We Are Excited for Quarter 2...Welcome Back!

Hello families! Welcome back from our two-week intersession. We are so happy to see all of our little faces excited and ready to learn. Wow, we had an exciting month. We ended our first marking period, enjoyed speaking with parents about student progress during conferences, and participated in a successful DaVinci day and night. Our students worked very hard creating their portfolios to share with their parents in student-led conferences - way to go! They carefully selected the first-quarter work they felt most proud to share. This demonstrates how much growth they've shown in just 9 weeks.

Here are a few pics from DaVinci day and night. This includes the completion of our "giving tree." Thank you to the parents who spent weeks assisting our students to create the tree. They are very proud.

The Giving Tree

Oobleck - Is it a liquid or a solid?

In Quarter 1 Science we explored the concepts of motion, matter and magnets through inquiry and scientific-based methods. We applied our learning during project days to create recycled toys - this was a hit with the students. This quarter we will be focusing on earth patterns, cycles and change, where we will investigate and understand that weather and seasonal changes affect plants, animals, and their surroundings. We will also investigate and understand that plants produce oxygen and food, are a source of useful products, and provide benefits in nature. Enjoy pictures of our air pressure experiments from this week. This includes creating our own parachutes.

Experimenting

Air Pressure and Compressed Air

 

In Quarter 1 Social Studies we participated in real-life social situations that taught and reinforced citizenship, community, goods and services, natural, capital and human resources, and making choices to solve economic problems. This quarter we will continue to develop map skills, including locating the United States on world maps, locating the regions of Native Americans on United States maps and understanding the relationship between the environment and the Native American culture. We will also locate the equator, the seven continents, the five oceans on maps and globes, and selected rivers.

We are very pleased at the success of our Language Arts and Math blocks. With the assistance of our specialists, this change has allowed us to more effectively differentiate instruction within a narrower range of learners, and lessen class sizes. Thank you, families, for your flexibility as we continue to individualize instruction to meet every student's needs.

Our first field trip to Wayside Farm, where your child will be immersed in fun STEM-based activities is quickly approaching. Look for pictures next week. This field trip is based on the Virginia Science Standards. What a fun way to use fall themes to teach hands-on science concepts. Thank you to the parents who volunteered to chaperone. Your time is appreciated! 

Also, thank you for continuing to send in snacks and classroom materials. We are truly grateful to have the best, most supportive parents.

Cheers!

The Green Team