IRS Spelling Bee

The annual Scripps Spelling Bee takes place in the hopes of "inspiring the exploration of words, illuminating pathways to lifelong curiosity, and celebrating academic achievement. Every year, students from all walks of life have the opportunity to participate in the Scripps National Spelling Bee program. They progress from classroom to cafeteria, from auditorium to civic center, just as millions of other students have done before them." https://spellingbee.com/about

The IRS Spelling Bee was hosted in the IRS library this year. We had a champion from every classroom participate in the schoolwide Spelling Bee. Our judges consisted of Mrs. Fryer (Reading Specialist, Spelling Bee Coordinator), Ms. Hollander (Library Media Specialist), and Mrs. Meltzer (Reading Specialist).

Thanks to Seth Marrotte and the AV Club, the entire school was able to cheer on our participants as they watched via a livestream.

It was an especially fierce competition this year. Our final two contenders were a close matchup, but August ended up besting Cosette at the end. Both our winner, August, and runner-up, Cosette, have won an online subscription to Encyclopedia Britannica. August will also move on to the next level of the competition. We wish him the best of luck in representing IRS!

The Great Kindness Challenge

IRS celebrated the Great Kindness Challenge during the week of January 22-26, 2024, which is a week devoted to performing as many acts of kindness as possible. It is a proactive and positive initiative that improves the school climate. Our students were challenged to complete a checklist of kind acts to earn a prize at the library. We also turned the week into a spirit week with kindness-themed dress up days. For more information about the Great Kindness Challenge and how it originated, please click here.

Social Media Game

How challenging is it to make social media safer? A new educational game allows players to give it a try and set content rules for a fictional site.

Learn more here or click the link below to try at home.

https://trustandsafety.fun/

Digital Citizenship: 11 Social Media Red Flags Parents Should Know About

The article "11 Social Media Red Flags Parents Should Know About" from Common Sense Media outlines key warning signs for parents to be aware of regarding children's social media activity. The red flags include issues such as excessive screen time, secretive behavior, cyberbullying, sharing inappropriate content, engaging with strangers, changes in behavior, and more. The article emphasizes the importance of open communication between parents and children, setting clear guidelines, and staying informed about the platforms and apps kids use. Overall, the goal is to help parents identify potential risks and promote a safe and responsible use of social media among their children.

Click here to access the full article.

**NEW** Sora Magazines Are Here!

Maybe you've already heard, but Sora now offers magazines! With over 280 titles and new magazines being added all the time, students have a lot more to be excited about when they open Sora. The best part is, magazine issues are always available and don't count against student checkout limits. Most magazines have 3 years of issues (and some even have 4 years). So, what will you read first? The Ultimate Guide to Taylor Swift? Sports Illustrated Kids? Fortnite? Food Network?

HOW TO ACCESS SORA

Step 1: Install the Sora app from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store, or go to https://soraapp.com/library/nhssdcnh.

Step 2: In Sora, find your school. Use the "Sign in with Google" option using your @mvrsd.org account.

Step 3: Browse the Explore tab and borrow a book. Your book will open so you can start reading right away.

Step 4: Close the book and go to "shelf" to see all your books. From there, you can:

• Select Open book or Open audiobook to read or listen to the book.
• Select Options to renew or return the book, see your notes and highlights, and more.

Digital Portfolios

This year, students at IRS will begin working on a digital portfolio. In NH, K-8 students are required to develop and complete a digital portfolio of work in all content areas, which is to be assessed for ICT Literacy.

Some students in Grade 7 previewed the portfolio and began working to add an artifact. The rollout of this will continue in all grades in the months to follow.

Educational Technology and Digital Literacy

Hour of Code

Our hour of code was a huge success! All students in grades 5 & 6 participated, and many 7th and 8th graders joined the fun too. The winner of the Amazon Future Engineer water bottle is: Dominic, 8th grade.

Students were able to get creative and code with AI (Artificial Intelligence). I was very proud of the work they completed. Though the celebration is over, students are encouraged to keep coding all year long!

Visit code.org for more coding opportunities.