See You Later Alligator!

It is always bittersweet, our end-of-the-year goodbyes! We spent our final days together enjoying each other and, as always, being creative. Below are some of the events that took place during the final week of school. We are so proud of all of our students and all the amazing strides they made! We will miss those that are moving onto Middle School and look forward to seeing their familiar faces in the Fall! Have a beautiful, well-deserved, summer break!

Field Day

Science: Final Projects

6th Year Breakfast!

6th Years: End of Book Club Projects

6th-year students shared their end-of-book projects after reading the novel, Code Talker. Author Joseph Bruchac winner of the Native Writers Circle of the Americas’ Lifetime Achievement Award, brings to life the extraordinary story of the Navajo Code Talkers of World War II. Students had a variety of choices to complete as their final projects. As you can see, the creative ideas were above and beyond!

Farewell Speeches

We gathered around to listen to the 5th-year students read their kind, heartfelt letters saying goodbye to our 6th-year students. We also gifted each 6th-year with a copy of Kobi Yamada’s What Do You Do With a Chance? We are proud of all that the 6th-years have accomplished while in E5 and will greatly miss them all! We wish them all the best of luck as they move on to middle school.

Keep the Quote – Final Exchange

Isaac passes our final quote to Duncan!
63 Best Inspiring Goodbye Quotes [Images Included]
Mahatma Gandhi

Marvelous May!

History: Transcontinental Railroad

East meets West, golden spike!

Young Nevada territory grew quickly during the last half of the 19th century. New mining towns popped up and then faded away. Railroads were making it easier for supplies and people in the East to reach the Western frontier. As we know, the pull towards the West was undeniable; land, gold, and even religious freedom to name a few. As we have learned through our simulation and lessons, people were willing to brave this unforgiving trek across the country. Our focus in our most recent lesson was on how the lives of pioneers became easier with the development of the transcontinental railroad and its role in Nevada’s history. All aboard!!!

Someone Special To Me Tea

What a sweet treat! Our amazing students had an opportunity to enjoy their “special guest” during our annual tea! During our time together students shared their impressive hard work leading up to the event. Embroidered pieces were given as well as our class presentation of “The Incredible Westward Movement”. We hope that everyone enjoyed the show. Please lookout for the link to the recording! We are so proud of our amazing kiddos!

Keep the Quote

Quote of the Week!
Lia passes our quote to Isaac!

Spring Forward!

Visiting Author: Mike Graf

Author Mike Graf visits Upper El. classrooms

We began our time back from Spring Break with a special guest, author Mike Graf. While his visit was via Zoom, it was still engaging and a great time for all of our students. Mike presented about his grand adventures in our great nation’s parks. He described the majestic sights that were the inspiration for his published work. During our time we also engaged in our own writing process. Using the same strategies as Mike, students drafted their own realistic pieces to be published. We enjoyed our time together, and look forward to seeing if students continue working on their inspiring pieces.

Earth Day: Chef Demo

To honor the observation of Earth Day, E5 students welcome Green Our Planet chef Cheyenne. Chef Cheyenne spent the morning with us (via Zoom) teaching our students the creative and delicious process of fermenting vegetables. Throughout her lesson, she also discussed the value of composting and finding value in eating nature’s goodies in a variety of ways. To follow up, students were offered various fermented vegetables such as pickled beets, sweet mini gherkins, and fermented vegetable blends. For some of us, this was our first time learning about fermented food, while others eat our vegetables this way during various meals. Ask your child if they enjoyed this special lesson and if they would like to give this recipe a try!

Pioneer Parent Night

We were over the moon to see all of our parents and students enjoying the E5 classroom again! We hoped that everyone enjoyed our sneak peek into some of the activities we enjoy during our cultural lessons. Our Pioneer-themed stations were a huge hit, especially the Johnny Cakes and butter! Looking forward to seeing you again during our “Someone Special to Me Tea”.

History: Gold Rush

In our most recent lesson, students learned about miners trying their luck in Nevada after California’s gold rush began to die down. Through the discovery of the Comstock Lode, a rush of people helped create new “boomtowns” which are now homes to many of Nevadans. Our focus remained on Nevada’s history with mining and the timeline towards our modern-day cities. During our lesson, students were introduced to “Cornell Notes”. This strategy introduces students to understanding key ideas/terms before the lesson is given, then summarizing their thinking at the end. Students did a wonderful job and will continue to use this strategy for the remainder of the year.

History: Sodbusters

Sodbusters

A sodbuster is a farmer or farmworker who plows the land. The term “sodbuster” came from the fact that the early settlers who moved west had to “bust the sod” in the ground in order to farm. Many settlers used sod to build their houses. Settlers who moved West went through many rough times to reach their destination, and it wasn’t much better once they got there. Sodbusters were the people who came to live under the Homesteaders Act, and “broke the sod” by farming. Because of poor farming land, they were usually reduced to poverty. Once people had begun to settle out west, they kept pouring in. Eventually, the west became a large part of the US with major railroads and cities.

AMC – 6th Year Annual Math Competition

The American Mathematics Competitions are a series of examinations and curriculum materials that build problem-solving skills and mathematical knowledge in middle and high school students. Each year our 6th-year students participate. We are so proud of our students and the strong mathematical foundation they used to compete! Way to go!

Keep the Quote

Raania passes the quote to Haley!
Haley passes our quote to Lia!

Upcoming Dates

5/6 – Someone Special to Me Tea (8:30-10:00 a.m.)

5/13 – Field Day

5/20 – Last Day of School (Full Day)

Amazing April!

APRIL FOOLS!!!

We could not resist… April Fools Day is our favorite day of the year! Students were treated to a delicious, mouth-watering, extra sweet cake pop! The only catch was… it was a frosted brussel sprout! Needless to say, the kids were disappointed! Not to worry, we gave them some brown E’s at the end of the day!!!

Just kidding… they got the real deal!

Science:

To finish out our studies about the ocean, we created our own E5 coral reef display. Students picked and researched a coral reef animal, then created an artistic representation of their animal to add to our coral reef wall and a trading card detailing the animal’s stats.

History: Pioneer Communication

In our most recent history lesson, students learned about the evolution of communication during Westward Expansion. Students learned that pioneers had limited access to communicate with those in the East. It would take letters or important information over 6 months to get from New York to California. It was the creation of “The Pony Express” that eased the difficulty, even for just a short time, of communicating. William H. Russell, Alexander Majors, and William B. Waddell believed that mail could be delivered fastest by horseback, hence The Pony Express. As you can see by the “Wanted” poster below, riders needed to meet very specific and unusual criteria. One of the most famous Pony Express riders was Buffalo Bill, riding 322 miles in nearly 22 hours, using 21 horses, through some of the most dangerous territories on the route. With the invention of the telegraph and the Morse Code, the Pony Express closed its service on October 26, 1861… lasting only 18 months.

Pony Express: Help Wanted!

Writers Workshop: Trailblazer 5 Paragraph Essay

Students published their 5-Paragraph essays before Spring Break. The focus for this unit was on Trailblazers during Westward Expansion. We learned all about some amazing figures that paved the path for our country’s expansion. We will include these pieces in your child’s writing portfolio!

Keep the Quote

Save the Date:

4/11-4/15 – Spring Break

4/18 – No School – Teacher In-service

4/19 – Virtual Author Visit – Mike Graff

4/22 – Green Our Planet Virtual Chef Demo

5/4, 5/9, & 5/11 – E5 MAPs Testing Dates

5/6 – Someone Special to Me Tea

Leprechauns, “PALI”, and Basketball?!

The end of March brought a variety of activities and joy to our E5 classroom. Below are just a few of them. From naughty leprechauns to March Madness, there was a variety of creative thinking and just a bit of luck! We hope you enjoy it!

Wanted: Naughty Leprechauns

It happens every year, leprechauns invade our FMS community, causing a great amount of mischief. This year we thought we would be proactive and posted some “Wanted” posters to catch them before they came. Below are some of the examples our super creative students work…

March Madness

Who did you decide would win?

E5 students tested their luck at the 2022 NCAA basketball bracket. As each round was played, we kept track of our teams! Some students were surprised how much of the guesswork revolved around luck, while others tried to base their choices on the statistics. Either way, it was great fun!

Camp PALI – E5 Style

This year students were unable to attend our overnight camp, PALI. Instead, the E5 teachers brought the camp to our amazing kiddos. Below is our photo gallery of all the activities. Activities included: fort building, solar oven cooking, national park research, and so much more! We had a blast changing things up and just enjoying each other! Thank you for all cardboard donations… as you can see they were put to great use!

Science: Experiments!

type science here

Visualizing and understanding the idea of water density and the movement of water currents based on temperature can be hard. Models and experiments help students to see what is happening in the ocean. Through our experiments, we saw how liquids will band into layers based on their density by layering different substances, how saltwater is denser than plain water by floating an egg, and how warm water rises while cold water sinks.

Writers Workshop (PALI Style)

E5 students broke into small groups to complete in-depth research projects on various parks throughout our beautiful nation. As you can see, they created some beautiful work. Many of our students felt inspired by the projects and might be asking you for a family vacation to one of these majestic spots!

E5 Students worked on National Park Research during PALI week

History: Pioneers leave Fort Indepedence

Pioneer families have packed their bags and have left Fort Independence! To begin the “simulation”, students have been tasked to keep a journal of their experiences. The situation: You have made the decision to leave your home, pack everything you own into a small prairie schooner, and head west. This was a big decision on your part because you have no real idea of what is going to happen to you before you get to Oregon. You have heard many stories about the long, arduous Hacker Trial – Native American, disease, snakes, too little water, too much water, raging rivers, narrow mountain passes. On the other hand, you have also heard about Oregons’ rich green valley and its vast, uncrowded land. The many opportunities out there have stimulated your imagination. The Entry: Students began a diary to describe their experiences. Why did they decide to go to Oregon? What was your life like before your trip to Fort Independence? What do you expect to happen? Ask your child about the “character ” they are playing along the trail and how they answered some of these questions!

Keep the Quote

Sydney passes her quote to Saina

Gardening: The Three Sisters

E5 students had a gardening lesson with our Green Our Planet gardner, Yolanda. On the heels of our lessons about the Native Americans, students learned about the important trio of crops called the Three Sisters. For many Native American communities, three seeds – corn, beans, and squash represent the most important crops. When planted together, the Three Sisters, work together to help one another thrive and survive. Utilizing the corn, beans, and squash together in your garden draws upon centuries of Native American agricultural traditions and expertise. This post covers the benefits of the three sisters planting and provides tips for when to plant, varieties that work well in planting together, and suggested layouts for your garden.

Upcoming Dates

4/11 – 4/15 SPRING BREAK

4/18 – No School – Teacher Inservice Day

4/25-4/29 – Parent/Child Nights at FMS – Sign-ups will be emailed out Friday, 4/1 @ 8:00 a.m.