Week 16 Classroom News

Hello Families,

I guess the “Let it Snow” message on the white board really worked!! Thanks for your flexibilty today with adjusting to the late start and no early release. The kids are having a blast in the snow (as the pictures show)!

Whole School:

• First day of Ski & Ride will be NEXT WEEK on Friday January 19th. After talking with the staff at Hoodoo, we have made the decision to postpone the beginning of Ski & Ride until next week. Hoodoo officially opened for the season just today and they need a bit more time to get ready for our group and have the proper number of instructors ready to teach our students. We had an extra day penciled into the schedule, so the Ski & Ride program will go through March 15th for the full 8 lessons. 
• Health Class is now being taught by Ms. Steele on Mondays and Wednesdays. This takes place during the PE block during winter months. Please read updates on Health in Ms. Steele’s section below.
• The Remind App is up and running! This is a new communication tool we will use for texting urgent or last minute information. Thanks for those who have signed up already. If you choose not to opt-in, emails will be sent as well.

From Ms. Steele: ssteele@blackbutte.k12.or.us

• Bebop (2nd/3rd) Math: Hey Folks, Bebop math has been working on subtracting by jumping up the number line.  We are using an open ended number line that doesn’t have any numbers on it.  This is actually a very challenging idea and it takes a lot of number sense to be successful.  And Bebop is really rocking it!!
• Hodag (4th-8th) Math: Hodag math has been going really well!.  The 4th/5th graders are working on equivalent fractions and simplifying fractions.  They are nearing the end of their unit and will be taking a test next week.  The 6th graders are also finishing up their unit about order of operations and will be taking a test probably tomorrow.   The 8th grade students are working on solving multistep equations and will move on to linear equations next.
• Health Class: We are enjoying the new health curriculum,The Great Body Shop.
  • In the Hodag group we are reading about and discussing the ideas of being a lifelong learner.  Some traits of lifelong learners are that they are curious and creative. Lifelong learners are willing to admit when they don’t know something and then take the effort to learn about it.  We also discussed learning and emotions and how they go together.
  • In the younger group we have been talking about safe/unsafe behavior or careful/careless behavior.  Matches seem to be a “hot” topic.  As well as recognizing that going with strangers is a bad idea.  Over the next few weeks we will dive a bit deeper into specific safety: around the house, riding a bike, skiing, strangers, emergency personnel, etc.  You might even have to assess your house for safety features.  Look for that homework in the future.  

From Ms. Kassie: kdemarsh@blackbutte.k12.or.us

• K/1 Math class: We are doing an I-ready diagnostic and playing with money. The I-ready will help us set our goals for the winter. Playing with money helps us understand 10s and 1s and is great practice for counting by 1s, 5s, and 10s. Encourage your child to count and play with coins at home! 
• K-3 Science: We are using everything we are learning about invisible forces to help us understand the phenomenon of  how an ice board works. So far we learned about push and pull by thinking about tug of war and how we use our bodies to both pull and push. Today we started a hands-on activity, Paper Bridge Engineering, where students will use their knowledge of forces to build a strong bridge that supports as many pennies as possible — using only paper. We will keep exploring different invisible forces throughout the unit to help them build explanations about the ice board. Ask students about what they know so far about how an ice board moves. 

From Mr. B: ebarrons@blackbutte.k12.or.us

• Mr. B’s K/1 Literacy class: Students are wrapping up The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin. The story has helped the class consider how respect (or disrespect) shows up in many forms. 
• Mr. B’s Bebop Literacy class: Students are taking a deep dive into the world of suffixes (tion, ment, ture, ly to name a few) and considering generosity from Jamaica Louise James.
• Mr. B’s Art Literacy class (also titled Looking Closely at Art): Students have been considering the role of line and how types of lines convey different ideas, feelings, and/or things. All students created an imaginative place using a variety of lines on a 8″ x 6.5″ piece of sketch paper. See a few samples in photos below. Students are also exploring how lines can give a feeling of action and movement.

From Mr. Sharp: dsharp@blackbutte.k12.or.us

We have been having a lot of fun playing in the snow this week at BBS. Hopefully the snow will continue this winter.

• Humanities class: We are diving deep into the adventures of the Corps of Discovery. We have been studying maps, reading text, and watching videos about the incredible story of Lewis and Clark. We should wrap up our exploration of the adventure early next week. Ask your students what they have learned about Lewis and Clark this week.
• Field Study class: We have been learning about the Carbon Cycle as part of our unit on Climate Change. This is a challenging concept because it involves microscopic parts (carbon) as well as massive global systems. Ask your students what they can remember about the Carbon Cycle this week.

From Ms. Lindsey: overstreet@blackbutte.k12.or.us:

• We have 8 students planning to participate in the Oregon Battle of the Books! The reading competitions will take place in March for our 3-5th and 6th-8th students. Students participating in OBOB will prepare for the “Battle” by reading the books they have selected and working through the rules and practice questions during lunch on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I will provide lists of practice questions for use at school; you can also help them by reviewing unofficial questions provided by the Newberg Library (3rd-5th, 6th-8th) and listening to the audiobooks your child(ren) have selected when you are in the car together.