Upper School Update May 19: Dave Samson

Dear Upper School Parents and Guardians,

This morning, I accompanied our 5th graders to the Cape Ann Museum. We saw the laser and sound exhibition featuring voices and stories of Cape Ann’s immigration history. Our visit connected well with one of the 5th grade's major curricular themes - the movement of people over time. My morning with Lisa Johnson, Lisa Burns, and their students is just one example of how our teachers culminate their classes with engaging experiences and projects. In addition to other announcements, you’ll read more about what is happening in our final weeks of May in the Ask-Me-Abouts below.

End of School Year Events: Last week, I shared information about the end of the school year events. You can find the specifics here. We will roll out Steep Day options to students next week!

SAMSON STROLLS: I visited 5th Grade Art. Please click here to learn more about the class. If there is something you would like to see, please email me!

Please ask your children about:

5th Grade:

Literacy: Ask me about some of the many cultures represented in America as we read America Street.

Social Studies: Ask me about Asian American Heritage Month.

Math: Ask me about plotting heights and temperatures on a graph.

French: The nationalities uses to discuss the Francophone countries we have been learning about.

Science: Our fifth-grade scientists absolutely SHINED as they presented their research at the Vernal Pond Symposium at Long Hill. It was amazing!

Spanish: How I presented the country I have been researching and what I learned about the countries my peers researched.

Wellness: Ask me what it was like to walk slowly and silently into the woods, stopping to notice what I heard, saw, touched, and smelled. Would I have noticed these things had I been running, laughing, or talking with friends?

6th Grade:

Music: Little Richard and Elvis, and how they influenced Rock n Roll.

French: Where the cacao beans are used to make the Belgian chocolate that we are learning about in La Leçon de Chocolat.

Geo: How did my UN presentation go? What are the next steps in the process?

Math: Finding areas and missing dimensions of triangles and trapezoids.

Science: What is the life cycle of a star?

English: Tell me about the community Jonas lives in in the book, The Giver.

Spanish: How I did on the quiz and what I have learned about chocolate in Mexico.

Wellness: Ask me about the qualities that are important to me in a healthy relationship. Ask me how