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| December 4, 2006 |
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| This
weekly newsletter highlights educational programming and events
of the Journeys School. For more information please call the Journeys
School at 307. 733.3729. |
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| All School News |
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Lions, Tigers and Bears…and More! A Journeys School Annual Fund-raiser at Amangani this Saturday December 9th,
5:00 – 8:00 pm
Come support your child’s education in style at a benefit for the Journeys School Annual Fund! Great live auction items include a 4 day tiger-watching trip for two in India, a 5 day whale-watching trip for two in Baja and a 6 day wildlife-watching (including lions!) trip for two in Africa. One-of-a-kind silent auction items include wildlife paintings by favorite local artists. Come feel the joy of giving! You will be supporting the expert teachers, diverse student body and innovative curriculum that make Journeys School extraordinary. Be sure to send in your response card as spaces are filling up quickly! Call or email Laurel with any questions at laurel.wyckoff@tetonscience.org or 733-1313 ext 1313.
Holiday Toy and Blanket Drive
As we head into the holiday season, Journeys School is teaming up with Friends of the Wind River Reservation to hold a toy and blanket drive for our neighbors “over the hill”. We need your help in collecting toys, school supplies, winter clothes (snow jackets, pants, hats, boots, gloves) and blankets in new, or like new, condition for this holiday season. Remember that these are gifts to others so, please:
• No items that have not been cleaned, are broken, or have missing pieces.
• Do not wrap your donations. It is helpful if you bring them in a clear plastic bag tied with ribbon so families can select what they would like.
There will be a collection box placed in the front entry of the Welcome Center. We will be collecting from December 4th through December 16th. A good opportunity to drop off donations will be on the night of our Winter Celebration. We will have a truck and volunteers ready to collect as families walk up to the Dinning Lodge. This is a great opportunity for our community to think about giving during the holidays!
Parent Coffee on Wednesday!
This Wednesday, December 6, the Parent Council will host the monthly parent gathering in the Welcome Center from 8:15 – 9:00 AM. Please join us for informal conversation with other parents. All are welcome to attend.
Journeys School Open House
Journeys School is holding a drop-in Open House on Friday, December 8 from 9:00 am until noon. This is a time for interested families to tour the school while classes are in session and to find out more about our program. If you have friends or neighbors that may be interested in enrolling their children, let them know to watch for ads in the newspaper or to call Rhonda at 733-3729 for more details.
Winter Celebration, Tuesday, December 12th
Please join us the evening of Tuesday, December 12 for the Annual Winter Celebration. This year, in an effort to accommodate larger crowds and to adapt the celebration to showcase all types of student learning, we have changed the format of the evening. There will be three parts to the program, starting with a performance from the younger students, followed by an exhibition and social gathering in the Education Center, and ending with a middle and upper school learning exhibition. We encourage you to come to some or all of this celebratory evening showcasing student work.
5:30 – 6:30 PM Pre-K through 5th grade performance: In the Dining Lodge, the Pre-K through 5th grade students will share songs and presentations that they have worked on over the course of the fall. If you are planning on attending the social gathering, please drop off food in the Education Center before the 5:30 performance.
6:30 – 7:00 PM Social gathering and set up of middle and upper school exhibition: All families are invited to sample healthy, pre-dinner hors d’oeuvres in the Education Center or transition home with younger students. Also in the Education Center, Pre-K through 5th grade art and school work will be displayed. During this time, the middle and upper school students will set up the Dining Lodge for their winter performance and learning exhibition.
7:00 – 8:00 PM Grades 6-12 winter learning exhibition and performance: The middle and upper school students will display various examples of work and presenting their learning. Join students and faculty for an evening of sharing that has occurred over the trimester. This is a great opportunity for parents of all students to see how and what learning occurs in the middle and upper schools.
If you plan on coming to the social gathering from 6:30 to 7:00, please bring a healthy hors d’oeuvre to share with others. Please drop off food before the performance in the Education Center. As with other Journeys School gatherings, we are trying to make this a sustainable event by minimizing resource use. Please plan on car-pooling if possible and bring food in reusable dishes. In addition, we also will carry out our annual toy and blanket drive for the Wind River Reservation. Donation items should be brought to the winter celebration.
Journeys School Ski Program
Parents, keep an eye out for forms coming home with students regarding the upcoming ski program for 2007. These forms should include an introductory letter that describes the program, a permission form, a liability form, and a rental agreement (if needed). Please call Ryan Bolton (Physical/Health Education Coordinator) at extension 1138 if you have any questions.
The Future of Food
Jackson Whole Grocer and the Teton Science Schools are proud to host a showing of the award-winning documentary film by Deborah Koons Garcia and Lily Films -The Future of Food, Thursday, December 7, 2006 at the Teton Science Schools Jackson Campus. Doors open at 6 p.m. and film starts at 6:30 p.m.
A panel of local experts will be available to answer questions and lead a discussion following the film. The event is open to families but would be most appreciated by students in grades 6 and up. For more information, visit www.thefutureoffood.com.
Last Chance for Student Photos
If you haven't ordered student photos and would still like to, please complete the process before winter break. We have added a password level of protection, so call or email Rhonda to get the password.
Still Have Shopping to Do?
Teton Science Schools has a store in the Welcome Center stocked with great holiday gifts. Water bottles, t-shirts, note cards, hats and more are yours for the choosing. The store will be open this Wednesday during the Parent Council coffee in the morning and then again on the evening of the Winter Celebration from 5:00 until 5:30.
Camera Obscura
'Camera' is Latin for room and 'Obscura' is Latin for dark. The black yurt outside of the Welcome Center is a Camera Obscura. Come check it out! Enter in through the backside, let your eyes adjust to the darkness and before you on a white table will be an image in full color and movement of world outside! It will be up for the next two weeks! Additional information about the camera obscura is post along the outside if you want to understand more about how it works.
December Lunch Menu
December 8th:
Chicken Noodle Soup
Spicy toasted Pita Chips & Humus
Carrot Sticks & Apple slices
Peanut Butter, Honey & Raspberry Jam Wraps
Veggie Wraps with Cream Cheese, Cucumbers, Tomatoes & Sprouts
Magic Bars
December 15th:
Crunchy coated Chicken Breast strips with Honey-BBQ sauce
Baked Potato Wedges
Sautéed Broccoli with Garlic
Fruit Salad with Mandarin oranges, Apples & Grapes
Apple Spice Cake
December 2006 Teton County Library Events Calendar
All events and press releases available online: www.TCLib.org
Scheduled Events
7 December, Thursday
Young Adult Movie “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest.” (PG-13) 4-6:30 p.m. The library invites young adults in grades six to 12 to an afternoon matinee, featuring the popular pirate film, snacks and a treasure trove of free prizes. Cost: Free. Location: Ordway Auditorium. Contact: Lara Lovett, 733-2164 ext. 221, llovett@will.state.wy.us.
12 December, Tuesday
Young Adult Board Meeting. 6-7 p.m. Young Adult Board will meet at the library, although building will be closed for Staff Facilities Planning Workshop. Young adults in grades six to 12 meet to plan teen events and put ideas into action. Registration and school-year commitment required. www.TCLib.org/teens Cost: Free. Location: Ordway Auditorium. Contact: Lara Lovett, 733-2164 ext. 221, llovett@will.state.wy.us.
Support the Journeys School Annual Fund
by ordering Journeys School Organic Coffee.
Call (307) 733-8046 or go Online:
www.FreshOrganicCoffee.com/journeys.html
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Pre-Kindergarten |
| Announcements |
Thanks!
Thank you to Remy Levy and Charlie Gorski, our own Pre-K teacher, for putting together a fabulous stage in our block area. It has become an immensely popular place to construct new buildings, roadways, ramps and bridges.
Thank you to Pre-K parents Rhonda Watson and Chris Rorke for donating more classroom supplies, they are greatly appreciated.
Thank you to parent classroom volunteers who came into our classroom the week prior to break and after to offer special projects during focused exploration time and help clean. These parents were Jeanne Ball, Janet Munro, Allison Pachoe, Joann Hongiman, and Yazmina Groenstein.
Cold Weather is Upon Us!
During the winter season, teachers refer to a chart that factors in wind speed and temperature to
assess the time one can be outside before running the risk of frostbite. On most days, students will go outside. Please make sure your child comes to school prepared for the cold days. Please bring an extra pair of socks to keep in your child’s cubby as teachers will be on sock patrol to assure that students’ feet stay dry.
Parent Zone
Pick Up
Please remember the Pre K school day is scheduled to end at 2:30. At this time, the students transition outside for dismissal. We intentionally make our day slightly shorter than the rest of the Journeys School to accommodate our students’ need for a shorter day as well as to facilitate the pickup process. Journeys K-12 dismissal is at 3:00. Our 2:30 dismissal time reduces traffic and allows Pre K parents to more easily park and pick up their child. Please plan to pick your child up at 2:30. If you have children in other levels of the school, you can pick up your Pre-K student at 2:50. If you pick your child up after 3:00, $10 will be added to your monthly bill. This money is put toward Pre K classroom supplies.
Volunteer Reminder
A couple of time slots remain for FE volunteers. Please sign up directly on the calendar in the Parent Zone if you are interested in joining our class for an afternoon.
Calling All Parents!
Pre-K will be hosting a Super-Hands-To-Work. We will be cleaning our classroom thoroughly before we leave for winter break. If you can make it in a little early on Tuesday, December 19th, we could use your help in a parent cleanup! All cleaning supplies will be provided. The Super-Hands-to-Work will begin Tuesday the 19th at 1:30 pm. Children can stay till the usual time and we will provide activities outside of the classroom for the last hour of school on that day. See you there! Thanks, Pre K Faculty
Curricular Updates
Pre-K Homework?????
Recently a homework packet was sent home with each child. One may wonder, “What are the goals of homework in the Pre-K?” The goal is not to grade or evaluate a student’s knowledge, but to simply offer parents a chance to explore the same concepts their child is learning in school. It also gives the child a sense of ownership and maturity to bring their work to and from school. The homework is not mandatory, but the pre-K teachers do feel there is a strong value in bringing school to the home.
Long Term Projects
Castles
The drawbridge opens and closes to reveal children at a local market looking for items to purchase with their “hard made” paper coins. Children call out to solicit others to come to market, “Markets open!!” they call. Through discussion at morning meeting last week children made decisions about what should be sold in a castle market and how we could design our own market. Children have since made price tags to put on goods and coins to purchase things with. Through dramatic play children exercise the knowledge that they have from everyday experiences, like going to the grocery store. Market will continue to grow as we make our own goods. We have talked about making jewelry, candles, clothes and more.
Simple Machines
Last week we set up stations to learn about levers. Children experimented with a wheel barrow, chopsticks, blocks, golf clubs, catapults and scissors. We learned about a fulcrum and how a lever makes it easier to accomplish certain tasks. Children experimented with moving the fulcrum closer to the load to make it easier to move. This week we will learn about the invention of the wheel.
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| Kindergarten - Grade 2 |
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Announcements
Our Growing K-2 Community
Five students have just recently joined the Journeys School! Today we welcomed Raines and Reagan Nagel, and Nikki Hessler to our K-2 community of learners. We are also excited to welcome back Hans and Hannah Wakeman!
Encore…Encore!
… for "The Life of the Muries" skit by the Kindergartners, 1st and 2nd graders of Journeys School! Since our performance last Wednesday at River Rock Lodge was such a success, we have scheduled another one! If you were not able to make it last week, we hope you can make it on Wednesday, Dec. 6th at 9:15 a.m. in the Education Center (Jackson Campus). It will last approximately 20 minutes.
Volunteer Opportunities
Several additional volunteer opportunities in the K-2 are available for interested parents. Are you looking for a small project to do at home? As we prepare for our winter theme: Exploring Navigation, we are looking for someone to compile a list of theme related books. Do you have a special interest, hobby, or skill that you would like to share with eager and engaged children? Are you itching to prepare food creations on Fridays? Or perhaps you would like to support students during art class on Thursdays. Please contact Kalen (kalen.ritz@journeysschool.org) or Bari (bari.bucholz@journeysschool.org) if you are interested in sharing your special talent or interest!
Trimester Reports
Trimester reports are coming soon to a folder near you! On December 15th trimester reports will be 'premiered' in your child’s folder!
Gloves, Gloves, Gloves
When temperatures fall below 30 degrees, it is imperative that students have insulated mittens and gloves. Their little hands and fingers get mighty cold when they wear the stretchy, one-size-fits all gloves. Please make sure your child has appropriate “handwarmers” so he or she can stay happy and warm while playing in the snow outside! Thanks for your support!
THANKS
Thank you to Jenn Foley for organizing an amazing group of parents on Nov. 21st to join in our first K-2 Super-Hands-to-Work of the school year. (If you missed this one, don’t worry, we hope to do a super clean before each break!) The parents who rolled up their sleeves and scrubbed, mopped and organized with all their might were Jenn Foley, Anne Ladd, Tom Turiano, Mamie Thurston, Miriam Morillon, Valerie Luckey, Dana Sara, Carrie Geraci, and Carol Chesney. It was absolutely wonderful to come back to sparkling clean bathroom places and learning spaces. Thank You, Thank You!
Thank you to Caroline Huser, Libby Hall, Anne Ladd, and Annie Fenn for baking cookies for our visit to River Rock Lodge. They were enjoyed by all the guests and our little K-2 cookie monsters, as well.
A big thanks for all of the parents who came to the River Rock Lodge to observe our Life of the Muries play last week. Your support and presence was appreciated in our celebration of the Muries.
Thanks again to Annie Fenn for baking cookies with the children last Friday afternoon! Kindergartners used cookie cutters to create stars, moons, and constellations!
Curricular Updates
Encore, Encore for… "The Life of the Muries"
To share what the K-2 students have learned about naturalists and explorers throughout the fall trimester, they performed a series of 4 short skits to depict “The Life of the Muries” at the River Rock Lodge last Wednesday. A special tribute was also given to Louise Murie MacLeod “Weezy”, who was married to Adolph and now lives at River Rock Lodge.
Scene one featured a portion of Olaus and Mardy’s 550-mile trek during their honeymoon throughout Alaska. They spent the warm months camping and learning first hand about nature and their environment and raised their 3 children (Martin, Joanne and Donald) in the wild lands of Alaska.
In Scene two, Olaus was hired by the U.S. Biological Survey to carefully observe caribou in the area now known as the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. He and his brother Adolph, determined that instead of introducing reindeer to tame the caribou herds, it would be most beneficial to leave these herds alone with the wolves and bears. Their research unveiled that what the caribou really needed was a large amount of open habitat, inspiring both Olaus and Mardy to protect wilderness areas.
Scene three took place in 1927, when Olaus and Mardy moved to Jackson Hole to determine why the elk populations were declining. Olaus discovered it was because the elk were suffering from sore mouths because of the very dry grass. While living in Jackson, Olaus and Mardy recorded their adventures in books and created beautiful sketches of the abundant flora and fauna in and around Jackson. They also invited many friends and community members to the Murie Ranch to have conversations about the earth’s wild places.
The last scene, Awards for Conservation, featured Mardy receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom Award, (the highest honor given to a citizen for service in America), from President Clinton in 1998. Mardy Murie dedicated her life to sharing her love of wilderness with others and her legacy of conservation education still lives on today through the work of many people.
After the play, in the spirit of the Muries, our 2nd graders served homemade cookies and lemonade, a tradition of Mardy’s from her days at the Murie Ranch. Thanks to all the parents who joined us; we truly appreciate your support! The skits were the perfect culminating project to really demonstrate just what the students have learned about the Muries and the invaluable lessons this special family lived by. There will be another performance on December 6th at 9:15am in the Education Center. It will be a true grand finale’ of the trimester!
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| Grades 3-5 |
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Announcements
Winter Celebration
Families, please plan to join us for the Journeys School Winter Celebration on Tuesday, December 12. The Winter Celebration is a tradition at Journeys School, and the faculty has worked hard this year to retain the community spirit of this event in light of the school’s growing size. In the "All School News" section there are more details about the schedule for this evening.
Library Cards
If you have not already sent your child’s library card to school, please do so. We would like to store a classroom set at school for library visits. The North Den will visit the Teton County Library on December 11, 2006.
Thank You
Thank you to Brent and Arthur Blue for their donations of winter clothing for our gear closet. If you are cleaning out your winter gear at home, we will gladly accept donations of hats, gloves, mittens, snow pants, or coats.
Thank you to Jill Wright for donating an electric pencil sharpener to Grades 3-5. We are thrilled about this donation!
Holiday Absences
If your child will miss school because of holiday travel, please notify his/her advisor as soon as possible. Advance notice of planned absences helps the teachers stay organized. Thank you.
Curriculum Updates
Art
For most of the fall trimester we focused our work on artist Andy Warhol and our personal pathways as artists. With the knowledge learned from getting to know a famous artist really well, and looking closely at ourselves as artists, 3-5 students began an exciting new art project last week. Much of our technical focus this fall has been on color, line, and shape, three of the six elements of art and design. Our new project centers on understanding value, one of the three remaining elements of art we need to learn. Value refers to the lightness or darkness of a color. It also refers to how artists use other elements of art to create a sense of light or dark. Integrating phenology work we have done in science, and our knowledge of how animals use camouflage to protect themselves, we are creating paste paper collages of place-based animals. After choosing an animal that lives in our ecosystem and a color, students are using the value scale of their color to create their collage. They are learning that they must pay careful attention to value in order to show the animal, foreground, and background in their work. Be on the lookout for some moose in the purple family and bears in the green family!
Laura’s Math Group
Grades 3-5 students in Laura’s math class have spent some time looking for angles in nature this trimester. After exploring the woods in front of the elementary school for a brief ten minutes, students discovered over 200 angles in nature. Out of the angles that were counted, 55% were reflex, 36% were acute and 5% were obtuse. Scalene triangles and right angles were discovered in the forts. Opposite and adjacent angles were discovered everywhere there were intersecting down logs. Acute, obtuse and reflex angles were found on aspens and sagebrush. Students were excited to apply what they had learned in math class in their everyday lives. We concluded that angles are everywhere in nature!
To learn more about grades 3-5 students’ discoveries, swing by the south den study to view our angles in nature photo gallery.
Advisory
Each week in Grades 3-5, students and teachers participate in advisory. Advisory is an hour long class during which students set goals for each trimester, build their portfolios of school work, and spend time together in age level groupings doing developmentally appropriate activities. Last week in advisory, the fifteen third graders, Andie and Kristen brainstormed about why it is cool to be in third grade.
Here are a few student responses:
"It’s like there’s a lot of trust in us, especially on journeys.” -Henry Geraci
"In third grade, it’s the grade that you get to do things that aren’t too old and aren’t too young.” -Dakotah Daily
"I think we have cooler stuff in art. Last year we did a lot of drawing and this year we use sand paper prints and rollers. We are doing more advanced art.” -Henry Jones
"In third grade you forget what grade everyone is in and you play with everyone.” -Noelle Huser
"We get to work more with computers.” -Cosette Kortum
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| Grades 6-8 |
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Announcements
Wed Dec 6: GAP! Knitting
Next week GAP! girls will be learning how to knit at the middle school. If your daughter is interested, she may join the group at any time. Journeys School students attend Wednesday afternoons from 3:00 to 5:00 pm. Contact Charlotte with any questions (charlotte.quesada@journeysschool.org, ext. 1129).
Thurs. Dec 7
Young Adult Movie “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest.” (PG-13) 4-6:30 p.m. The library invites young adults in grades six to 12 to an afternoon matinee, featuring the popular pirate film, snacks and a treasure trove of free prizes. Cost: Free. Location: Ordway Auditorium. Contact: Lara Lovett, 733-2164 ext. 221, llovett@will.state.wy.us.
Fall Trimester Reports will be sent over the Winter Break.
Upcoming a Cappella Concerts
The middle school a cappella choir has been working hard this fall in preparation for two concerts. Our group has been given a wonderful opportunity to perform at the Journeys School 3rd Annual Fundraiser at the Amangani. The event is from 5-8pm on Saturday, December 9. The group will be performing around 6:45pm. All Journeys School parents are invited. Call Laurel Wyckoff (733-1313 ex 1313) for details. If you are unable to come to this event, you will still have a chance to see an a cappella performance at the Winter Celebration, Tuesday, December 12. Thank you for supporting your children at these events. They are all so talented!
A reminder for parents of a cappella choir members:
If you are not attending the Amangani event, please plan to have your child meet Margot at the Amangani front lobby at 5:00pm. We will begin warm-ups at 5:15pm sharp. Students can be picked up at the same place between 7:30 and 8:00pm. Carpooling is encouraged.
If you are attending the Amangani event, please have your child meet the group in the main entry of the Amangani (at the top of the stairs) at 5:00pm.We will begin warm-ups and rehearsal at that time.
Thank You's
Thank you to all parents that participated in our Integrated Math casino and brought all the delicious food for our potluck lunch. Thank you also to all the parents that participated in the Culminating Project last Friday. You made their work much more meaningful by showing your support and interest!
We are excited to show off these projects again at the Winter Celebration. In addition, our a cappella group will perform!
Thank you to the entire middle school team for working so hard on the Integrated Math Project and Culminating Project. You showed exceptional ability to manage your time, maintain focus and negotiate multiple responsibilities within your groups. A special thank you to the group leaders for successfully tackling the challenge of managing and guiding your peers!
Curricular Updates
Art
Over the last trimester 41 young artists have found a way to bring all their skills together. During the last week of the fall trimester, they created four panels as part of a larger 20 panel group piece. They used media such as charcoal, watercolor, found object, wire and collage to convey the relations between a medium and the abstract concepts involved within the stages of four revolutions. If you did not have a chance to see their fabulous finished product last Friday, please look for our displays at the Winter Celebration!
This winter, students will work with Jill Wright (6th grade student, Ellie’s mom) and Dennis on the basics of acting. Throughout the winter trimester, students will be exposed to all the elements that go into producing a play: acting, set design, play writing, and costume design. Ask your student what is their favorite part of producing a play, it may change by the end of the trimester!
Spanish
During the culminating project, students used the knowledge garnered during the fall trimester in Spanish to research and write about the history of the Mexican Revolution. Each student wrote one paragraph on an individual or event that played an important part in the revolution. The groups then compiled their findings and used this knowledge to outline the five phases of revolution according to the framework introduced in social sciences. With this understanding, the students were able to portray the conflict in art using collage, found object, wire, charcoal and watercolor. The results were quite impressive.
Science
It all came together as we looked down at one piece of paper, mapping the intellectual revolution of how we view the natural world. Before it began, the common Western belief was that Nature is static – that God created the world and its creatures 6,000 years ago and they are today as they were then and will remain the same in the future. By the beginning of the twentieth century the scientific community embraced the concept that nature is dynamic. In between these two paradigms, students articulated the progression from mounting conflicting evidence and defection of intellectuals like Gregor Mendel and Charles Darwin to an age of new ideas full of experimentation and debate. As mentioned above, the end product of translating these ideas into various art media was challenging and remarkable.
Next week we will begin exploring forces and motion, and how these physical properties apply to flight and simple machines.
Language Arts
Language arts and fine arts are collaborating to prepare students for the “Forces in Opposition” culminating project, an adapted, place-based production of Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare. This tragedy is a classic example of forces in opposition. This week we begin reading the play, using a “Shakespeare Made Easy” version. These editions have parallel texts. When opening the book, the original play is on the left and the contemporary version is on the right, allowing students to move back and forth to help them with reading comprehension while still being exposed to Shakespeare’s lyrical style.
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| Grades 9-12 |
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Announcements
Ten Tips for Parents to Help Their Teenage Writers
At Journeys upper school we teach writing across the curriculum, which means we use the same writing processes and expect similar products in all writing assignments regardless of the course. Content is specific to the assignment and the course in which it is assigned. Students who study and practice writing at Journeys upper school over four years become very good writers who are prepared for college writing. Even with great writing instruction at school there is much that parents can do at home to help improve their teen’s writing. Please access the internet link that follows from the National Council of Teachers of English for ten tips for parents to help teens improve their writing: http://www.ncte.org/library/files/About_NCTE/Press_Center/tips-parents.pdf.
Saving Student Work
Parents, please help your student submit their assignments on time, and not lose valuable work, by encouraging them to back up their work in a place external to their computer. The upper school faculty highly recommends purchasing a memory stick (aka flash drive, pen drive) and attaching it to a safe place such as a book bag or key chain. Alternatively, files may be saved through Citrix. (Visit sam.tetonscience.org and/or ask an advisor for help.)
Dress Warmly!!!
The weather outside is frightful! It is extremely important that your child is dressed appropriately for field trips, outdoor physical education and just walking through campus up to class! Please check that your child has at the very least a hat, gloves, and very warm jacket.
Reminder
With very few exceptions, parking and drop off is NOT allowed at the north end of campus. This rule is part of our land use agreement, not a policy decided by the faculty.
Quilt Project:
Next year the students will learn how to sew in life skills through collaborating on a quilt project. We would greatly appreciate any donations of cloth, buttons, thread or other notions! We would also be able to use the loan of a sewing machine. Thanks in advance!
Curricular Updates
US Science – Environmental Chemistry
Over the past few weeks in upper school science, students have partnered with Dan Leemon (Teton Conservation District) and Lindsay Paterson (Wyoming Stream Team) to investigate the impacts of Jackson on the water quality of Flat Creek. Students collected data on several chemical parameters in order to look for irregularities and levels outside of EPA standards. The chemical parameters included dissolved oxygen, pH, alkalinity, turbidity, conductivity, nitrates and phosphates. In the field students were introduced to collecting data with Vernier probes and graphing calculators. To find out about the results, please consult any 9-11 student. Our trimester concluded by challenging students to complete a formal scientific paper communicating their understanding of water quality and ability to interpret the results. For the trimester’s final class, we took a drive down to south park to visit the waste water treatment plant. This hopefully provided a meaningful experience to reflect on our use of water.
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| Editorial |
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Critical Community Service
By Shannon Shuptrine
As the holiday season approaches our school community has the opportunity to participate, for the second year, in a toy and blanket drive for those who live on Wind River Reservation. This drive began as a grassroots effort by a group of Teton County citizens and has taken place for the past seven years. Many truck loads full of food, holiday gifts, winter clothes and blankets are delivered to a few different locations on the reservation each December.
This is a great opportunity for our whole school community to participate in a community service effort. This year, a worthy challenge is for all of us to think of this not as a charity event, but as a learning opportunity. We can all participate in turning traditional service learning into “critical service learning” which requires more time, extensive conversations and more curricular connections (Erik Gearhart, 2006. Charity or Change? Traditional versus Critical Approaches to Service Learning).
One of the most effective methods of teaching a new skill is “modeling” that skill. It is important for the adults in our community (both staff and parents) to model critical service learning efforts. Part of the Journeys School philosophy includes an expectation for students to spend time working for the community’s greater good. Service learning has been shown to improve leadership skills, increase the likelihood of college enrollment, increase understanding of how learning can be applied outside the classroom, and make it more likely that an individual will feel comfortable discussing politics and community issues, and vote in an election (Middle Ground, Volume 10, Number 2: Service Learning and Literature).
However, it is worth our time to consider the effect of the service learning that takes place. Some researchers suggest that events like food drives can actually do a disservice if there is not simultaneous learning that is taking place (Gearhart 2006). Stereotypes can be perpetuated about the haves and have-nots. With this drive, we have the opportunity to model an effort to make some sort of genuine connection to our community service.
One way to do this is through informed conversations. Find out what you can about the service project you, or your child, is involved with and have dialogue about it. The conversation might need to be adjusted to be appropriate for your child’s age and it could start with some questions. “Why do our neighbors on the Wind River Reservation need extra food, clothes and blankets?” The challenge, then, is to be able to discuss the question in more depth versus giving a stock answer.
The teachers at Journeys School will also be working to make curricular connections to the Wind River Reservation throughout the year. We have former and present Teton Science Schools’ graduate students who have taught on the reservation and we have some connections in the parent community, as well. One and a half years ago upper school students and faculty spent two days on the reservation meeting with students and elders to learn more about Wyoming Indian School and how the adult community works together to maintain Shoshone and Arapahoe traditions. Included at the end of this editorial are some websites that you, and/or, your child might want to visit to learn more about the Wind River Reservation. An informational packet will also be distributed to all teaching teams. If you would like a copy, please let a staff member know.
The Toy and Blanket Drive will take place from December 4th through December 16th. Please look in the next Base Camp News for specific instructions on how to contribute.
http://www.arapahoeschool.com/
http://www.easternshoshone.net/WindRiverReservation2.htm
http://www.eere.energy.gov/tribalenergy/guide/pdfs/wind_river.pdf#search='Wind%20River%20Reservation'
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