Day 158 - Cub Cadet Idol - Lisa Bottiglio - Burlington Early Childhood Center

This post first appeared on the Cub Cadets' Blog

In our dramatic play area this week, we have been playing instruments and playing instruments to roleplay our version of "American Idol".

This is Cub Cadet Idol!

As we sang some familiar songs, we tried to sing along and play instruments to reinforce how we use our sense of hearing. After we sang the judges, told us what they liked about our song. This was a noisy but very fun addition to choice time. 

Day 157 - BHS’s Forensic Science Students Recreate Crime Scenes - Mrs. Graham - BHS Teacher Librarian

This post first appeared on the BPS EdTech Blog

BHS’s Forensic Science course taught by Science Teacher Julia Carey examines “the history and the development of forensic science, as well the organization and services of the crime laboratory….Through the examination of physical and trace evidence left behind at a crime scene, the students…think critically, analyze collected data, and solve the crime” (BHS Program of Studies).

As a final project, students developed “Recreation​ ​of​ ​a Crime​ ​Scene” models, which the library has been fortunate to showcase. The assignment allowed students to scrutinize the details “as only a Forensic Scientist would do…[and] learn how…forensic investigations lead to the arrest of a suspect of the crime,” Carey said.

Included with each model is a “Crime Log,” crafted by students following thoughtful research. The log contains the crime scene map, the story of the crime and how it was solved using Forensic Science, the Evidence Log, photos of the crime scene, and answers about the various types of murder. Each scene contains meticulously detailed elements of the crime from fingerprints to murder weapons to blood spatter.

“The crime scene marks show you how it [the investigation] is done, and what it actually looks like,” Rizkhan Muhwezi said of his model.

Overall, the scenes enabled students to review the concepts they had covered throughout the course, including fingerprinting, types of injuries leading to death, crime scene mapping, photography, etc.

“It was cool taking what we learned from the class about evidence and applying it,” Erin Mackey said.

Gina Anastasiades echoed Mackey’s commenting, insisting, “it was fun to do something hands-on and creative to show what we learned.”

Day 156 - A Fox Hill First Grader Explains Folders in Seesaw - Ms. Scheffer - BPS EdTech Team

This post first appeared on the BPS EdTech Blog

This past week, first-grade teacher Nicole Ray reached out to me looking for a way to have her students create a digital reading log for her ELA class. She explained that she wanted students to take pictures of the books they read during independent reading time and put them in an organized place. She then wanted a way to quickly and easily check in on their reading logs. After listening to what she wanted to accomplish, I instantly recommended Seesaw and specifically Seesaw’s folder feature. She agreed to give Seesaw folders a try and determine whether or not it would meet her needs.

To create a folder in Seesaw, Mrs. Ray went to her class settings located in the upper right corner of her ELA class (the little wrench icon). From there, she scrolled down to “Folders” and clicked on “Manage Folders.” She then clicked “Create New Folder.” She named the folder “Reading Log” and kept the default color red. This process took about thirty seconds!

After creating the Reading Log folder in her ELA class, I visited Mrs. Ray class and walked her students the simple process of:

1. Selecting their ELA class in Seesaw

2. Taking a photo of the cover of their book

3. Selecting the Reading Log folder

4. Uploading the photo to their journals.

Students verified they uploaded the photos to the correct place by seeing a red Reading Log folder label at the bottom of their post. After students were shown these steps, they began practicing independently and after a few tries, all students were successful at independently uploading their photos to the Reading Log folder. I asked if any students wanted to demonstrate the process they had just learned on YouTube and the BPS Edtech blog. I had many students “audition” to showcase their technical knowledge and skills, and I am so proud of each and every one of them. They are definitely Seesaw superstars!

Mrs. Ray, Mrs. Carew, and the Seesaw Superstar first graders of Room 26

Below is a video of first-grader Raphael explaining how to take a photo and upload it to his Reading Log folder. Mrs. Ray is definitely interested in trying this with her new first-grade class at the start of the 2018-2019 school year. She likes that she can look at each student’s folder individually and see, at a glance, and on a specific date, everything they have uploaded. Over time, Mrs. Ray may have students add additional folders, audio recordings to their journal items, videos, and more. She also liked that she was able to turn off approving posts before uploading so she could view student work as quickly as possible.

During our meeting, while students were independently practicing their skills, I had the opportunity to show Seesaw’s Activity feature to Mrs. Ray. She seemed impressed by all she could do with activities, and I think this might be another feature in Seesaw she will explore in more detail for the 2018-2019 school year. It’s wonderful to work with teachers on integrating technology into their curriculum, especially as we approach the end of the school year, and when it’s technology that meets the needs of teachers and students. I’d like to thank Mrs. Ray for trying my Seesaw suggestion. It was a rewarding experience to see students develop a new skill that they will use throughout their time as students at Fox Hill!

Day 155 - Mindfulness in May - Pine Glen Counseling Blog

This post first appeared on the Pine Glen Counseling Blog

For the month of May, counseling lessons are focusing on learning the concept of mindfulness. This comes right in time as our 3rd-5th graders are taking their second session of MCAS. Students have been encouraged to use the concepts of having a mindful body and doing deep breathing to help them throughout challenging moments in or outside of school.

Students started the lesson by watching this great video on the benefits of breathing:




We then learned and practiced the following concepts:

1. Having a mindful body (sitting cross legged or in a chair, arms loose by your sides, feet rooted to the ground, eyes closed or looking down, voices off)
2. Doing mindful breathing (in through the nose, out through the mouth) "Smell the flowers, blow out the candle"
3. Practicing mindful listening (using the sound bowl to signal our brains and ears to focus on the noises around us)

Once we had all three exercises down, I had students either lie down on the rug or listen to a mindfulness script:

Students really enjoyed learning the concept and many felt calm and well rested after the mindfulness script. Mission accomplished!

Day 154 - IDEAS Conference Students Make Positive Change Through Humans of BHS

This post first appeared on Ms. Chang's Blog 



In December a group of nine students attended the IDEAS Conference.

Initiatives for Developing Equity and Achievement for Students (IDEAS), a program of EDCO, facilitated a Student Leadership Conference for  11th, and 12th-grade students from member high schools. The purpose of the conference was to engage students from a range of racial and ethnic backgrounds in conversations on issues of racism, intolerance, discrimination, and allied behavior.



GOALS OF CONFERENCE:
To provide students with the opportunity to learn from each other and build community within and across racial/ethnic groups

To recognize different forms of discrimination and racism in our schools and society

To recognize and challenge stereotypes

To explore and understand the many aspects of identity

To provide the opportunity for students to have affinity group conversations

To recognize the importance of advocacy and being an ally for others

To be able to inform districts about how students from different racial/ethnic groups perceive their school experience



The following students participated in the conference: 

Nimisha Thakkar, Jason Wu, Riya Kamani, Akhila John, Colin Nguyen, Arya Nagraj, Stavan Shah, Luis Villalta and Aida Gachago

After participating in the conference the students were challenged to head back to their school to make change!

The Students worked with the previously created Humans of BHS club to continue and build upon their mission of supporting diversity in their school.

The students in Humans of BHS worked on the following collaborative projects this year:

1. Humans of BHS Foreign Language Mission Statement
Students are going to recite the BHS Mission Statement in a wide variety of foreign languages at the beginning of the school day.

2. Interfaith Panel Diversity Stories
​Students recorded themselves expressing different encounters they have had, good/bad, regarding their religion/belief system. This will become part of Interfaith Panel for the BPS educators Professional Development.

3. Weekly Peer Interviews 
Students interview students/faculty about any encounters, questions, opinions, or experiences they have had

4.Instagram: humansofburlma - Students created an Instagram account to showcase the diversity at BHS

Day 153 - Stream Table Demo-Mr. Daley-Fox Hill Grade 4

This post first appeared on Mr. Daley's Blog

Yesterday, Mr. Musselman, from the Burlington Science Center, visited Fox Hill 4th graders to lead a "stream table demonstration" as part of our "Earth's Changing Surface" science unit. During the hour-long hands-on activity, students recreated models of river systems in tabletop experiments. The demonstration advanced students’ understanding of how rivers shape the Earth’s surface, while explicitly providing kids with opportunities to develop their scientific practices such as observation, modeling, and experimentation. Students gained knowledge that the angle and amount of water flow affect the shape of a river and observed the surface features that resulted. Following are some photos of our Room 20 scientists "in action" at the stream table activity. Enjoy!

Day 152 - Student Reflections from this year’s BHS Italian Exchange Program

This post first appeared on the BHS World Languages Blog

Neil’s reflection:

I rarely say that an experience has changed my life. Often, experiences broaden my perspective, expand my comfort zone, or expose me to novel ideas and people. Rarely, though, does an experience do all of these things; this exchange program did.

I would like to begin by acknowledging the family I made through this exchange program. Chicco (Federico), my exchange student, was a stranger when I first messaged him, but after living together for more than 20 days, we became brothers. We became extremely close and I can undoubtedly say I love him like a brother. Similarly, after living with his family for ten days I was ready to call them my family. I found sisters and brothers and best friends in all of the other exchange students, and in the Italian friends I made who were not participating in the exchange too, and I will continue to miss them and keep in touch with them.

It was not just the Italians I grew close with, though. I found myself closer than ever to my American companions, bonding with students who I never thought I would be close with. I feel it is also important to highlight the beauty of both the culture and the physical landscape of Italy. The mountains, sunsets, rivers, and even the simple scent of the country was breathtaking, and I know that I will return soon.

As I reflect on this experience I find myself coming to two conclusions:

1) I have made life long friends and family through this exchange and

2) I love Italy.

Sarah’s reflection:

The Italian exchange program was the best experience of my life. I made so many new friends from both America and Italy. I spent time with people from BHS who I normally do not and met many amazing people from the school in Cles. We have all become such good friends and it seem as though we are one big family. Although it was hard to say goodbye at the end of the Italians’ stay here in America, I now have people I can talk to from across the world. I hope to see them again someday because they are some of the best people I have ever met.

I have dreamed of going to Italy since I was a little kid so I am very glad that I finally got to go. Getting the opportunity to go to with my classmates was such a positive experience. I got to experience everything in Italy with my friends, which was a lot of fun. The places that I enjoyed the most were Venice and Verona. Getting to ride in a gondola was my favorite part of Venice. Going in the shops and seeing the center of the city was also a lot of fun. My favorite part of Verona was climbing up the stairs and getting view of the whole city. I also enjoyed going in the stores and seeing Juliet’s balcony. Going to Italy tied everything together that I have been learning since seventh grade. I got to try to have conversations with people in Italian and experience the Italian culture. Italy was such a beautiful country and I hope to go back someday. When the Italian exchange students came to America, it was so much fun to host my student. We got along so well and became such good friends. I really hope that I will be able to see her again someday because she is such an amazing person. Getting to be around all of the other exchange students was also very fun. They are all such kind and funny people. It was cool to be able to show them around America since they have never been and were so excited to see everything. The Italian Exchange Program is something that I will never forget. I am so lucky that I had this opportunity and was able to be apart of it. It is a once in a lifetime experience that I would not trade for anything. Everyone who gets the opportunity to be apart of this program should take it.

Sanjana’s reflection:

Taking part in the Italian Exchange was the best decision I could have made. The experience that I had both in Italy and at home were unforgettable. At first, I was scared to go live with a new family in a different country, but after the first day there I did not want to leave. I really enjoyed learning about the daily life of an Italian student. Since I lived in Madrid, I knew what to expect during the school day and how the students stay in one class all day, but being in their classes after attending school in the U.S. was really different. I liked that they could build really close friendships since they are with the same people in every class, but I do not like how they do not really have the opportunity to meet new people in different classes like we do. My favorite part of being in Italy was the food. My Italian’s name is Angelica, and her mom made the best tiramisu. Although it was a bit awkward meeting this new group of people at first, through my time in Italy I developed amazing friendships with the Italians.

I would definitely recommend the Italian Exchange to other students. Not only was it a lot of fun, but my Italian speaking skills also greatly improved. I feel like going to the country, and being almost forced to speak the language is the best way to learn it. The Italians coming here was just more of an opportunity to get closer to them. Angelica is now like a sister to me. Some of my best memories from senior year have been times with the Italians. In Italy, they took us to Venice, Verona, Trento, Cles, and Bolzano, and we took them to Boston, New York, and Plymouth Plantation. Visiting those places in Italy, and taking them to places in the US was a lot of fun. Anyone who has the opportunity to take part in the exchange, definitely should.

Nicole’s reflection:

Traveling to Italy this past September was my first time leaving the United States. I remember being nervous and excited all at once to be able to finally experience the culture I had been learning about for so many years. It was nerve-racking to be living with a family I had never met before, but it ended up being the best way to fully experience Italian culture. Not only did I get to eat home cooked Italian food from scratch three times a day, but going to school with my exchange student Giulia and hanging out with her friends in her small mountain village was a lot of fun. It was fascinating to see how similar our lives and mannerisms were, even though we lived separate lives on the other side of the world. We did the same things with our friends, and learned similar things in school. I also found it funny that we had watched the same shows on Netflix!

What I was most excited about during my time in Italy was traveling to different cities on our field trips. I was most excited to see Venice and Verona. Venice was as beautiful as I always imagined it to be, and I even got to ride on a gondola. However, after visiting Verona I decided I liked it much better than Venice, as it was the epitome of what an ancient, romantic Italian city should be. I also liked how it was less crowded than Venice.

After leaving Italy I anxiously anticipated the arrival of our Italian friends in America. I was very excited to show Giulia around Burlington and show her what a typical day looked like for me, as it was significantly different than hers. As she had just been in America this past July, she had already been to Boston and New York City, but seemed excited to experience America once again. I took her out with my friends, out to dinner, to get ice cream, to the Burlington Mall, to the beach, and even a Red Sox game. Her favorite day was when my family took her to the beach on Plum Island in Newburyport, MA, as she had never seen the ocean before. She explained to me that in Italy they only have seas, so she was fascinated by our vast beaches and how cold our ocean water is! It was fun to be able to see these cities and towns through her eyes, as for us it is not that special but for them it is a whole new world.

Overall, I had a wonderful time on this exchange and would not trade my experiences for the world. I discovered that staying with a host family is the best way to experience a different culture and country, since you are doing it with people who live that way each day. I enjoyed these experiences more than doing the touristy aspects of the trip because I got to experience real life. I also think it helped me gain a greater appreciation for the language and culture as a whole. I would recommend this experience to everyone, as this is not something you can do anytime. While you may be able to travel abroad, you may not have the opportunity to live with someone and really see what the culture is all about.