Week of February 27th

I have to start this week's post off by praising your children! We work so hard every day and they have learned so much this year! I am constantly amazed (but not surprised) by what they are capable of. We have been working on our Electronic Portfolios. You will hear more about these as the years comes to a close. In a "snipit", they are electronic collections of work pieces that showcase what your child has done this year. There is a lot that goes into these. One of the cool components is that the child has the opportunity to record their voice or type a comment on specific slides. We do this in a program called VoiceThread (I have attached a VoiceThread on here before). In the past, I have had to sit down and individually record with each student. This year, with the help of Mrs. Baralt, we have taught the children how to complete the steps independently. WOW! It has been amazing. The kids have recorded a few on their own portfolios independently. Last week, they worked with their partners from the Australian project to discuss how they wanted to comment on their project. Since there is only one project and multiple students, it is impossible for each of them to keep the project. I took pictures of the projects and uploaded them into a VoiceThread. The students then worked with their partners collaboratively to record/comment on their projects. It was truly an amazing experience to observe. I was filled with pride as I watched them discuss and plan with each other. They were so proud of themselves! The even greater part Hats off to your amazing kids! I look forward to watching them continue to grow as learners!

This week is "Spotlight on Science" week. We kicked this morning off with a song about recycling and a visit from Miss Frizzle (aka Mrs. Smay) at Town Hall. The kids are super excited. We are continuing to observe our plants and will be getting our "bees" and learning about pollination. We will get the opportunity to share what we have been observing with a 4th grade class on Friday and they are going to teach us what they have been learning about with electricity. We are still in need of 2-liter bottles. I received this note this afternoon from the parents in charge of the activity: For the "Hands On" Science Experiment your child will be doing this week on Friday, "Eat A Plant". We need you to bring the following in on Thursday. Thank you!

JC: 50 sturdy plates
Iona: 2 English seedless cucumbers
Andrew: 2 bags already chopped, washed (can be mix) romaine lettuce
Ava: 1 package snap peas
Addie: 1 bag pumpkin seeds
Ashley: 2 bags already chopped, washed (can be mix) romaine lettuce
Ben: 1 package snap peas
Sabrina: 1 bag spinach
Morgan: 1 package snap peas
Tristan: 1 package snap peas
Lauren: 2 bags carrot sticks
Dexter: 2 bags celery sticks
Sarah: 1 bag spinach
Bryce: 2 bottles Ranch dressing
Michael: 2 bottles Balsamic Vinagrette Dressing
Bill: 2 bottles Ranch dressing

Have a wonderful week and I will post pictures of the fun festivities!