APRIL, 2008, NEWSLETTER
OPEN HOUSE and PRE-REGISTRATION
On Tuesday, May 13, at 7 PM we will hold our annual Open House. At this time, new families can tour our facility and get information about our school. ALL families planning to attend RRC next year can sign up for fall classes. Though this doesn’t guarantee a space in a particular class we do use this information to determine the course interests of our students and then design the class schedule for the upcoming school year.
Take this opportunity to network with other parents who take an active part in their children’s education.
RRC’s SIXTH ANNUAL SCIENCE FAIR
By Susan Aigner
On May 13 at 7 PM, during our Open House and Pre-registration for next year, RRC will hold its annual Science Fair.
The purpose of the Science Fair is to “learn something new and have fun.” Students in RRC Science have received information about choosing an appropriate topic and the steps required to either do an experiment or create a scientific model.
The heart of the Science Fair projects is identifying a topic of interest to the student, and asking a question the student does not already know the answer to. The experiment or the model will answer that question. The student inventors need to create a model of their design.
Copies of my Science Fair handouts are available on my website, accessible through Russell Ridge Center’s website. RRC Students who are not enrolled in Science are welcome to participate.
If you have any questions, please contact me.
Shakespeare Students Present:
Mid Summer Night’s Dream
This year we started an exciting new class for students 11 years old and up. Our goal for the class is to understand and enjoy the writings of Shakespeare. During the first semester we studied the play, “Twelfth Night”. We finished up with the students performing various 2 person scenes from a variety of Shakespeare’s plays. This was very enjoyable for all involved.
In January our Shakespeare Drama class started undertaking a full production of Shakespeare’s Comedy “A Mid Summer Night’s Dream”. The students have been involved in the entire process, including picking the time period to set the play, building the set, stage hand, lighting, music and acting. Our class was divided into two casts for this production. All the Shakespeare students will be involved at both performances either as an actor or support cast. Both performances will be on the Cedar River Middle School Cafeteria Stage. The Gold Cast performance will be May 29, 2008 at 6:30pm. The Green Cast performance will be June 5, 2008 at 6:30.
I would like to thank the parents who have been helping in class to get things ready. In advance, I would like to thank the parents who will be helping during rehearsals and performances as well. The only way to have a successful show is to have great parental support.
--Elisa Pope
Romeo & Juliet
Written and Illustrated by WORKSHOP June 9-13th
We will be doing a Written and Illustrated Workshop the week of June 9-13th. This awesome workshop is open to all ages. Students will write and illustrate their own book in just one week. Because of space issues we are limiting the workshop to 20 students. We also will need many parent volunteers during the week. So if your child signs up, be prepared to help out one of the days in class. The workshop will run all week, everyday, for approximately 5-6 hours per day. Watch for the sign-up sheet soon.
If you have any questions see Cathy or Jill
“The value of achievement lies in the achieving”
Albert Einstein
As I reflect on this school year this quote comes to mind. I am so proud of my students and the things they have achieved. I realize that my expectations for them are high, yet there has not been a time that they have not rose to meet them.
Through my job at City University, I have had the opportunity to share student work with fellow professors and budding student teachers. The response is always the same, AWE.
“Chance can allow you to accomplish a goal every once in a while, but consistent achievement happens only if you love what you are doing”
Bart Conner
That, I believe, is the key, loving what you do. When students want to come to class, when they are excited about what or how they are learning, the end result is always the same….success.
Mock trial has been an amazing class. The students have had the chance to experience, in a small way, the power of law. We are planning a field trip to Seattle with a lawyer to sit in on one of her criminal cases. I will be sending home more info about this.
In history we have focused on empathy and understanding. Starting with early exploration and the impact it had on the Native Americans on through to present day world events; we have explored and discussed the nature of cause and effect.
Presently we have been designing a game that ends only when world peace is achieved. (Wish us luck). The students have been researching and discussing their findings on a forum designed by Justin Miller and Van Wolfe.
My two advanced art classes have been truly inspiring. I have posted many examples of student work on my web page. Please take the time to look at them. Some of the larger sculptures can be seen here at Russell Ridge.
I’ll leave you with this last thought by William Arthur Ward “Nothing limits achievement like small thinking; nothing expands possibilities like unleashed imagination.”
I can only dream about what next year might bring.
Jill Drllevich
Science
This has been an awesome year in RRC Science. All of the classes are full.
My K-2 and 3-5 Science classes studied “critters” and are waiting impatiently for mealworms to turn into beetles. While we wait, we are learning about our own bodies: bones, organs, etc. The students have traced their bodies on butcher paper and are drawing in the parts as we study them. In a few weeks, you should be able to ask your students to name the main bones in their bodies!
6-8 grade Science began our Astronomy unit by viewing pictures taken by the Hubble Space Telescope. They were awed by what they saw! They then brainstormed what they wanted to study in Astronomy and we are currently focusing on our solar system. They also want to learn about black holes, stars, and space exploration.
My “Advanced Science” group (high schoolers and other students very interested in Science) are in the process of creating Rube Goldberg Contraptions. I plan to videotape their contraptions and post the videos on a special website that parents can view from home. It uses a program called “Voice Thread” which allows the students to record comments to go with the video.
Alex’s contraption will turn on a tape player.
Speed Stacks
Three RRC students attended the Northwest Regional Speedstacks Competition in Auburn. Dakota Shuh (age 6), Nolan Chesley (age 12), and Barb Cawley (age 13) spent a very long day at Auburn Senior High School on March 16. Barb and Nolan made it to the finals where Barb earned a 4th place and two 5th places. We still don’t know if Nolan placed in the finals because he was one of the last to compete, and we all had to leave.
Next year, we will again have a Speedstacks class. I hope more students participate in the competitions, including at least one relay team.
APEX Online Curriculum
This year we have subscribed to the APEX Online Curriculum to provide quality instruction for students doing independent study. APEX is a highly regarded program which provides classes in Math, English, Social Studies, Science, Foreign Languages, and a few electives. These courses are eligible for high school credit in the Tahoma School District.
It is possible for parents to be added to the classes as teachers, enabling them to monitor their students’ work. I am the site manager and classes are chosen in consultation with each student’s learning plan staff supervisor.
Currently, we have 30 students and 18 parents working with the APEX curriculum.
If you would like more information about APEX, please contact me. Susan Aigner
Cathy’s Corner
It is hard to believe that the school year is winding down. What a great year we have had!! So much has gone on in all of my classes I don’t know where to start.
The Magic Tree House books were not around when I was homeschooling my boys, so I am so excited to be using these great books in a class here at school. We have circled the globe, taking a geographical spin on the books we are reading this year. We have done lots of work in class with maps and our atlases. We have mapped each of Jack and Annie’s adventures and gone on to explore each location further. So far we have visited Japan, Africa, The Arctic Circle, Ireland, India and Australia. Along with the mapping we are also learning about each country, through art, science and other hands-on activities.
My literature circle class is another very fun class. I have a group of very eager readers and my biggest challenge this year has been to get them NOT to read the entire book in one week. As fun as that would be, my reading budget just can’t handle a new book each week!! My goal has been to get each of them out of their comfort zone and into some books they might not have chosen on their own. We have had some great discussions and read some great books in almost every genre.
The students in my Math Games classes have been focusing on designing their own board games over the last several weeks. We hope to have these done and ready for you to look at, at our open house in May. We have also continued to do other hands-on class projects such as graphing, toothpick math, algebra using snowflakes, along with lots of puzzles and logic problems.
The student’s in my writing class have done an outstanding job this year! Everyone seems to like the new class format and I feel the students are making great progress. Our only complaint is that we wish we had more time each week. They must take each piece they wish to publish through the entire writing process. Starting with a brainstorm they write a rough draft. The rough draft is then edited first by them, and then either a peer or me. Only after all of these steps have been taken are they allowed to publish their final. They love to put the finishing touches on their writing using all the great paper, stickers and other embellishments we have in class. Please take a minute to come into the classroom to read their writing pieces, which are up on the wall. Each of them will be writing a story and publishing it in book form towards the end of the school year.
I have started to think about next year and what classes I would like to offer. I will be talking some with my students about what they would like to learn. Again, thanks so much for sharing your kids with me. I have the very best job in the school district. Your kids make me smile every day and it is a privilege to be part of their lives.
Cathy Sly
DESTINATION IMAGINATION TEAM WINS 2ND PLACE!
The Russell Ridge Destination Imagination (DI) team competed at the regional tournament held in March. The team members were George Clement, Hannah Fiskum, Joe Hanrahan, Justin Miller, Emily Miller, and Van Wolfe. The group competed in a challenge called DI’ve Got a Secret, which involved creating a skit that included an optical illusion, recombining set pieces, a masquerade character, and a secret. The team worked for many months preparing their jungle-theme set, complete with origami vines and flowers, and a secret message that was revealed by colored filters as the set pieces were recombined.
The kids all worked so hard and so well together. They showed extraordinarily good teamwork throughout the event. The team won 2nd place in their challenge level and earned many laughs from the audience for their quirky characters and very humorous performance.
