The Cooper School Daily
April 26, 2024
Time to Boogie
Last weekend, a friend of mine left Charleston. The departure made me think about how weird it is that saying goodbye brings up that pukey feeling. Even if the person is not leaving your life, just the state, just knowing someone you like to hang with isn’t as available as they used to be can feel, well, pukey…
Coincidently, Charleston County also released their School Choice acceptance last weekend. The eighth graders received notice about possible schools they may attend, solidifying that they too are preparing to boogie on from each other. The cocktail of emotions that comes along with saying goodbye to friends and daily routine, for some of these kids since they were in kindergarten…yeah, you guessed it…POSSIBLE PUKE!
Why? Why do we feel physically sick when we have to say goodbye? According to Dr. Josell, from the Cleveland Health Clinic, “anything that feels like a life-altering loss causes us to trigger our grief response.” As humans, loss impacts our physical, emotional, and behavioral well-being. When we experience loss, we have no choice but to accept and adapt, which can feel stressful, causing a physical reaction to the stressful situation. Does that mean we should avoid change? According to Dr. Josell, “loss is part of our lives and recognizing that grief impacts our thoughts, emotions, and body is part of the human experience.” Loving and losing is completely normal. Does it still stink? Yup….Darnit!
As our eighth graders prepare for their final Cooper School goodbye, and other students just to the school year that is coming to a close, they will be feeling various emotions and maybe pukey feelings as they accept the loss of this school year. Us teachers will be here to allow them to feel their feelings, let them know what they are experiencing is what they should be, and that we are here to help them if they need it. We too will be saying goodbye to our eighth graders, which you guessed it…puke!
~LD
What’s happening in Science?
Fifth graders continued to learn about chemistry this week. They also started a new project about plants! They browsed through a book called Fifty Plants that Changed History and chose a plant they wanted to learn more about. They have been using their book and other outside resources to make a fun and entertaining presentation about their plant. They presented their presentation to the class. Next week, they will wrap up their chemist unit and explore dissolving, solubility, and melting.
What’s happening in Math?
This week, 5th graders reviewed multiplying and dividing decimals and fractions, and applied these skills to real-life situations. Next week, we’ll work to challenge ourselves and our classmates by creating engaging, and thought-provoking math problems for each other to enrich our understanding of these crucial concepts before taking our LAST assessment on Friday, May 3rd!
What’s happening in ELA?
5th grade readers finished Island of the Blue Dolphins this week, making final conclusions about the true history vs. fictionalized story. We then began a history writing unit, where we asked what informational writing skills we could apply to papers on their most recent social studies unit – Africa.
Next week, readers will take part in mixed ERB, vocabulary, and grammar review while conducting research for their history papers. We will discover how to speak on timelines and geography while we weave historic narratives.
What’s happening in Social Studies?
In Social Studies, the fifth graders finished their Africa unit! Students dove into colonization of Africa and modern day Africa before hearing about living in Africa from Ms. Allison’s husband who grew up in South Africa!
Next week, the students will dive into Australia/Pacific Islands and Antarctica! Students will learn the history of Australia and the Pacific Islands before diving into modern day life and geography in the two continents!
Important Dates:
April 27: Spring Auction & Gala- 6pm @ Founder’s Hall (tickets available until 4/12)
May 9: 11:30 dismissal (Pass It On for Elementary School)
Coincidently, Charleston County also released their School Choice acceptance last weekend. The eighth graders received notice about possible schools they may attend, solidifying that they too are preparing to boogie on from each other. The cocktail of emotions that comes along with saying goodbye to friends and daily routine, for some of these kids since they were in kindergarten…yeah, you guessed it…POSSIBLE PUKE!
Why? Why do we feel physically sick when we have to say goodbye? According to Dr. Josell, from the Cleveland Health Clinic, “anything that feels like a life-altering loss causes us to trigger our grief response.” As humans, loss impacts our physical, emotional, and behavioral well-being. When we experience loss, we have no choice but to accept and adapt, which can feel stressful, causing a physical reaction to the stressful situation. Does that mean we should avoid change? According to Dr. Josell, “loss is part of our lives and recognizing that grief impacts our thoughts, emotions, and body is part of the human experience.” Loving and losing is completely normal. Does it still stink? Yup….Darnit!
As our eighth graders prepare for their final Cooper School goodbye, and other students just to the school year that is coming to a close, they will be feeling various emotions and maybe pukey feelings as they accept the loss of this school year. Us teachers will be here to allow them to feel their feelings, let them know what they are experiencing is what they should be, and that we are here to help them if they need it. We too will be saying goodbye to our eighth graders, which you guessed it…puke!
~LD
What’s happening in Science?
Fifth graders continued to learn about chemistry this week. They also started a new project about plants! They browsed through a book called Fifty Plants that Changed History and chose a plant they wanted to learn more about. They have been using their book and other outside resources to make a fun and entertaining presentation about their plant. They presented their presentation to the class. Next week, they will wrap up their chemist unit and explore dissolving, solubility, and melting.
What’s happening in Math?
This week, 5th graders reviewed multiplying and dividing decimals and fractions, and applied these skills to real-life situations. Next week, we’ll work to challenge ourselves and our classmates by creating engaging, and thought-provoking math problems for each other to enrich our understanding of these crucial concepts before taking our LAST assessment on Friday, May 3rd!
What’s happening in ELA?
5th grade readers finished Island of the Blue Dolphins this week, making final conclusions about the true history vs. fictionalized story. We then began a history writing unit, where we asked what informational writing skills we could apply to papers on their most recent social studies unit – Africa.
Next week, readers will take part in mixed ERB, vocabulary, and grammar review while conducting research for their history papers. We will discover how to speak on timelines and geography while we weave historic narratives.
What’s happening in Social Studies?
In Social Studies, the fifth graders finished their Africa unit! Students dove into colonization of Africa and modern day Africa before hearing about living in Africa from Ms. Allison’s husband who grew up in South Africa!
Next week, the students will dive into Australia/Pacific Islands and Antarctica! Students will learn the history of Australia and the Pacific Islands before diving into modern day life and geography in the two continents!
Important Dates:
April 27: Spring Auction & Gala- 6pm @ Founder’s Hall (tickets available until 4/12)
May 9: 11:30 dismissal (Pass It On for Elementary School)