Academic Engagement

In K/1 the Bouncy Banana Bats have been working on their reading skills. In our Literacy classes we practice letter sounds and word patterns to help us decode words when we read. We also are learning about tricky words (sometimes called sight words or irregular words) that don’t follow these sound patterns. We have learned that we must know these words by heart in order to read and spell them. Some of the sounds we know and are able to spell them using our letter-sound knowledge but some letters trick us so we need to know that part by heart in order to read and spell the word. Try sounding out the word “the” it’s pretty tricky if you didn’t know that word by heart. 

Kindergarten students are excited to find books to read to each other to practice their early reading skills and are cracking the code to reading. First Grade students just finished reading the book Green Eggs and Ham and we celebrated with eating green eggs and ham. They found out that they weren’t so bad once they tried them! A big part of our focus in literacy has also been the importance of books and the parts of a story. They have been working on personal narratives to write the progression of something they have done and using the progression of First, Next, Then, Last, and Finally to describe what is happening. Just like in Green Eggs and Ham the character had to go through quite the series of events before he finally tried them. Did you know that there are 50 trick words in the book Green Eggs and Ham?

Outdoor Education

In Outdoor Education, lower school students have been practicing survival skills this winter. Most recently, we’ve wrapped up a unit on first aid. During this unit, students practiced wound care on “banana buddies.” We learned three different types of wounds: lacerations, abrasions, and puncture wounds and the best practices for treating them in backcountry situations. 

Students should understand that in any situation when administering first aid, protecting yourself is the number one priority (ie. making sure that the scene is safe and they are using proper protection). Ask your student if they remember the first step when practicing first aid, they should recall “YOU are #1.” Other topics we covered in this unit include: splinting and constructing hypothermia wraps.

Journey

In connection with curriculum inside the classroom, the Brave Bear class took a journey to the Jackson Hole Historical Society and Museum. During our time there, we had the opportunity to explore up close a full size bison, learned how Native Americans used every inch of the bison as a means of living, as well as the history of the devastation of bison in the 1800s. This journey was planned in connection with our Literacy curriculum tied around the “American West”. Within class, we have read books and written informational paragraphs about the American West. Topics include conflict between Native Americans and early settlers, ways of life, the desire to journey West, bison devastation, bison restoration and the challenges of living in this time period. The Brave Bears also had the opportunity to speak with members of the present day Wind River Tribal Buffalo Initiative, and learned about the significance that bison still hold. We are grateful to Jason Blades and Shane Doyle, from the Wind River Indian Reservation, for taking the time to speak with our class about the work they have done and the historical significance of this incredible project. 

Student Corner

4th graders finished their National Parks projects and had a presentation day. 

Donovan – Carlsbad Caverns

Ella – Death Valley National Park  

Eva – Redwood National Park 

Mia – Olympic National Park 

Nico – Yellowstone National Park 

Nora – Haleakala National Park 

Sofia – Grand Canyon National Park 

Tegan – Big Bend National Park 

Veesa – Zion National Park