Eden Hall Upper Elementary

Definitions of Activities

Biomes: The academic areas of the building are divided into Biomes (aquatics, desert, forest and grasslands). Fourth grade classrooms are always in the front of the building. Fifth and six grade classrooms are located in the back of the building. A biome is also referred to as a neighborhood.

Family Forum Nights: The school sponsors three different family forum nights for parents and students to attend. A presentation on Study Skills (4^th grade), Internet/Cell Phone Safety (4-6 grades), and Highly Addictive Drug Program (5^th Grade) are presented. Students and parents in any grade are strongly encouraged to attend the meetings.

Family Fun Nights: During the second semester, family fun nights are schedule for grades three, four, and five. Fourth Grade – Bunco and Ice Cream, Fifth Grade - Survive the Biomes. Third graders are invited for Pizza and Bingo as part of the transition activities to Eden Hall.

Fourth Grade Camp-In Experience: This is a new activity for the 2009-2010 school year. Incoming fourth grade students have the opportunity to spend the night in the school for team building activities led by the staff and teachers; with independent parent volunteers staying the night. Students will have the option to not stay overnight but can participate in the Friday night activities.

Friday Flash: Eden Hall uses the bi-weekly Friday Flash to communicate school and PTO information to all parents. Grade level special announcements are sent on an as-needed basis throughout the year. If, you already receive the primary Friday Flash, you do not need to sign-up for the Eden Hall Flash, you will receive it automatically. New families will need to register for the Flash. If you are not registered for the primary Flash, please go to your elementary school’s home page and register by typing your email address in the box titled “Enter your email address to register for Friday Flash”. Please ensure you “check off” the current grade for your child.

Grandparents/Grandfriends Day: This event occurs in October and allows grandparents to visit the school and see the students’ classrooms and teachers. For the sixth graders a special lunch is prepared so that grandparents may stay and experience lunch with their grandchild and their friends.

Guided Tours: Parent volunteers will guide students and parents through the building identifying specific areas; e-mail invitations will be sent in the beginning of August with specific classroom times.

Homeroom Coordinators: Parents may volunteer to be a homeroom coordinator for their classroom. Homeroom coordinators will help with Box Top Collections, Teacher gift collections, Field Day Balloons; as well as securing volunteers to help the teacher when needed. Volunteers are accepted in the fall.

Meet the Teacher: Parents will meet the homeroom teacher in the classroom at the beginning of the school year. The teacher will discuss their expectations, curriculum, and classroom activities for the students. Parents will also meet the team teacher and talk about their expectation, curriculum and classroom activities as well. Parent-Teacher conference time sign-up is held during Meet the Teacher activities.

New Family Orientation: This takes place in August and is for new families to the school district. Volunteers are used on an “as-needed” basis.

Open House: Open House occurs in the spring and is designed to showcase the student’s yearlong work in all subject matters. The students guide their parents throughout the building to show their work.

Parent/Teacher Conferences: Parent will sign up for a time (Nov 13^th or 14^th) to meet with their child’s homeroom teacher to talk about the student performance. Sign-up sheets for selecting a conference time are available during Meet the Teacher meetings. Parents have the ability to contact the child’s teachers and schedule a conference anytime throughout the school year, as needed.

School Store: Eden Hall has a school store that sixth grade students manage. The store is open one day a week during lunch periods. Profits from the school store help offset the sixth grade student celebration at the end of the year. Parent volunteers help manage the store.

Sixth Grade Celebration: This is an after school activity for our sixth graders to celebrate their time at Eden Hall before moving on to the Middle School. This is a low-key event that provides fun, music and food for the sixth students from 3:30-6:30 p.m. at Eden Hall.

Spirit Days- Eden Hall celebrates theme spirit days the fourth Friday of each month. The theme of the day is announced in the Friday Flash and on EH-TV.

Student Celebrations: Celebrations occur throughout the school year for students to have a special activity or event. Students enjoy a Hoe Down, Seasons of Celebration Sing-A-Long, and Jump-A-thon. The parents assist with these activities.

Teacher/Staff Appreciation: Several times a year the PTO sponsors staff appreciation events. Parents will be asked to donate food items or bring a flower to school on specific day. Events include the Welcome Back Breakfast-August, Desert Appreciation-December, Bring a Flower to School Day-May, and Luncheon May.

Teacher/Staff Directory: A directory that provides information on classroom teachers and teams, pictures of staff members are included to help students with identification of their teacher.