Thursday
March 11
4th and 5th
to Seattle
Children’s Theater
Friday
March 12
SPIRIT/
Pizza Day
3rd Grade to Theo’s Chocolates
5th Grade to Seattle Symphony
Sunday
March 14
Daylight
Savings Begins
Wednesday
March 17
Board Meeting
6:30pm
Thursday
March 18
Assembly
9:30am
Saturday
March 20
Westside
SPIRIT
Auction
March 4, 2010
Westside's 2nd Annual Online Auction Coming Soon!
Promoting Digital Literacy
Did You Know?
4th Grade Talks About Islandwood
Westside’s 2nd Annual Online Auction Coming Soon!
By Kate Petrich, Procurement Chair
As early as next week, look for an email launching the Westside Online Auction. The word “launching” will be taking on its literal meaning of being “catapulted with force,” and the betting will be fast and furious! A few online items of the week:
• Mariners vs. Yankee’s: 4 Tickets!
• Caffe Umbria Coffee for a year!
• Teeth Whitening & Sonicare Toothbrush Kit!
• Seattle Children’s Theatre: 6 Flex Passes!
• YMCA Youth Sports Session!
Westside’s 21st Spirit Auction March 20th
A few items awaiting you at the Hall at Fauntleroy:
• Jack Johnson Autographed Ukulele
http://www.jackjohnsonmusic.com/
• Fly fishing float trip and guided tour for two down the Yakima River!
• Private Ski Day & Coaching with Westside School’s own Level III Certified Alpine Ski Coach - Teacher Judith!
• Amir Beso’s In-House Concert of Balkan, Flamenco & Gypsy guitar instrumentals. Visit http://www.amirbeso.com/Listen.html to hear an amazing sample.
• Maui Jim Prescription Sunglasses!
For more information, Auction Procurement Co-Chairs, Kate Petrich & Roshele Allison are at your service: katepetrich@gmail.com & daveroshele@comcast.net
Promoting Digital Literacy
By Kevin Jones, Educational Technology Coordinator
In a Westside Update article earlier this year, Jo Ann detailed how Westside is promoting Digital Literacy in our students through the integration of technology into our curriculum, and how the WPO and the Board of Trustees were furthering this effort through the generous donation of LCD projectors and document cameras. Now that all of our Grade 1-5 classrooms have these wonderful tools, their use has blossomed! Here are just two ways in which these wonderful tools were used this week alone:
Document cameras make it easy for students to work collaboratively with the whole class. Earlier this week at lunch, one of Renee’s 1st grade students finished his lunch early, and wanted to read aloud to his fellow students. By using their new document camera and projector, the students were able to see the book from their seats while finishing their lunches. They were so riveted that they begged for a second book after lunch! Integrating technology into everyday classroom activities is a big part of developing Digital Literacy, and helps students become both comfortable and familiar with it.
Projectors also allow us to easily integrate digital resources into our curriculum. The 3rd grade students in Stuart’s class have been studying geometrical shapes and creating physical models. To complement these, we created and projected a 3D Google SketchUp model of various geometrical shapes (see image). The model included basic shapes (such as cubes) as well as more complex shapes (such as tetrahedrons and pentagonal prisms). Through manipulations, animation, and measuring of the model, students were able to compare and contrast the various properties of these shapes. As often happens in the classroom, this activity spawned other relevant discussions, including optical prisms, light refraction, and the differences between isosceles and equilateral triangles. Digital resources often serve as a catalyst for lively discussion.
We are both fortunate and grateful to have these new technology tools as we continue to increase our Digital Literacy.
Jo Ann’s previous article: Bringing the World Up-Close through Digital Literacy
Did You Know?
Did you know that it took nearly 50 years for the chalkboard to become a classroom staple? Or that the only other presentation technology that has been highly used in classrooms is the overhead projector? Hearing these statistics, it’s clear that it’s not easy for technology to go from introduction to universal adoption. However, they say document cameras will be the next big thing! Source: Thejournal.com
Tell Us About Your Islandwood Experience
By Judith Arvidson, 4th Grade Teacher (and her students!)
The 4th and 5th graders recently returned from their trip to Islandwood. Here’s what the 4th graders had to say about their experience.
Anna C. - We did a lot of things at IslandWood, so it’s hard to choose just a couple, but I’ll try. One of the things I did at IslandWood was going to Blakely Harbor. Did you know it was once a wood mill and some of the cut down trees could fit about twenty people and a horse on them and the people would still have room to move around?! We saw a couple jellyfish and four white ducks.
Annika - We had a lot of fun in IslandWood! First, every day we had a delicious breakfast and then we’d go to the Friendship Circle, where we learned a song and the schedule for the day. After that, we went to field studies in our team groups. In field studies, we took hikes, learned about nature, and did fun activities. Then we retired to some lodge time, and then dinner. Sometimes we’d have a night hike, and sometimes we’d have an animal program indoors. I strongly recommend going to IslandWood because the instructors there teach you a lot of things about the ecosystem, but they help to make it fun.
Matt - IslandWood was awesome! Our trip was kind of like surviving in the wild with awesome food and cabins. In other words I loved it! The thing I was most worried about was not having any electronics apart from a camera. Everything worked out okay though.
IslandWood was the kind of thing that I’m not going to forget! It was very cold while we were there and we did a lot of hiking, but you pretty much didn’t feel it because you were having so much fun!
Lucie - My IslandWood experience for the first time was really, really, really awesome! The beds were really comfy, the rooms were really pretty, the lodges were beautiful, and the food was really good. My group went on the Canopy Tower which was awesome and we went on the Suspension Bridge which was cool and so was the Friendship Circle when we had a talent show our last night there.
Josh - My IslandWood experience was a blast! The lodges were really comfy. The living room-hangout place was great. Another great and comfy place was my big bed!
The food at IslandWood was breathtaking. I couldn’t believe how good breakfast was. Dinner was awesome and so was lunch.
Going into field groups was my favorite part. I got a lot of exercise. The Canopy Tower was my favorite. It is two thousand forty-eight inches high… Awesome!
Anna N. - To begin with, I loved the Canopy Tower. It was so high up and you could totally look at things from a different perspective. I also really liked the Suspension Bridge because you could lie down on it and look down in the ravine at the little stream running down it. Those are only a couple things I liked about IslandWood.
Will - A few weeks ago we went to IslandWood. It’s a really cool school in the woods. As a class we stayed there for four days. It was really fun. The first thing we did was come to school at nine o’clock in the morning like we always do. Then we learned who we were riding with. Then we drove to the ferry and then drove a little more after that. When we got there we unloaded our luggage onto carts and pulled them to the lodge. Westside all stayed in one lodge called Bird’s Nest.
After we got organized in our lodge we went to our first Friendship Circle. Then we split up into field groups and all went different ways. Some of us went to the Learning Tree and others went to different places. Then we had an amazing dinner, went to bed, and then completed the cycle all over again.
Rex - I am going to tell you why IslandWood is a great place. One of the many great things about IslandWood is the food. I enjoyed the way the food was made. It must have taken VERY long to make. Another amazing thing was the instructors. They were very nice and taught you about animals, their habitats, and nature. The third and last thing I’m going to tell you is the sites. You could walk up the Canopy Tower or look down the Suspension Bridge.
There are other great things, but I wouldn’t want to waste your time. I’ll see you later!
Owen - When I went to IslandWood I was very excited about it. We did lots of fun things. We played games, went places, and learned a lot. Some places we went to were the Canopy Tower, Suspension Bridge, Blakely Harbor, and other places too. I learned a whole lot about trees, plants, water, and all of nature. That was the most fun field trip ever!
Amerine - IslandWood was a great experience for me because I got to learn, have fun, and make new friends all at once. My favorite game at IslandWood was Camouflage because it was so sudden when my instructor called it out and then we had to find a good hiding spot in ten seconds. My favorite place at IslandWood was the Canopy Tower where my group and I got to observe the different layers of the trees. I also loved the food at IslandWood and my favorite meal was always breakfast. I learned so, so much at IslandWood.
Kelvin - When we got to IslandWood everyone in my car looked for their stuff being unloaded. We got out and pulled our stuff on carts to our cabin called Bird’s Nest where we were locked out. When we were let in we raced to our rooms to see who claimed the Murphy bed. I didn’t get it. After that we went to the Friendship Circle, ate lunch, broke into our field groups, and went exploring. First, we went to Mac’s Pond (it’s a manmade pond) and paddled out in the Floating Classroom and saw an otter and six bald eagles. After that, we had dinner. It was turkey, mashed potatoes, and gravy.
During the week we also went on the Suspension Bridge blindfolded (I was less scared blindfolded). We found out that Wint-O-Green Lifesavers spark when you bite down on them in the dark. We went to Blakely Harbor and saw an owl. We sang this song when we left. It went like this: “Oh, see ya later IslandWood. I would live here if I could. We gotta get a move on and get back to school. This place is a hidden jewel.”
Celina - When I went to IslandWood what I liked was the Suspension Bridge. It is a bridge held up by suspension wires. We ate magic rocks in the dark and they sparked. Oh, you wouldn’t imagine the food there. My favorite was Turkey Night. There was turkey, mashed potatoes, and broccoli.
Lily - We did so many fun things at IslandWood! My favorite thing that we did was go on the Canopy Tower. While we were up there, we learned how to identify trees by the top of them. While we were walking back our teacher told us about Licorice Fern. She picked one and she let us eat the roots which tasted like licorice!
We also went to the art studio and drew a plant. Then we studied it and did presentations. I studied an Evergreen Huckleberry. One fact about them is that they grow pink flowers. I wish we never had to leave IslandWood!
Grant - I thought IslandWood was very fun especially when our lodge would play Capture-the-Flag. IslandWood is a good way for kids to do stuff that they usually don’t get to do and to connect with nature. I thought that Skit Night was really fun because it was so funny. The skits were really good. I also really liked the Night Hike.
Jordan - IslandWood is an amazing experience. You get to be outside most of the day doing fun things like art with leaves or walking on the Suspension Bridge. Breakfast and dinner in the Dining Hall are awesome and lunch is picnic-style. IslandWood is very fun!
Eli - I liked IslandWood because they had good food like rolls and really fun instructors. And they let us play fun games like Flashflood. I enjoyed my trip to IslandWood.
Lucas - My favorite IslandWood experience was playing Camouflage. Camouflage is a game where you are supposed to blend into nature. My favorite food was turkey and my favorite place to go was the Suspension Bridge. And the Night Hike was fun too. IslandWood is awesome!!!