Upper Elementary News
10/29/2008
Upper Elementary
An Interview with Terry our new PE teacher
by Dennis Quaintance
Me: What is your favorite sport to play?
Terry: Fast pitch softball.
Me: What is your favorite food?
Terry: Chicken.
Me: What is your favorite dessert?
Terry: Red velvet cake.
Me: How did you find out about GMS?
Terry: A good friend told me.
Me: How many siblings did you have?
Terry: Two.
Me: How many jobs do you have?
Terry: Two counting this one.
Me: Where did you grow up?
Terry: Barboursville, West Virginia.
Me: What sports team have you been on?
Terry: Football, and track (in high school) and (currently) fast pitch soft ball.
Me: Bye!
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10/29/2008
Upper Elementary
Upper Elementary continues Battle of the Books
by Will Weaver
This year, the Upper Elementary is participating in Battle of the Books. Battle of the Books is when students read a group of about twelve books and study them as a group once a month. In February, the two Upper Elementary teams will compete at an in-house competition. Then, all of the students who want to participate will participate in the interscholastic Battle of the Books, which involves a field trip to another competing school. Last year, the Upper Elementary Battle of the Books team came in fourth place! All of the participants had fun. The following is an interview by Will Weaver:
Will: What was your favorite Battle of the Books book?
Child: Ghost Solider is my favorite Battle of the Books book.
Will: Are you doing Battle of the Books again?
Child: No, I am not.
Will: What is your favorite Battle of the Books book?
Teacher: My favorite Battle of the Books book is The Tale of Despereaux.
Will: What is your favorite Battle of the Books year?
Teacher: My favorite Battle of the Books year is from 2007-2008.
Will: When did Battle of the Books start?
Teacher: Battle of the Books started around 2005.
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10/10/2008
Upper Elementary
Interviews with Upper El Teachers
by Aubrey King and Spencer Lavender
This week students interviewed the five teachers in upper el; Eleanor, Jenn, Cynthia, John, and Cindy. They learned interesting facts about each one. Here's the first installation!
Number 1 John
Q: When did you start teaching?
A: I started teaching at GMS in 2002.
Q: What would you do if you didn’t teach?
A: Well, if I couldn’t teach I guess I would practice law.
Q: Where did you go to college?
A: I attended Boston College for a bachelors, and Duke for a masters degree.
Q: What do you enjoy about teaching?
A: The best part about teaching for me is getting to see the children enjoy being taught, and enjoy learning.
Q: Did you teach somewhere before GMS?
A: Yeah, a long time ago I taught a course at UNCG.
Number 2 Cynthia
Q: When did you start teaching?
A: I started teaching in 1976.
Q: What would you do if you couldn’t teach?
A: If I couldn’t teach, I would travel.
Q: Where did you go to college?
A: I went to Eastern Michigan University and Bran Valley State.
Q: What do you enjoy about teaching?
A: I enjoy finding creative ways to help kids learn.
Q: Did you teach somewhere before GMS?
A: I taught as a music teacher.
Number 3 Eleanor
Q: When did you start teaching?
A: I started teaching in 1999.
Q: What would you do if you didn’t teach?
A: If I did not teach, I would be an archaeologists or a farmer.
Q: Where did you go to college?
A: I went to Appalachian State University to study art and many years later I studied education at Guilford College.
Q: What do you enjoy about teaching?
A: I enjoy seeing people get excited about learning.
Q: Did you teach somewhere before GMS?
A: I taught in Japan.
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10/10/2008
Upper Elementary
4th level Adventures on the Outer Banks
by Jessica Schneider
Every year the 4th levels will venture off into the wonderful Outer Banks of North Carolina on a three-day and two-night fieldtrip where you learn lots of wonderful things about the Ocean, visit breath taking sand dunes like Jockey’s Ridge and even Kitty Hawk and its huge monument. You might even get to see an aquarium full of fascinating fish, stingrays and sharks! Most every 5th level loved the Outer Banks and we know you will, too. Oh and I can’t forget the Currituck Lighthouse. You can see everything on top and you’ll fall in love with the view. Don’t forget to take lots of pictures, collect beautiful seashells, and have lots of fun because we know you will!
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10/9/2008
Upper Elementary
Interview of a new Fifth Level Student at Greensboro Montessori School
Interviewed by Adam Gilmore
Calvin, how old are you?
I am ten years old.
What is your favorite food of all?
My favorite food is German lasagna.
What pets do you have?
Right know I have a dog named Lucy and a cat named Zack.
How many brothers do you have?
I have one brother named Oliver and a sister named Phyllis.
What is your favorite subject?
My favorite subject is language.
What do you like about Greensboro Montessori School that is different than your old school?
I like that at this school you do not have to sit at a desk all day, you have more time to work during the day. We also have laptops here.
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10/8/2008
Upper Elementary
Fifth Level Rome Projects
by Will Alemanni
The 5th levels are doing Rome projects. On these projects you have a topic that you need to make a chart on. Some of these topics are defense, clothing and shelter. We all do the different topics. The reason is that we all can learn about different things than we have chosen.
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10/8/2008
Upper Elementary
Upper Elementary Learns about the Election Process
by Cat Quaintance
Upper El is having a vote on a division fuel. Upper El has two parties, Breads/Cereals and Fruits/Vegetables. There is also an unaffiliated party, but they may not vote until the general election. The candidates are corn, peanuts, and oats for the Breads and Cereals party, and carrots, pineapple, and strawberries for the Fruits and Vegetables party. Many campaign posters have decorated the halls and doors of Upper El. Some posters are intricately decorated, while others are full of nutritional value comparisons. The primary for this election was Friday, October 3rd, and the general vote’s date is not yet set. In the primary election, each party narrowed their choices down to one. This election should be really fun and help us learn a lot.
Interviews
I interviewed a few folks from Upper El and asked them a few questions about the Division Fuel election.
Will W. said, “My party is unaffiliated. I chose unaffiliated because I could not decide. Now I think being unaffiliated might not be the best choice, but that is okay.”
Jessica and Naomi—
What party are you in?
We are both in fruits and vegetables.
Who do you want to vote for?
Jessica: Pineapple.
Naomi: Strawberries.
Did you nominate anything that did not get chosen?
Jessica: Guavas.
Naomi: Coconuts.
Why?
Jessica: because they are my favorite fruit. Naomi: Because they are good and pretty and they taste good and they are tropical and I like tropical fruits.
Aubrey—
What party are you in?
Fruits and vegetables.
Did you nominate anything?
I did not get the chance to nominate anything.
Who do you want to win?
Strawberries.
Why do you want strawberries to win?
They taste good, they are one of the healthiest foods, and there is not much of a chance that pineapple will win.
Update
The primary results came in and the winner for fruits and veggies was carrots, and the winner for breads and cereals was corn. Stay tuned for more on Division Fuel!!!
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2/25/2008
Upper Elementary
GMS Hands Out Science Fair Awards.
Several GMS Upper El Students Move on to Regionals.
Last month marked the annual Science Fair in the GMS Upper Elementary level. All students participated and received appropriate accolades for their hard work. Several students' projects moved on to the Non-public Science Fair at High Point University while a few continued on to the Regional Fair at Sciworks in Winston-Salem. One student, Aubrey King, had a project that moved on to the State Fair in Raleigh! Congratulations to all!
These students were selected to move on to the Non-public Science Fair at High Point University:
Individual Projects:
Kory Webster
Melisa Yuce
Tyler Williams
Michael Amend
Emma Krollsmith
Grace Anderson
Ryan Greene
Joseph Taylor
Aubrey King
Caitlin Dibble
Group Projects:
Caitlin Cockcroft and Jenna Schnitzler
Michael Canziani, Daniel Kilimnik and Jonathan Hirsch
These students were selected to move on to the Regional Fair at Sciworks in Winston-Salem:
Michael Amend
Aubrey King
Caitlin Dibble
Caitlin Cockcroft and Jenna Schnitzler
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12/16/2007
Upper Elementary
The Upper El Garden in December
En el jardín en diciembre
Each student has a responsibility in the garden.
The students are often given choices to complete the work that they find most fulfilling. In the cool month of December, they can choose from a number of options. Some have planted cold-weather seeds such as radishes, turnips and mustard greens. Others opt to water the fava beans and other trees. Moving and tending to our cold frames is also an important work. Yet others have prepared the beds to rest for the winter season. Each is physically engaging and immensely rewarding. We have all tasted persimmons (caquís) and French sorrel (known to the students as sour plant)
These meaningful works are based on delayed gratification. In tending to the seeds they plant in beds they have prepared themselves, they harvest the fruits of their labor in a very literal sense.
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9/5/2007
Upper Elementary
Upper El Hike
UPPER EL HIKE
By Ines Kausche and Kory Webster
On Friday, September 1st, the Upper El students and teachers went on a three mile hike to Bur-Mil park. The trail started on Old Battleground Road and ended in Bur Mil park. On the hike, we saw many things that included animals like snakes. We saw a black rat snake and a gardener snake that looked like it had been hit by a biker because it was struggling. We also saw a couple of trees that beavers had chewed on and lots of Canadian geese and salamanders.
At the end of our hike we went to the Visitors Center and saw corn snakes, rabbits, baby turtles, and a Komodo dragon.We also saw an iguana and a couple of fish. We heard lots of birds and we loved our nature hike.
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9/4/2007
Upper Elementary
Upper El Hike
Upper El Hike
By Erica Jones and Mackenzie Craig
The Upper El students hiked to Lake Brandt. While we were there, we picked up trash by the lake. We saw several snakes on the hike! One had been hurt by a bike but was still alive. It slithered away. We also saw a really unique frog that was dehydrated with its skeleton visible! It was well preserved; not a bone out of place.
At the lake, we picked up 3 bags of trash! We all washed our hands afterwards and we all said that we felt good about cleaning up the lake.
That was our trip!
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3/12/2007
Upper Elementary
Battle of the Books
Library News
Battle of the Books took place in our Media Center on March 7th with parents, coaches, teachers and teammates who made the event a great success. What a wonderful job our participating students did! Tough questions about books they have been reading all year long were battled to the end with Jenn’s Team being the ultimate winner. Congratulations to all of our hard working readers! Our in-house competition demonstrated much dedication and teamwork between Upper El and Middle School students.
The Middle School traveling team attended the Regional Competition at Canterbury School. Kaitlyn Webster, Haley Hawkins, Sarah Catherine Lucas, Olivia Meyer-Jeannette and Nikki Shumaker were up against five other independent schools. This was their first time competing against other schools at the regional level and we are so proud of them! We are all looking forward to next year’s list of books to read which should be released by the end of March.
For more information about Battle of the Books or how to become a team member email Lauri.
Library@thegms.org
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12/15/2006
Upper Elementary
Cuneiform Activity
4th level students write the Sumerian way
By Erica Jones
The 4th levels, who have been studying the ancient writing of Cuneiform, drew on clay tablets to learn more about it. It was really fun and the 4th levels had a good time. Some times a 4th level got annoyed, but doing the clay tablets with cuneiform and wooden chisels was a good experience. They wrote in wet clay. They are drying on tables. The tablets will be coming home soon.
Cuneiform is a type of ancient writing of the Sumerians. Sumer was one of the first civilizations.
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11/22/2006
Upper Elementary
Potluck Fun
Get your game on
The first Upper El potluck of the year was a great success. Families shared an adundant feast followed by an exciting game of "Clean Your Room." We look forward to other gatherings later in the year.
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11/15/2006
Upper Elementary
Zahra Dances With Upper El
Zahra swooped in this November to share some traditional W. African dance with the Upper El music students. The students have been studying music of Guinea, Mali and Nigeria in their music class, and were thrilled to make a physical connection with the music they had been playing and listening to. It was a wonderfull cultural experience in the outdoors. Thanks Zahra!
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10/14/2006
Upper Elementary
Chemistry in Upper El
Students in Upper El have been studying water and its properties in science. In small groups, the students have been investigating how much sugar will dissolve in a given amount of water. After their solutions are saturated, we will set up an evaporation/crystal growing experiment. Check back soon for more science news!
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9/26/2006
Upper Elementary
Fundamental Needs
4th level students head to the woods
In history, as part of the study of early humans, the 4th level students are studying fundamental needs. Today the students spent the afternoon trying to meet their need for food, water, and shelter in the woods behind the soccer field. In clans of six, the students entered a "new" land, after exhausting the resources in their old habitat. They found ways to carry and store water, scavenged for food, and built shelters. Afterwards, they had a council meeting of the clans to see how everyone fared in their new found land. Happily, people not only met the needs of their clans, but also began establishing trade amongst the clans. Everyone is looking forward to their next adventure in history.
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1/15/2006
Upper Elementary
Upper El students take a trip back in time
Field Trip to Old Salem
By Keita Yokoyama and Gabi Goggin
Upper El went on a field trip to Old Salem in Winston-Salem. This is a re-creation of life in the late 1800s at the former town of Salem (now merged with Winston).
Some interesting sites and activities were:
Single Brothers' House
Horse and Carriage
The Moravian Church
Bakery
We went on the bus and in cars shortly after our morning meeting. We drove for 30 minutes, arriving in Old Salem around 10:00. Then we walked to the Single Brothers' House and had a tour of the building. We saw a model of Old Salem, the process of making candles, and learned what kitchen work was like. After that, we had lunch near the museum of Old Salem and the covered bridge, and later split into groups and walked around Old Salem. Some groups went into buildings and bought items at the bakery.
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