All posts by lspady

Why I’ll Never Tell My Son He’s Smart

This article recently came across my inbox and it’s definitely worth the read.

“What if we began using whatever means are at our disposal to start performing growth mindset interventions on everyone we cared about?  It applies to how you communicate with your children, how you manage your team at work, how you learn a new language or instrument. If society as a whole begins to embrace the struggle of learning, there is no end to what that could mean for global human potential.”

Click here for the full article

Writing Contests for Kids

Do the “write” thing…enter a writing contest today!

Do you love to write?  Are you interested in winning money, travel, publication, and lots of other amazing prizes!  On the website below, you can find writing contests for kids, including essay contests, poetry contests, short story contests, and so much more!  If you enter a contest, let us know!  Even if you don’t win the contest, we’ll post your work on our blog!

http://www.freecontestsforkids.com/writing-contests-for-kids.html

 

Exploring “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost

Read the poem below. Think about the meaning, then listen to several others read the poem. Notice the differences in the way it is read. Take notes on your observations.

The Road Not Taken

by Robert Frost

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim
Because it was grassy and wanted wear,
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

Click on these links to listen to others read the poem:

http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/the-road-not-taken/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ie2Mspukx14

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUaQgRiJukA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=spXtePd4Whk

 

After watching the videos, think about the meaning of the poem.  What do you think Robert Frost was trying to say to the audience?  What themes do you hear running through the poem?  Record yourself reading the poem on your iPad using the Voice Recorder app.  After you have read the poem, summarize what you think he meant.  You may want to write yourself a script to read with your response to the poem.

PKI STEM Seminar

Thank you for your interest in the STEM seminar.  

On Friday, September 5, fourteen students visited the Peter Kiewit Institute for a UNO/UNL College Visit Day.  In order to qualify for this seminar, students completed an online STEM-related activity.  Over 60 students completed the activity which tells us there was a high interest in this area.  We are looking into providing another opportunity in the future.

View Tweets from the seminar at: https://twitter.com/WCSEY66

Talented and Gifted Academy of Omaha

Screen Shot 2014-08-19 at 2.08.23 PMThe Talented and Gifted Academy of Omaha offers advanced classes for talented and gifted students in 4th-8th grades outside of the regular school day.  Classes run for four consecutive weeks on Tuesday through Thursday evenings.  Click on the following links to find out more information!

Click Here for an Informational Flyer

Click Here for Information about an Open House on August 22 and 27th

Click Here for September Classes

Westside Community Schools does not sponsor or endorse the organization or activity described in these flyers.  The sharing of this information is provided as a community service.

Welcome to the 2014-2015 school year!

Hello!  I hope you all had a wonderful summer!  It sure flew by!

Our daily schedule looks different this year – you should have received an e-mail from me regarding days your student has EY.

Our focus this quarter is on exploration through reading and writing.  We will be looking at different kinds of “Choose your Own Adventure” stories and students will have the opportunity to write their own.  There are so many places students can take this!  I’m excited to see what they come up with.

During Enrichment/Intervention time, I plan to expose the students to all of the different online and other opportunities that are also available to them.   Check the EY website often to see all of the different options!

It will be an exciting quarter!

Mrs. Sindt