Catching Up!!

Hi Students and Parents,

First, I apologize for the blog not being more up-to-date. I've had computer issues at home and while I can access my blog, I haven't been able to post. I'm going to have to have a technician come and solve the problem, and in the meantime will try to post from school.

Lots has happened since the last post! We had a great afternoon at Goldstream Park, specifically in the estuary of Saanich Inlet. It was a unique opportunity to carefully access a place where the public is not usually allowed to go due to sensitivity to the ecosystem and wildlife. For instance, we were able to walk - rather SINK - in the mud in the areas where the tide comes in, but not in the areas that do not get washed by the ocean. We learned alot about that particular ecosystem, the effect of the recent oil spill, adaptations - and had a good time in nature. There's nothing like bare feet in the mud!!

Parents, thank you for your support recently - particularly to Beth, Dannika, and Megan's parents for driving to Goldstream (and a big thank you to Mr. Andrews as well!), but also to everyone for letting your kids get into the kitchen. The bakesale we had on Thursday was the product of several weeks of identifying causes we care about, brainstorming how to make a difference, planning, problem solving and finally implementing a plan. The effort was led by a group of students who had identified animal protection as their cause, and the bake sale was hugely successful - we know we've raised over $160.00 and the final count will be made tomorrow - so stay tuned! There is further planning afoot to contact a pet supply store and ask for a matching donation - all for the cause of APAC Varadero (Animal Protection Association - Cuba) a volunteer organization that is very dependent on outside help to get supplies.

Also as part of our Humanities project, another group will be fundraising this week, with a "Guess for the Globe" fundraiser, on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. This group of students identified the environment as their cause, and researched environmental groups that they could contribute to. They settled on the Swan Lake Nature Sanctuary, a non-profit educational environmental organization that many of the studetns have enjoyed in past years. And another group has been trying to figure out how to create World Peace - a TALL order - and are in the process of making some excellent posters that suggest how making small changes close to home can have an impact on the bigger picture.

So you see, we've been busy. In there we've also had an excellent presentation on Gaming and Addiction, done a scientific investigation on adaptations, written our ORCA reading comprehension assessment, hosted the Grade 5's at our school and ... as you can see from the human pyramid...had some fun. This week we have a presention from Ms. Glover on string formations and how they tie in with our socials studies, along with our fundraiser for the environment.

The year is quickly coming to a close, but we're not winding down...there's lots to do and learn from!