On Thursday afternoon, Armstrong participated in a soft-lockdown drill. During a real soft lockdown, students would be kept from doing any outside activities, but the school routine would continue as normal. An administrator or law enforcement agent would stand outside the only unlocked door (the front door) and verify identification of anyone entering the building. Mr. Goebel took that honor for us on Thursday afternoon. Parents would be ...
Jump for Heart
We have precisely one week remaining in the Jump for Heart charitable fundraiser. The money raised from this drive goes to help those suffering from heart disease, and the fundraiser helps raise awareness among our students about the importance of leading a healthy life and staying active. The Armstrong Jump Rope Club is a great example of this! Students who collect donations can have their parents sign a “voucher coupon” pledging the ...
Community Council Meeting
Community Councils play a very significant role in improving student achievement in each local school. By sharing their unique perspectives and expertise, parents, teachers and administrators have a wonderful opportunity to address the critical academic needs of the school. The charge to analyze data, identify needs, set goals and align resources—and then report back on progress– establishes Community Councils as providing front-line ...
Lego League
Congratulations to the Electric Eagles for their first-place finish in this weekend's Lego League tournament! An additional congratulations goes out to the Eagle Engineers for their second-place finish in the Robot Games. Go Eagles! ...
Parking Lot Reminders
The start of 2014 is a great opportunity for a review of the parking and drop-off/pick-up expectations. I want to say a huge thank you to the Armstrong patrons for helping this run as smoothly as possible and for helping us improve constantly. We’ve settled into a rhythm of having everyone on their way within fifteen minutes of the final bell and often it’s as quick as twelve minutes. To help the process go even smoother, here are a few ...
Armstrong Reading Blast Off
Starting in February, 2014, Armstrong Academy students can participate in the Armstrong Reading Blast Off. Students can select a book series of their choice from the list on the Armstrong website (it will populate throughout the month of January), get the corresponding bookmark for that book series from the library (or print it off from this website), and read the entire book series from beginning to end. For each book series students check off, ...
Back At It!
School resumed this week to get 2014 off on the right foot. It’s fun to see so many students and teachers come back well rested and with smiles on their faces. I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday! Returning after the New Year, we face one of the most effective stretches of our school year. With routines firmly established, now is a powerful time for some of the most worthwhile student growth of the school year. We encourage students ...
Holiday Music Showcase on Video
In case you missed it (or just want to see it again), here are the video recordings of each song at the Armstrong Holiday Music Showcase. Enjoy! Kindergarten: [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWLhTORprqM&w=560&h=315] 1st Grade: [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=336vqtPohvw&w=560&h=315] 2nd Grade: [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-qTE8H0hZk&w=560&h=315] 3rd Grade: [youtube ...
Mr. Howe Got Ran Over By a Reindeer
Mr. Howe got ran over by a reindeer, Walking home from Armstrong Christmas eve. You can say there's no such thing as Santa, But as for me and 5th grade, we believe. He’d been drinking too much root beer, And we'd begged him not to go. He forgot to bring his ipad, And he staggered out the door into the snow. When they found him Christmas morning, At the scene of the attack. He had hoof prints on his forehead, And incriminating Claus ...
Updates
As mentioned before, the winter recess is a pivotal benchmark in a school year. That’s all the more the case on this, the first year of Neil Armstrong Academy. As such, I’d like to take a moment to reflect upon status updates of what’s been accomplished in the first (almost) half of the school year: The building is completed—yahoo! We’re even learning how to take it for a spin through the winter months. Armstrong has up and running the ...
