May 13, 2011
Dear River Run Families,
This week we have been graced with wonderful weather. We took advantage of this and went to Steinmetz Park on Wednesday morning. We have been studying different types of leaves and trying to identify which type of tree they may have come from. This gave us the opportunity to go out, collect leaves, and use our knowledge. While at the park we studied the parts of a leaf and labeled rubbings of leaves we found at or on the way to the park. On our walk we saw many flowering trees and were able to admire some of the local residents’ gardens.
We also continue to work on our class play. We need some Native looking boots for our costumes, Ugg-type boots will work. We could also use some hooded sweaters or sweatshirts. The children had a run-through without their scripts today and did a great job. Scripts are coming home with the children today so they can continue to practice over the weekend. The class will present their play for families on Friday, June 3rd, at 6:15 p.m. and families will be invited to bring a snack to share at the “cast party” afterward if they choose.
Before I go out to buy parts I thought I would ask once more if anyone has a filter or air stone for a fish tank? If so please let me know.
Have a great weekend.
Amy
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The students really enjoyed the nice weather this week – that walk to the park and also outdoor PE time in which we all practiced hopscotch (coordination) and other skills in our play area. We continued learning new songs and practicing notes B, A, and G on our recorders during music time.
The students also continued to work on their country reports this week and many of them are moving into the editing and rewriting stage. The students will share the reports with their fellow students as they finish them. We are also planning a “South of the Border” party in which the class will cook and share some foods from the countries south of us.
Another activity for this week was spending time working on invention ideas. The students tried to solve the problem of having a lawn full of dandelions (and not using chemicals to eliminate them). We had a lot of creative solutions and spent time as a group going farther through the invention process by looking at the ideas with a critical eye to question, improve, and fine-tune them. The students also enjoyed some hands-on group challenges like making boats out of aluminum foil and making structures with limited supplies – then testing each to see how many paperclips/quarters it could hold. Next Thursday we’ll be heading to the Schenectady Museum to view the Invention Convention program entries on display there and students will have an opportunity to see prototypes of ideas from other school children in the Capital Region. Please be sure to return your permission slip on Monday if you haven’t already done so. Also, please note that the permission slip for the Berkshire Museum trip is due next week Wednesday. We do have a lot of exciting things going on with the class!
Due to a change in schedule, Greg Lindenfelser will actually begin his gardening work with the students next Friday. We also will have two other community visitors in the classroom next week. Mercedes Teague will be joining the class on Tuesday afternoon to discuss her native country of the Dominican Republic. Then Cathy O’Connor from the Schenectady Public Library will be joining our class on Wednesday morning for a presentation on South America.
Best Wishes,
Nancy
Upcoming Dates:
May 17th – Community Visitor – Mercedes Teague (Dominican Republic)
May 18th – Community Visitor – Cathy O’Connor, Schenectady Public Library (South America)
May 19th – Class Field Trip – Schenectady Museum – Invention Convention Displays
May 20th – Community Visitor – Greg Lindenfelser (gardening)
May 27th – Class Field Trip to the Berkshire Museum and Family Camping Weekend
May 30th – No School – Memorial Day
June 3rd – 6:15 p.m. – Class Play
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