Submitted by Principal Denise Williams
Maeser Elementary has incredible teachers who are working hard to provide meaningful learning experiences for our students. Over the past few years, we have experienced many changes in education. Our teams have made the choice to stay positive and embrace the change. One change that is new this year is the option for students to attend school virtually or in-person on Friday. Teachers have worked together to implement a plan to get the most from our Friday learning.
We have focused on supporting our curriculum with more hands-on learning for Friday in-person sessions. We have devoted time and funding for enrichment activities to help students learn. Monday through Thursday we have a heavy focus on reading, writing, speaking and listening while teaching our new Core Knowledge Language Arts (CKLA) curriculum.
Rich classroom discussions happen on a daily basis focused on the content provided in CKLA. Fridays bring an opportunity for us to provide interventions and extension, as well as enriching the content taught during the week. We have many highly engaging activities each Friday. Students have enjoyed dissecting eyeballs, working with a team to build volcanos, making pinch pots, using playdough to create numbers, participating in a farmer’s market, and many other educational experiences.
Maeser Elementary is also taking advantage of the Friday structure to have a student council. Student representatives were elected from each class in grades 3 through 5. The new student council will create leadership opportunities for students to make positive changes in our school. Each Friday when the council meets, the students discuss and plan school activities centered around our motto which is “Be a C.U.B.” (Be Courteous, Upbeat and Brave). The council is excited to plan activities and service projects for our school.
Teachers appreciate the support from our community. We have had many parents and organizations volunteer to help with our hands-on learning experiences.