December 20, 2007
The End of a Great Semester!
What a wonderful, fascinating, amazing, fun semester we have had! The children and I want to thank all of our supportive parents for their generosity and help in making our learning experiences special and rewarding. Mahalo nui loa!!Inquiry Presentations
I know you all enjoyed and were amazed by the depth of the children's knowledge and experience with their habitats and animals, as well as their clear understanding of what we need to do to protect not only the animals but all life on our planet. Thank you to all who helped with research and to everyone who took time from their busy day to attend.
South African Safari
Mr. McCormick shared his experiences on a South African safari with the children. He cleverly involved each of them in his presentation. Some found animals on maps or in guidebooks, some recorded the animals he talked about, others searched coins and paper money to find pictures of the animals, and we all enjoyed his excellent PowerPoint.Thank you, Mr. McCormick!
Owl Pellets
Because of weak stomach muscles and a lack of strong digestive juices, owls and many other raptors regurgitate what cannot be digested. A farmer in Washington state gathers these regurgitated owl pellets each morning and dries and sterilizes them. Some of the children were a little reluctant to touch their owl pellets at first, but soon everyone was carefully removing fur or feathers from the skulls and bones of birds and rodents including field mice, voles, shrews, and rats. Our parent helpers enjoyed the experience, too. Mahalo for all your help!!
Bake Sale
The entire school came to our Bake Sale, and we sold almost everything. Thank you for taking time to prepare delicious goodies for the sale with your child. The children did an excellent job of advertising, setting up the sale, helping customers, making change, and cleaning up afterwards. They also had help from several parents, who managed the sale for us. Our efforts raised $339 for the Heifer Foundation. The children decided that money would go for several flocks of chickens, ducks, and geese, honeybees, rabbits, and shares of a heifer, a pig, a llama, a goat, and a sheep. What a wonderful way to end our Animal Inquiry and help others around the world. Mahalo, everyone, for your help and support!!
Christmas
A special "thank you" to Mrs. Ichinose, who planned our very fun Christmas party and prepared all the gift ornament materials and treats; to Mr. Ichinose, who read a very special Christmas story about the origins of St. Nick; and to all the parents who came in to help.
Mahalo nui loa to all the Magic Stone Families for your wonderful Christmas gift. I am touched by your generosity!
My thoughts are with you during this special holiday season.
Merry Christmas! See you next year!
Be sure to check the photo gallery for some great pictures of your child's learning experience.
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December 6, 2007
Inquiry Presentations and Conferences
Inquiry PresentationReminders: The Animal Inquiry Presentations will be on Monday, December 10, from 10:30 to 11:30. Please, be on time so your child can show you fascinating abstract art and our interesting animal habitats before the presentations begin. You may park in the stalls or around the circle at the Elementary School if there is room. Just go to the gym parking lot otherwise.
The children have done a lot of practicing at school, and most are speaking loudly, clearly, fluently, and with confidence, but they can all use more practice during the long weekend. Thank you for helping them with this! See you Monday.
Conferences
We are putting the finishing touches our our portfolios, and they will be ready for you when you come for your child's conference. Be sure to bring your child because this is a Student-Parent-Teacher Conference with your child taking an important role in conducting it. Try to arrive 10 minutes before your scheduled time, so you can sit outside and look over your child's portfolio before you come in. Don't try to read everything; just get a sense of how they are progressing. The continua will make a lot more sense if you take the time to do that. You will be taking the portfolios home when you leave, and they will need to be returned by the end of January.
Bake Sale
The children are excited about the Bake Sale to raise money for the Heifer Foundation on Tuesday, December 18, 9:30 - 10:00 and 11:30 - 12:30. I would love to have some parents come to help with the sales, just to keep an eye on the making of change and helping wherever you can. Look for a sign-up sheet next week.
Owl Pellets
The children are still looking forward to breaking apart some sterile owl pellets to find out what owls eat. This will be a fascinating end for our Animal Inquiry. I will need some help with this on Tuesday, December 18, from 1:15 to 2:30. I would love to have some dads help out. I will send a sign-up sheet on Monday. Come if you can!
Christmas Break
I'm sure you are all planning fun activities and adventures for the Christmas Break. Please, let me know if your child will not be in school that last week.
Posted at 2:51 PM| Permalink