MIDDLE MATTERS

Dear Families -

Huge thank you to the PTO and the 7th and 8th grade parents who helped us to fund Nature on Wheels last week. Having spent many October weeks at Sargent Center in NH over the years, I can say that our campus mirrored the woods, water, and game spaces of that campus. While I really missed aspects of traveling with students, it was wonderful to spend time outside seeing their enthusiasm for their outdoor learning.

We have appreciated the opportunity to see parents in the last week in live curriculum question and answer sessions and at parent conferences. Sense of belonging for our students, teachers, and families is one of our primary goals this year. It is challenging to create that in our larger school community without being able to have conversations in person as we see each other at events and for small moments. I heard many teachers last night sharing new learnings about their students after their conversations with you. I also heard gratitude for partnerships that were being created to help our students continue to grow in their learning.

We look forward to continuing to grow as a school community as we head into November.

Sharon

GRADE 6 NEWS

By CATHERINE SMITS, G6 TEAM LEADER

Ask your sixth-grader about:

• French alphabet and accents

• How to express likes and dislikes about a variety of activities in Spanish

• Rates and Ratios

• Which part of the writing process step they are on for their IW (Independent Writing) Project -- outline? first draft? etc. What do they find easy and hard about following the writing process instead of "all done" the first time they write something down?

• neolithic and paleolithic time period & their upcoming project

• downhill speed and acceleration

Grade 7 News

By CLAUDIA FOX TREE, G7 TEAM LEADER

Nature on Wheels - N.O.W. On-Campus Field Trip

We are grateful to the PTO for supporting this "adventure on campus" with Nature's Classroom educators. The teachers observed kids working together, smiling, and learning. It was great to see students outside the classroom environment, including without their masks on! When we asked them what they learned in each of the six activities, this is what they said:

In “Shelters,” I learned…

• About different styles of building

• You can make a pretty good shelter with only 6-10 people, if you all work together cooperatively

• You need two feet of insulation to feel warm and you can use grass

• You want to have the smallest space possible to keep warm

• Using triangles helps build strong structure

In “Build a Civilization,” I learned…

• There were wars between civilizations. If everyone starts wars, nothing good comes of it.

• You have to use other types of “coin” or barter and think about “equal value”

• It’s good to have allies and important to cooperate

• Good trade routes are important and you can trade your art

• Water, food, horses, and farms are good for making a civilization.

• Inflation happens a lot

• You need laws . It’s not easy to make a civilization

• Your environment affects advantages

In “Endangered Species,” I learned…

• Species are endangered by man made objects or construction

• HIPPO - habitat destructions, invasive species, pollution, poaching, overhunting

• Animals are endangered when they don’t make it from childhood or they live in a hostile climate

• Some endangered species go to zoos to be take care of

• About the risks endangered species face. Without meaning to do it, you can destroy an entire population

In “Aquatic Biologist” (on the Boardwalk), I learned…

• How to test ph level in water and the acidity level when it’s healthy

• The ph water we drink is 9 and the water at the boardwalk was less because the bacteria is decomposing

• Different toxicity in the water let’s different kinds of bugs survive

• We need aquatic diversity. I saw dragonfly larvae and they don’t all look the same. Turtles and water snakes hide away from the boardwalk because they like warm water. Turtles bury themselves underground. We found baby mollusks

• I made a friend. His name was Jeremy. I let him go. It was sad.

• There are more things in the water than it seems

In “Todd the Cod,” I learned…

• It’s hard to make group decisions. Some people take control more than others

• Some people will be greedy/ selfish

• When you overfish, it affects businesses around the world. Sustainable fishing tactics are important. Your choices affect your environment

• You can get poor fast. I sold my boat and used all my money to repopulate fish

• Pay your taxes. Some people will steal from others and commit tax fraud

• A community needs to work together to have enough resources

• Hay que ser prudentes con la cantidad que agarres (be careful about how much you take or you will lose your resources)

• Fishing is really hard. It’s very easy to overfish

In “Nature Art,” I learned…

• How to make different art out of natural tools

• I can make a fairy house

• About team building

• Things live under stumps

• You can make lots of art from nature with very few resources

• You can make walls out of sticks and bark

• You can make anything with enough imagination

• Dirt can be molded into a cone

Wingmasters Return to Grade 7

With PTO for support, we were thankful to have our "birds of prey" expert return to the classroom with owls, hawks, and other raptors. All of these birds are non-releasable, and some are as new as being found in 2020, even though they may have actually been over 30 years old in the wild - which is pretty old, but shows a successful hunter.

Students learned about "biomagnification" and how poisons move up in the food chain poisoning many of these tertiary predators to the point of death. They also learned about the difference in the sound of the wing of a hawk and the wing of an owl because of how they hunt (owls make no sound) and how they move their heads almost all the way around because of their neck and eye placement.

Grade 8 News

By Julie Reynolds, G8 Team Leader

The Eighth Graders had an amazing outdoor learning experience last week with Nature On Wheels! Students were spread out in different environments in our own campus to take classes that included Wilderness Survival, Natural Art, Shelter Building, Civilizations, Aquatic Biology, Camouflage, and Team Building. We would like to give the PTO a huge thank you for providing the considerable financial support that made this possible for all students! THANK YOU, PTO! Eighth Graders had an amazing outdoor learning experience last week with Nature On Wheels! Students were spread out in different environments in our own campus to take classes that included Wilderness Survival, Natural Art, Shelter Building, Civilizations, Aquatic Biology, Camouflage, and Team Building.

We would like to give the PTO a huge thank you for providing the considerable financial support that made this possible for all students! THANK YOU, PTO!

LATE ARRIVALS, DISMISSALS, ABSENCES, ETC.

• If your student is going to be absent or tardy, please notify the 5-8 office by emailing Maureen Belt at mbelt@lincnet.org or calling 781-259-9408. This is especially important this year. Your student must stop by the main office to obtain a late pass and have their attendance status updated.

• If your student is out because of illness, you will need to alert our Health Office as well at 781-259-9407.

• Please let us know in advance if you will be dismissing your student early.

• Please avoid late arrivals and dismissals during exams as it is disruptive to your student's learning process.

• If there is a change to your student’s dismissal plan, please be sure to notify us by 1:00 on M. T, Th & F and noon on W, so that we have ample time to notify your student. If you have not notified the school of a change then your student will be dismissed to the dismissal location which you indicated as the routine plan (bus, LEAP, Rec Department, car line, walker/biker).

• It is upsetting for kids and grown ups when things do not go according to plan, so be sure to communicate with your student and the school so we can avoid these mix ups!

LOST & FOUND

Our Lost & Found continues to grow with regular additions of hoodies, bike helmets, lunch boxes, water bottles and even costume jewelry. Your student is welcome to browse through during their free time. The Lost & Found is in the main office.

BUS RIDES

We have had a handful of requests for students to ride another bus or jump on the bus of a friend to spend time together after school.

According to Maureen Onigman, Coordinator of Business Operations, students may only ride the bus for which they have a pass. Students cannot ride other buses, nor can students without bus passes ride a friend’s bus.

We apologize for this inconvenience, but it aligns with COVID Safety Measures. All bus pass holders now have assigned seats, so adding additional riders is not possible.

CONTACT US

Call 781-259-9408 to reach the Lincoln School 5-8 Main office during school hours. You may also email mbelt@lincnet.org.