The Monday morning memo ~ 16

In the wake of the tragedy in Newtown, CT, we may find ourselves at a loss for words. We may find ourselves questioning what we have always thought to be unquestionable. We may find ourselves searching for the resolve we may never find...

Angela Maiers' most recent blog post pushes us to do what we know and do best... TEACH.

Please take a few moments and read what she has to say about this tragedy: There is no lesson plan for tragedy - Teachers YOU know what to do.


In spite of what is going on around us, we have much to be proud of and much to celebrate here in Union. For example, last week at Beaufort Elementary, Mrs. Wiskur and Mrs. Vandiver teamed up their 6th grade students to create and act out "mystery plays."

Students from both classes were teamed up together and were all able to select a play they would ultimately act out and present to their fellow classmates. With this activity students were able to be collaborative, creative, and gained valuable social exposure as they worked together to accomplish this goal. Well done Mrs. Wiskur, Mrs. Vandiver and BE 6th grade students!

Last week at Central Elementary, Mrs. Dickman's 1st grade students had a special Friday morning treat. A 2nd grade student at CE (a former student of Mrs. Dickman), recently met his AR goal. As a reward he chose to read to Mrs. Dickman's 1st grade class! The book he chose to read was called, How Crocodiles Grow Up. The discussion the kids had about crocodiles was amazing as their inquisitive minds were thinking and sharing. The 2nd grade student thoroughly enjoyed playing the teacher role. What an opportunity for him to be a role model for the younger 1st grade students!

For the last several weeks, Mr. Wright's industrial technology students at Union High School have been working on a rather lengthy and complex project. Students have been given the opportunity to build their own bridge. As you can imagine, there is a lot that goes into designing and creating your own bridge.

Last Friday each student had the opportunity to test the "efficiency" of their bridge to determine the overall weight the bridge can handle in comparison to the overall weight of the bridge. The next step is to put the students in teams of four. They then will take the written reflections and the lessons learned and join up with Mr. Baker's Geometry students to create even higher efficiency bridges. Great idea and great collaborative learning opportunity for students!

~ Just another great week at Union R-XI!