Second graders collaged four art lessons into one winter scene. The first project was to create abstract, expressionist art using Crayola paint sticks(a new material). During this activity, we learned about the aurora borealis and used colors seen in the northern lights. Next, I chopped up all that paper into strips, and 2nd graders wove the aurora borealis pieces into a black night sky. In the 3rd class period, we learned all about polar bears and used guided drawing to create some cute and fuzzy bears for our scene. We also used washable gray markers to create shade and sharpies to create texture. Lastly, we used some scrap painted paper to create trees for our winter scenes and glued the trees and bears to our lit up night sky. Lots of practice cutting, glueing, using paint supplies and fine motor skills in this unit.

Kindergarten, 1st and 2nd Grade students couldn't stop laughing over this week's Golden Sower Nominated picture book, How Dinosaurs Went Extinct: A Safety Guide, by Ame Dyckman and Jennifer Harney! During a hilarious family trip to the museum, a dad "describes" how 23 different species of reckless dinosaurs met their...fate. Some ran with scissors, others tipped over in their chairs, another swam after eating, while some more didn't wear helmets, threw a tantrum, poked an outlet and so much more. This cautionary tale was epic and a definite favorite with all of us and the type of book that make us want to keep on reading!

Students in grades 3-8 have been making great progress during Finding Nemo Jr. tech week.

Here are a few reminders for chorus, cast and crew next week-

1. CHORUS STUDENTS SHOULD DRESS IN FULL UNIFORM OR BLUE FINDING NEMO SHIRT & UNIFORM BOTTOMS.

2. All costume pieces need to be at school, in a bag labeled with student names by Friday, Feb. 28.

• Your student can check Google Classroom for costume exceptions and what they need.
• Pants & shirts should not have any logos on them. If they do, wear them inside out.

3. Makeup will be blush, lipstick & mascara.

• Students can bring their own(should be dark, bold colors), or we will have makeup to share at school.

4.Be sure to check call times for cast and crew, and arrive at your scheduled time, not before.

Wednesday - Performance (1:30 pm)

- Chorus (3-8) in Gym by 1:15 pm

Thursday - Performance (7 pm)

- Chorus (3-8) in Gym by 6:40 pm

-Check call times for Cast & Crew

Friday (Grandfriends Day) - Performance (10:30 am)

- Chorus (3-8) in Gym by 10:15 pm

- Check call times for Cast & Crew

This week and next week students are working on Yard Games. Cornhole, ladders, and bocce ball are a great way to improve hand-eye coordination while continuing to prioritize sportsmanship. Not only are physical skills increasing, but mathematics are intertwined to create competition.

During the 3rd Quarter, the 7th grade students have been using Sphero Blueprint kits to build and design various simple machines. This week they will be exploring the technology behind autonomous vehicles by designing and building a rubber band car. After the design process is finished, they will calculate the Ideal Mechanical Advantage (IMA), predict and calculate the distance their car will travel, and analyze their results. c