Wow, what a beginning to our school year. We have certainly hit the ground running; two field trips, Soldotna Creek water quality monitoring, and a school potato dinner. All students have worked very hard so far and they have blended to create a great, supportive learning environment. I am so proud to see any student drop what they are doing to help another in our class.

This first quarter our writing focus has been narritive writing so students have written a letter, a personal narrative, and are now finishing up a descriptive essay.

Our science focus had been studying waste, specifically marine debris. Our field trip to Homer was funded by a NOAA grant to educate students about the impact of waste, how it becomes marine debris, and how to reduce it. We are also working on experiments to understand independent and dependent variables.

We have focused on social skils, leadership skills, procedures, and routines. We will begin studying the Civil War next week.

I want to thank all of our parents who make our field trips possible by volunteering their time, food, and help. These learning opportunites are invaluable!