Global Recognition for Rocky River

We are excited to be recognized for the 3rd year as an International School in Union County Public Schools of North Carolina.   UCPS is considered a leader throughout North Carolina for its focus on global education.  For the past six years, the UCPS Global Schools Program has encouraged educators to bring global education into the classroom.

Schools are rated in five categories depending on points earned through its level of participation.  Schools document their growth through an electronic portfolio as we infuse globalization into the curriculum.  It shows our schools’ commitment to connecting our students to others around the world. We are proud of our work and accomplishments.  Documentation included work with our sister schools in England and Australia.  Our VIF teacher (Visiting International Faculty) also brought the English culture to our school through many lessons about her country of origin.  We learned about many countries of focus through each grade.  Kindergarten focuses on North America, First graders focus is Africa, Second graders focus on Australia/Oceania, Third graders focus on Europe, Fourth graders focus is Asia, and fifth graders focus is South America.   The whole school had a program about the Chinese culture and a focus about castles around the world especially in the United Kingdom.   Students collected money for a service learning project through Heifer International and was able to donate several animals to make life better for others around the world.  We participated in virtual field trips to the Great Barrier Reef and for Remembrance Day in England.  Second grade students learned about rugby, foods, and castles during International Club with Mrs. Harlow (VIF teacher) and Mrs. Todd (Global Teacher Leader).

During a principal’s meeting (October 1) 49 schools were recognized with a plaque.  Principals of schools designated International Schools received a banner to display at their schools in addition to the plaque.  Fifteen schools were classified as International Schools which is the top recognition having earned 85+ points.

At the next staff meeting the plaque and banner were presented to the global committee and staff.

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What do you know about China?

Have you ever wondered about other places and wanted to travel there but didn’t have the time or money? Children may not have the opportunity to visit another country to learn more about the people and their culture but are very curious and excited to learn. Students took an in house field trip to China when The World in Our Backyard came to Rocky River. The experience provided a very hands on learning adventure into the Asian country of China for pre-k through fifth grade students.

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Students in Mrs. Jones fourth grade class made a poster about what they learned.

  • “The dragon is made from several animals including the snake, fish scales, tiger, eagle, camel, water buffalo and deer ears.”
  • “The money has a hole in the middle and they put it on a string and wear around their neck or if it’s a lot on a belt.”
  • “They use symbols that stand for words and write from right to left not left to right.”
  • “China is the size of the US but with a lot more people.”
  • “They drink tea with every meal and eat rice at breakfast, lunch and dinner. They use chopsticks to eat with and set at a round table.”
  • “The dragon Neo was scared of noise and the color red. The people scared him with noises makers and wore red. “

First grade students in Mrs. Brown and Ms. Murphy/Takac created a group PowerPoint and these are things they learned ….

  • The biggest McDonald’s in the world is in China. They don’t serve rice just hamburgers. They eat the hamburgers in small cut up pieces so they can use their chopsticks. They learned about the 2 hump camels, Bengal tiger (white), panda, birds and water buffalo (used in rice fields). Outside activities are ping pong (table tennis), haircuts (no barber shops), Tai Chi and Chinese Checkers. They learned about the kings and that the first was 7 when he was on the throne and the youngest was 3.

They were able to experience the way people read and write using a pen and how different the writing is with symbols for each word. Students learned how the Chinese invented things like paper, umbrella (paper one to keep sun off of you), chop sticks (that they carried with them), and silk. Some students experienced how they would carry baskets on a bamboo pole to the market with their babies in the basket and how it was different in the city and the country because of space. They learned bamboo is used to make many things. The older students were fascinated with the Great Wall of China model and the story of the Terracotta Soldiers/Army.
Students participated in a lion dance and scared the dragons away with noise makers. They learned some basic Tai Chi movements that are done each day before school starts. Chinese New Year is each year when there is a new moon and is held in January or February. This year is the year of the sheep and will be on the first lunar month with the new moon (February 19, 2015).

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Travel through the Biomes of the World

Fifth grade students completed their travel brochures to various biomes of the world. Would you prefer the rain forest, tundra, grasslands, deciduous forest, deserts or one of the freshwater or marine Biomes for your next visit? They researched plants, animals, cultures of the area they chose to highlight in their travel brochures. What do you need to bring with you, what kind of weather to expect and how much it might cost you. Do you like lots of trees, do you like wet weather, or hot and dry, do you like it cold and frozen or sunny and clear?

Which would you pick if someone said you could travel where ever you wanted and not worry about the cost? Why would you choose that biome? What do you believe is the best one to visit and what would be your least favorite and why?