April Parents' Corner

Exploring Science & Social Studies

With such a focus on math and reading, do you find yourself sometimes shoving science and social studies to the side?  I know it can be difficult to fit everything in, but kids LOVE science and social studies!  Here are a couple of websites you can use to let them explore topics from the curriculum or of their own choosing.

Interactive Sites for Education
This website is extremely useful for browsing games and resources in any subject.  It has sections for many subtopics in each subject with preview pictures and links so that you can find just what you are looking for.

BrainPop
BrainPop and BrainPop Jr. are fantastic websites for learning about multiple subjects.  Each skill has an engaging video explaining the concept, accompanied by games, activities, quizzes, jokes, and even lesson plans.

**You cannot log into BrainPop directly.  You must access it via NetTrekker, our educational search engine.  Here are the directions:

1. Go to http://school.nettrekker.com.
2. Enter your PA Cyber username and password.
3. Click on the "Featured" Tab.
4. Choose BrainPop Jr. (for lower elementary grades).
5. A list of BrainPop links will come up.  You can refine your search using the topics in the left-hand column.
6. Once you click on a BrainPop link and are in BrainPop, you can navigate or search anywhere within BrainPop.  (You do not have to keep going back to NetTrekker for every search.)

Important April Dates

April 18 - 21:  SCHOOL CLOSED for Spring Break