What Goes Around...

It's the time of the year where coughs and colds seem to pop up everywhere.  We have been talking to the students about ways to keep their classroom and working environment a healthy and clean place to be.

As part of this lesson, we did a science experiment and demonstration this week.  We began by starting with slices of bread and jars.  The first slice of bread we hardly touched before putting it in the jar.  The second slice we got damp and left outside for about 20 minutes before putting it in the jar.  The third slice was touched by everyone in the class and wiped on a table before putting it in the jar.  The jars were sealed and the students made predictions as to what would happen to the slices of bread.  We will watch them in the coming weeks.  What do you think will happen?

The second part of the lesson we used lotion and glitter to visibly demonstrate how easily germs pass from one person to another.  We learned that simply wiping them off doesn't work, but that we need to use both soap and water to effectively get the "germs" off. 

You can help our efforts in the classroom to keep everyone healthy by reminding your child to cover his or her coughs and sneezes, and washing their hands regularly.

In Memory

This week, we  had to say goodbye to one of our Zebra Finches, Rainbow.  She passed away on Monday morning and we held a small service for her on Tuesday morning when we buried her in the garden.  We will all miss her, and we hope that her friend, Chirp-Chirp, will recover and be able to return to the classroom.

Helping Others

Next week, the Upper Elementary classroom will be kicking off a holiday clothing drive that will last until Wednesday, December 19.  They will be accepting any clothing or blankets for children or adults.  Cold weather clothing would be particularly appreciated, as the weather is getting colder.  Please make sure that the clothing is clean and in good repair.  The community is grateful for your generosity.

Assignments

Third graders have been given an assignement to research a winter holiday of their choice, from around the world.  They need to bring their research by Tuesday, December 4th, so that we can do the next step of the assignment.  Please see the assignment sheet for research guidelines.