Update 2/28/18

Hello Crow Wing Families, 

Now more than ever, it's important to make sure each child has indoor shoes at school.  We're firmly in mud season, and having boots for outside and slippers or shoes for inside helps us keep the floors and cushions clean and prevents soggy foot related crabbiness.  Please check in with your student to make sure he or she has indoor shoes at school!

Please continue to send vegetable scraps in for our animals!  Bun loves kale stems, lettuce or cabbage hearts, celery leaves, herbs, and pretty much any leafy green.  He can't have anything from the onion family or legumes.  Puff, our dragon, likes greens and pea pods quite a lot as well!

Homework completion rates are poor, especially among fifth and sixth graders.  Please support your student in finding a time that works with their busy schedules to accomplish their work.  Many students are also turning in work without proper capitalization, punctuation, and spelling - just a reminder that students can check their work with an adult or older sibling to help them clean up these basic errors.  We will check in with students at conferences to remind them of their missing homework assignments. 

Andrea and I will be out next Wednesday and Thursday, March 7 and 8, to take our sixth graders on their end of upper elementary trip.  We will have Christina Beck, our former head of school, and Donna Goodlaxson, an experienced Montessori land school teacher, in to sub for us.  If you need anything, please call the front desk or email info@greatriverschool.org during our absence.  

Things We're Working On:

4th

Rocks and Minerals - Types of Rocks

State Reports - Industry, Business, and Agriculture

Compound Sentences

Squaring and Happy Numbers

5th 

Finishing Native Peoples projects

Engineering Cycle

Book making

Multiplying or Dividing Decimals

6th 

Somali Immigration

Finding Primary Sources

Finishing MN History Projects

Integers or Cubing

Thank you for your ongoing support!

Andrea and Cate

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https://crowwingriverclass.blogspot.com/

Upper Elementary Homework Due March 6, 2018 - African American Scientists and Inventors

Many African American people have contributed greatly to fields of science and technology, but are often unrecognized for their work due to prejudice and racism, both now and in their lifetimes.  Choose a scientist or inventor, read about their work and accomplishments, and their path to science.  

Summarize what you have learned, including how that person contributed to science, the things they valued in their work, and how they used their work to benefit others.  

You may use classroom encyclopedias, books from the science shelf, or online resources.  I’ve included some options for online information below.  Note that this is not a biography assignment.  You should focus on someone’s work and how that work fits into our culture and how we meet our needs together.  

National Geographic (overview summaries only)

https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/explore/science/black-inventors-and-pioneers-of-science/#black-scientist-jemison.jpg

Biography.com (more in depth life stories)

https://www.biography.com/people/groups/famous-black-scientists

Fact Monster (general information and biographies)

https://www.factmonster.com/african-american-scientists-inventors

Expectations:

Fourth grade students should write a minimum of two organized paragraphs with topic sentences for each paragraph.  

Fifth grade students should write a minimum of three organized paragraphs with topic sentences for each paragraph.

Sixth grade students should write a minimum of four organized paragraphs with topic sentences for each paragraph.  

All students should edit their work for spelling, punctuation, capitalization, and basic grammar.  Please remember to cite your source!

Update 2/21/18

Hello Crow Wing Families, 

Andrea and ten of our fifth and sixth graders, plus students from Shingobee, Jean, Kayla from A1, and a few parent volunteers set off early this morning for the Montessori Model United Nations conference today in New York City!  They will be representing Cameroon and Australia on various committees with hundreds of students from other states and countries, and will visit the real UN Building!  This trip represents many hours of research, fundraising, speech writing, and other preparations.  We wish them the best and look forward to hearing about their experiences when they return!

Homework return rates are flagging.  Please support your student by helping them plan times to work on their essays and math, and reminding them to return their work in their homework folder.  Homework essays are always posted on the classroom blog if your student forgets the hard copy at school.  Math homework is more differentiated and students need to keep track of their hard copies or ask Andrea for additional sets.  If nothing else, though, basic facts drills can be substituted for math homework, and are available at mathdrills.com and several other websites.  

As part of the year long study of Minnesota history, culture, and government, the sixth graders will begin research projects on Minnesota Immigration this week.  The research emphasis of this project is using primary sources.  In support of this, I'd like to invite people in to tell their immigration stories.  If you or anyone you know would be willing to come to school and tell a story of their experience as an immigrant or the child of an immigrant, please email me at cwilliams@greatriverschool.org.  

Please read this message from Saleha Erdman, our elementary social worker:

Greetings elementary families!

I'm writing to let you know about a food assistance program called Sheridan Story that we will  begin partnering with in March.  Sheridan Story sends food home with families on Fridayafternoons so that families have enough food over the weekend.  I have worked with this program in the past and appreciate how they respect confidentiality and provide quality food.  If you are interested in participating, read on!  

In your children's backpacks this week you will find a lime green half sheet that describes the meals that Sheridan Story can provide.  On the other side is a registration form that you can sign and return to school in order to sign up.  No other documentation is needed.  Please return this form to me or your child's guide.  

We hope to be able to sign up all families that are interested.

Sheridan Story will begin providing food in mid-March.  On the day of the delivery food will be placed in your child's backpack to come home at the end of the day.

You are welcome to contact me with any questions either by email (serdmann@greatriverschool.org) or by phone (651-305-2780 x36).  Thank you!

Best,

Saleha Erdmann

Elementary School Social Worker

Things We're Working On This Week:

With half our class gone, we are working hard on our bigger projects - the Native Peoples projects, State Reports, Imaginary Islands, and Minnesota History study work.  

4th:

- Rocks and Minerals observations

- Native Peoples and Historical Figures for State Reports

5th:

- Mable Marble Runs (Review of Three Laws of Motion)

- Wrapping up Native Peoples Projects

6th:

- Aquatic Biomes for Imaginary Islands

- Introducing Minnesota Immigration Study

- Hmong Immigration to the Twin Cities in the 1980s 

As always, thank you for your ongoing support!

Cate

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https://crowwingriverclass.blogspot.com/

Upper Elementary Homework Due 2/27/18 - Presidents of the United States

Monday (February 19) was President’s Day.  We celebrate President’s Day near both George Washington’s birthday and Abraham Lincoln’s.  The United States has had 45 presidents.  In some respects, they are very different from each other and in others, they are very similar.  Some were in office through times of peace and prosperity, and others faced challenges of war and unrest.  Each president had the power to shape our lives today in some way, and it is important to know who they were and how they influenced our history.  

Please take some time to research at least one president.  Write a biography of that person.  Make sure to include important dates (birth, dates in office, possible date of death), accomplishments, challenges, and major national and world events that took place while that president was in office.  

Next, write a short reflection on what you have learned.  Why did you choose the president you researched?  What do you admire or question about their time in office?  How do you think the president you chose has influenced your life today?  

We have books about the presidents at school.  You may use them to complete your research.  

Here are some websites that might help you complete your work:

Duckster’s:  http://www.ducksters.com/biography/uspresidents/

White House: https://www.whitehouse.gov/about-the-white-house/presidents/

PBS Learning: https://www.pbslearningmedia.org/collection/presidential-biographies/#.WomBs5OpnOR

Expectations:

Fourth grade students should write a minimum of two organized paragraphs with topic sentences for each paragraph.  

Fifth grade students should write a minimum of three organized paragraphs with topic sentences for each paragraph.

Sixth grade students should write a minimum of four organized paragraphs with topic sentences for each paragraph.  

All students should edit their work for spelling, punctuation, capitalization, and basic grammar.  

Upcoming Critter Cash Sale!

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 and into the spring with another sale. 

This sale will be held Tuesday, February 12th, from 3:15-4:00pm in the Adolescent building in the dining room. 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. We planned this event to be the day before Valentine's day, since most of us are in the mood for treats, or ready to give one away!  If you like, you could include a conversation heart or other such enhancements on top of a brownie or bar for fun.  Participation is optional and proceeds from the sale will be shared among all of the UE classrooms.

Our students and pets thank you for your generosity and support!

Best,

Critter Cash Committee

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https://crowwingriverclass.blogspot.com/

Upper Elementary Homework Due 2/13/18 - Community Appreciation

While many people celebrate Valentine’s Day this week, in Upper Elementary, we’re celebrating the strong community we’ve built.  Instead of buying premade cards for others, each person will make a gift for the community to share.  You will make a card, poem, piece of visual art, textile art, or other beautiful object to share and present it to your community.  

Questions to Consider:

1. What do you appreciate about Great River School as a whole school?  Think about annual events, key experiences, end of the year activities, and opportunities for freedom and responsibility for students here.
2. What is important to you about being in Upper Elementary?  This might be freedoms you experience, our key experience, our time at the park, our animals, lessons or projects you enjoy, or committees you in which you have participated.  
3. What is special about your individual classroom community?  What unique traditions and experiences do you appreciate?  What do your guides and classmates do to support you, challenge you, or fill you with wonder?
4. What do you offer to your community?  How do you work to support others? What work do you have to offer others?  What work helps you feel part of our community?

Requirements:

1. Your community appreciation must be a physical thing, something that can be displayed in your classroom.
2. You must have a short explanation that accompanies your work - you must explain what you made, why you chose to make it, and how it represents the things you appreciate about Great River School, Upper El, and your classroom community.
3. Your work must be, to the best of your ability, beautiful.    

update 2/2/18

Hello Crow Wing Families, 

It's hard to believe we're half way through the year!  As we enter the second semester, many children are choosing new goals for themselves in their individual conferences.  Please check in on your child's conferencing form to get an idea of what they're choosing to work towards and any late work they may be accumulating.  

Rather than celebrating Valentine's Day by buying packs of cards and candy, we'll be celebrating our community and our many friendships by creating one beautiful and sincere card or artwork of appreciation and sharing it with the community.  This will be the focus of our next homework, so please, skip the candy and Valentine's section at Target!

Our classroom linens seem to be slowly creeping away.  We ask that each child have a cloth placemat to try to limit the amount of food that ends up on our work tables and to limit the spread of illnesses.  If students don't have their own placemat, we lend them one each week.  If you've seen squares of cloth in your child's lunch box, it's likely one of our placemats.  Please encourage your kids to return the placemats to school so we continue to have enough for everyone.  

Please support your child in remembering to bring inside shoes to school.  Our carpets are showing some grime from kids wearing boots inside rather than dedicated indoor shoes.  Students can bring slippers, a pair of sneakers they don't need at home, summer sandals, or whatever footwear you feel would be best and leave them here at school.  

Things we're working on this week:

4

Introducing state reports, making physical and political maps

Convection cycles in the lithosphere

Logical analysis

Sharing fundamental needs work

5

Quality note taking for Native Peoples project

Planning final projects for Native Peoples project

Monsoons and winter dry winds

Word origins

6

Terrestrial Biomes

Wrapping up persuasive essays

Rise of suburbs and consumer culture

Ongoing discussion of Screenagers movie

Thank you sincerely for your ongoing support!

Andrea and Cate

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https://crowwingriverclass.blogspot.com/