Fourth Grade Goes ‘Field Tripping’ to the EMP by Lucy Kuhn
Hope’s fourth grade recently embarked on their first field trip of the school year to the Experience Music Project (EMP). Our primary goal was to tour Brick by Brick – a special exhibit featuring everyone’s favorite design tool, LEGOs. As a new homeroom teacher, I had been keeping my eye out for something new, “fun” (the kids’ request), and still educational that would appeal to both 9 and 10 year old boys and girls. When I saw the advertisement in the Sunday paper I thought “it’s time for a field trip.”
The Brick by Brick exhibit features intricate, to scale LEGO designs of famous global buildings; in addition, it includes the hand drawn sketches which the artist started with, a rather inspirational video about the design and building process, and the hand written math calculations used to create the scale replicas, such as Seattle’s own Space Needle (our class favorite). One student noticed that most of the math problems used to design the models used operations that she already knew how to perform. It was a great answer to the question “why do we have to do math?” that I have sometimes heard from frustrated students. Math is everywhere in the real world and can be used to create amazing works of art and every day tools. Everyone “does” math in their lives and the Brick by Brick exhibit was a great opportunity to see this in action.
Of course, since we were at the EMP, we also toured its other super fun and educational exhibits: the hands-on music section, the Nirvana exhibit, the guitar room, and the Science Fiction (think Star Trek) and Fantasy (LOTR and HP fans will love this). We chaperones did choose to skip the horror film room (even though a few students professed to have already seen it). Everyone loved trying out instruments and jamming with their friends. One group of students even created their own rock band which they called “The Hairy Men.” In the end, the best part for me was watching Hope’s fourth grade students engaged in building their own LEGO creations together with smiles on their faces. It was a memorable first field trip for my first homeroom teaching year, and I cannot wait for number two!
Calendar of Events
Today, 3/18: 3:00 PM LAST Lego Club
Wed. 3/19: 8:40 AM Chapel w/1st Grade and Chapel Band / 3:05 PM Book Club
Fri. 3/21: Free Dress Day
Mon. 3/24: 3:00 PM LAST Chess Club
Wed. 3/26: 8:40 AM Chapel w/Mr. Kopecky and Bell Choir / 1:30 PM Talent Show
Academic Fair and Move Up Night – April 8, 2014 – 6:30 PM
Everyone is invited to join us on April 8th at 6:30 PM for our annual Academic Fair and Move-Up Night. The academic fair theme this year is science! We will showcase different science projects we have done in each class, as well as share materials from our new science curriculums, Interactive Science and FOSS. Students will have the opportunity to Move Up to the next class and visit with their teachers for the coming school year.
‘Hats Off To Hope’ Auction Update
The energy was high and the bidding fierce at the auction on Saturday night at our sold out auction! A complimentary bubbly glass of champagne kicked off the silent auction portion of the evening, and the Glee club sang beautifully as the parade of students wound their way through the crowd of smiling parents. We couldn’t have asked for a better evening! We are still calculating final numbers, but no matter what the final number ends up being, the Auction committee is thrilled with the outcome of the event. Parents dressed up, hats were pulled out of the closet, relationships were renewed and strengthened, spirits were lifted and emotional and financial support was dedicated to continuing the educational and spiritual enrichment of our student’s at Hope Lutheran School. Thank you!
Hope Lutheran Summer Camp
This summer, Hope is pleased to offer seven weeks of summer camp for students ages 3 through age 12. Our younger preschool camp is intended for students who have finished preschool 3s or finished preschool 4s, and our older camp is for students who have finished kindergarten through age 12. With weekly themes and field trips and lots of fun activities including art, water day, and science, kids will have a great time together. Families can choose from 2-5 days per week. Stop by the office or extended care programs or check online for more information and registration forms.
Family Pizza Night at Talarico’s
SAVE the DATE – Sunday, March 30th, 4:00-9:00 pm -Family Night at Talarico’s.
Sponsored by Hope Lutheran’s Washington DC fundraising group, March 30th is Family Night at Talarico’s restaurant in the junction. Grab your family and friends and join us for pizza, pasta, or whatever you want between 4-9 PM. Be sure to mention to your wait staff that you are there to support Hope Lutheran ‘s Washington DC group, and Talarico’s will donate 20% of your bill back to our group (this includes both take-out and dine-in.) There will be raffle tickets to win prizes, and the first ticket is free just for showing up! Hope to see your family there!
International Student Host Families Needed
Do you have a loving family and a spare room available at your home? Invite an international student to stay with you next school year. Seattle Lutheran High School seeks host families to provide a safe and nurturing home environment for international high school students attending our school. Participating families will be offered a stipend of $900 per month for the 10-month academic year. For more information please contact: ltatum@gphomestay.com or 425-753-3933.
Foundations Family Faith Church Event
What does it mean to serve the poor? Take some time this Sunday as a family to consider what it’s like to live in a third world country. What are the possibilities for you as a family to make a difference in the world? Even a difference for just one person? How might that impact your family life? Bring your family to the fellowship hall, this Sunday, March 23 at 9:30-10:20 am for this interactive experience.
