Classroom News: Week of November 29th

Dear Barn Swallow Families,

I hope you enjoyed your Thanksgiving holiday! This week we have many fun activities planned for the Barn Swallows:

• Tuesday, November 30th- We're going to B Street Farm for the afternoon to plant willow shelters in the children's food forest.
• Wednesday, December 1st-We're attending a wolf ecology presentation given by a Pacific University student.
• Thursday, December 2nd-We'll be visiting a StarLab Planetarium at the Forest Grove Library.

Next week we will be learning how to bake dog treats at the UCC for our Out and About. We will be planning a dog treat sale sometime after school before winter break. All proceeds will go to the Bonnie Hayes Animal Shelter to help dogs, cats, and other homeless animals in need.

Be sure to ask your child what he or she is researching for our 'Water and Nature' project. After visiting so many amazing places during these past two months, we sure have a lot to talk about!

Here's a list of some of the places we've been this year:

• Camp Tillikum Canoe Trip
• Gales Creek home made boat floating in Forest Grove
• Gales Creek in the woods near Timber Road
• Two Visits to the Tillamook Forest
• Jackson Bottom Wetlands

Thank you Barn Swallow families!

Sincerely,

Sherry

Classroom News: Week of November 8th

Quick News Summary:

• We need at least 2 volunteers for this Tuesday, November 9th from 9:00-2:15 for our second Tillamook Forest trip.
• Please check the weather report this Tuesday morning to ensure that your child is dressed to be outside all day. (See details below on what to bring.)
• We will need at least 2 volunteers for November 16th from 9:00-2:15 for our first Jackson Bottom Wetlands trip.
• Books will be sent home on Mondays when I get many more copies made. Until then, I will continue to send books when I get them made. Would you like to help fold and staple class books?
• No school on Thursday, November 11th

News With Details:

We have great news! Our trip last week to the Tillamook Forest was a great success. We were able to access the water from a few different entry points (Jones Creek and the Wilson River) and students were inspired to narrow down their water project topic based on their varied experiences. The great news is that we have been given the opportunity to go back to the same area this upcoming week, from 9:00-2:15 on Tuesday November 9th! Students will finalize their water project topic and focus on it during their time in the Tillamook forest this Tuesday. We will need at least two volunteers to join us. If we have more, that would be fantastic! The more volunteers we have, the more students will be able to get out of their experience, as they can break into smaller groups that could be arranged by their chosen topic. (For example, students who are studying moss, lichen, and fungi would be able to go in a group with students studying ferns and trees and explore the forest, while students studying aquatic creatures, rocks, and birds would spend more time near the water.) Would you like to join us? We would love to have you!

Please remember to check the weather report on Tuesday morning to help ensure that your child is prepared to be outside all day. Students will be able to catch aquatic macroinvertibrates (the Tillamook Forestry Center is letting us borrow their equipment again). This means that students will need to bring rubber boots so that they can kick up the sediment and debris on the stream bottom while partners have nets ready. Remember a back pack with a change of clothes, healthy lunch, and full water bottle. Students need to carry their back packs with them so minimal weight is best! If it's raining we will still be outside all day. Rain jackets with hoods are a must for every day at school with Oregon's rainy weather!

We will also be going to Jackson Bottom Wetlands on November 16th from 9:00-2:15. We will need at least two volunteers to join us. We would love to have you!

Thank you families!