Welcome Back to School!

Welcome Back to 2015-2016 School Year!

Wow!  It has been a busy start back to school!  The students have been setteling in to their new space in the 2-8, with their new SLC (Smaller Learning Community) B.  We have been working on how to S.O.A.R (Self control, Operate Safely, Act Responsibly, and Respect myself and others) in our classroom, our new learning facility, the playground, etc.  We have also completed a few team challenges (the first one, students were asking to quit!).  We have discussed what it means to be a part of a team, how we should handle ourselves during any challenge that would be presented to us in our daily lives.  Additionally, we have also completed several activities on simply, following directions-hopefully, your child shared these activities with you tonight!  

The last two nights, I have asked the students to prepare an All About Me Page...however, the trick was to use equations to communicate their facts. For example, I shared that I have 2 children.  Instead of simply stating that I have 2 children, I could write this using an equation:

4 x 5 - 3 x 6 = the number of children I have.  

This was a great way to see what the students are familiar with in math!  I also suggested, to make sure they were on the right track, to share these equations with a family member!

Finally, we completed a challenge in class today to Save Fred the Worm.  Fred (gummie worm) and his boat (a paper cup) got caught in a terrible storm.  Fred's boat tipped over and trapped his life preserver (gummie life saver) under the boat.  The students were then provided with 4 paper clips.  The object was to get the life preserver on Fred and the students could only use the paper clips to touch Fred, the life preserver, and the boat.  They also could not hurt (poke Fred with the paper clips!) Fred.  The students were partnered with students that I chose, and in the end, they were shaking hands, saying good job, etc.  They really worked well on this group challenge.  

 

Next up...we are going to job in to multiplication and division facts  for math, and working on an edible car challenge in science.  Thank you to all of our families who contributed to our edible cars!!  I will post pictures when they are created!

DARE DRUNK GOGGLES!

Today was a very powerful day in our final DARE class. Officer Kelly brought in goggles that simulate what it looks like through the eyes of someone who has been drinking. 

The students enjoyed some laughs, however, Officer Kelly shared an extremely powerful video of one of his personal friends who was hit by a drunk driver. Please ask your kids about the details from class today. 

Eyeballs!!!!

3rd Time WAS the charm!!!

After many reschedules due to weather, etc. we FINALLY got to dissect the cow eye!!!  The students partnered up and worked together to dissect the cow eye.  While they read directions on how to dissect, students needed to identify the various parts of the eye (cornea, lens, pupil, iris, retina).  The pupil was the most challenging part to find, as many students were looking for an actual part while dissection (it is literally just a hole within the iris!).  Thank you to all of the parent volunteers that came in to help us make this day successful!  It will be a great memory for all!

Below are some pictures taken by one of our terrific parents!

Cold Days!!!

Updates!!!!

What a crazy week!!! Only 1 day of class?!?!?! Due to all of our missed days, we are going to reschedule our eyeball dissection.  We are going to dissect on Tuesday of next week!  REMEMBER- if you haven't turned in your permission slip, please do so on Monday!

If you are board today or this weekend, try to beat me by completing the typing contest!  I typed 61 words per minute!  Also, visit any of the testing sites that I have put up on Schoology to get you prepared for our tests that are coming up!

Enjoy your long weekend!

Eyeball Dissection on Friday...

Eyeball Dissection on Friday and Enrichment Activity

On Friday, February 20th, the student's will be dissecting a cow eyeball in class.  We have been studying the eye, how it works, and it's different parts.  We will take it to a real-world level and actually dissect the a cow eyeball during science class.  Our goal will be to locate the various parts that we have learned in class.

Students who complete the enrichment activity below will have the opportunity to earn an A on their reflection that they will write after their dissection.

·        By Thursday, February 19th, using your home computer, smartphone, library, etc., I would like you to visit the website: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVka_eojVnM&safe=active

·        When you visit the site, I would like you to follow the directions on the site.  View the various parts of the human eye and read what their functions are.

·        Once you have viewed the parts of the eye, begin the interactive eye dissection.

·        When completed, I would like you to log on to Schoology and send me a message explaining something new that you learned while you were visiting this site.

Science Fair!!!!

Science Fair!!!

The presentations are complete, the scores have been tabulated!!!!  We had a fantastic Saturday morning filled with science!  All of our students did AMAZING!!!!  I couldn't be more proud of them and what they have learned through this process.  We have a few students moving on to the next round and when you see these individuals, be sure to congratulate them:

Colin, Aaron, and Jack are moving on as a team of 3

and

Mithuna is moving on as an individual!

Congrats to EVERYONE!!!!

vLab

vLab

On Friday, the students journeyed out to the 1-8 building to work on technology skills with our technology team.  The students were really excited to be in out new building.  I had students that asked me, "How much does it cost to be in this building?" We explained to the students that there is no cost to be in this building! 

The students were working on an example language arts PARCC test.  They were focusing on the various tools that students should become familiar with during this test.  We did not focus on the actual content, as this will be their focus the next couple of weeks of class leading up to the test.  

Students will have vLab every other Monday for the remainder of the school year.  The focus of vLab during the next month, will be the skills needed to work through their state tests.  After that, students will learn other important technology skills and programs that will assist them at home and at school.