An in-depth look at the people and events that make Encinal excellent

Vol. 2, Issue 1 |   October 24,  2011

Hop, Skip, Jump...Motor P.E. Comes to Encinal

 Kinders and First Graders Get a Jump on Gross Motor Skills

By Lisa M. Cope, Encinal Parent

Mrs. Jonas' Kindergarten class gets moving.

You may have heard the phrase "Motor PE" a few times this year and wondered what it was all about. Maybe you've been asked to volunteer or heard it mentioned on Back to School Night. In early October, the Motor PE program, a physical education program aimed at Kindergarteners and First Graders, was launched at Encinal.

The primary objectives of the program are to help students acquire competent movement skills, improved sensory functioning and the development of a positive self-image. It is basically a set amount of time each week devoted to helping young children improve their gross motor skills through the use of specially designed physical exercises. The hope is that through this repetitive program, students will practice these skills over and over and improve not only their gross motor skills, but their ability to focus and listen to directions.

According to Principal Liner, "Over the course of Encinal's transition to a K-5 program, we have been taking a close look at how we meet the needs of our primary aged students. As a school, we are committed to helping our students soar academically, socially, emotionally and physically. This program is an outstanding complement to our PE specialist program, emphasizing the foundational motor skills that support confidence and success both inside and outside the classroom. With PTO support, we are able to bring this exciting program to our kids!"
  

The main areas of program concentration are in promoting improved:

• Balance Skills
• Locomotor Skills
• Hand-eye and Foot-eye Coordination
• Body and Space Awareness
• Language Skills

Traditional PE programs are centered on our attention to "output" or performance, such as how fast can the child go, or is he putting the ball in the goal. In Motor PE, the concern is first "input" and how that affects the child's performance. Movement experience, especially through natural play, helps the brain to control the muscles that link back to the motor based skills. So doing activities that focus on balance, hand-eye coordination, eye-foot coordination, body and space awareness all help in improving physical coordination, sensory functions and positive self-awareness.

There will be a variety of equipment to touch all of these areas, such as ladders, hoops, bean bags, balance beams and mats. Since four separate stations will be set up for each class, parent involvement is key to help maintain control and guide the kids through their stations.

Mrs. Merk, Encinal Kindergarten teacher, used the Motor PE program several years ago at her old school. "It's really fun and it really teaches these young kids to follow directions, take turns, concentrate and focus as they practice. They become more bodily aware and as they improve their spacial awareness, it helps them in all other areas," said Merk.

According to Ms. Chin, Encinal first grade teacher, who also taught the program at her previous school, "It's really great for balance. It's a fantastic program that trains their brains to follow different steps, in order. They have to remember sequence of events and it helps their whole body and brain. And the children love it."

Encinal is excited to introduce the Motor PE program into the curriculum. This program fits right into the Encinal spirit of always looking for new and innovative ways to foster the kids' education and enrich their school experience.     

*Thank you to PTO volunteers, Amy Nelson and Kelly Martin, and Kindergarten teacher Sydney Merk for helping to launch this new program. Thank you to all the great parent volunteers that are helping on Fridays with the classes.        

Raise the Beds: Encinal Garden Program Gets "Growing"

By Kate Kennedy, Encinal Parent 

The first winter rains may be rattling the windowpanes, but garden season is just beginning at Encinal.

Over the next few weeks, students will start to prepare raised beds for planting, and parent volunteers will begin teaching lessons on suburban gardens, farm gardens and city gardens; garden inhabitants; plant parts; planting, tending, and harvesting; the nitrogen cycle and healthy soil; wheat and civilization, and much more.

The garden program at Encinal is run entirely by parent volunteers, who come in once or twice a month, depending on the grade, to work with students on a combination of in-class lessons and outdoor activities. Each grade-specific Garden curriculum enables students to experience the fun of planting and harvesting, and ties in to grade level content in the areas of math, science, art, and social studies.

Third grader Colin gets his hands dirty.

In Kindergarten, students plant vegetables in the raised beds in the Kinder yard, and learn about different types of plants. At the end of the year, the students get to harvest their crops and enjoy a delicious and nutritious salad.

First graders explore the garden habitat and learn about weather and the seasons, trees, birds, insects, bees, and pollination. Students get to go on a bug safari, create leaf rubbings, make a bird feeder, and churn their own butter.

In Second grade, students plant crops chosen to highlight the functions of various parts of plants: carrots and radishes teach about roots; lettuce illustrates leaves; celery shows the importance of stems, broccoli represents flowers, oats take on the role of seeds, and lemons are, well - fruits.

Ms. Leff's class prepares garden bed for planting

Third graders are given 3 different "mystery seeds" to plant, nurture, and measure throughout the growing season, closely observing their three plants to determine differences between them, and, ultimately, identify them and solve the mystery. Students keep a journal of their findings, and practice their scientific observation skills while tending their plants.

In Fourth grade, students plant fava beans, and learn about how legumes fix nitrogen in the soil, and, through their ability to replenish soil, help gardeners and farmers reduce fertilizer usage. Each student keeps a journal to record experimentation results and keep track of plant growth.

Fifth graders plant, harvest, and grind wheat to make bread. Along the way, they learn about what wheat has meant for humans and civilization, talk about genetic modification of crops, explore staple crops around the world, sample gluten-free foods, and learn about Thomas Jefferson's interest in gardening.

Encinal's garden program provides an incredible opportunity for students and parent volunteers to connect with each other, and with the grade-level curriculum, in a whole new way. It's a uniquely hands-on experience, and the excitement students feel at being outside and getting their hands dirty is truly contagious.

You can read more about the Garden program and download grade-specific curriculums by clicking here. 

If you'd like be a Garden volunteer, contact your HRP or Kristi Waldron at garden@encinalschool.com.  No garden experience is necessary, and training is available. Who knows - you might just get in touch with your inner farmer!

*Thank you to the PTO Garden Chair, Kristi Waldron, and the classroom volunteers for helping to provide an opportunity for the students to enjoy and learn in the Encinal garden.

 All Politics is Local: Student Council Elected

Student Council Begins Term; Constituents Happy So Far

By Lisa M. Cope, Encinal Parent

The votes have been counted, the results are in: there's a new slate of student officers leading Encinal for the 2011-2012 school year. They have a lot on their plates and like any good body of government, they have big ideas on how they want to bring spirit to Encinal.

Student Council is a wonderful Encinal opportunity that teaches students about the democratic process and how government works while allowing them to be involved in some decision-making on a school-wide level.

Every year, the third, fourth and fifth graders at Encinal have an election for their Student Council. Anyone in grades four or five can run for the following offices: President, VP, Secretary, or Treasurer. They engage in a full-fledged election, complete with campaign posters and a speech assembly in front of their fellow upperclassmen.

Each third grade class has their own election to elect a representative to attend the meetings and get involved in the process. Once the students take office, they are required to attend monthly Student Council meetings, overseen by the Student Council teacher liaisons Janet Meister and Maria Clemo.

Said Clemo, "The students are really good, outside-the-box thinkers. It's a lot of fun to watch them in action and engage in the process."

On the agenda for last week's meeting was no small list of action items: the Halloween for Hunger project, what theme to select for the three Encinal Spirit Days, Bake Sale at Book Fair, Student Council Street Names, Bulletin Boards, and a potential Encinal Newspaper.

Annabel Baxter, President, led the meeting. First up: Halloween for Hunger, a new project Student Council is really excited to introduce this year. Each Encinal family will be encouraged to bring a non-perishable food item (or more) on Halloween and drop it into one of the 15 bins that will be placed around school starting this week.  The goal is to see if Encinal can gather 1,000 pounds (a can is usually about one pound) for the whole school.  One of the big decisions the Council needed to make was how to promote the project (banners and posters) and what type of incentives they could offer to get kids to bring in more cans. The cans will all be delivered to Second Harvest Food Bank.

Sam Weseloh, 4th grade representative believes strongly in the project, "I think it's a good idea because it's helping end hunger in our local community so they can be healthy."

Also on the agenda was a vote for Spirit Day theme ideas. Council members brought ideas from their classrooms to share at the meeting for a vote. Some suggestions were: 80's Day ("Does that mean we dress up like 80 year olds?," one girl asked her friend), crazy hair day, twin day, sports day, backwards day, duct tape day, etc. President Baxter kept good control of the meeting and officiated over a blind vote where two choices were selected.

President Baxter leads Student Council meeting.

Ms. Meister guided them toward what they needed to do next: organize a poster committee. Secretary, Sabrina Watkins, nominated two people and the committee was formed. They also decided they needed a presence on ENTV to announce the winning ideas so everyone would know the themes.

The students' enthusiasm for making Encinal a better place was evident in how many hands went up with a steady stream of ideas, such as an organized letter-writing day, a pumpkin decorating contest, a teacher thank you day, a carnival day, etc. Finally President Baxter had to cut off the suggestions and call the meeting to a close.

Given how much this group cooperated and valued each other's ideas, it's clear that our elected officials could take a few notes from the Encinal Student Council on how to get things done.

Student Council Slate 2011-2012

President: Annabel Baxter

Co-Vice Presidents: Megan Miller and Abbey Goudey

Secretary: Sabrina Watkins

Treasurer: Joe Posthauer

5th Grade Representatives: Evelyn Calhoon, Z Bekemeyer, Joanna Tasch, Garrett Kelly, Juliana St. Goar, Hannah Kopisch, Jack Larkins, Luca St. Goar

4th Grade: Laila Thompson-Wainer, Jamie Durden, Ryan Fujii, Bridget Patrick, James Ballard, Sam Weseloh, Emma McGaraghan, Nate Viotti

3rd Grade: Colin Dunne, Izzy Hinshaw, Peyton Karp

*Thank you to teachers Maria Clemo and Janet Meister and PTO volunteer, Joni Weseloh, for working with student council this year.

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