April 24 SBAC Testing Begins
April 26 O&A to Jackson Bottom - Chaperones Needed
May 1 Library Visit
May 3 O&A to Haystack Rock (8:15am)
Important Calendar Note:
Early O&A Departure on Wednesday, May 3rd 8:15am
Level 2 will travel to Haystack Rock (Oregon Coast) on 5/3/17. To maximize our time at the coast, we will need to leave FGCS by 8:30am! Please plan to drop your Plover off at 8:15am on this day.
Homework Due by April 27th
1. Read for at least 20 minutes every night.
2. Complete at least 30 minutes of math practice.
3. Complete at least 20 minutes of typing practice on Typing.com
4. Optional: Compete Opinion Paragraph of the Week assignment on Google Classroom.
Prompt: Would you rather live in outer space or under the sea? Support your opinion.
5. Optional: Complete electronic Business Plan by May 5th (for students who want to start their own classroom business)
State (SBAC) Testing
Level 2 students will begin state testing on Monday, April 24th. Testing is administered in the computer lab in short sessions, and students have the opportunity to work on the same test over multiple sessions so they can work at their own pace. Please help support your Plover by: encouraging them to do their best, making sure they eat breakfast and bring a snack, and helping them get plenty of sleep.
Upcoming Out and Abouts
This Wednesday, we will visit Jackson Bottom Wetlands. We'll learn from some experts how biodiversity keeps an ecosystem healthy. We'll compare forests and wetlands, and see how the Tualatin River ties them all together.
Next week week, Level 2 will travel to Haystack Rock in Cannon Beach. To maximize our time at the coast, we will leave early! In order to participate, we ask that you drop your Plover off at school by 8:15! Don't forget a sack lunch, water bottle, and clothing for any weather the coast might offer - including warm, waterproof layers and close-toed shoes for the tide pools. At Haystack Rock, students will do an hour of coastal habitat research and beach clean-up. We also will meet with the Haystack Rock Awareness Program to learn how to explore the tide pools responsibly, and spot coastal birds (fingers-crossed for a Puffin sighting!)
Volunteer Opportunities
Out & About Chaperones - Wednesday, April 26th - Jackson Bottom Wetlands
Library Chaperones - 2-3 chaperones needed for our next library trip (5/1)
I would like to have some extra snacks available on SBAC testing days, so if you are able to donate a healthy snack (fruit, cheese sticks, granola bars, or something else easy to distribute and eat) for the class, sign up on the breakfast donation page for any of the following testing days: Thursday 4/27, Monday 5/1, Tuesday 5/2, or Thursday 5/4.
Weekly Review
We had a short week last week and we used most of our time together to prepare for student-led conferences. Hopefully at conferences, you were able to see a sample of your Plover's recent work and their reflections on strengths and challenges from the year. Today, I asked the students what they liked about making portfolios and having student-led conferences. Here are a few of their thoughts:
It was fun telling my parents what I've been working on because I don't always tell them when I get home from school. They were really impressed.
I really liked it and it was fun. Usually I get nervous for the conference and it wasn't like that this time.
I'm usually nervous too, but this time I wasn't. Once I got started, it was easy.
I liked it because I thought it was fun showing my work to my parents. I was kind of scared at first; I thought I might mess up.
I'm not usually scared, I actually kind of like it. I think it shows I'm learning and we have some cool things to show.
I started off by showing all the stuff about homework and then I showed the actual work.
I was eager to get to the math probably because I'm not remembering to practice my multiples and I want to get better.
I thought I needed to work on my writing some more, but once we got started, I felt better.
I'm proud of my travel journal, so I started with that. I was proud of my math because I got better at most of it.
I realized I got better at filling up a page in writing.
I learned I can write a lot and read a lot if I'm really focused.
Zoo School - Written By The Plovers
52 kids, lots of animals, 4 hissing cockroaches and 1 exciting day at the Oregon Zoo! Last week, the Plovers and Puffins went on an Out & About to Portland. We saw all kinds of animals and learned about the life cycles of some interesting invertebrates. First, we saw an Australian walking stick. We learned that a mother walking stick climbs up a tree and flings her eggs down to the ground. The eggs look like an ant egg so that an ant will take it back to the nest and protect it. When the walking stick is born, it even looks like an ant! Eventually, it will walk out of the ant nest when it is ready to survive on its own. It will molt several times and its appearance will start to look more like a walking stick. When we saw the walking stick, we realized it wasn't the same as the kind of stick bugs that live here! An Australian walking stick looks more like a scorpion.
Next, we learned about the Madagascar hissing cockroach. It's only defense is hissing, which sounds scary but it's really not. It's harmless! Everybody had the chance to pet the cockroach, if they wanted to. Katana thought it felt smooth. Bradley thought it felt scaly. Hayden thought it was rough and rubbery! Caleb thought it was smooth and greasy. When it was time for the cockroaches to go back in their habitat, one of them wouldn't let go of the zoo teacher's finger! Look below for some pictures of the walking sticks, cockroaches and other zoo animals!