Friday Letter - 06.03.11

June 3, 2011

Dear River Run Families,

We’ve done so many things over the last two weeks, that it’s difficult to remember them all! Last Friday the students enjoyed our outing to the Berkshire Museum where they learned about Native peoples and mammals at two educator-led programs. We also enjoyed independent exploration of the exhibits afterwards. Then over Memorial Day weekend five RiverRun families participated in our annual family camping weekend and enjoyed hiking, having bonfires, and the cold, rocky river exploration.

The students have also been working hard on preparing for the play – practicing lines and acting, making scenery and costumes, and preparing our classroom for visitors tonight. We look forward to seeing you there. After the play, we’ll be releasing the five butterflies we hatched outside so they can continue their life in a bigger space then our netting. They hatched while we were away over Memorial Day weekend, but prior to that we enjoyed watching the caterpillars make their chrysalises and now we’ve been figuring out what best to feed them! We also have another mouth to feed in the classroom. This week we acquired a painted turtle and have been setting it up in an aquarium and figuring out what best to feed him. The turtle was found on the road and brought to us, so we’ll give it a nice home while we decide on the best timing for releasing it back into the wild.

With the nicer weather, the class has taken two neighborhood walks for PE time – once to Steinmetz Park and yesterday we went to the bike bath off of Senecca Street. We also spent time outdoors today, planting flowers in the RiverRun play area under the guidance of Greg Lindenfelser. Next week he’ll be helping us explore the beautiful flowers and grounds of Union College when we walk there on Friday.

Work on the Timeline of Life and Country Reports continue as do all other areas of the curriculum. As we start to wrap up the year, students are also beginning to work on their self-assessments related to this year and goal-setting for next year. They’ll share that with you at Portfolio Day on Friday, 6/17. Please mark your calendar and plan to join us in the classroom at 1:00 p.m. for portfolio sharing, followed by a year-end celebration with ice cream from Stewarts.

Best wishes,
Nancy, Amy, and Debbie

Upcoming Dates:
June 6th – 12:00 – 3:00 RiverRun Goals & Objectives Session, substitute in the classroom
June 9th – South of the Border Fiesta Luncheon for RiverRun students
June 10th – Lunch and Viewing the Gardens at Union College with Greg Lindenfelser
June 17th – 1:00 p.m. – Portfolio Day and Ice Cream Social (for students and families)
June 23rd – Last Day of School for RiverRun Students