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Elementary School

KC Afterschool Activities (September 16-20, 2019)

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KC Afterschool is more than just fun and homework!  Each week students rotate through different activities that are designed to continue their academic and personal development after the traditional school day is over.  These include STEAM, social-emotional growth, creativity, fitness, environmental studies and much more!

Here are some highlights of this week’s activities:

Kindergarten

Fall Painting (Art Adventures)

Students will be painting images related to Fall to welcome the new season. At the end of a busy day of learning, art and creativity nurture well-being and assist learners in creating connections between subjects and improving fine motor skills.

Math Fun! (STEAM)

In this age appropriate Math activity, students will be introduced to the concept of doubling and halving using egg trays.  Students will also practice teamwork and speaking skills by delivering presentations as a group about their math problem-solving process while providing feedback to their peers.

Environmental Friday!

This week students will learn about sustainability and resource usage through Dr. Seuss’s The Lorax.  Students will learn about general themes in the story related to big business (Onclers) and how they impact the natural resources in the land of the Lorax.

1st-2nd Grades

All About Me Jigsaw Puzzle (Social-Emotional Learning)

Students will create their own jigsaw puzzles that are centered around themselves. They will write about their own characteristics on each piece of the puzzle and present their finished work to the group. This activity helps students to gain confidence in public speaking and helps everyone to get to know each other.

Clean the Planet Art Project (Environmental Studies)

Students will learn about how our actions impact the Earth. They will learn about different ways they can contribute to help clean up our planet by focusing on implementing an effective recycling system. Students will learn what materials should be in each recycling bin so that they can successfully participate and help others.

3rd-5th Grades

Salt Painting (Art Adventures)

Students will be creating their own paint and using it to make beautiful textured, 3D masterpieces.  Students will see how science and art come together to create amazing artwork.

Water Color Painting (Art Adventures)

We’ll switch paint mediums and students will be using water colors to create their own paintings.  Water color painting is a great form of self-expression and outlet for creativity. 

KC Afterschool Activities (September 9-13, 2019)

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KC Afterschool is more than just fun and homework!  Each week students rotate through different activities that are designed to continue their academic and personal development after the traditional school day is over. These include STEAM, social-emotional growth, creativity, fitness, environmental studies and much more!

Here are some highlights of this week’s activities:

Kindergarten

Yoga (Fitness)

Students will learn age appropriate yoga poses to promote calmness and flexibility.

4 Square Practice (Fitness)

Students love to play 4 Square, but it’s also a great way to improve coordination, agility, and practice sportsmanship.

1st-2nd Grades

Partner Interviews (Social-Emotional Learning)

Students will interview classmates in order to learn more about each other while practicing their presentation and communication skills.

“Get to Know Me” Group Game (Social-Emotional Learning)

Students will play a game designed to share personal characteristics of themselves in order to get to know their classmates and improve communication and public speaking skills.

Clean the Planet Art Project (Environmental Studies)

Students will learn about how our actions impact the Earth. They will learn about different ways they can contribute to help clean up our planet by focusing on implementing an effective recycling system. Students will learn what materials should be in each recycling bin so that they can successfully participate and help others.

3rd-5th Grades

Positivity Flowers  (Social-Emotional Learning)

Each student will create a paper flower and write on each petal something that they like about themselves.  This gives students the platform to proudly share their positive attributes in a way that is not bragging, but self-appreciation.  Students will then have the opportunity to write on each other’s flowers, learning how to support/lift each other in more ways than just “I like you” or “you’re cool.”  Giving and receiving compliments helps boost confidence and build relationships.

Partner Interviews (Social-Emotional Learning)

Students will interview classmates in order to learn more about each other while practicing their presentation and communication skills.

Environmental Friday!

The topics of this week’s Environmental Friday are flower pollination, ecosystem roles, life cycle of bees, and endangered species.  Students will be learning the academic vocabulary term “symbiotic relationships” and learning through hands on activities to simulate the process of pollination.

Spotlight: Kids Connection’s 30th Anniversary

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Spotlight: Kids Connection’s 30th Anniversary

 

In September 1988, Kids Connection opened in the big two story stone building that is now home to our preschool. The name Kids Connection was used for the preschool because our school is about connections – connection between the students and teachers, between the faculty and the families, and the connection between our school and the community at large.

In September 1989, we opened our kindergarten with a huge waiting list. Our preschool parents had been asking to add the kindergarten, because they responded very well to our mission statement of taking the best parts of many educational philosophies and blending them together, from which developed our 4 pillars:

  1. the safe, secure, loving environment provided by our school
  2. the strong academic program that encourages lifelong learning
  3. the emphasis on character development that helps children learn to be quality individuals and ethical leaders
  4. the importance of the partnership between parents and teachers in these endeavors

Each year, when our students graduated from kindergarten, the parents would ask us to expand to a full elementary school grades kindergarten to fifth. However, we had no space.

Eventually, the Winery Restaurant located next to the preschool came up for sale. In 1995, we moved into the restaurant that had been converted to a school. We grew very quickly adding one grade at a time.

It was now necessary to add a new addition to the building. The new addition housed three new classrooms upstairs, three new classrooms downstairs, and our lobbies and offices. The ribbon cutting ceremony was in 1998. Now our elementary school was complete.

Over the last three decades we have graduated students who are exceptionally well prepared academically, but also those who are also engaging and caring individuals with a quest for learning and with a desire to contribute to our world. This is a priceless gift that we give to our students. Our graduates have gone on to graduate from the finest universities in the country. They return for our reunions to recount their successes, and we are very proud of all of them.

At Kids Connection, we believe that the purpose of education is not just to teach, but to inspire – to not just instruct our students about what is already known, but to inspire them to discover what is not yet known. This has been our creative inspiration for the last thirty years, and this is the inspiration that will fuel the very future of our society. As we reflect back on an exceptional 30 years, we are so proud of what we, and most importantly our students, have accomplished. We are filled with hope and excitement as we look into the future about how our vision will continue to grow for the next 30!

Spotlight: Brandon Liu (1st Grade) – Award Winning Pianist

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Brandon Liu
brandon_performance

Brandon Liu is in the 1st grade in Kids Connection. In February 2018, Brandon competed in the United States Open Music Competition (USOMC). The USOMC was founded in 1992 and is an extremely comprehensive piano competition that both challenges and rewards students of all ages. Brandon took first place (gold medal) and third place (bronze medal) with his two piano pieces! This is the second year that Brandon attended, also winning a gold medal in 2017.

Brandon started playing piano just two years earlier, when he was five. He loves music. Piano is considered a foundation instrument which allows the musician to more easily segue into other instruments. This is the first instrument which Brandon learned and loves. He loves the accomplishment of learning a new piece and tries to tell the story of its history, culture and emotion through his playing.

Brandon likes challenges and is very competitive.  He has taken private lessons from the start and tries to improve himself daily by practicing for a minimum of 45 minutes.  Brandon participates in international music competitions (USOMC) and takes piano exams through the United Kingdom’s largest world leading music education body ABRSM (Associate Board of the Royal Schools of Music).  The competitions motivate him to work hard on his piano skills.

Even though practicing piano takes long hours and a lot of dedication, Brandon is still very advanced in academics, with help from Mrs. Barbi, Mrs. Robinette, Mrs. James and all of the teachers from Kids Connection. They have showed him how fun learning can be and he gets to connect his history and geography knowledge to the music that he plays. He also tries to link the stories and emotions in the books that he reads to the piano pieces that he plays. Kids Connection helped Brandon to grow into a self-motivated, curious and confident child, who understands that accomplishment in academics, music, and life can only come from hard work.

Albert Einstein said that “Life is like a piano, what you get out of it depends on how you play it.” Brandon has just started his journey in music and has a lifelong path in front of him.

brandon_practice
brandon_stage 1

Kids Connection Open House (Thursday, February 15, 2018)

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Open House is a spectacular night when Kids Connection opens the doors to families and friends of our students. All are welcome to enjoy the display of projects, assignments, and art born from the curriculum of each classroom. Students are very eager for their families to see their work and meet their teachers. There are no formal teacher presentations at Open House. Likewise, this is not an opportunity to have a private discussion about your child’s academic performance with his/her teacher. Open House is about enjoying the fruits of the students’ labor. All classrooms are open, and we encourage families to visit each one.

Kids Connection Information Night (Thursday, Jan 18, 2018)

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Kids Connection Elementary opens its doors to prospective and current families for Kids Connection Information Night. This is a parents only event where each grade will present their program so that parents can meet their child’s future teachers and also get a formal presentation about what to expect and what to be excited about in the year ahead! This is a good opportunity to ask questions and learn how our program continues to grow with each new grade.

Next Information Night
Thursday January 18, 2018
7:00pm
A parents only presentation

We hope to see you at our Information Night, but if not, please contact us to find out more about us or to schedule a tour.

Alumna Spotlight: Misha Tsukerman

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Misha Tsukerman, one of Mrs. Marcum’s former kindergarten students, has made national news. Mrs. Marcum lovingly called Misha “Mishasaurus” because of his profound love of dinosaurs. Misha started a campaign to get California an official state dinosaur. Gov. Brown recently signed AB1540 into law, designating Augustynolophus morisi as our state dinosaur.

California already has a state flower (the poppy), a state reptile (the desert tortoise), and a state fossil (the saber-toothed cat). Now because of Misha, we have a state dinosaur. Way to go, Mishasaurus! Here’s a link to the story: http://www.scpr.org/news/2017/09/23/75943/california-has-an-official-state-dinosaur/

Ice Cream Social

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The Kids Connection Parent Teacher Connection (PTC) sponsored an ice cream social on Sunday, October 1st to welcome everyone back to school.  The KC community came together and enjoyed ice cream and good times during the last few days of warm summer weather. Thank you to everyone who attended and for our PTC members for their hard work!

Spotlight: Tessa Sundar & Liana Jennings (3rd Grade) – Taekwondo Black Belts

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Tessa & Liana with their 1st degree Taekwondo black belts at the Black Belt Ceremony (3/17)
Tessa & Liana with their 1st degree Taekwondo black belts at the Black Belt Ceremony (3/17)

Tessa Sundar and Liana Jennings are best friends and classmates in the 3rd grade at Kids Connection.  In January of 2017 these friends underwent a very rigorous 24-hour overnight test that involved sparring, Judo, cardio & conditioning, team building exercises, and an overnight stay at the Gold Medal Martial Arts Studio.  They were awakened at 3:30am to demonstrate their traditional and weapons forms in front of family and friends.  Both girls bested their challenges and demonstrations and were awarded their 1st degree black belts in Taekwondo!  Liana was the youngest that year to obtain her black belt at age seven with Tessa obtaining hers at the equally impressive age of eight!

Liana in Mighty Monkeys @ 3yo with her “mean” look.

Liana started Taekwondo when she was three years old in the Mighty Monkeys program that is geared towards toddlers to prepare them for the standard belt levels.  She successfully earned her Mighty Monkeys black belt and was able to start at the standard yellow belt level at age four.  In 2014, Liana invited Tessa to a Bring Your Friend event at the studio.  Tessa enjoyed the kicking and board breaking during the event and thus started her Taekwondo journey.

Both students work hard and practice their forms and techniques during Taekwondo classes and also on their own.  

Tessa and Liana both credit Kids Connection with helping them to excel at Taekwondo.

Tessa Sundar

Tessa Sundar

“Kids Connection has helped me to stay focused and pay attention to detail in my schoolwork.  This has helped me improve on my forms by breaking them down into small steps and working on the details in each step.”

Liana Jennings

Liana Jennings

“Kids Connection challenges me and that makes me want to challenge myself in other activities.  By challenging myself, I accomplish more than I ever thought I could.  KC taught me how to clear my mind and focus on what I’m doing!  I want to get my 2nd degree black belt, and I’ll be proud that I worked hard to get it.”

We are very proud of Tessa and Liana and wish them luck on obtaining their 2nd degree black belts in January 2018!

Tessa & Liana
Tessa & Liana

Kids Connection Connects

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In conjunction with our Educating the Heart Program, KC students are involved in Hurricane Victim Relief.  Each class is collecting monetary donations that will be sent to “Hand In Hand: A Benefit for Hurricane Relief” to help those affected by the recent hurricanes.  Our goal is to have 100% participation among our students.

The fundraiser starts on Friday, September 15, 2017 and will conclude one week later on Friday, September 22, 2017.

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