• Daylight Savings Ends (set clocks back one hour): Nov. 6
• Board Meeting: Nov. 7 - 5:30pm
• PTC Meeting: Nov. 9 - 5:30pm
• Veterans Day - No School: Nov. 11
• Thanksgiving Break: Nov. 21-25

In our second case study, the first graders have been learning about mountains through the lens of geography and geology. Students are becoming experts at identifying the local peaks, using a mnemonic device (Tigers Always Like Jumping Down Cliffs). The Bell Crew has learned to name the mountains visible to us from Truckee— Tinker Knob, Anderson Peak, Mount Lincoln, Mount Judah, Donner Peak, and Castle Peak. Students have studied the contours of the peaks to be able to differentiate them, and they have used their math skills to compare their elevations.

The 7th graders in the Santos Crew challenged the first graders to a campus treasure hunt to introduce the basic elements of maps and map reading. Future fieldwork will include landscape painting "in the field,” a guest lecture by a local land conservation expert, and work with a geology professor from UNR. Our studies serve as an exploration of our guiding question: What is special about our Sierra Nevada Mountains?

Through fieldwork, read-alouds, and music, the Seaborg Crew has been taken back to the mid-1800s. The crew started out the month with an overnight campout at Boca, California, where we took a look at ice harvesting methods and appreciated the alpenglow views that have been enjoyed for thousands of years.

Students bonded over adventure hikes, the full moon, and delicious campout food. On our recent fieldwork to downtown Truckee, students visited three museums with Truckee historians: the Museum of Truckee History, the Old Jail Museum, and the Truckee Railroad Museum. They had clipboards in hand and were on the lookout for some of Truckee’s highlights.

In the classroom, we are diving deeper into historical texts, and the students are particularly interested in the song lyrics from a local musician. By bringing history to life for the students, they will surely remember and understand Truckee’s roots. 

After a great couple of months of fieldwork, and multiple trips to downtown Truckee, students in the Welch Crew are now beginning to work with Ms. Lobo on one of their expedition projects. As a crew, we are learning all about the historical buildings in downtown and the stories that belong to each unique structure.

Ms. Lobo is helping students learn the art of drawing buildings and using depth to create realistic images of a few of the most historic buildings in our town. Students are loving the challenge and listening to feedback to improve their work while revising to make it better.

Each week we learn more and can't wait to share our beautiful artwork with the SELS Community at Celebration of Learning.

We had our second overnight, learning from Tahoe Institute of Natural Science about local birds species and their adaptations. We saw experts in the field, and were inspired by people who turned their love for the outdoors and birds into careers. We experienced bird banding in Blackwood Canyon near Homewood. We were so lucky to see many different bird species up close, and the highlight of the morning was seeing a Northern Flicker Woodpecker.

We then camped at Meeks Bay where we met with local fly fishing experts, had reflection time at sunset, and finished the night with skits from the book Connected Wisdom. After learning how the drought has affected Taylor Creek and the Kokanee Salmon, we made a decision to head out to Sagehen Creek where we found some Kokanee spawning and enjoyed a five-mile hike! 

The Brisbin Crew wrapped up fieldwork season with a trip to Meeks Bay. On the way out, students met with the Tahoe Institute of Natural Science to participate in bird banding. Students learned so much from our experts, and were able to observe five different species of local birds. Students worked with fly fishing guides to learn about the insects that local fish species eat, and they learned how to cast a fly rod.

The following day, students hiked Sagehen Creek and learned about its natural history and observed spawning Kokanee Salmon. Next up for our Bills and Gills Expedition is presenting our biomes slides and posters and creating games based on the life cycles of living organisms. 

The Worster crew worked hard while researching, analyzing and presenting important information about the legacy of ancient Egypt. We have now launched into learning about ancient India in our textbook and our class novel, Aru Shah and the End of Time by Roshani Chockshi. Sprinkled with Indian customs and beliefs, the story follows two young girl "Pandavas" on their hero's journey of self discovery and, of course, saving the world.

One tradition that brings a smile to everyone’s face at SELS is buddy time! The Worster crew put on their mentor hats and shared their love for books and all the reasons why reading as much as possible is good for our mind, body and our future!

The Santos Crew is finishing our first case study about mapping and navigation and started our second case study on the medieval world. As part of this transition, we took a trip to San Francisco where we navigated the city bus system to find famous landmarks, learned about life on board a tall ship, and viewed art from around the world. The students impressed the crew on the ship with their knowledge and engagement in learning maps. The students showed their sense of adventure by climbing the mast!

The Masur crew has been hard at work getting ready to share our progress at conferences! In math, we wrapped up our second inquiry about Order of Operations, and have also been working on writing and simplifying algebraic expressions and equations.

Students have also been reading about social-emotional wellness and conducting workshops for the crew. Topics range from building confidence and self-esteem, to breathing techniques, to dealing with friendship issues.

Our writing work has been closely tied to our Planet Earth Expedition. Students researched theories on different earth science mysteries and wrote argumentative essays about the theory that they think is the strongest.

As we wrap up our It's Dynamic Case Study, students are reflecting on evidence for plate tectonics after teaching lessons on the geoscience processes that form volcanoes, caves, and geothermal features at Mount Lassen.