Archer Street School's third and fourth grade Project Challenge students recently participated in an exciting hands-on program called Biz World. Biz World is a real-world simulation of a business where students work together to design, manufacture, market, and sell a product as they learn what it takes to run a business. Students participate in all aspects of the business process in order to learn financial education.

Giraffes are popping up everywhere in Archer Street School after every teacher received from principal, Mrs Lein, their May Book of the Month, Giraffes Can't Dance. Each second grade classroom has a different themed giraffe displayed outside of their classroom to celebrate the culmination of their most recent enrichment push-in lesson on giraffes. Lessons included focus on choral reading, rhyme, math, patterns, and facts. During weekly push-in lessons, second grade students are introduced to challenging vocabulary in order to help them develop language skills through reading, writing and speaking. Weekly lessons are created as extensions of curriculum, modules, or topics of student interest.

Each giraffe displayed measures approximately 2.5 meters tall and was created and decorated by the Project Challenge teacher, Ms LaCorte. The giraffes' unique designs were reflective of individual classroom lessons. Unfortunately, this will be the last year of Project Challenge pull-out services and second grade push-in enrichment services for all elementary students in schools K-4 due to budget cuts.

The students created friendship bracelets which were given away at Freeport's Peace March on Saturday, May 4, 2013

The hit of Archer Street School’s Open House on Thursday, March 24 was the school’s newly erected 2011 Portraits of Peace mural designed by art teacher of 33 years, Mrs. Joyce Elias. Mrs. Elias wove together hundreds of staff and student self portraits into a massive Archer community masterpiece. Using the background colors of individual portraits, Mrs. Elias, created an abstract peace symbol for all to discover. Teachers have utilized the work of art and made it the focus of numerous math and ELA lessons.

Throughout the day students as well as visitors can be seen marveling at the mural trying to identify familiar faces of classmates and staff. Visit Archer Street School and experience this work of art first hand. Come and see how many Archer community faces you can identify in the masterpiece.

Many thanks go out to our very talented art teacher, Mrs. Elias, for this magnificent display.