Third grade students continue to be amazingly successful at this distance learning thing.   I love seeing all the pictures of their assignments and the optional projects they posted this week.  I am so glad so many of them used the play-doh recipe I sent to use for stress relief and hand exercises.   I am constantly amazed by their motivation and positive attitude during this trying time.

What an unusual and unique few weeks we have had in 3rd grade, we are definitely seeing The Summit difference.  Students have been distance learning for the past 3 weeks and we really have had a lot of fun.  We miss each other so much but we all look forward to our daily Zoom meetings. 

Our students and families are adapting and coming together to make learning a continued success. They have been able to overcome the many challenges of distance learning.   This isn’t how any of us expected to capstone their 3rd grade careers but I am looking forward to seeing how this helps them deal with changes they face in their future.  Adaptability is such an important skill to have in our ever-changing world.

Summit Spirit Week 2020

Monday, March 9th: Specials Day – Celebrate Summit Specials Classes by dressing as a favorite musician, artist, or athlete… or anything that represents those specials classes!

Tuesday, March 10th: Spanish Day – We attend Spanish class every day! Dress to attend a fiesta! Any Summit Spanish shirt, Hispanic flag colors, taco outfits, etc. Note: This is still a PE day, so be sure you can run around and move freely in your outfit.

**TACO TUESDAY**

 We will host an all-school picnic on Tuesday! Parents are welcome to attend. Tinga Taco’s food truck will be on campus for hot lunch! School lunches are available for $5 (pre-order or order morning of by 9:00 am, just like normal): 2 beef tacos, 2 chicken tacos, or a half order of nachos. The whole food truck menu will also be available for purchase with cash or card (for adults or upper school students).

Wednesday, March 11th: College & Career Day – At The Summit, we prepare our students for life! Dress for your future career or to support your favorite college/university!

Thursday, March 12th: Pajama Day – We love our 8:45 a.m. start time at The Summit! Dress comfy in your school appropriate pajamas. Remember that students should wear regular close-toed, close-heeled shoes for walking around the building and for PE class!

Friday, March 13th: Ravens Reach Out Day – Not only are Summit students intelligent, they’re also good citizens! For the third year in a row, we are participating in our Raven Reach Out Day, when our entire school (Beginners through High School) volunteers in the community. Dress in Summit Spirit Wear, pants, and shoes appropriate for light yard work. Check your emails for more information.

Students wrote stories as if it were the future and they were 100 years old.  They had to describe their appearance, education, family, occupation, and lifestyle.  They turned out great and there were definitely some surprises.  Here is a sneak preview of their pictures.

Tomorrow, Wednesday, February 5, 2020, is the Global School Day of Play!  The Summit will join thousands of schools all over the globe by participating in a day dedicated to unstructured, screen-free play for all students.  At The Summit, we celebrate learning on a daily basis, but we are excited to help spread the word that play is more than just fun.

Students in Lower School will have access to many themed zones of play throughout the day, including creativity, movement, imagination, music, building, sensory, and more.  We don’t want to give away all the details just yet- students will get to discover and explore the Lower School classrooms and shared spaces to stumble upon their many varied opportunities for play.

Parents are encouraged to keep an eye on The Summit’s social media outlets for glimpses into our play throughout the day.  Students may wear their Summit uniform or dress out in Spirit Wear and jeans at no charge. School lunch will be in a “sack lunch” form (see February lunch menu for details.)

Want to learn more about the importance of play? Check out these great resources:

The Genius of Play Website

Dr. Stuart Brown’s “Play is More Than Just Fun” Ted Talk

Play Helps Build a Better Brain – NPR

How to Bring Playfulness to High School Students – MindShift

How Teens Can Benefit from Recess – Concordia University

Students will finish Charlotte’s Web this week and will compose a book report.  I am so excited fo you to see all the writing projects they have completed this trimester.  

In math, students are practicing multiplying greater than 4 digits by 1 digit, and 2 digits by 2 digit numbers.  Please continue to encourage your student to practice their multiplication facts every night.  They are doing great grasping the steps in each problem but many still struggle to recall the basic facts. 

We will start our unit on Light Energy tomorrow.  We will spend the next few weeks learning how light travels, color and light, and vision.  Students will learn about the anatomy of the human eye and will dissect cow eyeballs to see how the eye works.  Email me if you would like to join us. 

Wednesday, February 5, 2020, is the Global School Day of Play! The Summit will join thousands of schools all over the globe by participating in a day dedicated to unstructured, screen-free play for all students. At The Summit, we celebrate learning on a daily basis, but we are excited to help spread the word that play is more than just fun.

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We were flying high today on this beautiful Monday at My Hot Yoga.   Third grade students were able to practice aerial yoga this morning.  They began class by cocooning and working on their breathing and focus.   Once they had settled in they tried several poses inside the swings including being upside down.

They had so much fun and can’t wait to go back next month.  I just love starting the week off like this with my kiddos.  Some students said it was the coolest thing they have ever done.   Also, we were able to have recess outside, WOOHOO!!!!

Join us at the annual 

State of The Summit Presentation

on

Thursday, January 23rd

at The Summit Prep

The Summit Board of Trustees and Head of  School invite you to participate in our annual ” State of The Summit” presentation.

This presentation includes new information on our STEM Summit, strategic plan, tuition for 2020-2021, student recognition, and more “don’t miss” Summit news.

 Please join The Summit’s Board for a social mingle from 5:30-6:00 p.m. (optional). The presentation will be from 6:00-7:15 p.m. There is free childcare for all Summit enrolled students available on campus as well.

Third-grade students began learning about thermal energy today.  I demonstrated how molecules react at different temperatures by placing food coloring drops in hot water, room temperature water, and cold water. In the images below, you can see the dye in the hot water spreads quickly because the molecules are moving quickly. The drops in the cold water hung near the top and barely moved.  The room temperature water mixed at a rate between the hot and cold water.

Students also demonstrated how molecules move in solids, liquids, and gases and how each type responds to temperature changes by moving around the carpet.

Today, 3rd-grade students listened to the book, Snowmen at Night, with their beginner buddies.  In this story, we explored the silly idea of the snowmen’s fun that happens while we are sleeping. Beginners enjoyed thinking and imagining how snowmen might go play in the park, sled down snowy hills, or drink cold cocoa.  Students helped their buddies create their own snowmen pictures with cotton balls.  Together, third graders and buddies worked to build their snowman at night and then create a sentence that matched the illustration.  They are all so sweet together!!