Week of April 19, 2021

 This week was full of surprises, including the indecisive weather! We made the most of our school's spirit week and began learning test-taking strategies for the upcoming SBAC tests in May. My hope is to prepare all students as much as possible so when the real test comes around they will feel confident in their abilities to navigate this online assessment series. 

Here are a few pictures from our week:

When our wood pile falls down, we are quick to work together to set it back up!

Learning about various geometric shapes this week, their attributes, and how to describe them using new math vocabulary. 

By the end of the week, we were able to get back outside and enjoy our forest classroom!

Week of April 5th, 2021

 Hi there!

What a wonderful week we had leading up to our Spring Break! We spent more time in the forest which is always a wonderful this. As the weather continues to improve we will continue to increase our time outside. 

During our ELA block, this week students engaged in a forest egg hunt, searching for sight words, nouns, as well as metaphors and similies. Even with the bright orange and pink eggs, the forest proved to be a fantastic hiding place. Students also completed forest journals each morning when in the woods. It was wonderful to see just how much their descriptive writing has improved since the beginning of the school year. I hope you take a moment to read through your child's work when they bring it home on Monday. 

During our Math time, students completed a fraction pizza project. It was wonderful to see everyone's creative side come out when building their unique pizzas. Students worked with fractions to build their pizzas, customizing toppings according to the fractions they choose. At the end of the week, each student presented their pizza creation to the class. As students have more opportunities for public speaking, they are proving to be more confident in themselves and the material they present. Thank you to everyone who helped their child with their homework this week. I could tell how invested they were in their project as a result. Hopefully, you were able to see your child's finish project they brought home last Friday. I know a few kiddos were hoping to get real pizza for all of their hard work. 

With the temperatures continuing to climb, students are more eager to get back to the brook while continuing to play in the field. It is certainly tick season again so be sure to spray your kiddo before they head off to school. Wearing tall socks, tight pants, and hair tied-up are all great preventative measures to keep the ticks away. Daily tick checks at home are strongly recommended. 

Here are some pictures from the week:

ELA egg hunt

Spanish class was held in the forest this week

Although our maple season is over, some of our trees were still running hard last week!

Pizza planning

Adding the sauce!

On Wednesdays, we were pink in support of Mrs. West's battle against breast cancer!

Pizza presentations to the class

Week of March 30, 2021

 This week was filled with science, writing, STAR testing, and outdoor exploration. We were pulled into our next science unit this week, Invisible Forces. Students learned about the pushes and pulls (force) of the world. Students worked together to test out various forces against bridges, sliders, and magnetic doors. In writing, students continue to work on building a stronger paragraph, including detail and transition sentences. Three times a year we complete the STAR assessment. This computerized testing system assesses students in math and reading. I am very impressed with how hard each student worked on these (not-so-fun) assessments. Saving the best for last, we also enjoyed our Pancake Party this week to celebrate the sap we boiled last week! What a tasty treat to have in the middle of the week! Huge thank you to Mr. Fraser for making it all possible. 

In the woods this week we had a roller coaster of weather. We began the week with a small snow flurry, followed by a few 60 degree days, and ended the week with wind chills in the lower teens! Many of us had hoped the warmer weather was here to stay, but nature played a pretty good April Fools trick on us. As always, we adjusted our schedule to accommodate the weather and we were still able to enjoy much of our time learning and playing outside. 

Here are some questions to spark conversation:

1. What is force? Give me some examples of pushes and pulls around us

2. How can a magnet attract other items? How can magnets repel other items?

3. What type of materials are magnetic?

4. What happens if you attach a paper clip to a magnet?

5. What strategies did you use to stay focused and do your best during the STAR tests?

6. What changes have you noticed in the woods lately?

Here are some pictures from the week:

No bridge...

New bridge! 

Pancake parties are the best!