A group of students got together to demonstrate what to do and what NOT to do for our Upper School Semi-Formal. Enjoy!
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Students Make a Clever Video Showing Proper Date Etiquette for Semi-Formal
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1-29-16
“I have learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
-Maya Angelou
Upcoming Days in Rotation
Monday, February 1st – Day 1
Tuesday, February 2nd – Day 2
Wednesday, February 3rd – Day 3
Thursday, February 4th – Day 4
Friday, February 5th – Day 5
Reminders
- The Porter Gaud blood drive is on Friday, February 5th in the Wendell Center from 8:00 am to 2:00 pm. Parents may email Gretchen Tate (gtate@portergud.edu) to schedule a time to give blood on February 5th.
- We will hold our annual Scholastic Book Fair on Wednesday, February 3rd, 4th, and 5th. Informational letters and advertising flyers went home this week in student's book bags. Please feel free to come and shop anytime between 8:00am to 4:00pm, or with your child during their class time or after school. If you'd like to check the schedule or shop online, please go to http://bookfairs.scholastic.com/homepage/portergaud. To volunteer to work a shift during the Book Fair, please go to http://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080b45a5af29a20-2016 or contact Mrs. Easter at seaster@portergaud.edu. Thank you for supporting our community of readers!
2nd and 3rd Graders Learn About Sportsmanship
This week, second and third graders were treated to a special lesson on the subject of sportsmanship from Upper School athletes, Maggie Cochrane and Allen Walters. The important message take aways were: 1) there is no "I" in team and 2) it is more important to enjoy the game with your friends as teammates than to win!
Frog and Toad
First and second graders enjoyed a trip downtown to the Dock Street Theater to see Frog and Toad.
3rd Grade Science Presentations
Third graders gave terrific presentations in Science class of food chain vocabulary words. Well done!
Fun Fraction Friday
Fifth grade math classes participated in Fun Fraction Friday to kick off the next unit of study in math. The boys and girls were asked to wear their favorite color t-shirts to class and were grouped by blues, greens, yellows, oranges, and reds. Students discussed that fractions show parts of a whole and then students moved around the classroom to make different combinations. They then discussed how fractional parts related to those "whole" groups. The math skills incorporated in the lesson were: understanding of fractions, finding simplest form, greatest common factors and least common denominators, and understanding the relationship among fractions, decimals, and percents. For the most PART, this WHOLE FRIDAY had an element of FUN with FRACTIONS! Please take a moment and ask your fifth grader to change a fraction to a decimal, or better yet, a fraction to a percent!
Division Party
Mrs. Harrison’s third grade class enjoyed a Division Party this week. Bags of treats (i.e. goldfish, gummy bears, pretzels) were given to the students. Everyone enjoyed counting the total number of treats in their bags, dividing by ten, and finding the remainder. The remainders were gobbled up quickly after the math was done!
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Vestry Prefects Attend National 2016 Mere Anglicanism Conference
Vestry prefects Hunt Cramer, Carson Marr, Ann Claire Gaillard, and Gettys Moore attended the national 2016 Mere Anglicanism conference this weekend in Charleston with more than 900 registrants from around the world.
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Cyclone Student-Athlete of the Week: Michael Barry '16
Senior Varsity Basketball point guard Michael Barry '16 has been named Cyclone Student-Athlete of the week for his leadership during the past week's critical home stand that resulted in victories over Bishop England, Pinewood, and Northwood by an average of over 30 points per game.
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Monday, February 1st
A Week
Honesty Virtue
Quote of the Day!
No legacy is so rich as honesty.
William Shakespeare
Community: Morning Meeting
Clubs / Events:
- Detention will be held Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday between 3:25 pm - 4:05 pm in room BG512 in the Fine Arts Bldg. with Mrs. Gleaton
- Help support the 7th grade science projects by purchasing a reusable shopping bag (large, canvas, $15), T-shirts which can be worn on Friday (long or short sleeved, $20), or stickers ($2, $3) all of which have been designed by our students and from which proceeds go to various environmental charities.
- The Poetry, Short Fiction, and Essay Contest is accepting submissions. Please send your entries to Mrs. Smith at asmith@portergaud.edu.
Students are limited to 2 entries; the deadline is TODAY!!! Monday, February 1. If you have any questions, please talk to Mrs. Smith or to your English teacher.
Athletics:
Monday, February 1st
· Girls JV Basketball at Baptist Hill 4pm (early dismissal 2pm)
· Boys JV Basketball at Baptist Hill 5pm
· Girls Varsity Basketball at Baptist Hill 6:15pm
· Boys Varsity Basketball at Baptist Hill 7:30pm
· MS Girls Basketball 6th - Engelhardt HOME vs. Moultrie 5:30pm
· MS Girls Basketball 7th - Frye HOME vs. Laing 5:30pm
· MS Boys Basketball 8th - James HOME vs. Mason 7:30pm
· MS Boys Basketball 7th - Reese HOME vs. Mason 7:30pm
Wednesday, February 3rd
· Girls JV Basketball at Wilson Hall 4pm (early dismissal 12:30pm)
· Boys JV Basketball at Wilson Hall 5pm (early dismissal 1:30pm)
· Girls Varsity Basketball at Wilson Hall 6:15pm (early dismissal 12:30pm)
· Boys Varsity Basketball at Wilson Hall 7:30pm (early dismissal 1:30pm)
· MS Boys Basketball 6th - Naumoff HOME vs. DI 6:30pm
· MS Girls Basketball 6th - Engelhardt HOME vs. Orange Grove 6:30pm
· MS Boys Basketball 8th - James HOME vs. LC Leadership 7:30pm
Friday, February 5th
· Girls JV Basketball at 1st Baptist 4pm (early dismissal 3pm)
· Boys JV Basketball at 1st Baptist 5pm
· Girls Varsity Basketball at 1st Baptist 6:15pm
· Boys Varsity Basketball at 1st Baptist 7:30pm
· MS Boys Basketball 7th - Reese at Nativity 7pm
· Club Hockey at Irmo vs. Greenville 9pm
Thank you for your constant support! GO CYCLONES!
Wednesday, January 27th
Varsity Boys Tennis Meeting / Impact Testing - Health Classroom 3:30pm
Friday, January 29th
Thursday, January 21st
· Varsity Bowling SCISA State Match at Sumter 5:30pm (early dismissal 2:45pm)Monday, January 25th
· MS Girls Basketball 7th - Frye at Ft. Johnson Middle 7pm
· Spring Sports Begin - Varsity Baseball, Varsity Soccers, Track, Lacrosse
Wednesday, January 27th
· MS Boys Basketball 6th - Naumoff at Hanahan Rec 6pm
Thursday, January 28th
· Girls JV Basketball at Ashley Hall 5pm
· Girls Varsity Basketball at Ashley Hall 6:15pm
MS Boys Basketball 7th - Reese Scrimmage HOME 5:30pm
Thank you for your constant support! GO CYCLONES!
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2-5-16
Upcoming Days in Rotation
Monday, February 8th – Day 6
Tuesday, February 9th – Day 7
Wednesday, February 10th – Day 1
Thursday, February 11th – Day 2
Friday, February 12th – Day 3
Reminders
- Save the date for our annual Gently Used Book Sale on March 17th and 18th. We ask families to donate books the first two weeks of March (any book is accepted). All books will be sold for $0.50 and the money raised will be donated to Pet Helpers and remaining books will be donated to HALOS and Reading Partners.
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The "live" book fair is closed as of 4pm on Friday but the Online Book Fair is still active until February 17. Please visit http://bookfairs.scholastic.
com/homepage/portergaud
The Road to Revolution
Fourth graders are busy studying the events leading up to the American Revolution. Students in Mrs. Baran's homeroom reenacted history as Loyalists arguing to stay under British rule and as Patriots arguing for independence.
Celebrating Black History Month in Chapel
Mrs. Rounds shared a wonderful gift with us this week in Chapel. She taught us the song, “People Get Ready” by Curtis Mayfield, which was written the year after the March on Washington. Mrs. Rounds’s voice was beautiful as she led us in this moving song about faith and inclusion.
Honesty
Brian Burke, former professional tennis player and husband of our very own Terra Burke (3rd grade reading and math teacher), introduced the virtue of honesty to our students this week. He made great connections with our students about the value of honesty and what it means to be an honest person.
Grammar Lesson or Dance Lesson?
Second graders in Mrs. Dixon’s class learned about contractions and showed off their moves at the same time! Mrs. Dixon calls it the “Dance Party Contraction Scoot”. Students dance when they finish a question and when the music stops, they "scoot" to the next one, answer it and dance some more. Tons of fun!
Book Fair Fun
The Book Fair has been the highlight of our week. It has been wonderful to see so many children excited about books!
Can You Hear Me Now?
Fifth graders have been studying the variables that affect the pitch and volume of a sound. As a culminating challenge, they were presented with various materials and asked to design a communication system that effectively transmitted a message at least 6 meters. Finally, wrote the procedures so that another group could use their communication system!
Ancient China
Fifth graders completed a unit of study on ancient China. Their learning culminated with a “museum walk” through their projects on topics such as the Great Wall, and ancient Chinese dragons.
The 100th Day of School
First grade was taken over by 100 year olds on Monday! All first graders came to school dressed as 100 year olds to celebrate our 100th day of school. Wow! What a transformation!
Students in second grade celebrated the 100th day of school by creating a 100 year old portrait and wrote about what their life would be like as a 100 year old person.
Graphing
Second graders have been learning about different types of graphs. Students surveyed each other to create graphs.
Virtue Celebration
We celebrated our monthly virtue of respect with a beautiful Valentine themed luncheon for first through third graders who received virtue vouchers over the past few weeks. Our fourth and fifth graders enjoyed an assembly to celebrate their virtuous behaviors.
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MS Math Team Wins 2016 MATHCOUNTS Charleston Competition
The Middle School Math Team won the 2016 Charleston Chapter MATHCOUNTS Competition held Friday at the Citadel. More than 150 students took part in the event, representing more than 15 schools, both public and private, in Charleston, Dorchester, and Berkeley Counties.
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The Porter-Gaud Delegation at Model UN was Fantastic!
The Porter-Gaud Model United Nations program had a successful conference at Georgia Southern University the past three days.
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February 8, 2016
Dear Parents,
Several years ago, a group of Porter-Gaud teachers and staff attended the National Forum on Character Education. At this forum, schools from around the country presented the work they did each and every day to cultivate character in their schools. Out of this came a push to bring character more intentionally into our curriculum, student programming, and every day life here at Porter-Gaud. You see this emphasis in several areas of our Middle School, including the Life 101 curriculum, our Advisory program, Bicycles for Humanity, a thriving Vestry program, and WATCH points.
I am proud to report that last week, Porter-Gaud's Middle School was named a 2016 State School of Character. We are the first school in South Carolina to earn this designation. Our Middle School is currently under review to be considered as a National School of Character. You may read more about the designation and process at www.character.org. We submitted lesson plans, survey results, and several "artifacts" in order to demonstrate our school practices the eleven principles identified as essential for true character education.
The designation doesn't suggest we do things perfectly all the time, but it does highlight that we care about who your children are and care about helping them find their path through their middle school years. When our kids are at their best, we're able to celebrate, like the 7th grade will do on Tuesday for their second quarter WATCH points victory, or when students are gathered together for our GENOSPEER receptions. Although there are occasions in which we're not at our best, those are opportunities for us to sometimes teach the greatest lessons of character, at a time in a young person's life that it's safe and likely the most crucial to do so. I am always grateful to be partners with parents in this process each and every day!
You'll be receiving emails with information for our upcoming grade level trips. Please review the information and contact Coach Tate with any questions you may have. We're particularly excited to introduce an Outward Bound trip for our eighth grade students this year. I know it will be a true adventure for our 8th graders, and given our emphasis on cultivating character, I can't think of a better way to close out their Middle School experience. Coach Tate and I are looking forward to packing our camping supplies and joining the students for this trip!
SAVE THE DATE for an upcoming presentation by Mr. Joe Ryan, from the S.C. Attorney General's office. Mr. Ryan's topic is "Responsible Use of Technology, Internet Safety and Digital Citizenship" on Thursday, April 7, 2016, from 8:15am to 9:15am in Richardson Hall. Mr. Ryan spoke to our students last spring and had valuable insights to share with the students in managing technology appropriately. As parents, it's information we all benefit from hearing as well, especially since as soon as we seem to figure out technology, something new has taken hold!
As a final note, thank you to the many parents who stopped to offer me an umbrella during carpool last week! This has been a year of downpours perfectly timed with our 3:15 dismissal! I appreciate your kindness!
MATHCOUNTS Victory!
Congratulations to the Porter-Gaud Middle School Math Team and their coach, Mr. Lynch, who won the 2016 Charleston Chapter MATHCOUNTS Competition held Friday at Mark Clark Hall located on the campus of the Citadel. More than 150 students took part in the event, representing more than 15 schools, both public and private, in Charleston, Dorchester, and Berkeley Counties. Each middle school was allowed to enter one team of 4 participants, as well as 6 other students who were allowed to compete individually. Porter-Gaud team members included Thomas Allen, Wilkes Cramer, Brendan Kelleher and Louis Werber. Also competing individually were Conolly Burgess, Kevin Fan, Luke Flynn, Channing Joye, Burke Thompson and Christian Weichsel. Porter-Gaud also took the top 2 spots in the individual competition - Thomas Allen earned 1st place recognition and Louis Werber brought home 2nd place individual honors from among all participants.
Seventh Grade Project Based-Learning: Science
A few years ago, our Middle School put a focus on Project-Based Learning in the seventh grade across the disciplines. The projects have now become a highlight in each subject's curriculum, with students learning how their content has real-world applications. This year's 7th Grade Science Project-Based Learning initiative raised awareness about the impact of the use of plastics.
Here are Mr. Fricker's thoughts on the project:
"7th grade does a series of PBL assignments in each of the major courses, and science was first up. It was a particularly good time for the science project in November and December because our unit looked at climate and weather, which can be intricately linked. Part of the climate discussion was about normal earthly cycles and the comparison to what has been scientifically supported by organizations and governmental agencies all over the world to be occurring as a result of mankind's influence. Students were able to investigate how weather, pollutants, normal cycles, and everyday choices are interrelated.
Two major values of this particular PBL jump out: group work/organization and a greater awareness of impacts that people can have on the planet. The first is a difficult thing for some; to be able to plan, interpret, strategize, and implement their final product in a creative manner alongside other group members really takes some dedication and assertiveness. The second aspect is critical to me as an educator. I present a good amount of lessons where information and concepts are shared/learned but at the end, a basic compassionfor the Earth is important for me to get across. This project really enabled some students to internalize the role that they can play (now and in the future) and hopefully raised awareness for a few of the issues affecting the
globe.
What I like about PBL the most are the possibilities. The various routes the groups elect to take; the different ways in which they reach a larger audience (not just the 16 of us in a classroom); the decision making process that permits them to think beyond the typical confines of a test or similar assessment. I like the freedom it allows both them and me and the WOW factor that can occur when you see their final art piece, website, fund-raising campaign, or full-color brochure, for example."
ESFJ!
In Life 101 this week, 8th grade students participated in Myers-Briggs Personality testing. The students talked through how to best support one another based on whether they are extroverts or introverts. Students then found out which students have the same personality types and learned who on the faculty is the same, too! Gracie Brown, Lucy Hydrick, and Mrs. Eliza Chandler have the same personality type - ESFJ. Lucy and Gracie joked that they are all talkative and maybe a bit loud. Mrs. Chandler may have put it best by saying, "Well, collectively, we're full of compassion." Having gotten to know all three of these ladies, I pointed out they are confident in expressing their opinions and are, as Mrs. Chandler put it, "a trifecta of power". Some students shared with me they had their parents and siblings also take the personality test. It's an interesting way to examine how you approach your day to day! Student Contributor: Sophie Levenson - 6th Grade
When I started sixth grade, I knew that I would love history class. I have always been interested in learning about the past, about monarchies and old laws and the weird little facts about our ancestors that not many people know. Like, for instance, Marie Antoinette’s last words were an apology to the executioner for stepping on his foot.This year in American History, we have so far followed Paleo Indians to Thomas Jefferson’s term as the third American president. I have never found a class so interesting. I love all of my classes in sixth grade, but in history I find that I learn something worth remembering every day.
Besides having an excellent teacher, we are assigned homework that is really fun, such as writing out insults at Mr. Jordan, or composing a short story for a competition.
History is a really interesting class, and one of the subjects that I look forward to going to at school every day. PG Middle school overall has great classes, and I am lucky to go to such an amazing school.
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Wednesday, February 10
B Week
Ash Wednesday
During these 40 days, let me put away all my pride.
Let me change my heart and give up all that is not good within me.
Let me love God with all that I am and all that I have."
-- Genesis Grain
Community: Ash Wednesday Chapel Service
Thurs. 2/11- 10th grade College Night
Monday & Tuesday 2/15-2/16- WINTER BREAK! (School Closed!)
Clubs / Events:
- Chicken Biscuits will be on sale Thursday morning from 7:30-7:55. They will be $3 each. If possible, bring in exact change.
- Detention will be held Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday between 3:25 pm - 4:05 pm in room 105 in the S&T
with Mr. Greenwell.
- Students interested in taking Honors English II (rising sophomores), AP Language (rising juniors), and AP Literature (rising seniors) next year need to complete an application by 3:15 on Wednesday, Feb. 10. Applications are available from Dr. Lehman, Room 403. Students will also be required to complete a short multiple-choice diagnostic early next week; time and date will be announced soon.
Service
Senior service leaders will be delivering the roses TODAY!
Delivery will be approximately the first 15 minutes of each block (hopefully that is all we need).
One80Place will be attending our Monday morning meeting on 2/22 to accept the amount raised and talk to our students about some of the great work they are doing to support our homeless population.
College Counseling:
- Sophomores: Don’t forget – the College Extravaganza program
(or Sophomore College Night) is Tomrorrow night, Thursday, February 11th at 7:00 p.m. in the auditorium.
This is a required meeting for all sophomores, and so please make plans to attend.
- Junior Class meeting in the library on Friday during community.
Athletics:
Wednesday, February 10th
· Boys Lacrosse Scrimmage at Wando 6pm
· Girls Varsity Soccer Scrimmage HOME vs. James Island 6pm
Thursday, February 11th
· MS Boys Basketball 7th - Reese HOME vs. James Island Christian 5:30pm
· MS Boys Basketball 8th - James HOME vs. Blessed Sacrament 5:30pm
· MS Girls Basketball 7th - Frye HOME vs. Cape Romain Charter 6:30pm
· MS Boys Basketball 6th - Naumoff HOME vs. Buist 7:30pm
Friday, February 12th
· MS Boys Basketball 7th - Reese Scrimmage at Ft. Johnson Middle
Saturday, February 13th
· Boys Varsity Soccer at Rotary Classic vs. Wando 3pm
Thank you for your constant support! GO CYCLONES!
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February 10, 2016
February Reminders
- Winter Break is Monday, February 15 - Tuesday, February 16
- Athletics: Spring sports are heating up - check the schedule for game times and locations
- PGPG Porterpalooza tickets go on sale on next week! Visit www.porterpalooza.com for event details and sponsorships!
College Counseling with Karen Kimberly
Sophomore College Night is February 11th at 7:00 p.m. in Gwynette Auditorium. We encourage one parent to accompany his/her student to this event. See you there!
PG Delegation at GSU Model UN Conference
The Porter-Gaud Model United Nations program had a successful conference at Georgia Southern University last week. We were first honored that 25% of the Day 1 agenda was set by our delegates when four of the sixteen resolutions that would determine the topics and debate for the General Assembly (GA) were selected from Porter-Gaud submissions. Given that 22 schools participate in the conference and all submit resolutions ahead of time for this selection, it is a testament to our kids' writing skills and preparation to have so many resolutions selected.
Furthermore, two of these four resolutions were approved in the Assembly after rigorous debate and consensus-building by our delegates. Of the sixteen resolutions debated that day, only five were approved, and two of them were drafted by Porter-Gaud. Please congratulate the following students who contributed to writing and defending these resolutions: Michael Psenka, Constantin Koutsagiannikis, Beaumount Dixon, Ali Lovell, and Cade Callen.
At the conference, our delegation performed admirably and energetically, representing Porter-Gaud with aplomb. Three of our six delegations were honored. Michael and Constantin (both rookies) earned an Honorable Mention for their efforts as delegates from Azerbaijan in the GA, and Cameron Ward and Thomas Pritchard, representing Cote d'Ivorie in the GA, also got Honorable Mentions. Such recognition is given to around 20 delegations (of the some 100 nations represented).
Besting last year's achievements were our two most energetic and dynamic delegates this year, representing Turkmenistan in the GA, Alex Dodenhoff and Paul Qualey. They earned Distinguished Delegation awards, which is the second highest honor and awarded to around 10 delegations. They really were excellent, and, as many of you can guess, Alex's rhetorical skills were on full display as he gave his peers reasons to smile-- he was entertaining, yet forceful, and clearly left a lasting impression. Tom Westerman, Christianne Gates and I were very proud of our kids! - Paul Baran, Chair, History Department
Student POV: Vestry members Ann Claire Gaillard and Carson Marr
Our four Vestry prefects attended the 2016 Mere Anglicanism conference in early February with Chaplains Brian McGreevy and Hutson Dodds, along with 900 registrants from around the world. Mere Anglicanism is an event-oriented organization that provides the tools and resources to disciple, train, and educate lay and clergy leaders. The prefects were privileged to serve as acolytes for the Festival Eucharist that concluded the day, where PG's own Johnny Wallace was serving as the lay reader.
The subject of the 2016 Mere Anglicanism conference was The Cross and the Crescent: The Gospel and the Challenge of Islam. We asked prefects Ann Claire Gaillard and Carson Marr to select a word that captured the experience best for them. Below are their reflections:
Ann Claire Gaillard: For me, the word that best describes last weekend would be enlightening. Last weekend, I learned more in one day about the Islam Religion and the relationships between Muslims and Christians in the Middle East. One of the things I found to be the most interesting was the story of a man who grew up Christian with Muslim nature and just his personal experience of how peaceful and fun it was growing up with those people. It was also very interesting for me to hear the history of the religion and how it functions as a whole.
Carson Marr: I believe that my word is excitement. I know that it sounds unbelievable in this day and age. I know that we live a time full of violent crimes, deteriorating morals, and a breakdown of the American family, but I couldn't help but to feel in my heart a spirit of excitement. The world seems to be slipping through our fingers, but the more that we lose control, the more the Lord has room to step in. That's why I'm excited.
Allen Walters '16 Presents Senior Gift
On behalf of the Student Council and its elected leaders of the senior class, it is our pleasure to present our senior gift. The Senior Gift is given to the School for the benefit of the entire student body, faculty, and staff. The senior student council representatives: Cinnie Saunders, Cross Tolliver, Edward Buxton, Cameron Ward, Harris Krogh, and myself, with the help of Kael Martin, would like to introduce the new water fountains to you. They are currently located in the Wendell Center, upstairs S&T, downstairs S&T. These new water fountains offer the ability to easy fill your water bottles. We hope that these will be appreciated and used wisely. Additionally, we want to give a very special thank you to the Facilities Staff for installing the new water fountains. I hope everyone will enjoy these water fountains for years to come! - Allen Walters, Senior Class President
Signing Day for Seniors Chandler Richards and Matt Naumoff
A large crowd of faculty, staff, coaches, parents, and students turned out in the Upper School Library for Signing Day for two of our student-athletes. Senior Chandler Richards signed his letter of intent to play soccer at Eckerd College in Florida. Matt Naumoff signed his letter to play football at Sewanee. Naumoff is a three-sport student-athlete at Porter-Gaud. Both students gave thanks to their teammates, parents, and coaches. After thanking his parents, Naumoff concluded his speech with a special thank you to Porter-Gaud, "the best school in South Carolina" and that he was "proud to represent PG at Sewanee in the fall." GO CYCLONES!
Event Rewind: Fox Business Republican Primary Debate
PG's Young Republicans are out to rock the vote this year. They attended the Republican Primary Debate at the North Charleston Colesium last month, and will be attending events this week and next week, ramping up for the South Carolina Caucus on February 20.
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Assistant Director of College Counseling
Porter-Gaud School is seeking a full-time 12-month Assistant Director of College Counseling to join our College Counseling Department as of July 1, 2016.
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2-12-16
“Do your little bit of good where you are; it’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.”
-Desmond Tutu
Upcoming Days in Rotation
Monday, February 15th - Winter Break - No School
Tuesday, February 16th - Winter Break - No School
Wednesday, February 17th - Day 4
Thursday, February 18th - Day 5
Friday, February 19th - Day 6
Reminders
- Please remember our PE uniform can be purchased from www.tandtsportsmanshop.com; click on Team Stores and Porter-Gaud P.E; password:CYCLONES.
- Joe Ryan, from the SC Attorney General’s Office, will be speaking to parents on Responsible Use of Technology, Internet Safety and Digital Citizenship on Thursday, April 7, 2016, from 8:15am to 9:15am in Washington Hall (cafeteria).
- It has come to our attention that some students have Apple watches. Because of their pairing with iPhones, the watches have the ability to receive text messages which are very disruptive during class. Therefore, all watches must be disconnected from iPhones during the school day. If a child does receive a text message or another message on their Apple watch, the watch will be taken by the teacher and kept until the end of the school day. Please also note our cell phone policy from the Lower School handbook:
Due to the fact that many of our students in the Lower School now have cell phones, we must implement the school-wide policy related to all electronic devices. While Porter-Gaud acknowledges that many parents provide their children with cell phones as safety measures, these devices can be disruptive to the academic routine. They may not be visible or audible on campus during school hours. Violation of this rule will result in the confiscation of the phone by a teacher or administrator. For the first offense, students can come to the office at the end of the day and their phone will be returned to them. For subsequent offenses, parents will be called and will be required to come to school to retrieve the phone.
Valentine Celebrations
Second graders created valentines for a local nursing home. These valentines will bring smiles to many!
On Friday, the fourth graders engaged in a Valentine hands-on math experience. They applied their math skills and built a Valentine tower by estimating, finding fractions, and grouping.
Expanded Form Memory Game
Mrs. Wey's first grade math students learned expanded form through a memory game. How fun!
A Trip to the State House
Third graders learned about South Carolina government up close and personal during their visit to the State House in Columbia this week.
Finding A Quiet Moment
Second graders love finding a special book and nook in our Lower School library!
Chinese New Year Celebrations
The 1st graders presented their Chinese New Year posters in class this week. Each student shared his/her interesting topics after completing research on Chinese New Year Traditions. It was a great experience for the students to learn from each other!
Second grade students celebrated Chinese New Year by coloring Chinese zodiac wheels.
The 3rd and 5th grade classes celebrated the Year of Monkey in their Chinese classes. In celebration, the students learned a few movements from the traditional dragon dance. In addition, students have started a series of New Year activities which include Taichi fan and origami. We wish everyone a very Happy New Year! Xin Nian Kuai Le! 新年快乐！
Book Fair
Thank you all for your generous support of the Scholastic Book Fair this year! Your purchases resulted in almost $3000 worth of books for the Library! Please remember that the Online Book Fair is still going on until 2/17.
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Winter Break
School is Closed for Winter Break
Classes will resume Wednesday, February 17th
Week "A" Regular Wednesday Schedule
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1-29-16
“I have learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
-Maya Angelou
Upcoming Days in Rotation
Monday, February 1st – Day 1
Tuesday, February 2nd – Day 2
Wednesday, February 3rd – Day 3
Thursday, February 4th – Day 4
Friday, February 5th – Day 5
Reminders
- The Porter Gaud blood drive is on Friday, February 5th in the Wendell Center from 8:00 am to 2:00 pm. Parents may email Gretchen Tate (gtate@portergud.edu) to schedule a time to give blood on February 5th.
- We will hold our annual Scholastic Book Fair on Wednesday, February 3rd, 4th, and 5th. Informational letters and advertising flyers went home this week in student's book bags. Please feel free to come and shop anytime between 8:00am to 4:00pm, or with your child during their class time or after school. If you'd like to check the schedule or shop online, please go to http://bookfairs.scholastic.com/homepage/portergaud. To volunteer to work a shift during the Book Fair, please go to http://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080b45a5af29a20-2016 or contact Mrs. Easter at seaster@portergaud.edu. Thank you for supporting our community of readers!
2nd and 3rd Graders Learn About Sportsmanship
This week, second and third graders were treated to a special lesson on the subject of sportsmanship from Upper School athletes, Maggie Cochrane and Allen Walters. The important message take aways were: 1) there is no "I" in team and 2) it is more important to enjoy the game with your friends as teammates than to win!
Frog and Toad
First and second graders enjoyed a trip downtown to the Dock Street Theater to see Frog and Toad.
3rd Grade Science Presentations
Third graders gave terrific presentations in Science class of food chain vocabulary words. Well done!
Fun Fraction Friday
Fifth grade math classes participated in Fun Fraction Friday to kick off the next unit of study in math. The boys and girls were asked to wear their favorite color t-shirts to class and were grouped by blues, greens, yellows, oranges, and reds. Students discussed that fractions show parts of a whole and then students moved around the classroom to make different combinations. They then discussed how fractional parts related to those "whole" groups. The math skills incorporated in the lesson were: understanding of fractions, finding simplest form, greatest common factors and least common denominators, and understanding the relationship among fractions, decimals, and percents. For the most PART, this WHOLE FRIDAY had an element of FUN with FRACTIONS! Please take a moment and ask your fifth grader to change a fraction to a decimal, or better yet, a fraction to a percent!
Division Party
Mrs. Harrison’s third grade class enjoyed a Division Party this week. Bags of treats (i.e. goldfish, gummy bears, pretzels) were given to the students. Everyone enjoyed counting the total number of treats in their bags, dividing by ten, and finding the remainder. The remainders were gobbled up quickly after the math was done!
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Wednesday, February 17
A Week
Regular Wednesday Schedule
Welcome Back from Break!
Honesty Virtue
Quote of the Day
“No man has a good enough memory to make a successful liar.”
~Abraham Lincoln
Community: 9th Grade Meeting in library
11th & 12th Grade Girls Meeting in Gwynette
Open for all others
Clubs / Events:
If you would like your club or organization to be included in the yearbook, please send a picture to Ali Lovell by next Friday, the 26th.
Model UN
Global Union
Trebuchet club
Latin club
Spanish club
French club
Math team
Youth in government
Young democrat society
Young libertarians club
Young entrepreneurs club
Young republican society
Acapella club
Film club
The outdoors club
Surf club
LINK
Cyber security club
Detention will be held Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday between 3:25 pm - 4:05 pm in room 204 in the S&T with Mr. McCabe
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Sponsorships AND T-shirts Now Available for Porterpalooza 2016
Sponsorships and t-shirts are now available for Porterpalooza 2016! The casual and fun-filled evening will be held at the Cigar Factory and will feature live local music, delicious food, dancing, and a live and silent auction.
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Vestry Prefects Attend National 2016 Mere Anglicanism Conference
Vestry prefects Hunt Cramer, Carson Marr, Ann Claire Gaillard, and Gettys Moore attended the national 2016 Mere Anglicanism conference this weekend in Charleston with more than 900 registrants from around the world.
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2-19-16
“Honesty is the best policy”
-Benjamin Franklin
Upcoming Days in Rotation
Monday, February 22nd – Day 7
Tuesday, February 23rd – Day 1
Wednesday, February 24th – Day 2
Thursday, February 25th – Day 3
Friday, February 26th – Day 4
Reminders
- After School Program Reminders:
- Intramurals for grades 4-5 begin Feb. 25. The deadline to register is Monday, Feb. 22.
- Programs that begin March 1: Engineering for Girls (grades 2-5), Archery (grades 4-5), and Volleyball (Grades 4-6). The deadline to register for these programs is Feb. 23.
- We are also offering a Spring Break soccer camp Mar. 29-31. More information can be found online. The deadline to register is Mar. 22.
Why America Is Free
This week the fourth grade completed their Social Studies unit entitled Why America is Free. This program guided the helped the children gain insight into the events that led to the Revolutionary War and the founding of our country. Students engaged in a culminating event, Patriot’s Day, where they dressed as colonists and participated in a multitude of learning experiences.
Our female students or we should say, our "ladies of genteel refinement", learned how to “take” tea. They also learned the “language of the fan”.
Our male students or “young sirs” learned how to march and stand in formation under the tutelage of Master Monsell, Master Hyde, and Master Tate.
All fourth grade students made a decorative tin punch and created their own silhouettes.
Benjamin Franklin joined us in our library for an interactive presentation on electricity.
The students thoroughly enjoyed this hands-on, experiential learning experience...
...and so did the teachers!
Trebouchet
All 4 Porter-Gaud trebuchet teams won their first heat to advance to the second round of competition. Our second/third grade girls team took third place overall! That's out of 64 total teams! Amazing!
Sweet Science
What happens if we make a mixture of M&Ms and water? Does the ink on candy dissolve? Can carbonation cause candy to "dance"? What happens to the color of Skittles in a petri dish full of water? Fifth graders know all these answers and more! As part of a unit on Matter, Mixtures and Solutions, they made observations of Valentine's candies on Friday. They will use these observations to create testable questions for investigation using the scientific method.
Guest Reader in Mrs. Sallee’s room
It is a lot of fun when your Dad is a guest reader. Thanks Mr. Nussbaum!
Science Fun
First graders enjoyed testing the monocopters that they engineered in class. What is a monocopter? Ask a first grader!
Third graders worked hard this week engineering an entire ecosystem.
SC Elementary Honor Choir
Fifth graders Rhett Andrews, Anna Lehman, Harper Rehmann, and Shea Smith and fourth grade Aidan Damsker traveled to Columbia to take part in the South Carolina Elementary Honor Choir from February 4-6. These students were selected from hundreds of 4th, 5th, and 6th grade singers from across South Carolina. After two days of intense rehearsals with noted conductor and composer Ken Berg, they put on a wonderful performance at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center for an audience of over a thousand!
Parent Talk
(from our Lower School Chaplain, Mrs. Jennie)
Forty Ways to Care for Your Soul this Lent - During the forty days of Lent, you are invited to take better care of your soul....I especially like number 5 -- Take more naps!
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Fourth Graders Spend a Day Immersed in Colonial Life (VIDEO)
The Fourth Graders spent the day on Thursday, February 18 living the life of a student during colonial times.
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