Expedition Express We are well into the 2nd Case Study of our Expedition which takes a closer look at the economic impacts of the Transcontinental Railroad during the late 1800's. Students are reading about the lumber mills and ice production companies that prospered in Truckee once the railroad was complete. My plans to visit the [...]
Brisbin Crew News 11.10.11 Design Principle Our crew is leaning about Service and Compassion this month. Ask your student how he or she can exhibit this very special design principle. Language Arts We will start our new literature circles next week. Our readers will study one of three titles: Island of the Blue Dolphins, [...]
Hi all, Lots of very exciting news and happenings from our school community. Students have been doing a wonderful job of presenting their views on our SIERRA norms at Community Meetings on Friday mornings. Please come by and participate in the meeting and Coffee House (free coffee and snack for parents, plus an opportunity to [...]
Building Blocks (Expedition News) The Bell Crew is having a fantastic time on our current case study, geared towards gaining knowledge about tools and their purposes. Charlie Stein’s grandfather generously built and donated a realistic, yet child-sized, workbench that the students use regularly. Thank you, Grandpa Bob! Our “Construction Zone” is a popular center [...]
Expedition Express Friendly Letters: WOW! Our crew has completed writing a friendly letter to an imaginary family member in China from the viewpoint of a Chinese Railroad worker. I am very impressed to see all the great information your child included in the body of the letter. Question of the Week: What hardships did [...]
Hi all, Just finished a very successful Bear Walk on Monday; thanks to all the parents for their hard work in set-up and stations and to the students for some strong running and walking. Please remember to send in your donations for laps walked. Some info to pass along: November 4, this coming Friday, at [...]
Classroom News Reading groups are up and running very successfully. Students are working hard at being independent during literacy centers, and because of this I am able read with groups every other day. When the students are not reading with me, they are involved in a variety of literacy activities. Their imagination and creativity is [...]
Conferences It was a pleasure to meet with all of you for our goal setting conferences. The students did a remarkable job creating SMART goals for themselves. We will revisit these goals in March. Language Arts Students will be wrapping up their literature circle books in the next few weeks. Keep on the lookout for [...]
Building Blocks (Expedition News) The Bell Crew had a wonderful Adventure Hike last week! The fall weather was glorious, and the kindergartners were thrilled to be out in the field using some of their newly-honed "good-crew-member" skills. Our day focused on teamwork and trust-building activities. Kindergartners worked together seamlessly in small groups to find [...]
Expedition Express Our crew continues to make connections and learn about the stories behind the people that built the Transcontinental Railroad. Currently we are working on writing a friendly letter, from the viewpoint of a Chinese railroad worker to a fictitious family member in China. The protocol we use for this type of writing [...]
English
Arabic
Chinese (Simplified)
Dutch
French
German
Italian
Portuguese
Russian
Spanish