Chameleon Chronicle

We have been busy at HHA over the last three weeks! We have been learning our routines, procedures, and our new daily schedules. We were even given the opportunity to learn the routines for a weather half-day and E-learning day that were not originally in our plans for the first fourteen days, but everyone was amazing and flexible. Thank you for your help with the weather half day and E-Learning Day with our students. I was so impressed that our students, teachers, and families did such an amazing job learning from home on day nine. The first week of September marks the first week on Infusion lessons in the building. The students and teachers enjoy these lessons the most because our homeroom teachers work with one of the fine arts staff and teach a lesson to our students that incorporate the general education standards for grade level instruction in math, reading, science, and social studies and an arts standard (art, music, PE, dance, and theater) in one lesson. Both teachers are in the room and teaching together. Be sure to ask your students what they learned last during infusion or what they learn this week.

This week, our students in third through fifth grades will begin exploratory classes. Students will spend an additional 30 minutes exploring an arts area one day per week. Students will explore topics such as cooperative learning, puppets, film, musical theatre, recorders, tap, ballet, book club, book trailers, cartooning, or watercolor. Each grade level has different options throughout the year in each area music, PE, art, dance, theatre, or media. Students will explore one topic during the first semester of the year and then switch to a new area for the second semester.

There are many wonderful things happening this year at AIMS and we will continue to share some of them with you in the monthly chronicle!

International Dot Day this Friday, September 15, 2023! This is a global celebration of creativity, courage and collaboration, that began when a teacher introduced his students to the Peter H. Reynolds’ book The Dot. This book is the story of a caring teacher who dares a doubting student to trust in her own abilities by being brave enough to “make her mark”/ What begins with a small dot on a piece of paper becomes a breakthrough in confidence and courage, igniting a journey of self-discovery and sharing. This book highlights HHA’s theme for the year and the challenge we have for our chameleons to be BRAVE and try new things.

Thank you so much for learning the new arrival and dismissal procedures for side lot. It has been very helpful using the front of the school for exiting cars so one entrance is used for incoming cars that the other one is used for exiting cars. We will be moving one line at a time to cross the street into the loop from the American Legion and please follow the directives from the staff on duty.

We do need your help to ensure all of our students are safe at all times. Parents: please make sure that you are not on electronic devices when in the car line and we ask that you put your car in park when you are your child is exiting or getting in your car. It is also critical that all children stay inside the vehicle at all times when entering and exiting campus. Students should not be leaning out of car windows or sun roofs. Students need to keeps arms, legs, and bodies inside of the vehicle until it comes to a complete stop and is parked for students to unload or load. We know that students are excited to see friends and staff during arrival and pickup but our number one goal is safety. Thank you for your help with keeping our students safe!

Focus 5’s Acting Right is an arts-based strategy that provides students with the tools to remain calm, focused, and balanced.

The Actor’s Toolbox begins with students signing a silent contract that they promise to control their bodies, voices, and imaginations and to concentrate and cooperate. Then, students practice strengthening their concentration and cooperation skills through a series of challenges. Adopting a common language pinpoints areas where students are making strong vs. weak choices and provides students with a sense of ownership over their behavior. This language, and even signing the contract itself, can be done throughout the day to reinforce set expectations. It also prepares students for deeper applications of content through the use of drama and provides teachers with both a management tool as well as a way of assessing student understanding.

Students are also learning the difference between a stage voice and a speaking voice. A stage voice is one that students should use when on stage or presenting in front of their classmates. A speaking voice is one that you use when speaking to someone beside you.

In Ms. Garrard’s class, our students are learning about science inquiry skills. Students learned about quantitative observations by measuring the dimensions of a Kit Kat. They practiced making qualitative observations by looking at, listening to, touching, smelling, and tasting Kit Kats!

We will have an early dismissal day on Wednesday, September 27th. Dismissal will be at 11:10 on this day. We will have normal drop off and before and afterschool care for those that are registered. We will be serving lunch for those students that need to eat a school lunch but lunch times are not the regular lunch time due to the abbreviated schedule so we ask that parents do not come to school to eat lunch with students. Students that stay for afterschool care (Chameleon Care) may purchase a school lunch or bring a home lunch and students will eat at 11:10 a.m. If your child normally brings a home lunch, it will not be needed since we will be dismissing at the time we would normally start eating lunch.

Are you interested in serving on the school improvement council or Fine Arts Steering Committee? Please plan to attend an informational meeting on Monday, September 18th at 3:30 in the media center. We will be discussing the role of the School Improvement Council and the Fine Arts Steering Committee.