Interim Upper ES Principal | Eric.Burnett@aas.ru
🐧 Curious Polar Penguins
Curiosity leaps out when the seasons change.
One of our core values, CURIOSITY, truly shined through the clouds this week once the skies started filling our school grounds with snow. A walk around the playground at recess is a laboratory for exploration as students grapple with laws of physics, chemistry, and biology, when all they think they’re doing is playing.
At the top of the dacha hill, three fourth graders experimented with gravity and friction.
“Hey, I can slide down the hill with just my pants.”
“I can’t. What’s wrong with my pants?”
From there, the students engaged in a conversation about the different features of their pants - the color, the fabric, the age, the cost, the coating - and they threw at theories for what might be the cause.
“Nah, it’s because I’m bigger than you.”
“Let’s see if I can slide down if I have a running start.”
They continued to go up and down the hill, trying different strategies until another student joined them with a sled that flew way past the finishing spots of the pants-sledding boys. Across the playground, students had a wholly different debate around the consistency of snow.
“Why won’t my snowman stay together?”
“It’s the wrong kind of snow.”
“What...there are different types of snow?”
From there the newbie to Moscow received a full lesson from her classmates on the different types of snow and the benefits and challenges of each. “Powder’s good for…” and “Wet snow you can…” and “You definitely don’t want light snow if…” The tropical school alumni nodded and got back to her snowman, but wasn’t so frustrated when it inevitably started to crumble again. Because now she knew why.
So, this week, when you’re out exploring our Russian winter wonderland, take a moment to stop and enjoy the newness of the nature, and throw out a few “whys” to your children. And get ready for the curiosity to start showering forth!
Until then, please check out some recent snow photos of some of our Grade 3 students exploring their curiosity through play.
☕️ PYP Coffee
December 9
Tomorrow (Thursday, December 9), we’ll be having our monthly parent coffee around the question, “What does it mean to be a PYP school?”
Throughout and after our presentation, we will open up the conversation to PYP-related questions. We look forward to seeing you next week, Thursday, December 9 at 13:00.
Join PYP Coffee Here
Our next division-wide Question and Answer session will be on January 20, and if you’re interested in some of the topics we’ll be covering, please revisit our newsletter post from last week.
🎁 Community Gifts
During this season of giving and appreciation, community members have wondered how they can express their appreciation while still respecting our school’s away from gifts.
We invite families who want to express their gratitude towards a member of our school to consider making a card, a treat or a craft in lieu of a store-bought gift. These types of offerings are always appreciated and often become long-cherished memories for the giver and receiver for years to come.
🎄 Holiday Parties
Friday, December 17
On Friday, December 17, we will be having classroom holiday parties.
In the coming weeks, classrooms will begin conversations around characteristics of their ideal holiday party. The results of these conversations will then be shared with classroom parents who will together coordinate what supplies and activities might be needed. On December 17, we invite all students to dress in Winter Holiday Attire. After these parties, we will be sharing pictures and videos of the celebrations through our Flickr Albums.
