School is cancelled for students on Tuesday, Jan. 22nd due to repair of water line in the City of Floodwood. Basketball practice and the boys' home game will take place as regularly scheduled.
Last week, kindergarten students continued their explorations into physics--push/pull forces, inclined planes, and the grade/steepness of a plane and how this impacts the movement of an object in motion. I intentionally let students struggle, problem-solve, and lead by their own hypotheses and discoveries. Very little direct instruction was involved beyond setting up rules for our work.
As a result, our children are developing a growth mindset! They embrace their mistakes as opportunities to learn. They base their predictions on clues and former trials. They persevere and encourage one another. They celebrate the work of others and are not driven by competition between peers. Rather, they compete against their own best work and collaborate within a team environment.
Overall, it is the PROCESS of learning and not the PRODUCT that fuels our rigorous, student-led work each day. This mindset will continue to expand their tenacity and have a direct impact on lifelong success.
Here's a sneak peek into what we're planning this week:
* We will continue our physics work with deeper studies of inclined planes.
* We will also explore engineering with our brand new magnetic tiles that were ordered with some of our STEM grant money!
* We will construct a marble tube track on our hallway wall. The paper tubes we've collected will be used in our construction.
* We will learn about our new take-home resource this week. With STEM grant money, I have been able to create "STEM to Go" project tubs for take-home explorations! The students and I will explore this resource and practice expectations for proper care.
Finally, our classroom kitchen is newly reorganized and expanded to make room for several new tools, thanks to a large STEM grant I recently received. Come visit us to see the changes!
Thanks again to everyone who contributed toward the 5th and 6th grade Laurentian trip. Everyone had a great time.
No School for students on Friday or Monday! Enjoy the long weekend!
What a beautiful sunrise on the way to school this morning! Today is going to be a great day for learning & making memories!
Don't forget - anyone born after Dec 31, 1976 MUST have their snowmobile safety certificate to ride state trails. See the brochure to join the class with the Savanna Drifters
Come learn about essential oils with Total Home Upgrade - Jan 31. Check out the flyer for more information!
Spotlight Teacher and Students - Mrs. Holmes, Deacon Laine and Lillian Manner
Save the Date! We are gearing up for the school-wide celebration in honor of our MN School of Excellence validation on Monday, February 4th, 1:30-2:30. There will be guest speakers, food, performances by staff & students, music, & more! All are welcome!
Physics is Fun! Today in kindergarten, students explored inclined planes with angles of varying degrees and the impact they have on the speed of an object in motion. Rather than demonstrate these principles, adults in class posed questions, provided materials, and observed students in motion--discussing, predicting, testing, problem-solving, and redesigning.
We began our day with a hunt around the room for inclined planes. We expanded our understanding midday with a discussion in the hall about inclined planes we have at school. At snack time, students used crackers, frosting, and milk cartons to design inclined planes. We tested the stability and effectiveness of our designs by rolling cereal spheres down the ramps and observing the results. Afterward, we used a variety of play materials to set our smaller, edible designs in motion. We spent the remainder of the day polishing our work.
We have not formalized our discoveries and plan to revisit this important project right away in the morning. We are, as are our ramps structure, a work in progress. Check back soon to find out how this work advances our knowledge of fun physics!
A Snapshot of our Week in Kindergarten: Students poured their hearts and minds into writing, building, and applying academic vocabulary this week in a variety of student-driven, authentic contexts. Here's a peek into what they explored...
Kindergarteners took to writing independently and with their peers upon arrival time each day this week. They gathered their supplies, scattered around the room, and wrote sight words, names, descriptive sentences, labels for classroom objects, and recipes! All of these activities were entirely student-driven. They brainstormed, planned, problem-solved, collaborated, and congratulated each other's accomplishments stretching out sounds, recalling sight words, and forming complete, well-written compositions!
Students composed blueprints and followed these designs to build incline planes/ramps. They tested their structures, revisited plans, and tested the overall stability and effectiveness with a variety of materials. This week, we will delve deeper into the physics behind forces (push/pull) as well as the impact the grade (the amount of steepness) has on the speed of an object traveling down an incline plane. Our STEM studies will be pretty exciting!
This week, the students and I composed a recipe for melted (decomposing) snowmen that was comprised of several sight words the boys and girls had to recall. This was rigorous work that demanded an accurate recall of common words as well as proper penmanship within a small space. I took note of handwriting skills, fine motor control, decoding skills, and sight word recall. Our hands were tired after this two-day activity!
On Friday, kindergarteners had to read their recipes for melted (decomposing) snowmen and follow the steps to make their snack for the day. They did a marvelous job and even attempted to compose (put together) their snowmen once more. This proved difficult, but many of them persevered!
What an amazing week of learning in kindergarten! Our authentic, engaging activities emphasized writing, reading, social skills, engineering, science, and application of very complex terminology related to STEM. Who's ready for another fun-filled week? I AM!
Thank you 8th graders for working at the campground taking down the lights today. You got a lot done and we're proud of all that you accomplished!
Thank you to Tina Nelson from the Suicide Prevention Coalition for presenting to all high school students about the National Suicide Hotline, how to get help when needed and how to make a call. All students received a bracelet with the text number and hotline number. Remember, please seek help whenever you need - your school, family and friends care about you!
We will have a school-wide celebration in honor of our MN School of Excellence validation on Monday, February 4th, 1:30-2:30. There will be guest speakers, food, performances by staff & students, music, etc.! More information to follow. We have a lot to celebrate!
K-8 Winter FAST Assessments start next week! Be sure to get a good night's sleep beforehand, have a good breakfast, and be in school! See testing schedule in Student Documents or go directly to: https://5il.co/64xo
“We’ve got spirit, yes WE do!”
Snowmobile Safety Course through Savanna Drifters
Tonight the boys play Wrenshall at home. The junior high will play early at 5:00. JV will play at 5:45 and Varsity at 7:15. Good luck Polar Bears!
Please plan to come to the January 10 basketball game and purchase tickets for the last three baskets for the Laurentian fundraiser. Tickets are $1 each or 6 for $5. You can buy tickets starting at 5:30 and the drawing will be held during half time of the varsity game. The baskets include a s’more and fire pit themed basket, a basketball themed basket, and a soup and ladle themed basket. Thanks for supporting our fundraiser!
