January 2014

Here are some updates for the month:

January is returning enrollment month for returning students and their siblings.
Forms went into your parent boxes last week and are being collected in the kitchen through Jan. 31.
Please be sure to get yours in if you want to secure a spot for next year- it looks like we may have very few spots so enrollment will be more competitive than in the last few years.

Monday, January 20th: Martin Luther King Day- School is closed

Tuesday, January 21st: Teacher Duty Day- no school for students
* Please note that this is also the 1st day of HSU.*

Thursday, January 23rd: All school field trip to Center Arts' Peking Acrobats at HSU
* We are attending the 9:30 show, which means we will leave school right at 9:00!
Please be here on time so we are not late.
Bring car seats for all K-2 students.
Sign up to drive & return signed trip slips in the kitchen.

Friday, January 24th: 3-5 field trip to the weather station on Woodley Island
This will include sack lunch after the tour.
Kids can order a school sack lunch or bring one from home.
Please sign up to drive and return signed trip slips on the kitchen.

Tuesday, January 28th: Steering Committee meeting at 6:00

Wednesday, January 29th: 2-5 graders to the Arcata Marsh
Please sign up to drive and return signed trip slips on the kitchen.

Friday, January 31st: Returning Enrollment forms are due


It's Science Fair Time

All students are currently involved in projects and activities that lead up to our annual
Science Night on Thursday February 27th.

K-2 students are doing in-class projects, experiments and observations each week with Katie & Sarah.
3-5 graders are beginning science fair projects either independently or with a partner.

* Each student will come up with a scientific question they can answer.
They will then use the scientific method as follows:

Researching their topic, designing an experiment that can answer their question, making an educated guess as to the outcome of their experiment (hypothesis), recording data from their experiment, comparing their data to their hypothesis and drawing conclusions.

This year we are encouraging students to incorporate water into their experiment in some way- which allows for many options since water is so versatile.

Some examples of questions they could answer are:

Why do some things float and others sink?
If I add ingredients to water will it still freeze at the same temperature?
Why is the ocean salty?
What is the best way to filter water for drinking?
Can I make a rainbow under water?
Does one pound of snow melt into one pound of water?
What changes happen if I water plants with different kinds of water?

And there are many, many more questions that fall into almost every category of interest.

Please talk to your child about their projects to help them find a topic for them. All projects will need to be approved by your child's science fair advisor- Aly, Marianne or Katie. Once their topic is approved, the experiment may change but the topic will not. If you are planning an experiment at home please talk to your child's teacher about procedures, materials and data collecting. If you have questions- please ask! We are here to help.