January 4, 2016

WOW! I can't believe we are halfway through school - time flies when you are having fun!

I wanted to let you know that there are some fun things happening in  Atlanta that your child might enjoy. Know that there is a fee for everything listed, just check as I am not sure on all the prices.
*The Greatest Machines and Art Exhibition - it is at Perimeter Pointe (there may be a Groupon for it)
  It is from Florence, Italy.

What it does: makes jaws drop, thanks to the legendary machines of Leonard DaVinci

How many it has: over 60, each one handcrafted using DaVinci’s 500-year-old designs

Some of the coolest gizmos: the “spring-powered car,” a hang-glider, a bicycle, the “air-screw” (a precursor to the helicopter), as well as two very important robots—a life-sized robotic drummer and the inventor’s remarkable robotic lion

What you can touch: numerous interactive machines

Sounds like a lot of fun - the only issue, it end mid January.

For grades 3 -5 the Sunshine STEM Academy Private School offers a Saturday STEM Workshop for students who are in grades 3-6. Workshop will be held on Saturday on January 16 from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM.

Students will be able to learn about;

• Building a mini-computer (Raspberry Pi)
• Working with computer peripherals
• Learning block-programming language (SCRATCH) on the mini-computers which they will build.
• Students will take Raspberry Pi computers home at the end of workshop. Students can continue to improve their skills after our workshop.

You may see details about the workshop in this email below .

Please visit http://stemworkshop.sunshinestem.org
They also offer Saturday classes.

As always, thanks so much for all your care and support and if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to let me know, (let me know if you attend any of the above and hoe it was...)
Amanda Shams Ed.S

December 4, 2015

Dear Parents,

I know this is short notice but if your child LOVES to DOODLE, please consider having your child enter this contest!

For 5th grade parents, please come to my TYBEE meeting Tuesday, December 8, 2015 at 7:10am sharp! Lots of information will be included.


Again, thanks for all your care and support,
Amanda Shams

 

 

Discovery Education is excited to work with Google to bring their annual art competition, Doodle 4 Google , to classrooms across the country. Google is asking students to show what makes them unique by designing their very own Google logo around the theme, "What makes me...me." In addition to having their drawing featured on the Google homepage for a day, the national winner will receive: $30,000 college scholarship $50,000 technology grant for their school Trip to Google headquarters in Mountain View, California to meet the Doodle team The contest ends on December 7th, 2015, so time is almost up. Encourage your students to submit their creations before the deadline next week, and let the doodling begin!   Inspire your students with free classroom activities and videos Get your students doodling today with a three-part series designed to stretch student's creative muscles and warm up for the Doodle 4 Google competition. Each activity pack includes a classroom activity for K-2, 3-5, 6-8, and 9-12 grade bands with a complementary video featuring the Doodlers in action. Download the activities and videos today.

November 13, 2015

As we go  'Exploring Changes of Georgia's Golden Coast', we will learn all about:
* the changes that occur in the formation of the Barrier Islands
* provide evidences of the changes in Georgia's Marsh Ecology (is it good/bad)
* debate the positive and negative impact of the growth of Beach Ecology
* Animals and Plants of the Barrier Islands
* Who General Pulaski was and the impact he made on our history
*How the history of the horses of CUMBERLAND ISLAND  came to these islands and the impact they have made

Of course we will be culminating this unit with our annual trip to TYBEE ISLAND Georgia. More info on that will follow through your child's TAGTALLY.


Thank you,
Amanda Shams

November 13, 2015

Inventor: 'an inventor is someone who uses his/her imagination to create something no one else has ever made or thought of before'.......

Third grade is studying a unit called INVENTIONS and Famous Americans. We investigate all the folks who have contributed to making our life work easier. We will delve into our history of inventions.......do you know who invented the life saver, jeans, or even the glass milk bottle?

We will be creating our own inventions along the way. In this research based unit, we will research in depth the history of one or more inventors.

Our class will kick off this unit with the invention of a ....BUBBLE CREATING MACHINE! The bubbles will go off December 19th, 2015 at 8:35am.

Amanda Shams

November 13, 2015

Marching into the American Revolution!

This Independence Unit will focus on the TAG strand of High Order and Critical Thinking. In will embrace the American Revolution - colonial life, sources of dissatisfaction that led to the war, loyalists versus patriots, key people and events, the Declaration of Independence and much, much more!

If you have any expertise in this area, please let me know.

General Shams

November 13, 2015

Dear All,

Well today was the last day of the 5th grade TAG sidewalk sale. It was a huge success and I want to personally thank you for all your support. The money raised will go towards our annual 3 day trip to TYBEE ISLAND, GEORGIA that we will be taking in late February or early March.

We are ending all of our 1st units for this year. Check in the above tabs for your child's grade level information for the new units we are starting now.

Thanks again for all your support and care and as always, if you have any questions, please email me.

With much appreciation,
Amanda Shams

October 27, 2015



Very soon we will be winding down with all our current units. we learned all about elephants. 
Be on the lookout for your child's current completed unit to come home sometime in November. Also, along with it will be their journal. Please go over all the 'stuff' that they learned - it has all be so interesting.

Grades 1 and 2 will be performing in their own CIRCUS!  It was great to do a virtual tour of the Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee as we learned all about elephants.  Ask them their opinion, as to 'if elephants should/not be in circus'.They have learned all about laws of motion and are applying what they learned to the 'tricks' they will perform. So exciting!

Grade 3 is completing a unit on NATIONAL TREASURES - they have become so in love with the various national parks. Come on a journey with they to visit all that they have learned as well as the 'new' national park that they created!

Grade 4 has learned all about Native Americans  and the impact and importance they have made on our history. We are so thankful for all they have contributed to our society!

WOW, we have our 5th graders as investors in the stock market. They HAVE DONE SO WELL so far!!!!!!! WE are playing an interactive game competing against other 5th grade TAG students in Georgia along with middle school students and high school students. Today we are in 1st place in the elementary county division and 2nd place within our own county!!!!

Be on the lookout November 9th - 13th, 2015 as the 5th grade TAG students sell their products (that they created on their own) at the annual TAG Sidewalk Sale. Every item is $1.00. Please consider supporting us - it helps defray the cost of our annual trip to TYBEE Island Georgia!