Seaborg Crew

Expedition Express Fire and Ice:  Students have continued to learn more about the fascinating history of Truckee and our early beginnings in industry and economics.  Our crew has completed a timeline of events in Truckee’s history, dating back to 1844.  After completion of the timeline, students worked collaboratively to help create three original Reader’s Theater scripts based on the informational texts we read in class.  Each script contains factual information on Ice Harvesting, Lumber Mills, and Fire in Truckee during the late 1800’s. Each Reader’s Theater script will be presented during our Celebration of Learning on December 18th.  One group will perform at 6:15, the other at 6:45 pm.  Your child’s performance time will be sent home in the next few weeks. […]

  Expedition News      Fieldwork:  Our Boca Adventure Campout earlier in the month could not have gone smoother.  The second and third graders showed the Sierra norms and were very engaged with our experts.  At one station, Truckee Cal Firemen discussed the recent fire at Boca and how they handle wildfires in general.  They had two fire trucks and the bulldozer there for them to check out and explore!  The icing on the cake was when they allowed the children to spray the fire hose.  At another station, we had ice-harvesting expert Tom Macauley share his wisdom with us.  His great-grandfather was a Boca ice harvester and had intriguing stories for the children.  Handling the authentic ice harvesting tool was a highlight for the crew.      Thank you to chaperones: Cassie Hebel, Carolyn Gallagher, Randy Ronzone, Carrie Hunter, Kerri Flaherty, Susanna and Mark Neave, and Jeff Bender.  Also, thank you to Shauna Ronzone  and Susanna Neave for taking the time to organize behind the scenes!      Fire- In the classroom, we jumped on the opportunity to focus on wildfires, as we were stuck inside from all of the King Fire smoke!  The students enjoy learning about the pros and cons of wildfire and have become quite opinionated about whether wildfires are good or evil.  We also walked to Truckee Fire Station 92, next to Wild Cherries, to work with expert Paul Spencer.  He shared numerous historical fires in Truckee and how they impacted the town over the years.      Truckee timeline- Currently we are focusing on an overall timeline of Truckee’s history.  The students are working through complex text to pull out important information that we will be using for a Celebration of Learning performance.   Stay tuned for more info! […]

Welcome back to school parents! It has been so great to see all those sweet smiling faces after summer break. We couldn’t have asked for a better crew this school year. Third graders have really shown themselves to be true leaders, and second graders have adjusted beautifully to their new environment. Math: Math is off to a great start. Routines are in place, and we have hit the ground running! Thank you for any support you provided your child over the summer. Real world, hands-on experiences outside of school provide such enriching and positive avenues for learning, and keep your child active and engaged in the process. […]

Expedition Express Play Ball!  Case Study #3 is winding down as we begin to prepare for Celebration of Learning.  Students enjoyed fieldwork to the Reno Aces vs. Salt Lake City Bees baseball game last Thursday.  The game was followed up by our Spring overnight adventure trip.  Students continued to learn the principles of physical science by [...]

Welcome back after what we hope was a relaxing and enjoyable Spring Break! We always look forward to returning to those smiling faces, and a plethora of stories from the crew. We also return to a new Design Principle with a focus on the Natural World.  With the changing seasons and desire to be out [...]

Expedition Express Swifter, Higher, Stronger:  Our class has been super excited about the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. Our fieldwork to Squaw Valley before Ski/Skate week was amazing.  Students rode the Squaw Valley tram to High Camp and were given a tour of the newly renovated Olympic Museum of the 1960 Winter Games. We graphed the [...]

Expedition Express READY!, SET!, GO!  And we're off.  Our Spring Expedition kicked off this week for a fun-filled Spring Science Expedition.  Yes, there is a sports theme to this Expedition.  I'm sure the crew will enjoy the Scientific Explorations we have planned for the next few months. Swifter, Faster, Stronger:  Case Study #1 will focus on the [...]

Expedition Express Railraod:  Good or Evil?  Case Study #3 takes a final look at how the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad affected the Native Americans in the western frontier.  Students are looking carefully at the changes that occurred in the American West once the railroad was completed.  Each student will use non-fiction text to write an [...]

Expedition Express I've Been Making $$$ on the Railroad:  Now that the railroad is complete, with this new means of transport, Truckee was born.  In Case Study #2, students are learning about the economic influence of the railroad through the Sierra Nevada.   Questions of the Week: Name three industries that started following the completion of [...]

Expedition Express I've Been Working on the Railroad:  The task of constructing a Transcontinental Railroad was truly a "crazy" idea by Theodore Judah, but the students in our crew have embraced the challenge to learn about the people responsible for the completion of this monumental project. Students are currently working hard on their scripts that [...]