BEF Grant Brings More "Stability" To Learning In Mrs. Olshaw’s Classroom

Mrs. Olshaw’s classroom at Memorial School was recently awarded a grant from the Burlington Education Foundation to purchase Stability Balls for the classroom as a replacement for traditional chairs.

The grant proposal which was created by Mrs. Olshaw and her students had the following goal:
Our goal is to supply each child in the classroom with a stability ball. The use of Stability Balls in the classroom is not a new phenomenon, they are a proven to be a successful tool for decreasing out-of-seat behavior while increasing achievement, engagement, and focus in the classroom. Stability balls also provide a health benefit as well. As posture improves from working the core muscles, calories are burned with the constant movement by the body’s natural kinesthetic energy .

The students in Mrs. Olshaw’s classroom have noticed a difference already and feel that they are more productive in their new “seats.” 

Check out a few more pictures of some of the students below. For more on stability balls in the classroom, check out this link from LiveStrong.

Memorial School Celebrates Mrs. R – VIDEO

It has been a gift to work on the administrative team with Memorial School Principal Karen Rickershauser for the past six years. She is one of the most caring educators that I have ever met and she wears her love for her students, staff, and colleagues on her sleeve. 
I was fortunate to be at Memorial School on the final day of school this past Tuesday when she was recognized by the staff and students with a special send off (check out the video below).  As she heads off to Texas to be closer to her grandson Otto and other family members, I know that I am one of many that will miss her presence (and her hugs).

Field Day Fun For Everyone!

Memorial School Field Day 2013

As we creep ever closer to our summer vacation,  our elementary schools are holding their annual field days. The picture above may be my favorite one as a couple of the adults get into the spirit of spraying each other with water.  Check out Memorial custodian Bob Ganley and third grade teacher Lauren Kippenberger in a show down.

You can see the rest of my pictures from the Memorial Field Day here. 

Congratulations To Our Memorial School Elite Math Team!



On Saturday June 8th,  two teams from Memorial Elementary School traveled to Marlborough Massacusetts to compete in the Elite Math Tournament. This annual tournament is an extension of Math Olympiad for Middle and Elementary Schools.  Each of the teams from Memorial, one fourth grade and one fifth grade, had strong performances in both the individual and team events. 

What a great job they did proudly representing Burlington! Thanks to their teachers Mrs. Olshaw and Mrs. Burns for all of their support!