Week 40

Weekly Greetings,

Our last week of school is here! I can't believe how fast the year has gone by, and how much the students have grown in many ways since the start of the year. This will be my last post for the school year, and I want you all to know how much I have enjoyed this group. There will be a few important activities surrounding the closing of school this week. An awards ceremony will be at 8:45am on Thursday before the fun field day activities. Then at 12:00 there will be a picnic lunch and students will be released at 1pm. Also remember that we will be doing a community service project on Wednesday by raking leaves at Mukluk Land.  In addition, throughout the week I will be encouraging students to take things home, and clean out their lockers.

As for last week, the highlight was the field trip to Fort Greely. It was really nice to take a bus, even though the trip was a little longer that when I have used multiple vans. The kids could all be together, and I could just help monitor the group rather than have to drive.

 We stopped for lunch in Delta and then headed to the base to swim. The students had a wonderful time, and swam for almost three hours.

After eating pizza and lemonade, many of the students slept on the way back to Tok. The next day they were already asking if they could go again next year!

Have a wonderful summer!

Kind Regards,

Julie Brown

Week 39

Weekly Greetings!

There is less than two weeks of school left, and hopefully with all the field trips planned, the year will end on a high note. Please remember that we have a big day at Fort Greely this Wednesday, and we will leave school at 8:30am. The students need a swimsuit and towel for the pool, and we will return around 6:30pm. Also remember that you will need to meet us at the school to pick your child up. I have taken students there for the last 6 years, and it is a really fun way to end the school year.

Our day at Moon Lake last Wednesday was a blast. There were many ducks and swans to identify, and Tim Lorenzini was so good at explaining what to look and listen for in identifying each variety of duck.

After viewing the waterfowl, and having a snack, Tim gave the students an instant challenge to build a wilderness shelter with a tarp and some pieces of rope. The groups were broken into the 6 girls and 6 boys that went on the trip that day.

The girls quickly found a comfortable spot and decided on a lean-to model.

In the mean time, the boys attempted a number of models before finding a log to use as a ridgepole for their tarp.

While the boys were still building their tent, the girls were making a fireplace and gathering wood to make a comfortable home area.

When both groups were done, Tim complimented them on what looked like it would work if they were caught out in the wilderness for the night, and also gave suggestions on what could be improved on.

It was lunchtime by then, and both groups wanted to picnic in their shelters.

When lunch was finished, the sites were cleaned and returned to the way they had found the area. As a special bonus, we were fortunate to celebrate Justin's birthday with a delicious cake. Everyone ate until content, and we headed up the hill for a nature walk.

Tim shared so much information about local trees and plants. I was surprised by how much the students remembered when we returned to school.

Even though we had some light rain by the afternoon, we still roasted some marshmallows and made s'mores before heading back to Tok.

I am looking forward to another great week with our trip to Fort Greely. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

Kind Regards,

Julie Brown

Week 38

Weekly Greetings,

There were a lot of special activities throughout last week. By Tuesday, everyone had completed the MAP tests, and we celebrated with our foam Frisbee toss and ice cream sundaes. With only three weeks of school left, it felt good to have all the years assessments finished.

Tuesday was also the day the elementary students preformed a musical play. Both performances went well.

On Wednesday, Tim Lorenzini visited to help the class learn how to identify local waterfowl. The students were given cards with ducks, geese, and swans to identify by using clue cards located around the class. Then they placed their cards under the correct name on a large poster.

Please remember that we will be spending the day at Moon Lake with Tim Lorenzini this Wednesday, and make sure your child has the appropriate clothing to be outside all day.

I hope you have a great week!

Kind Regards,

Julie Brown

Week 37

 Weekly Greetings!

As we move into May this week, we have lots of things planned for the end of the year. I am sending home three permission slips for field trips coming up, and I would like them back as soon as possible. Tim Lorenzini will be in the Wednesday afternoon to discuss and do activities with the students on identifying ducks. Then next Wednesday we will spend the day at Moon Lake practicing those skills. There ate two other trips after that, so lease read through the permission slips and return them to me.

There was a clean up day last Wednesday, and the students worked hard at cleaning the areas around the school. After we were done, everyone got root-beer floats.

 On Thursday, there was also a presentation put on by the local troopers on water safety.

Then on Friday, awards were given out to students that read the most in each class during the reading incentive program. Everyone in each class got a ribbon, and the top three readers in each class got a medal. In addition, the first place student from each class got $25. The fifth grade made it to the seventh continent first, and will do a scavenger hunt around Tok this Wednesday with additional prizes.

I hope the letter from Mrs. Fastenau got home to you all on Friday, but just to be safe I am adding it to my parent letter. The play looks like a really cute program, and I hope you can all make it!

Have a fantastic week!

Kind Regards,