JANUARY 11, 2024

As we come to the end of our first full week of the new year, it is apparent that winter has arrived. We experienced our first snowstorm of the year, and I am sure we can expect more before spring arrives. Please remember to sign up for alerts regarding any changes in the school day as a result of inclement weather.

Below is a peek into some of the activities in our schools this past week. Enjoy!

For the youth,

Dr. Tina DeSa

Superintendent of Schools

Rocco Alvarado with his bot

Students in Bryan Gaiser’s 5th grade STEAM Lab focused intently on building their robots. While the students had previously learned coding, this was the first time they were building actual robots. Equipped with a LEGO SPIKE robotics set, each student chose from a set of options to construct a robot that will eventually compete in a class robotics contest.

Gaiser called one student forward to demonstrate how he was using the programming language to enable the robot to move in a particular way. Rocco Alvarado (pictured above), discussed the functions he was programming and some of the difficulty he was having in achieving his desired result. Along the way, Rocco and his peers evaluated the programming that directs the robot to complete the anticipated tasks. While the students work individually, the process is interactive, calling upon students to work together to complete steps and borrow parts for their creative designs. 

Stay tuned to see how the bots perform in a few weeks, once the building and programming are complete.

Logan Wynn and his dad read the

book to the class

One student’s Landform Dictionary

As every teacher knows, getting an entire class to sit quietly is no small feat. But that’s exactly what happened in Valerie Wiebke’s third grade class this week when a “mystery reader” appeared in her classroom. Logan Wynn’s father came to read a story that was one of his son’s favorites when he was younger, “Never, Ever Shout in a Zoo.” 

Wiebke allowed the class a break from creating their Landform Dictionaries, in which students create books that identify parts of land and their characteristics, to laugh as the parent volunteer engaged the class. This isn’t the first time the class has been treated to such a delightful experience. Wiebke regularly invites volunteer readers to read to the students, remarking to the class that recent visitors have read new books of which she was completely unaware!

Students in Lauren Davidson’s second grade class observe the comings and goings of birds in Ontario, Canada 

Bedford Road School Librarian Patrick Murphy has a passion for birds that he shares at the beginning of many class visits to the library. On a screen at the front of the room, he projects a YouTube channel showing a bird feeder with feathered visitors engaged in their daily activities. The broadcast may be from many different parts of the world. Murphy explains what the students are observing, often identifying the birds and giving details of their behavior.

Students visibly relax and observe with keen interest before embarking on the book Murphy has selected to read to the class and allowing them time to choose their own books to bring home.

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