Every week the 2nd graders start out the week with “Math Games Monday”. Not only does this give us a break from the regular routine of lessons, but it’s just plain fun! It’s important to make sure we are using our brains and hands to do more than just writing or doing memory activities. When we play different Math games, we can use our whole bodies to move around and manipulate objects. We usually play games that reinforce what we are already learning such as: addition or subtraction facts, quick recognition of number groups, spatial reasoning, measuring, and story problems. Some of our favorite games are Blink, War, Chinese checkers, Treasure Hunting objects of different lengths, and Connect Four. Come and play with us. We would love to include you in the fun!

Playing to Learn,

Mrs. Andrea

During the last few weeks of history class, our 6th graders have been studying immigration to America. We’ve been focusing on the first great wave of immigration, from the late 1800s to the early 1900s, where huge groups of immigrants were coming because of the promise of freedom and prosperity. To complete our study, we did an overview of all the periods of immigration and at this point we decided we needed to incorporate some math into our history class! We were looking at the huge numbers of people that have immigrated from different countries and regions at different points in history, and we wanted to figure out just how many immigrants have gone to America. We spent a lot of time on our calculators, adding the total numbers of immigrants for each region, and discovered that since 1880, we’ve received the most immigrants from Europe, almost 37 million! In total, we’ve had over 70 million immigrants come to America! That’s about the current population of the Congo! It was very helpful for the students to do the work themselves to get the numbers, because as they added, they started to see how big these numbers are! This showed our students that immigration is a trend in our world that is here to stay, especially now that travel has been made easier!

~ Sarah Wheeler

Have you noticed your little one tumbling around and doing tricks at home?  Well, a couple of weeks ago we began a unit on gymnastics as a part of our weekly physical activity.  As a former gymnast and experienced coach, I am excited to be sharing my love of this sport with my students.  The students are always excited to learn new skills and to show off ones they have been practicing.  In addition to being an outlet for energy to these young students, the sport also teaches balance, control, coordination, and self-discipline while helping to strengthen their growing bodies.  If you see your child practicing tricks at home, encourage them to practice on soft ground away from hard objects or sharp corners.  Be sure they show you their favorite skill!

~ Miss Mary

Here at VVA it is important to us that our children are not only getting an excellent education, but to also learn about the community they are in and how to contribute to it. Let’s talk with one of our 2nd grade teachers to hear about something the 2nd graders have been studying this month.

VVA Reporter: I heard that you did a fantastic project in social studies this past month. What was it?

Miss Sarah: Yes! We were able to study about and make models of different kinds of communities. After that, we studied what it means to be a good citizen in a community.

VVA Reporter: Why is it important for students to learn about communities?

Miss Sarah: Learning about communities is important because it gives them a context in which to learn about the place that they live. They also get to learn ways that they can help those around them.

VVA Reporter: What were the main goals you wanted them to learn?

Miss Sarah: The goal of the project was to help the girls really understand what these different kinds of communities look like and give them an opportunity to think about the things that make communities great.

VVA Reporter:  What could you see that your students liked about this project?

Miss Sarah:  They loved being able to go through the many stages of building their community.  At first they wanted to jump right into building them, but when they slowed down, they really enjoyed the brainstorming and planning stages.

VVA Reporter:  Thanks Sarah!  The models they made look great too.  I’m sure they will remember many things about this unit and the project.

Kethia:  I liked making the different houses.  I learned that it is important to do things well, to help my community, and to respect others around me.

AnnaMarie:  I liked making the people to go in my community model.  It’s important for me to know more about the place that I live in.  Also, I learned that to be a good citizen in a community means to be kind and to do things that help other people.

VVA Reporter:  Wow!  Sounds like you two are on your way to really understanding your community and being model citizens.

It’s just a drill, drill, drill!

At 9:00 a.m. on Wednesday morning, my voice interrupted the usual VVA classroom routines.  “FIRE! FIRE! FIRE!” I yelled and then blew the ear-splitting whistle three times.  I kept on yelling and blowing the whistle for three minutes.  As our students and teachers calmly evacuated the school building, I checked each classroom, bathroom and closet to ensure the building was completely evacuated.

The students, teachers, administration, and staff gathered at the “Assembly Point” on the grass in front of the school building to await the “All Clear” announcement. After verifying that everyone safely exited the building, I proudly gave the “All Clear” and congratulated all on our first successful “Fire Drill.”

Fire Drills are important because students and teachers must know the proper way to react in the event of a fire.  Any emergency situation can be scary and cause panic, especially in young children.  However, if you’ve practiced the scenario, you can react with confidence, ensuring the safety of yourself and those around you.  Additional emergency scenarios such as an earthquake, and a lockdown will be practiced by teachers and students in the future.

~ Julie Reagan

In 6th grade science class, we’ve been learning all about space! We started with lessons about galaxies and stars, then moved on to learning the theories of early astronomers, and then began learning about our solar system! We read about the size of all of the planets, and learned how far each planet is from the sun, but it’s still hard to grasp those facts. For example did you know that you could fit over 1,000,000 Earth’s into the Sun? And Mercury, the closest planet to the sun, is over 57,000,000 km away from the sun! It’s hard to really picture the size and distance of the planets, so we decided to make a scale model! The second grade class was also learning about the Solar System at this time, so we were able to work with them on this project! We scaled down the size and distances of the planets to inches and centimeters, so that it would be easier to work with, and we mapped it out on our hallway wall. This allowed our whole school to see just how vast and grand our solar system is!

~ Sarah Wheeler

Last month, 11th graders Abby Miller and Stephen Crowson traveled to Kigali to sit for the PSAT Exam. The PSAT Exam is a preparatory exam for high school students in the 10th and 11th grades who are planning to take the SAT exam and apply to American universities. Abby and Stephen dedicated one afternoon a week for specialized PSAT practice and study. Abby, who also took the PSAT last year, noted her improvement in Math sections. “Last year my Math scores were low. But, after another year of Algebra and Geometry, plus extra practice with PSAT math questions, I’m confident that my math score will improve significantly.” Stephen added, “Now that the PSAT is over, we are focusing on building our English vocabulary and taking small SAT practice exams each week.” High scores on the PSAT and the SAT can lead to university scholarships and acceptance to the top American university. Abby and Stephen will continue to meet once a week for SAT practice and will take the SAT exam for the first time next term.

~ Julie Reagan