The third graders were happy to resume a regular schedule this week. Students have been highlighting evidence in two texts about volcanoes and earthquakes. They are learning how to cite a source. They have also been reading Pink and Say by Patricia Polacco and learning about a friendship.

In math, they have been reviewing fractions, learning about mixed numbers, and choosing the best measurement tool. In outdoor education, students got to experience the sweet taste of maple syrup made from the sap they collected! They also got to play a few games using small river stones. We have had inside recess a few times and students enjoyed playing Giant Uno. Everyone had a pretty good week.

Continuing on with our weather unit, the 4th graders have learned about the water cycle, and about the importance of clouds and how they play a big role in predicting the weather. After a read-aloud of the book Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, we watched the movie version for a light-hearted take on the vicissitudes of weather! We then studied clouds in a real-world setting during our outdoor education class with Becky Proulx. The students discovered that clouds are classified in two ways: by their shape and by their altitude.

The photo at left, which was taken on Friday, is of clouds just before a rainstorm. We observed that whenever we see nimbostratus clouds, such as those in the photo, this predicts the arrival of sustained rain event.

In 7th and 8th grade humanities, besides our usual reading and writing, we've been trucking our way through The Odyssey and are now halfway done. The kids have been having a blast with the text, and just produced a book by book (the chapters in The Odyssey are called books) gallery walk of our reading so far.

In 6th grade Social Studies, we've started the process of producing independent research projects. This has meant doing general research on continental biomes, populations, and borders. As we progress, the kids will be narrowing this background research down into a project that focuses on a particular topic.

5th grade social studies has been writing research papers, focusing on things like paragraph and essay structure, research strategies, and citation. The essays are shaping up beautifully and the kids have been working super hard.

The 7th and 8th grade have been working on a writing and equity project for both math and science class. Using part of the book Hidden Figures, they are analyzing and will then answer question prompts in a short writing piece. Thankfully, Joey Hawkins is helping me guide the project. The students are using much of the knowledge from previous years. I am also learning a great deal!

In Art class we have spent time reflecting on who we are, including making portraits inspired by ourselves and others. We also have been exploring how art can depict emotional expressions.

Students continue to explore the tactile experience of sculpture , learning about texture and form making.