HSA Update

Teacher Appreciation Week is Next Week,

May 3-7

 Find out more about the HSA here.

Sat, May 8: The Big Murch Flea Market, Plant Sale...

 

To sustain you during all that shopping, there will be pizza and delicious baked goods for sale from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. 

To make this a success, we need volunteers to donate lots of goodies that can be eaten on the spot (cookies, cupcakes, brownies, bars, and the like), as well as cakes and pies, which can be sold in slices or as a whole (say, for a Mother's Day celebration). All goods should not require refrigeration and may be homemade or brought from a bakery. Please bring all items directly to the teachers' lounge (in care of Veda Shook) on May 8, starting at 9:30 a.m.

You can sign up at Volunteerspot to bring something for the bake sale and/or staff the bake sale table. If you have any bake sale questions, please contact Donna LaPorte-Scharpf.

The second track and field meet took place at Spingarn High School on Thursday, April 15. It was a Developmental Meet, which means it's for experience and for the coaches see your strengths and weaknesses.

for more athletics see here

The Great Zucchini Performs Amazing Feats of Silliness

After school on Friday, April 9, The Great Zucchini enthralled students for in the Murch gymnasium. Tickets for the performance were sold at the Bring on the Blue Spring Auction and were available at the door as well. The Great Zucchini is famous in DC for his quirky sense of humor. "He put a toilet seat on his head and made his tongue like toilet paper!" exclaimed one delighted pre-K boy.

Photo by Jacob Mintz

see more on the Student Blog

We learned a lot of fascinating facts. Did you know that humans use 15 to 20 percent of their lung capacity while dolphins use 90 percent? That's why the mammals can stay underwater for a long time and we can't. Dolphins can swim 25 m.p.h. and have 88 sharp teeth that allow them to eat a whole fish at one time. And, recently, scientists at the aquarium discovered that dolphins can recognize themselves in the mirror, just like we do.

read more about our field trips here

Getting to Know Mr. Smith

Jason Smith is a dedicated aide in Ms. Hsu's third-grade classroom. This is his first year at Murch. Before he worked here, he was a substitute teacher at Maya Angelou Public Charter School on East Capitol Street.

Mr. Smith became a teacher because he really loves helping kids. His favorite part about being a teacher is seeing kids learn things for the first time.
 
Mr. Smith is 31 years old. He was born and raised here in Washington, DC. He went to school at Brightwood Elementary and studied history at Morehouse College in Atlanta.

When he was 14 years old, he went on vacation with his grandfather to Paris. He got to go sightseeing and he loved the food. It is his favorite place to visit.

Mr. Smith really enjoys sports. He swims, plays flag football, basketball, and baseball, and he likes extreme sports such as sky diving, scuba diving, and rock climbing. He also coaches football and track at Arch Bishop Carroll High School on North Capitol Street. Mr. Smith is very strong: He can lift up to 500 pounds. That's like lifting five to eight Murch students at once!
--Jacob Mintz, 3rd grade

You've seen her shine in the Lip Sync show and know her lately as the force behind Murch International Night, but did you know that Alyssa Lipshie can really sing? She studied as a vocalist in college and still performs on occasion. She came to Murch in 1995 as a second-grade teacher, and then taught fourth grade before becoming a first-grade teacher. Here she fills us in on the epiphany that led her to become a teacher, how she combines her psychology and vocal background in the classroom, and where you might be able to hear her belt out a couple of tunes - after school hours, that is.

What was your life before Murch?

I grew up in Setauket, NY, which is on Long Island. When I graduated from the University of Richmond with BA in psychology and vocal performance, I wanted to be a children's therapist. But that requires lots of postgraduate work, and I wasn't ready to keep going at that point. So, I worked in opinion research at Northwestern University and then in Washington, DC.  

What did that entail?

Opinion research involves analyzing statistics and writing good questions for clients to find out information. My main job was surveying, compiling, and analyzing results of professor-satisfaction surveys at Northwestern. I had to submit surveys to every student in every course, collect, and analyze the data and then write a general report about the professor for a yearly publication. The university sold the publication to students so they could choose which teachers they wanted for their courses. This work can be done for politicians, companies with new products, and so forth. The work was interesting, but...

There was something missing?

I still wanted to work as a child psychologist. I visited a fiend of mine who was working with developmentally challenged adults. As I sat with a young woman who was frightened and upset, I suddenly realized that I could help children without being a psychologist. I decided that working with children to empower them and teach them was the answer. Starting that day I applied to graduate school and eventually earned a master's degree in education from American University. I have never had a moment's doubt that I made the right choice! Deep down I always wanted to make a difference in kids' lives. I love to empower them to follow their dreams.

What has been your greatest challenge as a teacher?

To meet all of the needs -- academic and social -- of all of the children I teach. When the students work as a team, support each other, and help each other, the academics follow. 

How do you make that happen?

I incorporate lots of movement and hands-on activities to keep students motivated. Lessons usually have several parts and switch from listening to writing to moving to partner work, etc. One example would be the unit on plants. I have the students dissect seeds, plant beans in baggies to predict what will happen first, then observe and record observations. They can dance and act out the way plants grow, write poems and sing songs about plants, and draw scientific diagrams. Finally, we get to planting seeds, measuring them, and doing all that is necessary to keep them alive.

So, you like applying what they've learned to real life.

Yes, like one year one of my fourth-grade students was related to a famous news personality, who came in and talked with the students about good research and writing. That was a great moment. It really showed how the work they were doing in the classroom applied to a real world situation.

Having found a way to use your skills as a vocalist?

My favorite free-time activity is singing. Whether at work or home, I constantly sing. I am a performer at heart. I especially love to perform in front of an audience. I enjoy incorporating my love of singing and dancing into my teaching. I especially like to read aloud to my students every day using all of the voices and sound effects I can, to bring the stories to life.

Maybe we need a Murch drama club.

I would love to see drama instruction and more dramatic performances at Murch. I know that what it takes to get ready for a performance is great preparation for everything students will do in life. Students need to concentrate, listen to each other, work together, and have fun! 

Anywhere we can see you sing outside of school?

My friend and I have a small business called Two Teachers, which entertains at young children's birthday parties. We also put on a free kids' concert at the Broad Branch Market last September.  Every once in a while I sing at weddings, jam sessions, or impromptu get-togethers.

I think I know the answer to this one, but how would you finish this sentence: "If I weren't a teacher, I'd be..."

...an entertainer.

-- Donna LaPorte Scharpf