As we say goodbye....

.......it's time to sit back and view some of the lasting memories this wonderful group of kids experienced before they move on to a new chapter in their lives: Middle School!

And here we go.....

 .....these kids have heart.....

....they are expert geologists (can you identify the olivine???)...

...they are award winning film makers....

.....they are phenomenal egg hunters...

....they are loving and role models...

....they save the earth one newscast interview at a time....

....they are botanists in our blossoming garden.......

....they are musical phenomenons (who play "Mack the Knife" at Spring concert!!!)....

.....they are researchers who comb the pine barrens for unique plant adaptations....

.....they are geometric whizzes......

....they are wonderful. And I will miss them dearly....

It's Greek Week!

Our 5th graders have finished wrapping up their study of Greek mythology with a trip to the Met for the second time this year. This gave everyone a chance to view some of the ancient artifacts that they weren't able to catch a glimpse of back in January. I would be remiss to not mention our visit to Broadway to see "The Lion King," a truly masterful performance. 

Students then each chose a god or goddess to study before presenting all that they learned to the entire class in our amphitheater. 

Below, we see Thanatos (the god of death), Hypnos (the god of sleep), and Nemesis (the goddess of revenge. For those Percy Jackson fans out there, you are well aware that they happen to be siblings. 

Here we see Hephaestus (the god of fire and blacksmiths) and Ares (the god of war), who happen to be brothers as well.

Lastly, we have three interpretations of Nike, the goddess of victory, strength, and speed.

It is in the eyes.

Lots of eyes in this entry's pictures, all with a sense of curiosity and excitement. So much has gone on since we've been back from December break. I will once again offer a version steep on brevity, and let the faces and eyes of our little ones speak for themselves.

Below, we have the annual Speed Stack challenge competition, courtesy of the wonderful Mr. Nicholls. I don't know who won this championship matchup. Based on this picture, our viewers may have had all the fun.

The 5th graders and kindergarten buddies continue to grow ever closer. Below, the little ones invited my class to their imaginary movie festival. There were tickets printed and handed out, food rations, and exclusive VIP treatment for the 5th graders. 

The following day, the kindergarten class were lead into the AP room for the first time as they had finally made it to the day they have been waiting for: lunch with the big kids! 

Our 5th graders walked them through the entire process every day for the first week. Whether it was surveying the salad bar, cleaning their plates after lunch, or forming a perfect line at the dessert bar, the little ones picked it up rather quickly and are doing great on their own.

We've moved away from Life Science and began our Earth Science units upon return this month. Students have been studying continental drift, seafloor spreading, and different land forms, all of which are the result of heat from deep within the earth. 

 This lab mimicked the behavior of the mantle and showed how different temperatures within a liquid creates a flow of energy which simulates convection currents, the main driving forces behind the phenomenons listed above. 

In math, we've begun to study the do's and do not's of algebra when solving multi-step algebraic equations. Below, we used Popsicle sticks to represent different lengths of geometric figures algebraically.

We then transitioned to our first geometry unit, where we explored the uses of perimeter and area. Below, students are using the Geoboard app on their iPads to create various polygons with the requisite areas and properties. No more dried out snapping rubber bands from the old Geoboards was a nice bonus!

As all students agreed, triangles are just the best. Well, maybe not all. Some are gaga over rhombuses. 

We had not one, but two Middle School Athlete of the Week winners in a row! First was Sanai, followed up by Naomi (seen below) the very next week. Girls, your classmates are so proud of you!

On January 25th, we took a ride over to this little 'ol place you might know: The Metropolitan Museum of Art! Here, students had a 90 minute tour with a personal tour guide, whose knowledge and understanding of Ancient Egypt seemed to be never ending. Students saw tombs, mummies, hieroglyphics, statues......

....and......the Temple of Dendur! Simply amazing.

Last but certainly not least, students closed one chapter in Tech (coding) and opened a brand new one (engineering!). Below, the students were given 18 minutes to design and construct their marshmallow towers to see which could stand the tallest for a full minute upon completion. 

No need to ask about mine. Let's just say.....it's in a better place. 

Git-R-Done!

'til next time.

The Season Of Giving

In this season of giving, it was most rewarding to see our 5th graders lead efforts to collect various food products for our annual food drive. We thank the entire lower school community for opening their hearts in such a benevolent manner this holiday season. Your efforts were much appreciated and will bring happiness to those in need. 

The Girls on the Run team was recognized for their completion of a local 5K on November 20th. The Girls on the Run organization's mission is "dedicated to creating a world where every girl knows and activates her limitless potential and is free to boldly pursue her dreams." 

Along with many 3rd and 4th grade girls, the following 5th grade girls participated: Zara, Diya, Hannah M., Samina, Sydney, and Anushka. An extra shout out must be made to the following five girls, who were members of GOTR for three straight years! Congratulations Zara, Diya, Samina, Sydney, and Anushka. 

I must briefly make light of some spontaneous debates that have raged on in class recently. It has become apparent that we have a group of eager learners who are adamant that their voice must be heard! I hadn't planned on it, but who knows where any class can go?

Most recent was the question "Do you believe the human race survive for 20 years without sunlight?" On the left, we have those who see no chance for survival. On the right, our optimists who certainly made some sound arguments based on the technological advancement of synthetic energy as a means as a substitute for the sun to state their case. It was fascinating, spirited, respectful, and unexpected! 

Our Stem classes continues to rage on, as we wind down our focus on coding. Students were recently asked to create codes for Dash to perform tasks within six commands. Mrs. Maciorowski has done a remarkable job pushing their problem solving skills to the limit!

Students have recently been working on the creation of their biome commercials in Science class. After being assigned a biome in groups, students researched each in depth in the hopes to create a commercial (for the Lubby Travel Agency) convincing potential customers why they should visit. 

Students were asked to create detailed storyboards with camera angles, dialogue, and a descriptive commercial shot by shot. Once their plans were set, students then used our green screen to film their commercials in various landscapes, on planes, on the top of famous monuments......all in the name of a little business!

No worries, everyone. Our heating system works just fine. These students seemed to step out to the tundra for a moment. 

And this one took a flight to the other side of the planet and returned without even asking her parents for permission! I even thought I heard one student say, "I've got a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore." Of course it begs the question, "Were you?" Ah yes.....you have the grasslands.

Carry on!

We even had time to work out some city planning our weekly visit with our kindergarten buddies. This will come in handy during the engineering phase of our tech classes after winter break! This is just a preview of what's to come.

'til next time.

I am....

What are we? It is a question that reveals new answers daily. The picture above says what our 5th graders were in September, but time changes so swiftly and brings such new experiences so suddenly, I would venture to say this board would look completely different had it been done today.

Below, you will see photos of our owl pellet dissection, moments of care and leadership with our kindergarten, identification of the many species of trees planted on campus, a generous visit on Halloween from our Senior buddies, and a continuing focus and burgeoning understanding of coding. 

Above all else, we are a group of talented and confident individuals who ask ourselves daily, "How can I push myself today beyond where I ended yesterday?"

 We continue to collaborate, to inspire, to design, to take risks, all the while having fun with a smile painted on for good measure.

Keep up the good work 5th graders. You continue to impress those around you, as well as yourself.

We are curious.

We are organized.

We appreciate the humor in life.

 We collaborate.

We are patient.

 

We are amazed.

We classify.

 

We identify.

We are artistic. (And so are our parents.)

We imagine. 

We appreciate leaders. 

(Thanks, Senior buddies.)

We share.

We design.

We protect.

We care for one another.

We explore.

We challenge ourselves. 

And we smile. (Often.)

To laugh yourself is to love yourself.

'til next time.