Writing prompts: Taking the ridiculous seriously

We generally have one writing prompt a week. They cover a range of different types of writing, but occasionally I'll give kids something patently absurd to see what they come up with. For example:

I'm always surprised (and delighted) when a writing prompt resonates with a student and they run with it. For example, though this is a particularly silly one, it clearly inspired Eleanor, who crafted a tale of medical mishap, pre-teen angst, and heroic deeds.

Prepping Our Magic Acts

We're all super excited about Magic Show on November 21st in the afternoon. The kids have been refining their acts, working out the kinks in tricks and rehearsing. 

Adri and Kit do a run through so Jason can give feedback.

Eco Fair!

Today was many things to different people. Some call it October 31. Others might say that it's Halloween. Still others simply call it Friday, or perhaps Dan Rather's birthday.... but for all of us at Summers-Knoll, today was ECO FAIR!

Each year, students and staff craft costumes out of reused or recycled materials and parade around the building (and beyond) showing off their creativity. Today was particularly chilly, and ever-so-slightly wet, but we all had great fun regardless.

About the sticky notes for Singapore Math

What does this Sticky Note mean?

Common Abbreviations and Phrases Used By Sam:

wkbk = workbook

txtbk = textbook

pg. = page number

ex. = exercise number

rev. = review

fix = previous work needs to be corrected, look for which problems are marked for fixing

correctly = indicated problems need to be done correctly for check out

"then get a packet" = finish the work in the books, show it to Sam AND then get a handout

Khan = there is something on Khan Academy you are supposed to do

So my assignment is:

“txtbk pg 37-47, wkbk ex 10-12 correctly, rev 2, then get packet on decimals”

This means to read and do all the problems on pages 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47 in the textbook. Then to do exercises 10, 11 and 12 in the workbook, AND to do review 2 in the workbook.

Additionally, exercises 10,11, and 12 need to be corrected in order for you to check out. If you see “correctly” you should try to finish your math before Friday so you can fix it if something wasn’t correct before checkout.

After you finished the book work, you should give it to Sam and ask for the packet.

Developing magic acts

We're working on our magic acts for the big magic show next month (Friday, November 21, during the afternoon! Mark your calendars!)... 

They're.... works in progress. 

Niko has apparently hit quite a growth spurt...

Soccer with Friends School

We had an exciting morning today. First, we held auditions for our upcoming school play Alice in Wonderland. 

Immediately afterward, we hosted the Friends School In Detroit for a cordial soccer match in County Farm Park. It's part of our burgeoning interscholastic athletic organization, which our own Karl Sikkenga has been masterminding. Read more about the schedule on Karl's blog. 

It was a lovely way to spend the morning, and everyone had a great time! Ask your child about the game! 

Nik takes a shot.

Maestro 

 

Friends! 

Recess - Rain or Shine!

In general, our guideline for recess is "if it's safe to be outside, we're going outside." Consequently, we'll occasionally find ourselves outside in light rain. Our kids generally make the best of it: 

This is Keira's initial idea. By the end of recess, she had built a contraption of leaves and twigs that could be suspended above her head. 

Maddy was determined to read at recess without damaging her book. She found a way!