Encore News Reel

STEM

As the school year begins, our students are enthusiastically exploring all the different materials and projects in the STEM room. We're constantly rotating our projects and groups, so if your child mentions they haven't gotten to a particular activity yet, rest assured that their turn is on the way!

Fifth Grade Robotics Update

Our fifth graders have been diving into robotics with our VEX kits. They've been exploring the many roles robots play in our daily lives and various careers.

Currently, students are building a chassis robot to re-enact the crucial role that robots played at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant after an earthquake and tsunami impacted it. The students are almost finished with their builds and are preparing to navigate their robots through an obstacle course!

Fourth Grade Flip A Clip

Using the frame-by-frame animation process, students are creating their own short cartoons and stories. Here's what they are learning along the way:

Storytelling: By planning out their animation and adding audio, students are crafting engaging narratives from scratch.
Sequencing and Logic: They are gaining a better understanding of how a story or a concept unfolds over time as they organize and build each individual frame.
Digital Skills: The class is becoming more comfortable with digital tools and platforms, developing skills that are crucial in today's world.
Patience and Persistence: Animation is a project that requires attention to detail and patience, teaching students the value of persevering to see their ideas come to life.

Third Grade Spike Essential Kits

This month, our third graders have been diving into hands-on, creative problem-solving with the new LEGO Spike Essential kits. These colorful kits are more than just building blocks; they are a cross-curricular tool that blends STEAM concepts—science, technology, engineering, art, and math—into an engaging, narrative-based learning experience. Using drag-and-drop programming, students have brought their LEGO models to life with motors, sensors, and lights. These projects encourage them to collaborate, communicate their ideas, and develop their computational thinking skills as they test and refine their creations. It's been inspiring to see their joy and excitement as they discover that learning can be both educational and incredibly fun!

Art

There are so many great things happening in the art room! We started off the year making some art passport books as we plan to travel the world though art. Each student designed a cover and added a self portrait. Below are some projects we just finished up!

Grade 3

Artwork by Evie L.

Students learned about Brazil and the Amazon rainforest, focusing on sloths—did you know they can sleep up to 20 hours a day? We blended oil pastels to create bark textures, added plants and vines for our backgrounds, and used texture and pattern to bring our sloths and hammocks to life.

Grade 4

Artwork by Harper M.

Students learned about Peru and how alpacas are treasured in the mountains. We added texture to our alpacas with pom-poms and tissue flowers inspired by Peruvian festivals and used watercolor techniques to create different values with varying amounts of water.

Grade 5

Artwork by John L.

Students learned about toucans from Brazil’s Amazon rainforest—colorful, loud birds with large beaks. We practiced observational drawing, mixed tints and shades, and explored a dry brush painting technique.

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

While the weather is still warm and dry, we try to have our PE classes outside as much as possible!

Students started the year playing Capture the Flag, a action-packed game that is a fun way to start the year, and a great way to practice cooperative skills and teamwork as students get to know their new classmates.

From there, we moved into a soccer unit in which students got to practice dribbling, passing and shooting skills. They also experienced game play in a large 12v12 game as well as multiple 5v5 or 6v6 games.

As fall weather rolls in and we transition from the 1st to 2nd grading period, we begin to focus on throwing and catching skills. We start using smaller foam "dodgeballs" in our skill practices and games, and we'll look to move on to using footballs in the next few weeks.

If weather permits, we may even get a chance to take a brief break from regular scheduled activities, and instead use our 9-hole disc golf course to practice disc or "frisbee" throwing.

Library

Gr 3

3rd graders are hard at work learning how to navigate our Bath Library collection using the online catalog and the Dewey Decimal System. They are learning library science foundations that will benefit them for a lifetime.

Gr 4

4th graders are learning how to create their own graphic designs using Canva. They are currently working on designing Google Classroom banners. The best designs will be used for our library Google Classrooms.

Gr 5

5th graders are learning about different databases they can access through INFOhio so they can find information for their classes or individual interests. A group of 5th graders was also able to take a field trip to the Akron Summit County Public Library for the annual Youth Author Spotlight.

MUSIC

3rd Graders are learning about connecting Fall word sounds to different parts of rhythm, such as quarter note, half note, a pair of eighth notes, and whole note. They've been clapping and performing on instruments to hear different sounds that can be used for writing music rhythm.

4th Graders learned about Treble Clef note placement and how to read the notes for playing their recorders. They received their recorders, folders, and music toward the end of October and are making amazing progress.

5th Graders learned how to keep track of every part of the beat, or subdivide, and count rhythm. They will continue to practice counting more difficult rhythms to prepare for bucket drumming and xylophone instrument note reading.

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