4.23.15 Crew News/ Winter Voyage Summary

Winter Voyage: A Great Success! Wow, I am still in awe of what a wonderful voyage we had! There were so many small moments where I saw students reach out to help and/or encourage each other. It is such a highlight for me! I was so impressed and proud of students as they set goals to push themselves out of their comfort zones, work together with teamwork, and reflect on the personal growth that they made. In addition to adventure education, Keystone Science School facilitated engaging and rich learning experiences about the earth science: the three classifications of rocks, minerals, plate tectonics, and the history of our mountain range the Rockies. A huge shout-out to our third grade chaperones: Trang, Jody, Tracy, Sonja, Mike, Jeff, Cristian, and Devin. You were incredible, and I appreciate you so much!!! Each patrol had their own style of teaching and team-building. Here are some highlights from our crew.  Some students got to try out snowshoeing while others took advantage of sledding down this awesome hill.   Geology Kickball! Students had to say the name of the rock and how it was made to stay at each base.  We did a variety of activities to learn about the rock cycle.  Students had to use perseverance on their long challenge hike.  The Three Headed Mountain Bears patrol worked on communication and collaboration skills to complete team-building activities. The emphasis was on having successful communication and feeling pride in working as a group.  The Flaming Wolverines hiked to this beautiful river to learn about rocks. In the foreground you can see where they build different land forms: lake, mountain, basin, canyon, plateau, and valley.  Students got to work as geologists to crack open rocks and identify them. Another highlight was viewing the moon through the Keystone Observatory telescope. **Be sure to ask your child about what they learned about food waste! After every meal, our food waste was weighed. Our meal totals were 3 pounds, 4.5 pounds, 2 pounds, and then drumroll please.... 1.7 OUNCES! This was a very huge victory and new Renaissance record! The Three Headed Mountain Bears The Flaming Wolverines Please ask your child to share his/her field journal with you! Student recorded some of their learning and reflections. For Monday: Please have students bring in their field journal, pen, and plastic bag (we try to reuse these on voyages). Thanks!!! A big thank you to our photographers who helped capture the moment! ***See MORE of the lovely pictures from Trang at  http://1drv.ms/1aW5gxW  Ms. Lauren's Crew Mr. Tyler's Crew Announcements: PARCC Testing Next Week:  Students will begin their final round of PARCC testing next week.  This round is more of a skills based component, and it is titled " End of the Year" test.  This test will be a good indication of skills that students have mastered, and ones that need to be strengthened before fourth grade.   Students will only be testing in the morning of Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday.  The test will start at 9:00am and we will be done by 11:00am. The time spent testing is much less than the first round of PARCC. I have noticed that some students show some of the character qualities that we value at Renaissance when it comes to testing: specifically perseverance.  Yes the tests can be difficult, and that is okay.  The students and I have talked about where their source of pride comes from, and we realized that it comes from tackling items that are difficult; not avoiding them.  We may not always like the item, but hard work and giving your best effort does count. For those who want to view sample test items, follow this link :PARCC sample test items    Calendar Updates: Apr 24: No School; Teacher Comp Day Apr 27, 28, 30: Round 2 of PARCC testing May 1: Fieldwork to Bent's Fort *EXTENDED DAY* Drop off at 8:15am/ pick-up at 7pm May 13: 3rd Grade Portfolio Presentations  Reminder: 3rd Grade Portfolio Showcase on May 13th from 1:30-4 pm Please ensure your child will be available and at our third grade portfolio reviews in the afternoon on Wednesday, May 13th. We will give your specific half hour time slot soon. It is a momentous occasion for students, and they are already very excited about it! Portfolio Panel Sign-ups Third grade is a showcase portfolio year, and we will need panelists! Unfortunately, third grade parents cannot be on the third grade panels. However, you can sign up to be on the sixth grade panels. Please consider signing up! This is an experience that is unique to REMS and is a wonderful growth opportunity for our students. Particularly for sixth graders, as it is their last year at Renaissance, it is a very meaningful ritual. Sign up to be on a 6th grade portfolio panel here.