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An abundance of learning took place at the Brickyard last Tuesday. It was the second meeting of JA Book Buddies, a pairing of sixth graders and first graders. Book Buddies is one of JA’s many intentional occasions for students across grades to learn from one another.
In preparation for Martin Luther King Jr. Day, students in each of Jackson Academy’s divisions learned from the remarkable Civil Rights leader’s life last Friday, which fell on King’s actual birth date. King’s passion to achieve equality through nonviolent protest significantly furthered the cause of justice for minorities, spearheading much of the work to desegregate American life and culture in the 50s and 60s. Through age-appropriate activities, JA teachers encouraged their students to use the long weekend to contemplate the foundation that King laid and how they will contribute to a world of justice and equality for everyone. In this article, we feature a single project from each academic division.
On Thankful Thursday, third and fourth graders reflect on the people and things they feel grateful for. They write their thoughts in gratitude journals, and on some Thursdays, they write their thoughts in letters to the people they are thankful for. “Ms. Love has started doing Thankful Thursday each week during her morning message to the Lower School,” Fourth Grade Teacher Abbie Cox explained. “In conjunction with this, many teachers have discussed being thankful more in depth on Thursdays in their morning meeting. Now more than ever, it is so important to recognize the many blessings we have been given.”
Yesterday, JA fourth graders looked at their math classrooms from a new perspective. Rulers in hand, they searched out items to measure, learning the length of desks, books, and even floor tiles as they studied measurement.
At JA, our fourth graders do math a little differently. Around 2005, Head of the Lower School Sarah Love heard of another school that had started dividing boys and girls into same-sex classes for mathematics. Love began doing research on her own and implemented gender-based math classes in 2006.
JA brightens up the season each year with a “Merry JA Christmas Carpool,” this year held Thursday, December 10. Special friends such as Elsa, Ana, and the Grinch, as well as Mr. and Mrs. Claus, delighted students during their morning arrival.
The fourth grade presented the annual My Mississippi program last Friday to an audience of family members. The students sang and recited information about Mississippi’s geography, music, industry, agriculture, and famous citizens. The program was the first to be held by the Lower School this fall and set a precedent of excellence in planning and execution.
Last Friday, students in K3 through fourth grade took turns visiting the Brickyard to participate in the annual JA Carnival. Volunteers from the Jackson Academy Association, JA’s parent organization, had transformed the area from a field of competition to a field of celebration, with traditional carnival games ready for all to enjoy! Members of the JAA planned and prepared for months to provide a carnival like no other this year, resulting in a fun, memorable success.
Same concepts, new style. That’s what our kindergarten through fourth-grade students discovered in their math classes when they returned to school last week.
The Lower School end of year drive-through Friday at Jackson Academy was a shining example of how JA teachers love teaching and cherish their students. The evidence was on the faces of teachers and students as they shared all the affection possible while maintaining social distancing.
Spring break was one hour away as third graders made their way into the activities building to watch three teams compete in the final round of the third grade coding competition. Lower School STEM Teacher Cliff Powers welcomed family members who joined the audience of students and described the rules of the competition before announcing the beginning of the race for first place.