Thursday, March 12, 2015

SPRING 2015 UPDATE

Hello friends!

Incredibly, we are now at the start of the final stretch of the 2014-15 school year! The Third Trimester promises to bring more academic excellence and fun for the Elementary students!
 
School Is “Speech-y!”
 
Last week, we had our class Speech Meets. Several of our students gave outstanding speeches, expanding their skills in public speaking. Each class selected three winners, who competed for First, Second, and Third Place at our Elementary Speech Meet on March 6. Here are the winners, by class and placement:
Miss Keen’s class:
1 – Sarah  Plant
2 – Julia Jarvis
3 – Derrick Tooley
Miss Pepe’s class:
1 – Josiah Sarmiento
2 – Kaelyn Valdez
3 – Anthony Tallian
Mrs. Paxton’s class:
1 – Julia Kim
2 – Joshua Toupal
3 – Christopher Flowers
Mrs. Jarvie’s class:
1 – Ethan Macatula
2 – Nathan Snawder
3 – Tisselle Panameno
Mrs. Racusin’s class:
1 – Janae Persichino
2 – Isabella Dowd
3 – Mindy Dao
Mrs. Jacobs’ class:
1 – Layla Harbert
2 – Ella Riedel
3 – Nolan Jarvis
Mrs. Johnston’s class:
1 – Ade Rosado
2 – Joy Liu
3 – Taleah Williams
Miss Fischer’s class:
1 – Gabriel Osorio
2 – Kyle Plant
3 – Sienna Snawder
Miss Kaiser’s class:
1 – Kaylynn Chang
2 – Becky Chang
3 – Nicole Godoy
Mrs. De Los Santos’ class:
1 – Jade Martinez
2 – Jada Flowers
3 – Elijah Parr
We know that these types of activities are excellent opportunities to broaden our students’ school experiences, giving them a leg up on their competition in the years ahead.
Elementary Family PJ Jam and Movie Night
 
On Friday, February 27, over 275 students and parents came out to the cafĂ© and gym for a “PJ Jam and Movie Night.” It was a huge success and was organized by our IMPACT team, which provided dinner and popcorn. We purchased a license to show the new movie, “Big Hero 6” in the gymnasium after dinner, where students and parents lounged on pillows and lawn chairs for a cozy night of fellowship! Big kudos to our IMPACT team for a wonderful evening!

Jog-A-Thon Fundraiser
 
On Wednesday, March 18, IMPACT is hosting a Jog-A-Thon field event fundraiser during the school day for our Elementary students and families. The theme is “Superheroes” and there will be fun activities and snow cones! While it is a fundraiser, and we’d like to see each student get enough sponsors to contribute $10 for this event, we want to emphasize that NO student will be excluded from participating in the activities that day! It is “shaping up” to be a great day!
Big Field Trips Ahead
 
We have our two major annual field trips coming up this month! Our Fifth Graders will be flying up to Sacramento tomorrow as part of their Social Studies curriculum, while our Fourth Graders will travel by train down to San Diego on Friday.
Spirit Days
 
This Friday, we will have a Spirit rally at 2:10 in the gym (parents are always welcome)! Students may wear their spirit shirts and jeans that day.
On Tuesday, March 17, we will be having “Green Day” in honor of St. Patrick’s Day. Students are invited to wear as much green as they want that day!
Teacher In-Service Days
 
I want to remind you that there will be NO SCHOOL next Thursday and Friday (March 19 and 20) due to teacher in-service days.
Construction Appreciation Update
Below is a picture of the Construction Appreciation banner after it was hung on the fence outside the construction area! Each Elementary student and teacher signed the poster. Our students did a wonderful job, under the guidance of new Arts Academy teacher Jackie Wolf!

Monthly Character Traits
 
February’s Character Trait focused on Resourcefulness—“Making wise use of what you have or what others might have discarded.” Our Fourth Graders presented this trait in Chapel using songs and scripture to reinforce the concept. March’s theme will be Discernment.

Thursday, October 9, 2014

FIRST POST AS ELEMENTARY PRINCIPAL!!


I want to take a moment to communicate the great things that are happening at in the Elementary department at UC Academy this fall, and to update you on some recent developments.

New Elementary Administration Team
I have enjoyed adjusting to my new role as Principal, with Marijoy Currier as my Assistant Principal. For me, it feels like coming home. I have been blessed seeing the growth in the students I knew previously as Principal, as well as getting to know the students who have come since I was last in this position. There are some big changes in the Elementary department this year, and we are all up to the task of incorporating them into our program! Mrs. Currier and I have both spent the past several weeks preparing for the start of the year, visiting classrooms, and loving times we get to interact with the students and their parents. We are very excited about the growth in the Elementary department! We have appreciated the mentoring and guidance of David and Pat Haney, and we know this is going to be a unique and excellent year!

Picture Day
On September 23, we had our fall Picture Day. It went very well, and the kids all looked terrific! 100% of our Elementary students came to school wearing their uniforms, and I want to thank you for your support! I also want to acknowledge the concerns that were expressed to Administration about the change to students wearing uniforms on Picture Day. We decided to try that this year because, as “school pictures,” we felt the students’ time at UC Academy would be more fully and appropriately captured in their daily attire, and they would all look sharp in the yearbook and class pictures. Having said that, we have heard the concerns that were expressed by a few parents, and will consider those before making any decision for next year’s pictures. I also happily inform you that when we have our optional Spring Pictures taken on March 10, the students may come in “free-dress” (within the Dress Code, as outlined in the Student Handbook) if they are having their picture taken.

New Children’s Building Construction
This week, we will begin to see construction for the new Children’s building, adding 7 classrooms to the campus. This is very exciting for both the church and school! As you know, no construction project is “inconvenience-free.” We have had to close the north parking lot by the current Children’s building and Gym to accommodate the project. Elementary families are invited to use the southparking lot (Parking Lot F) to park and drop off their students. For pedestrian safety, we are blocking off a walking area with orange cones. We would recommend entering from the east (from Red Oak), then making an immediate right turn, then driving around the south side of the lot to find a parking space behind the blocked-off Student Crossing Zone. Remember, this is all in the name of student safety! 
Arts Academy
We have had an amazing rollout of the new Arts Academy! On September 16, we had 197 students go to 11 new classes for instruction in Dance, Fine Art, Recorders, Ukulele, Tonebells, Orchestra, Band, Musical Theater, Choir, and Orff Instruments! This new program allows our students to learn important skills that are being lost in many public school districts due to budget constraints. We believe that as our students grow in these areas, they will also mature academically, as many studies indicate. These Arts Academy classes are now offered in addition to our traditional Enrichment courses such as P.E., Computers, and Spanish! This is an exciting and promising new program that we know will greatly benefit our school program and our students.

Monthly Character Traits – September and October
Last month’s Character Trait for students was “Responsibility,” based on Romans 14:12. I led a Chapel on that topic on September 4, teaching our K-5 students the importance of knowing and doing what is expected of them, by their parents, their school, and by God. October’s Character Trait is “Patience,” based on I Corinthians 13:4, and Mrs. De Los Santos’ 5th Graders led our Chapel October 2 to teach about that important attribute.

Spirit Day
On September 26, we had our first Spirit "dress-up" day! The theme was the Old West, and we saw many darling cowboys and cowgirls dressed to represent "those thrilling days of yesteryear!" We had a fun spirit rally in the afternoon, with games and music! Yee-haw!
 

Eagle Award Recipients
Each week before Chapel, the teachers select a couple students from their classes whom they want to recognize for good behavior. Those names are then read in Chapel and those students are given an “Eagle Award.” On September 25, we randomly selected two Eagle Award recipients from each class to have lunch with me and Mrs. Currier that day. It was a fun time, and we believe it is good for us and the students to meet informally in this way. We will be having these lunches every month!

After-School Programs – New Additions!
We are excited about some new additions to our After-School enrichment programs! This year, we are introducing Bricks 4 Kidz and Challenge Island in addition to our other after-school programs. Bricks 4 Kidz and Challenge Island allow student teams to build items out of LEGOs or everyday materials, sometimes in competitions! These new programs encourage higher-order thinking and will be great compliments to forthcoming programs for our advanced learners, as well as Chess For Success, 100 Mile Club, and Dramatic Performing Arts! A packet of flyers was sent home last week. Please look them over, and be sure to check out the web links that some have provided on their flyers for more information. These programs begin THIS week, so sign up now!

May the Lord continue to add His blessing on our students and UC Academy!

Saturday, May 17, 2014

A SOARING DAY WITH "THE RIGHT STUFF"!

Yesterday, my "Right Stuff" 8th Grade Exploratory class had a visit from Sean Franke, a competitive glider pilot. He brought his sailplane with him, and spoke to my students about how airplanes work, and the specific differences between a glider and a powered aircraft. His expertise was evident, and my students were fascinated by his lesson. They asked him some great questions! I hope to have Mr. Franke back next year!

I have been teaching my "Right Stuff" class for three years now. I envisioned it as sort of an "introduction to engineering concepts" because of my love of all things air & space! But since I am neither a mathematician or an engineer, the class is made incredibly more interesting when I can have experts come and share. Last year, we were able to have a video conference with a Flight Surgeon at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, TX. Before this year is out, we will be building and launching our own rockets!

Wednesday, April 16, 2014

TIME FOR AN UPDATE!

What a fulfilling, wonderful year it has been so far!

I must admit...despite (or perhaps because of) all the fun we've had in my classes since September, I have forgotten all about this blog! Here's hoping for a fresh start on getting the posts up more regularly!

Here are some photos that highlight some of the exciting things we've done so far:

 In the fall, my Bible 7 students created posters on their iPads, using the Beatitudes for inspiration!

 Here are some of my 6th Graders, presenting their poster on the Israelite civilization in History class!

 A 7th Grade student presenting her very own Superhero in the "Superheroes" elective!

 An awesome time of worship in Chapel!

 My Yearbook staff, celebrating a completed yearbook for 2013-14!

 Students from my "Right Stuff" Engineering Elective, learning about what makes airplanes fly!

 In March, I attended the CUE (Computer-Using Educators) Conference and learned a lot about how teachers can use technology in their classrooms!

 Actor/Producer LeVar Burton was the keynote speaker at the CUE Conference!

 Later in March, I accompanied the 6th Graders to the Whitewater Preserve near Palm Springs, CA!

 My big 6th Grade son and me at the Whitewater Preserve.

 Two 6th Grade girls at the Whitewater Preserve!

 In History, we used iPads to create comparative topographies for some of the civilizations we've studied so far!

 History students, presenting their poster about India!

 Like, totally awesome girls on 80s Day!

 Using my iPad to display a book that was being read via Audible to my Bible students!

 Me and some of our Junior Highers at Farrell's on a fundraiser night!

 Making a map of the campus in our Cartography class!

 Oh! Did I mention I grew a mustache? It was shaved off by January, but fun while it lasted!

 Some of my 6th Grade students at the Holyland Exhibit in Los Angeles!

Hayden, giving his Comic Book Report in "Superheroes" Elective!

Wednesday, September 18, 2013

THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR!



It is hard to believe that we are already starting the fourth week of the 2013-14 school year at UC Academy! I have really enjoyed getting to know my students and teaching them the subjects that I love!

The most amazing difference in my classroom this year is the installation of an interactive projector, which can be connected to either my laptop or iPad. This has taken my lessons to an entire new level, and I am looking forward to utilizing it throughout the school year!

Another new element for me this year is that I am now the Yearbook Adviser. I have already selected my student staff and have met with them a few times, and we are beginning the creative process of producing an excellent Annual for our Junior High department!

I pray for my students and appreciate their prayers (and the prayers of their parents)! Together, we are going on a journey that will find us different than who we were when we began!

God bless!
Mr. Barnes <><







Thursday, February 21, 2013

THE GREAT DEBATE!

Today in 6th Grade History, we had a wonderful debate about whether or not Confucianism is good for society. Some felt that societies needed harsh, enforceable laws to maintain order, while others felt such laws were too burdensome and would make people want to rebel. Both sides did a great job stating and defending their cases!


Confucius