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Message From the Executive Director
November 1st, 2019
Dear Exploris Community,
November is a time to give thanks and I have so much to be grateful for each and every day. I am blessed with a wonderful husband and three healthy, happy children each pursuing their passions and dreams. I am also so fortunate to be part of our Exploris community and remain continuously grateful to partner with dedicated educators, parents, Board members, and community partners, all focused on Empowering Learners to Improve our World. I also have the joy of seeing your children each and every day. Today I even had the pleasure of joining third grade on their field experience to the ballet.
Our community continues to learn, laugh, and grow together. Administrators and teachers also continue to grow by participating in professional development to help us continue to support our students and families. Our team has recently attended workshops on the Color of Education, Peaceful Schools, Innovative Classrooms, Purposeful Coaching, Mental Health in the Classroom, Ecology and Nature Journaling, and Athletics and Health just to name a few. We all have a growth mindset and are continuously improving to better meet the needs in our community.
We are also especially grateful for all of our parent volunteers. The Middle School electives kicked off today with a wide variety of choices ranging from Model UN, sewing, and dramarama, to biking, rugby, coding, and photography. The second session of Explorations at the elementary school also began allowing our children to experience an array of learning experiences from healthy fun food, science, sports and games, swimming, and drawing to name a few. All of these learning experiences enrich learning and allow our children to further identify areas of passion and joy to help guide them in the future. All of these opportunities are made possible by the generosity and support of our entire community. And for that, I am truly grateful and in awe of the incredible magic that happens on Fridays.
Annual Fund- National Day of Giving – November 5th
In the spirit of giving and gratefulness, we have been sending messages to announce that the 2019-2020 Annual Fund drive will be coming soon. All families will be receiving a letter in the mail this weekend further explaining our Annual Fund initiative. Thank you to Kimberly Harris, PTO Chair of our Annual Fund, and to all the families that have already generously donated and will be providing incentives to help us reach our goal of 100% participation on November 5th. Please make Exploris one of your top three charitable donations on Annual Giving Tuesday, November 5, 2019.
The annual fund donations help The Exploris School close the gap in our operating budget since we do not receive funds that district schools receive for facilities expenses. These donations allow Exploris to continue to enrich the lives of children through experiential project-based learning experiences and innovation in education. Additionally, the funding allows us to continue to attract and retain highly qualified educators that nurture and support all children to grow and learn to reach their maximum potential. Partnering together we can reach our vision of Empowering Children to Improve our World. Thank you for your continued support.
Annual Fund Letter to Families - here
Annual Fund FAQ’s - here
School Finance and Facilities - here
A parent university was held last week to educate the Exploris community about Charter School Finance and Facilities. If you were not able to attend in-person, the presentation can be found here. The Exploris School Board, administrators, and staff are working on alternatives for a new K-8 school building for our future. We are also working to ensure that the interests of The Exploris School are protected with the change in direction since the developer is no longer willing to include The Exploris School in the City Gateway building.
Applications for 2020-2021 School Year are Now Available
The 2020 – 2021 Admissions process has begun and additional information can be found on our website on the Admissions tab here. Please remember that all interested siblings will need to submit an application to be considered in the lottery. Tours signups and information sessions are also posted on our website. Please share information with family and friends that may be interested in joining our Exploris community. The application deadline is February 7, 2020, at 4pm and the lottery will be held on March 6, 2020. Please remember we offer acceptance priority for our siblings and economically disadvantaged families.
PTO Partnership
We are also thankful for an active PTO that continuously work to support our school each year. Thank you to the many parents and guardians that support our school by volunteering in so many ways every day- in class readers, front office support, Explorations leaders, electives at the Middle School, drivers, and chaperones just to name a few. Check out the PTO website for additional details.
Enjoy reading all the interesting grade level highlights in the newsletter to find out more about the exciting learning taking place at Exploris. Remember to update your calendars with the upcoming important dates during November. Feel free to reach out to your child’s teacher or one of the administrative support team members if you have any questions or need assistance. I wish you and your family a grateful November and a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday break with your family.
All the best,
Ellie
Kindergarten
The Kindergarten class learned all about the parts of a pumpkin. The children also helped take out and clean the pumpkin seeds for our seed estimation station.
First Grade
First grade had a "spooktacular" day learning about chemical reactions, and blowing up balloons without using their mouths!
Second Grade
Below you can see Second-graders Gabby and Amorie recording observations of water vapor.
Third Grade
We love it when our 8th-grade reading buddies come from the middle school. We spend time sharing reading and building relationships.
Fourth Grade
This month students engaged in many hands-on tasks to discover more about fossils and rocks found in North Carolina. These photos capture their experience Mining for Minerals!
Fifth Grade
The 5th grade has been studying weather this trimester. As part of our learning, we had Chief Meteorologist, Wes Hohenstien from CBS 17 come and speak with us. He shared stories about his time as a meteorologist and helped our class better understand how the government helps US meteorologists predict the weather. Here’s a link to the video of his visit.
Sixth Grade
Launching rockets, dissecting aliens, and crazy chemical changes are just a few of the fabulous hands-on experiences at Astrocamp!
Seventh Grade
Seventh graders had a blast during their overnight field experience at Falls Lake in October. Students bonded over campfires showed grit in the heat and did a variety of activities in the wilderness. One of their stations was primitive shelter building, where students learned how to use nature's many gifts in order to construct a stable, protective shelter from the elements.
Eighth Grade
Riley Lloyd shares her portfolio with her mom. She shares her hydrosphere work including a watershed map, stream study, and a recent trip to the water treatment plant. The 8th graders are now launching their Design for Change projects to improve water quality in North Carolina.
Global Arts
Below you can see second graders collaborating to make a 3-D map of the world during Connected World.
Counselors corner
Hello Parents and Families,
Thank you to all who have donated to our free student lunch program with Spicy Green. In August and September, we received $24.00 in donations, which provided lunch for 6 students. If you are interested in donating in the future please see the screenshots below. This a great program and helps to feed many of our students.
Donate through Boonli:
Thanks,
Michelle
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