celebrated College week with various college awareness activities throughout the week. Many students and staff wore their college shirts all week and the classes also participated in a college poster contest. There were so many great entries that it was very difficult to choose a winner. Look at all of this super work- and these are just a few.























Soaring Eagle singers went caroling on Friday and performed at Freescale, AMD, and Central Market. It was very cool to see them sing and I know they brightened the holidays for many! One Freescale employee sent me a note that said : "This morning the Soaring Eagles Singers visited Freescale and performed several songs.  I wanted to write to you and tell you that the kids did a fantastic job.  The large crowd was responsive and gave them a lot of applause.  I'd also like to give the music coordinators recognition.  The songs the kids sang were a refreshing twist on the classics." I would agree- the singers are fantastic and the music teachers deserve recognition for their hard work! 











This past week was a bit more low key as we had to complete middle of the year benchmarks in grades 3, 4 and 5. These tests give us valuable data about how we can best help the students be prepared for the years ahead and fill in any holes they have in their knowledge.

Students also viewed a presentation from one of the robotics teams, the Techno Penguins. They created a beeper that you put in your reusable grocery bags to remind you to take them back to your car so that you can reuse them the next time you go to the store. They competed in the robotics competition this Saturday and won best project! Way to go!

Third grade went to the Nutcracker this week. They will be blogging about that soon to give you more information about their experience. I heard they had an amazing time and that they were the best behaved group in the theater!

This coming week will be a flurry of activity as we close out the first semester of school. The teachers have many fun and educational activities planned and of course we have our winter parties. It's going to be a great week!




Wednesday, December 2, 2015

GUEST BLOGGER: MRS. BENTLEY

Second grade was very busy in the months of October and November! We had the Austin fire department come out and teach us about fire safety during Fire Safety month. The fireman happened to be Mrs. Bentley's nephew, so we got special treatment. The students got to see the ladder raised up all 30 stories and watched a firefighter climb all the way to the top!

 
 


We also had second grade Science Days where the students rotated to all 7 classrooms and learned about balance, force and motion. In each classroom, the students had a hands-on lesson and wrote about what they learned. They made spinners, shot marshmallows, rolled for speed, made zoomers, did a balancing pencil trick and much more. They loved it! Science is definitely a favorite of 2nd graders.

We ended the month by being on KEYE news. Collin Meyers, KEYE meteorologist came to visit and speak to the students about weather. He was an awesome speaker and the kids learned a lot about weather and how to stay safe. We took a selfie with him at the end of the presentation and were on the news that Saturday.


Lots of learning and hands on lessons happening in 2nd grade. The students are fully engaged and loving all the experiences of connecting learning with real life.