Logo header

October 18, 2013
Community
Beach Park School Newsletter
Important Dates
Above: Derek & Wyatt explore the touch tank from the Florida Aquarium

 

Friday, October 25, 11:30 am - Ancient Cultures Day
      Exhibits of Children's Work & Covered Dish Lunch
                     (See article in Office Notes below.)
 
Wednesday, October 30, 10am -Upper Elem Field Trip 
                                 Pinellas County Solid Waste & Recycling                                  Drivers Needed
 
Thursday, October 31, 10 am - Lower Elem Field Trip
                                 Pinellas County Solid Waste & Recycling                                  Drivers Needed
 
Friday, November 8 - Staff Planning Day
                                    School Closed         
                       
Monday, November 11 - Veterans Day
                                    School Closed

 

Thursday, November 14, 7 pm - Parent Program
                                                "Montessori Math"
                                                 Child Care Provided

 

Wednesday, November 20 - Primary Inside Field Trip
                                                "Jack and the Beanstalk"
                                                Bits N Pieces Puppet Theater
 

Wed - Fri, November 27-29 - Thanksgiving Holidays                                                 School Closed

Cami, Maya, Garrett, Elana & Ava build a replica of the Roman Colosseum
 
Quick Links

Please Help Avoid This!

 

Observing driveway courtesy makes drop-off and pick-up safer.

 

Please: pull all the way to the front of the driveway or as far as possible.

 

Do not let your child out of your car until you are the first or second car in the driveway.

 

If you want to come to the gate or inside the school and your car is not in the first or second position, park along the curb.

 

Arrive at school on time. Classes start at 8:45.

 

Grace & courtesy lessons are part of the Montessori curriculum and are often taught by those setting the example for others. 

 

Please set a good example in the driveway.

 

Primary Classes
Jenna and Kenian learn about the slipper lobster

This week the Florida Aquarium came to our classes.  The students enjoyed learning about and touching the animals and learning about the sea urchin, sea snail and slipper lobster.

 

Also this week, the children were very busy preparing for our Cultural Celebration.  Ms. Katrina's class continued studies of ancient India.  We read Indian folk tales as well as the story of the Buddha.  The children worked on some beautiful Indian crafts that they are excited to share next Friday at our Cultural Day.

 

Ms. Denise's class has made Greek togas, bronze medallions and a Trojan horse! We learned about how the ancient Greeks studied geometry, mathematics and theatre.  Special thanks to Mallory, Meera and Presley's moms for helping with the fabulous greek costumes. 

 

We can't wait to show you our work at the Cultural Day!

Lower Elementary

We have had a delightful week in the Lower Elementary.  Our Ancient Roman garden is growing!  The children created beautiful "Romanesque" garden labels for each of our crops.  They also created a welcome sign, Roman style.  Be sure to check it next Friday, October 25th at the BPS Cultural Day!

 

Steven prepares the Roman spread

Our studies of Ancient Rome continue.  We researched all about Roman Architecture.  We read the book, City: A Story of Roman Planning and Construction by David Macaulay.  The children were fascinated to learn that the Romans used an instrument called a "groma" to make sure that all roads intersected at right angles!  We also learned all about the building of the Colosseum.  We discussed the importance of the Roman arch and a keystone.  A keystone is the central locking stone at the top of an arch.  We are even building our very own model of the Colosseum.  You can see it on display at our Cultural Day Celebration!

 

Today we made Roman spread and ate it on bread.  Yum!  Ask your child about this tasty treat.  The ingredients are cream cheese, olive oil, olives, balsamic vinegar and spices.

 

We also read the book, Zen Ties by Jon J. Muth.  This book also has our favorite character, Stillwater.  He is a wise old panda and he has another great lesson to share with all of us.  This lesson has to do with never judging a book by its cover.  The children loved this sweet.  Thank you to Ivan and Ava Veronec for sharing this book with us!

 

We wish to thank all of the parents who made it to the conferences and the Parent Day Sunday.  Both events were a smashing success.  We love to talk with you and discuss your child.  As always, we are available to you if you have any questions or concerns.

Upper Elementary
Nathan's mummy becomes colorful

Our class has been enthusiastic about the various projects we've been completing regarding Ancient Egypt. All the work and art will be on display next Friday at Cultural Day. One of the favorite and incredible projects is the life sized mummy case. Everyone is decorating these using vibrant colors and gold paint. We are also planting some herbs in our garden which may have been used for medicinal purposes in Egyptian times.

 

Also this week, students completed a seed dissection and learned about the parts of a seed. We also studied acids and bases and are conducting an experiment creating a chemical reaction between an acid (vinegar) and a base (baking soda). When these are combined, the gas produced inflates a balloon. Next week, we'll begin another experiment to continue studying acids and bases. We'll begin by measuring the raw egg's circumference before allowing it to soak in vinegar for 72 hours. The experiment will continue as we learn about permeable and semi-permeable membranes, osmosis and diffusion.

 

This week Middle School finished their poster boards on their ancient Chinese dynasties; each group had a dynasty which was researched, put on a board, and presented.  

Middle School

On Monday, we had art at Hubert Park, where we worked with clay.  

 

Wednesday, we had a yearbook meeting where we talked about possible titles and ideas for our yearbook.  

 

On Friday, we went bowling and went to see a play on selected Edgar Allan Poe's work.  We hope for another great week!

 

by Julia Parrino

 

(Left: Middle School students attended a Mock Trial at UT as part of their Justice Teaching led by BPS parent & UT Prof. Alisa Smith)

Spanish

LOWER ELEMENTARY:  This week found us working on Rhymes and Rounds. Both activities are essential for enriching vocabulary and fluency in the Spanish language.  We also practiced words with beginning "T", "P", and "M".


Classrooms objects were also reviewed and a short story about fish was read while some of the scenes were acted out. It was fun-filled, active week!
 
UPPER ELEMENTARY:  We used flash cards to practice basic vocabulary related to nature, food, furniture, and geometric shapes. We then had a dictation of 20 verbs that were the basis of our conversational Spanish topic for the week.   

We rounded our lessons with the reading of some animal poems of the Iguazu region. The illustrations in this book were powerful, vibrant, and colorful.
 
MIDDLE SCHOOL:  We were very busy this week as we continue our journey through the conjugations and tenses of regular verbs. We concentrated on the practice of the present in sentences like, "I am walking", "we are swimming", "they are fishing", instead of "I walk", "we swim", and "they fish". Class assignments and homework completed the reinforcement of this grammatical exercise.   

For entertainment and diction we read the South American legend of "La Madreselva" or Mother of the Jungle who reminds us of the importance of taking care of nature and of learning to live in harmony with her.
 
TRIVIA FACT:  The Iguazu Waterfalls are located in Northeastern Argentina along the border of Brazil and Paraguay. 

 

hey have enchanted the indigenous people of the region and many other visitors for centuries. 

 

The area around the waterfalls holds some of the greatest biological diversity in the world (exotic trees, plants, birds, reptiles, insects, and more).

Office Notes, Announcements, Etc.
Ancient Cultures Day - Friday, October 25  11:30 am

Next Friday marks the culmination and celebration of our first nine weeks of study of ancient cultures throughout the school.  The children have enjoyed their studies and various projects.  

Parents are invited to come at 11:30 am to peruse the exhibits on display from each class.  Artwork, clothing and informative displays are among the items you will see.

For the covered dish lunch, it is suggested that you bring a dish inspired by the culture studied in your child's class, or any favorite dish.

Ms. Denise's Class - Ancient Greece*
Ms. Katrina's Class - Ancient India
Lower Elementary - Ancient Rome*
Upper Elementary - Ancient Egypt*
Middle School - Ancient China

*Any Mediterranean dish - even pizza!

Thank you to the parents who have helped with the preparations and projects in the various classes and thank you in advance to those who will help next Friday with set-up and clean-up.  If you would like to volunteer, please feel free to do so!
 4200 W. North A Street � Tampa, FL 33609 � Ph: 813-289-3747 � Fax: 813-286-7307
[email protected]

Beach Park School does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin.