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Sari Alperstein - Parent, Fort Garrison Elementary

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Sari Alperstein is a mom of three active boys.  Two of her children have already graduated from Fort Garrison Elementary School.  Her youngest son, Evan, is currently in Mrs. Kilmer's third grade class. Sari was PTA President at the school during the 2012-13 school year.  She also was the 5th grade fundraising chair for both Ryan's class and her son, Aidan's, class.  She successfully held fundraisers in an effort to host an end of the year ceremony and celebration for the 5th grades.  She has also been the school's plant sale chairperson for the past three years.  As an active PTA member, Sari is excited about the opportunity to be Fort Garrison's representative for the Lighthouse School Journey updates.


February
The Lighthouse Journey continues on a smooth ride at Ft. Garrison Elementary School.  I recently had the opportunity to observe students in both a third grade math class and first grade reading class.  The devices were used with great ease by the third graders during math.  The students were actually using several different apps on their devices to help reinforce the multiplication factors they were learning.   This was indeed a “fun” way for the students to practice multiplication as well as use their devices.  I was curious to see how our first graders were coming along with their devices at FGES.  Boy, I was impressed!  I think its incredible to be a first grade student and understand how to navigate a school lesson on one’s device. The students were learning about bees and what makes them unique.  The first graders enjoyed watching a video on bees and answering relevant questions to the day’s lesson on their device as well as on paper.  I observed first graders helping other students with their devices which was so impressive to see.  No matter the grade level at FGES, it is evident that the students and staff are truly enjoying having this technology at their fingertips.

November
It is hard to believe the school year is almost half way through!  It seems like just yesterday the K-3rd grade students at Fort Garrison Elementary were becoming familiar with their devices and welcoming the opportunity to use them in their classrooms.  My son, Evan, has truly enjoyed using his device in the classroom these past several months.  The devices have allowed him the opportunity to become more engaged and enthusiastic towards classroom assignments.  The technology skills that he has learned thus far are priceless.  It amazes me how quickly he navigates his way on the device following the teacher's instructions closely allowing him to work effectively on the lessons of the day.  I enjoy watching him help others in the classroom who may need assistance getting to where he or she needs to be.  I am excited to see where the second half of the year's Lighthouse journey will take Evan and his classmates.  It is an incredible opportunity for these young students and, as a parent, I could not be happier that my child is part of this incredible voyage at such a young age.

October
I believe the Lighthouse program is off to a good start at Fort Garrison Elementary School.  As a parent, I feel it’s incredibly exciting to see the technology that is now available to students in grades 1-3 at the school.  I find it fascinating that these young students are so “tech savvy” already and it is only 8 weeks into the school year.  It is wonderful to be able to introduce technology to students at such a young age and watch their skills level advance as they grow older.  I’ve had the opportunity to observe the devices in use with students in the 3rd grade.  Students in Language Arts class were given the choice to use their device for reading or read from the text book.  I would say that 95% of the class opts to choose their device for their reading lessons.  I believe using the devices helps to make learning for the students more exciting.  I must be honest and say that I do see areas for improvement; however, this is to be expected when rolling out such an expansive program.  I’m looking forward to observing more lessons throughout this school year and watching the students and faculty at Fort Garrison Elementary School continue to benefit from this incredible program.

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