It is hard to believe but we are over half way through the school year. The semester finished on Friday, January 29th. I’m sure you know that progress reports came home on Friday (or for students that missed Friday, they will come home today). I wanted to provide more of an explanation for you.

4 = Exemplary: This grade means the student went above and beyond what was expected on the assignment. I provide a rubric with what qualifies for a 4, but I do not require the students to achieve a 4. It can also mean the student tested perfect or nearly perfect on a test, or above what I expect them to know.

3 = Proficient: This grade means the student has met the required criteria. They are at grade level. This is my expectation for all students to be at grade level.

2 = Developing: This grade means the student has not yet met the required criteria, or has not completed the assignments or turned them in late. Many of the 2’s on the progress reports reflect poor habits of work (organization, focus, use of time).

1 = Beginning: This grade means the student is far below benchmark and my expectations.

Spring Expedition “What the Cell?!”
We started our spring expedition this past week, asking the question: “What characteristics do all living things have?”

We will be focusing on cellular biology, genetics/heredity, and evolution between now and the end of the school year. If you or someone you know has experience in any of these fields and would be willing to present to our crew please let me know, we love having guest presenters.

The fieldwork for this expedition will be a 4 day/3 night trip to the bay area exploring the cutting edge genetics companies, universities, and museums while camping at Half Moon Bay State Park. It will take place on the 26-29 of April (Tuesday-Friday). The educational opportunities are exclusively set-up by the student liaisons (students who have applied to be the contact people for this fieldwork). I will be explaining the fieldwork to the students on Monday and the students will be applying for a liaison position this week if they choose. Once the students have confirmed the stops with the organizations, I will send out a more detailed schedule.

On a side note, students have been doing very well since coming back from winter break. As a whole, students are motivated, focused, and engaged in learning. I was gone the past three days last week taking care of my kids while my wife was away on business. I am happy to report that the students continued their exemplary behavior and work ethic, helping the guest teacher when she had questions and staying on task all three days I was away. This is truly a great group.

As always if you have any questions, let me know.