Week 40

Weekly Greetings!

This is it, the last week of school! With just a few short days to go, there are a few things to still remind you all about. First, there will be the 4th Quarter awards ceremony on Wednesday at 1:00pm, with an early release at 2:15pm that day. Second, the school picnic will be on Thursday and the location is to be announced depending on the fire situation.

Now, for some highlights from last week...The field trip to Fort Greely to go swimming was so much fun for all that could go! They were all so excited, and Cadence even wore her goggles in the van most of the way there! If you look close, you can see her in the back seat with them on.

We stopped along the way for a picnic lunch and arrived a little after 12:30pm. After changing and showering, the students got a brief talk from the 2 lifeguards on duty about the rules and pool depth.

Then they swam for 2 hours straight, and we had a hard time getting some of them out when the pool was closing.

When they were all showered and dry, we went to the Community Activity Center on the base for pizza, as the students were all starving.

Then we loaded everyone back in the vans and headed back to Northway. Most everyone slept the whole way back! It was worth the long drive, and I hope to do this again next year.

The next day was graduation, and it was truly inspiring to see our student aide from the first semester walk with such pride down the papered pathway to the stage.

Not only did she give a wonderful speech, but she also showed us her musical talent while playing the guitar with the visiting musicians from Dancing with the Spirit.

The graduating 8th grader from the school was also recolonized at the event, and we all got cake and cookies to celebrate with the community.

On Friday, there was a concert to showcase the week of music learned by each class group while the Dancing with the Spirit team was here to teach them fiddle and guitar music. First, the K /1st grade group played for the community.

They even danced a twist and swing dance combo for the crowd.

The remaining1st /2nd graders from my class preformed.

Then the show went on with the older students in the school 4th through 6th...

Middle School....

...and the High School students at the end.

Having the team visit our school at the end of the year was such a highlight! Not only did the students benefit from their talent, but also all those in attendance were blessed by their performance.

As I close this last posting for this school year, I want to say that it has been such a privilege to teach each one of my students this year. I am so thankful for the support of so many parents, and for each day that I spent with your wonderful children this year!

I hope you have a safe and fun summer!

Kind Regards,

Julie Brown

Week 39

 Weekly Greetings!

What a full and fun time we had last week! It started with our field trip to the Division of Forestry on Monday. The class learned the importance of fire safety, and what is needed to be done to put out fires. They got to see firsthand how the Division of forestry operates and the equipment necessary to do their job.

 Jeff Hermanns was our guide, but we were introduced to many more key people in the forestry department, including Smokey the Bear.

 The students got to hear real radio calls and could follow the location of people in the field on the computer.

 Seth even got to model the special gear used when fighting a fire.

We learned about the different trucks that are needed when fighting a fire, and the important work the helicopter pilot does when scooping water to drop on fires.

 It was a full and interesting morning, but our trip to the burn area for a picnic had to be canceled due to the rain that day.

 The next day, Kay Lynn from the Tetlin Refuge visited our class again to share about the habits and habitat of moose.

 She also brought another biologist that called the students to the carpet for a story using a special moose calling devise.

 Kay Lynn read the fictional story If You Give a Moose a Muffin... and compared real and the make believe moose in the story.  After the story, the class was given delicious homemade muffins as a special treat! This tied in nicely to the "Here Come the Bears" theme I had started, in which we have been comparing real and make believe bears.

 Thursday was the PreK graduation, and there was a wonderful community turnout.

 Since the start of the 4th quarter, the graduating group has been visiting our classroom in the mornings to prepare for Kindergarten next year. It was fun to see them go through this final step by in their transition to elementary school.

 On Friday, we baked cookies in preparation for the "Teddy Bear Picnic" the next day when we had to make up a closure day and be at school on Saturday.

 I was really please to see 13 out of 16 students show up to school on Saturday, and we a fun time reading a story about a Teddy Bear picnic, and making a paper Teddy for an activity later.

 We also had a lot of visiting Teddy Bears for the event!

 At our morning recess time, the students played games with two special balls that make ice cream from being consistently moved. They kicked the balls around and then we played "Hot Potato."

 When the ice cream was ready, it was time for snack and we had lots of snack food to eat in addition to the ice cream they made. All the visiting Teddy Bears joined us at that time.

 We played a few games before having BBQ hot dogs, watermelon, and chips for lunch in our room while watching a DVD about bears. After lunch we had time for one more game called "Poor Cute Teddy, I Love You But You Can't Make Me Smile!" To win the game, the students had to try hard not to smile when the person in the middle with the Teddy Bear tried to make them laugh. We ended up with six winners that could keep a straight face! All in all, those in attendance a great time and our time together went really fast.

This week will be the last week I will send homework home. There will not be any homework on Wednesday, because of the field trip to Fort Greely. It will be a long day, and they will most likely be tired from all the activity and swimming that day.

Have a great week!

Kind Regards,

Julie Brown

Week 38

Weekly Greetings!

We have just two full weeks left and a few days after Memorial Day before the school year finishes for summer break! I can't believe how fast the year has gone and how much the students have grown! There are two more field trips planned in addition to the school picnic on May 28 to Deadman Lake. This Monday, May 11, our class will go to the Tok Forestry Department. I will post pictures next week from that adventure. Our last class trip will be the following week on May 20th to swim at Fort Greely in Delta. Please make sure your child has a swimsuit and towel that day. Also, thank you for all getting your permission slips in to me in such a timely manner.

Please remember that we have a short school make-up day this Saturday on May16. I will be starting a short unit this week for the next couple of weeks to finish the year. The theme is "Here Come the Bears" and it is on real and make-believe bears. On our make-up day this Saturday, we will have a fun day with a "Teddy Bear Picnic" to go with the unit theme. Your child may bring a Teddy Bear that day if they would like. We will also make a paper Teddy Bear craft to go with a game if they do not have a stuffed bear. I will be providing some snack foods that the class will bake on Friday, in addition to some Teddy Grams and ice cream for the fun time that day. If you could add any snacks that bears might like such as: nuts, dried berries, jerky, or any other items, I would greatly appreciate it.

As for highlights from last week, I would have to say that observing the Millipedes and Pill Bugs from our Science unit on organism, tops the list. There was a lot of giggling ad screeching when the Millipedes were moving quickly off the observation plates. We tried putting them in a clear plastic cup, but they could climb out of that also! We compared and contrasted the Millipedes with the Pill Bugs, and both organisms were something the students would not normally find in our area. Here are a few photos from the activity.

I will still be sending homework home for the next couple of weeks, but the spelling for 1st and 2nd grades will be a list of all the words they had this year. Have them study for a class spelling competition that we will have on Tuesday May 26, just for fun.

Enjoy your week!

Kind Regards,
Julie Brown

Week 37

Weekly Greetings!

The weeks are flying by and we will end school on May 28! The next few weeks will continue to be busy and I have a couple more field trips planned. I am sending the permission slips home this week, as the next trip will be on Monday May 11. We will be going to the Forestry Department to see how they protect the land. Also, we will visit a local burn area to see how the habitat changes after a fire. While you are filling out the information for the trip on the 11th, I figured it would just be easier to fill out the permission slip for the trip on May 20th also. On that day, we will be traveling to Delta to go swimming at the Fort Greely Army Base. It will be a long day, due to the 3 hours of driving each way. We will take snacks and a bag lunch, and then have a dinner on base before traveling back to Northway. There is a lovely pool there, with lifeguards and many water toys. We can swim for up to 3 hours, unless the group gets tired before then.

Last week started off with a visit from Kay Lynn Olde-Moore from the Tetlin Wildlife Refuge in Tok. She discussed local plants in preparation for our field trip the next day.

She also read them a story about the need to protect the rain forests.

In addition, she returned duck stamp pictures to the students that participated in the completion, and everyone got a certificate for participating.

Brandi Jimmie got an Honorable Mention ribbon, along with a lovely T-shirt.

The next day, we traveled to Seaton Recreation Area for our filed trip. We made a decision to go there instead of Deadman Lake due to the rain the day before that made the dirt road too soft. The students had a great time, and KayLynn had a number of activities lined up. First they played a Caribou game, and they had to find a partner for food, water, or shelter. The game was fast moving and partners constantly changed.

Next, the class learned how to make willow wreaths and went for a nature walk to find different plants to put in the wreath.

When the student's wreaths were complete, we took a group photo and then had a picnic lunch.

The last thing the students did before getting in the vans to travel back to the school was to hula-hoop out in an open area. Even though we have hula-hoops at the school, the group had so much fun in the outdoor area that many of them said it was the highlight of their day.

On Wednesday, the class had another "Instant Challenge" activity with students over the Internet all over Alaska. This month, they had to create a plane that could fly with paper and a small number of objects.

This group had one of the most detailed and creative planes. It looked like a real plane with wheels and a cockpit.

We will be having an early release on Wednesday at 2:15pm. Please watch for a notice from the principal. Have an awesome week!

Kind Regards,

Julie Brown