High School? And then…?

February 1, 2017, 6:30 pm

Our counselor, Dan, is meeting with all of our 8th grade students and their parents to help them plan for high school and beyond. We are learning about what our choices are and how to plan for them according to our strengths and interests.

Most of the 8th graders are busy with end of year projects and internships with local organizations and businesses. These experiences are helping to form their views of the future.

Some resources to help with college and career planning and ideas on how to pay for it all-

Utah Futures

Utah System of Higher Education

Step Up to College and Career

College Board (AP and SAT)

ACT Testing

FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid)

BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook and Bureau of Labor Statistics Student Resources

UESP (Utah Educational Savings Plan)

NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association)

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Katherine Applegate

February 6, 2017, 9:58 am

≫ Next: Art Stroll Talent Show Line Up

≪ Previous: High School? And then…?

Author Katherine Applegate, has sent our middles a sweet video thank you for their efforts in collecting food for families in need.

Many of these students read her book Crenshaw and were inspired to help families who, due to financial hardship, are facing the loss of their beloved family pet. Pets can offer comfort and stability to children and adults facing homelessness and the issues that cause it.

Katherine Applegate is the author of many wonderful books such as The One and Only Ivan, The Buffalo Storm, and Home of the Brave. She has also won the John Newbery Award and the Golden Kite Award for fiction. You can find many of her books in the school’s library.

See this previous post about the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary Food Drive!

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Art Stroll Talent Show Line Up

May 11, 2017, 9:15 pm

≫ Next: Physics Day @ Lagoon

≪ Previous: Katherine Applegate

Hi Everyone,

Here is the 2017 Art Stroll Talent Show Line-up!

Please be in the gym at least 15 minutes before you/your kiddo are scheduled to perform. There is a CD player and a 1/8″ audio in cable (headphone jack). Please have your media ready to go and the lock disabled on your device.

Please understand that we will do our best to keep things running on time. It’s always a balance between making it a good experience for everyone and hurrying things along.

Mary Elizabeth (Nani/Paige)

Community Connections Committee Chair

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Physics Day @ Lagoon

May 12, 2017, 8:51 pm

≫ Next: Picnic!

≪ Previous: Art Stroll Talent Show Line Up

This is what the 8th graders were doing while you set up for Art Stroll today. OC community Lagoon day will be June 3rd. Pick up discount coupons for your family at the school’s main office and we will see…

Picnic!

May 16, 2017, 4:53 pm

≫ Next: Time to put the books to bed for the summer!

≪ Previous: Physics Day @ Lagoon

Tomorrow!

Posted by Open Classroom – Salt Lake City on Tuesday, May 16, 2017

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Time to put the books to bed for the summer!

May 18, 2017, 8:28 pm

≫ Next: Keeping Stomachs Full So Kids Can Play & Learn

≪ Previous: Picnic!

Sadly, this Friday (5/19) will be the last day to check out books from the school library this year.

We ask that you look under beds, car seats, behind winter coats, in back packs and all of the other places books tend to hide.

Library account email notices will go out next week.

We are more than happy to accept cash or check payment or a quality, used children’s book in place of any item your child has checked out that is determined to be lost or damaged.

Let us know if you believe a book was returned and not checked in. We will be checking shelves for books that were sneaky like that.

To keep those reading and learning muscles strong, take advantage of these wonderful summer programs-

Pottermore Summer Book Club-

https://www.pottermore.com/news/wizarding-world-book-club-coming-soon-to-pottermore

Salt Lake City Public Library Summer Program-

http://www.slcpl.org/supersummer

Utah State Fair Summer Reading-

http://www.utahstatefair.com/readandwin

Read With the Salt Lake Bees-

http://www.readtoday.com/

Tips and ideas to make reading a special part of your family’s daily life-

http://utahkidsreadytoread.org/

Murray City Library StoryTube channel-

https://www.youtube.com/user/murraylibrary

Salt Lake County Library Summer Program-

http://summer.slcolibrary.org/index.html

Utah’s Online Library-

http://onlinelibrary.uen.org/

A few other things in case you feel curious-

http://ocslc.org/about/library/

You can also find used books for sale in the hallway outside the library- a quarter each!

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Keeping Stomachs Full So Kids Can Play & Learn

June 5, 2017, 1:36 pm

≫ Next: An Open Classroom Mention on the SLC School District Site

≪ Previous: Time to put the books to bed for the summer!

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An Open Classroom Mention on the SLC School District Site

June 13, 2017, 8:43 am

≫ Next: Sharing History

≪ Previous: Keeping Stomachs Full So Kids Can Play & Learn

Our counselor, Dan, talking about our recent grads and their amazing, year-long projects.

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Sharing History

June 22, 2017, 10:34 am

≫ Next: Book Swap

≪ Previous: An Open Classroom Mention on the SLC School District Site

Look at all those cute little faces! We have some of the props on display in the library.

SLC School District report on our middle grade students performing historical learning.

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Book Swap

June 27, 2017, 9:25 am

≫ Next: Open House

≪ Previous: Sharing History

Is your child looking for something different to read? Have they read everything in the house? Including all of the cereal boxes?!

Have them grab a book they are finished with and meet us at the park for a Book Swap!

Picture books, middle grade, early readers, YA and a few parent-friendly titles will be available.

Wednesday, July 12th 10 am at Fairmont Park

Swap a book with a friend or our little red wagon.
Hang out with other OC buddies at the cool playground.
Make chalk art on the sidewalk. Go swimming together! Visit the skateboard park!
See what our friends at the SLC Public Library have to offer this summer.

At 11am the SLC School District Summer Lunch Program serves free lunch for children 18 and under.

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Open House

July 17, 2017, 12:35 pm

≫ Next: How to Get Your Teacher (Child) Ready

≪ Previous: Book Swap

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How to Get Your Teacher (Child) Ready

July 18, 2017, 1:48 pm

≫ Next: Moving Right Along

≪ Previous: Open House

A new book to help transition us all into the school year, How to Get Your Teacher Ready by Jean Reagan is a sweet addition to her How-to picture book series. Jean is a former OC parent and has visited many of our classrooms to teach and share her stories and talent. Adults will be well cared for as patient children read about how anxious and unorganized we can be. Where would we be without them and these beautiful guides illustrated by Lee Wildish?

Here is a Brightly Storytime read-aloud video to share with your little people as they prepare for school this fall.

P.S. Iguanas are found in 597 of the Non Fiction section of the library & a brand new copy of this book will be in the JP section under R

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Moving Right Along

September 10, 2017, 4:48 pm

≫ Next: Clothing Drive

≪ Previous: How to Get Your Teacher (Child) Ready

Picnics, visitors, street fairs, field trips…we are all so busy!

Steering meeting Tuesday, September 12, 6:30-8:30 pm in the library.

School Tour Thursday, September 21, 9-9:45 am in the library.

And then one of our biggest fundraisers of the year!

An assembly to get us all excited, packets to come home and fill with pledges and a fun, healthy walk around our historic Avenues neighborhood to raise money for our school.

Check the fundraising page for more information about donating to our school.

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Clothing Drive

September 24, 2017, 12:28 pm

≫ Next: Hurry to the Book Fair!

≪ Previous: Moving Right Along

Once again, students, co-opers and staff are collaborating for the greater good!

An uppers explore group is working with the 8th graders to gather gently used, cold weather gear for local homeless citizens and raise money for the 8th graders’ yearly trip.

The community is asked to bring any used clothing to the school’s gym the week of September 25-28, where young volunteers will sort out usable winter clothing to donate while the rest will go to Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Utah.

Funds will help pay for an amazing learning adventure at the Canyonlands Field Institute .

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Hurry to the Book Fair!

September 28, 2017, 8:05 pm

≫ Next: Learning Together…in the Car?!

≪ Previous: Clothing Drive

Kick off party Tuesday October 3rd, 3-4pm in the Library– Come meet with Mark and Caralyn Buehner the creators of the fantastic Snowmen series of picture books, make a snowman craft and drop off a stuffed toy friend for an adventurous, library sleepover!

We will be open right after school Wednesday and Thursday until 5pm during PTKs to help you and your student choose well written, award-winning books.

We are proud to be hosting local, family run vendor The Story Cupboard again. They bring a large selection of quality books at a great price and a percentage of sales will provide new books for the school’s library.

Stuffed friends can be picked up from the library Wednesday or Thursday during book fair hours.

Order forms for the Buehner’s beautiful books can be found in the library. Or just stop by and shop!

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Learning Together…in the Car?!

November 13, 2017, 11:39 am

≫ Next: Music Ensembles

≪ Previous: Hurry to the Book Fair!

Sometimes we have to spend a lot of time in the car. Sometimes laundry/yard work/meal time is the priority of the moment. If the body is being held captive to a task or in a car the mind can be set free through educational podcasts or YouTube videos.

Combining these with a passive activity like riding in the car a or no-brainer task like folding clean clothes can be perfect for focusing the mind on interesting topics. Just like when we listen to great audio books, listening to or watching these, with your family, can provide opportunities to make connections and learn about an interesting topic and each other. And everyone will have clean socks for the week!

Here are some suggestions for science, art, history, world perspective and teen interest podcasts and videos to share with your family.

Make sure to read descriptions first– many episodes are aimed at older children or adults:

· TEDEd: Lessons Worth Sharing http://ed.ted.com/

· 99% Invisible https://99percentinvisible.org/

· The Allusionist https://www.theallusionist.org/

· Reply All https://gimletmedia.com/show/reply-all/

· Still processing https://www.nytimes.com/podcasts/still-processing?mcubz=1

· Rookie Magazine http://www.rookiemag.com/tag/podcasts/

· It’s Been a Minute http://www.npr.org/podcasts/510317/its-been-a-minute-with-sam-sanders

· Nerdette http://www.npr.org/podcasts/399954056/nerdette-podcast

· Represent http://www.slate.com/articles/podcasts/represent.html

· Kollabcast http://kollaboration.org/kollabcast/

· The Kid Should See This http://thekidshouldseethis.com/

· NASA Science Videos https://www.youtube.com/user/NASAtelevision

· SciShow https://www.youtube.com/user/scishowkids

· Crash Course Kids https://www.youtube.com/user/crashcoursekids

· Minute Physics https://www.youtube.com/user/minutephysics

· Sick Science! https://www.youtube.com/user/Stevespanglerscience

· Radio Lab http://www.radiolab.org/

· Stuff You Should Know https://www.stuffyoushouldknow.com/podcasts

· Bytesize Science http://feeds.feedburner.com/BytesizeScience

· Flash Forward http://www.flashforwardpod.com/

· Naked Scientists https://www.thenakedscientists.com/podcasts

· Pitch- music podcast http://www.pitchpodcast.org/

· Stuff You Missed in History Class https://www.missedinhistory.com/

· The Memory Palace http://thememorypalace.us/

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Music Ensembles

November 21, 2017, 5:46 pm

≫ Next: Reading Buddies

≪ Previous: Learning Together…in the Car?!

At the Open Classroom, we have three music ensembles, Acoustic, Rock, and Ukulele. Kids from sixth, seventh, or eighth grade are allowed to participate. Eric, our music teacher, meets with each ensemble every Wednesday for an hour to rehearse. We usually have three music assemblies throughout the school year. Many kids with many different talents are in our ensembles. The instruments that are played are the violin, guitar, electric guitar, drums, ukulele, bass, viola, and even vocal chords.

One student here at the Open Classroom who participates in the ukulele and acoustic ensembles is Kalaya Vincent, who shared some pros and cons of being part of these programs with me. She notes, “The practicing and songs can be tough, along with staying in sync with your peers, but, I enjoy the time spent with my classmates and I personally find being a part of this rather entertaining and fun. Though you have to be careful when choosing an ensemble to suffice your individual interests.”

During our assemblies, we would be no where without our amazing techies. They work behind the scenes of our plays, assemblies, and concerts. Po Hansen, who is one of our techies, noted that, ” It is fun to see the kids grow and change, and it is an experience that has taught me so many things.” As you can see, the kids who are included in this program enjoy being a part of it very much. They all cherish their time spent being a part of this inclusive, entertaining, music program that our school holds dear.

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Reading Buddies

January 18, 2018, 6:13 pm

≫ Next: How’s that Summer Reading Going…?

≪ Previous: Music Ensembles

We have been enjoying The Hello Goodbye Dog by Maria Gianferrari in the school library.

An adorable story of a dog with a very patient owner trying to find a solution for doggy behavior issues.

The illustrations by Patrice Barton are clear and funny and are great for read-aloud conversations.

The kids talked excitedly about wheel chair accessibility and reading to therapy dogs.

The Salt Lake City Main Library branch offers opportunities to read to a furry friend the first Saturday of each month.

Check here for details.

We are so grateful to Maria Gianferrari for sending us a copy of this beautiful book!

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How’s that Summer Reading Going…?

June 25, 2018, 11:06 am

≫ Next: All Are Welcome

≪ Previous: Reading Buddies

…Need a few more books?

The OC library will be open for browsing and check out Wednesday, July 11th from 9-1 pm for any new or returning OC families who have cleared their library accounts and have a signed permission form.

BOOK CHECK OUT PERMISSION FORM-1

Come see what new books have been added since school let out and pick up a few used books (only a quarter each) while you are here!

Enter through the NE doors directly into the library. Please, do not go into any other part of the school- we do not want to interrupt the custodial crew during their summer maintenance.

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All Are Welcome

August 8, 2018, 7:57 pm

≫ Next: Book Fair!

≪ Previous: How’s that Summer Reading Going…?

We’re so excited to see you!

Hopefully you have spent your summer running, playing and reading!

First day back is Monday, August 20th and it will be full of getting to know you games and reminders about where the restrooms are and circle conversations.

It will also be a short day. Maybe when the last bell rings at 1:15 you will go on a play date with your carpool friends or hang out in aftercare.

I have left a story for you to read as you explore the building. If you start at the main entrance near the main office you will find the title page and the first 2 pages of the story. Follow the numbers in order as you walk around.

Is the school in the story like ours in any way? Is their lunchroom the same or different? Do you see kids who look like you or your friends? Do you see families like yours? Would the story make sense if you followed the numbers backwards? Are there any patterns in the text or the illustrations? Where, in our school, does the story end? Did you find all of the pages? How many were there?

If you can, come into the library and say, “Hi!” to our new Book Monster.

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