Dear Families of Little Elk River,
Had enough shoveling yet? Ya, me neither.
And no, I did not find the medallion, but I certainly got my fill of suspense and adventure for a few days. I'll be back out there next year.
In class we are wrapping up our lesson series on Humans, Water and Maps. As you may already know, each student participates in one of these groups, which last about 6 weeks. In Humans we studied the evolution of hominids. We learned about the main species within the two genera, Australopithecus and Homo. Students were also asked to examine their own ancestral lineage over the course of three generations, and to find out how much they resemble their great grandparents. We also studied the fundamental needs of humans.
The Water group learned about the chemical and physical properties of water, from polarity and crystallization to phase changes. We also studied the taste of water, the scarcity of the word's fresh water, and began studying the Mississippi River watershed. And that's about when Polar Vortex hit. Lastly, the Maps group studied different kinds of maps, both two and three-dimensional. We practiced reading an atlas, making map keys, and culminated our work with topographic salt dough maps of states.
Next lesson series will feature the Story of Writing, and Weather.
• Hot Lunch is coming (Feb. 19). Order now! Here's an easy 5-min video tutorial for how to use EZ Lunch. If you have any questions about the lunch program, please feel free to email lunch@greatriverschool.org.
• Notecards needed! We are in need of 4x6 lined Notecards (as opposed to the 3x5 kind, which are too small) for student research. Please send a pack if you are able to donate to the community. Thank you!
• Library Thursday: We will likely go to the library this Thursday. Please send your child's library card. Last week we went to the park and had a blast playing in fresh snow. Know that Thursday will continue to be our off-campus day, so proper winter gear is especially essential.
• Model United Nations: On Tuesday we look forward to sending off Emmett, Mikko and Henry to the Montessori Model United Nations. This amazing trip is the culmination of months of hard work and practice, and we wish them a successful diplomatic mission to New York City.
• The Pigs: Thanks for keeping Hazel and Cinnamon well cared for! They want you to know that their stock of food and bedding is full and won't need any more for 3-4 weeks.
• Donations: We are, however, accepting donations of vinegar, embroidery cloth and used buttons. We also like unique papers to use for cards and art projects, such as wallpaper samples or paper with different textures.
As always, thank you for your partnership,
Seth, Elizabeth, and John
--
