Update 5/23/18

Hello Crow Wing Families, 

The end of the year is upon us!  Please read below for several changes and bits of news:

All student belongings must go home by June 7th.  Please help you student plan to bring all materials home before the last day of school.

We will not have early Wednesday work for the last two weeks of school.  We have a flurry of meetings and cannot predictably be here for students. 

Students may sign up to host classroom plants over the summer.  They need to have a note from a parent saying they've discussed their plan with you.  When students bring in their notes, we will have them choose a plant to take home for the summer.  

We are packing up our classroom library.  Students should bring a book to school for afternoon reading time. 

Our sixth graders have planned a "goodbye gifts" exchange.  Students interested in participating will draw a name Friday and bring gifts for their classmate next week.  Tuesday, May 29th's theme is origami gifts, Wednesday the 30th's theme is hint poetry, Thursday the 31st is a baked gift, Friday the 1st is a compliment card, and Monday, June 4 is a gift valued at $5 or less.  

Our end of the year work share is next Friday, June 1st.  Please attend if you are able.  It's a lovely time to see student portfolios and end of year projects across upper el.  We will display work between 2 and 3pm.  Guests should come to the elementary south door and plan to park on the street or at Bandana Square.  Please be careful to leave our bus lane open. 

Upcoming Dates:

Elementary Field Day - May 31, noon-3pm

Crow Wing Crafternoon - June 5, 1-3pm

Como Pool Trip - June 6, all day

Crow Wing Field Day - June 7, noon-3pm

End of Year Ceremony - June 8, 11am-Noon

Thank you for your ongoing support! 

Andrea and Cate

--

https://crowwingriverclass.blogspot.com/

Our dragon, Puff

Hello Crow Wing Families, 

We have some sad news.  Our bearded dragon, Puff, died yesterday.  He appears to have suffered either a stroke or a heart attack.  His symptoms match those described for a cardiac incident exactly, and heart problems are very common for dragons in captivity.  Students noticed his distress yesterday and were concerned he was choking.  We will make it clear to them that Puff did not choke and that nothing we could have done would have been helpful to Puff.  Even rushing him to a vet would have taken too long to make a difference.  Puff was quite old, was a steadfast member of our community, and will be greatly missed.  

We will bury Puff in the garden this morning and have some community time to help students say goodbye.  

Thank you for your support, 

Cate and Andrea

--

https://crowwingriverclass.blogspot.com/

Update 5/9/18

Hello Crow Wing Families, 

We are in need of summer homes for our dragon, Puff, and for our finches.  The finches have a large aviary, but could also go to a home that had multiple smaller cages.  All of our animals have to leave campus this summer due to our construction work this summer.  Please respond to this email if you are willing to house our beloved critters!

We will be off campus the afternoon of May 31st.  The senior class is planning a field day for elementary students at McMurray Field.  We will leave around 1:30pm and return at the end of the day.  Students should have hats or sunscreen, water bottles, and sneakers.  As the weather warms, student should plan to have water bottles and sun protection for recess as well.  

Please read the update below from elementary admin:

Dear Elementary Parents,

The end of the year is quickly approaching!  Many classrooms are planning off campus adventures and we want to make sure that families are aware of a safety protocol that was developed in elementary this year to ensure the safety of all students.

In order to participate in off campus activities, students must follow community norms.  If a student demonstrates a significant challenge to follow adult instructions that could lead to safety concerns, the student will remain on campus doing an alternate activity.

 If there are safety concerns regarding your child, you will be contacted by your child's classroom guide.  Additionally, if behavior challenges happen while off campus, parents will be notified that there is a concern and the possibility that they will need to pick up their child.

We look forward to finishing off the year in ways that are joyful and safe for all students!

Projects We're Working on this Week:

Fourth and Fifth grade students continue to work on their human body systems models and reports.

Fourth grade students are working on explorers projects.  

Fifth grade students will start leading projects honoring our graduating sixth years.  

Sixth grade students should be wrapping up Imaginary Island work and moving forward with their government study projects.  

Thank you for your ongoing support!

Andrea and Cate

--

https://crowwingriverclass.blogspot.com/

Upper Elementary Homework Due May 22, 2018 - Community Work

As you know, being a part of a community is a huge part of our work here at Great River.  We work to support each other in our classroom community, build connections with other levels, and go out into the larger community around us to learn new things.  

We are approaching the end of our year and many students are very focused on crafting big work to show their learning.  Alongside this academic work, we would like to give you time to do community work as well.

Plan some work to do in your neighborhood, city, or larger Twin Cities community.  This work should support those in need, improve the environment, or somehow make your community a better place for others.  Examples might include: organizing a neighborhood trash clean up, planting flowers for a neighbor, serving food at a free meal organization, collecting supplies needed for an animal shelter, cutting buckthorn with a local public land trust, or even visiting your local city council, representative, or other elected official to advocate for a cause about which you care deeply.  

Write an essay describing your experience.  Give details about what you did and why you chose that work for yourself.  Include who you believe your work benefitted and how doing the work affected you.  Please include photographs if you can. Quotes from others you worked with or served would make your work more engaging - consider interviewing others as you work.  

This is our final homework of the school year.  You have two weeks to organize and carry out your work because you may need to coordinate with your family and involve others.  Please take time early to make a plan so you are not rushing at the last minute to do this work. Well planned and thoughtful community work is usually more beneficial to others and more satisfying to the worker.  

Essay Basic Requirements:

Your essay must be edited for basic grammar, spelling, and mechanics.  It is okay to ask an older student or an adult to help you with these edits.  Your essay must be organized into paragraphs with topic sentences, and it must be legible.  

Fourth grade students should write at least three paragraphs, fifth grade students should write at least four paragraphs, and sixth grade students should write at least five paragraphs.  

Class photos from last fall!