WELCOME TO ARCHWAY CLASSICAL ACADEMY ARETE.
WELCOME TO MR. POSNER’S CLASS.
This is the first official blog of the 2015-2016
school year.
Arete means moral virtue and excellence. This is what we will
strive for this year in my class. My goal is to help your child grow in all
areas, not just academically. Organization, study skills, study habits, virtue,
and overall growth are all things we will take on as tasks.
This week’s class motto is: Transition is Silent and Efficient
Each week we will discuss a class motto.
This is the first weekly motto. We will talk about how it is very important to
move quickly and silently when we change from one subject to another. This not
only makes for a cohesive classroom, but saves time as well. Every minute is
important. Transition is also important in moving from specials to class, class
to lunch, and all around the building. This can be practiced at home.
I have a very strict classroom
organization plan that will be put into place this week. I do not allow pencil
cases, markers, crayons, rulers, or sharpeners in the desks. We have many books
and notebooks, and space is limited. I will teach the students the order of
their desks and I will expect the desks stay this way. This organization plan
truly helps students to not lose work, and stay on top of assignments.
The following is
important information- Please read all the way through.
Snack- I ask that you bring in healthy snacks for your
child. In addition, I ask that these snacks be "dry" snacks. By this,
I mean snacks that, if spilled, would not create a mess on the carpet, i.e.
yogurt, fruit cups, pudding, jello, juice, etc.
Volunteers - I am so pleased to have so many parents
ready and willing to volunteer this year! I want to remind everyone that all
volunteers are required to have fingerprint clearance here at Archway Classical
Academy. This policy is strictly monitored and even applies to those who think
they might like to chaperone on one of our field trips. If you are interested
and have not obtained the necessary clearance, please see the Archway website
for more information, or ask at the front office.
This week in Class:
History:
Students will begin a unit on maps. While none of may become the next great
cartographer, all will hopefully gain and understanding and appreciation for
maps, how maps work, and what purpose maps serve. This is a great unit to begin
with, as students will use maps throughout the year, even learning and
memorizing ALL European countries and capitals, locations of great battles of
the American Revolution, and kingdoms and cities of medieval Europe.
Science:
Students
will engage a unit on chemistry. This will lay a foundation for future units. Through
observations, inference, and data collection, they will set the base for
experimentation and discovery in the realm of science.
Language
Arts: Spalding phonics begins this week. Students will take to
task the phonograms, the pronunciations, and begin their spelling words. In
grammar, we will begin a study on what makes a good sentence. Students will
also learn about the rules of discussion. Literature begins with our first
book, The Princess and the Goblin.
Math:
Singapore
Math begins this week. We will dive right into whole numbers, number sense,
ordering, and place value. Students will get a taste for the modeling system as
well.
Onward and Upward!!!