Snowy Days

What an end to 2012!  Winter came in with a roar canceling the last two days of school before winter break.  While I share in the excitement of all this beautiful snow (and a few extra days off from school) I am sad we did not have our poetry tea and PJ day as planned.  The students worked hard on their poems and we will schedule the tea for a day in January. Once I talk with my teaching team I will let you all know ASAP! Here is a sneak peak at our rehearsal day.

Mock Rocks and Geology
Our student geologist worked this past week exploring the relationship between rocks and minerals.  They used a mock rock (a model of a rock made with various mock minerals) to assist them with this process.  They began their exploration by drawing and recording observations in their science journal.

Students then used a "pick axe" ( a galvanized nail) to break apart their mock rocks, separating out some of the minerals.

Students identified red and blue gravel, shells and a gray dusty mystery material.  Through observations they suspected sand, salt, flour, baking soda, etc made up that mystery dust.  We decided to mix the gray dust with water, shake it (to separate the minerals) and let it sit overnight.  Several layers formed and we were able to identify sand and flour.  In order to test our salt theory, we poured the water into evaporation dishes and let those sit over a few days to see if any crystals formed.  Well, we will have to wait until winter break because we did not have school!  The mystery remains until January.
Measuring Paths
We pulled out the rulers and meter sticks to measure various windy paths with the intention to determine which was the longest.  Students first made a estimate and then checked their guesses with data.

The Lily Pad's Spelling Bee Representatives:
Congratulations to Inde, Alma, Irini, Jackson and Marley.  They represented our class in the third grade spelling bee!  Jackson was selected as an alternate in the All-school Bee.  Way to go!

Upcoming Events

• Poetry Tea - rescheduled
• Dream Camp Group A meets on Tuesday, January 8 and Group B meets on Tuesday, January 15.
• January 25 - Ms. Wimmler's last day! (Yikes!) and the end of 1st semester
• No School January 21 - MKL, Jr Day observed.

I wish you all a safe and restful break and Happy New Year!