Voyage

We had a fantastic day hiking and climbing in Castlewood Canyon. Ask your child to tell you all about it as you look through the photos below and the photos in the photo album at the link below.

There were many, many wonderful, touching moments. We did not have any serious injuries - just a few scrapes but band-aids took care of them easily. I know I keep saying this but our crew is amazing! My favorite quote of the day was on the hike right before we walked through the cave: "I did not sign up for this!" I laughed and said oh, yes you did. The reply was " I did not sign up to fall to my eternal doom." This  was all said while laughing. This crew is so precocious and witty.

Castlewood Canyon Photo Album 2016

Voyage

We had a great day hiking and climbing in Castlewood Canyon. Ask your child to tell you all about it as you look through the slideshow below. (If you get this post by email, you will need to go directly to the blog to view the photos.)

Some comments by the crew that I heard today on the Voyage, on the bus or back at school in our closing circle include:

• This was the best day ever!
• I was scared to climb real rocks.
• I was scared to go in the cave.
• I loved going in the caves.
• I got so high on the rock wall. 
• It looks easier than it really is to climb a real rock wall.
• How did these ropes get here?
• It was fun to have Ms. Deborah be our bus driver.
• I didn't want to come today but I am glad that I did. It was fun!

Homework
No homework for the weekend. Enjoy some good books with your child.

IA
Our IA next week is Music.

So Much to Look Forward to...

Spring Break is coming to an end. Students come back to school on Tuesday, April 8th. We have so many exciting things to look forward to in these last few weeks of the school year. Below are just a few things to share with your child as he or she prepares to come back to school.

Math
We will be learning about fractions. This will involve lots of cutting, gluing, folding, sharing and lots of fun.

Writing
You know how we have been learning about nonfiction books in Reading, well, now we are going to write a nonfiction book in writing. Be thinking about an animal that you want to write about - either one you love or one that you want to learn more about. We will be researching our animals and writing a book about them.

Expedition
We will continue to learn more about our worms but we have a few new topics to add to our Down to Earth Expedition. I won't give away all of them but you can figure out a couple of them in the photo below. (Hint: You might want to buy a pair of gardening gloves for the not too distant future.)

Adventure Education
Part Two of our Winter Voyage (Spring Voyage) is coming up this Friday, April 11th. That is less than a week away! We will be going to Castlewood Canyon to climb the rocks in the canyon and going on a great hike. You will need a sack lunch on this day and clothing appropriate for climbing and hiking. Below is a picture from last year just to give you a sneak peek at what we will be doing.

Maker Station
The Maker Station - one our most popular stations - will be back in action when we return. We do not need more items except for more cardboard tubes like those from paper towels and toilet paper. You can send those in as they become available at your house.

Photo from earlier in the year

 
Reading
In Reading, we will be finishing up our study of nonfiction books by taking a look a few more great nonfiction series. We will also begin exploring a new genre of books - graphic novels. These are always so much fun and have such a wide variety of levels (from wordless to more complex test) and topics that there is something for everyone. Below are a few pictures of books I have gathered from the public library to share with the crew. (Remember that you can click on the pictures to get a larger view.)

Graphic Novels that are good for everyone

Graphic Novels with a bit more challenge

More Graphic Novels that are a bit more challenging

Animal Planet Nonfiction Series

Nonfiction books by Melissa Stewart

Comparing Bugs Series

Nonfiction books by Steve Jenkins

Some of our Ready Freddy books and Ricky Ricotta books were falling apart and the crew asked me to get some new ones. Here they are!

Future Read Alouds - some we will start right away on Tuesday. All of these are very funny!

As you can see, we have so much to look forward to as we come back from break. I know that I am very excited and can't wait to see the crew and hear all about their breaks. I also know that there will be many more exciting things to come (and that I will think of a few that I will wish I had included in this post as soon as I hit publish). See you soon!

Important Dates
4/8 First day back to school after Spring Break
4/11 Voyage to Castlewood Canyon
4/10 - 4/13 DCSD Art Show at the Castle Rock Outlets
4/25 No School - Teacher Comp Day
5/7 3rd Grade Portfolio Showcase (I highly recommend that you volunteer to be on the panels for these - or the 6th grade showcase. It is a wonderful experience.)
5/14 6th Grade Portfolio Showcase
5/26 No School - Memorial Day
6/4 Last Day of School

Crew News May 6, 2013

Voyage Photos Part 2
Here are the rest of the Voyage photos. There are more pictures of different kids climbing and some more cave photos. If you get this post by email, you will need to click directly through to the blog to view the Haiku Deck. Enjoy.



Homework
Reading ~ Read a good book or two.
Math ~  Home Link 9.3 Number-Grid Puzzles

Crew News April 25, 2013

Voyage
What a great day! This is my favorite Voyage day of the year - no contest. It is such a great trip. We hiked a beautiful trail that includes a couple of caves and did some rock climbing. Every child in our crew climbed and all had a great time. Thanks to Ms. Jodie and Ms. Kristin for being chaperones and for all of their help with the photos. (I forgot my camera.) Thanks to Ms. Wendy for leading one patrol and special thanks to Mr. Cody and Mr. Ashton for planning and arranging this trip (and being so flexible with all of our date changes due to bad weather). If you get this post by email, you will need to go directly to the blog to view the Haiku Deck.
Homework
No homework for the long weekend. There is no school tomorrow because it is a Comp Day for teachers. Enjoy a few good books with your child.

IA
Our IA next week is Music.

Crew News April 30, 2012

Voyage
We had an amazing day! I personally had the best day on a Voyage that I have ever had (and I don't say that lightly). We hiked and we climbed and did a few other activities. The hands down favorite activity was climbing - real rock climbing. The kids were beside themselves with joy and pride! Just look at all the smiling faces in the Voice Thread below. There are many, many photos but they are worth the few minutes it will take to view them. What a fantastic experience for everyone!


 

Library Tomorrow
We have library tomorrow. We traded days with Ms. Mary Beth's crew because they will be on their Voyage tomorrow. Please help your child remember to return his or her library books.

Crew News April 27, 2012

Homework
Our Voyage is on Monday. Please help your child prepare his or her daypack.

Voyage Details

Your child will come to school and leave school at the regular times. 

They will need:

a sack lunch

2 snacks

daypack

2 FULL water bottles

lip balm

sun glasses (if they wear them)

small bottle of sunscreen for reapplication if needed

hat  

to wear closed toe shoes since we are climbing and hiking

Please send your child to school that day with their sunscreen already applied. 

Also, check the weather that morning to determine if they will need a jacket or rain gear.

**It is really important that your child bring 2 full water bottles on this trip because this will be different from how things work at Camp Elim. At Camp Elim, they have large coolers set up for the kids to use to fill their water bottles. It is difficult to fit a water bottle under a bathroom faucet so it is important that your child bring 2 full water bottles so that they stay hydrated. There will be water available there but it might not be very easy to fill the bottles or to get very much water in a bottle.

 IA
Our IA next week is Art.