Hello,
First of all, I want to say what a fabulous time I've had with your children this year and I look forward to seeing them again next year. They are amazing students and clearly love computers as seen each week in the Mouse Pad.
A final school year note on typing: On June 10, I will promote all student's level according to their grade level regardless if they have not yet completed their current year level. If they have already been promoted, then they will stay as they are until they finish that level. If students are not returning next year, I will disable their accounts on June 10. If students will return, all accounts will remain active so you can get some practice in during the summer, if you wish.
Kindergartners wrapped up the school year with MS Paint program. They delved into all the tools to create artwork with their wonderful imagination. They have also started practicing with our school-wide typing program. If you have not done so, please take the time to download this program so that your child can continue practicing at home. Instructions can be found on your homeroom teacher's website. If you need their login and password just in case they forgot, please email me.
First Graders learned about Kidspiration. This software precedes Inspiration. This is a great software that lets them organize their thoughts in a graphical representation. Students created a web all about themselves, their likes and their dislikes. It was amazing to see how many students had the same love for pizza!
Second Graders had a brief introduction on the Office tools such as Word, Excel and PowerPoint. They made colorful banners using wordart. They loved jumping around in the cells of Excel changing background colors within the cells. They enjoyed creating a slideshow with PowerPoint using the transitions and animations and especially inserting clipart!
Third Graders delved into a simulation on a safari. They took the role of a park ranger and developed a successful safari creating the safari itself, a campground and hiring their own villagers to run the campground. Five stars was the goal and if obtained, they created that successful business. This simulation is great as it teaches science and math at the same time as well as keen business sense. They loved it. Ask your child about it if you hadn't heard about it already.
Fourth Graders got to do a bit of Logo programming. They got an introduction of using real code such as repeat, set, to and various other commands and created beautiful geometric designs. Some even edited their turtle logo! They learned how to define a procedure and call that procedure in their code. We have some creative programmers in the Fourth Grade!
Fifth Graders extended their knowledge of their Physics Unit by using Crazy Machines in the lab. This software contains over 100 brain teasers involving turning the crank, rotating gears, gravitation and pushing levers. These brain teasers lighted up their imagination with creative and addictive fun!
Again is was a delight seeing your student each week this school year. If you have any questions, please feel free to email me. Have a wonderful summer!
Rasha Sachdeva
