A Whirlwind: Spelling Bee, Healthy Vision and more.

I few post ago I mentioned that the crew was considering hosting a parent night to share our learning.  This will not be happening.  The time we have this week is limited and will likely be quite spirited.    

Spelling Bee
We had a class Spelling Bee this past week and are top five spellers are:
1. Paradisio Dante
2. Tiernan Logue
3. Jolie Altman
4. Ellie DeBeer
5. Nick Spooner

The top two spellers will contend in an all school spelling bee in late January. 

Hearing and Vision Testing
On Friday all 5th graders had their hearing and vision tested.  If there is any reason for concern you will be getting a letter in the mail sometime this week. 

Permission Slips
Our Winter Voyage permission slip packet is due this coming Wednesday, December 19. Please look for these forms in an email I forwarded to you this evening. If your child’s health has changed since our last voyage or your child has medication that s/he needs to take, there are more forms to fill out. Please look for them in the email I forwarded.

Officer Lewis 
Officer Lewis will be visiting on Tuesday to discuss Cyber Bullying.  Please ask your kids how the presentation was for them. 

Report Cards
You will receive a hard copy of your child’s first semester report card on Thursday, December 20.

Winter Break Dates
We are IN school next Friday, December 21. However, Renaissance does NOT have school Monday, January 7. Students first day back from Winter Break will be Tuesday, January 8th.

Middle School
Counselors from both Castle Rock Middle School and Mesa Middle School will visit Renaissance in January to meet with our 6th graders. At this time, students will be given instructions on how to register for classes and registration materials to fill out with you.  As soon as I find out when their parent orientations are, I will let you know. You can also check their websites for this information.

If your child will be attending a different Douglas County middle school, please let me know so that I can make sure your child gets registration materials.

Winter Voyage
Fifth grade dates are February 25th-27th with a day of rest on Friday, Feb. 28th.  We will be staying in dorms at Keystone Science School, just down the road from the resort. This is the same place we journeyed to in the fall for our pine beetle study.  Our focus will be: snowshoeing, winter preparedness and survival, snow science and teambuilding.  

Sixth grade dates are February 4th-7th with a day of rest on Friday, Feb. 8th.  We will be staying in cabins in the Cameron Pass area west of Fort Collins. Our focus will be: snowshoeing, winter preparedness and survival, avalanche awareness, snow science, and teambuilding.

I will be accompanying both 5th and 6th grade on voyage.  While I am away there will be a sub at school taking my place.  

Town Hall Style Meeting: Saving Summit County from the Pine Beetle

A few weeks ago the students and I held our own Town Hall style meeting with the purpose of trying to generate solutions that would bring peace to Summit County's struggle to cooperatively manage the pine beetle epidemic.  While our crew was engaging in field work at Keystone Science School they were also provided an opportunity, from KSS staff, to preview how a town hall style meeting may function.  When we returned to REMS, groups of two students, working together as stakeholders with an unique investment in Summit County, began preparing for their own town hall styled meeting.  The research done in the field, classwork focused on both the scientific and the civic aspects and a guest speaker helped students begin to understand the depth and complexity of the Mountain Pine Beetle epidemic.  Using insight gained through multiple perspectives the students came prepared to their town hall styled meeting, ready to defend and compromise.  It was truly a wonderful event to mediate.  You each would be quite proud of your child's commitment.  Below are a few photos from the event, video clips and the students agreed upon solutions. 

Crews agreed upon solutions Summit County Pine Beetle Epidemic. 

• Thin dying trees from town and forest which would aid in fire danger, safety and beauty.
• Private homeowners and land owners agreed to pay modest tax increase to cover removal of trees from their land.  
• Biomass company gets dead/cut trees for turning into pellets and usable lumber.  Company also agrees to assist town in tree mulching, for free, if job is small scale.  If job is larger scale company will either rent equipment to town or contract with town to fulfill large scale job. 
• Control Burn:  Near township, neighborhoods, high traffic outdoor recreation areas, ski resorts: Only w/ manageable access and low out-of-control-fire risk.  Any fires that present higher risk stakeholders must approve Control Fire.  All burns must be discussed with stakeholders that are effected, or maybe effected before burn.  
• Diverse native trees must be planted in place of thinning and clearing.  Specifically in areas dependent on forest for income (ex. in and near townships, outdoor recreation areas). 
• In certain cases were trees have been removed, mulch or  some bio material must be spread to replace nutrients decaying trees would have provided. 
• Spraying for Pine Beetle:  Spray should be used minimally and only if needed.  
• Spraying on Public Land needs the approval of all stakeholders potentially effected; area considered for spraying must be surveyed and noted to establish a baseline for future scientific monitoring.  Land agreed to be sprayed must be monitored for plant, animal, water and human threats.  Township and Forest service will pay for this service.  Spraying on Private lands (ex. ski resorts) does not need the approval of potential stakeholders threatened.  However, Private land owners must have land surveyed by multiple sources (one determined by private landowner, one determined by forest service) before spraying. These services are paid for by private land owner.  If wildlife, water quality or human welfare is effected in anyway negatively, private landowner is responsible.  This includes areas outside private landowners boundaries, as well as river health down stream from area being sprayed. 

Puppets, Rocks and Crew

STORIES WITH STRUCTURE

This past week the crew and I spent a quality amount of time focusing on plot elements and how there used to create stories.  The kids paired up, mapped out their stories, established characters and wrote a short script.  The students were expected to use dialog to establish introduction/ exposition and the plot.  The final piece was a puppet show recorded on the computers, iphone, ipads or iOther's, imported into iMovie (edited if time was avail) and shared with the crew.  We watched a few last week, and they are FUN!  This coming week we will form short story book clubs, begin writing short stories and delve deeper into plot and theme.  

Using iMovie to edit.

Practicing lines before capturing footage

After presentation students share constructive feedback with the story makers.

Post puppet show students review peer assessments and write a reflection, focusing on strengths, weakness and areas they will improve and how they will improve them.  The hardest part to write about is how it felt to be assessed by peers. 

Making some time to read short stories.

THE ROCK CYCLE

This week we also began Case Study #3: Rocks, Raku and You.   This will be are third and final case study in our Why Does it Matter expedition (see notes under Expedition tab).   During this case study students will be working with Ms. Pam (art) to explore certain parts of the rock cycle.  Ms. Pam is able to simulate some of the rock cycle using glaze's and the kiln.   In class we will explore how, and where, energy and matter can be found in the cycle, as well as how does this cycle connect to the other cycles of our world.  

 

 Pre-Thought Experiment

Jeremiah, Tiernan, a couple pre-thought questions and a giant erasure.

THE LOST TOOTH
 

This was the third tooth to pop out in a day (not all Camden's).  I'd completely forgot 5th graders are still loosing teeth.  Surprises me every time.

Crew News: 12/2

Expedition News  
Last week we finished up are recent science expedition case study, “You Got A Problem With Me?”, a study focused on the Mountain Pine Beetle epidemic in Summit County.  We examined the beetle epidemic through two lenses: The first was through the perspective of the scientists and the next lens was through the perspective of a local "stakeholder", such as the private land owner, environmentalist and biomass company operator.  

Students preparing to defend their stakeholder role--for the Town Hall Meeting.

 This all appears to be important information.

 Some time we learn best when we're squeezed into expanding our minds. 

There is a possiblity our crew will be hosting a Community Education Night regarding “The Mountain Pine Beetle Epidemic in Summit County, Colorado”.  Stay tuned for more info. 

 Writer’s and Reader’s Workshop
This past week we began a short story genre study.  During workshops we identifying story/plot elements in two short stories and how dialog is used to establish plot and convey ideas that support main idea. This week kids will continue to apply what they know of story elements to the creation of a puppet show. Working in groups of two, students are responsible for structuring a story using setting, character, introduction/exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution.  Each group will record their performance and share their creation with crew for peer review.  We will continue our short story study right up to break, making time to apply understanding to writing a short story, and then if time is available we will return to our puppet shows to identify areas in performance that need more focus; we'll have to make time.


Y.E.S.S.
Officer Lewis did not make it this past Thursday, 11/29.  We'll try again this week.   Below is an email sent out to parents last week explaining Officer Lewis' ed. program. 

Starting this Thursday Officer Lewis, from the Douglas County Police Department will be visiting our classroom.  He will deliver the Youth Education and Safety in Schools (YESS) curriculum.  He will be speaking about bullying this week, cyber safety the following week, and gateway drugs in two weeks. The teachers that have already had a visit from Officer Lewis feel that the topics are age appropriate and potentially good preparation for students moving on to middle school.  However, depending on how much you you have talked about these issues at home, some of the topics might be upsetting to 9 to 12-year-olds. Please speak to your child about what they have been learning during their sessions with Officer Lewis about and see if they have any additional questions or concerns.


Holiday Party 
The date, time and over-all plans for this event have not yet been decided.  What is certain is that we will be having a party and a secret Santa gift exchange.   In all likelihood the gift exchange requirement is that the gift cost nothing--this will not include cookie baking or gift making supplies.