Expedition: Our Anato-Me expedition is off to a great start! After our initial introduction to the human body, we have delved into the skeletal system. The kids have so many connections, and many already know some complex vocabulary and information pertaining to our bones. Despite the complexity of the human body, and the skeletal system in particular, they seem hungry for more and unphased by the vast amount of information.

Many children have mentioned that they have a book, or other resource, they would like to share with the class. I am happy to display these items for the class, but please be sure to carefully screen them for any inappropriate content prior to sending them in.

Be on the lookout for food rules in the daily planner. Daily tips for keeping a healthy diet and eating right will accompany our regular planner notes. The Author, Michael Pollan, has laid out several recommended rules he believes people should follow, plus it makes for a fun closing to our afternoon.

Questions to prompt some critical Anato-Me thinking:

How many bones do we have in our bodies? How small is the smallest bone in the body?

What do bones do?

What are bones made of?

 

Fieldwork: There are many fieldwork events on the horizon! Beginning Wednesday, April 15th, we will begin walking to the Community Swimming Pool for swimming lessons. Since lessons will be held from 11:45-12:30, we will eat an early lunch on Wednesdays in order to be at the pool by 11:45. Students will also need to come in the morning wearing swimsuits (a reminder email will be sent).

Late April we plan to head to Reno for Grossology at the Wilbur D. May Museum, followed by a visit to the Agroecology Center in Glenshire to learn about food and soil – a nice pair for our expedition and the kinds of food we eat. More information to come.

Book Bags: Please note that there is a new reading strategy this week: Inferring. After practicing a couple more strategies, the children will be able to select which strategy they would like to focus on for the week with their book bags – allowing for more independence. Please refer to the Parent Pipelines for questions you may have regarding the strategy of the week. Also, please support your child in not waiting till the last minute to complete their weekly response as this leads to rushed and often incomplete work, not to mention stress.

Goal Setting Contracts: As you have seen, goal setting contracts were sent home. Please sign these contracts with your child, and keep at home. We have several copies at school, so there is no need to return them. Place your child’s contract in a location where you can both refer to them, and determine progress made. We have also included a copy of the contract in students’ HOWs folders for periodic check-ins. The goal is to check in and remind themselves of their academic and character goals once or twice a month, and to self-check progress.

Important Dates:

Monday, March 30th: Nevada County Library, 2:00-3:15

Monday, April 6th-10th: Spring Break

Wednesday, April 15th: Begin Swim Lessons (each Wednesday until May 22nd), 11:30-12:45

Thursday, April 23rd: Grossology, Reno

Tuesday, April 28th: Agroecology Center, Glenshire