Courtesy EGSD
Great Happenings in East Grand Schools the week of Feb. 27.
• Granby Elementary School’s fifth-grade classes paired up with the first-graders for technology instruction and taught the first-graders about Google Slides. The fifth grade students did an excellent job of showing and then having the first grade students try the new skill on their Chrome book. First-graders are creating a short slide presentation all about themselves. Next, they will be creating a slide presentation that will integrate social studies. Presentations will be shared with parents in the spring.
• Students from East and West Grand schools participated in a co-working pilot project. This Wednesday seven students from both school districts participated in a pilot project that was conceived during a recent Homegrown Talent Initiative seminar.
During the seminar a small group of students suggested they wanted an opportunity to develop their career goals while learning the skills they would need to be successful later in life. From there, Jayson Harris at Green Spaces CoWorking was brought into the project and invited local entrepreneurs and remote workers, who share the space in Winter Park, to be interviewed by students at both schools. During a pretrip meeting, students discussed what questions they would ask, and developed a strategy for what they wanted to experience during their time.
After the event, students created a video blog sharing their thoughts on the event.
“I discussed how future plans can change, and how it is OK to experiment in different career fields,” Kayla Davis, a senior at Middle Park High School, said.
“We were able to receive an opportunity to speak with careered-individuals with a wide-range of experiences,” Charlie Multerer from West Grand High School also explained.
Based on the feedback, the students saw this experience as a worthwhile endeavor, and are looking for ways to expand this opportunity. One way forward is to offer this experience to students at the Green Spaces CoWorking space in Denver. While there, students would have the opportunity to meet with someone from a pool of more than 300 entrepreneurs and remote workers.
• Fifth grade PE classes at GES finished up their archery unit with Colorado Parks and Wildlife officers Jeromy Huntington and Jeff Behncke. A small group of first through fourth-graders also participated in a morning program before school. Students investigated many concepts, including discipline, consistency, math, and the five components of health related fitness. The culminating activity was a friendly shooting competition and the top shooters will receive a certificate of achievement.
• Fifth-graders at Fraser Valley Elementary are working on their first coding assignment from Boot Up through the coding program called Scratch created and shared by students at MIT. Students are using code to animate their names. We are in an incredible position to assist students as they become creators, not just consumers, of the technology around them. Learning to code supports problem-solving, creativity, collaboration and critical thinking. It can also provide confidence to students when dealing with complex, open-ended problems, and persistence in the face of challenges. Some of the kids’ comments about coding are as follows:
“Coding is beneficial for your brain because it can teach you things you might need to know in the future.” — Keviah
“Trial and error are the best thing because it makes you want to try harder.” — Maija
• Congratulations to the Middle Park High School students who participated in the NASA Hunch Club. They did an amazing job at the critical review earlier this month. If selected, students will present their design to a team of engineers, astronauts, and flight crew personnel at the Final Review at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas in April.
• First-graders at Granby Elementary School have had guest instructors. John DiGirolamo, a retired accountant, and Tina Steinberg and Gina Macchinone from Java Lava have been presenting the curriculum developed by Junior Achievement. This curriculum meets Colorado State Standards and focuses on entrepreneurship, financial literacy, and work readiness. Students in first grade learned about wants and needs, as well as goods and services. The teachers and the students would like to thank the volunteers for taking the time and making the effort to support first-graders.
• There will be free developmental screenings March 5 at Granby Elementary. Early childhood educators, occupational therapists, a speech and language therapist, vision and hearing specialists, and public health professionals will be on site performing screenings for all children. Please note that the screenings are not intended to determine early entrance into kindergarten, but rather to answer questions, help support, or address concerns about your child’s development. Call Granby Elementary at 970-887-3312 to make an appointment.
• Last Friday, Granby Preschool Parents were invited to the Granby Elementary for an open gym day. Families were able to get exercise and play with friends and visit with parents and teachers. It was a welcomed outing on a very cold day.
• Congratulations to MPHS student Cameron Conger, who took first place in juniors, amateur stock and amateur modified divisions as well as second in amateur improved at the Bear Lake Snowmobile Hill Climb. With the wins at Bear Lake, he has moved up to semi-pro!
• MPHS graphic design students are looking to practice their professional design skills for the community. If you would like to commission any flyers or posters with proceeds going directly to the student, email carrieann.mathis@egsd.org