Hooray, Hooray it’s Been 100 Days!

Today is the 100^th day of school and we have enjoyed a whole school celebration!  During the day, the classroom teachers have implemented “100 day activities” linked to all areas of core curriculum.  By mid-day we all gathered outside for a special photograph of us as a proud 100+.  Afterwards we gathered together to celebrate the accomplishments thus far this year.  All of your children and our faculty and staff had an opportunity to express an accomplishment.  They filled in the statement, “On the first day of school I couldn’t _____, but now 100 days later I can.”  Below is just a partial listing of their answers:

1. I had trouble doing the P.E. exercises at first, but now I can do them!
2. My handwriting is better!
3. I wasn’t good at drama and now I am a Thespian!
4. I can write better paragraphs!
5. I know more about plastic awareness and recycling!
6. I wasn’t good at basketball and now I am on the A team and we are playing in a tournament!
7. I thought I couldn’t balance being in a lot of clubs and having good grades, but I am!
8. I’m 100 days closer to my wedding and I love teaching Christian education!
9. I can do fractions mentally now!
10. I know a lot more about Physical Science!
11. I thought I wouldn’t have many friends because it’s hard for me to talk, but now I have lots of friends!
12. I couldn’t spike a ball, but now I can!
13. I’m more organized!
14. I was thinking negatively about science, but now I love it!
15. I know how to use an iPad!
16. I can stand up and talk in front of other people!
17. Now I can do mixed fractions!
18. I’m a better note taker!
19. I didn’t know how to use a Promethean board, but now I can!
20. Now I know how to say the Pledge of Allegiance!
21. I know all the words to the school song!
22. I can count to 100 by 5’s!
23. I can write my name!
24. I’m better at listening!
25. I know all of the 13 colonies!
26. I can type without looking at the keys!
27. I have received my Masters degree!
28. I can do cursive writing!
29. I know the parts of the eye and the ear!
30. I can name some Indian tribes!
31. I behave better in class!
32. I didn’t know I was going to be a mommy, but now I am!
33. I can do division with remainders!
34. I have a better memory and I can pay attention better!
35. I didn’t know anyone here and now this feels like a family!

 We ended our celebration with cup cakes, celebratory music and giving a penny to everyone.  The penny reminds us, “In God we Trust.”

 The past 100 days have been amazing and I look forward to all of the days in the future.  Thank you for trusting us with your awesome kids!

 Sincerely,

 Marie S. Corrigan
Founding Director and Principal

 

Technology and the Classroom

Today’s guest post was written by fourth grader teacher, Mrs. Erin Dunkle, on the importance of technology in the classroom:

With the constant, ever-changing technology in our everyday lives such as iPads, iPhones, Playstations, MP3 Players, social media and blogs, it is important to ensure that technology in the classroom advances as well. Today’s teachers need to possess the knowledge of technology and the experience to go along with it that will foster the environment that we, as teachers strive to create daily in our classrooms. Students of the 21^st century need to be constantly stimulated in order to arouse curiosity and instill a desire to learn.

Each student should be provided with an education that is tailored to their needs as an individual. No one student processes information exactly like the next. For this reason, activities should be enriched through technology that is meaningful and personalized to fit the learning styles of each student. It is extremely important to not only build off of each student’s background, but to shape their future. If they cannot connect what they are doing in the classroom to their own lives, it will be meaningless to them. In order to do this, it is important to work hard to create engaging activities and an enriching, positive environment for learning. Expectations for every child should be set high while the necessary scaffolding required for them to succeed at that level is provided.

Anyone can present material to students, but the way the material is presented is most important. New information should always be offered in a variety of ways in order to make sure you are appealing to all learners in the classroom. This can be achieved through use of technology, the arts and classroom discussion. Technology such as the Promethean boards that we have in a lot of our classrooms helps to supplement lessons by providing interactive websites and lessons, short videos from Discovery Education and Brainpop, as well as constant access to the ever-evolving internet. The internet allows us to access new pictures, videos and information at all times to enhance instruction from vocabulary in all subjects to how the ear processes sound in science class.  Even a tool as simple as a wireless mouse and keyboard allows the students to get involved in the lesson and interact with technology. Through this interaction with various forms of technology, the lessons will be more interesting and in turn, more memorable for each student.

Fourth Graders Host Annual Food Drive

The fourth grade ran the food drive for the Atlanta Food Bank and were proud of the hefty donation brought in by Sophia Academy families.

Plastic Awareness Week

Plastic Awareness Week, an environmental curriculum program by One More Generation (OMG), is coming to Sophia Academy the week of January 23-27. The purpose of the program is to provide factual information about the types of plastic pollution created in America and to suggest simple changes Americans can incorporate into their daily lives which will have an immediate impact on the environment. Through hands-on learning, the hope is that families will begin to understand the amount of plastic trash that is accumulated on a daily basis and the impact that it has on the environment and human health.

The event will last for a week, with each day bringing the children new facts and information on the dangers and harm that plastic cause and ideas on how they and their family can reduce, reuse, recycle and renew the earth’s resources. The week wraps up on Friday, January 27th at 3pm for a full student gathering where they will discuss what they learned for the week, have a surprise visit from a special guest, build a unique Art Sculpture out of all of their plastic trash, and hear from OMG founders Carter and Olivia (ages 10 and 9) about how we can all make a difference.

One More Generation is a nonprofit organization founded by two elementary students out of Fayetteville, Georgia, whose goal is to help clean up the environment while saving endangered species for at least One More Generation… and beyond.  Sophia Academy incorporates this program as a part of its initiative to be a green school. The school has achieved Energy Star status for the past two years and came in second in the state in last year’s Green Cup Challenge.

Be A Part of the Masterpiece

The Masterpiece Gala is Sophia Academy’s premier and largest annual fundraising event and has contributed to many programs and projects.  Supporting the school’s new multi-purpose building including a gym this year, it will help meet our challenge grant goal of raising nearly $275,000 to collect $500,000 by a friend of Sophia Academy.

 The event itself will celebrate the Gym IN the gym on February 11, 2012 with casino entertainment, live music, and “one-of-a-kind experiences” in the auctions.   Food and drink is donated by Palmetto Foods (Peter and Yuwadee Landskroener), Atlanta Bread Company (Basil and Elena Couvaras ) and Michael and Jennifer Cerasoli and Endive Fine Catering (Chef Drew Ihrig).

All are invited to attend.  For tickets and pricing, visit http://www.sophiaacademy.org/masterpiece-gala.html. 

Peter Landskroener (Palmetto Foods), Drew Ihrig of Endive Fine Catering, Basil Couvaras (Atlanta Bread Co.)

Something Beautiful

The following is a guest post from Advancement Director, Mrs. Cathi Athaide.

Recently I went to the Student Government group which convenes during a “working lunch” meeting to talk about philanthropy and to thank them for contributing to the Gym campaign through candygrams and hot chocolate sales and this fall. Having just viewed the Mother Teresa exhibit, I was inspired by her total generosity of self and vision that everyone can do something and build up the Kingdom of God. She said, “What I can do, you cannot. What you can do, I cannot. But together we can do something beautiful for God.”

As usual, my “lesson” about philanthropy turned out to be a gift to me in hearing their can-do attitude as well as the willingness to “do something beautiful together.” Because of Latin root words learned through Orton-Gillingham, many knew “philanthropy” means “love of mankind.” We talked about the concept that taking care of each other can mean finding the resources, including money sometimes, to provide. Also, at Sophia Academy, we have the dual goal of raising funds while building community. They showed me that a unified vision and passion leads a project, and in this case….a CARWASH! Going in this meeting with ten reasons not to raise money and community with a carwash, the third graders through eighth graders convinced us. They had the excitement and the delegation to draft their “business plan” including a budget to go forward. They knew the powers that be to get permission and resources. They had the math to compare profit on carwash versus Coke sales.

Look for your car to be “baptized” this spring as SGA sponsors Ms. Melissa Shure and Ms. Ashley Bjorklund lead future entrepreneurs, accountants and marketers in some charitable fun. Together we can do something beautiful for God.

Inspired By Love

In December, Sophia Academy hosted a panel exhibit from the Missionaries of Charity on the Life of Mother Teresa.  Middle school students spent weeks preparing for the exhibit by studying Mother Teresa from historical and faith-based perspectives.  After taking in the exhibit, students were asked to write their thoughts down in an essay.  Below are some of their thoughts.

“Mother Teresa was a person of great faith and love. She went through a lot of trouble just to help the poorest of the poor. I think that…Mother Teresa showed a lot of faith for every person sick or injured. Mother Teresa said that the hunger for love is much more difficult to remove than the hunger for bread. To me, this means that you can be hungry for bread and go to get some, but love is better when you give it to someone else.” -Yuri Zarus, 6th grade

“As soon as I walked into the Mother Teresa Exhibit, I was astonished! As I was walking around the exhibit, I realized how important putting others before yourself is. I saw and read that Mother Teresa didn’t care if she would catch something or break something, all she cared about was helping others get better. Mother Teresa healed a lot of people with her hands, but yet she also healed a lot of people with the power of love, and Jesus Christ.” -Patti McClelland, 6th grade

“She always loved for other people to have joy. Whenever somebody needed, she gave. Whenever someone needed to be cared for, she cared. She made her every thought prayerfully to God…Mother Teresa, overall, is a great person. I think she should become a saint immediately. She sets a prime example for future generations to come. Mother Teresa will always be an icon to Christians – Catholic and Protestant alike.” -Jacob Gambrell, 6th grade

“One of her quotes, ‘Every minute is precious – don’t waste your time,’ is one of my favorite quotes since life is precious and we need to be grateful that Jesus died for our sins. We also need to be grateful that God gave us a life, so we need to live that life. There is much to learn from Mother Teresa. She teaches us how we should be generous to one another, and we should not covet other people’s goods. We should be fair to one another and not be judgmental about people.” -Liam Flynn, 7th grade

“What really amazed me was that she won the Nobel Peace Prize, but she cancelled her own coronation dinner and gave the $7000 it cost to charity. That is the first time anyone to win the Nobel has cancelled their dinner.” -Jack Meehan, 8th grade

Students Shine in Science Classes Thanks to GEMS Program

The middle school students of Sophia Academy have been busy with hands-on science lessons this trimester as a part of the GEMS (Great Explorations in Math & Science) curriculum, an inquiry-driven, activity-based approach to science education taught to them by Middle School Science Teacher, Ms. Heather Tomkins.  Life science students created three-dimensional models of plant and animal cells, using materials found around the home.  Earth science students recorded the rates of lava flow out of model volcanoes based on viscosity of liquid.  Physical science students learned to distinguish between a systematic observation and an experiment as well as witness the phase changes of dry ice in a lab experiment.  In each class, students designed and implemented their own investigations based on a question they were interested in exploring more in-depth.  The small class size and individual attention provided by Sophia Academy enhance the GEMS curriculum and exemplify the school’s philosophy of multisensory learning through hands-on experimentation. 

They See What You See

The following is a guest post from sixth grade parent, Mrs. Joey McClelland.  Mrs. McClelland wanted to share her experience as a new parent so far at Sophia Academy, and below she recounts her family’s experience in her own words.

“It is so great to go to a school where I understand what the teachers are talking about. They teach me so I understand” – Patti McClelland, 6th grade

We are all unique. We are all different. As parents, we embrace our child’s individualism. We can clearly see all of their talents and strengths. The same is true at Sophia Academy. They see what you see in your child. They understand what makes each child tick and how to fine tune each student’s abilities in order to maximize his or her potential.

They see what you see

They see it in the classroom. Just as professionals have business plans, at Sophia Academy, each child has their own individual learning plan and accommodations. It is a state-of-the-art instruction model that teaches through all of the senses. The Cornell NoteTaking instruction (MS) gives students an understanding of how to take notes, color code and highlight in order to learn and retain. Kindergarten practices writing letters in rice before the task of practicing on paper. If student’s aren’t “getting it” then the teachers don’t move on. They see what the students need. They see what you see.

They see what you see

They see it in your child’s Christian faith. Faith is in the classroom, in the messaging and in the hearts of the faculty. Sophia Academy offers wonderful faith based parenting opportunities. Parents are invited to chapel services every Monday. The “Pray with Me” opportunity gives parents and students the chance to write a morning prayer to be read aloud to the student body. The message only takes a moment. The real gift is the discussion with your child on what they would like to say and speak to. My daughter and I had a deep discussion about how I use the Bible in my day-to-day life. This dialogue was prompted from a homework assignment at school. Even better, my daughter’s peers are having the same conversations with their parents – creating a community of faith based teens.

They see what you see

They see your child’s talents in leadership, in the arts, and in sports. At Sophia Academy, a child’s confidence grows through success and accomplishments. Small class sizes poise students to spread their wings beyond academics. They have opportunities in leadership through a strong SGA (student government), students can be appointed to Honor Council, and there is an active BETA Club. The impressive arts program uses multi-sensory techniques to teach students to create a Statue of Liberty masterpiece or express their creativity through a dedicated drama program. There is a competitive sports program and because the coaching staff knows your child, they know how he/she learns in the classroom. That knowledge flows over into the sports arena so your athlete is coached according to his/her learning style. That focused attention allows your athlete to grow in their athletic abilities and in their physical, mental and spiritual health.

They see what you see

We are new to Sophia Academy this year, but it doesn’t feel that way. Like all things in life, we get out of something what we put into it. Sophia offers many opportunities for parents to be involved in all of their child’s learning experiences. You know your child. Perhaps you see your child as a future doctor, engineer, or rocket scientist. Sophia Academy sees what you see and they give each child the individual attention they need to reach their dreams and beyond.

Students Participate in Holocaust Learning Trunk Project

The 5th-8th graders were invited by the Georgia Commission on the Holocaust to help decorate their own Holocaust Learning Trunk.  This activity is part of the Holocaust Learning Trunk Project which will provide decorated trunks to students throughout the state of Georgia.  By using the trunk as an art medium, Sophia Academy students created a physical presence to which students can relate while they learn the history and lessons of the Holocaust, World War II, and genocide.  The Georgia Commission on the Holocaust explains that “the use of art and history unifies students of various backgrounds and beliefs, connecting them through their experiences learning about the Holocaust,” and their hope is that the project will “cultivate positive character development and foster students’ understanding of the importance of good citizenship.”

Fifth grader Jin Butler glues a World War II era photo to the trunk, which will be sent to a middle school in Georgia as a teaching tool on the Holocaust.

Fifth graders Grace Wilson and Koale McKenzie place the finishing touches on their class Holocaust trunk.

Mrs. Bevington and Mrs. Cunningham’s fifth grade classes decorated a trunk representative of the era. Pictured L to R are Grace Shelton, Josh Gordon, Will Gakio, Mary Mitchell Tucker, Sam Barone, Ian Cummings, and Matthew Buckis.

In art class, middle school students also participated in the Georgia Commission on the Holocaust trunk designing for the Holocaust Learning Trunk Project.  Their trunk will travel across the state to middle schools where the lessons of the Holocaust will be taught.  The trunks will be filled with educational materials by the Georgia Commission on the Holocaust.  “Our middle school students did a wonderful job collaborating and deciding upon their design. Our middle school students wanted their trunk design to focus on the courage and faith of all the Holocaust survivors as well as tolerance.  This was a tremendous learning experience!” states Mrs. Tracey Buot, Fine Arts Director.