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.