Expedition Express: What the cell?!
We had an awesome fieldwork experience in the bay. The students did a fantastic job of being professional at all of the stops and kept a great attitude, even during the wind and mist. Thank you to all of the chaperones and volunteers who made the trip possible. I have posted all of the pictures we took to the crew website:
https://sites.google.com/a/truckeecharterschool.org/sels-williams-crew/

We are now starting our last case study of the expedition about natural selection and evolution.

Math
Our last regular math test will be on Friday May 12. After the test we will do some overall review of math before the state test, then we will be doing fun math riddle problems for the rest of the year. There will not be any math homework after the last test, but the students will probably have some homework once we start our celebration of learning projects at the end of the year.

Crew News
State testing:
We will be doing state testing May 16-18 (English/Language Arts), and May 22-24 (Math) during the afternoons (12:20-1:30). Please make sure your child gets lots of sleep on those nights.

Also the middle school will be doing a short day trip to plant trees on Friday May 26 (from 9:30-1:30) in Waddle Ranch. We will be taking a bus and will not need parent drivers, but please make sure your child has a sack lunch, and is dressed appropriately to spend the day working in the woods.

SELS News
• State Testing May 16-18 (English), May 22-24 (Math)
• May 26 Tree planting fieldwork (no parent drivers needed)
• May 29: Memorial Day, No School
• June 2: The Great Skate
• June 15: Celebration of learning (6:00-7:30)
• June 21-22: Passages
• June 23: Last Day of School (half day, 11:45 dismiss)

Highlights
Student: For this student highlight I want to single out Parker. Parker has been a tremendous help this year. On fieldwork, Parker was always looking for ways to help the crew (putting up tents, organizing food, cleaning up trash, …). Parker also does the same in the classroom, always taking care of his job and helping anyone else that needs help, and he doesn’t expect anything in return. Parker always leads by example and demonstrates what it means to be a contributing member of the crew.

Parent Volunteer: I really want to thank all of the chaperones on the Bay fieldwork. Tim, Al, Kaitlin, Sasha, Jeff, Stephanie, Kerri, and Elizabeth. You were such a help and I think the students really came away from it with their eyes open to some of the possibilities of what is happening in genetics right now. Thank you!

I also want to thank Erica and Jen for coordinating the food and logistics, and all of the parents that shopped, organized and prepared the food for the trip. Thank you for making the trip possible.

Personal Announcement:
I want to inform you that I will not be returning to SELS next year. After the school year, my family will be moving back to Southern Oregon. It has been an honor to spend the last 6 years here at SELS, and I am very proud of all of the students that have been members of the Williams Crew. I will miss teaching at SELS and living in Truckee, but I am excited about new possibilities in Oregon and to raise our children closer to family. Thank you to everyone for your continued support throughout this transition.

Pictures:
There are so many good photos from our recent fieldwork, it was hard to select only one for this post. Please go to the crew website to see them all.