Sunday, November 20, 2016

Thankful


As we head into Thanksgiving break, I have been reflecting how grateful I am to be part of an amazing school community who, first and foremost, cares about the well-being of the children we serve and of one another. 




I've also been reflecting on how appreciative and thrilled I am to participate in classrooms where teachers are trying new, innovative teaching practices to empower our students to 
  • collaborate
  • problem-solve
  • innovate
  • express their creativity
  • identify and pursue their curiosities and interests
  • and be genuinely motivated to find, read and discuss high-quality, "just-right" literature. 


This student was so proud of his research and the discoveries he is making about the Periodic Table of Elements through his personalized learning experiences that began last year and are continuing this year. 

These third-grade students were collaborating with Mrs. Kenney in the production of their Solar System research video.
Fourth-grade students researched Native American leaders. They then identified attributes of leaders and connected these attributes to themselves and to leaders in their lives. There were some powerful life lessons to think about during this discussion!

Second-grade students learned about the election process and applied it to fictional characters in the classroom. It was great to see their active involvement and listen to their discussions in weighing the pros and cons of each candidate's campaign agenda. They were being such responsible citizens!




Thanks to PTA Art Volunteers, our students can learn about famous artists and works of art in-depth. We are inspired to think creatively from these wonderful experiences!
The multiage and second-grade musical performance, A Bowl Full of Silly, made us all laugh and smile.
Bravo, second grade!


I am so proud of the Dryden School Community, and I am so thankful for all that this community does to benefit our students. Happy Thanksgiving! 

Sunday, November 13, 2016

All Hands Together

At Dryden, we strongly focus on being a kind and caring community, both within and beyond our school walls. As a caring community, we wanted to express our gratitude to the veterans who have served our country.


We created this flag to honor veterans on Veterans Day. If you look closely you can see that it is made of hand cut-outs. Every student traced and cut out an outline of their hand to make this flag. Like each hand in this flag, every individual who contributed to this flag is unique, very special and has the power to contribute to the goodness of our country. 


All of our students, staff and PTA worked together to welcome and express our gratitude to veterans for their service and sacrifices to protect our freedom, as you can see in the video below. 



Sunday, November 6, 2016

One for the Record Books

Cubs win! Cubs win!
It was an exciting week that ended on a very positive note, with the Chicago Cubs baseball team winning the World Series for the first time in 108 years! We had much to celebrate throughout the week!


With all of our attention and energy focused on cheering on the Cubs, it's hard to believe that our Halloween parade and celebrations were just a few days ago. It was such a beautiful day to be outside walking and crunching through the fall leaves in our creative costumes.


The whole staff joined in on the fun. We dressed up as Waldo and Wenda from the book series, Where's Waldo? If anyone asks you, "Where's Waldo?," you can respond, "At Dryden School!"


We greatly thank the Dryden PTA and many parent volunteers for providing many fun games and crafts for our students at the classroom parties. 



The day after the Cubs won the penant, our first grade students put on an all-star musical performance with music teacher, Mr. Deptula. They showed off many talents by singing, dancing and playing the xylophones. Bravo, First Grade!


On the day of the Cubs Championship Parade, many dads, grandfathers, uncles and caregivers came to Dryden sporting their Cubbie pride and new World Series Champion apparel during our Dads & Doughnuts breakfast. We thank the PTA for providing this special opportunity to welcome so many families to Dryden and start our morning at school together. 




What a week of celebrating! Certainly one for the record books!