May 2026 Newsletter

 

Learning Beyond the Classroom! 🚌✨

April was full of adventure, discovery, and real-world learning as our students visited both the Perot Museum of Nature and Science and the Dallas World Aquarium!

At the Perot Museum, students explored science in action — from racing dinosaurs and cheetahs to experiencing an earthquake, discovering giant gemstones and geodes, learning about space, and seeing how science connects to the world around us.

At the Dallas World Aquarium, students observed amazing animals and ecosystems up close, including fish, rays, jellyfish, flamingos, manatees, penguins, axolotls, sea dragons, birds, bats, and so much more. They learned about aquatic habitats, rainforests, watersheds, estuaries, and the incredible diversity of life on Earth.

These field trips gave our students the chance to connect classroom learning with hands-on experiences, ask meaningful questions, and see science, geography, and nature come alive.

As we celebrate Teacher Appreciation Week and Teacher Appreciation Day, we are especially grateful for the dedicated teachers who make experiences like these possible. From planning and preparing to guiding students through each exhibit, our teachers help turn every field trip into a meaningful learning adventure. 💙

We are so proud of our curious explorers — and thankful for the teachers who help inspire their curiosity every day! 🌎🔬🐠

 News from the Science Lab

April was a busy and meaningful month in science, as students continued to build curiosity, confidence, and real-world connections through hands-on learning. 🔍🌎

Our Falcons and Eagles delved deeper into chemistry, focusing on chemical reactions and balanced equations. 🧪⚛️ Students learned that matter does not simply disappear or magically appear during a reaction; instead, atoms rearrange to form new substances. To make this concept more concrete, they used LEGOs to model atoms, molecules, chemical reactions, and balanced equations. This hands-on approach helped students see that the same atoms present before a reaction must still be present after the reaction—just rearranged. By building, taking apart, and rebuilding LEGO models, students practiced thinking like chemists while strengthening their understanding of conservation of matter. 🧬

Our Owls explored Earth's changes and landforms, learning how the planet's surface is shaped over time. 🌋🏔️ They studied features such as mountains, valleys, hills, plains, rivers, lakes, and oceans while also discussing how weathering, erosion, and natural forces slowly change the land. The Owls also created landform models, giving them a hands-on way to represent and explain the features they were learning about. Building these models helped students move from simply naming landforms to understanding how land and water work together to shape different environments. 🌊

Our Robins continued growing their geography skills by learning about maps, locations, landforms, bodies of water, and the world around them. 🗺️🌍 They practiced noticing where places are, how land and water are represented, and how geography helps us understand our communities and the wider world. These lessons helped students build vocabulary, observation skills, and a stronger sense of place.

The Owls and Robins also participated in a nature scavenger hunt, which gave them a chance to slow down, observe carefully, and look for examples of science in their own environment. 🌿🔎 Working in teams, students searched for natural objects, patterns, textures, colors, living things, and signs of Earth's features around them. The activity encouraged teamwork, careful observation, communication, and the important scientific habit of paying attention to details.

Throughout April, students were not just learning information; they were practicing how to think, question, observe, explain, and connect ideas. 💡 Whether they were modeling chemical reactions with LEGOs, identifying and building landforms, strengthening geography skills, or investigating nature up close, each class continued developing the habits of young scientists and explorers. 🚀🌟

News from the ELA Classroom

Robins:

 Our Robins have grown so much this year! My younger ones know all their letters and sounds, and they are reading short passages that practice CVC words, sight words, and using familiar words in context. My older Robins are reading and writing fluently–ALL Robins have done a remarkable job in both reading and writing!  I hope all our parents loved their heartfelt Parent Appreciation letters❣️  Please see the list below for summer reading suggestions and continue to make reading a priority as you enjoy the well-deserved break!  🥰

Owls:

The Owls completed our novel study, “Phantom Tollbooth” by Norton Juster, and mastered vocabulary and writing activities included in each chapter. Their “Superpower” writing projects were so much fun! I hope all our parents loved their heartfelt Parent Appreciation letters❣️  Please see the list below for mandatory summer reading lists and continue to make reading a priority as you enjoy the well-deserved break! 🥰

Falcons:

The Falcons finished their novel study, “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" by C.S.Lewis. Additionally, they ROCKED their five-paragraph persuasive essay about school, summer, and preferences! 🧐  I hope all our parents loved their heartfelt Parent Appreciation letters❣️We will be busy up to the last minute creating board games that reflect the symbolism and themes reflected in our last novel study. Please see list below for mandatory summer reading lists and continue to make reading a priority as you enjoy the well-deserved break! 🥰

Eagles:

The Eagles completed their novel study, “The Lord of the Flies,” by William Golding. Additionally, we finished our writing project for the month of March—a five-paragraph persuasive essay about school, summer, and preferences. Our last writing project will be a compare/contrast piece highlighting the significant similarities and differences between the novel and the movie.  I hope all our parents loved their heartfelt Parent Appreciation letters❣️We will be busy up to the last minute creating board games that reflect the symbolism and themes reflected in our last novel study. Please see the list below for mandatory summer reading lists and continue to make reading a priority as you enjoy the well-deserved break! 🥰

News from the Math Classroom

Robins:

The Robins completed a unit on Time ⏰, where students learned to read clocks 🕒, match digital and analog time, and read and write time to the nearest 5 minutes. Some students also worked on days of the week 📅, months of the year, and reading a calendar. Students are now exploring Probability 🎲, using everyday examples to understand concepts such as likely, unlikely, certain, and impossible. Some students will continue working on 2-digit subtraction ➖ with and without regrouping, while others will focus on building fluency with their multiplication facts ✖️. I encourage students to continue practicing their math facts over the summer ☀️ to maintain fluency and confidence. Have a wonderful summer break! 🌴

Pandas:

The Pandas have been diving into a unit on Probability and Statistics 🎲📊, where they’ve been learning key terms such as certain, impossible, likely, and unlikely. They have practiced predicting outcomes, categorizing events, and conducting hands-on experiments like rolling dice 🎲 and flipping coins 🪙. Students will continue working on finding the mean, median, mode, and range of a given set of numbers. Over the summer ☀️, students are encouraged to continue working on their Abeka books 📘 and practice their math facts ➕➖✖️➗ to maintain fluency and confidence.

The Falcons:

The Falcons completed a unit on Measurement 📏, where they focused on relating customary units of length, capacity, and weight ⚖️, as well as understanding temperature 🌡️ and units of time ⏰. Students are now working on finding the area, perimeter, circumference, and volume of polygons and circles 🔺⬛⭕. Next, they will move on to a unit on Ratios, Proportions, and Percents %, where students will focus on solving problems using proportions, working with scale diagrams, relating fractions, decimals, and percents, and converting between them. Students will also practice finding the percent of a number. Over the summer ☀️, students are encouraged to continue working on their Abeka books 📘 to reinforce the concepts learned. Have a wonderful summer break! 🌴

The Eagles:

Students completed a unit on Percent Applications %, where they learned to find the percent of a number and explored real-world concepts such as discounts and sales 🛍️, commission, and simple interest. They are now working on a unit on Measurement 📏, focusing on measuring and converting metric and customary units, computing with time ⏰, and finding the area, perimeter, and circumference of different types of polygons and circles 🔷⭕. Some Eagles have been working on systems of equations and inequalities 📈, solving them using graphing and substitution. They are now focusing on solving absolute value equations and inequalities, and will move on to graphing inequalities in two variables, as well as working with stem-and-leaf plots, box-and-whisker plots 📊, and finding the mean, median, mode, and range. Over the summer ☀️, students are encouraged to continue working on their Abeka books 📘 to reinforce the concepts learned. Have a wonderful summer break! 🌴

News from the Humanities Classroom

As we move through the remaining days of this month, our class is focused on finishing strong 💪 and celebrating all that we’ve learned together 🎉. Students have been working hard, and we are proud of their continued effort and growth 🌱.

Our groups have been especially engaged as they dive deeper into their novels 📚 and develop stronger comprehension and critical thinking skills 🧠:

Eagles are finishing The Blood Red Sun 🌅. Students have been exploring themes such as courage, conflict, and cultural identity. They’ve been discussing character development and analyzing how historical events shape the story. As they prepare for their final quiz 📝, they are reviewing key plot points, vocabulary, and practicing written responses to demonstrate deeper understanding.

Falcons are concluding The War That Saved My Life 📖. This group has focused on character growth, especially how the main character overcomes challenges and builds resilience 🌟. Students have been participating in thoughtful discussions, making personal connections to the story, and working on summarizing chapters and identifying important details in preparation for their final quiz 📝.

Owls are completing Snow Treasure ❄️. Students have enjoyed following the suspenseful storyline while learning about teamwork, bravery, and problem-solving 🧩. They have been practicing sequencing events, identifying main ideas, and discussing how the setting influences the story. Review activities for their final quiz include comprehension questions, vocabulary review, and group discussions 💬.

To wrap up these novels, all groups will take a final quiz 📝 to assess their understanding of key events, characters, themes, and vocabulary from their books.

Our Robins group is working on completing the final lessons in their Abeka books 📘, showing great progress as they near the end of their materials 🌟.

In addition to our academic work, we continue to enjoy daily class story time 📚, which helps build listening skills 👂 and a love for reading ❤️. We are also placing a strong emphasis on communication skills, both verbal and written 🗣️✍️. Students are practicing speaking clearly, expressing their ideas confidently, and strengthening their writing through daily activities.

Thank you for your continued support as we finish the school year on a positive and productive note!