Expedition News

  •      Fieldwork:  Our Boca Adventure Campout earlier in the month could not have gone smoother.  The second and third graders showed the Sierra norms and were very engaged with our experts.  At one station, Truckee Cal Firemen discussed the recent fire at Boca and how they handle wildfires in general.  They had two fire trucks and the bulldozer there for them to check out and explore!  The icing on the cake was when they allowed the children to spray the fire hose.  At another station, we had ice-harvesting expert Tom Macauley share his wisdom with us.  His great-grandfather was a Boca ice harvester and had intriguing stories for the children.  Handling the authentic ice harvesting tool was a highlight for the crew.
  •      Thank you to chaperones: Cassie Hebel, Carolyn Gallagher, Randy Ronzone, Carrie Hunter, Kerri Flaherty, Susanna and Mark Neave, and Jeff Bender.  Also, thank you to Shauna Ronzone  and Susanna Neave for taking the time to organize behind the scenes!
  •      Fire- In the classroom, we jumped on the opportunity to focus on wildfires, as we were stuck inside from all of the King Fire smoke!  The students enjoy learning about the pros and cons of wildfire and have become quite opinionated about whether wildfires are good or evil.  We also walked to Truckee Fire Station 92, next to Wild Cherries, to work with expert Paul Spencer.  He shared numerous historical fires in Truckee and how they impacted the town over the years.
  •      Truckee timeline- Currently we are focusing on an overall timeline of Truckee’s history.  The students are working through complex text to pull out important information that we will be using for a Celebration of Learning performance.   Stay tuned for more info!

Crew News:

  •      Goal Setting- Thanks to all who participated in goal setting conference.   It was wonderful to see how the children had reflected on their strengths and weaknesses and were able to set productive academic and character goals around them.
  •      Classroom routines are in full swing and are going very well. Reading and writing groups have been formed and we look forward to helping the students move forward with their specific goals/needs.
  •      Math Night-Grade 2-5 will be holding a Math Night for parents on November 6, from 6-7 pm.  Teachers will cover the Bridges math program to help gain insight on the strategies we use with the children and why.  More information to come soon.
  • Harvest of the Month:  This month we will be tasting Bell Peppers.  Please encourage your child to try new foods and share the ones they like with you at home.  Yum!  Thanks to Yvette Bender and Larry Hunter for volunteering to come in each month!
  •      Slippers- With rain and snow right around the corner, please send in some classroom slippers so we can save our rugs!

School News:

  •      SELS Summit Day: The first annual SELS Summit Day will serve as the final product of the first graders’ expedition, entitled “I Love the Mountains!”  The entire school will hike to Castle Peak on Tuesday, October 28th(through various routes) meeting along the trail for activities.   This should be a wonderful experience for all!  Please send your child dressed in layers, comfortable shoes to hike in,  as well as a big lunch and water bottle.
  •      Bear Walk Reminders- Our annual Bear Walk (Walk-a-thon) will be on Halloween.  This event raises funds that will go directly back to your child’s classroom.  Please help them find sponsors!
  •      Reminders about costumes:     

– Comfortable to move around in and closed toed shoes!
– Masks discouraged
– NO SCARY costumes, this is a school-wide event
– No toy weapons