The Wonderful Becky Grady!

Many of you may know All Saints Academy's retired teacher, Mrs. Becky Grady. Becky served in various capacities over her years at ASA, most recently as a part of our Early Childhood team. Following her retirement in June of 2020 she has enjoyed time traveling, building memories with family and friends and caring for her precious grandbabies. Because of her giving nature and love of children, did you know that Becky also spends some of her retirement right here in the Tom Schiller Learning Center? She offers weekly library sessions to the Preschool 3 through Preschool 5 classes– with each class meeting bi-weekly. Boy, are we blessed to have her!

Every Monday morning preschoolers gather with Mrs. Grady on the circle carpet for a quick lesson, a mystery bag activity, and a story. There is always a teaching moment included by this veteran teacher and the students go away enriched and joyful. Post story, students are encouraged to travel the room and choose a book to check out for classroom use—and then to find a quiet place to sit and enjoy their choice! Becky is thoughtful in the literature options she presents to each class, laying books on tables for preschoolers to peruse. Some are thematic, such as seasonal or holiday books. Others are just good reads!

We are so very appreciative of the gift of Becky Grady. It is because of her generosity of spirit that preschoolers are able to visit the library and delve more into the world of great books!

Winter Fun

Through books, discussions, and the power of play, the 4 year old preschool students are learning about the winter season inside since the weather is not cooperating outside. They are learning about hibernation and what a variety of animals do to survive during the winter months. They are discussing polar animals that live in the colder regions. Students are also learning about snow and ice using their imaginations in the sensory area.

Building Snow Characters

Creating One-Of-A-Kind Watercolor Snowflakes

Icebergs & Polar Animals

Ice Skating on the Lake

Playing in the Snow

Rube Goldberg Experiments

Fourth graders explored energy by creating Rube Goldberg experiments. They made a plan and brought in items from home to demonstrate the motion of energy. They were to create a chain reaction experiment where one movement started another movement. They learned the value of patience, teamwork and perseverance.

Here is what 4th graders had to say about their Rube Goldberg experiments:

• "It was fun but it was difficult. Some people forgot their stuff but we got to be with some friends. My favorite part was when we tried to make it hit the dominoes but that didn't work." - Eli
• "It was hard at first. My team and I struggled on the first day a lot. On the second day we had a breakthrough. We almost gave up on the project and quit but we didn't." - Elise
• "It was fun because you can work together and create a cool thing to watch. I hope that we can do it again. Next year I hope the third graders will like it too." - Alexa 
• "We had to retry so many times but like a lot of other people, we did it in the end. To succeed all you have to do is try and try again." -  Alyssa
• "It was fun because we were building it together and having fun with my friends. It was hard because our supplies kept falling and our creation kept messing up. I liked it because we kept learning from our mistakes and it got easier. I hope I can do it again sometime at my house." - Harry
• "It was very hard because many roadblockers were in the way. The difficulties were challenging but we were determined to complete the task on hand. Overall it was fun and I am very proud of our team." - Carter
• "It was really fun. I like it because we had some struggles, but we fixed those struggles and made it especially when we compromised. It's cool seeing other people work together." - Becket
• "It was really fun and my team had a blast! Even though it was hard and we wanted to give up. We tried, tried again and we got it done!" - Natalie

Welcome Mrs. Cooke!

Hello ASA! My name is Megan Cooke, and I'm excited to be joining your team as an Instructional Coach. I've already been receiving a warm welcome (thank you!), and I look forward to meeting more of you.

Our three kids go to Grand Rapids Christian Schools where Miles is in 8th grade, Ramona (Mona) is in 6th, and Penelope (Penny) is in 2nd. As a family we love to camp, ride bikes, play games, and teach tricks to our bunnies Daisy and Rudy.

I graduated from Calvin College focusing on Special Education and Learning Disabilities, and over the past 18 years I have had the pleasure of teaching many grades between PreK and Graduate-level students while also spending time supporting schools and school systems.

ASA is a place where love drives learning and where each child is cared for and known well. That's a place you want to show up to every day. I feel blessed to partner with this community in providing transformative faith-based education, through serving to meet the needs of teachers as they meet the needs of students.