Hip Hip Hooray for the Specials Teachers!

At Fredericksburg Academy, our students not only get to have two classroom teachers, but they also get to have SIX specials teachers that instruct the children in each of his/her specialized area. How lucky we are that we get to learn from the experts in Art, Music, Physical Education, Spanish, Library and STEAM.

In Music, Mr. Santulli can be seen working with the children on rhythm, beat and tempo oftentimes, with instruments in hand. They are almost always singing, dancing or moving their bodies to the rhythm and beat!

In STEAM, Mrs. Larochelle helps the children to use their imaginations to build or construct amazing creations. Here some of the children are learning about slope. What seems like a big concept to them is merely discovery through play…JK’s favorite way to learn!

In Library class, Ms. Atkins chooses books that provide an extension of learning from our classroom themes. They also learn how to be attentive and respectful to the reader, raise their hands to share ideas, and wait until the end of the story to ask questions. They are also learning about the jobs of authors and illustrations and how to turn pages in a book. With that, Ms. Atkins is modeling left to right progression as well as top to bottom. The children are always talking about the great stories their have heard when they return from Library class. They also cannot wait until they too will become a reader!

During our P.E. class, Mrs. Wimble has the best games and activities to help the children move their bodies. Helping the children to work on gross motor skills is Mrs. Wimble’s specialty. Getting some exercise is just what we need to start the day off right!

In Spanish, Senora Higgs knows just what to do to help her students to learn the language of Spanish. Anytime you enter her classroom, you will see her leading a song, dancing or acting out a Spanish story to help her students learn vocabulary and conversational Spanish. We always have a blast in Senora’s class!

In Art, Mrs. Gath has so many fun ways for the children to express themselves creatively with all sorts of tools. One day they may be using crayons and another it might be tempera paint sticks. Yet another day, the children may be outside using chalk to make drawings on the sidewalk. Taking learning outside the walls of our classroom is a goal for all the teachers at FA. Learning in an outdoor setting is a fun way to learn and engage with nature!

Speaking of learning outside, during our Rainbow Week, we made our way out to the Playscape to create a very special project called rainbow lightning. Using food coloring, watercolor paper and a spray bottle filled with water, we were able to create a cool picture. It was really fun to watch the colors streak down the page!