Thursday, December 17, 2015

Sharing is Caring


SHARING A LOVE OF LEARNING

Our fourth grade classes enjoyed sharing their research and learning from one another about Native Americans. Students brought history to life as they recreated the landscapes, homes and tools of various tribes. 

As students visited one another's classrooms they took careful notes about the tribes their peers researched. It was so wonderful to see how they learned about the history, geography and traditions of Native Americans from different regions in the United States

SHARING WITH NEW FRIENDS

It was also a special treat to have a class from Futabakai Japanese School spend the day at Dryden. Our student ambassadors did a great job welcoming them, showing them around our school and participating in some special cooperative activities together. It's exciting to see the children learn about one another's cultures and build friendships. 


SHARING WITH THE COMMUNITY

It was so uplifting to experience the generosity of the Dryden community during the donation drive to benefit the local organization Northwest Compass this week. Northwest Compass supports those who are vulnerable or in crisis. We are so thankful to all who donated. 

SHARING THROUGH SONG

Another way our students shared in the community was by caroling at a local grocery store after school with our music teacher, Mr. Deptula. During the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, it was so nice to see the customers slow down and smile as they strolled past our jolly carolers. 

SHARING FROM OUR HEARTS

December can be a frigid month, but listening to young children sing always warms our hearts. First grade sang about holidays around the world, helping us experience the beauty and wonder of many special cultures and traditions. It's amazing how music connects us all. 

May this season of sharing and caring bring peace and joy to all!

Friday, December 11, 2015

Coding Craze Continues!

This week, Dryden Technology Facilitator, Mrs. Breaux, is our guest blogger. She has a wealth of coding apps and activities that she wanted to share with you:

In honor of the #HourOfCode, students were treated to lessons in coding during the month of December.  Lessons were carefully crafted to move students through several skill sets used in coding.  It’s important to note that many of the skills used in coding apply to learning in general.  For example, problem solving, perseverance, critical thinking.

The first lessons involved Kinesthetic exercises, referred to as “unplugged”lessons, followed by an iPad App lesson, and ending with a Code.org experience.  Students were captivated by the “unplugged” lessons, thrilled with the iPad lessons and enthralled by the code.org options. In other words, students enjoyed the coding experience.

You can view pictures and videos of the student coding experience on twitter by following @DrydenTech or on the Dryden School Facebook page.

Links to apps and video used in lessons, as well as additional resources, are included below.  Many of the apps, as well as code.org are free.  Students may be interested in continuing the  coding experience at home.

For Grades K - 2
Coding Unplugged Grid/Arrows on floor from code.org
Kodable App on iPads
code.org Course 1 lesson 4, Maze Sequence using ARROWS. iPad or Computer.
or

For Grades 3 - 5
Lightbot Hour of Code App on iPads
CargoBot App on iPads

Addtional Resources
Google: Made w/ Code and Other Projects (block code) offer a variety of challenges that can be accomplished in short time frames.  Access from a browser on Computer or iPad. Easy to do at home or in classroom centers.    

code.org:  StarWars and Minecraft projects for the hour of code  New 2015!!
code.org: Code with Anna & Elsa of Frozen (block code) an hour of code instruction with progressively more challenging coding steps.
code.org: Angry Birds (block code) more hour of code fun with the popular angry birds series.
code.org: Play Lab (block code) in addition to moving blocks and selecting variables, this set of exercises offers fill in the "words" to increase the skill level.
All these options from CODE.ORG can be accessed from a browser on Computer or iPad.  Easy to do at home or in classroom centers.  No login required.

Khan Academy Hour of Code: Drawing pictures with code and/or Drawing pictures with Blocks  both featuring snowmen!  Also try Khan hour of code from 2013 projects.

Scratch Hour of Code 2014 : see additional projects here
The folks at MIT developed Scratch and Scratch Jr in an effort to get younger students engaged in coding.  Scratch can be a little more challenging, but students quickly adapt and love it.  

A game that allows kids to learn the basics of programming, Cargo-bot is the first game programmed entirely on iPad using Codea. A puzzle game where users teach a robot how to move and reassemble crates into color patterns, this app provides  high-quality retina graphic, and recordable solutions users can share on YouTube.  YouTube also has great "cheats" as some of these puzzles are quite a challenge.

Light-bot App (coding concepts for younger students)
Similar to Cargo-bot, but a little easier, this coding app is a programming puzzle game: a puzzle game that uses game mechanics that are firmly rooted in programming concepts. Light-bot lets players gain a practical understanding of basic control-flow concepts like procedures, loops, and conditionals, just by guiding a robot with commands to light up tiles and solve levels. Light-bot features 40 levels and 20 challenge stars to collect.

Daisy the Dinosaur App (younger students create with block code)
Learn the basics of computer programming in this coding app that has an easy drag-and-drop interface that students of all ages can use to animate Daisy to dance across the screen. Students will intuitively grasp the basics of objects, sequencing, loops and events by solving this app’s challenges. After playing Daisy, kids can choose to download a kit to program their own computer game.

Hopscotch App (blockly code for older students)
Hopscotch requires a login.  It teaches students to code using simple, intuitive building blocks. Students can create games, animations and other programs, as well as tell stories in this colorful, interactive environment. Students can program characters to move and use commands like shaking, tilting, or even shouting at the iPad to control them. Hopscotch was inspired by MIT’s Scratch.

Kodable App
Kodable is a game offering a kid-friendly introduction to programming concepts and problem solving. For kids ages 5 and up, and tools for adults as well.  This app is ideal for grades K through 2 aged students.


Happy Coding,
Beth Breaux

Dryden Technology Facilitator





Friday, December 4, 2015

It's More Than Just Coding

The Dryden LMC has taken coding by storm this month! Our school pledged on code.org that all of our students would do an hour of code this month, but in reality we are doing so much more.  
 
This week, students were introduced to how coding works without using computers. They worked with partners to create and follow programs using grids, arrows, pictures and cups.




As we delve deeper into coding this month students will be using a variety of computer activities from code.org to strengthen students' coding skills.


Students in the primary grades are enjoying the Kodable app on the iPads.


Throughout these experiences, students are learning far more than just coding. They are learning from iterations--making mistakes and correcting them as they work on solving increasingly complex problems. They are learning about the importance of precision and accuracy. They are learning the language of coding, and how coding is like learning and using a foreign language. They are learning to effectively communicate and collaborate with one another. They are discovering patterns and developing their creativity as they formulate new codes.

Friday, November 20, 2015

Attitude of Gratitude

With Thanksgiving right around the corner, I am feeling very thankful for the "attitude of gratitude" that is part of our school culture on Thanksgiving and every day.

Our Student Council dubbed today Tie Dye Day! 
I am thankful for the fun-loving school spirit of our students and staff at Dryden.

I am thankful for the safety patrols who continue to be positive role models for our students and help everyone to be safe. 

I am thankful for our LMC Director, Mrs. O'Kelly, and Dryden PTA for bringing author/illustrator Ethan Long to Dryden this past Thursday. 

I am thankful for author/illustrator Ethan Long sharing his artistic talents and thought processes behind the entertaining books he creates.

 I am thankful for our School Resource Officer for helping to keep our community safe and for teaching us safety tips for when we are around strangers, and how to get help when we experience bully behavior. 

I am thankful for Mayor Hayes' visit to Dryden to teach our students about local government and all the different aspects of his important job. 

I am thankful for our art teacher, Mrs. Fuglestad, and all the students who worked together to create this beautiful Lego mural. This mural reminds us that Dryden is a place where caring, respect, trustworthiness, citizenship, responsibility and fairness are at the heart of all we do at school. 

I am thankful for our climbing wall at Dryden! One of my goals is to climb all the way across the wall without falling. It's humbling to see the young children so quickly amble their way across. For me, it takes careful motor-planning, as my coordination and agility is not up to their level. This is a big challenge for me! Yet, the encouragement, high-fives and hugs from the children keep me motivated. I'm constantly learning from our students and am always so inspired by them. Each week, I get a little stronger, and a little closer to reaching my goal. 

Truly, I am so thankful for EVERY student, staff member and parent of Dryden. Each person makes our school feel like a community, a team, a family where caring, fun and learning thrive. 
Happy Thanksgiving!












Friday, November 13, 2015

Honoring our Veterans

Veterans Day at Dryden was a very special day to remember, honor and thank those who have served in the military. Students, staff and families came together to thank our local veterans for keeping us safe and protecting our freedom.



The morning began with a special breakfast for the veterans and their families. A special assembly followed. The Girl and Cub Scouts led a formal opening flag ceremony and led the school in the Pledge of Allegiance.  




It was an honor to have over 40 Veterans come to our school. Their service in the military spanned over 70 years, from the early 1940’s to the present. Dryden students and staff introduced the special guests they brought to school so that we all could learn a little about each veteran’s role.



Being in school on this national holiday gave us a valuable opportunity to learn about Veterans Day and pay tribute to all that Veterans have done for us. Miss Wilson and students created a lovely video that captured how our students were able to learn about Veterans Day and share their appreciation as we prepared for this special day.


As we learned about Veterans Day at Dryden, each grade prepared something special to express their appreciation. Kindergarten and first grade students decorated placemats. Second and third grade students created banners. Fourth grade students painted the seals of each military branch: army, navy, air force, marines and coast guard. Fifth grade students wrote and illustrated a special poem, which was printed on a special bookmark and placed in goody bags that they made.



At Dryden, we often wrap up our assemblies by singing a song. For this assembly our music teacher, Mr. Deptula, led us all in singing “This Land is Your Land”. This song really helped us appreciate that we get to live, work and play in a such a beautiful country where we have the freedom to share, explore and enjoy all that life has to offer.


The assembly ended with a closing flag ceremony and a mini-parade in the hallway.


After the assembly, many veterans visited classrooms for interviews and opportunities for students to share their appreciation.


It was a very meaningful day for all! There are many people to thank for making Veterans Day special at Dryden:
  • The Dryden Staff Veterans Day Committee
  • The Dryden PTA
  • The Girl and Cub Scouts of Dryden Elementary School
  • All Dryden Staff and Students
  • All of our VETERANS and their Families



Friday, November 6, 2015

T.H.I.N.K.

It looks like Echo, our dolphin mascot, wants us to "T.H.I.N.K." and demonstrate good digital citizenship at Dryden! 



This is the poster that Echo is holding along with a giant iPad. Before using the Internet, we constantly encourage our students to "THINK" using the acronym above. 

There are many technological tools and resources available that enhance our learning in so many wonderful ways. We have access to a wealth of information in multimedia formats. There are unlimited opportunities for creative expression, communication and collaboration with people all over the world. 


It's important for our children to make safe, responsible and caring choices in all aspects of their lives, including when using the Internet.  


We thank our Technology Facilitator, Mrs. Breaux, for her leadership in ensuring good digital citizenship at Dryden!




Friday, October 30, 2015

Fall Festivities

It has been a fabulous, festive week at Dryden!
We have been celebrating Character Counts and Red Ribbon Days. 
Each day, our mascot Echo and all of the students and staff would dress in the color of the Character Pillar of the day:
Blue = Trust
Green = Responsibility
Yellow = Respect
Orange = Fairness
Red = Caring
Purple = Citizenship


Our Student Council shared information about the Character Pillar during our morning announcements. They tied red ribbons on every door nob in our school to remind us to make healthy choices. 


Mrs. Thompson and Mrs. Moxley led students in special activities during lunch and recess that focused on making healthy choices and using the six pillars of good character. 


Our PTA, staff and students worked together to learn about Food Allergy Awareness and the Teal Pumpkin Project.  


It was a beautiful day for a costume parade through the neighborhood!



Our staff Halloween costume theme was "Emojis".  It was so fun to see the many characters and expressions together! 







We thank the PTA for bringing us many fun games, crafts and treats for the classroom Halloween parties following the parade! It was very special and fun-filled week! Many thanks to our staff and parents for making it so wonderful for the children!