2nd Graders Shine

 Be the first one to raise your hand.  

  

Kindergarten Conversations...

Casual conversations with students are a highlight of my day.  Today I had the pleasure of joining a group for lunch. As you can assume, there were several great conversations taking place at one time. They all had so much to share but apparently thought that they wouldn't have enough time to share it all.  

With a smile ear to ear, I listened to the stories that came at me like rapid fire.  I heard about furry dogs, bike accidents, visits to grandma's,  knee injuries, arguments with brothers, and favorite bathing suits that no longer fit.

Your children are a hoot! 

And I....

Absolutely Love Your Children!

  

Oneonta Job Corps Makes a Difference!

Every Tuesday from 1:00-3:00 nearly 30 student leaders from Oneonta Job Corps volunteer at Riverside Elementary.  Our Pre-k through 5th grade classrooms and all special area programs are fortunate enough to have two consistent student leaders each week.  Positive feedback can be heard from classroom teachers, OJC student leaders, and our Riverside students.  This is a new partnership that we hope to continue for years.

How lucky we are! 

 

WOW!

Check. Us. Out.

Great Teaching - Great Partnership - Great Education

Click the link below to read about another example of Riverside at its best....

http://www.hartwick.edu/news-and-events/challenge-ed-bullying-05-17-12

Another Riverside Blogger

Miss Novellano, our first grade teacher, has joined the blog world. To see what is happening in first grade just click the link below.  Her site has also been added to my, "Blogs I follow" which is located on the bottom left side of the page.

http://novellanofirstgrade.blogspot.com/

4th Grade Historians

For a research project this year the RS 4th graders are participating in the Sally Mullen Local History Award sponsored by the Greater Oneonta Historical Society. The theme of the project is, "Everything has a story... If this building could talk." Students selected a historical building in the Oneonta area and were required to write a historical research report and create a visual display or model to go along with it. On their own time, many of the students contacted a representative from the site to schedule tours and/or interviews.  The projects are AMAZING and will now be delivered to the Historical Society and entered into the contest. 

All the projects will all be on display at the Historical Society Open House taking place on June 12th.

Bike/Walk to School Day

Today was, "Bike/Walk to School Day" and we had a fantastic turnout at Riverside Elementary.  We had 34 participants who traveled a total of 22 miles this morning.  Congratulations to our participants.

Be Active - Stay Healthy

Blog - Blog - Blog!

If you would like to "see" more of what is happening at Riverside, check out a few more RS blogs.  If you look on the right hand side of this page - at the bottom - I linked the Blogs I Follow.  Just click away, take another step inside the school, and enjoy!

6th Grade Safety Patrol Update

Our 6th grade Safety Patrol students left for Washington DC at 5:45am Saturday morning. They return on Tuesday evening.  Mrs. Johnson shared that the students are having a fantastic time.  Don't worry - I will post plenty of pictures when they come home.

I Love Lunch Dates!

I try to have lunch with small groups of students at least once a week.  Today my guests were Olivia, DJ, and Trinity. 
I just love our Riverside students!
  

A New York Soldier in the Civil War

The students in fifth grade spent several hours today with Ted Shuart, a Civil War expert.  He works for the New York State Historical Association in Cooperstown.  At the Farmers Museum he performs as the Master Printer and Militia Captian.  Mr. Shuart has also be involved in the filming of three documentaries.

Mr. Shuart arrived in accurate period soldier clothing from New York's 125th regiment.  He brought multiple arms and equipment needed by a solider in the Union Army for the students to examined.  The students had an opportunity to wear and model a variety of uniforms and accoutrements.

This presentation helped students make real life connections to the current Civil War unit they are studying in social studies. 

Energy. Nature. Balance.

Our third graders have embarked on a long-term interdisciplinary unit integrating the arts, science, social studies, English language arts, and math. With a focus on Japan, the students have learned about Japanese culture, geography, and history.  A study of energy (nuclear, fossil, renewable) was utilized to understand how humans interact with energy while balancing the need to respect nature (including benefit/risk assessments).  A special emphasis was placed on the medieval Muromachi Period when Japanese arts and culture were especially attuned to nature. An artist study focused on the work of Isamu Noguchi, a Japanese-American sculptor, whose abstract sculptures inspired the students. In a unique collaboration with Elizabeth Nields, conducted at her studio in Gilbertsville, N.Y., the third graders designed and constructed five ceramic sculptures to be installed in Riverside School’s garden. Each sculpture represents a message from the student-artists about the fragile relationship between people, energy, and nature. This program is funded through a competitive grant from the New York State Council of the Arts and is administered by the Chenango County Council on the Arts.  Congratulations to Mr. Sider for writing the grant proposal and being selected for funding. 

5th Grade Engineers

Students in Mr. Zeh’s fifth grade are learning all about propulsion and gravity.  The students took this science unit to another level.  Under Mr. Zeh's guidance, they had an opportunity to design and build their own car.  

Once the car is complete the students will conduct various tests to measure speed and distance.

"READING IS FUN"damental

Reading is Fundamental - RIF -  takes place tomorrow at Riverside Elementary.  Every student will come to the library and select a brand new book.  This afternoon I did a book preview with the first graders. Providing them with a little background knowledge about the books they can select from ensures 

students are taking home the perfect book for them.

Pre-K!

Mrs. Broe joined the blog world.  Take a moment to check it out.  She posts important information, ongoing highlights, pictures and videos.http://kimbroe.blogspot.com

After reading about princesses and super heroes the children in Mrs. Tubia's pre-k program hosted a super hero and princess day.  While eating their snack they sang a little song, "It's the best day ever..." 

They. Are. Adorable.

Collaboration with the College

Dr. Frank, a professor from State University College at Oneonta and her education class teamed up with our 6th grade students in an effort to enhance a studies unit on countries throughout the world. For 6 weeks, twenty-one students from SUCO have presented global lessons on topics ranging from education, economy, health care, and poverty. As a culminating project, the 6th grade students were grouped according to the region that they chose to study - and under the guidance of their SUCO partners, worked together to bake, boil, and saute foods from eight different cultures. Everyone had an opportunity to sample the different recipes. The recipes included Mediterranean canollis, Arab couscous, Asian fried rice, Caribbean plantains, South American burritos, African peanut and yam soup, and European soda bread and potatoes au' gratin.

Mrs. Johnson said, "This project would never have been possible without the assistance of these amazing college students. They did an amazing job with our 6th graders. Each recipe was a bit tricky and one or two teachers would not have been able to oversee this project. Everyone really seemed to be enjoying the experience and the food turned out wonderful. I am appreciative of Dr. Frank and her students. They are a very classy group and their approach to instructing and supporting our students was quite impressive."