91èÏÈÉú

“This has truly been a good and productive school year.  Happy summer to everyone!”

– Sandra Fritcher, Lower School Principal –

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1zoUfSuUqM?showinfo=0&w=560&h=315]

The 2014-2015 year has been great at the Lower School.  Everyone has been learning, laughing, praying, reading, playing, and loving this year.

Pre-kindergarten students dressed as pilgrims and enjoyed a tasty Thanksgiving feast.  During Rodeo and Cowboy Day, they participated in different stations, experiencing life like cowboys used to experience.  In the spring, they watched chicks hatch in their classroom incubator.  They learned basic sight words and basic number concepts, having fun while learning.

Kindergarten students were visited by community helpers, learning just how these workers help people in our community. They learned about animals that hibernate, and then presented that information to the class.  They also learned how seedlings become Christmas trees.  They continued improving their reading and math skills each and every day of the year.

First graders participated in several fun activities to reinforce what they were studying throughout the year. The Texas Round-Up was a culminating activity after studying Texas. Students wore western clothes and made different crafts about Texas history. Students also did research on animals and then hosted an Animal Showcase to share information they learned. Another special day was the annual Mothers’ Poetry Tea. The children entertained their mothers and grandmothers with cookies, punch, and poetry readings of poetry written by the children.

In second grade, students selected a great American to study and then wrote a research paper. They worked with the librarian and created a Power Point presentation for parents. Each student then dressed up as his/her famous American and presented the information to the school in the style of a wax museum. At Christmas time, students studied countries around the world and the different traditions in these countries. Food representing each country was brought for a feast to enjoy during the presentations of the traditions. Another second grade highlight was the Grand Ball which culminated the study about fairy tales.

Taking an imaginary cross-country trip to learn about the United States enabled third graders to be actively involved in social studies. They created a travel journal to describe the experiences of the trip.  They studied and learned about famous inventors and their contributions, and then presented that information to others.  A culminating and very special activity for third grade was attending a naturalization ceremony at the courthouse in Tyler. There they saw many new American citizens take the oath to pledge allegiance to the United States of America.

Science instruction in fourth grade included trips to Pine Cove Christian Camp and the Perot Museum of Nature and Science in Dallas. At Pine Cove, students participated in activities such as teambuilding, learning about horses, orienteering, archery, earth science instruction, and zip lines. The American Freedom Museum on the 91èÏÈÉú upper school campus provided an excellent resource for their study about Texas history.

Fifth graders traveled to Houston to visit the NASA Space Center. There they learned about the history and future of America’s participation in the space program. Fifth graders also studied about amazing Americans who have made significant contributions to the USA and the world. A culminating activity for fifth grade was traveling to Dallas for the Medieval Times Dinner and Tournament. Teachers had taught a mini-unit on medieval history before the students embarked on this great castle experience, taking them back to the 11^th century.

Our Cadet Singers—a select choir of third, fourth, and fifth graders—performed a special salute to veterans on Grandparents Day. We had an all-school Fine Arts Extravaganza where various genres of art and music were highlighted.  Spanish classes participated in a canned food drive to help a Spanish mission. Quarterly character awards were presented to all third, fourth, and fifth graders. All students received individual character awards from their teachers during classroom receptions at the end of this year.

This has truly been a good and productive school year, and everyone at the 91èÏÈÉú Lower School is ready for a fun and relaxing break.  Happy summer to everyone!