HAVE A GREAT SUMMER!

There are lots of great resources on my blog for you to work on this summer. Just explore the links above to practice your math skills, write stories, play games, draw, and more.  Please be SMART when you are on the computer.

Good Luck, Ms. Gediman!!

Click HERE to go to Ms. Gediman's Frozen Classroom and follow her Antarctic adventures!

Happy New Year!

Welcome Back!
I hope everyone had a lovely break, and that you're settling into 2013. 
Welcome to our new TASIS families!
Look for updates about what's going on in the LS Lab later this week. 

PreK's Tribute to Mondrian

Dutch painter, Piet Mondrian (1872-1944), was one of the most important artists of the 20th century. His abstract designs have had a huge influence on graphic design, architecture, and interior design. He was best known for his stylized, geometric designs of black and white grids filled with bright, primary colors. 
Although Mondrian worked with oil paint on canvas, PK students used the simple applications of line, shape, and color within a Pages document to create their own artwork in the style of Mondrian!

These are the skills they used in the lab this week:

• Inserting shapes and lines
• Modifying size and color of shapes
• Modifying the thickness of lines
• Manipulating and moving shapes and lines within a document

What's Going On This Week?

This week first grade was introduced to Microsoft Word. In a very short time, they were able to open the application, create a blank document, type a blurb about themselves, then name and save their work. They also learned about applying basic writing conventions to their typing, using the space bar, shift to capitalize, using periods, and using enter to start a new line.  

Kindergartners and second grade were introduced to the iPads. The Lower School has recently acquired 20 iPads for both lab and classroom use. Both year groups were introduced to the machines and some of the new skills required to use them. Touching/pointing, holding while touching and pointing, pinching, accuracy with touching/pointing and sliding in all directions are all different skills needed when interacting on the iPads. Kindergarteners used a drawing program to write -at words, then draw pictures to illustrate them. Second grade did a very quick exercise on copying and pasting images into Pages, and inserting shapes and text. 

I'm very excited about the possibilities that come with having iPads in the classrooms! 

This week, fourth graders have finished typing some poems, then put the finishing touches on them. They then practiced their keyboarding skills. Here are some tips to reinforce good typing habits with your child:

1. Hands on Home Row
2. Elbows tucked in
3. Wrists flat
4. Use correct posture - sit upright
5. Relax!

What's Going On This Week?

Happy Monday!

Today in the lab, Pre-K students made pictures using various shapes in Pages. They practiced dragging and dropping the shapes to form some very creative pictures! Here are a few examples:

Third grade students are continuing their research of Romans. Each class is completing it's own project to display their work. Mrs. Ansorger's class will be making a 3D display of their work with a "Roman Cube" while Ms. Annesley's class will be compiling their expertise into a Roman Times magazine. Look for examples of both projects in the coming weeks!

It's Internet Safety Week!

Brought to you by Mrs. Elliott and Mrs. Bagley!

This week we will be working with grades K-4 to discuss various aspects of Internet safety and global citizenship.

Please see the Internet Safety tab above for LOADS of great links and resources. Common Sense Media is one of my favorite sites for reliable information about media and technology. I refer to it often as both a teacher and a parent. 

Stay SMART!