Food For Thought

4/27/12 9:19 AM in News and Events

And the Winners are……

We had our final Tropicana Speech Contest this week in Chapel. We had four wonderful judges charged with a very difficult job of determing a first place winner from each group. All eight students that spoke presented themselves beautifully. I announced winners in the commons on Thursday morning. The first place winner from each group will represent Saint Stephen’s at the county wide competition on May 12th. Following are the results:

4th/5th Grade

3rd place- Olivia Elisha (Occupational Therapy)

2nd place- Will Young (Immokolee Workers)

1st place- Matthew Thomas ( Why All Schools Should Have Uniforms)

6th Grade

3rd place- Samantha Brooks -(Would You Like Fries With That?)

2nd place- Henry Howell- (Teenage Driving)

1st place- Zachary Mayer- (Transplants)

Best of luck to Zachary Mayer and Matthew Thomas! I know they’ll represent Saint Stephen’s well.

4/19/12 9:44 AM in News and Events

Tropicana Speech Class Winners

I am so, so proud of all of our students. Every single one of them wrote, practiced and presented an original speech this week. Topics ranged from transplants to obesity to eating organic to speeches on sports, grandpas, how to make a movie, animal cruelty, why swimming lessons are so important, just to mention a few. The topics were interesting, informative, and well thought out. I received so many postive comments from the judges about not only the variety of topics, but the delivery, the eye contact, the enunciation, as well as the overall confidence of our students. All of our speaking in Chapel from PK onward has created some outstanding public speakers. The following is our list of winners:

4th grade:

1st place- Gabby Creneti, Siddie Pennewill

2nd place- Will Bernet, Anika Kennedy

3rd place- Salina Yathiraj, David Rodriguez

5th grade:

1st place- Matthew Thomas, Olivia Elisha, William Young

2nd place- Emma Stevenson, Andres Sevilla, Colin Varady

3rd place- Alex Webster, Rena Parent, Kendall Miller

6th grade:

1st place- Samantha Brooks, Henry Howell, Zach Mayer

2nd place- Keegan Yaccino, Hayes Chatham, Lily Meaker

3rd place- Parker Lansberg, Chris Pennewill, Kim Sasson

Congratulations to all of our winners as well as all of our Intermediate School students on a job well done!!!! Be sure to join us in Chapel on April 25th at 9:30am to hear the final speeches.

4/13/12 4:02 PM in News and Events

End of the Year Blues

We’ve just returned from Spring Break, we’re in the homestretch, the end of the year is in sight, summer is right around the corner and your child might be having some “motivational blues.” Hang in there- you’re not alone! We’re here for you.

To help you and your child get thru the next few weeks of school, keep these ten things in mind.

•  Have your child get plenty of rest.
•  Have your child eat well balanced and nutritious meals.
•  Make sure your child has time for exercise, fun, and friends.
•  Keep your child on a consistent schedule (yes,kids really do thrive on structure and predictability!)
•  Provide your child some time and space for homework (don’t hover, just be around).
•  Check NetClassroom on a weekly basis to monitor your child’s progress.
•  Keep in contact with the teachers if you have concerns or your child’s grades seem to be going south.
• Check the school calendar, read the teachers’ newsletters, read the Director Letter in order to keep track of all that is happening. 
•  Support and encourage your child and be positive (your child will take cues from you).
• Hang in there, keep smiling, and come see me if you want to chat. Summer is on the horizon…..

3/30/12 2:32 PM in News and Events

6th Grade Trip to the Dali Museum

I  had an amazing day as a substitue teacher in Ms. Hambrick’s 6th grade Spanish classes today. Besides absolutely loving being with the kids, I also realized how smart, aware, and knowledgeable they really are! The students came into class and had an opportunity to share with me what they learned on their field trip to the Dali Museum yesterday. I was absolutely astounded at their recall of the various pieces of artwork that they viewed. The docents and teachers were able to bring much of the students’ prior knowledge into their understanding of what they saw. They discussed surrealism with me, how math was apparent in many of the pictures, the symbolism of various objects in much of Dali’s artwork, as well as many other facts that they learned on their trip. Despite visiting the museum myself last May, these students brought it to life for me once again. What a meaningful trip and such an educational experience for our 6th grade friends!

3/16/12 8:41 AM in News and Events

March Madness in the Intermediate School

Well, I have to say, the Intermediate School students have some serious spirit! Last week, each advisory chose a men’s basketball team and a women’s basketball team to follow thru “March Madness.” Advisories were responsible for researching their given teams and decorating their doors accordingly. They were given one week to work together to create an appealing, eye catching, informative door. Judging was done on Wednesday afternoon and a “grand “award (homebaked cookies from MY kitchen!) was given on Thursday morning in the Intermediate School Commons.The noise level was high, the spirit was apparent, and the advisories all cheered as their names were called. 

 Congratulations to our Grand Champion- Mrs. Elisha’s class on a job well done.

Following are the other award winners who all received “participation popsicles.”

Most “Over the Top” Door- Mr. Potts

Most Colorful- Mrs. Nixon

Most Researched- Mrs. York

Most Artistic- Mr. Stuart

Best Use of Mascots- Ms. Mandel

Most Memorabilia- Ms. Hunsader

Most Creative- Mrs. Yanelli

3/9/12 11:05 AM in News and Events

A Trip Back in Time

 As most of you know, I just love what I do and always have! As a second grade teacher here for twelve years, and now having moved on to being Director of the Intermediate School, I am able to see the growth of  my Intermediate School students. It is certainly one of the most rewarding aspects of my job.

As I was sitting in Chapel on Wednesday morning, I had the pleasure of introducing one of my former second graders as the first place winner of the Elks Contest essay writing contest on “Why I Pledge Allegiance to the Flag.” As I watched him deliver his speech, I flashbacked to when he was a second grader doing prayers in Chapel. I remember him being scared to death, haltingly reading and stumbling through every word, voice trembling, microphone shaking. I knew how important it was for him to do this at the time, but still felt sorry that he was so intimidated by the whole public speaking experience.

Fast forward three years.  There he was confidently standing at the podium, speaking loudly and clearly, enunciating each and every word, looking as pleased as can be. Not only did he present the speech to the whole Intermediate School in a beautiful manner, but he presented in front of the Elks Club members this past weekend. And from what I heard, it was so wonderfully delivered that it moved the audience to tears. How proud I was to hear that, and more importantly how happy I was to know that I had a  little bit to do with helping this child be who he is today.

As educators in a PreK3-12 school, all of us at Saint Stephen’s are able to witness the transformation of students as they grow, change, and mature before our eyes. It truly is a wonderful place to work and an exciting community in which to be a part.

My deepest congratulations to fifth grader John Whelan for winning first place in the Elks Club Speech Contest!

2/24/12 4:57 PM in News and Events

CPR in 6th Grade

The 6th graders have been busy learning CPR and first aid. I visited their classes today and was so impressed with how much they are being exposed to and how seriously they are taking it all. They were learning how to provide first aid and CPR in a variety of simulations. As they were actively working in partners, I noticed how well they supported and helped one another. Learning about saving a life- what a great skill to have!

2/15/12 1:43 PM in News and Events

Valentine Volleyball

We had a great day on the tennis courts on Tuesday afternoon playing Valentine Volleyball. Students were divided into multi-grade level teams and played several games of volleyball. Teams rotated courts to the loud and blaring music. Unlimited hits, bounces allowed, good sportsmanship by all! We finished up with a line dance called “The Cupid Shuffle” which was quite entertaining. Our wonderful parents provided treats and drinks to round off a fun Valentine’s Day!

2/8/12 4:59 PM in News and Events

Your Shoe Flew Where?????

Several weeks ago, a 6th grade young man walked into my office at the end of the day. He was smiling sheepishly and upon further inspection, I noticed he was wearing only one shoe. I asked him why he was without a shoe. “Well Mrs.Ivin, you won’t believe this, but as I was coming back from my art class in the Middle School, I was just walking down the path when my shoe flew off.” “Really?” I asked somewhat skeptically. “I’ve never really heard of a shoe just flying off. But, I guess the bigger question is why didn’t you just pick it up and put it back on?” To which he replied, “Well, it flew onto the roof and I can’t reach it.” As I stood looking at him, slowly processing what he had just told me, while trying so hard not to crack up, I put my director voice on and told him that in 20 years in education, this was a new one for me. Never ever had I heard of a shoe flying off and sailing high up onto a roof. It was certainly suspicious to say the least, despite him assuring me that no horsing around was involved. Anyway, I told him he’d have to head to S.T.A.R.S. and we’d contact our maintenance staff to see if they could get it down when they got a chance. So off he hobbled to S.T.A.R.S.  with one shoe on and one shoe off.

Fast forward to the next day. We picked up a box delivered to us at the front office. As we opened it and peered inside, laughter echoed from our office. Inside was a custom made cake, in the shape of a school, complete with Saint Stephen’s signage, and on the roof were various shoes! This 6th grader’s mom had gotten as big a “kick” out of this as we had and rewarded us with this delicious cake. Check out the funny picture below! Another day in the life of a director……

1/27/12 12:18 PM in News and Events

Chess Anyone?

Chess Club has started in the Intermediate School. We will be meeting on select Wednesdays from now until the beginning of May and will finish up with an exciting Chess tournament on May 9th. The Chess Club offers students not only an opportunity to be with their friends, but Chess also has been shown to improve concentration, develop analytical and higher-order thinking skills, as well as help students to recognize complex patterns.

As Benjamin Franklin once said, ” The game of Chess is not merely an idle amusement; several very valuable qualities of the mind, useful in the course of human life, are to be acquired and strengthened by it , so as to become habits, ready on all occasions; for life is a kind of Chess, in which we have often points to gain, and competitors or adversaries to contend with, and in which there is a vast variety of good and ill events, that are, in some degree, the effect of prudence, or the want of it. By playing at Chess then, we may learn first, Foresight, which looks a little into futurity, and considers the consequences that may attend an action, second, Circumspection, which surveys the whole chessboard, or scene of action- the relation of the several pieces, and their situations; third, Caution, not to make our moves to hastily.”

It is for all of these reasons that I hope to see your child be part of an exciting opportunity offered here in the Intermediate School.