We continue to be dealing with a large number of absences due to illness this past week. We are doing our best to keep the school clean and sanitized but of course we are in a confined space for hours a day. We appreciate your efforts to help control the spread of communicable diseases at school. 

Last Friday we went out for a great afternoon hike & games along the river as we waited for more snow to fall and a return to Hoodoo. We plan to do the same this week. We will continue our academics in the classroom in the morning and then head outside for a Field Day in the afternoon: fresh air, exercise, and place-based learning.

In Field Study class we have been learning more about the moon this week. We are learning how it affects life on earth and also how the position of the earth, sun, and moon change throughout the year. 

In Health we covered different topics in the different classes.  K-1 students are exploring learning skills like paying attention and focused listening. 2-3 grade students are learning about how our values impact our decisions as well as the importance of a growth mindset/positive attitude.

We had an impactful conversation about stress yesterday with our 4-8 graders. Some students showed real vulnerability and opened up about some of the stressors in their life. Tomorrow we will discuss strategies to handle stress. I encouraged the students to talk with their family at home about how their family manages stress.

In Humanities, Blue Bay students have been continuing their geography studies as we engage in a deeper dive into the continent of Asia. Asia and the Middle East is the relevant region for many of the ancient cultures we’ve studied so far this year. Additionally, students reached our class goal of 25 cumulative book reports and will celebrate by watching a movie on Friday (on Ancient China). Blue Bay students are starting to get to work on their second student journalism article for the winter newsletter. They have all received their topics, done some brainstorming, and are working on their outlines for their article. Check in with your student this afternoon/evening to see if they have completed their outlines or to help them with those plans.

In Math, Blue Bay students have been staying busy completing their i-ready diagnostics and working at their own pace in the Zearn Curriculum. We have been doing some whole class warmups with real world applications, providing a great chance to review foundational skills, work with practical problems, and expose students to new concepts. Then students divide up into grade level groups and do a lesson with a teacher, or jump into an independent digital lesson and work in their workbook. Students are making great progress. 

During Buddy Time last Friday, we went on a hike downstream along the Metolius, and did some activities near Allingham Meadow to learn about local history. We also used shovels to fill buckets with some rocks and sediment from the river to add into our school trout tank to make the habitat more realistic. On Monday, buddy teams worked together on a scavenger hunt find as many items as possible on a “Winter Forest Bingo” list. Items on the list included animal tracks, ice, the sound of wind in the trees, a bird call, scat, etc. It was quite fun and a “breath of fresh air” during the middle of the school day.

Rose Hips are still fighting some illness. Keep up a routine of healthy foods, washing hands, and plenty of rest! It will be great to have the group back together!

In math we are doing some final unit projects, I-ready, and unit tests. It is a good time of the year to see what we have still to work on. In literacy we have been spending more time with 2 syllable words, both on reading and spelling. 

Games and activities to try at home:

• Math – Have students practice tallying up things they can count around them and then compare different amounts. 
• Literacy– Work on reviewing different paper books that have come and try to build a rhythm where students are reading on their own at least 10 minutes a day. It can be a book from school, home, or even a magazine.
• Screen Time– If your students do screen time on their own devices at home and you would like to have them practice math or literacy work, please let me know and I can get you their I-ready login. They tend to really enjoy these games and it would be a great compliment to what we are doing in the classroom. 

Students are working on their final project for the class “mural/quilt”. It is good to have students work on slowing down and putting detail into their pictures and artist statements. Ask your student about their focal image and artist statement.