I can’t think of a better way

to begin our spring

newsle t te r than the

exhibitions of student

learning that was showcased

with the 5th grade play fol-

lowed by the 4th grade

South American Museum!

The 5th grade play, “The

Quest for Courage” is a

demonstration of students’

hard work and commitment.

It was a huge success and

the students gave a

remarkable performance.

Congratulations to all who

con t r i bu t e d t o t h i s

wonderful experience!

The 4th grade “South

American Museum” was

another display of our

students knowledge and

skills. It involved a lot of

collaboration, organization,

information management

and public speaking skills to

put together such wonderful

work. Kudos go to all

involved in carrying out this

outstanding project!

Apart from these two

remarkable events, there is a

number of projects and

activities that are going on

in the Elementary School.

The Greek Independence

Day celebration is scheduled

on March 22nd at 9.15 a.m. in

the ACS Theater. Our Greek

classes have been preparing

hard for this very promising

performance. We are looking

forward to it!

Additionally, the Office of

Student Affairs has scheduled

a variety of wonderful events

that will take place during

Wellness Month (March 4th-

15th & April 1st-12th) this year

in the Elementary School. As

part of our holistic education,

the children in grades JK-2 will

receive information on

developing a healthy lifestyle

and making healthy life

choices. Proper oral hygiene

will be part of this process, as

well as information sessions on

alcohol, tobacco, legal & illegal

drugs. Students in grades 3-5

will be involved in large group

discussions on internet safety.

Moreover, our dedicated PTO

moms have organized their

traditional “Teacher and Staff

Appreciation Week” (March

19th — 22nd) with a series of

events to express their appre-

ciation. Your support is greatly

appreciated by each and every

one of us! We thank you for

your valuable assistance

throughout the year!

Grades will be posted on

Skyward on March 26th.

You can access your child’s

report card after 3.30 p.m. on

this date. At this point I

would like to remind you that

if your child is absent from

school for any reason it is

imperative that you notify

Ms. Xiggi in our main office

at 210-6070-229 or by email

xiggic@acs.gr. Attendance is

recorded daily and absences

will be marked on the report

cards.

Parent Teacher Conferences

are scheduled on April 16th

from 4:00-6:30 p.m. and

April 26th from 9:30- 12:00

p.m. A letter will be sent

home to you with details in

the following week. Teachers

will be contacting you to

arrange appointments.

Spring Break begins April

29th—May 7th. This time is

an opportunity for all to

relax, enjoy family and

friends and escape from

daily routine.

Enjoy the Spring Break with

your loved ones.

Cathy Makropoulos

Principal

Message from the Principal

Volume 2, Issue 2

March 2013

ACS ATHENS

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

THE MUSE

Help your child make healthy

choices in their daily lives by

choosing healthy snacks,

regularly brushing their teeth,

staying productive, getting

plenty of exercise, etc. Discuss

these concepts at home with

your child so that you can

make a meaningful home-

school connection.

We would also like to take this

opportunity to thank all of our

room parents who have done

such a wonderful job

organizing our holiday parties

this year.

Kindergarten News

Backpack Bear and other

books in our classroom

library. We have also become

writers! Our monthly journals

now include lines that provide

space for writing about

directed themes related to

books that we have read, to

our unit topics and even

Wellness Month. We are

working on adding more

details to our drawings and

writing to describe events. We

use worm spacers so we can

write words on their own and

are aware of punctuation to

begin a sentence with a

capital letter and end it with a

period. Our interactive writing

sessions are fun when we get

to write on the board and

practice spelling, punctuation,

letter formation and thinking

process. One of our favorite

games is Wheel of Reading

and instead of the teacher

T h e

K i n d e r -

g a r tne r s

w e r e

swirling in

a c t i o n

during the second trimester.

They have completed all of

the alphabet letters! Two of

our final letters were K and

Q, so we decided to celebrate

by reading stories about

Kings and Queens, role

playing and eating King and

Queen of Heart tarts. We feel

especially regal after this

activity. Our Red Hot

Readers program is going

very well, we love to hear the

children read with such

confidence and interest. We

have been reading all kinds

of print, from a long list of

high frequency words to our

morning messages, calen-

dar words, short stories with

Junior Kindergarten News

In closing our

unit on Fairy

Tales and

N u r s e r y

Rhymes, we

have quickly moved into our

next unit on Health and Nu-

trition. During this month,

the children will learn to

make choices that promote a

healthy life style as they

build healthy habits into

their daily routines. Apply-

ing what the children are

learning to their every-

day life makes learning

meaningful.

We truly appreciate all your

help and look forward to

working with you through the

rest of the school year!

And remember… if you ever

have any questions or

concerns about your child’s

progress and achievements,

please do not hesitate to

contact us or make an

appointment to discuss your

concerns.

Thank You,

Ms. Alex, Ms. Vicki,

Ms. Korinna

leading this activity we are

learning to play it on our own.

The children are

impressive in

their math skills

by adding and

subtracting to find ways to

make different numbers up to

10. We use 10 frames,

Rekkenreks (like a small

abacus), unifix cubes and

other manipulatives to first

build a problem, then try and

draw from that and then write

about it in number and

sometimes word form. We are

sorting objects up to 10 in

each group and prove we can

sort more than this just by

cleaning up our toys after free

time! We continue to recognize

patterns and make graphs; we

even vote many times in our

class to find out what our

preferences are for foods,

activities, hobbies, and then

even graph our results. We

reached 100 days of school and

celebrated with activities galore!

We continue to practice count-

ing to 100 by ones and tens and

looking at place value up to 20

using ones and tens. Our happy

helper of the day is in charge of

this activity as well as the

weather graph and calendar.

We completed our Seasons unit

by reading many fiction and

non-fiction books about how

the weather changes. We

discovered how we dress in

each season, what happens to

nature as the weather changes,

and we even conducted

experiments such as making

a tornado in a bottle, rain in

a bag and winter planting to

help us learn about plants

that like cold weather such

as oak trees and sweet peas.

We have also planted our two

citrus trees in the school

yard and observe them as we

walk past them on our way to

specials every day.

O u r u n i t a b o u t

“Neiborhoods” has become

interactive through the

adding of artwork on our

bulletin board as we read

stories and discuss what

makes a neighborhood. So

far we have made houses,

the 100th Day of School

celebration, and lastly – a

celebration of learning with

our “Mad Scientist” Special

Sharing Investigations. With

all this said and done, we are

looking forward to our new

unit on plants, with our

noses to the ground and

green thumbs ready while we

reach for the sun and grow!

Please feel free to send in any

packets of seeds that need

planting as well as any potted

plants/flowers – as our

c l a s s r o o m s w i l l b e

transforming into Green-

houses before our very eyes!

Kindergarten News continued

shops, hospitals, fire and

police station, schools,

parks, and more to come.

We wi l l expand on

neighborhoods with our next

unit about Community Help-

ers.

Kindergartners have much

to be proud of, as we

definitely are proud of them!

Ms. Tracy and Ms. Stavi

1st Grade News

As you are all aware, Captain

Chip has helped make your

child’s first grade transition

and experience that much

more rewarding. We look

forward to the trimester ahead

and invite you to come to our

2nd session (Tuesday, March

12 from 3:45-4:15) with our

trainer Theo Koutsopoulos

where you will have a chance

to meet him, Captain Chip (if

you haven’t already), hear

about our work so far as well

as future plans and ask any

questions that you may have.

This has been a very special

month – from Valentine’s Day,

Look forward to our Bonus

Book Bag reading incentive.

These Super Effort Bonus

Books are to be read aloud

for enjoyment and fluency.

Please dedicate at least 5

minutes daily to having your

child read aloud to you from

this book. Depending on the

length of the book, your

child will exchange books

daily or as needed.

We are looking forward to

meeting with you during

Parent-Teacher conferences

preceding Spring Break…

Ms. Birbil, Ms. Lamprou,

Ms. Safaris

Transit ioning from first

trimester to second has been

filled with second graders

discovering their Community.

Students were able to make

c o n n e c t i o n s b e t w e e n

communities students have

lived in before, other countries,

a n d t h e i r v e r y o w n

surroundings in Greece. They

h av e s t u d i e d c a rd i n a l

directions, learned map skills

and can differentiate between

places that are urban, rural or

suburban. During this unit,

students read plenty of fiction

stories (at their readability

levels) and non-fiction books,

listened to stories in the

computer lab - where they had

been given a wide range of

interactive e-books filled with

facts about community workers

- and read within small groups

too. Second graders worked in

teams to design a map of their

surrounding community (ACS)

in colorful community maps,

including some with 3D details!

Students were able to present

these uniquely designed maps

in class which they loved

s h a r i n g i d e a s a n d

interpretat ions! As a

culminating activity students

were given the chance to

explore their “home” community

and the places around it.

Students did a marvelous job

presenting Greece and the

places they love here. Our

classrooms transformed into a

“Greek Community Museum”

where students toured to

discover what the other

classrooms have done and to

see each other’s work!

This trimester embarks onto

a new unit study about

Africa. Our classrooms have

a l ready shown g reat

excitement about this

continent! Students will be

exposed to the various

fo lktales, geographical

regions, cultures, landforms,

languages, and of course

kid’s favorite, African

animals.

2nd Grade News

Our reading lessons will

continue to compliment

fictional stories about Africa

(at readability levels) while

sharing non-fiction texts and

African folktales in class.

Through these stories

students will learn how to

make connections between

African folktales and poetry

by identifying similes,

f i g u r a t i v e l a n g u a g e ,

alliteration, hearing music

or beats, listening to the

vowel patterns that rhyme,

etc. After establishing these

foundations students will

experiment and write poetry

of their own. These poems

will include, acrostic poems,

diamante poems, funny

poems and poems with

beats. In addition to

learning how to write like a

p o e t a n d m a k i n g

connections to different

genres (folktales and poetry)

students will present details

Two trimesters are in the

books… and so are we! In

reading we have been focusing a

lot on living inside of a book

and really taking a close look at

characters. Students have been

learning how to open up and let

stories really affect them.

The writing focus has shifted to

comple t ing e ssays . We

continue to use the skills we

learned in our last unit on

personal narratives to make our

essays stronger! In math we

have finished up a unit on ge-

ometry and are moving ahead

with fractions!

3rd Grade News

This is a big unit and can be

difficult for students to grasp

at first.

We are using lots of

manipulatives and hands on

activities to help increase

understanding. In Social

Studies we have taken a

closer look at the inner

workings of a community and

how different people can join

them.

We also talked about the

challenges, and benefits of

immigrating. We will con-

tinue to explore communities

and the people, geography,

and themes that make them

up.

Science has been different

for each class and our

rotation through the units

will continue. Mrs. Hapsis

is learning about sound, Ms.

Mukri is exploring rocks and

minerals, and Mr. Perroni is

investigating the human

body. Keep up the hard

work!

Ms. Hapsis, Ms. Mukri,

Mr Perroni

2nd Grade News continued

about Dr. Seuss for their

monthly author study.

Second grade math has

students continuing working

hard on becoming fluent in

mental math skills, for both fast

math addition and fast math

subtraction, covering facts from

1-20. Children are picking up

speed and some even have even

created personal challenges

they are aiming to beat!

Second grade math units have

included double digit addition

and subtraction, graphing and

place value. Having recently

successfully completed a unit

on Graphing, second graders

have graphed everything from

their favorite snacks, colors, eye

color, hair colors, food and

colors, food and much more.

They have all proven to

master the skill of identifying

the difference between a bar

graph and a line graph, and

how to use details from a

ta l ly chart to draw

i n f o r m a t i o n o n t o a

pictograph. We are very

p r o u d o f t h e i r

accomplishments in this unit

and look forward to moving

into the 1,000’s place in our

new Place Value Unit!

Students will be expected to

build an understanding of

how larger number concepts

will be constructed.

This trimester will be full of

poetically patterned adven-

tures that second graders

are eager to dive into.

Ms. Johnson, Ms. Moros,

Ms. Spiliot, Ms. Mantagos

Environmental Museum of

Stymphalia, Corinth in the

Peloponnese. This was the

culminating activity for the

two science units of Water

and Structures of Life.

Students were able to enjoy

the nature preserve on site,

investigate the animal

habitats, observe erosion and

the changes of the land from

water and the uses of the

land by local residents. It

was an engaging trip. We

thank all the chaperones for

their support.

In math we are working on

division. We are focusing on

Congratulations

4th grade on an

o u t s t a n d i n g

museum with

the theme of

South America!!

Your hard work

and effort shone

through!! This event stresses

the importance of collaboration,

organization, information

management and public

speaking. Students offered a

plethora of information for their

posters by using research skills

and improved their figurative

language by writing folk tales

for all to enjoy. They also

challenged us with their math

abilities, as they wrote problems

related to South America. This

unit will wrap up this trimester

with more reading and learn-

ing about the continent.

This trimester, the fourth grade

enjoyed a field study to the

4th Grade News

the concept of equal grouping

and not on the procedural

method of long division.

Our expectation of the fourth

graders at this time of the

year is that they must know

their multiplication tables.

Please make it a point to

review and learn them if your

child has not yet.

We see a lot of improvement

in the fourth grade so far and

we are proud of all the

students and the hard work

that they have been doing.

Please continue to support

your children at home. We

would like to emphasize the

importance of healthy eating

so remember to pack fruit

snacks and healthy lunches.

Ms. Koutsioukis, Ms. Soteres,

Mr. Perry

It has

been a

v e r y

exciting

time as

f i f t h

graders

prepared

for their original play

production, “The Quest for

Courage”. Students have

learned about the many tasks

that are necessary to create a

theater production. They have

helped make props, and design

scenery and sets. Each student

has become an actor or an

actress and has adopted the

role of a unique character on

stage. Fifth graders learned

songs and dances to accompany

their parts also. We thank our

colleagues, friends, and

parents who have generously

given their time to work with

our students in this special

project. We couldn't do it

without you!

Besides investigating the

theater, fifth graders are

reading Greek Mythology and

studying Ancient Greek History.

Students have written essays,

summaries, and literature

responses to enhance their

learning. Students have been

cons t ruc t ing o rgan i ze d ,

well-composed paragraphs

supported with important facts

and details. During writing

sessions students have been

reviewing grammar rules as well

as tips for writing correctly and

clearly.

5th Grade News

During writing sessions,

students have been reviewing

grammar rules as well as tips

for writing correctly and

clearly.

Students worked hard on the

previous Mixtures and

Solutions unit exploring how

to separate and combine

substances. They learned

experimental procedure, how

to work in collaborative

teams and write up lab

reports.

The 5th grade is beginning

Reading Workshop! The chief

difference with Reading

Workshop from a class novel

study is that students read

independently, developing

skills in selecting their own

books with guidance.

Emphasis is placed on

teaching children to select

books that are just right for

them. The rationale for this

program would be to invest

more time actually reading,

and differentiating reading

levels. The emphasis is on

allowing students individual

choice in the books that they

read, to have them behave

like readers, engage in

discussions like readers and

to be exposed to a wider

range of books. Once

independent reading is

established, then we will be

able to pull guided reading

groups to focus on specific

skills. We are already seeing

an increased excitement

about reading here in the

classroom, and many

students have told us this is

becoming their favorite time

of the day!

We have completed the

Fractions Unit in Math, and

have also completed a Unit

on Multiplying and Dividing

Decimals. We have moved

i n t o V a r i a b l e s a n d

Expressions, which is a Unit

on introducing the students

to Algebraic concepts and

thinking. Next, will be

Geometry.

We are all hard at work, as

Middle School will soon be

here!

Ms. Coklas and Ms. Kynigou

Students are working on their

goals and are meeting with

success. We are currently

c reat ing new hands -on

materials to extend student

learning and further develop

their skills. New iPad apps are

continuously being downloaded,

which provides fun and

engaging activities for all.

Working alongside Homeroom

teachers also allows students to

find consistency in their

studies; we have worked

extensively on many curriculum

concepts. In addition we are

greatly looking forward to the

8th Annual Conference on

Learning Differences –

“Innovative Teaching and

Inclusive Learning” which will

take place on April 18-20. The

Conference Institutes and

Workshops will focus on

successful practices and

innovative approaches to:

Autism, ELL, ESL, EFL,

Creating a Student-Centered

Classroom and enhanced

learning for all students.

Choose to attend a two-day

Institute on April 18th & April

19t and Multiple two-hour

workshop sessions on April

20th. Registration began in

January.

Sarah Kaldelli

Greetings from the Art Room!

We have been working with a

variety of media and

elements of design this year.

To name just a few of the

many projects:

In Kindergarten we have used

collage, paint, and other

materials to learn about and

reinforce our primary and

secondary colors. Students

completed “Feeling Books”

using four different media

and most recently created

texture rubbings in warm

and cool colors followed by

texture clay tiles. Currently

on display are fish made from

recycled cardboard tubes.

Students learned about

overlapping and how to mix

the secondary colors.

Our 1st graders have worked

with line and pattern using a

variety of techniques. The

four seasons were made into

a book using four different

media. Our last 3D project

was to paint recycled juice

boxes as buildings and plant

them on a cardboard plot of

“land”. Students created

imaginative details about the

use of these buildings (some

also became spaceships or

alien hospitals)!

Our 2nd graders learned

about the foreground, middle

ground, and background in

landscape paintings and

developed this concept in

printmaking. Books were

also made using their prints

and a short story describing

their land was inserted on

News from the Art Room

the last page. Currently we

are finishing Gustav Klimt-

inspired collaborative mixed-

media artworks.

3rd graders started the

2nd trimester with a recycled

weaving installation on the

Elementary building. We then

moved to another 3D project

involving recycled boxes

which we covered papier

mache and made into Haitian

Tap Taps (colorful buses)

which are hanging in the

cafeteria.

4th graders focused on clay

projects relating to their

South American museum.

Clay masks, plants, and fish

of the Amazon are now on

display in the lobby of the

Theater at ACS.

Students are also learning

about the printmaking

process creating imaginary

creatures and writing stories

describing the life and

personality of their creature.

In 5th grade the set design

and a few props were

designed in the art room. We

have been learning a variety

of painting techniques

(washes, tints, shades, and

mixing from the primary

colors) to create landscapes

using color and weather to

convey mood.

Classes will continue to

experiment with a variety of

both 2D and 3D materials, as

well as collaborative projects

in the coming trimester.

Ms. Stauffer

News from the OL

The pace is picking up as we

move into our last trimester! As

this second trimester is coming

to a close, I am noticing marked

improvement in the students’

c o m m u n i c a t i o n a n d

comprehension!

In the first grade, we continue

to focus on phonics but we are

also picking up quite a few sight

words! We are beginning initial

work on writing sentences and

using expressive language when

speaking and writing. They are

really learning to work together

and showing more confidence in

their English skills.

With the second, third, and

fourth grade students, the focus

has been on developing

vocabulary based on specific

content. Most of our work and

lessons come from Language

Central materials from which we

study vocabulary, grammar,

and reading strategies within a

given lesson. Interwoven in

these content-based lessons, we

a re fu r the r ing re ad ing

comprehension by focusing on

skills needed to break down the

meaning of text: identifying

main idea and details, asking

and answering questions, and

summarizing. Also, third—fifth

grade students have been

learning new, challenging

vocabulary words each week

that will help them expand their

vocabulary and liven up their

writing. Try asking them what

the Word of the Week is and if

they can tell you what it means!

ESL News

P l e a s e c o n t i n u e

encouraging your child to

practice their English

outside of school! Reading

a book in English together

is a great way to familiarize

your child with old and new

words while also working

on comprehension. The

internet has some fantastic

resources and fun activities

that can provide additional

English support! Here are

several of my favorite web-

sites to use with the kids

ranging from basic to more

a d v a n c e d l e v e l s :

w w w . s t a r f a l l . c o m ,

www.pbskids.org, and

http://reading.ecb.org/.

http://reading.ecb.org/.

I am thrilled with the progress

students have made and am

excited to see continued

growth in their abilities to

more fully understand and

communicate their ideas in

English.

Way to go!

Ms. Schulz

program. The students used

Raz-Kids, an online guided

reading program which

helps them improve their

reading skills by listening for

modeling fluency, reading

for practice and checking for

comprehension. They have

been using Microsoft Word

and Publisher for various

writings and Microsoft

PowerPo int to make

presentations. In addition

they conducted research on

a country with some selected

web sites. Our third grad-

ers also worked on two dif-

ferent types of animation/

programming programs,

2Animate and Scratch which

has stirred a lot of enthusi-

asm.

Fourth grade students

worked extensively on re-

search skills. They used

www.choosito.com to look

up information, take notes,

and write a report on a

country in South America..

Kindergarteners have been

using the computer lab to

reinforce their learning of the

alphabet, counting and simple

addition/subtraction and

beginning reading skills with

Back Pack Bears.

First grade students are

working on their math including

addition/subtraction up to 20,

place value and beginning

geometry. They also used a

template in Microsoft Publisher

to make a greeting card and

type in a poem!

Our second graders have been

working on their word

processing skills using a variety

of tools. Some wrote letters

with Microsoft Word and other

students are participating in an

exchange with a school in the

United States using a classroom

Blog. The blog has been

wonderful for practicing their

writing skills, learning to ask

and answer questions and for

learning digital citizenship.

Third graders have been using

various programs for learning

reinforcement such as TCI, an

online interactive Social Studies

News from the Computer Lab!

The students just began

learning Scratch programming

language which is used to

create interactive stories,

music, or art. Watch

www.youtube.com/watch?

v=Gjc6Ux-BFks. Scratch

programming is included in

this video.

Fifth grade students worked

on their research skills for

their Elements project. This

project also included a

bibliography. The students

have also been practicing their

keyboarding skills with

www.typingweb.com. In

addition they began using

Google Sketchup 8. Sketchup

is a 3D modeling program

which is for architectural

drawing, where students

learn to demonstrate their

knowledge on basic geometry

terms in a fun way and get to

understand how it’s used in

real life.

News from the Music Room

Music is a way of expressing

oneself and applies to all ages!

During lessons. students are

guided through the learning of

the basic ideas of music. They

listen, learn, compose and

perform music from different

parts of the world and of

different styles. They are

encouraged to use a number

of tuned and untuned

instruments.

Kindergarten students have

been focusing on the basic

elements of music. They explore

and learn music through a

number of games and activities.

Kinesthetic learning is largely

used in music lessons.

Students are encouraged to

utilize the music vocabulary

they learn. Their presentation

during the Winter Concert

where they acted, sung, and

used trays, spoons, and body

percussion to perform different

rhythms was met with great

success. Well done Kindergar-

ten!

First grade students have been

exploring ways of reading and

writing music. They have

learned how to read and create

graphic scores. They have

composed, notated, and

performed their own music with

awareness of the different parts

and instruments involved. They

have also learned about the

different families of instruments

and have created their own

instruments through row

material. First grade should be

p r o u d o f t h e i r

a c h i e v e m e n t s t h i s

trimester. They should also

be very proud of their

performance during the

Winter Concert where they

acted, sung, and used

t u n e d p e r c u s s i o n

instruments during their

lovely performance on

stage. Well done First

grade!

Second grade students

were introduced to the

worlds of Prokofiev's 'Peter

and the Wolf' and to

Orchestral Music. They

learned a lot of facts about

the orchestra, its setting,

the instruments involved,

about how music and

specific instruments can

express moods, emotions,

and the action of a story

itself. Second grade were

a lso introduced to

xylophones, metal lo-

phones, and glockenspiels.

They learned to recognize

and follow the direction of

pitch in music and use

t h i s k n o w l e d g e

acco rd ing ly . Second

graders gave a wonderful

performance during the

Winter Concert where they

acted, sung, and played

body percussion and

African drums. Well done

Second grade!

Third grade students have been developing their recorder skills and their u n d e r s t a n d i n g o f

traditional notation. They also

learned about Structure in

music and have implemented

their knowledge through

c o m p o s i t i o n s a n d

performances of their and

other peoples' music. Group

work has been at the core of

music lessons with students

learning how to work success-

fully in teams and how to

solve problems. Their presen-

tation during the Winter con-

cert was met with great suc-

cess. During this show they

acted, sung, and played body

percussion as well as record-

ers, hoola-hoops, and

basketballs! Well done to all

involved!

Fourth grade students have

been deve loping the ir

recorder, music notation, and

team work skills. They learned

the very important musical

device in music called ground

bass and performed music in

two part harmony. They

l e a r n e d b a c k g r o u n d

information on the music of

the Americas, and danced and

performed music from this

part of the world. A handful of

students also gave a beautiful

demonstration of salsa music

during the museum event

which was a commendable

thing to do! Fourth grade as a

whole also developed their

rhythmic skills and gave an

excellent performance during

our Winter Concert. During

this show they sang, acted,

and used sticks, chairs, and

Music continued

In the month of March Greek

classes have been learning

about “Apokries” Greek Car-

nival) and the customs that

take place during this time.

They have also started pre-

paring for the Greek Inde-

pendence Day celebration.

The Elementary School

performance will take place

on March 22nd at the Thea-

ter at ACS. Please mark your

calendars. All grades (JK-5)

will perform on stage.

In the months of January

and February:

Greek Language A classes

(Greek native and near-

native speakers): Students

in grades 3-5 started to work

on their history books: 3rd

grade “Odyssey”, “Stone Age”,

“Cycladic Civilization”. 4th

grade “Persian Wars” and

“Ancient Athens (Golden

Age)” and 5th grade Byzantine

history. They have also been

working hard on various

writing activities and

grammar units (i.e. 10 parts

of speech, verb-endings,

conjugation of nouns and

tenses).

Our JK students have

worked on the units:

“Numbers”, “Fairy Tales” and

learned fun songs. KG

students have completed

their second alphabet book.

They are now working on

their final alphabet

workbook.

the floor of the stage of the Arts

Theater at ACS to perform music

of a high standard for this stage of

their music education. A very well

done to all involved!

Fifth grade students worked hard

on preparing the songs for the 5th

grade play. They also listened to

and learned Classical Music, the

periods involved and the basic

characteristics of every era, about

the work and music of different

composers, and about some of the

i n s t r u m e n t s a n d t h e i r

development. Fifth grade students

gave a fantastic performance of

many challenges during the

Winter Concert. They sung music

and performed rhythms using

brooms, and dust pans and dust

brooms. Their performance was of

a very high level for this stage of

their development and music edu-

cation. A very well done job to all

involved!

Ms. Apostolou

News from the Greek Classes

Our JK students have

worked on the units:

“Numbers”, “Fairy Tales”

and learned fun songs. KG

students have completed

their second alphabet

book. They are now

working on their final

alphabet workbook.

In grade 1, students are

progressing in reading and

writing.

In grade 2, students have

been working hard on

Greek grammar, especially

with articles and nouns.

They have also read many

interesting stories and

poems.

Greek Language B classes

(non-native speakers)

KG students are doing a

wonderful job practicing

songs connected to various

units of study! After the

winter break we have been

working on fall and winter,

the weather, the clothes;

also we have talked about

feelings and body parts.

With our 1st grade students

we have completed the first

part of the book that refers

to the recognition, the

sound and the writing of

the letters of the Greek

alphabet. We are reviewing

all the vocabulary taught so

far through speaking

(recognizing / labeling

objects in pictures) and

singing.

News from the Arabic Classes

The Arabic classes have been busy working on their curriculum and doing their best in

every level.

In the current month, KG

students have already completed

the alphabet in Arabic and will

start reviewing the letters in their

new alphabet book. In first grade

students are excited working in

their new textbook and have

started to read paragraphs and to

fill in sentences correctly.

Our second graders are reading short stories and answer reading comprehension questions in writing.

In grade three, along with reading, students are focusing on grammar, writing sentences and spelling.

Our fourth and fifth graders

have done a great job

reading stories, spelling new

vocabulary and working on

cha l l eng ing g rammar

activities.

News from the Greek Classes continued

In 2nd grade, students are still

working on thematically based

vocabulary through rhyming.

They have finished books 2 and 3

from the textbooks and have just

started with the 4th, through

which they are familiarized with

the combination sounds, like γγ,

ου, τσ etc.

3rd grade students are still

trying to help Zoggo, their

textbook hero, learn Greek

and teach him some

grammar!

After having worked hard

on all units of study from

the book so far and having

mastered the grammar that

refers to plurals, adjectives,

present tense and personal

pronouns, 4th grade stu-

dents have started working

on a project about the rain-

forest ….in Greek!

In 5th grade, students are

still learning the Greek

language using all skills

(reading , writing, speaking

and listening) through

e v e r y d a y s i t u a t i o n

dialogues.

Last but not least, we

would like to congratulate

all students who took a

placement test in January

and succeeded in joining

the advanced level of Greek!

Well done to all our hard-

working students!

Ms. Gaki, Ms. Papageorgiou

Ms. Rovoli

Well done for all the effort

and progress.

Ms Lamia Accari

“A VARIETY OF CHALLENGES IN P.E.”

Are you ready to be chalenged?

Are you ready to be stopped?

We’re the mighty ACS Athens

Elementary students

And we’re reaching for the top!

Many units have been taught

in P.E. since December. All

students, K-5, were introduced

and challenged in the units of

soccer, and vol leybal l .

Students learned about each

sport’s history, rules and

regulations, and all the skills

involved in executing each task

successfully. Students were

also assessed on each unit’s

content standards and

benchmarks, and they got the

opportunity to see what

assessment in P.E. is like

through mini and fun

tournaments.

Students in Kindergarten and

1st grade also learned all about

the fast and furious game of

broomball. Broomball was first

played in Canada in the early

1900’s by street car workers

using a ball and corn brooms!

The sport evolved and was

brought down to the U.S. It

was reportedly played in

Minnesota, which is considered

the birthplace of U.S.A.

broomball. Broomball is very

similar to ice hockey, and it

contains most of the same

rules and regulations. The sport of broomball helps students to acquire many skills, some of which include: hand-eye coo rd ina t i on , shielding, trapping, throwing, and dodging. It also teaches students social skills, some of which include: teamwork, sportsmanship, guidance, cooperation, motivation.

While broomball was being

played, grades 2-5 were

acquiring the necessary

knowledge and skills needed to

play street hockey, and they

have begun to see the

connection between eye and

hand coordination. They have

had loads of fun learning and

mastering the skills involved in

playing street hockey, as well

as the rules and regulations,

and what it takes to be a

united team.

Currently, all students, grades

K-5, are learning and acquiring

skills in the sport of softball.

Each grade level is obtaining

the skills that are relevant to

the i r ag e g roup and

capabilities. We are having fun

learning all about the

vocabulary included in softball,

its history, the rules, and all

the equipment needed to be

worn for s a f e t y

reasons.

Overall, all students are realizing even more the necessary value of teamwork. Character education is an essential part of sports, and students are shaping their sportsmanship attitude and behavior by noting that it takes more than one person to make a team. Students, through each and every physi-cal education unit, are being exposed to and taught about the six components of

cha rac te r educa t i on : fairness, responsib il i ty , citizenship, trustworthiness, caring, and respectfulness. They are learning to display these traits not only in P.E. class, but in their entire world.

Still to come….. our mini golf unit is up next, followed by our swimming unit which will begin on April 1st.

The students are continuously being challenged to open up their horizon and see how many different and unique sports are played all around the world. They are so enthusiastic to learn, and I enjoy watching them mature into fantastic athletes and

citizens. So let’s all celebrate our healthy minds, bodies, and souls, and remind students that:

How you play shows some of

your character.

How you win or lose

Shows ALL of it!

Mrs. Stavroula Salouros