October with the Spirit and Polar Bears!

October was a BUSY and exciting month here at CDS. The Polar Bears and Spirit Bears have kept very busy in both their academic and seasonal adventures! Because the month has been so engaging, we have a lot to update you on. We hope you enjoy our photographs, and are looking forward to another exciting autumn month!

Unit on Charlottesville

As part of our perspective and social studies units we have delved into Charlottesville’s past and present, in order to expose children to change over time.

 We had Charlottesville Day School parents paint a picture with words and images about how Charlottesville has developed since the 1970s. The children were engaged, enthusiastic, and shocked to find out how different things were! The downtown mall was a ghost town? The regal movie theater hasn’t been here for years? Through pictures, words, and stories they have determined that culture is shaped by innovation – for example: cell phones, television, internet, transportation methods. With that in mind, the Charlottesille-Albemarle Historical Society took us on a tour of Maplewood Cemetery. We heard stories, learned about different symbols, and about famous historical people and events that helped paint a picture of Charlottesville in the early 1800s. 

Bottle Transformation:

The bottle transformation experience originated from a course on creativity at UVa. Last year our middle-schoolers were inspired by the challenge of transforming a can. The feedback was so positive that we decided to jump on the train and explore creativity with our bears! Their enthusiasm this year matched those of the middle schoolers! They worked very hard on their project for several hours, some insisting on working through their recess time!

Their results were a kaleidoscope of ideas, which we were able to combine with the ideas of the university students in an anonymous gallery. Students then rated their designs on categories such as novelty, use, and aesthetics.

It was fascinating to see the children evaluate their peers’ projects and reflect on their own process and product.

 

1^st/2^nd Collaboration: The Writing Process

Fall came with beautiful colors, delicious smells, spooky stories, and plenty more to inspire our bears to write thoughtful, elaborate fall poems. The Spirit and Polar Bears worked on the writing process while creating and editing their work for excellence. We were effective editors and inspired the 1^st/2^nd graders to elaborate on their own fall poetry. They took great ownership in reading their poems using tone and all the tools in their writing toolbox in order to help the Black and Brown Bears create something they could be equally proud of!

 

Author Study Boards:

Our Bears had the opportunity to take their summer reading to a new level! We couldn’t be prouder of how they embraced and committed to their work. We made connections and comparisons between their books and authors. We found similarities and differences, and discussed ideas about what inspired their authors to create each work. The bears found exciting facts about their authors that they couldn’t wait to share! We concluded the project with a Festival of the Book in the MAC. Students shared their summaries and facts with the Kindergarten through the Middle School, inspiring other readers to pick up and love their books as much as they do!

Grandparents Day

We were so ecstatic to welcome over 80 grandparents and special friends to our classrooms this October for Grandparents Day! We loved looking at their photos, hearing their stories, and sharing our classroom activities and experiences with everyone. Thank you to everyone for helping make this day such a lovely experience!

 

Harvest Festival

After being SO inspired by our read aloud Masterpiece, the Polar and Spirit Bears chose to dress up as Art Thieves for the Harvest Festival! Each student was presented with their own masterpiece created by an artist who is featured at the National Gallery to research, study, and recreate. We couldn’t have been more impressed with how they jumped into this project! Their attention to detail and enthusiasm for their artist made the project all the more meaningful. Our classrooms will continue this project with a biography study of their artist and a study of their artist’s city which will connect to a 3^rd/4^th grade timeline of Charlottesville!

 We are looking forward to another month full of adventures! We will keep you updated with all of our plans and academic goals as we continue to move forward with this exciting year!

With our sincerest thanks for everything you do,

Theresa, Karin, and Katie