We got the swim program going this week and our off for our second swim lesson today. The students did a great job coming prepared for the lesson and having a positive attitude. We divided them into 4 groups and they will now have the opportunity to get 5 hour long swim lessons with their group. Keep an eye on the calendar as the swim days are spread out over the next couple weeks. 

Swim Program Reminders:

⇒ See calendar above for swim days and note there is NO early release on Wednesday April 15th.

⇒ Bus will be on the East Side Field Trip schedule

⇒ Pack list for students:

• A lunch they can eat on the bus (not crumby and no microwave)

• Swimsuit (make sure it fits)

• Towel

• Plastic bag to put wet suit in afterwards

• Brush for long hair

• Goggles (optional)

In Field Study class we began our final unit Friday focusing on out food system. Students will explore how they are connected to the natural world through the food we eat. We will look at both some positive and negative impacts on the environment in the way we grow and consume food in our society. 

In P.E. class we have been playing baseball. Yesterday all 3 groups got to practice hitting and fielding out in the field. We are learning some of the basic rules to allow us to play some baseball and kickball games in the coming weeks.

In Humanities, Blue Bay students reviewed some assessments from last week, and have been introduced to prepositions in grammar as a way to expand or lengthen their written sentences.  This week we have moved onto studying the ancient Romans. Students practiced their alphabetical order by looking up definitions of this week’s vocabulary words in the glossary of their history textbooks. Students are reading the myth of Romulus and Remus in their partner read-aloud exercises, where they also practice comprehension by doing “retell summaries” and “paragraph shrinking”. 

Roman history has even crossed over into Art class, as students spent time yesterday creating clay sculptures (ART-ifacts) with Ms. Karen. Quizzes to study for this week are Australia/Oceania Map Quiz, and Spelling Test #18. As a reminder, your child should be reading about 20-30 min per night at home in their assigned books. The bus ride to and from the swimming pool is also a great time for them to do their daily reading homework.

In Math, we went over the Roman numeral system and they practiced translating them to normal Arabic numbers, as well as translating normal Arabic numbers to Roman numerals. 4th graders just took a test for their geometry unit (shapes, lines, angles). 5th graders are continuing their unit on decimal operations and expressions, and took some time this week to revisit the geometry of quadralaterals. 6th graders are working with expressions and equations as they step into more algebraic thinking. 7th graders are revisiting percentages, and continuing to work on their negative-positive integer operations, and our 8th grader is taking the end of unit test on solving two step equations for variables (Pre-Algebra).

As students bring home work in their purple folders, please look it over. Anything with a star on it means it is done! Unless otherwise noted, all work coming home in purple folders is to keep at home and for students to share with you. Students also brought home their goal sheets. Enjoy seeing all they have learned.

I sent a parent check-in last week via email. Please take a few minutes to let me know how this year is going. Thank you! 

Math: We are still regrouping with double digit addition. 

Literacy: We are learning vowel teams for long a (ai and ay) and long e (ea and ee). Vowel teams will be the 4th and final syllable type we will learn for spelling this year. See if students can tell you the 4 syllable types and show you the hand motions to match (closed, open, vce, and vowel team). 

Games to try at home:

• Math- Flip over 3 cards from a deck, have students make the biggest 2 digit number they can then add the third card to the first 2. If it gets easy, flip over 4 cards. Make the biggest 2 digit number and use the other 2 as another 2 digit number. Add them all together. 
• Literacy- Look for the new vowel teams (ai, ay, ea, ee) in books! 

Last week we melted candy to understand how materials change states of matter. This Friday we will be taking a short walking field trip with an educator from the Upper Deschutes Watershed Council to study the Metolius. Please ensure students are ready to be outside for the afternoon with good walking shoes and layers.

Green Ridge Math:Students are exploring different ways to model multiplying by 2,5 and 10. They also are aiming to solve a few challenging word problems that benefit from ‘working backwards’.

Green Ridge Literacy: Students read about five different types of plants and the sneaky ways they thrive in their environments. The class is working on crafting their own ‘sneaky plant’. 

Rose Hip & Green Ridge Creative Movement: Green Ridge and Rose Hips have been “showing” the words waddle, parade, hover, shiver, quiver and drowse to music and in each of the three levels of space (low, middle, high). As expected, ‘parade’ was the most boisterous and humorous!