Dunedin Academy

We sure do love when farm friends come to visit! A little side La La Limbo going down, Gaga ball, a water balloon battle tossed in, and some fun learning make for a grand day!

UNplugged game club yesterday was AMAZING! We had some new friends who got to join in and The instructors Matthew & Shawn Parker once again brought a new, fun strategy game they introduced that some of the students could not get enough of!!!!
The time flew by and when it was over, I caught a game of sharks & minnows being played outside on the play yard!!!!

Thank you to Matthew, Shawn & Grace Parker for volunteering your time and coming up with this idea and investing so much into the children to really make a positive difference and being such great role models to them!!!
Letting them know how important it is to have quality social and learning time WITHOUT ELECTRONIC DEPENDENCE!!!!

Thank you to the parents that are always so supportive always!!!

I’ve had several requests to try to switch the day to accommodate more friends, I will send out an email to everyone next week to work on that!!!

A great day today, Instructors Matthew & Shawn Parker, who many of the children refer to as The Parker twins came in to give a lesson focused on both literary analysis and personal reflection, helping students grow not only in academic skill but also in thoughtful decision-making.

For the language arts portion, they studied one of Aesop’s Fables, using it as a foundation to introduce and reinforce key literary concepts. Some of the students worked through identifying:

Personification
Similes and metaphors
Vocabulary in context

They also completed matching exercises and short essay responses to strengthen comprehension and critical thinking. The goal was to help students move beyond simply reading a story, and instead begin to analyze how and why a story communicates its message.

In addition to literary skills, they incorporated an activity to encourage deeper thinking. Building on a previous lesson about the Founding Fathers and the principles they stood for, they posed the question:

“What is something in your life that you believe is worth standing up for?”

The Parker’s really clarified that this did not mean physical conflict, but rather something they would defend, uphold, or remain committed to, even when challenged.

This was to stem the thought about the importance of forming personal convictions. In a world where students are constantly influenced by media, technology, and outside voices, it is essential that they begin to:

Think independently
Evaluate what they hear and see
Develop their own grounded beliefs

The aim is to guide students toward becoming thoughtful, discerning individuals, not simply repeating what they are told, but understanding why they believe what they believe.

After that, they demonstrated to the eager middle school students how to make some home made guacamole from scratch, and of course they all got to enjoy it together!
They shared with them, how you can enjoy it with things other than chips too! They brought in some sliced organic apples, cucumbers and carrots for dipping, along with some salsa!

As I walked out today, I was greeted with hugs and genuine “thank yous” from a few students. I want you all to know, those moments, never go unnoticed.

Days like this remind me how fortunate we are to have a community filled with people who truly care; educators, families, and mentors who invest in our students in meaningful ways.

As both a principal and a parent, I’m especially grateful this evening ❤️

Celebrating the joy and light that children bring today and every day🎈

Elementary Parents Grades 2-6 Please Check Your Emails!

I’ve sent details about a FREE after-school opportunity called Unplugged Game Club.

As many of you know, I’m passionate about screen-free childhood, real learning, and face-to-face connection — and this program reflects exactly that.

Unplugged Game Club was suggested and designed by the Parker twins, and we are incredibly fortunate that Teacher Matthew Parker and Teacher Shawn Parker are volunteering their time to lead it. (Yes, I’m biased — and also very grateful. 😊)

This purposeful, screen-free board game experience is designed to strengthen:
-Critical thinking and strategy
-Problem-solving and decision-making
-Focus, patience, and self-regulation
-Face-to-face communication, eye contact, and respectful interaction

Board games are not “just play.”
They require children to think ahead, follow rules, manage frustration, communicate clearly, and interact respectfully. Foundational skills for both academic success and life beyond the classroom.

No screens. No electronics. By design.

Research consistently shows that excessive screen use is linked to decreased attention span and reduced social skills, while screen-free activities like board games support executive function, emotional regulation, language development, and cooperative play.

This is about using our brains, connecting with others, and engaging fully in the real world.

The club is led by Teacher Matthew Parker and Teacher Shawn Parker, certified educators who are generously volunteering their time to offer this experience free of charge. I’ll also be there and am truly looking forward to seeing students learning, laughing, and connecting through screen-free play.

-Elementary parents please check your email for details and RSVP.

This program is educational, intentional, and unplugged — by design.

Mrs. Parker