Monday, December 25, 2017

Winter Break Homework!

Dear Shingobee students and families,

For homework over break, you are invited to do as many of the following activities as you can! There is no need to write anything, but please be prepared to tell your classmates a story about something you did. Please also keep practicing your multiplication and division facts--when we return we will be working on those daily in school as well.

Thank you for everything, and wishing you all a warm and happy new year and a relaxing winter break,

Amanda and Alaina

Here is the homework link, and the list of activities below: Winter Break Homework

o  Build a blanket fort and read a book in it
o   Go sledding
o   Bake a treat for a neighbor
o   Try a science experiment
o   Read aloud to someone
o   Take a nature walk
o   Visit a museum
o   Volunteer your time
o   Write a letter to a friend or family member and mail it
o   Sweep or vacuum a room of your home
o   Put on a play with friends or siblings
o   Make a snow sculpture
o   Teach someone a new game or craft
o   Do the dishes after a meal
o   Learn to make a new recipe
o   Tell a good story to your family
o   Go ice skating
o   Visit the Como Conservatory
o   Make popcorn and cranberry strings
o   Observe a bird feeder
o   Shovel someone’s walkway
o   Make a meal for your family
o   Learn a new origami pattern
o   Sing with a group of people
o   Knit or crochet a gift for someone
o   Memorize a poem
o   Paint a winter scene
o   Write a story
o   Listen to a story from a grandparent’s childhood
o   Create a math game
o   Graph some data you collected
o  Go on an adventure
o  Take a night hike with an adult

o  Perform a song, play, or dance for an audience




Monday, December 4, 2017

Homework Due 12/12/17

As the weeks go on, we notice that students often forget to turn in their homework on time. While we expect students to complete their homework independently as much as possible, and encourage them to ask for help from guides early on, a good way to help at home can be to work with your student to create a schedule and make a space where they can do their homework.

This week's homework is on Practical Life! See the attached google document for a digital version in case the hard copy gets lost. 

Shingobee Classroom Update

Dear Shingobee families, 

Thank you for all of the delicious and wonderful contributions to our feast! It was a lovely way to come together as a community and share food, stories, and gratitude. The students worked together to set up and organize all of the food and welcomed friends from different classrooms into their communities. A special thank you to all who came and cleaned up after the feast. We would have been here all night if it was not for your help!

In the Classroom: Last week, we wrapped up the study of the composition of the Earth and now are moving into the study of the stars and the life cycle of the star. Students are also creating biographies of famous peacemakers from around the world for a classroom book. In the closing weeks of the semester we will be focusing on sky stories and constellations as well as gearing up for the Geography Fair. This event will be on December 13 from 2-3pm. Families are welcome to attend. Please help your student work on their project at home so that they are prepared to present. 

Winter Weather Advisory: As the temperature drops, many children are arriving at school without jackets, hats, boots, or other cold weather gear.  Please remind your children that they are required to wear jackets, hats, and gloves or mittens when temperatures are below freezing and must have outdoor shoes or boots.  If your child does not have the gear they need, please let us know and we will work to provide what is needed. 

Finally, an update from the Critter Cash Committee:

Dear UE Families,

The last Critter Cash Committee bake sale was a great success, and we are hoping to keep our pets healthy and well-fed over the winter with another sale. Also, we have added some new pets to our UE critter family: two guinea pigs in Little Elk!

This sale will be held Friday, December 15th, from 3:15-4:00pm in the Adolescent building (exact location TBA). If you would like to attend, we ask that you please pick your child up as usual and walk them over to the other building.

Students are invited to make crafts and/or bake treats at home to donate to our sale; we ask that they include ingredients of the treat. Participation is optional and proceeds from the sale will be shared among the UE classrooms.

Our students and pets thank you for generosity and support!

Best,
Critter Cash Committee

Tuesday, November 21, 2017

Geography Fair Resources

The Geography Fair is in top gear, and all Shingobee students should be busy finding out about their topics. We encourage students to visit their local library to get more resources for their research projects.

The Internet is a wonderful place for up-to-date information; however, it can also be a source of misinformation. Please establish good search engine habits early!

When "googling" a topic, try these five tips:

1) Oldies-but-goodies: Instead of typing your question into a search engine right away, try databases or library catalogs first. Wikipedia is a lot better than it used to be, but it is never a bad idea to begin with established and institutionalized knowledge sources. Here are some websites to try for geography, science and history:
NASA, NOAA, and other government sites are also helpful places to look for photographs and data.

2) Keep scrolling down: Check out multiple results rather than the highlighted or first answer that appears. Often, companies can pay more to have their website listed at the top of a search. Just because it's first doesn't mean it is the best source.

3) Use text, not pictures: Instead of searching through Images only, click on the link and read the website where the image is located. You might find that something that "looks" right isn't what it says it is.

4) Just READ: Sometimes the information you want is further down on the page or in a link. If you don't immediately see a headline answering your question, that is okay. Keep looking!

5) When in doubt, ask for help! If you're not sure if a source is credible or appropriate, ask an adult or guide. Write down the URL or print out the article to help. Remember, the World Wide Web requires navigation, supervision and guidance, just like the real wide world outside.

Happy researching!


Wednesday, November 15, 2017

Even more cool links!

In our endless quest to find amazing learning tools on the Internet, we offer more exciting links for your perusal. This video, from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, animates the story of scientist Alfred Wegener, who developed a theory of continental drift. 


Students have been learning about Native sovereignty and treaty-making as part of Minnesota studies. In lieu of homework this week, 5th and 6th years have an assignment to explore how perspectives on land, relationships and power shifted between the 1700s and 1800s in the area that was to become Minnesota territory. The links below will help them with these activities (see directions in the homework folder and pdf below).




Access a Google Doc of the Assignment here

November Classroom Update

With the flurries of snow outside, we have also had a flurry of work here in Shingobee. Students have been exploring algebra and fractions and having fun with angles and area. In Minnesota Studies, 5th and 6th years have been looking at the interactions between European fur traders and Indigenous peoples, culminating in the performance of a short play for Shingobee and Rice Creek classmates. In science, the whole class has focused on the composition of the Earth and the elements that make it up. There's a lot more that has been happening as well! Read on...
  • Conferences: We are looking forward to seeing you all at conferences this week. The students have selected works they are excited to share with you. This year, the 5th and 6th years will be leading their conferences and sharing their accomplishments and goals for the year. 4th year students do not have to attend, but have selected the works of which they are most proud to share with you.
  • Upper El Potluck Feast: Wednesday, November 23rd at 12:15.  Students have signed up for food (see list at conferences and more info at the end of this e-mail). It is our hope that students will prepare the food they choose themselves, with some help from adults. We are also seeking donations of compostable plates and flatware by November 22nd.
  • Changes for our Animal Friends: Last month we lost Tesla II, one of our gerbils. We buried him in the garden and sang songs and thanked him for being a loved member of our community. Since then, three new pets  have joined our room: two new gerbils (Colbolt and Tesla III) and a new bunny (Shadow). Shadow was in need of a new home and came to us with a hutch and all of the supplies and food to last a few months! 
  • Critter Cash Committee Update: Thanks to all of you, the pet committee raised quite a bit of money at their recent bake/book sale! We hope to have another sale on December 15 so that we can buy food and supplies for all of our pets. If you have leftover greens (kale, carrot tops, broccoli stems, etc.) please send them in! Shadow and the rabbit in the Crow Wing classroom would love to take them off your hands. 
In this season of colder weather and shorter days, our class has been reflecting within. Each morning, we focus on what brings us peace and happiness and what we are thankful for. We are thankful for your partnership in supporting the work we do in class by helping us create a caring environment for learning.


Last but not least, we have a message from the Student Feast Committee about a community meal next Wednesday: 

Hello Upper El Families, 

We, the Student Feast Committee, are busily preparing for our Upper El Potluck Feast next Wednesday, November 23rd.  Our feast will start at 12:15, immediately following recess.  Students will sign up for foods to bring today, Wednesday, November 15.  It is our hope that students will prepare the food they choose themselves, with some help from adults.    

We are also asking for families to donate compostable flatware, paper plates and napkins, and paper cups.  Shingobee families should send in paper plates and compostable flatware if you are able. If you are willing to send in these items, please do so by Tuesday, November 22nd.  

Please send food in serving dishes that don't have to be plugged in (crockpots).  We will keep food hot or cold in coolers.  Please send serving utensils with your dish.  Label both and we'll make sure they are returned to your child at the end of the day.  

Please list ingredients for each dish so we can help students with dietary restrictions chose their food.  Small signs for each dish created by your student would be helpful.  

We will serve food buffet style and mix students among upper el classrooms for lunch together.  

We are seeking six adult volunteers to help with clean up following the feast (1-1:45pm).  If you are available, please sign up here.

Thank you for your contributions!

Sincerely, the students of the UE Student Feast Committee.  

Saturday, October 28, 2017

The Scale of the Universe

In science, we have been discussing the basics of chemistry and physics. Students have been building atomic models, creating comic book representations of the story of the Big Bang, and developing trading card games for the periodic table of the elements. The links below offer food for thought on some of the very big--and very small--types of matter encountered in this study. The first is a classic video from Charles and Ray Eames, Powers of Ten.


A more recent version of the same exercise, by Cary and Michael Huang, is a web-based interactive that shows the relative scale of different things in the universe. The website itself also contains numerous related scientific representations of our cosmic neighborhood.

More Minnesota Studies Links

5th and 6th year students are working together this year to study the geography and history of the land now called Minnesota and the peoples whose lives are intertwined with it. The links below provide resources for students and families to extend their learning about topics we discuss in class.


Wednesday, October 18, 2017

Geography of Minnesota and Beyond - Links

Students have been studying Minnesota and North American geography for the past few weeks. Today, we discussed prehistoric Minnesota and what we can learn from satellite photographs.

Here are some great online resources that students can explore:
  • NASA Earth Observatory. See how the world has changed over time! 
  • Google Earth. Explore the world.
  • Trailer for Minnesota: A History of the Land, a series created by the Bell Museum
  • Bdote Memory Map: A resource for learning about Dakota place-names and memories of Bdote, what is now called the Twin Cities.
  • Minnesota Historical Society Link to the Jeffers Petroglyphs page.

Happy Fall! Homework Update and Volunteer Request

Dear Shingobee Families,

The leaves are turning, and fall is in full swing! Here in Shingobee, students are working on their Widji research, learning about prehistoric Minnesota, and conducting experiments to explore physical and chemical changes as our study of matter continues.

Homework Update:
We will be adding a mathematics component to our homework starting next week. Besides nightly fact practice, you and your child might want to check out the following sites for interactive math games:
We are seeking volunteers to support student "Going Out" adventures.  This is a great option for adults with flexible schedules who would like to support student interest projects.  Students organize small field trips connected to their work and need a background-checked volunteer to accompany them on walking trips. If you would like to help out, please respond with your available times for the year.  

Check out our Blog! We will be posting our parent updates, as well as fun links and homework assignments, to our classroom blog. Students can check our blog if they've lost their homework or want to learn more about class topics. https://shingobeeriverclass.blogspot.com/

Historical Figures Day (October 31) is fast approaching.  Students can dress like anyone they feel contributed positively to history.  Costumes may not include props, make up, spray on hair coloring, masks, or be violent in nature.  Students should be prepared to give a short oral presentation about their historical figure for their classmates.

Thank you for your ongoing support, and enjoy the beautiful weather this weekend!

Amanda and Alaina

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Here is an update on snack from our elementary coordinator, Jean Peters: 
Dear Elementary Families,

We have a historical practice at Great River to provide snack for lower and upper elementary students.The goal of classroom snack is to bind the community together through shared responsibility for practical life. Generosity of families has been essential to sustaining this practice over the years. This year, we have a grant that is supporting the elementary program expansion, and we have recently been informed that a classroom snack cannot be funded by our grant. 

Due to this adjustment in funding, we will have to adjust the scope of the snack we can fund in our classrooms. Budget for maximum reimbursement will be set at $30 per week. If you are able to donate your snack contribution, that is sincerely appreciated by the school.

  • Examples of snack are simple items: sliced oranges, crackers, string cheese, etc. (This is an adjustment from earlier communicated examples.) 

November Homework Links

November Homework Resources 1) Here are some sources for the history of fall celebrations . This article , from CNN, looks at festivals t...