Students are gearing up for the Speech Festival that will take place this month.
The Speech Festival is a wonderful opportunity for students to exhibit their mastery of the art of oratory. Students are learning how to effectively convey their ideas to others—a skill which will continue to serve them well throughout life.
Kindergarten students choose poetry selections learned in class, and students in first through fourth grade recite poems of their choice. Fifth graders choose speeches or speech excerpts from literature or history. Middle schoolers write and present their original speeches.
Eighth-grade students will submit their Anthem essays to teachers this month. They also may choose to submit their essays to the Anthem Essay Contest. Instructions for this contest were provided in an email in February. This contest is sponsored by the Ayn Rand Institute and will challenge students’ critical thinking and composition skills. Anthem tells the story of what the world would look like if collectivism were taken to its logical conclusion—all innovation and progress has stopped and even the word “I” has ceased to exist. Winners will be announced in the fall!
Challenger School will be administering the Iowa Assessments standardized tests to students in the coming weeks.
Our students have a history of performing very well on nationally normed standardized tests. We are confident that this year’s results will be impressive, too.
Tips for Test Days
Below is a list of things your child can do to be more focused and alert on test days.
In anticipation of next month’s American History Tour, parents of eighth grade students who will be touring are encouraged to attend an informational meeting on March 26 that will detail important travel instructions. This year, students will be visiting historic sites in Boston, Philadelphia, Virginia, and Washington D.C.
In concurrence with St. Patrick’s Day, Challenger preschool students will learn about Irish folklore during the month of March.
Midterm grades for students in first through eighth grade will be available to view in PowerSchool later this month.
There are no midterm notices provided for preschool or kindergarten students, but there will be progress updates at the end of the semester.
Please make arrangements for your child’s care during Spring Break. Region dates are:
For those who need it for their tax returns, Challenger’s tax ID is 47-1405971.