I want to welcome everyone to 7th grade in the Williams Crew! I hope everyone enjoyed their summer. I was busy camping, rafting, hiking, biking, and hosting family, all while corralling a very talkative two-year-old girl, and a very curious and mobile one-year-old boy.

I wanted to take this opportunity to go over a few points regarding our upcoming expeditions this year. I have been improving our fall expedition “Cartographers and Commanders” about Navigation, European history, and the Age of Exploration. I am looking for guest speakers that have experience in navigation, cartography (map making), the Age of Exploration (1400-1600 Europe), Sailing, or related subjects. If you or someone you know would be interested in coming in and doing a presentation on one or more of these subjects, please call or email me.

Fall Fieldwork: Our first fieldwork will be a 3 day, 2 night trip on September 28-30 (Wednesday – Friday) on the Sierra Crest at a place called Grouse Ridge. I will send out more details soon, but we will need at least 6 parents to volunteer and take part in the fieldwork. For parents that enjoy hiking and the outdoors, this field work should be a lot of fun for you as well.

We are also planning a short 2-day overnight fieldwork to the San Francisco Bay on October 27-28. I will provide more details about these trips once we get closer. Also, for those people planning well in advance, spring fieldwork will be April 24-28.

One skill that middle school students often need help with developing is organization. To help students stay organized the school will provide a calendar/planner that the students will be required to use. You do not need to get one.

If you have questions or need to get in touch with me, email is the best way. I check my email very often and should get back to you within a day, although on weekends (and during holiday breaks) I am often out of cell phone range (hopefully doing something fun), so I may not get back to you until Monday.

Cell Phone Policy: Students are asked to leave their cell phone in their cubbies during the school day and can only use them if they ask for permission. If you need to get in touch with your child during the day you can call the school’s number (530-582-3701) and leave a message.

Important dates for the first month of school:
September 28-30: Grouse Ridge fieldwork