Expedition Express: Fire and Ice
As our Fall Semester comes to a close, so does our Fire and Ice Expedition. We will finish Case Study 3 with a Washoe Tribe expert, Herman Fillmore, who will visit SELS and share traditional Washoe stories with the students. Due to school cancellations and weather related challenges, we have had to reschedule this visit a few times. We hope to have Herman in class early in February to share his traditional storytelling with the students.

Questions of the Month:
What was your favorite part of the Fire and Ice expedition?
What is one Native American legend you learned and the lesson it told?
Explain the importance of keeping traditions alive for future generations.

Crew News
Tahoe Donner Cross Country Skiing – Again we wish to thank the parent chaperones who have volunteered to drive on our cross country skiing days. Thank you for your flexibility and understanding when we have cancelled. Our number one priority is to keep the kids safe. No need to have 48 kids on the road in nasty weather. We will be sending out an updated google doc when dates are secured.

Planners and Book Bags – With all of the recent snow days, tacked onto a long break, it seems the kids have forgotten the routine of getting planners signed and participating in the book bag activities. We do our best with updating our “Week at a Glance” emails, but you will find other information within planners, and sometimes information specific to your child about his or her school day. The book bag activities are looked at as a homework alternative and as a way for your child to interact with new text in an artistic or creative way. Thank you for your attention to this matter and helping get them back on track.

Math Night – Be on the lookout for parent math information. In next week’s folders you will find handouts to support your understanding of how your child learns math at SELS in 2nd and 3rd grade. Math is structured and taught in a very different manner than what parents and teachers were exposed to. For instance, we know it seems easiest to teach your child the standard algorithm of “carrying” or “borrowing” with addition and subtraction, but these concepts are not taught until late in 3rd grade. If you should ever have additional questions about math please let us know and we are happy to speak with you further. Thank you for supporting your child’s math education!

Math Fact Practice/Daily Reading – Due to the recent snow days, and unpredictable weather to come, please be sure to have your child practice their basic addition and subtraction facts, as well as daily reading. Practicing will only continue to support their ongoing school readiness.

Field work Chaperones – More winter adventures are on the horizon, and we need your support. We greatly prefer, and strongly suggest, that parents look to the fieldwork docs to sign up now rather than wait until the last minute. We understand that a shift in work schedules is necessary, but we don’t want to cancel any fieldwork due to a lack of sign-ups. Please see the following google docs to sign up for February fieldwork now, Thank you! Winter Survival

SELS News:
Intent to ReEnroll: Please return all Intent to ReEnroll forms to our office by Friday, February 10th. This is the only way to secure your child’s enrollment in SELS for the 2017-18 school year.

Important Dates / Upcoming Reminders:
February 10: Washoe Expert – Herman Fillmore to share Washoe traditions with crew.
February 13: Harvest of the Month – Cabbage tasting
February 14: Pass out Empathy and Caring Notes – end of day
February 17: Cross Country Skiing at Tahoe Donner (more re-scheduling dates to come)
February 17: HOW’s 100 All School Assembly
February 20 – 24: Ski-Skate Week- tentatively NO SCHOOL
February 28: Winter Survival-2nd grade only-Drivers Needed!
March 13: Science Expo. 3rd grade only