WELCOME!
Welcome new 5th graders! I’m looking forward to seeing you all on either Tuesday, August 30th for our open house, or bright and early on Wednesday for the first day of school! I have been busy planning the year, and getting the classroom ready for you. There are a few quick things that may be helpful for you to know before school starts. We will have PE on Mondays and Thursdays – don’t forget sneakers on those two days. We will begin the year with Art, then move to Music for the second and fourth quarters. We will also begin the year with guidance with Mr. Kriger on Wednesdays. Our UA period is in the afternoons, and we have lunch at 11:10. Enjoy your last few days of summer vacation, and I’ll see you soon!
IBM Presents Smart Water
Last Thursday we were very fortunate to have IBM engineer and classroom dad, Mark Lagerquist, join us in the classroom and teach us about water. The hour long hands-on presentation and activity was part of IBM’s effort to work with local schools to bring science into the classroom. Mr. Lagerquist taught us how to test water for pH, phosphate, and nitrate levels. We also tested turbidity (clarity). Samples that we tested included water from Lake Champlain, a local stream, our classroom tap and fountain water, and even two day old water bottle water (thanks Josh!). Once we collected our data we entered it into a website where we could compare it to schools all around Vermont. Ask your young scientist about the quality of the water we tested. A very big thank you to Mr. Lagerquist for taking the time to educate us about this very important resource!
Ecosystems
In science we have recently finished up our ecosystem unit. The students created ecocolumns which include a terrarium and an aquarium. During the last few weeks we saw many changes in both. In our aquarium we watched as our mosquito fish, snails, elodea, and duckweed grew, changed, and in many cases died. In most of our terrariums, the rye grass, mustard, and alfalfa are thriving. Our crickets didn’t last very long, however the isopods seem to be quite hardy, and are alive and well. We even have baby isopods! The students learned about the interdependence between these two ecosystems, and we compared our ‘mini-ecosystems’ to the real environment around us. We witnessed and discussed how events in one ecosystem can affect the other. We learned about the importance of each and every living and non-living element of the ecocolumns, from decaying matter and unseen algae, to the rocks and the snails. Some of you may soon see parts of these ecocolumns coming home!
Thank You Ms. Mundt!
Abby Mundt is a UVM Sophomore who is studying education. We were fortunate to have Ms. Mundt in the classroom with us on Thursday mornings during the last few months. She taught several writing lessons, and has been a big help during our ecosystem unit. We are sure she will be a big success with her future as a teacher, and wish her all the best as she pursues her career!
Junk Music & Circus Arts Residency Performance
The Artist in Residency program is in full swing! The kids have been working hard creating junk music, and practicing circus arts for the past two weeks. They are very excited for their final performance on Friday night. Don’t miss it!
ps. That’s our very own Josh there doing some stunts with Troy!
