Week 28 Classroom News

Hello Families,

Read on for news and updates.

Whole School:

• April 23 | Parent Workshop with Ms. Lindsey. See details below.
• It’s time to order your yearbook! Use this link to create your account, add custom pages (due 5/14) and purchase with Treering. All BBS students will receive a yearbook.
• May 10 | Jog-a-thon:  Details from the PTO will be going home with students on Thursday. Please read the information with your student; they have a big responsibilty in this fun event!

From Ms. Steele: ssteele@blackbutte.k12.or.us

• Bebop (2nd/3rd) Math: Today the Bebop group helped me make sure a 5th grade math puzzle worked.  They basically did 5th grade order of operations using calculators.  They were so savvy with the technology and were great at solving these challenging problems. Also, we measured out a small track for PE class. We couldn’t get it exactly correct or we would have been weaving in and out of the trees, but 8 laps is 5180 feet, nearly one mile.
• Hodag (4th-8th) Math: Today the Hodags watched a 20 minute documentary about focus.  We did this because lack of focus seems to be the number one contributor to this group’s rate of progress in the math concepts.  The documentary was really interesting and it seems like everyone had a longer sustained focus adventure after watching it.  We also worked on an Escape Room.  That was super fun!
• Health/PE Class: Yesterday was our first day of PE.  It went really well and everyone obviously was able to find some stable shoes to wear and run around in.  We are going to continue to focus on getting into better shape and playing fun games, like capture the chicken. 

From Ms. Kassie: kdemarsh@blackbutte.k12.or.us

• K/1 Math class: Kindergarten students are working on story problems with both addition and subtraction. First grade students are comparing numbers up to 120.
• K-3 Social Science: In our Equity and Justice unit students have learned how we can make things better when something is not fair. We are also exploring how it makes us feel to learn about these topics and what we can do with those feelings. Ask students how they can make their community better. 

From Mr. B: ebarrons@blackbutte.k12.or.us

• Mr. B’s K/1: Students read Taro Yashima’s Umbrella and practiced a few Japanese Kanji (spring/rain) as a way to connect stroke order with our alphabet. They also helped Mr. B write an Alphabet Poem (see below)!
• Bebop Literacy: Bebop Literacy has also been writing/crafting some poems along with a writing prompt of their choice (descriptive, explanatory, persuasive, compare and contrast, etc).
• Art Literacy: We are in the process of completing a ‘Cut Up’ poem. This is a highly visual endeavor and (hopefully) encourages the writer to see poetry as a place of play and experimentation. (Photos below).

From Mr. Sharp: dsharp@blackbutte.k12.or.us

I spent the past two days at a conference so the students were taught by Ms. Sharp on Monday and Tuesday this week. The conference gave me a chance to meet with many school leaders from some of the tiniest districts in Oregon. Many of the folks at the conference were from eastern Oregon in counties like Harney, Malheur, and Grant. It was a great networking opportunity for me and allowed us to share ideas, challenges, and inspiration.

• Humanities class: After finishing our interpretations of Rita Dove’s poem last week we moved into our third and final poet of focus, William Carlos Williams. Students spent time this week analyzing and interpreting his poem “A View of a Lake.” Students will do some writing about all 3 poets this coming week and summarize some of their learning about how poems are built. There has been noticeable growth in the class as they become more confident working with poetry and discussing the meanings of various poems. 
  
• Field Studies: In Field Study class we have had some lively discussions and lessons on the topic of genetics and DNA recently. Students also watched a video about the microscopic creatures that live inside and on their bodies. We are learning a lot about the microscopic pieces that make us human. 

From Ms. Lindsey: overstreet@blackbutte.k12.or.us

• Parent Workshop: Building Belonging, Family Night at BBS on Tuesday April 23rd, 5:30-6:30pm. Join us for a discussion about the importance of belonging for our children and ourselves and practical strategies for fostering connection. Snacks and childcare will be provided. RSVP here.