Dot Day

During the week of September 10 – September 14, SIS students in Elementary School, Middle School, and High School celebrated Dot Day.  The Elementary School began our celebration of Dot Week with a mini-assembly in the library on Monday morning.  Students gathered in the library to listen to a read-aloud of The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds.  This wonderful story reminds us of the impact that each of us can have on our world, if we’re just willing to be a risk-taker and leave a mark.

Throughout the week,  parents and students had the opportunity to leave their mark in the lobby before morning bell, during pick up, or any other time they found that they had a few minutes to spare.  Elementary classes also participated in a variety of dot-related activities both in their homerooms and in their specialist classes.   Inspired by the story, students across the school worked to make their own mark as they created their own dot.  A collaborative collage was created and the works of art can be seen in the school cafeteria.

It is my hope that as we continue our year together, students will remember the important lessons they have learned this week.  Having confidence to believe in ourselves, and nurturing and encouraging others is all it takes to persevere when faced with a challenge.

Grade 1

Our first grade class has been learning about how our rights and responsibilities impact the way we interact with others in different situations.  Here are some ways we incorporated this into our learning.

Students reviewed a variety of pictures to discover examples of positive and negative behaviors in our school, community, and world while trying to answer the questions:

• How do my actions impact others?
• How do I show responsibility?

After reading picture books, non-fiction articles and watching videos our class discussed the following questions:  

• What are my responsibilities as a student?
• How do I show responsibility?

Students then created an essential agreement for our classroom using our understanding of rights and responsibilities.