Our Lovely Classroom

Please note the following changes in activities.  These changes have also been made to our end-of-year calendar found here : Trip/Fundraising meeting: February 28th, 5-6pm We will still hold a meeting for camp surf chaperones at 5pm and will talk about the Luau fundraiser at 5:30.  We sent a childcare form last week that should be returned.  We hope to see everyone there!  Also, please note that the transition meeting has been rescheduled for May 17th. Science Fair: Wednesday, March 21st, 9-11am Our students have been working hard on so many projects, that we are moving our presentations to the following week, after Spring Break.  Our new date for science fair is Wednesday, March 21 in the morning.  Our Pi day celebration the week before will still take place as scheduled.

We just wanted to remind you of the many activities coming right up to celebrate Love of Reading Week, Arizona Statehood day, and Chinese New Year.  Please read below for more details: Tomorrow, Tuesday, February 13, Our class will meet with a rising Arizona author after recess. If your child forgot to preorder a signed book, they may be able to purchase a copy that morning for just $6.  Wednesday, February 14, We will have a small Valentine's celebration at the end of the day for those who would like to participate. Students may give valentines and/or treats to all class members and they make a bag in class for their valentines.  Thursday, February 15, We will be celebrating Arizona Statehood with a trip to the superstition springs museum. Please make sure your child brings a water bottle and packs a disposable lunch. We will leave at 9am and return to school before 2:30.  Friday, February 16, We will have our Panda Express Fundraiser on Ch...

We hope to see everyone at our Camp Surf Meeting this Thursday, from 5:30-6 pm.  We are so close to meeting our fundraising goal for the chartered buses and now is the time to plan the next steps ahead.  Most everyone has returned their childcare forms that were sent home last week.  We hope to get a final total of participants and chaperones this week.  If you are unable to attend the meeting, but have questions or would like to chaperone, please let us know as soon as possible so we can make sure you have the necessary paperwork.  Also, please remember that we need a total of $300 in payments or tax credit donations submitted by April 15th in order to cover the cost of the camp itself.  We are open to hosting more fundraisers if needed and will discuss further options at the meeting. Superstition Mountain Museum We sent home permission slips for our trip to the Lost Dutchman Museum, on February 15th, the day after Arizona Statehood Day.  We ar...

We have enjoyed getting back to work with your children after the holidays. We are so excited about the activities we have planned for Upper Elementary during school hours and also a few excursions outside the classroom. We are approaching the busy part of the school year, where testing, fundraising, and field trips converge and we want to make sure you are aware of all the approaching dates and activities. We hope to see everyone at our parent night, where we will talk about all the details of our upcoming trip to Camp Surf. Please keep checking your email for further details about each carefully planned activity. We are thrilled to take part in so many unique learning opportunities! Important Dates January 17: Field trip to symphony hall January 30: upper Elementary meeting, tutoring canceled February 13: In-class Author presentation at MEC February 1: Big trip parent meeting 5:30 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. childcare provided February 15: Arizona Statehood activiti...

Tomorrow morning, we will be attending the Phoenix Symphony performance, entitled: Perspectives and Reflections.  This concert covers history and language standards as it explores the origins of various European military marches and how many of these later became music for graduations or a symbol of patriotism on this side of the world.  We will be taking the light rail to Symphony Hall and will eat lunch at Civic Space Park, near the venue.  Please make sure your child arrives early and prepared with a backpack packed with a lunch, water bottle, snack, and things to do on the train, including a book or notebook and pencil. We would like all students in room 102 to arrive at our school at 8:00 in the morning and go directly to our classroom so that we have time to take attendance and give last minute instructions. We will not charge students for childcare since they will be in our room, however siblings in other classes will be charged if they arrive early.  We...

We apologize for  the delay in sending this link out to everyone.  Our sixth graders have planned a busy spirit week, as you can see by the flyer they created for everyone to take home. One of the activities they chose was to make gingerbread houses. We ask if everyone can bring in needed items such as, graham crackers, frosting, or even old Halloween candy. The gingerbread house decorating will be tomorrow,  December 20,2017.  If we don't get enough supplies, we can postpone it until Thursday.  Please click on the link to specify what your child will be bringing, to ensure that we have a good balance of supplies.  If you have any questions, please let us know! https://signup.com/client/ invitation2/secure/2163377/ false?popup=true#/invitation Our Christmas shop fundraiser is going very well, and new items continue to be added.  Thanks for your support of all of our children's fundraising efforts to pay for all aspects of our big trip to Camp Surf! ...

We are noticing this year that several of our newer students have had a hard time gathering sufficient sources on their topics.  Sometimes, a difficult or obscure group was selected, while others simply lack enough background knowledge in certain subjects related to history and geography to be able to fluidly and deeply explore their chosen civilization.  We encouraged all of our students to watch videos over the weekend from reliable sources such as BBC, PBS, National Geographic, Nova, Khan Academy, etc.  We also recommend taking a look at reliable youtube channels (crashcourse, CGPgrey, veratasium, etc) Watching such presentations will help students gain the background information needed to fluidly discuss their topic during the wax museum.   We do not want students to read from their reports, but to be well-versed enough to look at their board and discuss the concepts they have studied with visitors, using their own words.  While we have had several...