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Étude Elementary Blog

December 22, 2015
by: Janelle Bane

First Grade Body Books: All About Bones

This trimester, first grade students are investigating the question: How does the human body work? 

At home, parents traced the outlines of their child on white paper and glued them to thick cardboard, one page for each system. It is on these life-sized paper cut-outs that each student will illustrate the systems of their body to scale. Over the course of the unit, each page of the Body Book will explore a different body system and how it functions. 

body in text

 

Page one is the skeletal system. To begin, each class listed things they already knew about bones, questions they had about bones, and explored the sounds of bones in Drama class. They have observed how their own bones feel under their skin, shared experiences they’ve had with broken bones, and wondered how their bones support them in everyday life.

body thinking in text

To help answer their questions and find out more, they have been reading books about bones, the skeletal system and bodies in general. Earlier that week, each class had Reading Centers, when small groups of students work with their teacher and parent volunteers in guided reading practice. Mrs. Beilke’s class read What’s Inside of Me?, a text listing the major organs in each system, practicing sight words and reading strategies. Mrs. McKeone’s class worked with a text comparing and contrasting different animal skeletons. They even drew connections to their previous butterfly migration unit wondering if caterpillars would have more bones than an adult butterfly, the same way human human babies have more bones than adults.

Bodies Reading

They use their own bodies and a skeletal diagram to ascertain where the bones go and how they are situated in relation to another. Students in Mrs. Beilke’s class offered each other some strategies on how to get accurate placements of facial structures, such as using a certain number of finger-widths between nose and eyes as a guide, or noticing the nose is placed on the same plane as the ears on the skull. Some students checked out their face in a mirror to get a better feel for how they should draw the details of the skull. In Mrs. McKeone’s class, they used their belly button and elbow as a reference point for placement of the rib cage and arm bones, respectively.

body slide 10

Students use their own bodies and research texts to draw to-scale models of their skeletal system.

Some students in Mrs. McKeone’s class found drawing the curved shape of the rib cage difficult to transfer to their model. As a class, they came up with some ways to help make it easier. One student noticed that the rib cage as a whole was shaped like an upside-down heart, which you could lightly draw on the model to get the right shape. Another student noticed that each rib was about the same width as a finger, so they could trace their fingers as a model for each rib.  In partners, they used warm and cool feedback to make sure each model showed good detail and was accurate.

The next page of the Life-Sized Body Book will be the Nervous system. After more questioning, researching, and discussing the nerves and how we are able to feel, students will have a brand new blank body to fill in with to-scale drawings of nerves for their books.

Page through the Photo Gallery below to see more photos from research and the attention to detail students put into drawing their skeletons. 














December 21, 2015
by: Janelle Bane

Second and Third Graders Learn About Geography in the Field

Second and Third Graders Learn About Geography in the Field Thumbnail

The second and third grade classes visited Pigeon River, Kohler Andrae Park and The Kettle Moraines over the last three months to make observations and work together in the classroom to research Wisconsin landforms, practice reading and writing skills, and integrate movement into their research. Through trips to area landscapes, each classroom brought their knowledge and questions back to school as tools for learning and extending by thinking critically about what they’ve seen.

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December 4, 2015
by: Janelle Bane

A Trimester of Bee Research and Learning with the Fourth and Fifth Graders

A Trimester of Bee Research and Learning with the Fourth and Fifth Graders Thumbnail

In the first trimester of the year, the fourth and fifth graders of ESAA studied ecosystems. What better way to study ecosystems than through the lens of bees and their contribution to a healthy environment. To begin, each class performed a “Generate and Sort” thinking routine that helped to grasp knowledge students already had about bees and captured all the questions students have about our buzzing friends. This research continues throughout the trimester, learning more about bees to better understand why they are important to our ecosystem, and culminating in a final project to help support bees and their important work. 20150921 142310

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November 23, 2015
by: Janelle Bane

With Amazon Smile, Your Purchases Help Build Community

With Amazon Smile, Your Purchases Help Build Community Thumbnail

Here at The Étude Group of Schools, IDEAS Academy, The Mosaic School, and Elementary School for Arts and Academics, we value not only the community within our walls, but what impact we make as individuals and as a group in our larger community. Through project-based learning, we can situate our academic learning into real-life, relevant issues in our community like monarch migration[/elementaryschool/esaa-blog/first-grade-exhibitions-of-learning-why-are-butterflies-important/], native species awareness[/middleschool/mosaic-blog/mosaic-at-maywood-native-animals-and-energy-transfers/], and high school health[/highschool/ideas-blog/ideas-human-anatomy-and-physiology-class-hold-health-fair-at-school/]. If this is something you value, we'd like you to consider supporting us in our mission[/about-us/educational-program/].

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November 21, 2015
by: Janelle Bane

First Grade Exhibitions of Learning: Why are Butterflies Important?

First Grade Exhibitions of Learning: Why are Butterflies Important? Thumbnail

The first grade students of ESAA have spent the trimester exploring the question, “Why are monarch butterflies important?” Butterfly habitats, conservation, and the environment in general is an extremely relevant topic at the moment and also provides many opportunities to incorporate science, literacy, movement, and music.

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November 12, 2015
by: Janelle Bane

Parent Connections: Literacy at ESAA

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*Tuesday, November 17th at 6:30 pm*

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October 29, 2015
by: Janelle Bane

Community Art Project at ESAA: The Process of Building Identity through Color, Shapes, and Symbols

Community Art Project at ESAA: The Process of Building Identity through Color, Shapes, and Symbols Thumbnail

If you have recently gone through Door 8, the door at the very back of the school, you may have noticed a new work of art on the wall. This piece was created by each ESAA student to represent the school as a group of individuals, classrooms and the school community as a whole. This was the first time a school-wide art project has been attempted at ESAA using observations and thinking routines with a professional work of art as inspiration.

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October 19, 2015

ESAA Information Night This Week

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We know you never get tired about talking about your kids and their achievements... neither do we! We want to let people know what we're all about at ESAA and share all the wonderful things your kids do here. Help us spread the word!

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October 19, 2015
by: Janelle Bane

ESAA Awarded Cellcom 2015 Green Gift for Environmental Stewardship

ESAA Awarded Cellcom 2015 Green Gift for Environmental Stewardship Thumbnail

We are excited to announce that ESAA has been awarded a Cellcom 2015 Green Gift grant. Dean of School, Susan Griffiths, and The Étude Group Board Member, Beth Carreno, wrote and submitted the grant, showing ESAA’s innovative and educational approach to environmental stewardship in our classroom learning. There were nearly fifty entries and the selection was competitive.

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October 7, 2015
by: Janelle Bane

Parent Connections: Creating an Empowering and Safe Learning Environment at ESAA

Parent Connections: Creating an Empowering and Safe Learning Environment at ESAA Thumbnail

Last month, we held a Parent Connections meeting at ESAA. The focus of the meeting was establishing school culture and how we create community among our unique and individual students, families, and teachers.

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September 24, 2015
by: Janelle Bane

Trash Talk: Learning to Give (and Receive) Feedback

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The second and third graders in Mrs. Pekarek’s class are going to be editors, at least for this hour of class.

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September 6, 2015
by: Janelle Bane

New Teachers Get Oriented to the Culture of Community and Learning at Étude

New Teachers Get Oriented to the Culture of Community and Learning at Étude Thumbnail

For the most part, this year’s new teachers didn’t know a thing about the Étude schools before they applied to work here. They saw a post for a teaching position at ESAA, Mosaic or IDEAS Academy and decided to check out our website to learn more. “It’s a bit of a drive, but I’m applying,” recalls Becky Knight excitedly. “I was immediately grabbed by the whole vision.” Rod Stoehr also saw the posting, went to the website and thought it sounded like a great fit. There was something about Étude’s unique learning philosophy, positive environment and collaborative culture that told each of them they belonged here.

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September 4, 2015
by: Susan Griffiths

Establishing our school culture

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First Day.blog

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August 26, 2015
by: Susan Griffiths

New ESAA teachers explore Movement and Learning

New ESAA teachers explore Movement and Learning Thumbnail

August 19, 2015
by: Nina Matti

Kindergarteners Explore Where Food Comes From

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“We really want kids to get that experiential learning,” kindergarten teacher Jodi Kimme said of her students' spring project, building a garden. “That’s absolutely number one....

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August 14, 2015
by: Ted Hamm

The Étude Group At The Levitt Amp Music Series

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The Étude Group will be participating in the August 20th Levitt Amp Sheboygan Music Series presented by the John Michael Kohler Arts Center. This is a free, outdoor music series that features local food trucks and national music acts. The evening will feature music performances by IDEAS Academy students, Asiah Davis - Williams, Bayden Dassler, Kelsey Fick, Paris Wolf and Hannah Olmedo from 5:00 - 5:25 p.m. and Drew Fredrichsen’s band The Jetty Boys at 5:30 p.m. Additionally, Étude Group staff and students will lead interactive workshops in poetry, engineering, drama, and more starting at 5:00 p.m. until the headliner begins at 7:00 p.m. Please bring a blanket or chairs and join us on the lawn near our Étude tent.

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August 11, 2015
by: Nina Matti

ESAA Dean and Colleagues Attended Harvard's Project Zero

ESAA Dean and Colleagues Attended Harvard's Project Zero Thumbnail

“One of the things I’ve been thinking about is how can we help our students get into creative and innovative thinking in ways that they wouldn’t...

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August 5, 2015
by: Susan Grifffiths

Busing available to all interested

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ESAA will be offering busing to and from school for the 2015-16 school year to all of our families living within the Sheboygan Area School District. We have added transportation to make ESAA to more accessible to families from all over Sheboygan. In order to accommodate all families interested in transportation, we have alleviated the living within a 2 mile radius restriction. We will provide two bus routes, a north side and a south side, to keep the student travel times to a minimum.

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July 31, 2015
by: Nina Matti

National Writing Project Puts Teachers in Students' Shoes

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Two Étude Group teachers had the opportunity to expand their teaching abilities this summer at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s Invitational Summer Institute for theNational Writing Project[http://www.nwp.org/] from June 22 to July 3.

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April 29, 2015
by: Press Release

Étude Group Director selected to participate in WAB Creative Industries Committee

Étude Group Director selected to participate in WAB Creative Industries Committee Thumbnail

Madison, WI (April 29,2015) – Ted Hamm, Director, Principal and Founder of the The Étude Group has been selected to be a member of the Creative Industries Committee. The Creative Industries Committee is a board of experts comprised by The Wisconsin Arts Board to guide the Arts Board’s work to serve and promote the creative industries in Wisconsin.

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April 23, 2015
by: Susan Griffiths

ESAA Rocket Club launches with a splash

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Rocket Launch 1

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April 14, 2015
by: Jodi Kimme

First morning on the farm

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This week we visited Higher Grounds Farm near Plymouth. It is the farm of Mike an Christal Mulder (Ms. Kimme's niece and nephew-in-law).

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April 8, 2015
by: Dan Burkey

Drama class brings literacy to life

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dramakslide One of the ways that children naturally direct their own learning is through dramatic play. Left to their own devices, kids will often devise imaginative games in which they take on roles and act out the relationships between characters they create. Whether it's adventuring as knights and princesses, prowling the jungle as real or mythological animals, or just playing house, acting things out helps children explore the world around them and develop a deeper understanding of human relationships. Drama brings the body, voice, and imagination together into a whole-person activity that can connect with a variety of learners, so it's easy to see why it performs such a natural role in human development. In fact, recent studies have shown that dramatic play is one of the primary ways that humans develop empathy; by inhabiting the role of someone else, children begin to comprehend the existence of perspectives other than their own.

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March 26, 2015
by: Susan Griffiths

2015-16 ESAA Transportation Sign-up

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March 17, 2015
by: Susan Griffiths

Bounce Into Spring Fundraiser a great success

Bounce Into Spring Fundraiser a great success Thumbnail

A big thanks to all of ESAA's parents, staff and students for the success of our Bounce Into Spring Fundraiser on Friday. Together we were able to raise just over $3,700 for our school! These funds will be used for school gardens students will be creating this spring. The gardens will function as learning labs where students will observe, research, and discover to learn more about the outdoor environment.

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March 14, 2015
by: Susan Griffiths

Transportation guidelines developed for the 2015-16 school year

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While our move to the current campus in 2013 has brought many positives, the more remote location has made transportation difficult for many families. Offering busing will help ease our current families ability to get their children to school each day. It will also help reach beyond our current families and make ESAA more accessible to all SASD students. It will enable us to offer ESAA as an school option to those who could not consider it it in the past because of transportation issues. Adding transportation is integral to ESAA’s growth.

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March 8, 2015
by: Susan Griffiths

Bounce Into Spring March 13 and help ESAA raise garden funds

Bounce Into Spring March 13 and help ESAA raise garden funds Thumbnail

ESAA Fundraiser Spring 2015

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February 16, 2015
by: Susan Griffiths

February 19th PTO meeting rescheduled for March 19th

February 19th PTO meeting rescheduled for March 19th Thumbnail

Last Thursday we lost Liz Bloise, a long time member of our school community, to cancer. When Liz’s children attended ESAA, she was a strong participant in PTO and our school. She could be seen regularly at meetings and graciously donating her time whenever needed. Liz developed many deep friendships while at ESAA. Liz’s memorial service is being held on Thursday, February 19th. Many of our community members would like to attend. With this in mind, we are rescheduling the February 19th PTO meeting. The new meeting date will be March 19th at 6:30pm. We look forward to seeing everyone on March 19th to discuss transportation and gardening at ESAA.

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February 9, 2015
by: Libby Schmitz

ESAA students excited about the world

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ESAA Kindergarten students have been immersed in the exploration of the natural habitats of polar animals this wintery season. In the beginning, students easily began to recognize traits and characteristics of animals such as polar bears, penguins, and sea lions, however as they dove deeper, students were asked the essential question, “What Do Animals Need?” This question allowed for a range of topics such as animal habitats, the Arctic and Antarctic regions, land formations, maps, globes, life cycles of mammals, pollution, and global warming. In asking what animals need, we are in extension creating the context for broader topic that can then implement reading, writing, critical thinking, and the arts.

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January 24, 2015
by: Ted Hamm, Susan Griffiths

ESAA Transportation 2015-2016

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Beginning in Fall 2015, The Elementary School for the Arts & Academics will offer daily transportation to and from our school.

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January 24, 2015
by: Rachel Pekarek

Enjoy an evening of snowshoeing with the ESAA community

Enjoy an evening of snowshoeing with the ESAA community Thumbnail

Snowshoe14.2 Please join us for our second annual snowshoe family night sponsored by ESAA PTO. It will be held at the Quarryview Center on January 30, 2015, from 6:00-8:00 PM.

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January 20, 2015
by: Libby Schmitz

How Do Animals Influence Human Life?

How Do Animals Influence Human Life? Thumbnail

biomim 500X

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January 19, 2015
by: Dan Burkey

Join us for the Winter Arts Program!

Join us for the Winter Arts Program! Thumbnail

On Tuesday, January 27th, ESAA parents are invited to our Winter Arts Program at 2:00 PM in the gym. At ESAA, our goal is to integrate the arts into all our learning, and this year’s Winter Arts Program will celebrate that process with student performances demonstrating the way we learn through the performing and visual arts. Each grade level will give performances of material they created in their project-based learning (PBL) units for this trimester, including forces and motion, and winter celebrations in world cultures. Also in the gym, a student art gallery will show how we explore the same subjects through the visual arts.

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January 17, 2015
by: Kimberly Johnson

New! Subscribe to get ESAA Blog Posts by Email

New! Subscribe to get ESAA Blog Posts by Email Thumbnail

ESAA is committed to sharing our thoughtful and vibrant community with our families and community members interested in our school. One of the primary ways that we tell the story of learning at ESAA is through this blog. If you would like to receive our blog posts by email, please click here. Enter your email address, subscribe, and then please check your email to "activate" your subscription.

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January 16, 2015
by: Rachel Pekarek

Native American arts and legends captivate ESAA students

Native American arts and legends captivate ESAA students Thumbnail

What can we learn from past use of Wisconsin’s natural resources to build a better future?That is the question that ESAA second and third graders are just beginning to ponder. For the first part of this question, students looked through a cultural lens to study Native Americans. The students read and listened to many Native American legends to learn about their beliefs and culture. The students began to understand the importance of nature, geography, animals, and natural resources through these legends.

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January 12, 2015
by: Libby Schmitz

Kindergarten Celebrates Peace and Light

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K EOL 1 "When we understand each other we create peace, it's when we do not that we create war..."

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January 11, 2015
by: Libby Schmitz

ESAA Students Present to Board

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Three ESAA 2/3 grade students presented their trimester-long study of birds to the SASD Board of Education back in November. The students, taking on the role of young scientists, expertly described the observation process taken to create their field guide journals and study of bird habitats. This, in result, accumulated their three month long Project Based Learning unit and rewarded them with ownership in their own knowledge and discovery of birds.

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January 6, 2015
by: Kara Pasche

For the Birds

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This year, second and third grade students are on a journey to understand how animals, people, and plants adapt to our local environment. During the first trimester, students have been working through the essential question, “How can I create an environment to attract birds and share my information with the ESAA community?” In order to answer this larger question, students asked and answered many wonders using the creative process.

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January 2, 2015
by: Libby Schmitz

Exploring Force and Energy

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4th and 5th grade students have been exploring the physics behind what makes roller coasters man-made, gravity defying wonders. The thinking routine used in the beginning of their discovery was "Generate, Sort, Connect, Elaborate" to introduce the scientific method and give students a better understanding of how scientists develop their research and discovery process. The task was then to design and create their own model versions of roller coasters through a series of trial and error. Before building the roller coasters however, our student scientists carefully designed a blueprint that demonstrated kinetic and potential energy, centripetal force, friction, and inertia. Through this hands-on discovery, our 4th and 5th grade students came away with a new knowledge of how science can explain the natural world.

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