5.28.15 Crew News

Announcements:

Teacher appreciation: Thank you so much for all the kind words and thoughtful acts during the past month. Our school really goes above and beyond in making teachers feel appreciated! THANK YOU! 

Also, on a personal note, my triathlon has been postponed to mid-June. It was suppose to be this Saturday. It is my first one, so I have anxiously been counting it down. It has been neat to share my stories of pushing myself outside my comfort zone with the kids. Bummer that that our rainy weather was not cooperating for trail conditions. If you don't mind, I will send out an email for you to share with the crew about how it went. They have been so supportive! :)

Calendar Updates: 

June 3: Last Day of Third Grade!

June 4: Report cards sent via email
Make sure you check out the Weekly Renaissance ELOB Newletter that has important dates for next year!

Report Card Comments... This year, I want to involve students in writing their comments for their process reports. This week and next, I will meet with each student to review areas of growth and challenge in third grade.  To prepare for their conference with me, students analyzed work samples from throughout the year, and they reflected on learning that they are most proud of.  Ultimately, this will prepare students to share their progress report with YOU. By having more student collaboration, this will make this document more meaningful and increase student ownership of their progress report.  Meanwhile... We are wrapping up our units of study. In math, we are concluding a unit of fractions and division. In reading, we are doing a final round of literature discussion groups. In writing, students are writing creative fiction stories. For expedition, we have been thinking of our other's perspectives and how we can apply what we have learned to our own lives. As an authentic opportunity for collaboration, our third graders interviewed Ms. Kathy's kindergarten crew about their first overnight voyage to Camp Elim. It was so much fun to see our kids show empathy and support when video-recording their responses.  Later during our debrief, students were able to make connections about similar perspectives they had or differences. This all supports the idea that there are multiple perspectives, perspectives can change, and perspectives influence actions/relationships.  Reading buddies after the interview Our 3rd graders sent some encouragement to the 6th graders for their portfolio presentations on Wednesday. Their kindness was much appreciated!