Post date: Aug 28, 2010 2:23:24 PM
Dear Parents (and students via cc),
I am writing to you from the living room couch to which I've become blissfully attached since I got home a few hours --- exhausted, but smiling ear to ear. This past week, or half-week, actually, has proven to be a fantastic induction into DCS. The students were all open and receptive, the parents were extremely helpful and generous, and the staff was completely inviting and invigorating. I am convinced that we are headed for a great, great year.
Most of the activities of the week focused on getting to know each other and becoming comfortable with the learning environment. On Wednesday I had the students create word clouds about themselves, interview each other with some funny and fast-paced questions, and then go outside for a group water-balloon throwing-catching activity. Yesterday (Thursday), I gave the students an overview of the class topics and procedures, then they did a design challenge activity in the morning and an international trading simulation in the afternoon. Then today they personalized their classroom storage place and composition books, watched a video introducing them to the hidden worlds that science will explore, then played a rousing game of Capture the Flag with two other classes. In each of those activities I found the students to be engaged, enthusiastic, and extremely perceptive... they seem to be quite adept at finding the deeper meaning behind the lessons and activities. Excellent.
Coming up next week are our trips to the Krause Center for Innovation (KCI) at Foothill College. On Tuesday and Thursday we will spend the afternoons there creating and printing a comic-book page style poster about themselves, starting their own online presence and tools using GoogleApps for Education behind a private domain, and learning how (and why) to use collaborative documents. There will also (hopefully) be some time for some other "choice" activities such as basic video editing and creating a story using "SearchStories". My thanks to Gay Krause, Executive Director of the KCI, as well as Leslie Shen for her coordination efforts, and to all the parents who will be driving -- I do hope that you will join the students with the technology "lessons" of each day.
Lastly, I want to get your response to the idea of some informal and optional Saturday outings that I'd love to do with the class (and families) while the weather is so good. I'm thinking of things like bike rides (Los Gatos Creek Trial), kayaks on Vasona Lake, and maybe even an evening at the SantaCruz Boardwalk (Mondays and Tuesdays after 5 pm all rides are $1). I have no idea if these kinds of things can just "be done", but I thought I'd test the waters and get your feedback.
Have a great weekend and keep in touch.
Chris