Spring Library News

Digital Citizenship

This spring in the Bell School Library, all students are learning about digital citizenship. Students are learning about staying safe online while also keeping equipment safe. This Internet Safety and Digital Etiquette Unit meets a requirement of the Child Internet Protection Act (CIPA).

iPads in the Library

Third Grade students have used the iPads to research facts about the Solar System. Second and Third Grade students are learning to use the iPads to look up items in the school library catalog. Kindergarten and First Grade students have used the iPads to explore eBooks available through the NOBLE Public Library System.

Cat in the Hat Reading Challenge
Students in Pre-K through Third Grade have been enthusiastically participating in the library Cat in the Hat Reading Challenge. In celebration of Dr. Seuss birthday March 2nd, Bell School students are creating an enormous hat for the library’s Cat in the Hat. For each book a student reads, they can fill out a red or white hat stripe with their name and the name of the book they read. Students then bring completed stripes back to the library to be added to the hat. The hat has made it all the way around the library. Thank you for your help in encouraging a love of reading!

Other News
The Bell School Library has been registered with the Massachusetts Library System giving the students access to online databases. More information about the library and links to other resources - including science fair resources - can be found on the Bell School Library website located at bellschoollibrary.weebly.com

Physical Education 2nd Term Review

“Physical Education is unique because fundamental motor skills are seldom taught anywhere else in the school curriculum. Youngsters need to learn how to speak the language of movement (movement concepts) and be able to tie movement to vocabulary (movement themes).”(p.309)  Pangrazi, R. (2007). Dynamic physical education for elementary school children (15^th ed.).

San Francisco, CA: Pearson Education Inc.

SPRING TRAINING HAS BEGUN AT BELL SCHOOL

Batting Practice

UPCOMING EVENT – Mark your calendar!!!

It's that time of year again-- RED SOX OPENING DAY IS ALMOST UPON US!

An annual favorite is our "Bell School Red Sox Opening Day Celebration" which will take place 
on Friday, April 4^th. 

Each class will have a designated time to "PLAY BALL!" at lower Bell followed by a healthy snack.

This is a day the kids love and wait for the ground to thaw each year so they can enjoy it again! Save the date and I hope you can join us in celebrating.  This day would not be a success without parent help and support.  More details to follow.

STUDENT TEACHER PETER SUCHAREWICZ

Bell School is fortunate once again to get a student teacher in Physical Education from Endicott College in Beverly, MA.  His name is Peter Sucharewicz.  He played golf, hockey and baseball in high school.  He also played baseball in college until injuries made him stop.  He coaches the JV Baseball team in Peabody and an AAU baseball team as well.  As you can see, Peter is very busy finishing up school and coaching.  He will be with us until the beginning of May.  He is doing a great job and the students really respond to him.

                     

Snow Board

  CURRENT EVENTS- 2014 OLYMPICS

Bells version of the 2014 Winter Olympics was a blast.  The unit began with jogging to the Olympic Anthem, followed by fun facts and information about the Olympics.  The students participated in Nordic Combined, Snow Board, Hockey and Slalom on their first day.  The second class they took part in the Luge-Bobsled-Skeleton, Curling and Speed Skating.  It was a lot of fun learning about the Olympics.

Nordic Combined

2^ND TERM REVIEW

All classes joined in playing Star Wars and Gilligan’s Island.  These games teach teamwork and cooperation.  In addition to the Olympic unit, all classes learned about cup stacking.  This was a new unit for Bell School.  Cup stacking improves hand-eye coordination and reaction time.  It also stimulates both sides of the brain resulting in better learning.  It has only been introduced; we will revisit it in the spring.  All 2^nd and 3^rd graders worked very hard learning their movement piece for Winter Concert.  All the kids did an amazing job. 

Parachute Fun

At the beginning of the term, all classes were finishing up a foot skills unit.  K-2 ended their unit with Team Soccer and Any Which Way Soccer.  Third grade played World Cup Soccer and Sideline soccer.  All classes did a great job.  More recently all classes have been swinging on the regular ropes, challenging themselves during Crocodile Island- a Bell School favorite. This along with parachute always proves to be top favorites.

K-2 also participated in basic skills testing to make sure everyone is on target.  Other skills K-2 worked on were throwing and catching, tossing and catching, bouncing and catching, rolling, chest pass, bounce pass, overhead pass, patterns with ribbon wands. 3^rd grade finished a hockey unit before we moved on to Baseball.

Gilligan's Island

As you can see, we have been very busy learning new skills and refining ones previously learned.  I am proud of the progress each child is making.  Now that the nice weather is approaching, try to get outside more and be active!