IN THE NEWS:

The Wyoming girls U-14 soccer team, with team-member Hayden Shea (Grade 7), recently won a challenging Salt Lake City soccer tournament. Joseph Lovett (Grade 10) earned his brown belt during the last exam in March as part of the Journeys School Wu Shu club. Artwork by Chalese Carlson (Grade 12), in the form of an amazing metal table, was on display as part of the YARD Art program at the Center for the Arts. Taylor Watson (Grade 7) and Samantha DiVirgilio (Grade 2) placed 2nd and 3rd respectively at the Mother’s Day 5K marathon this weekend in the under 14 girls division.

Boxtops and Soup Labels Needed

Thanks to Carolyn Burke’s efforts as our coordinator this year, Journeys School had received about $300 from General Mills (Boxtops), and we will purchase some lacrosse equipment and a portable ball bin with our soup labels. The last set of labels and boxtops for the year will be sent in soon, so if you have a stash at home, please send them to school before May 26. We especially need soup labels to pair with some double-label coupons that were donated.

A Call for Parent Volunteers

Parent volunteers are requested for the school day of Tuesday, June 6. Students will be involved in service projects, group initiatives, planning for our culminating all-school event, and having fun while learning together during a Community Day planned for all day of June 6. This is a great opportunity for parents to catch a glimpse of some of the alternative multi-age programming that happens at Journeys. On June 6 all of Journeys School’s staff will be engaged in a professional development opportunity with pediatrician and learning needs specialist Mel Levine, who has founded the All Kinds of Minds program as a means to help students maximize their learning capabilities. Because of this special in-service opportunity students will participate in the multi-age Community Day program to be led by staff members of the Jackson campus and facilitated by parent volunteers. If you can help with this program for an hour, half a day, or the whole day, please contact Nick Delmolino who is coordinating Jackson Campus staff and volunteers at 733-1313, ext 1214 or nick.delmolino@tetonscience.org. We will very much appreciate your assistance and we know you’ll enjoy spending a day with the students of Journeys School.

Bring a Friend Day

The last Bring-A-Friend day of the year is this Friday, May 19. Please call Rhonda if your student has a friend that has not yet visited Journeys School, but would like to spend the day with us. Friday is an early release day for district schools, so the student visitor can either come for the whole day or for just the afternoon. (Upper School and 5th graders will be gone on journeys and so should not invite friends!)

Pre-Kindergarten

Announcements:

Lost and Found

Our lost and found pile in the mudroom is growing larger and larger. Please check this area for any clothes, shoes, hair bows, etc. On Friday, May 19, we will clear out the lost and found by donating the items to our program or Browse and Buy.

Pennies for Peace

Thank you to all who have donated pennies to our collection jar. It is inspiring to see the generosity of our students and families. We are still learning about villages and how just one penny can help give an education to others. Please help your child find pennies around the house to bring to school.

Our Journey

Journey schedules are being sent out regularly via email. We post this email in the parent zone. If you are not receiving emails please check the parent zone for updates. If you would like to receive emails, please contact Anna at anna.mccamy@journeysschool.org.

Farewell!

Monday, May 8, was Hans Wakeman’s last day of school at Journeys. He and his family are moving back to Maine for the summer. The students made Hans a view box of Jackson Hole, and a giant card filled with pictures of Hans. We had a very emotional circle time saying good-bye to Hans, he will be missed.

Curricular Updates:

Animal Adoption Center

The students are at it again, creating unique and local play spaces. On Friday, an animal adoption center was built in the back room. Students have been graphing what animals they hope to have live in their center, and how many will fit. Mandy took a group to Browse and Buy to get all the necessary supplies and animals. Each day the animals are fed, walked, and loved. On Friday, we visited the Animal Adoption Center to experience the Jackson community’s adoption center. We brought home made dog biscuits and leashes. The students were thrilled to see the variety of dogs and cats and are ready to take one home!

Wilson Campus Journey

It was a pleasure to visit the old Wilson campus and see Chicken Bob and his donkey! We arrived in the morning to enjoy some of the activities the students did earlier in the year like work in the garden, observe Chicken Bob’s yard, and play in the yard. It was very healthy for the kids who had spent so much time at the old campus to be a part of it again. The K-2 spared a special gift, Bari, to make the journey even more memorable. Pre-k thanks Bari and K-2 for helping and creating an unforgettable experience.

Rock Climbing

The bouldering cave and enthusiasm for rock climbing is still trickling through the classroom. Students have taken it to the next level and are learning about the rock gear such as cams, nuts, and hexes that go into the rock to build safe anchors. The Upper School students took a group of Pre-k students to Moose-Wilson boulders to teach them what they have been learning in their rock climbing elective with Andy Angstrom. This multi-age experience has really boosted the children’s desire and ability to learn more about this significant part of the Teton community.

Flying Free

Spring not only sparked interest in gardening, but the students have been noticing an abundance of flying creatures in the sky. Birds of all sizes, colors, and calls have been spotted and have caused great excitement. After our journey to the CRC, the class ventured on a virtual tour of raptors, designed their own wings, and explored the unique adaptations of different birds. During the journey to the Visitors Center we had a chance to see stuffed birds up close, as well as observe the diversity of species living in the flat creek wetlands outside the center.

Announcement:

Spanish Summer Camp Program

The Latino Resource Center is pleased to offer elementary school aged children an introduction to the Spanish Language through our Spanish Summer Camp program. Students will receive an introduction to the Spanish language and have fun learning about Hispanic culture through crafts, dances, song and more. The program runs from 9-12 Mondays Wednesdays and Fridays at the Jackson Elementary School near the Recreation Center.

Session One: for students entering 1st, 2nd & 3rd Grades begins on June 19 and concludes July 14

Session Two: for students entering 4th and 5th grades begins on July 17th and concludes on August 11th

Parents interested in registering their child or wanting to learn more about this exciting program should call the Latino Resource Center at 734-0333.

Book Release
“I Can” Book Release Project Book Signing and Release Party
The 1st and 2nd graders official book release is Wednesday, May 17th from 4-7 at the Teton Literacy Program (Flat Creek Business Center- 1465 Gregory Lane #260, next door to JH Community School and Behind Smith’s, off High School Road). Journeys’ students will present their book from 6:28-6:38.
Per TLP requests, please arrive at least 15 minutes before your scheduled time and do not leave children unattended. Admission is free and refreshments will be served. Come celebrate with your child. Each participant receives a FREE book!

Wyoming Weather
It is obvious that our ceremonial dances to bring on the sunny warm weather are not working. We continue to have wet and somewhat chilly days, so PLEASE send proper raingear and warm clothing for your child. Today in one of the many gusts of wind here in Coyote Canyon, kids were holding on to the picnic tables, hoping to not blow away. (Thanks to Nick for assembling the new picnic tables just in time… Whew!)

Please Send Indoor Shoes
Students really need their indoor shoes at school! Please ask your child if they have a pair here, and if not, please send appropriate footwear to keep their little feet safe!

Help Wanted… Parents Needed
Parent volunteers are needed to help with 1st and 2nd grade literacy centers from 10:30- 11:40. Mondays and Fridays are the days we really need YOUR help, but Tuesdays and Wednesdays would be great too. Please contact Hatilie (ext. 1101) if you are interested or need more information.

Curricular Updates:
Mapmaking
As students have grown more familiar with our new campus, so have the detail and accuracy of their maps. It has been amazing to see their knowledge of our place grow as well as their ability to convey their knowledge visually. The kindergarten, first and second graders have begun building three-dimensional maps of our campus. Using recycled materials, the students have excitedly constructed detailed and accurate models of our campus. Their creativity and mastery of spatial relationships has really flourished in this cooperative group project. Look for these models on display later this month.

Raven Math
The Ravens have been busy collecting items for their Shapes Museum. If your child hasn’t already brought in materials to contribute, please send items that don’t necessarily need to be returned and are not perishable, and/or valuable.
After reading the amazing book, Grandfather Tang’s Story, we created animal tangrams. The story is about two foxes and their quest to outdo each other by changing themselves into different animals. Each time one of the foxes changes into a new animal, the 7 tangram pieces are rearranged to represent that animal. The students’ magnificent works of art are on display in our Town Square. Come by and check them out!

Rollin’, Rollin’, Rollin’
That’s just one of the many moves our class has been doing at Jackson Gymnastics on Tuesdays. Students are also thoroughly enjoying learning new skills on balance beams, trampolines, bars, vaults, and mats. Please remind your child to wear comfy clothes on Tumbling Tuesdays!

Announcements:

Spanish Summer Camp Program

The Latino Resource Center is pleased to offer elementary school aged children an introduction to the Spanish Language through our Spanish Summer Camp program. Students will receive an introduction to the Spanish language and have fun learning about Hispanic culture through crafts, dances, song and more. The program runs from 9-12 Mondays Wednesdays and Fridays at the Jackson Elementary School near the Recreation Center.

Session One: for students entering 1st, 2nd & 3rd Grades begins on June 19 and concludes July 14

Session Two: for students entering 4th and 5th grades begins on July 17th and concludes on August 11th

Parents interested in registering their child or wanting to learn more about this exciting program should call the Latino Resource Center at 734-0333.

Thank you...

-To all the families who attended Learning Team Meetings during the past two weeks. We love discussing student learning with families, and greatly value the comments and feedback we receive at these meetings. Thanks for the support!

Portfolio Night and Parent Council Meeting:

Grades 3-5 portfolio night will take place on Wednesday, May 24. This is also a Parent Council evening. The schedule is as follows:

5:45-6:45: Portfolio Night: Parents and guests are welcome to wander throughout the Grades 3-5 rooms to hear mini-presentations and ask questions of students. Parents of second graders are also invited to this event.

7:00-7:30 Parent Council Meeting: Administrative session in the Dining Lodge.

7:30-8:00 Parents of fifth graders are invited to attend the Middle School Parent Council Meeting in the Middle School Building. Information for third and fourth grade parents about the 7:30-8:00 session will be provided in the near future.

Capstone Presentations:

Fifth Grade students have signed up to present their capstone work on Thursday, June 8 and Friday, June 9. Each student will have 15 minutes to share his or her learning. Parents, other family members, grandparents, relatives and friends are invited to attend. Faculty and students from other grade levels have also been invited. Presentations will take place in the Grades 3-5 building and will most likely occur in the learning lab to allow for a darkened room. Here is the schedule:

Thursday, June 8

8:30-9:30 Forrest, Gus, Tess

9:30-10:00 Recess

10:00-11:00 Montse, Maggie, Breezy

Friday, June 9

8:30-9:30 Cassidy, Arthur, Brooke

9:30-10:00 Recess

10:00-10:35 Dani, Cait

Curricular Updates:

Spring Journeys:

Students in Grades 3-5 will depart for their Spring Journeys tomorrow, May 16. Third and fourth grade students will visit West Yellowstone and Yellowstone National Park through Thursday, May 18. Those students are looking forward to spending time outdoors, learning about the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, and spending valuable time as a community. The fifth graders will be traveling to Huntsville, Alabama to attend Space Camp. These students will learn about space history, complete simulated “missions,” and participate in other amazing activities. We cannot wait to hear their stories! Fifth grade students will return from their Capstone Journey on Saturday, May 20.

State Projects:

Students’ state projects are coming along nicely. Their research was completed during Social Studies last week. They have been working on their PowerPoint presentations during computers, and they amazed their teachers with their technological savvy. During science, students critiqued PowerPoint presentations they observed during a visit to Upper School, and created a list of presentation “Do’s” and “Don’ts.” Once the presentations are complete, information about presentation dates will be sent home so families can attend.

To increase our knowledge of states even more, we started studying state locations and their capitals during social studies last week. Feel free to quiz your child about state capitals at home!

Announcements:

Mark your calendars! Culminating and capstone project presentations will be held on June 15th & 16th in the morning. Look for more updates to come!

Curricular Updates:

Social Science
Social Science just concluded our look at the Cold War. Since the sixth and seventh grade students saw the play, The Miracle Worker, while on the journey to Salt Lake City, they were challenged to discover the connection between Helen Keller and the Cold War. Ask your student about this little known aspect of Keller’s life. The next film the students will examine in their study of American culture is Shane. This 1953 movie is considered by most film historians to be one of the best westerns ever made. It stars Alan Ladd and Jean Arthur and was filmed right here in Jackson Hole. Assignments are planned to integrate with topics being taught in language arts and there will also be opportunities for Middle School students to do placed-based writing with the pre-kindergarten students.

Spanish
Last week, students began a unit on baseball. Few people know that baseball has great importance and influence in Latin America. One only has to look at the names in the Major League in the United States to discover that there exist many Latino players. Indeed, it is not only a pastime and symbol of North America, but of all the Americas. Students have started reading “Béisbol en los Barrios” and through the eyes of the protagonist, Hubaldo (a young boy who lives in Caracas), students are learning that baseball is as important in Venezuela as it is in New York.

Level 1 Math
Bits and Pieces II finishes where Bits and Pieces I leaves off. In this unit students explore and practice using rational numbers (fractions, decimals and percents) in real life situations, like computing tax, tip and discounted prices. Later in the unit, students will also practice estimating with fractions and decimals, adding and subtracting fractions and computing with decimals.

Level 2 Math
Math 2 has begun our last set of investigations for the school year. This unit deals primarily with volume and surface area of three-dimensional objects such as cubes, cylinders and cones. Students are introduced to the ideas of volume and surface area through the concepts of wrapping and filling, building on their knowledge of area and perimeter of two-dimensional figures from Level 1 math.

P.E.
With our field dried out, we have begun our final PE unit of the year: field hockey. Vicky O’Donoghue began teaching the MS students last week, combining drills and practice with exciting scrimmages.

Electives
The students in Jana’s knitting elective are sure having fun and making a lot of progress on their individual projects. Many are knitting scarves from vibrantly colored yarn and we look forward to seeing their final product towards the end of spring trimester.

Capstone
The capstone students successfully completed their rite-of-passage journey in Dubois two weeks ago and are still working on their braided essay as well as planning a service project in which they can lead the remaining middle school students. Keep your eyes posted in upcoming BCN for information about times and dates for capstone presentations at the end of the year.

Our Journey

After our respective journeys to Salt Lake City and Dubois, the middle school students were asked to create new lyrics to a familiar song about their journey. During Daily Practice last Monday, students wrote songs to the tunes of “Row, Row, Row Your Boat,” “Over the River and Through the Woods,” and “Bohemian Rhapsody.” Enjoy these two accounts, the first sung to the tune of “Oom Pa Pa” from Oliver and the second, “Another One Bites the Dust.”

We went on journey;

It was a really fun one.

The van ride was a long one,

The longest I’ve been on.

If you have the patience

Your own imagination

Will give you a clue about what to do.

Chorus:

Salt Lake oh Salt Lake

What a great place

Salt Lake oh Salt Lake

It has a big lake.

Salt Lake oh Salt Lake

It was really fun.

I hope we go back again

                           -Emily, Anna, Tessa, Veronica

Chris is coming up the road.

I fall out of my tree.

He keeps walking up my way.

Is he coming for me?

Hey! Can I go get food?

You got me on the edge.

Down the trail, I wanna rip

Bugs are in my socks

Chorus:

(dun, dun, dun) The sun moves an inch.

(dun, dun, dun) The sun moves an inch.

And another inch goes

And another inch goes

Hey, we gotta get food soon!

Repeat

                              -Brandon, Connor, Patrick

Announcements:

Upper School Journey Update

At the time of this newsletter distribution upper school students will be on their way to Denver for their spring journey. Parents please be informed of a change in our return time for Friday, May 19. We will arrive at Journeys School by 4:00pm that day. If you have any questions please contact Nate McClennen or Rhonda Watson.

Eleventh Grade Book Awards

Book awards for 11th grade students will be made at an all-school meeting Wednesday, June 7 at 2:15pm in the Jackson Campus Education Center. All are welcome to attend.

A Big Prom Thank you!

The upper school students and faculty would like to thank grades 3-5 intern Cara Cummings for chaperoning the Junior and Senior Prom the weekend of May 6-7. About 10 upper school students attended the event at the National Museum of Wildlife Art and all reports indicate that a good time was had by all. Thanks Cara!

Curricular Updates:

¿Adónde fueron? Where did they go?

Upper school Spanish:

Spanish students in grades 9-11 are taking their communication skills to an urban environment for our spring journey. In Denver, we will explore a variety of perspectives of the world as we delve deeper into our spring essential question, “What is the earth and how does it function?” Ask the upper school Spanish students which character they have connected with through our character studies or what symbols they used to represent their “planeta ideal” (ideal planet). Students will round out the year by creating cubes (using all the verbs and vocabulary they’ve learned from their study of El Principito) to explore six distinct perspectives of the earth. One will be theirs, another a character from our novel and then students may chose from someone we meet in Denver, their endangered species from science class, etc. Then students will prepare for a final oral presentation supported by a visual aid. With these skills the students will be prepared for el mundo y más allá!

Advanced Spanish:

Capstone students are taking their communication skills to Costa Rica! In Costa Rica, they will be engaging with Ecology Project International instructors, international scientists and local students. I wonder if the tortugas marinas (sea turtles) speak Spanish! The advanced Spanish students are armed with many experiences, a language guide they created for their team and a copy of Crónica de una Muerte Anunciada by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Our final novel of the year asks students to consider the multiple perspectives of a crime situation and the impact of a single person’s conviction. Students continue to begin each class with irregular verb conjugations in six different tenses (since we’ve been working with the subjunctive) and a conversational “check-in”. Ask the Capstone students which current event they’ve recently reported on during our article presentations. We’ll complete the year with oral presentations and a time for reflection and goal-setting. Then, con orgullo, we’ll send them out al mundo!

       

  The Value and Power of Multiage Education
     Reflections from My First Three Years

        of Teaching at Journeys School
                        by Margot Martin

“A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops.” Henry Adams

The constant roar of Torrey Creek and the whir of wind have become familiar, so too have the “deter deter deter” of ruby-crowned kinglets, the “brrr rap tap tapping” of red-napped sap suckers and the high pitched shrieks of flickers. Wood gathering, fire tending and water boiling, these are all routines that have also become familiar—far from the Wednesday rituals at the Journeys School’s Jackson Campus. What is familiar, and has been for the past three years, are the faces and personalities of the students whom I have taught, with whom I have explored, struggled and succeeded, and from whom I have learned.

This early morning the chill of evening still hangs in the air, pierced by the morning sun. Chris and I venture to each small group of Capstone 8th grade students on their rite of passage journey in the foothills of the Wind River Mountains. We march through our sage meadow basecamp, up a conifer-covered ridge to the first group of three students. A warm fire ring and adjacent bear hang are the first signs of life. Twenty yards further up the ridge, we spot a tarp cascading off of a large boulder, tied with P-cord to several trees and reinforced with rocks and limbs. We shake the tarp gently to rustle what sleeps inside.

“Good morning,” we greet moans and grunts emanating from the shelter. All had enjoyed a good night’s rest, far better from the first, when the wind howled and their tarp had been ravaged, causing a middle of the night shelter repair. Their second attempt held up though. The improvements made were sound. After a good night’s sleep, they were ready for the challenge ahead.

Our 8th grade students have been preparing for this moment, this rite of passage, for the past few months learning primitive skills, for the pasts few years developing their intellect as well as their character, and perhaps they have been preparing for this for their entire lives. We led each student individually, water bottle, homemade buckskin journal, cap and warm layer in hand, to use their training and seek what the world intended to communicate with them on a day-long solo and fast.

As I walk through the wilderness, away from each student searching for their adulthood, the words of Walt Whitman ring in my head: “Now I know the makings of the best persons. It is to grow in the open air and to eat and sleep with the earth.” I sense an air of excitement, anticipation and nervousness. All of their training for this journey was now being tested. In general, all of their training from middle school and life was also being tested. How would they pass from child to adult?

I was surprised to find that these same emotions, anticipation, excitement, nervousness, also ran through me. Had I prepared them well for this moment? Had I guided them to the knowledge and skills they needed to pass on to upper school, to pass on to adulthood? How will they pass from child to adult?

Three years ago, soon after my rite of passage into teaching, I became a faculty member in the middle school. My journey began teaching these, then 6th grade, students math and language arts. More importantly, I worked with them on how to be a compassionate human being, an active citizen, a free-thinker and a problem-solver. In a way that few teachers are able, over three years I guided their growth both intellectually and emotionally. To have this consistency of relationship with a child is a blessing few teachers experience. To see their development and maturity is a reward our efforts as teachers rarely are afforded. And they taught me. How to make my expectations clear, classroom management skills, and that learning and success looks differently for everyone are a few lessons that students have taught me.

As I leave each student in his or her special solo spot, I grow nostalgic about our three years together. They have been prompted to reflect and write about who they are and who they want to be. I too reflect and write on who they were as sixth graders, who they are now and who they may become in the future. Their growth overwhelms me. I think back to the three emotions hanging in the air as I leave each student to their solo. The nervousness peels away to reveal a layer of anticipation and excitement. Their departure from middle school saddens me in a way, but I anticipate greatness ahead, and I am excited for what the future holds for them.

The wind picks up over the persistent roar of Torrey Creek. The passerines quiet as the sun falls lower towards the western horizon—time now to collect those familiar faces. How have they changed throughout the course of this day, their ten hour solo, this Capstone trimester, these middle school years, it is not yet known. Fortunately for me, these familiar faces will continue to grace the middle/upper school building, the Bear Den, as upper school students, and I will watch their growth from across the hall.

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© 2005, Basecamp News, Journeys School of Teton Science Schools.