 Hello Bulldogs, Today we had a Snack Shack. Thank you everyone for purchasing our snacks. Next week we have our final Bake Sale of the school year. The Bake Sale will be on Thursday, May 22nd. The Talent Show is also on May 22nd. We will sell delicious baked goods from SPA during lunch and during intermission of the Talent Show. Parents, feel free to bring money to purchase baked treats when coming to the Talent Show. Student Government Elections are coming next week. All the candidates have made their posters and they all look amazing. Candidates will deliver their speeches this Monday to all 8th through 12th graders. Students will vote for the candidates they want to be their officers in Student Government next school year. Good luck to all the candidates! Student Government is also planning on doing one final seasonal sale before the end of the school year. Stay tuned for more details. That is all for now. Go Bulldogs! –Daniel C., Student Government Secretary On Wednesday, Student Government donated clothes to Samaritan House in San Mateo. We gave clothes to the Samaritan House, which will go to those in need. It was a great experience for me. I love helping out in Student Government especially as a deputy. Thank you to all the parents who donated to this great cause. Have a good weekend and go Bulldogs! –Sofie M., Student Government Deputy Hello Stanbridge, On Thursday this week, Student Government served Chipotle to students and staff during lunch. Students were also treated to sparkling water and chips to go with their meal. We were happy to see everyone enjoying the meal. Next Friday, May 9th, will be our final Pizza Sale of the school year. Please fill out the Pizza Form in this week's Bulldog Bulletin by Wednesday, May 7th, if you would like your child to get Costco pizza, salad, or hot dogs for lunch next Friday. We have had a great Spirit Week this week! Everyone has been dressing up and we thank everyone for showing their spirit. We ended the week with Field Day today. We have High School Prom coming up on Friday May 16th so please fill out the Prom Form in the Bulletin by Friday, May 9th, if your child is going to Prom. Coming up on Monday, May 19th, is a big event at Stanbridge – 2025-2026 Student Government Elections. Candidates have until Tuesday, May 6th, to decide if they will run. Have a great weekend, Bulldogs! – Daniel C., Student Government Secretary   Hello Stanbridge, There are lots of exciting things happening in Student Government. First off, we want to thank all the parents who donated clothes for the Samaritan House clothing drive! [We have over a dozen bags and boxes to donate!] Student Government will be dropping off the clothes very soon. Furthermore, next Thursday, May 1st, Student Government will be offering Chipotle lunch for students and staff who filled out the Google Form. If you know your child will want Chipotle please fill out the form by Sunday night, April 27th. Note there will be no weekly sale next week as Chipotle lunch will be offered on Thursday. So, please complete the form to make sure your child gets Chipotle. Student Government Elections for the upcoming school year will be on Monday, May 19th. Any student who wants to run for office should fill out the Intent to Run Google Form that Advisor Kenny will send out this Monday. In the form, Kenny will include who qualifies to run for each office. Good luck to all the candidates who run! Finally, next week is Spirit Week, and here are the days of what is happening:
–Monie A., Student Government President   This week, Lower El worked on social turn-taking with a phonology BINGO game. Students had to fill in the blank with a rhyming word. A worksheet went home to try for practice. Parents can be the reader or listener for the activity. This builds auditory processing, reading/writing skills, patience, and turn taking.
Middle and Upperl El groups worked on perspective taking with red vs. green thoughts. They took different scenarios and imagined how certain words or tones of voice can give others red vs. green thoughts (positive vs. negative). We then connected these lessons to our past learning of "Think it" vs. "Say it." – Tricia Keener, Speech & Language Pathologist  Student Government is excited to announce that on Thursday, May 1st, we will provide a Chipotle lunch to all students and staff, free of charge. We will be offering four different meal options for you to choose from. Please select your meal choice on the Google Form included in the Bulldog Bulletin by Sunday, April 27th, if you would like your child to enjoy a delicious lunch from Chipotle on Thursday, May 1st. Student Government is happy that students are still loving the new improved pizza we get from Costco. Today's Pizza Sale was a big success. Thank you all for your support! Your support of our sales is what allows us to [fund events] like the Chipotle we will be buying. Thank you everyone who [has] donated clothes for the Samaritan House. Your donation will help those in need. We have decided to extend the deadline for donations to Monday, April 21st. If you do some Spring cleaning over the break, and find clothes you would like to donate, please bring them to Stanbridge once we are back from the break. Student Government will hold elections on Monday, May 19th, for the new officers for the 2025-2026 school year. More information on elections will come out later this month. We will have a Bake Sale on the Friday after we come back from Spring Break (April 25th). Please bring money to purchase delicious baked goods from SPA. Note there will be no StuGov sale on May 2nd due to Field Day. Go Bulldogs! – Daniel C., Secretary  It's Spring Cleaning time and Overnight Experientials are approaching for 4th-8th grades! Packing lists can be pretty detailed and some items are often overlooked for inclusion preventing continued warmth and comfort. If you have any of the following items that are gently used, pre-loved, pre-worn, or grown out of, we appreciate any or all donations. Please do not purchase these items for the Stanbridge Experiential Closet. Reduce, re-use, recycle so that others may benefit from your still-usable items. Our goal is to create an experiential tool kit/supply closet to ensure the safety and success of all students and teachers on the trips! Item requests:
Student Government would also like to remind you that their used clothing drive for Samaritan House children and teens continues this week through Friday, April 11th. So clear out your closets and bring in all your pre-loved clothing and overnight/weather gear to give it another life! Plus, there are proven health benefits of decluttering spaces, too. Thank you in advance for your time and effort. It is much appreciated by so many in our greater community!  Across Elementary and Middle School, students are engaging in projects about Neurodiversity! March 17-21 was Neurodiversity Celebration Week and April is Neurodiversity Month, as well as Autism Acceptance and Awareness Month. Students across all divisions have engaged in thoughtful and reflective discussions about neurodiversity, what it means, and why it’s important. Elementary students are in the midst of completing two projects to Celebrate Neurodiversity. The first is celebrating the uniqueness of every brain through drawing and coloring. The second is all about special interests. Students learn about passion and special interests as a part of neurodiversity. Elementary students are working on self-expression and self-awareness through presentations about their Special Interests. Middle School students also did a brief overview of neurodiversity, and many students expressed significant knowledge in this area. Students enjoy sharing their knowledge and experiences during these conversations. Middle schoolers are working on posters that develop social awareness regarding well known individuals who have autism, ADHD, and/or other learning differences. They are excited about selecting their own individuals and navigating how to communicate this through writing and artwork. – Emma Mamis, Clinical Counselor, Board Certified Dance/ Movement Therapist Talking With Your Child About Their Diagnosis
Parents often ask our counselors how and when to talk with their children about their diagnosis. This excellent article from the Child Mind Institute gives guidelines for beginning and continuing this conversation. Even if you have discussed this with your child, the article may be helpful. You'll discover how the ongoing conversation may change as your child grows into adolescence and adulthood. There are additional links on the web page to insightful articles about how to talk with relatives and others about your child's diagnosis. HS Social Learning High School students are using Social Learning time to consider how we communicate with words, body language, and gestures. We've looked at slang and when it should be used, how to determine whether teasing is friendly, annoying, or malicious, and the pros and cons of gossiping. Students have had robust discussions about using group chats and how to keep them positive. – Mary Stadler, Director of Counseling  As you may know, Gladys has taken over for Rubén while he recovers from back surgery. This week, Spanish classes have been learning about Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), a holiday celebrated in Mexico and other Central American countries. Part of the observation is building altars or “ofrendas” (offerings) to honor loved ones who have died. Together, and with our Facilities Manager's help, they built an ofrenda in the classroom. The students also helped create papel picado, arrange flowers, build the arch, and decorate the walls with paper skulls. We invite students and faculty to add a framed photo of a family member, friend, or pet who has passed away to our classroom ofrenda. If you choose to participate, please ensure that the photo is in a frame. All pictures will be treated with care and respect throughout the celebration. If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to reach out.   Student Government has gotten into a rhythm these last few weeks! The new members have quickly learned the ropes from the veteran members about the standard operating procedures for all of our sales. The members are energized, motivated, and working collaboratively to run our sales each week. Speaking of sales, we would like to thank SPA for providing such delicious treats for our first Bake Sale of the school year! We thank you and appreciate you!
This week in Student Government, discussions began about things we could purchase for the school with the funds that we get through our weekly Friday sales. This will be a process, but already, students are thinking deeply about ideas that can improve the experience of students at Stanbridge. One such idea under consideration is installing another microwave in the courtyard, as this year students have seen slightly longer lines to use the microwaves at lunchtime. Student Government is currently researching a variety of pizza places as we consider changing the location of where we get our pizza for our monthly Pizza Sale. Members are taking initiative and looking at the prices of different pizza places, as well as their quality, as we consider switching to a different restaurant. We will keep you updated as we continue to research and weigh our options. Our Student Government wants to hear from our students! This week we put our Suggestion Box back in the front office, where students from any division are welcome to write down ideas and suggestions that they would like Student Government to consider. Your input is taken seriously and is greatly appreciated! –Kenny Katz, Student Government Faculty Advisor  HIGH SCHOOL
The High School U.S. History classes are off to a running start! We have engaged in numerous discussions, and jumped into readings about the early years of the American republic: life under the Articles of Confederation, reasons behind discarding the Articles and establishing the U.S. Constitution, and the significance of the U.S. prevailing against the British in the War of 1812. This week, we covered the various factors that led to the American Civil War, including whether popular sovereignty should have been used to decide the slavery question in the West, and how the Dred Scott decision was a huge factor in escalating tensions between North and South. The High School Government/Econ classes started the school year studying the different types of governments that exist, as well as the reasons why a written constitution is an incredibly important aspect of governing a state. This week, we started a unit on political parties, their role vis-à-vis facilitating elections and governance, and how the role of political parties has shifted significantly since the late 19th century. Students also completed their first current events assignment – pick a news story that they felt holds significance, summarize it, and explain why it is a story that deserves attention. – Kenny Katz, High School History & Government MIDDLE SCHOOL – DIVING INTO HISTORY As we've started off the year in Middle School Social Studies, we have begun our U.S. History content with a focus on the indigenous people of North America and those who were the earliest inhabiters of this country. Learning about these first Americans has brought conversation topics ranging from migration (of both humans and animals), to the uses and abuses of power, and even to the impacts of climate change on these original Americans. We've explored interactive maps of U.S. and the tribal lands that used to cover all 50 states, discussed what kind of evidence is used to understand the past, and how historians operate like detectives of the past, sifting through various pieces of information to try to find a connection. A good amount of time has been spent getting settled in the classroom and learning and practicing the various routines and protocols we have, as well. Making sure all students feel comfortable in the space and with the expectations they have. It's been a great start to the year. I'm really looking forward to continuing on this journey as we dive deeper into U.S. History and all that comes with it! – Drew Vinson, Middle School Humanities ELEMENTARY Lower and Middle Elementary are starting to learn about community workers and the jobs they do in the community. We have discussed what we think each job entails and if we interact with these workers with our families. Middle Elementary has been working on "Where I Am on the Map" worksheets. Upper Elementary is also starting to discuss what they know about social studies, as well as beginning to learn about maps and locations. We are excited to learn more about our communities and the world around us! – Adria Olson, Lower El Lead Teacher  ELEMENTARY
Our Bulldogs in the Elementary division have been working in Lexia, reading aloud short stories as well as chapter books. While making literacy accessible to all learners, students have been discovering and attaining new vocabulary. Lower and Middle Elementary have been practicing pronouncing and writing sight words. They have been enjoying reading rhyming books such as Down by the Bay and Pete the Cat books. They even practiced making up their own rhyming words. Upper Elementary has already delved into descriptive paragraph writing this year. Using the hamburger model, students begin with the introduction and end with the conclusion – represented by the top and bottom buns respectively. They are also using graphic organizers as a tool to help plan their thoughts and set up ordered sentences for descriptions of their STEM project in which they designed, built, and presented a school of their creation. As part of their language learning, we are also working on how to be a good listening audience. – Harriet Mukisa, Middle Elementary Lead MIDDLE SCHOOL Our Middle School Humanities team works closely to plan cross-curricular lessons in Language Arts and Social Studies, enforcing learning as not merely subject-based, but teaching students that subjects often tie together. Students began a different type of study about Indigenous Americans this week . In Language Arts, students began reading Rabbit Chase, a graphic novel about an Indigenous middle schooler who gets lost on a school field trip and must work with mythological creatures from their tribe to get back to their family. Students have enjoyed the graphic novel, and are asking amazing questions about history, historical sources, and Indigenous cultures. In Social Studies, they have been working with interactive maps, looking at how the United States was divided geographically before European settlers arrived. Students are learning why is it important for Indigenous people to tell their stories, myths, and traditions from their own perspectives. – Emma Woods, Humanities: Language Arts HIGH SCHOOL High Schoolers are launching into English by studying neurotypes (types of brains) this week. Students identified their strengths and areas of growth, what tools work best to support them in the classroom, and how a neurodiverse community benefits everyone. Students worked on taking notes with the content, engaging in class discussions, and even built their own "brains." This work lays the foundation for students to better access English, express themselves, and empower them to advocate for their needs. – Emma Woods, Kantodeia Schnabel, & Drew Vinson, English As we settle into the school year, students are adjusting to their Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) schedule. Elementary receives Social Learning, Emotions & Relationships, and Library once per week in a rotation. Middle School receives Emotions & Relationships as one of their five end-of-day "Specials" classes. High Schoolers receive SEL content through a weekly grouping during morning Advisory. All Bulldogs are all learning about routines and expectations through various activities that support the needs of their specific learning group. Content in Emotions & Relationships is based on five Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) areas: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making. Across the grade levels, students are offered regular opportunities to check in using the Zones of Regulation. Ask your Middle or High Schooler about their Emote check-in! Can you or your student identify their teachers on the "Bitmoji Zones Board" below? – Emma Mamis, Board Certified Dance/ Movement Therapist, Clinical Counselor  -By Ian Mackenzie
|
AboutThe Bulldog Blog is a forum for Stanbridge Academy staff and students to share community stories and news online. 
Blog Categories
All
Appreciate, Celebrate, Participate !
Check out the Advocates Sharing Knowledge Page for past event info!
Visit the Bridge Blog for information about learning journeys after graduation.
|
