Our Lovely Classroom

Science camp was a lot of fun last week.  We were able to learn a lot in a more hands on way and it was especially wonderful to be in nature and work directly in their field as scientists.  Now it is time for our science fair!   Over the last couple weeks, we have been reading about other scientists and discussing possible topics for our science fair.  Most students are working in pairs and have already formulated their research questions and are starting on the other elements of their research and experiments.  We have given each student a helpful guidebook so that they are able to proceed in an orderly fashion through each step.  Feel free to go over the guide with your child if he or she has any questions.   Please remember the following guidelines: Just as with our other research projects, we would like parents to only provide help indirectly through suggestions, conversations and trips to help gather needed supplies.  Trips to the libr...

Don’t Forget to return your re-enrollment forms to the office Wednesday, as the deadline is January 26, which is the second day of camp. It appears that we will have a long wait-list for the next year and I would hate for anyone to miss that window. Also, we are still missing a couple medication forms that students requested for medication taken at home. Your child’s homework on Monday and Tuesday is to pack and prepare for Camp.  We will print out an additional packing list on Monday as well. Packing: Please make sure your child has packed everything on the packing list, (plus some extra socks and pants for the cold weather) and that everything is stored in a compact container that is completely sealed.  Don’t forget a flashlight and also have your child label everything with their name.  Students may bring a disposable camera, or other camera with permission, but no other electronics.  Students must wear pants and shoes during all camp activities and t...

Thanks to all who attended our meeting last night.  We have enjoyed meeting some of our new parents.  Here is a copy of the handout from the meeting that includes a rough sketch of our plan for next school year: Transition to Upper Elementary Adjustments from 3 rd to 4 th grade Developmental:  During the ages of 9-12, children do more work on their own without the use of materials.  For many children, the passage to abstraction is complete.  Lessons will still feature sensorial introductions with the materials to connect previous learning with the pencil and paper work required in grades 4-6.  Students who are above or below grade level will still receive individual and small group lessons tailored to their unique needs.  At the 6 th grade level, students take a greater leadership role with capstone experiences. Grade level expectations:  After third grade, the amount of subject matter that students are required to master expone...

Thank you to those who have returned their permission slips promptly.  We hope to hear from the rest soon.  We emailed the packing list for the camp as well as a handbook for the chaperones today.  We will have another meeting on the 18th that will have information for our parents of next year's 4th graders at the beginning as well as more information about all our big trips, including the 6th grade trip at the end.   We are so excited about the many experiential learning activities we have been able to offer this year and so grateful for those who have helped us make all these opportunities possible. Additionally, this week we have been doing various activities with probability.  We have encouraged everyone to play some of their favorite face card games and see if they do a little better now that they understand a little more about how knowledge of probability can help with winning strategies.    Thanks again for your support at home and feel free...

Here are the remaining dates for the activities remaining in the rest of the year.  There are no changes from the original dates in the welcome letter, unless we get a last minute memo from the state, changing our testing window.  We hope everyone has had a restful break and we look forward to beginning our year with a focus on science, starting with a visit from a field biologist on Monday and finishing with our science camp. January 18                  Moving up/Big trip parent meeting 5:00  p.m. – 6:30 p.m. January 25-27  ​ Science  C amp (cost $86, Tax credit donation money can be used) February 9  ​ Science Fair 5 :00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. March 10  ​ Pi Day Activities and Celebration March 27  ​ AzMERIT  for the next 2 weeks (tentative  date ) April 10-12   ​ Trip to Camp Sky Y ( date  subject to change if test  dates  change) April 28 or May 4  ​ Sprin...