Cultural Awareness Family Night - Around the USA

Wow! What an incredible turnout there was for our Cultural Awareness Family Night, Thursday! The gym was packed with activity, excitement, learning and laughter! This year the Cultural Awareness theme was the USA. It was evident that there was A LOT of work put into the events this year! The planning committee; Michelle Crowley, Shauna Brown, and Sueann Fraga worked tirelessly for months to make it happen. But you could also see that there were MANY other volunteers involved. Also, the teachers and students worked hard to make some great exhibits and to help this great cultural experience happen. This has been a very successful event every year which is rich in IB elements of international mindedness and real life education! And it keeps getting better and better!

Here are some images of the great night:

Great Job of describing the fun stuff in our region!

What a yummy way to experience the rest of our country!

A look at the other side of the country and it's rich history

An example of our indispensable volunteers!

Entertaining and educational experience from the "Spirit Eagle Dancers"

The whole night was a celebration of our patriotism for our nation

THANK YOU ALL FOR HELPING, LEARNING AND ENJOYING!

Parental Involvement With Child's Education-Priceless

Parents are their child's first teachers. Why should that stop once our children start school? As a matter of fact I would argue that it is even more important. Research studies consistently reveal that high student achievement and self-esteem are closely related to positive parental participation in education. Parents AND teachers need to work together to provide the best for our children. To provide the best opportunity for our children's success, parents must find time to participate in their education and schools must provide the supports necessary for them to be involved. That is why at CH we expect parents to be involved. Yes, sometimes that is not easy-especially in these economic times. But we have single parents, working and going to school that are actively helping at the school.
Below is a list of 50 ways parents can help schools in their child's education. Please look at these wholeheartedly and become involved- for YOUR child's sake.

50 Ways Parents Can Help Schools

The Center for School Change (n.d.) lists the following ways that parents can become involved in schools:

• Come to school to assist.
1. Share information with a student or class about a hobby.
2. Share information with a student or a class about a career.
3. Share information with students about a country you visited or lived in.
4. Tutor one or a small group of students in reading, math, or other area.
5. Help coach an athletic team.
6. Help check a student's written work.
7. Help put out a school or classroom newsletter (can also be done at home).
8. Help sew or paint a display.
9. Help build something (such as a loft in a classroom or new playground).
10. Help students work on a final exhibition or project (can also be done at home or workplace).
11. Help answer the schools' phone.
12. Help plan a new playground for the school.*
13. Help plan a theme-based presentation for students.*
14. Help present a theme-based program for students.*
15. Demonstrate cooking from a particular country or culture to students.*
16. Share a particular expertise with faculty (such as use of computers, dealing with disruptive students).
17. Help students plan and build an outdoor garden or other project to beautify the outside of the school.
18. Help coach students competing in an academic competition (such as Odyssey of the Mind, Future Problem Solving, Math Masters).
19. Help bring senior citizens to school to watch a student production.
• Help arrange learning opportunities in the community.
1. Help set up an internship or apprenticeship for a student at your business, organization, or agency.*
2. Host a one-day 'shadow study' for one or a small group of students about your career in business or some other organization.
3. Go on a local field trip with a teacher and a group of students.
4. Go on an extended (3-5 day) cross-country field trip with a teacher & students.*
5. Contact a particular local business or organization regarding possible cooperation.*
6. Help to create a natural area outside the building where students can learn.

Serve on an advisory or decision-making committee.

7. Serve on the school-wide site council.
8. Serve on a school committee that reports to the site council.
9. Serve on a district committee representing the school.
10. Serve as an officer in the school's PTA.
11. Help organize a parent organization for the school.
12. Help design a parent and or student survey for the school.
13. Help conduct and or tabulate results of a parent survey regarding the school.

Share information or advocate for the school.

14. Serve as a member of a 'telephone tree' to distribute information quickly.
15. Write a letter to legislators about the school.
16. Write a letter to school board members about the school.
17. Go to a school board meeting to advocate for the school.
18. Go to another school to provide information about this school.
19. Help design a brochure or booklet about the school.
20. Help translate information from the school into a language other than English.
21. Help translate at a parent-teacher conference for people who don't speak English well.
22. Provide transportation to a parent-teacher conference for a parent who needs a ride.
23. Write an article for publication in a magazine about the school's activities.
24. Help arrange for a political leader (mayor, city council, state representative, member of Congress) to visit the school.

Increase financial resources available to the school.

25. Help write a proposal that would bring new resources to the school.
26. Donate money and materials to the school.
27. Arrange for a business or other organization to donate materials to the school.
28. Help with a fundraiser for the school.

Help other parents develop their parenting skills.

29. Help teach a class for parents on ways they can be stronger parents.
30. Help produce a videotape for parents on ways they can be more effective parents.
31. Help write, publish, and distribute a list of parenting tips.

Source: http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/envrnmnt/famncomm/pa1lk20.htm

How can I be involved in my child’s education?

http://www.kidsource.com/kidsource/content2/How.Involved.html

Nothing feels better than being there to help your child grow.

Channing Hall helps set world record!

Channing Hall last month helped set a World record in......Speed Stacking!

So how many people were needed to "stack" for a world record?
The final number being submitted to Guinness World Records® for "Most People Sport Stacking at Multiple Locations in One Day" is 316,757 representing 1,627 schools and organizations from 25 countries. We helped make it happen!

Thanks to Rosanne Delaney who organized the activity. She has been incorporating stacking in brain gym to stimulate brain activity. Stacking improves hand-eye coordination and reaction time by up to 30 percent. Sport stacking helps students develop bilateral proficiency equal performance on both sides of the body. By increasing bilateral proficiency, a student develops a greater percentage of the right side of the brain, which houses awareness, focus, creativity and rhythm.

CH Christmas Card

IB TOY STORY

Here's a neat blog about an IB teacher in Australia using IB PYP inquiry around learning about and designing their own toys. I find this very relevant in this season of buying. It would be neat seeing our kids delving into the background of toys and their meaning a bit more. Maybe it might make them think just a little more about what they are getting in a couple of days. Just saying.

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYBODY!

Channing Hall Performing Arts- Presents:

ONCE UPON A MATTRESS
A two thumbs up for our own performing arts team tonight at Midvale Middle School. This was a hilarious, cute and enchanting musical that made the one hour performance, over, way too soon. Shelby Evans as Princess Winnifred (Fred) and Winter Brailow as Queen Aggravain did a magnificent job playing the lead roles in the musical adaptation of the story of The Princess and the Pea. Charming supporting roles by Nicholas Nord, Douglas Pahl and the rest of the CH cast made for an endearing time. Our 2nd and 4th grade boys loved it!

ONE MORE CHANCE! They will be performing again tomorrow night at the Midvale Middle School at 7 pm.

DON'T MISS IT! TAKE THE FAMILY!

IB Video on Middle Years Program

Here's a great video explaining the MYP IB years and what we are working to accomplish. It accompanies the prior post on the PYP years. I'd love to make a similar video with our students since I know our student get it.