Dear Families and Staff,
This month we have the opportunity to celebrate Veteran’s Day as we recognize the men and women who have served or are serving in our nation’s military. I want to personally thank our Veterans and share my appreciation for the sacrifices they have made to serve and protect our country. Thank you, Veterans.
At times it has been difficult to maintain an optimistic outlook as we have faced many obstacles due to COVID-19. While we continue to face challenges associated with the virus, I believe it is important to focus our mindset on the many positives in our lives, school district and community as we approach the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday. We have amazing students, families, staff members, and community support in our school district and together we have risen above a variety of challenges.
I encourage everyone to find ways to focus on the many positive areas of life that we often overlook. Together we have overcome significant challenges and together we will continue to do so.
Take care and have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday.
Sincerely,
Gary Neal
October Highlight
This month, we had two elementary Highly Capable sessions and one for middle school. Each week we start with a small team building and engineering challenge. Both groups participated in a spaghetti noodle building challenge. A few groups were able to successfully build a structure that held a marshmallow. For our first elementary week, students were introduced to water testing and its importance. We trekked down to the Nisqually River to gather water samples and practice a couple of water quality tests. Upon our return, we used microscopes to look for any organisms that may indicate healthy water. On our way back, we collected nature samples and finished the day with an art project making nature names.
The second week of elementary Highly Capable was focused on water testing. Since Sahara Creek was dried, we only went to the Nisqually River testing site. We completed tests such as pH, turbidity, dissolved oxygen and more. Results will be reported to the Nisqually River Education project to help in their restoration efforts. We ended the day with pumpkin science. Thanks to GRITs Farm students, each Highly Capable student got a pumpkin to take apart. We learned about density and used part of the pumpkin to create density columns, used the pumpkin for a chemical reaction experiment, and then finished the day having each student clean and bake their own pumpkin seeds.
After the team building challenge, middle school students had an amazing opportunity to meet with a plant ecologist from Mt Rainier. She led our group in a discussion about a scientific article written for Frontiers for Young Minds. Not only did kids get to discuss what they learned, but they had the opportunity to provide feedback and edits to the authors of the article. They will be listed as young reviewers once the article is published. After a rigorous morning of editing and reviewing, students enjoyed designated choice time. Then, all students were given time to finish their apple launchers. We did our launching competition and of course had to have a throwing contest with leftover apples at the end too!
~Mrs. Dattilo
Highly Capable Teacher
Superintendent Neal
Email: communications@eatonvilleschools.org
Website: https://www.eatonville.wednet.edu
Location: 200 Lynch Street West, Eatonville, WA, USA
Phone: 360-879-1000
Facebook: facebook.com/eatonville.school.district
Twitter: @EatonvilleSD