Passing of the Light

Well here we are... the last three days of our school year. Thank you so much for entrusting your children to Mrs. Troyer and me for most of their waking hours over the past school year. The Galaxy experience has truly been one that I will treasure. We laughed, cried, and most of all learned; not just academic stuff, but the stuff about relationships, honesty, integrity, productivity, and living a full life. During these next few days, we'll just enjoy being together and wrapping up the year.

Tomorrow we'll take some time to sign yearbooks and begin taking things off the walls, reminiscing, and finishing our Passing of the Light gift. Wednesday, we'll practice our Passing of the Light ceremony and then on Thursday we will all participate in the real thing, 2018-2019 GES Passing of the Light Ceremony. Please join our community in this beautiful ending of this year.

What is Passing of the Light?

A candle loses nothing by giving of itself. As a matter of fact, as long as a candle is lit, there is no limit to the number of other candles it can light. Its ability to share its brilliance is limited only by the length of time it can stay lit.

Each of us has our own source of light. Our source, of course, is what makes each of us unique. And like a burning candle, each one of us can touch numbers of others with our unique light. We can keep touching as many other people as we can with our love and our light, never having to fear for one moment that we will deplete or diminish our own source in any way. In fact, as we become more aware of this idea of passing on our light, we will discover that we do not lose any of our own light--we actually strengthen and intensify it! Unlike a candle, the glow is "turned up"--brightened--the more we share it. Each child that comes to Greenbrier Episcopal School shares their light and creates a classroom community that burns brightly as classroom communities are formed.

Our classroom communities ceremoniously define the light that they brought together as individuals and as classrooms and symbolically create a gift that represents the light they have created to be passed on in our Passing of the Light Ceremony.

Unlike a typical graduation, the students reflect upon their year together and each contribute to creating a gift that represents the time together in the classroom.

It is a beautiful end to the year!

Fast Facts:

- It is considered a school day so ALL students should be there.

- Passing of the Light will be held in the GES cafeteria beginning at 9:00 am. Students will gather in their classroom by 8:15 am.

- Students dress up for the occasion. (Think Sunday best)

- Students sit with their class.

- A reception will follow (also in the cafeteria).

- The day is over around 11:30 as we say goodbye to another great year!

I hope to see everyone this Thursday.
Mrs. J

Field Trip

Isn't this picture gorgeous? The Galaxy class created this masterpiece with the help of Jennifer Orr. It was auctioned off last Saturday night and our own Mrs. Troyer was the highest bidder so it gets to stay in the "family".

We have lots happening this week.

• Monday - Wednesday: Standardized testing. The students need to be rested, fed, and on time each day. Snacks will be provided but students are welcome to bring their own.
• Tuesday afternoon: Sacagawea will be visiting the school.
• Friday - Sunday: Field Trip!

All students must be at the school by 5:30 am Friday morning. Please follow the packing list. I've looked ahead at the weather and it's going to be hot. Make sure to pack sunscreen and a hat. Summer clothing is encouraged but everyone needs to be dressed appropriately, as representatives of GES.

I'm excited for our trip. It's going to be fabulous.

Mrs. J

Testing Begins

This week the Galaxy will be learning more about renewable energy, the 1930s, and writing short stories. We will be busy! Standardized testing begins this Friday (8th graders) and will continue through next Wednesday (whole class). Make sure that your child gets to school on time, rested, and fueled up with a good breakfast.

Important dates:
1. Friday, May 17 - Sunday, May 19. Williamsburg, Jamestown, and Busch Gardens. I've included the agenda and packing list. FUN!
2. Thursday, May 23 9:00 am - GES Variety Show. Please come join us and be amazed at all the talent.
3. Friday, May 24 - GES Field Day and picnic. This is a family affair so plan to come. Students may leave with their parents after the picnic and all students may be picked up at 1:00. Our class is providing side dishes and salads. Text me about what you will provide.
4. Thursday, May 30 - Passing of the Light (more information to come)

Mrs. J

May!

We are now officially counting down the days until this fabulous year is all wrapped up. Please pay attention to the calendar so that you don't miss out on anything. The only change is that the golf tournament has been cancelled.



I have just a couple of events to add that are specific to the Galaxy.

• Tuesday, April 30 will be the first meeting of the Gentlemen's Club. Be on the look out for an email from Tara Wooton.
• Friday, May 3 we will visit the Beckley landfill. This field trip will serve as part of our Ecology study as we learn the importance of proper waste management. Lunch will be provided. Thank you, John Wooton.

I hope that everyone is rested and ready to cross the finish line as a winner! I know that I am.

Mrs. J

Happy Spring Break!🌹

As I relax, regroup, and reorganize for this last month of school, I want to share some thoughts. My own child's academic life will soon be changing drastically as will yours. I've experienced public school, private school, and homeschooling my children as well as others. I have some suggestions that I hope you will take to heart.

Take advantage of being involved with your child's academics now while it is easy to do so. They are young and need guidance from all of us. It will be harder to do this in public school because the teachers will not be able to take a personal interest in every child and every family. It is a well documented fact that parent involvement is one of the key factors of a child's success in school as well as in life.

What do I mean?
1. Brainstorm with your student about ideas for their short story. We've read many in class. Help him/her recall the story lines in some of these.

2. Read over the Lord of the Flies or Fahrenheit 451 discussion questions and discuss. Better yet, read the book together. Look up and define unknown words.

3. Have him/her tell you about renewable resources and help find sources for their upcoming energy project.

4. If you are fairly solid in English grammar, have your student find a sentence and let him tell you about it. (Parts of speech, independent and dependent clauses, prepositional phrases, etc.) This will help with standardized testing.

5. Spend some time on Google classroom and help your student stay organized in order to complete assignments on time and to the best of his/her ability.

During this last month of school, I'm expecting students to use all their acquired skills and knowledge in their work - from writings and projects to classroom/field trip behavior. I'm looking forward to a strong finish of the 2018-2019 school year.

Mrs. J

Almost there...

We're almost there... but not quite. The need for Spring Break is real but we have three little days until that time comes around. These "little" days are actually big days, chock full of learning experiences, so please encourage your child to stay positive and focused.

This week we'll be learning about fossil fuels and renewable energy - important stuff - and we'll be reading about the hows and whys of American expansion into the Pacific Islands. This evening I posted two longish assignments. 1. The students will write their own short story. 2. They are reading either Fahrenheit 451 or Lord of the Flies and preparing for two Socratic discussions. These assignments are on Google Classroom in the ELA thread.

I'm looking forward to the goal conferences this week. It's been an honor to mentor your children and I'm anxious to share my thoughts with you as well as listen to yours.

The students embraced our latest project. They each chose an inventor from the Industrial Revolution Era to research. Some wrote three paragraphs about their inventor while others wrote a five paragraph essay. Along with the writings, they collected items about their person and displayed these in a shoebox. Here are their final products.

Cyrus McCormick 

Elias Howe/Isaac Singer 

Alexander Graham Bell 

Thomas Edison 

Nikola Tesla

Charles Goodyear

Richard Gatling

George Eastman

Eli Whitney

George Westinghouse

All Smiles

Our Galaxy students shined at the Regional Social Studies Fair on Saturday. They all were outstanding and at the end of the day two of them received 1st place medals. Aiden and Maxine will be continuing on to represent GES and Greenbrier County in the WV State Social Studies Fair which will be held on April 26. Congratulations to Ian B., Indigo, Mary, Julia, and Casey for all placing 3rd in their categories.

Spring break is right around the corner - April 22-April 26. Parent/student conferences are scheduled for April 18 - 19. Please schedule with Tanya and remember that there is no school on those days.

Reminders:

• Keep sending money with your student for GrabNGo and check with Tanya about providing the goodies for one of the remaining weeks.
• May 4 is the Annual Auction. Please plan to come. Contribute $25 to pay for the Galaxy Auction Basket.
• Our end-of-the-year field trip is May 17-19.

Encourage your student to end the year strong. We still have some learning to do along with all the activities that come at this time. It's been a great year!

Mrs. J

Love the smiles!

1st Place!

They had a blast!

The whole crew.