The State of the Journeys School: Current Status, Future Goals, and Addressing Challenges

All Journeys School parents are strongly encouraged to attend an informational meeting and discussion with the leadership of Journeys School and Teton Science Schools to learn more about the current “state of the school” and the future challenges associated with providing an engaging, innovative and challenging curriculum to a diverse student body by an expert and dedicated faculty and staff. Come with questions!

Several Journeys School families have generously offered to host these meetings in their homes in the evenings. Meetings will also be held at the Jackson Campus before Journeys School dismissal. Meetings have been arranged to support grade-level groupings, but you may choose to attend any meeting that suits your schedule.
Attendance at any meeting is the most important goal.

Meeting Details:
• Please RSVP to Laurel Wyckoff at 733-1313 x 1313 or laurel.wyckoff@tetonscience.org
• Childcare will be provided – please indicate childcare needs in your RSVP message
• Meetings will be casual and informal.
• Light refreshments will be served.
• In case of severely inclement weather, evening meetings may be cancelled. Please call 733-1313 x 1313
after 3:00 pm for a message about cancellations due to weather.
• Please call Nate McClennen, Jack Shea, or Heather Marks with any questions.

Pre-Kindergarten Monday, January 29, 20007
• Parent meeting from 12:30 – 1:30 pm, Jackson Campus, Education Center
• Parent meeting from 6:00- 7:00 pm at the home of Kathy and Phillip Coosaia
Grades K-2 Tuesday, January 30, 2007
• Parent meeting from 1:30 – 2:30 pm, Jackson Campus, Education Center
• Parent meeting from 6:00- 7:00 pm at the home of Anne Ladd and Len Carlman
Grades 3-5 Wednesday, January 31, 2007
• Parent meeting from 1:30 – 2:30 pm, Jackson Campus, Education Center
• Parent meeting from 6:00- 7:00 pm at the home of Cathy Kehr and Remy Levy
Middle School Thursday, February 1, 2007
• Parent meeting from 1:30 – 2:30 pm, Jackson Campus, Education Center
• Parent meeting from 6:00- 7:00 pm at the home of Katie and John Pierce
Upper School Monday, February 5, 2007
• Parent meeting from 1:30 – 2:30 pm, Jackson Campus, Education Center
Upper School Monday, February 12, 2007
• Parent meeting from 6:00- 7:00 pm at the home of Sambo and Megan Lewis
Meeting for Idaho Families Tuesday, February 6, 2007
• Parent meeting from 6:00 – 7:00 pm at the home of Margot and Tim Watters

To receive directions to evening meetings contact Laurel Wyckoff at 733-1313 x 1313 or laurel.wyckoff@tetonscience.org

Re-enrollment and Financial Aid Information

Re-enrollment cards will be sent out next week along with tuition information. The card is an indication of your plans for next year with regards to enrollment at Journeys School. Please return the card by February 15.

Financial aid forms are available from Rhonda or Tammie Van Holland in the Finance Department. You may also complete the Parent Financial Statement online at https://sss.ets.org. You will also need to fill out the Journeys School Income/Expense form and return it directly to school. Click here for general financial aid program information. The PFS is due by March 15 and supporting documents are due by March 22.

Volunteers Needed

for the Production of Romeo & Juliet!

The Middle School has been preparing all trimester for their culminating performance of Romeo and Juliet, March 9. The students have adapted the play to fit our place (Heart Mountain, WY, Japanese internment camp) and the time period being studied (WW II era) during our “Forces in Opposition” winter trimester. We are looking for volunteers and expertise in many areas to help with the play. (A full list of jobs are included in the Middle School Section of BCN).  Please contact our director, Jill Wright, if you are interested in helping in any way, 733-4567. This is a real community effort! Thanks for your help!

February Community Lunches

February 2nd

• All-Natural & Organic Hamburgers & Garden Burgers on      7-grain Whole Wheat Hamburger Buns
• Pickles & Potato Chips
• Carrot Sticks & Apple Wedges

February 9th

• Free-range Crunchy Chicken Breast Strips with Honey-BBQ Sauce
• Sautéed Broccoli with Garlic
• Fruit Salad & Cookie

February 16th

• Homemade Veggie-style Minestrone Soup with White Beans & Tortellini Pasta.
• Peanut Butter & Raspberry Jelly Wraps.
• Veggie-Cream Cheese Wraps with Cucumbers, Tomatoes & Sprouts.
• Carrot Sticks & Orange Wedges
• Cookie

February 23rd

• Veggie Lovers Pizza
• Meat Lovers Pizza
• Cheese Pizza
• Orange Slices & Cookie

***All lunches include organic & hormone-free 2% Milk.

February After School Calendar

Monday, January 29th: Cross-country skiing @ the Dike

Tuesday, January 30th: Swimming at the Rec. Center

Wednesday, January 31th: Make a Fresh Fruit Smoothie!

Thursday, February 1st: Teton County Library Visit

Click here to view the full February Calendar.

Support the Journeys School Annual fund by ordering Journeys School Organic Coffee. Call (307) 733-8046 or visit online: www.FreshOrganicCoffee.com/journeys.html

Pre-Kindergarten

Announcements

Thanks
Thank you to Joann Honigman and Nancy Lee for coming in at the end of the day to help with cleaning and organizing the classroom. Joann helped tidy up the shelves in the studio and Nancy braved our messiest closet.

Thank you to Vonde Smith, Matt Lee and his mother Natalie Lee for coming in during focused exploration time to offer support to smaller groups of students. Vonde encouraged play with our new rice table and Matt and Natalie captivated students with their model skeleton.

Thanks to the crew of parent skiers, Cathy Kehr, Remy Levy, Phil and Kathy Coosaia, and Jeanne Ball, we had another successful ski day at Snow King.

Thank you Cathy O'Shea for donating fabric to the Pre-K Classroom. We will be using it to make costumes and accessories!

Parent Zone

In a child-led learning environment, how do you encourage children to participate in activities that encourage specific skills which a particular child may be resistant to?

In a child-directed classroom, the child’s/children’s interests are the catalysts for richer and more meaningful learning. Teachers scaffold children’s interests by expanding on those interests, posing questions, and providing new challenges. If students are interested or engaged in a certain topic they will be more willing to practice specific skills than if those skills were presented in an isolated manner. For example, if teachers observe a student engaged in dramatic play showing a strong interest in pirates, they may use this topic area to introduce a variety of skills. The child could practice fine motor skills while cutting an eye patch or creating other costumes. The teacher may help the child experiment with science topics by building a pirate ship that will really float. They could practice spatial relationship skills by drawing and following a treasure map. The teacher can encourage literacy skills by reading stories about pirates with that student. This approach to education encourages inquiry, creativity and a love for learning that can be experienced by both teachers and students.

Curricular Updates

Spanish in Pre-K
In Spanish class, Kjera pulled many hats from her bag, allowing the students to sort them by size and color while learning the Spanish name for the type of hat: big; grande, medium; medio, small; pequeno. Kjera has done an excellent job of connecting Spanish to the interests that we are exploring in the classroom. Children were excited to try on some of the fancy hats that Kjera brought and fashion ones that they had made for other classmates to see.

In the mudroom we are frequently practicing our Spanish with our students; ¿Dónde está su chaqueta? Where is your jacket? ¿Dónde está sus botas? Where are your boots? ¿Dónde está sus mittones? Where are your mittens? ¿Dónde está sus pantalones? Where are your snow pants? Our mudroom is full of jackets, snow pants, mittens, hats, boots and children, and therefore easy to temporarily misplace something.

A New Woodshop!
In the Pre-K mudroom to the right of the door is a new woodshop with tools neatly displayed above the work shelf. On Thursday several students entered into the woodshop to experiment with different ways to make a spider web. The woodshop is wonderful addition to our classroom and work space that will be very valuable on the chilly days that may still lie ahead of us.

Tracking
Students journeyed to Kelly Campus for most of the day on Monday to look for signs of wildlife. They trekked through deep snow looking for tracks and traces of animals. Students saw several signs of wildlife, including a moose skull! Prior to this first expedition, students have become familiar with animal footprints through a chart created by Charlie. Students were challenged to match pictures of animals with their tracks. In the coming months, tracking will be a significant part of our outdoor curriculum. We all value the opportunity to be in nature and learn more about our community and ecology.

Bakers Man, Bakers Man, Bake Me Some Bread

as Fast as You Can!
Over the last few days, students have been baking bread with Erin in preparation for Castle Market Day. Children have been learning patience as they wait for their turn to contribute to the dough and how to measure the correct proportions. Students all worked together to make a big batch of dough and then individually worked on shaping the dough into their desired rolls. On Thursday afternoon, Erin taught a couple of interested children how to tie knots and make fancier rolls. Molly and Max made truly beautiful artisan-style rolls!

Announcements

Thank You:
• To Julia Robinson’s family for bringing in tissues!
• To all the parents of ‘Kindergartners to be’ for visiting K-2!

Just Right Reading
Thank you to all the parents who made it to Curriculum Night on January 18th. Betsy mentioned two websites that are helpful in finding books that are at your child’s “just right” reading level. The first website has books listed at the Guided Reading levels. That website is http://home.comcast.net/~ngiansante/. The second website allows you to type in a book title or author and it will give you that book’s Guided Reading level. That website is http://registration.beavton.k12.or.us/lbdb/default.htm. If you would like to know what level is “just right” for your child, you may email your child’s literacy teacher and she will get back to you with that information. While these websites are not fool-proof, they serve as a good starting place. Please contact Betsy with any questions or concerns.

Curricular Updates
Bald Eagle Math
Measurement has been the focus of the Bald Eagle math group this week. We began the unit exploring temperature and thermometers. Students measured temperatures to the nearest degree. Using our feet and our fingers, we explored non-standard units and discussed the need for standard units. After an introduction to the standard foot, we measured items around the room and looked for items that were about one foot long. We have also learned about inches, yards and explored measuring with a tape measure. Students have enjoyed measuring their wrists, paces and necks. To close up this unit, we will be exploring time again—this time looking at time to the quarter hour.

Wyoming Reads
Thanks to Jon Jorgensen, who started the Sue Jorgensen Library Foundation in memory of his late wife's commitment to literacy and children… 6,500 first graders from across the state of Wyoming will have the opportunity to choose their favorite book from an exciting lineup of six titles. Then, on May 15th, Journeys School first graders will join other first graders from in and around Jackson for a special Wyoming Reads literacy celebration and each student will take home their chosen favorite book to keep. This year, participation in Wyoming Reads has expanded across the state for the first time. Out of 23 counties statewide, 21 will celebrate Wyoming Reads this year. Titles and authors selected (by the attendees at the Wyoming Library Association Conference) for 2007 are The Great Fuzz Frenzy by Janet Stevens and Susan Stevens Crummel, Brave Dogs, Gentle Dogs: How They Guard Sheep by Cat Urbigkit, I Ain’t Gonna Paint No More by Karen Beaumont and David Catrow, The Little Red Hen by Jerry Pinkney, Prehistoric Actual Size by Steve Jenkins, and The Younger Brother’s Survival Guide by Matt and Lisa Kopelka. We hope there is at least one title that will excite every child! Although only 1st graders will be participating in the celebration and receiving a book, over the next couple of weeks, we’ll be reading these selections to the entire K-2 class during various read aloud times, so ask your child which one is his/her favorite so far!

Owl Math
The Owls have been continuing to review concepts, as well as learn challenging new ones. A highlight while reviewing place value in two and three digit numbers was using base- 10 blocks, which is always a favorite! We also took an imaginary journey to the Farmer’s Market and reviewed money equivalences by paying for fruits and vegetables with coins and making change from $1.00 by counting up. The Owls have worked hard at learning to tell time and although they are close to getting it, continued practice at home would be beneficial! Exploring temperature in both Celsius and Fahrenheit was quite exciting on all of those chilly days last week. The newest concept we’ve been practicing is the Partial-Sums Addition Algorithm, in which students add digits according to their place value. It has been a bit challenging for all, but students will have plenty of opportunities to practice this method throughout the year. They are also encouraged to continue to use other favorite strategies they may have for adding numbers as well. Thanks for your support to these Owl mathematicians… they are right on track and flying high!

Mush!
Last Friday, the K-2 class went to the International Pedigree Stage Stop Sled Dog Race (IPSSDR) vet check to meet some real live mushers and see their sled dogs. Students were thrilled to be able to speak with (and to) many of the teams that will be participating in the race!

Listen to these fun activities students are working on… they’re making their own sled dogs out of clay (which we are hoping to fire in the Art Association’s kiln), and creating dog sleds from popsicle sticks. Their creativity and attention to detail never ceases to amaze us. Be on the lookout for both the dogs and the dogsleds to come home soon!

Mountain Goat Literacy Update

We have brought our current theme topic of dog sledding into our Mountain Goats Literacy Group. Each student has a new reading buddy, a stuffed husky puppy who they can cuddle with during read aloud and who they can read to during independent reading time. Students have enjoyed learning about dog sledding through many different stories. They enjoyed Akiak, a story about an old and heroic sled dog who had one last chance to win the Iditarod. Students recalled the story sequence in a story map that included scenes from the beginning, middle and end. Students were assigned word study words like Haw and Gee (dog sledding commands) to learn, sort and recognize. In addition, students have been working in their Free write Journal and have been learning a variety of rhymes, songs and chants that encourage phonemic awareness, memorization and rhythm. Students recently added the Nursery Rhyme “Three Little Blackbirds” to their Poetry Notebooks. They have been learning this rhyme, and its actions over the last couple of weeks. It starts with the phrase, “Three little blackbirds sitting on a hill…” See if your student can teach you from there. Next week we will focus our studies on the letter “F.” Students will explore its sound, and work on recognizing words and items that start with this letter.

Announcements

Grades 3-5 Parent Council Meeting

Parents, please plan to attend the Grades 3-5 Parent Council Meeting from 5:00-6:00 p.m. this Thursday, February 1. Topics covered at this meeting will include integration at Grades 3-5 and our Freedom Bound performance. Some parents have requested to be more involved in the classroom. If you are interested in helping out in Grades 3-5, please plan to stay from 6:00-6:30 for a quick discussion. Lynn Jamison, our Grades 3-5 parent council representative, will help coordinate parent volunteers. See you then!

February Break Absences
If your child will miss school because of February Break travel, please notify his/her advisor as soon as possible. Advance notice of planned absences helps the teachers stay organized. This matter is especially pressing if your child will be absent on February 15, the date of the Freedom Bound performance. Thank you.

Thank You
Thank you to all of the parents who helped with our third ski day last Wednesday. Thank you to Ellen Speers for washing our kitchen rags and gear closet items. Thank you to Pam Terkovich for scanning student artwork.

Grades 3-5 Musical
Students were expected to have their lines memorized by today. Please check in with your child about how his/her part is coming along, and thank you for the support at home. The performance of Freedom Bound will take place on Thursday, February 15 in the Dining Lodge from 5:00-6:00 p.m. Families and friends are encouraged to attend. Please stay tuned to Basecamp News and subsequent Monday letters for additional information about this exciting project!

Ski and Ride Program
The Journeys School Ski and Ride Program will continue this Wednesday, January 31. Once again, Grades 3-5 students will meet down by the Welcome Center in the morning. Students will put their school backpacks in the Education Center, and depart for the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort at 8:20 a.m. We will return to school around noon and continue with a regular day of school. Please send your child to school with a regular lunch and his/her folder on ski days. Children are required to wear a helmet if they downhill ski or snowboard. Also, please label every piece of your child’s gear with his/her full name. Please contact Ryan Bolton at extension 1138 with questions about the Ski and Ride Program.

Curriculum Updates

Winter Journey: “Around the Town”
The Grades 3-5 Winter Journey, “Around the Town,” was a success! The journey was a community effort, and we are greatly indebted to all of the families and friends who helped make it such a positive experience. The learning goals for the journey were:

-To honor diversity of all cultures past and present by learning about the traditions and heritage of the families who make up the Journeys School Grades 3-5 community.
-To learn about the geography and resources of our place, Jackson Hole.
-To learn about the Pathways Grades 3-5 families have taken to end up in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.
-To conduct wildlife observations “Around the Town.”
-To celebrate life, learning and community.

The journey began in the Grades 3-5 classroom with four parent visitors. Silvia Davila and her sister Martha turned our Learning Lab into a bustling kitchen. They taught the Grades 3-5 students how to make Entomatadas, a delicious Mexican dish. While they learned to cook, the students learned new Spanish vocabulary including cebolla (onion), lechuga (lettuce), and delantal (apron). Stacy Tompkins also shared a slide show of her family’s experiences living in Mexico. The students loved the bright colors in her beautiful photographs, and were fascinated by Stacy’s stories. Finally, Cathy Smith shared her family’s experiences adopting Ella. The children enjoyed seeing a video and photos of baby Ella, and then thoughtfully discussed the adoption process.

After lunch, Grades 3-5 split into three groups and ventured out “Around the Town” for three “behind the scenes” tours. Stuart Lang met a group of students at the Amangani, where they toured the hotel and learned how to use a pastry bag in the hotel’s kitchen. Another group of students traveled to the Snake River Sporting Club, where Neal Vohr graciously welcomed them. Phil Cameron, the Snake River Sporting Club’s Naturalist, lead the students in an animal tracking lesson on the club’s south property. The third group traveled to Grand Teton National Park, where Steve Moore took them on a “behind the scenes” tour of the woodshop and maintenance vehicles. The children loved seeing the heavy-duty equipment, and were thrilled to receive a GTNP charm with “Journeys School” carved on it.

Thursday evening was spent with six different Grades 3-5 families in their homes. At the Slaughter’s, children learned about the family’s Chinese heritage and tried many delicious foods including miso soup, napa cabbage with mushrooms, and goa, a sticky rice dessert. At the Garland’s, Forrest (a Journeys School sixth grader) lead the children in a scavenger hunt around the family’s home and yard. At the Hawks’, the students viewed a slideshow of the family’s travel and ski adventures. Afterwards, they completed an art project that combined the Hawks’ appreciation of art and winter sports. At the Bryan’s, the children learned that the family once owned a pizza shop. The students later made their own pizzas. They also called Sydney’s grandmother, a professional singer, and sang to her over the phone! At the Fenn’s, the group celebrated the family’s Italian heritage by cooking gnocchi and biscotti and dancing to Italian music. At the Peralta-Ramos home, the children learned about the fascinating history of Arturo’s family and also explored a chicken coop!

On Friday morning, the six groups met at the Center for the Arts for morning meeting. From there, the group walked to two different destinations in town. One destination was the Lyndsay McCandless Contemporary Gallery, where students viewed the Porque exhibit, created by photographer Anne Muller and Journeys School parent Blanca Moye. Andie lead the students through activities that helped them understand why many Latin Americans choose to move to Jackson Hole. The other destination students visited on Friday morning was Mountain High Pizza Pie. Bill Field set up a great visit for the students in the pizza shop. Students viewed the dough-making process, dishwashing station, and pizza ovens. They were thrilled to taste a small pizza square from the pizza they helped to make!

On Friday afternoon, the Grades 3-5 students gathered together in the Education Center at the Jackson Campus to wrap up our journey. Students shared their home stay experiences, created a map of Jackson Hole depicting what they learned “Around the Town,” and put finishing touches on their winter journey journals. Many students wrote paragraphs in their journals about what they learned about diversity during the journey. Some of these paragraphs are below:

“Diversity is very important in our world. With diversity we learn about many different cultures. We practice many of these different cultures every day with diversity. Diversity helps us understand more about people, which helps us care for them more. If we could all understand everybody and care for them, we would have peace. Diversity helps us add more to our lives so every day there is always something new and exciting.” – Faith Hamlin, 5th Grade

“We all learned about diversity of the 3-5 community on our journey. We honored tons of different cultures, past and present. We went to different people’s houses. I learned that we all have differences and commonalities. We all went to see a gallery of Latin Americans’ pictures who all immigrated to Jackson Hole.” – Michelle Slaughter, 3rd Grade

“We are learning about diversity. Diversity is when there are differences. Differences can be little, like what we eat for breakfast, or bigger, like what language you speak. Sometimes, our differences keep us apart. Sometimes they pull us together. What makes you different from others is yours. No one can take it from you. We are all different, and so we are all similar.”– Tara Speers, 5th Grade

“Without diversity, we would be nothing. Everything would be the same. People would act the same, look the same, talk the same, and even drive the same cars. Without diversity, nothing would ever be new or interesting. This is why Journeys School honors diversity of all cultures, past and present.” –Shelley Vohr, 5th Grade

Many thanks are owed to all of the families and friends who made the “Around the Town” journey possible: the Hawks, the Slaughters, the Garlands, the Bryans, the Peralta-Ramos family, the Fenns, Stacy Tompkins, Cathy Smith, Stuart Lang, Neal Vohr, Steve Moore, the Fields, Cathy Smith, and Martha and Silvia Davila. Thanks are also owed to Matt at Mountain High Pizza Pie, Sam at the Jackson Street Gallery, and Phil Cameron at the Snake River Sporting Club.

Announcements

Curriculum Night

The next Curriculum Night will be Wednesday February 7. Please look for a more thorough description of agenda in next week’s BCN.

The 6th and 7th graders will be gearing up for their Winter Journey to the Kelly Campus, March 12-16. While this seems far away, the middle school teachers have begun planning for this fantastic placed-based experience. With a week of vacation in February, the Journey will be here before we know it. We are asking for parent volunteers who might be interested in helping us out by serving as chaperones. Specific responsibilities have not been determined yet, but we will keep you posted as the planning process continues. Any interested parents should contact either Charles or Margot via email. Thank you!

The math and science teams would like to welcome Krista Hollis and Jay Tomich into our classes. Krista and Jay are two of a group of graduate students from the Kelly Campus who are spending their outreach semester observing, planning and teaching lessons at Journeys this winter. Krista will assist Chris in developing our winter Integrated Math project, while Jay is working with Jo to design an exciting final project in science. They have brought great energy and ideas and we are excited to have them with us throughout the next two months!

Volunteers Needed!

"Two households both alike in dignity,  In fair Wyoming where we lay our scene…”

The Middle School has been preparing all trimester for their culminating performance of Romeo and Juliet, March 9. The students have adapted the play to fit our place (Heart Mountain, WY, Japanese internment camp) and the time period being studied (WW II era) during our “Forces in Opposition” winter trimester. We are looking for volunteers and expertise in many areas to help with the play. A list of jobs follows:

• prop gatherers—students have generated prop lists. Let us know if you want access to the list in order to help find and gather props.
• Costumes—Cynda Peralto-Ramos and Jana Roice
• video/digital photographer—someone to film the play; in addition, if possible, someone to help document the process (behind the scenes footage, final preparations during the last week before the performance, etc)
• cast party—someone to help organize a party after the play on March 9th
• make-up artist and extra make-up
• stage manager (prop coordinator/help kids move set, etc.)
• carpenters—to help Dennis with building sets
• post performance helpers—clean up
• pianist—to accompany the actors, run the music and sound
• backstage and rehearsal supervision (lots of parents)

Please contact our director, Jill Wright, if you are interested in helping in any way, 733-4567. This is a real community effort! Thanks for your help!

Thank You
Thank you to Jon Bishop, the Jackson Hole Ski Resort Lift operator who gave us a behind-the-scenes peek at the workings of the Tram on the past two Wednesdays. Jo and Chris were impressed by the students’ questions and behavior. We look forward to more exciting field trips on upcoming Wednesdays.

Special thanks to Jim Woods for taking time to join us this week for our tour and sharing your stories and experience from your years working on the Tram.

Thank you so much to Mickey Babcock for your donation of 15 beautiful colorful editions of The Little Prince. Margot is beside herself with glee.

Curricular Updates

Level 1 Math
Level 1 math began a new unit last week which focuses on combining fractions. So far we have been examining how to add and subtract fractions, emphasizing why we must find a common denominator. Only then will we learn (or review) the algorithm. Soon we will take similar steps to understand how multiplication and division of fractions work so that the algorithm makes sense. One of the strengths of the math curriculum we use is this emphasis on student understanding of math, not just the memorization of procedures. While some memorization is required in math, many students rely exclusively on memorization which robs them of higher order skills such as reasoning, problem solving, and visualization. Ask your child to explain why fractions work – they may still need some help, or they may surprise you with a new way of looking at an old topic.

Level 2 Math
Level 2 math students are progressing rapidly through positive and negative integers! We will conclude this unit probably sometime next week. By the time we finish, students will be able to: explore the use of integers in real-world applications, compare integers using the symbols >, <, and =, understand that an integer and its inverse are called opposites, graph in four quadrants, set up a coordinate grid on a graphing calculator by naming the scale and maximum and minimum values of x and y, graph linear equations using a graphing calculator, informally observe the effects of opposite coefficients and of adding a constant to y = ax and answer questions using equations, tables, and graphs.

Level 3 Math
Having completed our focused exploration of quadratic functions, level 3 math has moved into a more general investigation of algebraic reasoning. Students will expand their skills of using symbolic expressions to represent and reason about numerical situations and to solve equations, and manipulate symbolic expressions into equivalent forms. Already the class has shown confidence while reviewing algebraic strategies they have slowly been acquiring in previous math classes and recently with our challenging explorations of physical properties in science class. After whizzing through a review of order of operations last week, students will spend this week brushing up their ability to work with equivalent expressions. As their teacher, it has been a pleasure to watch each of them tackle personal goals and gain confidence with their abilities in math!

Level 4 Math
Now that we have learned how to factor quadratic equations, our math class is working on solving them! We are also reviewing all types of factoring for our unit test next week. Wish us luck!

Language Arts
All levels are reading books from the World War 2 era. Level 1 has just finished Number the Stars by Lois Lowry, about a young Danish girl who helps her best friend escape German persecution by fleeing to Sweden. In Level 2 we are almost finished with the memoir Behind the Secret Window, by Nelly S. Toll. Toll describes her experience as a Jew who is hidden by Christians during the German occupation of Poland. Level 3 has just launched into a reading workshop with a variety of World War 2 era books: Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank, Behind the Secret Window, by Nelly S. Toll, and Night by Elie Wiesel. Students have chosen one of these books to read and have developed a curriculum, within specific guidelines, including group discussions, quizzes and essay topics to help them explore the book over the next 3 weeks.

Art

MS art is in full swing these days with a busy trimester of planning for the Romeo and Juliet performance coming the week of March 12-16th. Jill Wright and Margot are busy helping with the script and auditioning while the kids and I have been working on set design. This week we have been working on prop lists and backdrop designs which should start assemblage next week. Come by anytime to visit the class or see their designs in the downstairs hall way. If you have any thoughts or questions please give Dennis a call at ex. 1139.

Announcements

Excused absences

We have found at Journeys School that upper school students are most involved with extracurricular activities during the winter. We greatly support student involvement in extracurricular activities for many reasons. We also support students in missing the school time necessary to participate in competitions and meets. Advisors work with students to arrange assignments that will be missed when absent, yet it always remains the student’s responsibility to check in with each teacher about upcoming assignments prior to missing a class. Please urge your child to check in with a teacher before any absence. We appreciate your help with this important student responsibility.

College Admissions

To date 100% of Journeys School graduates have been accepted to college. The process of application is time consuming and challenging, but our graduates have found success by being prepared and staying organized. On Tuesday, Feb. 6, Lee Stetson, Dean of Admissions at the University of Pennsylvania, will speak at the Jackson Hole High School Auditorium beginning at 6:30 to discuss the admissions process, how to apply to selective schools, and other topics related to the college application process. Please join us for this free presentation. All upper school students and parents are invited. If you have any questions please contact David Porter.

Speech and Debate

Congratulations: The Jackson Hole High School Speech and Debate Team took twenty-three students this weekend to Lander for the Lander Valley Speech and Debate Classic, held on January 19 and 20th. Overall, Jackson finished second among 3A schools. This was Jackson’s biggest test of the year, competing against nineteen teams from across Wyoming. Several first- and second-year team members had strong showings alongside their more experienced counterparts. The Jackson team, under the coaching of Mark Houser and Matt Daly, advanced seven students to semifinal rounds of competition with an additional five nearly making the cut. Journeys student Connor Nay, in his first year, made the semifinals cut in Poetry with a dramatic rendition of Alfred Noyes classic poem, “The Highwayman.” Nay has now reached out rounds in every tournament to which he has traveled. The team is working hard on its own invitational tournament on Friday and Saturday, February 16 and 17, 2007. The Speech Team is in need of about 300 volunteers to judge for approximately an hour and a half each. Judging guidelines will be provided and several practice judging sessions will be offered. If you have experience judging, that is great, but it is not necessary! If you would be able to volunteer anytime from 3:00 Friday afternoon until 9:00 Friday evening, or from 8:00 AM Saturday until 3:00 PM Saturday, please call Mark Houser at 733-8349, or email him at mhouser@teton1.k12.wy.us.

Curriculum Night

Upper School winter trimester curriculum night will take place Wednesday, January 31 from 5:00-6:00pm in the upper school. Note that the date has changed from what was originally published in the fall. Upper school faculty will provide an overview of winter course curricula and provide the opportunity for parents to ask questions. All are welcome to attend.

Study Hall

Beginning Wednesday, January 17, there will be an after school study hall in the Upper School, from 3:15 to 4:30 pm. Upper school faculty will be available for help with homework. All are welcome to attend.

Winter Journey

The winter journey will take place February 14-16. We will travel to Dubois and stay at the new Teton Valley Ranch Camp. The curriculum is currently being planned by upper school faculty. Much of the journey will take place outdoors; an equipment list will be mailed home closer to the departure date. It will be helpful if students can supply their own cross country ski gear, though Journeys has some gear available. The cost for the journey is $20/student. Please make checks payable to Journeys School. For more information about the journey please contact Drew Overholser or Dennis Sanders.

Curricular Updates

English
Students in grades 9-11 English have been studying how poverty affects various inner-city communities. As David continues to develop curricula that have to do with globalization and sustainability, a study of class and poverty is essential. One group of students has read and studied Stephen Crane’s Maggie: A Girl of the Streets. The novel shows a family that is very poor, that battles alcoholism, that is abusive to one another, and that ultimately ends in ruin. Although Crane never makes a judgment in his novel, one sees quite clearly how lack of education, abuse, and poverty damage people. Students have generated very thorough discussions of these topics as well as how we can live in a way that promotes learning, clean living, and treating one another with kindness. While reading this novel students have studied new vocabulary and the fundamental elements of literature: character, setting, plot, and theme. Products for assessment have included in-class writing assignments, two vocabulary quizzes, a character collage, and a formal critical analysis essay of the novel.

The other group of 9-11 students began reading Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle to read about the effects of industrialization on the growing immigrant community of the turn of the century. One finds in the novel that immigrants are taken advantage of and exploited. There is much suffering for the poor. Sinclair’s novel, published in 1906, had a lasting effect on the meat packing and food industries. When the book was published Congress swiftly passed legislation that improved working conditions and sanitary food handling. We have had profound discussions about this novel. Students have been moved by the seemingly insurmountable struggles that immigrants faced when entering the USA one hundred years ago. Comparisons have been made to the immigrant experience of today. We have studied vocabulary, fundamental literary elements such as those listed above, and have put the novel in a historical context. Products for assessment have included vocabulary quizzes, in-class writing assignments, live news broadcasts that treat important ideas from the novel, and a critical analysis essay.

Students in advanced writing have completed various readings and assessments this winter. Our focus this winter is on how women can be at the center of community change, without the community recognizing it. In other words, we’re studying irony. Our primary texts for the trimester are Antigone by Sophocles and Sula by Toni Morrison. Though these two texts are separated by more than 2000 years, both show how women can act as powerful catalysts in contentious communities. Antigone insists on burying her brother as an act of respect for him and for the Greek gods. Her uncle Creon, then king of Thebes, insists that Antigone be executed for her action because the brother she wishes to bury was a traitor. Great doom falls on Creon because of his insistence and the people of Thebes revere Antigone and make of her a martyr. The defiant woman thus becomes the heroine. Students studied much about the Greek theater while studying the play. They also learned vocabulary integral to Greek theater and focused on the Greek roots of the words. Products included various in-class writing assignments, a quiz of vocabulary, an in-class exam. Students are currently writing a Greek-style tragedy that they will perform for the upper school community. Prior to our study of Antigone students read and studied various narration essays and then wrote their own narration essays that were required to include extended metaphors. We have yet to begin our study of Sula, so I will not reveal the plot in Basecamp News.

Social Studies
9-11 Social Studies: In order to learn more about the historical context of the settlement of the western US (1800-1890), upper school students have been comparing and contrasting the myths perpetuated by the Western genre with the recorded history of the region. By the end of the investigation, students should have a much different perspective on the peoples, settings and events that shaped this past than what is espoused in cowboy films and dime novels. To demonstrate learning, students are going to write a short proposal to potential investors for a theme park they hope to develop. Students will envision the creation of a travel destination that enables visitors to “experience” the true West. They will use class readings, primary sources, lecture notes and the documentaries we have watched to help construct their ideas. It will be a great challenge for students to decide how visitors could possibly glimpse this often misunderstood period in US History.

Advanced Social Studies

Capstone students have been exploring the key topics of US environmental history in the period immediately following the American Revolution. Thus far, discussions and readings have focused on the formation of land and water policies, how land was allocated as the country was being settled, how people gained title to land, and the federal government’s policy of Indian removal. Student have also used census data to trace the movement of the “frontier line” across the North American continent and analyzed congressional acts to determine the level of government influence in the Euro-American settlement of the West.

                 Look here for an editorial next week.

You may automatically unsubscribe from this list at any time by clicking HERE.

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