HILLSBOROUGH: 100th day of school used as teachable moment

   On Feb. 14, Amsterdam Elementary School students and staff celebrated the 100th day of the school year. Kindergarten through 4th grade grades participated in different activities to honor the occasion.
   The 100th-day activities helped students to understand whole number relationships and place value, including grouping in tens and ones, and the base-ten system.
   Ideas of counting by tens and hundreds were demonstrated with visuals and games.Students walked through the center of a large banner announcing the 100th day of school to enter the gym. Posters depicting the number 100 decorated each classroom. Students dressed for the occasion with 100-day eyeglasses; the zeroes of the glasses were heart shaped to celebrate the other holiday celebrated on Feb. 14.
   During morning announcements, staff members sang a rendition of “Don’t Stop Learning” to the tune of Journey’s song, “Don’t Stop Believing.” Precisely at the 100th minute of the school day, 100 pre-selected hula-hooping students dropped everything and swiveled their hips for 100 seconds through the hallways as their classmates cheered.
   During the day, classes also decorated paper hearts with a description of an act of kindness. The school will display 100 of these hearts for visitors.
   The day culminated with an assembly where students watched a video of Amsterdam staffers dancing and singing “Don’t Stop Learning.” A relay race matched teachers against students. Participants had to build the number 100 by tossing pieces of foam into a basketball hoop. With each 10 baskets, the team earned a pool noodle representing the number 10. The winning team was the first to trade in all 10 noodles for 100.
   ”I wanted an activity where children could actually see how and why our base 10 number system works the way it does,” said math teacher Dianne Leoni. “The relay race seemed like a great way to drive home that concept.”