Coupla Things v8 (10/8/16)

Post date: Oct 09, 2016 2:4:3 AM

Hello All! Eight weeks of school done already? Out of 38; that's 21% done. Wow.

1. Ropes Course & Redwood Walk: Monday's trip was great. The hike through the redwoods and along the creek was very pretty and a bit fun, but the real thrills came in the afternoon as the kids geared-up and then challenged themselves on any/all of the various elements in the trees. The Sequoia Adventure Course is a playground of logs, bridges, cables, ropes, and zip-lines suspended between huge redwood trees, about 80 feet above a creek and valley. Every kid, trepidatious and fearless alike, found their level of challenge and adventure out there and really indulged in the experiences available.

2. Class Dynamics and Leadership: We are getting better! Curtis, our team-building facilitator at Mt Hermon gave the kids an activity that had the outer appearance of a group-to-group competition, but whose solution can only be achieved by cooperation and the sharing of resources between groups. After watching the kids approach the task for a few minutes, he took me aside and pointed out some of the class dynamics. He noticed that the class struggled with it because they had a hard time coming together as a cohesive group and some of the more vocal/powerful ones had a hard time listening to and supporting the ideas of others. The next day in class, instead of focussing my attention on the problems and limitations of a power-broker economy, I asked the class to describe someone who usually deserves high respect, looks out for everyone's good, and has no personal agenda. In only a few minutes, 14 kids were described and it became apparent to all of us that we could all benefit by letting their voices and talents and strengths become more prominent in daily class interactions and influence of class. That revelation, to me at least, was instant and influential, and the rest of the week had a really good feel to it. I think that we've been through a lot very quickly and are growing as a group.

3. Science experiments: Most kids are in the process of performing their experiments and collecting data. For some, the whole ordeal has become bigger or more complicated than I had intended so it is hard to hold them to the class-wide pacing guide. I've set "next-step due dates" as well as whole-project due dates in order to keep that tasks manageable, timely, and visible. Please take a few minutes during the next car ride to ask your kid about their experiment, the progress they are making, and the challenges that they may be facing.

4. English Colonies: In addition to the current events that the kids should have discussed with you this week, we also learned some interesting things about the charters, characters, and challenges of most of the 13 colonies. I had the kids form groups, read about one of the colonies from two very different textbooks, and then explain their findings and impressions to the class. The discussions about religion, slavery, and the reason for a charter were great, as was the high energy Kahoot quiz that we did in class.

5. Walkabout tour-guide preparation: The trip is this week (Mon, Tues, Wed) and I'm getting more and more excited to share some great trails and places of the coast and hills with this group. If you haven't done so already, take a look at the itinerary and the rest of the stuff on the CalCoast Walkabout page. One important aspect of this trip is that while we are out there, groups of ~3 kids will play tour guides to a certain location that they have researched. Learning about places with which they are unfamiliar can be tough for the kids, so perhaps you could take a look at their research document (link) and help out a bit.

6. Conferences: In a few weeks we will have student-led progress and goal-setting conferences. I am very much looking forward to spending time with you during those afternoons! Please open this document and fill in a time spot with your kid's name. Here is a page on my site that has a bit more info about Fall Conferences.

I'm headed to do some errands for last-minute Walkabout prep, then off to SCU to watch Aidan and family do some Flamenco dancing at SCU's Mayer Theatre at 3:00 -- come watch the show with me if you like!

My best to all and enjoy the rest of the weekend!

Chris

Calendar:

-October 9 (Sunday): Aidan McCracken Barrio Flamenco show 3 PM -- Santa Clara University, Mayer Theatre

-October 10, 11, 12: Room 25 Cal-Coast Walkabout

-October 14: Middle School Dance

-October 20: Anne Frank Exhibit arrives

-October 21 (Friday): Teacher Learning Day (no school for kids)

-October 24-28: Fall conferences

-October 29 (Saturday): Fall Festival

-November 1-4: Rm 29 in SF (changed intensive rotation)

-November 11 (Friday): Veteran's Day (no school)

-November 15 (Tuesday): Innovation Challenge at SJSU

November 17 & 18: Room 25 to Angel Island

November 21-25: Thanksgiving Break

December 3: Star Party

December 6: 8th Grade to The Exploratorium

December 16: Early dismissal & Christmas break starts