My apologies

Hello Crow Wing Families, 

I have been working with kids this week to prepare for our storytelling work following break.  We have listened to stories from the Moth Story Hour and have discussed how the storyteller develops mood, conflict, and empathy.  I have screened stories ahead of time and found stories that relate to childhood.  I have also found edited for radio versions when needed.  However, today I clicked the wrong link and accidentally played a story with profanity in it.  I apologized to students, told them my error, and moved on.  I apologize to you as well - it is never my intention to present inappropriate material in our community.  I will be doubly careful in the future. 

Best, 

Cate

--

https://crowwingriverclass.blogspot.com/

Upper Elementary Winter Break Homework - Due January 3, 2018

Upper Elementary Winter Break Homework - Due January 3, 2018

Name: __________________________________

Please choose at least 10 of the following activities to do over break.  Check off the activities you completed.  Be prepared to tell a story about at least one of your activities.  You do not need to write anything down other than checking off your activities, simply be prepared to tell a great story!

o  Build a blanket fort and read a book in it

o   Go sledding

o   Bake a treat for a neighbor

o   Try a science experiment

o   Read aloud to someone

o   Take a nature walk

o   Visit a museum

o   Volunteer your time

o   Write a letter to a friend or family member and mail it

o   Sweep or vacuum a room of your home

o   Put on a play with friends or siblings

o   Make a snow sculpture

o   Teach someone a new game or craft

o   Do the dishes after a meal

o   Learn to make a new recipe

o   Tell a good story to your family

o   Go ice skating

o   Visit the Como Conservatory

o   Make popcorn and cranberry strings

o   Observe a bird feeder

o   Shovel someone’s walkway

o   Make a meal for your family

o   Learn a new origami pattern

o   Sing with a group of people

o   Knit or crochet a gift for someone

o   Memorize a poem

o   Paint a winter scene

o   Write a story

o   Listen to a story from a grandparent’s childhood

o   Create a math game

o   Graph some data you collected

o  Go on an adventure

o  Take a night hike with an adult

o  Perform a song, play, or dance for an audience

Update 12/19/17

Hello Crow Wing Families, 

We will be off campus tomorrow morning with our students (Wednesday, 12/20) from 9:00-11:30am.  We are taking a walking trip to the Como Woodlands school forest.  We'll work on species identification and observation.  

We are not conducting individual conferences this week with students.  We are focusing on late work check ins and supporting students in getting themselves caught up before break.  If you regularly check your child's conferencing document, you'll notice we aren't updating it this week, but your child should be clear on what they have to complete this week.  We will resume goal-focused conferences after break.

We will have a Read In Friday, December 22nd.  Students that are caught up on work can bring in pillows, blankets, extra books, and read!  Students that have work to complete will get extra support in catching up.

We are in need of Kleenex and paper towels!  We went through our order of paper products much faster than we have in previous years and are hoping to supplement with donations.  Please consider sending in a roll of paper towels or box of tissues to support cold and flu season!

Please help your children label their winter gear.  We're struggling to keep belongings organized and return forgotten items to their owners.  It helps us a great deal if names are written on tags inside clothing. 

Have a lovely winter break with your families!  We are looking forward to starting new projects and doing good work in the new year!

Thank you for your ongoing support!

Andrea and Cate

Update 12/11/17

Hello Crow Wing Families, 

Our Geography Fair is this Wednesday!  Please stop in between 2 and 3pm if you are able to see students' work.  If you have the time to circulate among multiple classrooms, our students would love the opportunity to present their work to as many families as possible.  When you arrive, please come to the south door to be let in.  When you leave, you make take your student with you if you choose, or can have them head home their usual way.  Please do not park in the parent pick up line.  You may park on the south side of Energy Lane or in the Bandana Square parking lot.  

We will have books for sale at the Geography Fair to support the Upper El Montessori Model United Nations trip.  Books are $0.50 each!

If you are wondering how your student is doing, what work they may have late, or what goals they are pursuing, please check in on your student's conferencing document.  Either Andrea or I shared a google doc with you early in the fall - we update that document each time we conference with your child.  If you have questions, please ask!

Our next Critter Cash Sale is this Friday!  We will be in the adolescent building selling baked goods and crafts from 3:15-4pm.  Please consider donating brownies, bars, cookies, or some other treat.  Families are welcome to stop in and purchase food or craft items!

We will have a Read In Friday, December 22.  We invite students that are caught up on work to bring in pillows, blankets, extra books, comfy clothes or pajamas, and read all morning.  We use the time as guides to support students that have late assignments in getting caught up.  

Please let us know if your child won't be in school next week - we've heard from a few children that they will be traveling towards the end of the week.  It helps us plan our time better if we know how many students we'll be missing.  If you plan to take your child out of school for a week or more, please support them in taking pictures of your adventures and preparing a speech to give when they return.  

Homework this week will focus on helping students get caught up on missing assignments.  Each child will receive a homework reminder listing any essays they are missing.  Essay assignments may be found on our classroom blog.  

Things we're working on this week:

- Final preparations for the Geography Fair

- Square Numbers, PEMDAS, Percents, Fractions, or Area of a Circle

- 4th graders are designing their own tricksters and prewriting their trickster tales, studying density, and learning about synonyms and antonyms

- 5th graders are retelling creation stories from around the world, studying types of soil, and learning about verbal nouns and adjectives

- 6th graders are wrapping up their study of indigenous science, examining glacial erosion and soil formation, and furthering their study of native languages around the world

Thank you for your ongoing support (and for food scraps for the bunny)!

Upper Elementary Homework Due 12/19/17 - Catch Up Week

Many students have missing homework essays.  Please use this week to catch up on things you’ve neglected to turn in this fall.  If you have no late homework, please enjoy this week homework free and consider using your extra time to write a story, send a letter, or do something kind for another person.

Student Name:

Here is a reminder of the essays you have yet to turn in:

(Please see the hard copy your child received from their guide for this information or email for more details)

You can find essays on our classroom blog:

https://crowwingriverclass.blogspot.com/

Please check with a guide if you have questions.  

Critter Cash Sale 12/15

Dear UE Families,

The last Critter Cash Committee bake sale was a great success, and we are hoping to keep our pets healthy and well-fed over the winter with another sale. Also, we have added some new pets to our UE critter family: two guinea pigs in Little Elk!

This sale will be held Friday, December 15th, from 3:15-4:00pm in the Adolescent building (exact location TBA). If you would like to attend, we ask that you please pick your child up as usual and walk them over to the other building.

Students are invited to make crafts and/or bake treats at home to donate to our sale; we ask that they include ingredients of the treat. Participation is optional and proceeds from the sale will be shared among the UE classrooms.

Our students and pets thank you for generosity and support!

Best,

Critter Cash Committee

Upper Elementary Homework Due 12/12/17 - Practical Life

Maria Montessori believed that practical life skills were an important part of school.  We try to include practical life work in our classroom by having students clean and care for our environment, having animals for students to care for, providing materials for students to crochet, knit, make kumihimo, and scheduling in healthy cooking.

For homework this week, please learn a new practical life skill.

Some ideas include:

- Cooking something new (use a new technique like grilling, julienne, or folding dumplings)

- Learning to crochet or knit (or a new skill within these like knitting in a round, double crochet, or amigurumi)

- Learning a new type of stitch in sewing or how to use a new type of pattern

- Cleaning out the vacuum (figure out how to take it apart, clean it, put it back together)

- Polish your family’s silverware

- Do your family’s laundry, folding and putting it away

- Make something from scratch that you usually buy, like noodles, brownies, applesauce bread, or ice cream

- Help a younger person with their homework, chores, or work

- Sweep and mop or polish floors in your house

- Learn to braid hair

- Learn to clean and oil a sewing machine, then use it to sew

- Clean and polish a pair of nice shoes

Write about your experience.  Things to include might be what you liked or disliked about the task you learned, why you think it is important to know such things, what was challenging about your learning experience, or photos of what you made.  You must write about why you think Montessori thought practical life skills were so important for students to learn and work on throughout their time in school.  What might she have seen as valuable, useful, or important about practical life skills?  Hint: it’s not just about learning how to clean things for when you’re an adult!

4th graders should write at least TWO paragraphs.

5th graders should write at least THREE paragraphs.

6th graders should write at least FOUR paragraphs.

Update 11/29/17

Hello UE Families, 

Thank you for your generous contributions to our feast last week!  It was so fun to see our students sharing their traditions and food with each other.  Student organized events are always a little messier than adult organized ones, and we are especially grateful to those of you that volunteered to support clean up after the feast!  

Especially with the widely varying temperatures lately, many children are arriving at school without jackets, hats, boots, or other cold weather gear.  Please remind your children that they are required to wear jackets, hats, and gloves or mittens when temperatures are below freezing and must have outdoor shoes or boots.  If your child does not have the gear they need, please let us know and we will work to provide what is needed.  On a related note - if you have gently used winter coats, snow pants, hats, or gloves that you are willing to donate for our recess borrow box, please send them in with your child.  

We are busily preparing for the Upper El Geography Fair, which will be held Wednesday, December 13th from 2-3pm.  We are inviting families to come in to see student work.  Each student will have a space to present their project, and families can circulate among classrooms to listen to presentations.  Please consider attending!

Do you have unused exercise equipment sitting around, taking up space?  We'd love to put it to good use.  With less than ample space for movement breaks and meeting sensory needs, we're hoping to find donations of the following:  a stationary bike, medicine balls (5-12lbs), a small trampoline, and a pull up bar.  

Please help your student schedule time to do their homework.  It is our hope that students can be mostly independent with their work, but with busy schedules, they will likely need help planning time to do their work.  We have seen a decrease in homework returns - please remind your child they can check our blog for essay work.  

Check out the Crow Wing River Blog for weekly essay homework, updates, and occasional fun postings about what we're doing in class:

https://crowwingriverclass.blogspot.com/

A few things we're working on this week:

4

Trickster Tales

Density

Diamante Poems

Geography Fair

5

Creation Stories

Geography Fair

Fractions

Tree of Languages

6

Geography Fair 

Languages of Native Peoples

Percents or Multistep Equations

Minnesota Indigenous Science and Medicine

  

Thank you for your ongoing support! 

Andrea and Cate

Upper Elementary Homework Due 12/5/17 - Animal Stories

Please choose one of the photos below.  Write a story you feel explains the photo, or in which the photo could reasonably appear.  

Your story should have all of the parts of a story from Freytag’s Pyramid:

An exposition to introduce the characters, setting, and time period

A conflict that forces your main character(s) to act

Rising action in which your main character tries to solve the conflict

Climax in which your main character finally is or is not able to solve the conflict

Falling action, allowing your characters to wrap up the conflict, taking care of smaller issues

A resolution, or a new normal for your main character, who should be changed by the experience of the story.  

There is no paragraph requirement for this homework.  You should write enough to include all parts of your story.  Consider adding descriptions and dialogue, and remember to title your story.

No Early Work Today, 11/22

Good Morning Crow Wing Families, 

We have a meeting this morning and need to cancel early work.  We're sorry to the late notice!  We will have someone watching for students arriving, but will not be here to work with kids.  Again, apologies for the late notice!

Thank you, 

Cate

Upper Elementary Homework Due 11/28/17 - Letters of Gratitude

Please write a letter to someone in your life expressing gratitude.  Describe the things about that person you appreciate and/or the things they do for you and others.  It might be that this person is consistently kind to you, helps you do new things, has been there for you when you are sad, or that the person helps others in the world by doing big work in our community.  The person doesn’t have to be someone you know personally.  Be as specific as you can about why you are thankful for the person and how you will honor the person’s good work by doing your own good work.  

Make sure your letter is neat, has correct spelling, capital letters at the beginning of each sentence and for all proper nouns, and that you have used punctuation where needed.  Remember that letters have a date in the upper right hand corner, a greeting with the person’s name, and that you sign the letter at the bottom.  

You may choose to send your letter yourself and turn in a copy, or you may bring the letter and an address to school and we can help you send it.  You must mail your letter.  Please choose a person to write to that doesn’t live in your home so that your letter can be a surprise.  

Fourth grade students should write at least two paragraphs.

Fifth grade student should write at least three paragraphs.

Sixth grade students should write at least four paragraphs.  

Remember - each week you have the option of proposing your own homework idea.  You must make a plan by Friday and check it with your guide.  

Upper El Feast 11/23

A note from the students that are working on the Upper El feast next week:

Hello Upper El Families, 

We, the Student Feast Committee, are busily preparing for our Upper El Potluck Feast next Wednesday, November 23rd.  Our feast will start at 12:15, immediately following recess.  Students will sign up for foods to bring today, Wednesday, November 15.  It is our hope that students will prepare the food they choose themselves, with some help from adults.    

We are also asking for families to donate compostable flatware, paper plates and napkins, and paper cups.  Shingobee and Crow Wing families should send in paper plates and compostable flatware if you are able.  Platte and Little Elk families should send in paper napkins and paper cups if you are able.  If you are willing to send in these items, please do so by Tuesday, November 22nd.  

Please send food in serving dishes that don't have to be plugged in (crockpots).  We will keep food hot or cold in coolers.  Please send serving utensils with your dish.  Label both and we'll make sure they are returned to your child at the end of the day.  

Please list ingredients for each dish so we can help students with dietary restrictions chose their food.  Small signs for each dish created by your student would be helpful.  

We will serve food buffet style and mix students among upper el classrooms for lunch together.  

We are seeking six adult volunteers to help with clean up following the feast (1-1:45pm).  If you are available, please sign up here.

Thank you for your contributions!

Sincerely, the students of the UE Student Feast Committee.  

Upper Elementary Homework Due 11/14/17 - Fall Phenology

As we learned at Widji, phenology is the study of seasonal change and how the seasons affect animal and plant life.  We are now firmly into fall in Minnesota and many changes have taken place in the past weeks that are observable and measurable.  

Option 1:

Choose at least five phenological changes to observe.  Create a chart of these data points and observe at least five times throughout the week.  Choose one or more of your observation sets and make a graph to communicate your data.  

For instance, you might observe the temperature when you wake up each day, the behavior of squirrels in your yard each day when you get home, or the changes in a particular tree’s leaves.  

Option 2:

Write a short story from the perspective of an animal or plant you can observe in your daily life.  Your main character should reflect on phenological changes as part of your story.  It might be that you write from the perspective of an oak tree watching its leaves fall and the changing behavior of the squirrels nearby, or a chickadee that is busily preparing for winter and watching its neighbors migrate south.  

Remember that stories must have certain aspects - an exposition, rising action, a conflict, falling action, and a resolution.  If your main character has nothing at stake in the conflict, chances are your story will be boring.  

Option 3:

Research daylight savings time, which ended early Sunday morning.  Many people struggle with the decreasing light in the fall, the darker evenings, and with changing their internal clocks to match the time switch.  Why do we have daylight savings time?  When was it invented, and to solve what problem?  What is your personal opinion about the usefulness of daylight savings time?  

Remember to cite your source and follow the grade level paragraph requirements for this essay.

Update 11/2/17

Hello Crow Wing Families, 

Please consider stopping by our Critter Cash Sale today after school.  We'll be in the parking lot to the north of the elementary building with used books, baked goods, and cocoa (while supplies last!).  Prices will be low - maxing out at $4 for bigger, fancier books, so only a few dollars will get you home baked treats and high quality books!

Early Wednesdays are up and running!  Please support your student in completing late work or receiving extra lessons by making a plan to attend Early Wednesday work time.  We're here at 7:45am, students can knock on our exterior classroom door to be let into the building.  

We are looking for a couple more lamps and extension cords to use in our classroom.  As the light fades into winter, we'd like to be able to light our space with softer lamp light instead of the overhead fluorescents.  If you are willing to lend or donate a lamp or extension cord, please let us know.  

Our bunny is a voracious little composter!  He likes many things that would otherwise be food waste:

- cilantro and parsley stems

- broccoli stems

- cauliflower and lettuce hearts

- carrot peels

- ribs of greens like kale, chard, collards, and mustard

If you are willing to collect and send these items into school, we can cut our rabbit food budget a bit each week.  

Conferences are in two weeks.  Sixth grade students must attend their conferences and will lead the discussion of their work and goals.  Fifth grade students may choose to attend to present their work.  Fourth grade students do not attend conferences.  We look forward to seeing you all on the 16th and 17th.  

Things we're working on:

Everyone: Finishing Widji Projects 

4th grade: First and Second Laws of Motion, Equivalent Fractions, finishing the study of early humans

5th grade: Natural Systems, Adding and subtracting fractions, Apostrophes and plurals

6th grade: Human geography and rain shadow deserts, Minnesota History Study - the Dakota War, complex sentences and dependent clauses

Thank you for your ongoing support!  

Critter Cash Sale this Thursday!

Hello Upper El Families, 

This year our upper el students are organizing occasional sales to fund our classroom animals.  Students are taking on the responsibility of funding and caring for our finches, bearded dragons, fish, gerbils, bunny, and hopefully a couple new animals as well.  Students hope to raise the roughly $200 a month we need to feed, house, and clean up after our animals.  They are planning their first sale for this Thursday, November 2nd.  Students from all four UE classrooms plan to sell baked goods, used books, and hot cocoa from 3:15 to 4pm in the parking lot on the north side of the elementary building.  

Families are invited to participate by:

Supporting students as they bake muffins, quick bread, cookies, or similar foods

Allowing students to donate gently used books

Donating paper cups and cocoa mix

Donating plastic baggies and napkins

Planning for your student to attend the sale with a few dollars to spend

If you would like to visit the sale, please plan to park in the Bandana Square lot or on Energy Lane outside the elementary and adolescent pick up zones.  

Students will not be allowed to leave the parent pick up line to purchase things from the sale, they'll need to be dismissed to their parent first.  This will help us keep the pick up line moving steadily.  

 

Thank you for your support!  

Upper Elementary Homework Due 11/7/17 - Election Day

Tuesday, November 7th is Election Day across the country.  In the Twin Cities, both Minneapolis and St. Paul will be voting for mayor.  Chris Coleman, St. Paul’s current mayor, is not running for reelection.  Minneapolis’ mayor, Betsy Hodges, is running for reelection.  There are many other candidates in both races.  

Essay Options:

Option 1 - Research the issues in either the Minneapolis or St. Paul mayoral races.  There are sources linked below that may be helpful to you in your research.  Based on your research, choose a candidate that you believe should be mayor of either St. Paul or Minneapolis.  Write an essay that summarizes the issues in the city you’ve chosen to research and why you support the candidate you chose.

Minneapolis Mayoral Election Article:

https://ballotpedia.org/Mayoral_election_in_Minneapolis,_Minnesota_(2017)

St. Paul Mayoral Election Article:

https://ballotpedia.org/Mayoral_election_in_St._Paul,_Minnesota_(2017)

Option 2 - Interview an adult in your life that will be voting.  Ask about which issues are important to that person and what is valuable to them in a mayor.  Include a few questions of your own about how the city works or how the person you are interviewing feels about voting.  For instance, you might ask about the person’s first voting experience, about the job of a mayor, about the mayor’s role in policing, jobs, or about the differing jobs of the mayor and city council members.  

Write an essay summarizing your interview, including at least one direct quote from the person you interviewed.  

Please edit your work for spelling, punctuation, capitalization, and grammar.  

4th graders should write at least one paragraph.

5th graders should write at least two paragraphs.

6th graders should write at least three paragraphs.

Community Sing - October 27

Upper Elementary Homework due 10/31/17 - Self Portrait

This homework has two portions.  Please make sure you complete both.  

First, create a self portrait.  You may draw, paint, photograph, sculpt, or use collage to make a portrait of yourself.  Your face must be visible in your art, but you may also include other images as you see fit.  Please sign and title your work.  

Second, write a biographical poem.  You may use any form you choose, or you may use the example provided below.  Your poem should reference your name, family, home, likes and dislikes, and a memory or two that is important to you.  Again, remember to title your work and include your name.

Autobiographical Poem

Line 1: [First name only] _____________________

Line 2: [four traits] __________________________

Line 3: Related to __________________________

Line 4: Cares deeply about ___________________

Line 5: Who feels __________________________

Line 6: Who needs _________________________

Line 7: Who gives __________________________

Line 8: Who fears __________________________

Line 9: Who would like to see _________________

Line 10: Resident of _________________________

Example:

Jenna

Jenna.

Silly, messy, creative, jumping.

Related to Dad (and Fluttershy).

Cares deeply about drawing and animals.

Who feels worried about family.

Who needs My Little Pony!

Who gives laughter and drawings.

Who fears the evil bunny man.

Who would like to see Grandpa.

Resident of Bloomington, Minnesota.

• Jenna, age 9.