Expedition Express:
Cartographers and Commanders Expedition:
Thank you again for making the Bay sailing fieldwork such a great success. We had some challenges along the way (rain, no wind, traffic, change in camping) but everyone handled it very well. I have posted the pictures to the crew website if you would like to get a look into what we did.

Coming up in expedition we are continuing through European history. We are finishing medieval times and then on to the Renaissance.

“Who Am I” Expedition:
Thank you for your support in helping your student find and interview their mentor. We will be taking the information they gathered in the interview to write an informative essay about their mentor in the next couple weeks.

The next assignment with their mentors I will assign in December, it is to shadow their mentor at their place or work/volunteering. It will be due at the end of January to give them plenty of time to coordinate schedules with their mentor.

Math:
We are half way through chapter 3, the test will be on Wednesday November 9th. I want to remind everyone (both students and parents) that every homework assignment is a chance for your student to test their knowledge. They should be able to do it independently (without help from parents, or finding answers/clues online). If they have trouble on a question, I hope they use strength to do their best. If they are totally confused they can write (in place of their answer) why they don’t understand the problem. We give the correct answers every day in class and review any problems that students have difficulty with. After the students correct their homework, it is their responsibility to re-do the problems they miss (or don’t understand).

Also, if your child misses school it is their responsibility to make up the lesson in math. The curriculum moves very quickly and if they miss a lesson and don’t make it up, they can fall behind rapidly. Please help you child catch up if they miss school.

Writing:
We are now working on informative writing. Students will be writing informative essays in book club and on demand writes.

Crew News: 
No big events planned this month. I will be sending a midterm progress report home November 18th to update you on how your student is doing.

SELS News:
• Nov 9: Minimum Day
• Nov 11: No School, Veterans Day
• Nov. 18: Mid-term progress reports come home
• Nov 21-25: Thanksgiving Break

Highlights: 
A parent I would like to highlight is Anna. I came to Anna on Wednesday afternoon after I found out that our reservation at the campground was lost. Anna and I furiously searched the internet for another option that would work (Who knew finding space in a campground on a rainy Thursday night in the bay was so hard?). Even though we had to deal with a little traffic, the camp worked great and the fieldwork was a success.

And of course, thank you to ALL the parents who helped out: Sasha, Erica, Judy, Tina, Steph, and Jeff for driving and chaperoning. Elizabeth, Susanna, Maria, and Kaitlin for organizing food/gear before and after the trip. All of the parents that took the sloppy tents home to dry. And a big thank you to Jen for coordinating the whole trip. We could not have done it without all of your help.

I would also like to highlight the whole crew. All of the students did a great job of being respectful on all of our stops and worked together in difficult situations: like setting up camp in the rain, in the dark, and staying focused on a wet sailing trip. The students are growing in their mental strength and cooperating with each other.