SLIDESHOW: Passport to Learning at Stapleton Elementary

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Over the summer, Stapleton Elementary student Mia Homann traveled to the Pacific northwest. She learned to dig for clams. She learned about butter clams and how they are bigger than New England clams. After collecting a bucket of clams with her aunt, she created an Oregon-style clam chowder.

Homann’s project was one of 50 projects displayed at the first-ever Stapleton Elementary School Passport to Learning Expo last Thursday.

Over the summer, students entering grades K-5 traveled learned about all seven continents through a new program created by literacy coach Michelle Biasella and math coach Julie Gelardi.

Students who participated were asked to choose one literacy and one STEM (Science, technology, engineering or math) activity for each continent, explained Biasella.

Students recorded their activities in a “passport” log, in which their parents signed, and submitted to the school. Students who had their “passport stamped in all seven continents” were invited to participate in the expo on Thursday.

Some students created power point presentations about their travels over the summer, others created games and puzzles to share at the expo.

Activities were designed for students in grades K-2 and 3-5. For example, a students in a lower grade could draw a flag from a country, while an older student could create a game using landmarks and historical sites.

Some students created historical landmark using recyclable materials, others created word searches.

“We wanted to encourage students to learn about cultures from around the world,” said Gelardi, who said the idea came about after a multi-cultural night held at the school was discontinued.

The Expo was a way to bring families together to share their experiences and their cultural foods. Families brought in their favorite meal from their heritage, along with foods they learned about over the summer.

Bringing families together was another goal of the program, said Gelardi.

Superintendent of Schools Stacy Scott and Chief Academic Officer Sonia Diaz both attended the Expo.

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Originally posted on Sept. 13. Updated for Wednesday newsletter. Updated again to fix category.