Classroom News: Week of February 11th

Dear Barn Swallow Families,

We had a fun week!  On Wednesday afternoon Elina Payton, a local artist, visited our class to demonstrate how she makes and uses paints. It was a fun surprise to see that a lot of the ingredients she used were similar to what we have been experimenting with.  Elina helped the students to make their own homemade tempera and watercolor paint.  On Thursday morning we had the privilege of hearing Will Hornyak, a local storyteller, as he wove important facts and details about the environment, watersheds, stewardship and citizenship into his very entertaining stories.  We ended the week with singing our song at the all school meeting.  Have you been hearing your Barn Swallow sing it at home?  During math the first grade students played games that helped them to compare coin values, figuring out which combinations made more and which added up to less.  They also began working on addition fact families. Second graders learned a new math game that allowed students to work on their fluency with addition and subtraction.  It's a simple game that you can play with a deck of cards.  Be sure to ask your second grader how to play at home!

If you haven't already, you soon will receive the first semester report card. I hope you find the information in it helpful as you continue to support your child's development. Children develop skills at different ages and rates. Your child's report is designed to share with you how your child is progressing in our class and how your child's development compares with grade level standards. If you have questions or if you need greater explanation, please feel free to talk with me about it. I want to be sure that the report card is helpful in our continued partnership to help your child.

A note from a FGCS middle school student:  
Dear Parents of Children at Forest Grove Community School,            
I am an eighth grade student, Noah Tufts, working on my capstone project. Through this project, we’re supposed explore an interest we have while also making a connection to the community. We also need to get a mentor to help us. What I have decided to do for my project is to teach self-defense practices to all students at the school. I am a skilled martial artist (black belt level), and so is my mentor Mrs. Hansen. I won’t be teaching the kids anything dangerous or scary. We’ll talk about things like situational awareness; how to respond to strangers; and then a few simple drills of what to do if someone grabs you. In a survey of Oregon students, kids were asked if they would help a stranger find a lost puppy. Older kids said No, and most of the younger students did too. But when asked if they would help a stranger find a lost kitten, almost all younger kids said Yes. So, I want to help kids to learn that they should never go with strangers and other basic guidelines of safety. With Vanessa and Rick’s approval, I’ll be teaching students these guidelines during PE classes next week.

Noah Tufts