We have made it to June and are certainly on the home stretch now. Lots of mixed emotions here at BBS from staff and students alike. There is a lot of excitement in the air but also some sadness and uncertainty about saying goodbye for the year. We had such a great group of kids this year and everyone knows it won’t quite be the same next year. Make sure to check in with your child this week about what emotions are coming up for them as we make this annual transition to summer. 

In Field Study class we are wrapping up our food/farming unit by creating venn diagrams with all we have learned and then creating drawings of both a small scale/traditional farm as well as a large scale industrial operation. The students seem to have learned a lot in this unit and are still very engaged in the conversation. For some, it has been a bit depressing to learn about things like environmental destruction and world hunger. 

Fly fishing has been a big success in P.E. One more group to go with Green Ridge heading over to the pond on Thursday. Big thanks to Luke and the crew at Wizard Falls for helping at the pond and loaning us gear to use.

In Humanities, Blue Bay students received their final grammar test and latitude/longitude quiz back. One of the final assignments in this class is to conduct research on an ancient culture or civilization and write a multiple paragraph research paper including sources. Our class time is precious this time of year, each student will need to manage their time wisely to successfully complete this project. Blue Bay students are also gearing up for their final “Draw the World Map from Memory” Assignment which will happen next Wednesday just before the last day of school. 

In Math, 4th graders are learning decimals! 5th graders are multiplying and dividing fractions and learning how to show division through a fraction format. 6th graders are working with positive and negative integers, and 7th graders are practicing inequalities and working with equivalent expressions. Our 8th grader is studying complex geometry such as finding the volume of cylinders and cones. All grade levels have one last math test which will be next Wednesday. 

In their homework folders, students should have a sticky note with the books they have checked out from the library on it. Besides the class books they are currently reading, like Island of Blue Dolphins, we are expecting these books to start showing up back at school ideally this week. Thanks for helping track these books down. I will be in touch about reimbursement for book costs next week as we approach the end of the school year if there are any books that don’t turn up.

I cannot express enough how much this group of students has learned this year. It is so amazing to witness their effort and growth. To keep students going over the summer I have compiled a list of some activities to try at home. I will be sending home a paper copy as well. Let me know if there are any questions. Mostly keep playing with math and read, read, read over the summer. 

Thank you for an amazing year! I am so excited to wrap up these next few days with exciting activities. 

Students are making great connections to nature and our food systems. They will have a field trip along the Metolius on Friday to deepen this knowledge.