Project Work
This week our young scientists learned about the water cycle. Water’s journey through the water cycle is amazing, and our students could not have agreed more. Long after the lesson was over, many were heard on the playground chanting and shouting “precipita…TION!” Their newfound knowledge will serve them well as they embark on the next stage of our project: independent research. Understanding the water cycle will help them understand clouds, rain, flooding, hurricanes, hail, and more!

Math
After completing an exciting unit on geometry, we returned this week to place value and counting money. Part of our study was introducing an activity called “The Broken Calculator.” Students are given a number that needs to be displayed on the calculator screen, but also that a number of keys are broken and unusable. How will they display the number? By using creative thinking and “fact power!” For example, how would you display the number 20 if the 1 and the 0 keys were broken? Two ingenious student responses were 22-2=20 and 5+5+5+5=20.

Empathy
To continue our study of empathy, we enjoyed two special read-aloud picture books this week. Odd Velvet tells the story of a girl who has different interests, a different attitude, and a different “look” than her friends. Eventually they come to appreciate her. We realized that we all have a little Odd Velvet in us too! Another book we enjoyed was Jacob’s New Dress, about a boy who feels comfortable wearing dresses to school. At first, his friends and family don’t understand, but a caring teacher helps the class realize that “there is more than one way to be a boy.” Jacob’s New Dress sparked a fascinating discussion about gender, empathy, and the bystander effect in our class. Quality children’s literature is a great way to start meaningful discussions in the classroom and at home!

Important Dates
•   Wednesday, April 5 – Make-Up Picture Day
•   Monday, April 10 – Monday, April 17 – Spring Break, No School
•   Tuesday, April 18 – School Resumes
•   Thursday, April 20 – TCS Silent Auction, Stars Rooftop, 5:30pm