Hello Everyone,
Attendance: Mountain School requests that you help your child by dropping them off at 8:15 before the final 8:30 bell. Students who arrive late on a regular basis disrupt the classroom and miss valuable instructional time.
Field Trip: The Tech Museum
Simplicity of Electricity Lab and IMAX Robots
Thursday February 4, 2016
We have our drivers and chaperones for this fun and educational field trip! Thank you!
Please bring a lunch and a drink. We'll gather lunches before leaving in the morning and put them in boxes to store at the museum. We will leave school at 8:15 sharp so that we arrive at the museum in San Jose at 9:00. After parking, please gather on Park Avenue so that we can go into the museum as a group. A brief orientation will follow where we will receive our wristbands and tech tags. Our Simplicity of Electricity Lab begins at 9:30 and runs 90 minutes. If the weather is nice, we'll gather our lunches (with help from our lovely chaperones) and eat in the park before heading over to wait in line for the Robots IMAX at 11:45. The movie begins at 12:00 and has a 40 minute running time. This wraps up our museum fun. Chaperones and students gather, get their head counts and drive back to school to arrive at about 2:00.
Please bring a lunch and a drink. We'll gather lunches before leaving in the morning and put them in boxes to store at the museum. We will leave school at 8:15 sharp so that we arrive at the museum in San Jose at 9:00. After parking, please gather on Park Avenue so that we can go into the museum as a group. A brief orientation will follow where we will receive our wristbands and tech tags. Our Simplicity of Electricity Lab begins at 9:30 and runs 90 minutes. If the weather is nice, we'll gather our lunches (with help from our lovely chaperones) and eat in the park before heading over to wait in line for the Robots IMAX at 11:45. The movie begins at 12:00 and has a 40 minute running time. This wraps up our museum fun. Chaperones and students gather, get their head counts and drive back to school to arrive at about 2:00.
Santa Cruz County Science Fair: March 7th (registration deadline: Fri., Feb. 12)
Please visit the link below to keep informed about important dates and deadlines.
Although it is not required, we encourage students to enter their projects into the Santa Cruz County Science Fair. Please view the website with your child to consider whether she or he is interested in this opportunity. It includes exciting ideas as well as guidelines for projects. If your child is interested in participating, he or she is strongly encouraged to begin a project as soon as possible.
Mountain School Science Fair
Our annual science fair will be on Wednesday, March 2nd.
All students seem to have good ideas for projects at this time. One reminder is to have only one variable. We will continue to review the scientific method and process with examples in class. Please refer to the calendar in the packet that went home last Monday to keep you and your child on schedule. It is helpful to post it on the refrigerator as a reminder.
Upcoming Dates:
HOLIDAY/ NO SCHOOL- Monday, February 8th
HOLIDAY/ NO SCHOOL- Monday, February 15th
Accelerated Reader
We will begin our Accelerated Reader program within the next few weeks. Your child will bring home a letter indicating their reading level range. They are encouraged to find books by searching on http://arbookfind.com. The “Collections” tab lists the Newberry Award Winners & Newberry Honors. These are highly recommended, and we have many of them in our library. Students are welcome to borrow our classroom books. Please assist with having them returned. Thanks!
Typing Club/Cursive
We will be typing in class each week, and students will sometimes be assigned typing homework. Please let me know if computer access is a problem. In addition to typing, students will continue to practice their cursive. These activities will alternate to give students time to master these fine-motor skills.
Curriculum
Math: fractions (equivalent, ordering, adding and subtracting, like and unlike denominators, mixed number, improper, multiplication, division, word problems, bar models
(All students are required to practice fractions on Khan Academy)
Science: Environments--terrariums, earthworms, isopods, beetles, pollination, aquariums
Social Studies: colony partner research, posters, presentations, American Revolution
Vocabulary and spelling packets: daily vocabulary, Friday assessment; writing prompt
Writing/grammar: subjects and predicates, pronouns, adjectives, run-on sentences, opinion/persuasive essay, book reviews, Native American year long essay project, Young Writers Project March 1- March 31.
Warmly,
Mrs. Young
