Hello, and happy snowy Monday! It finally looks and feels as though it is winter in Colorado! We hope everyone stayed safe driving and getting around town over the weekend. It was a lot of fun seeing many of you on Saturday evening at the Soiree. It really is a special event, and we are very thankful to our families for their generosity. Money raised at events like this allows us to make Rivendell an even better place. The money raised on Saturday will go toward renovating our front entrance and Commons. Our hope is that this work will begin in June, and should make for an exciting start to our summer around here!

This week Middle Kids will begin filling in their Science Share sheets. These were sent home in last week’s homework folders. Each student needs to come up with an idea for a science project which they can share with their class. They must follow all of the steps of the scientific process (which are outlined on the Science Share sheets.) We encourage kids to do some research and find an idea that is unique, and one that won’t likely be duplicated by others. It should be an experiment, not just a demonstration of how something works. In a true experiment, the scientist does not already know what the results will be. There must be a variable. For example, instead of demonstrating how a volcano can be made using vinegar (acid) and baking soda, an experiment would involve trying different types of acids and comparing the results. Please keep this in mind as you help your Middle Kid search for an idea. By this Friday, the kids need to have filled out the first three steps on their Science Share sheet – the question, the hypothesis, and the list of materials they need. They don’t necessarily have to perform the experiment this week. They have until next Friday, March 6th to complete the project. March 6th is the day of our Science Share when they will present their experiment and their findings to the class.

We are continuing our study of Colonial America this week. We have talked a lot about the early European settlers including the Spanish settlers in St. Augustine, Florida, the settlement in Jamestown in 1607, and the Mayflower landing in Plymouth in 1620. The kids are writing 1st person narratives in the form of a journal, written as though they were some of those first people to leave their homeland and set sail for the New World. We will also spend time this week looking at some Colonial tools and trying to decide what they may have been used for.

We hope you all had a wonderful weekend and were able to enjoy this beautiful, but crazy, February weather. We had a wonderful time at the literacy conference in Denver and have returned with many great ideas to try in our classrooms.

Last week the kids worked hard looking through books or websites on our Chromebooks to gather information on their Central or South American country.  This week they will create mini non-fiction books about their country.  Please come in and take a look at their creations.

Valentine’s Day Parties

This Friday, February 13th, we’ll be celebrating Valentine’s Day at Rivendell.  Here are a few things to keep in mind:

• Please have your child bring a valentine for each member of his/her class.  If you need a list of students, please talk to your child’s teacher.
• Kids are welcome to make valentines for book partners and teachers.
• Classroom parties will begin at 2:30 pm and last until 3:10 pm.
• Kids will read their valentines with their book partners from 2:10-2:30 pm.
• Classroom parties are being coordinated by our fabulous party parents.  Thank you!  (If you’d like to help, it’s not too late!  Talk to your child’s teacher.)

No School February 16th:

Enjoy the day with your families!  If you need a fun, engaging place for your child to spend the day, please consider our Rivendell Enrichment classes.  For more information, click here.

February 12th is Rivendell Restaurant Night:

Join us at Wahoo Fish Tacos for a night out with other Rivendell families and staff.  Wear your purple shirts and show off your Rivendell pride!

The middle kids are staying very busy these days! We are continuing to learn more about nonfiction books in reading. We are focusing on identifying the main idea and the supporting details of a passage. Most of our writing has been centered around our unit on South America. The kids have written about the rain forest, the desert, and the mountains of South America. They have been working very hard on proper paragraph writing techniques, and becoming more independent while planning their writings with a T-chart. They will be starting a research project about a South or Central American country this week. We are planning on doing the research and the project here at school, but there is a chance that some of them may need to do some additional research at home.

Both Bryce and Suzanne will be gone on Thursday and Friday this week. We are attending the International Reading Association conference in Denver. Polly will be here for Bryce, and Lori Wold will be here for Suzanne.

The kids will need a shoe box or another similar box by Friday. They will be decorating them for Valentine’s Day mailboxes. We sent home a list of kids in our class today so that they can start working on their Valentines. They can start bringing the cards in and distributing them into mailboxes next Monday.

Have a wonderful week!

It’s hard to believe that we are already at the end of January and just over halfway through our school year. This week we have school spirit week. What a great to celebrate our unique school. Each day we have a different theme. Today is Mismatched Monday, Tuesday is Team Pride Day, Wednesday is Crazy Sock Day, Thursday is Duds, Denim and Diamonds Day and Friday is Rivendell Shirt Day. A note has been sent home in the homework folders for more explanation of each day. Also, remember to take photos of your child or you wearing your Rivendell shirt out and about and email it to Jenda at Jenda@rivendell-school.org

In class we are continuing to work on our exploration of nonfiction. We are reading nonfiction books and learning about text elements while trying to determine the main idea and supporting elements in the pages we read. We are also working on writing nonfiction in expository paragraphs and creating mini books about the Atacama desert using pictures with captions and text boxes.

On Monday, February 2, Rivendell will be hosting our second “Cupcakes and Curriculum” event. From 5:30 – 7:30 p.m., Rivendell principal, Mary Nichols, will be presenting to parents about Rivendell’s literacy curriculum. Staff from all levels will be available for questions and answers, and Brenda, Rivendell’s Spanish teacher and reading specialist, will be doing a fun activity with parents.
Childcare is provided free of charge if you RSVP ahead of time, and pizza will be ordered for children that evening. Please RSVP in the front office, or email Jenda@rivendell-school.org if you plan to attend!

In topic work, we are moving on to the Andes Mountains and next week each student will begin a research project on one of the countries of South or Central America. This research will be done both at school and home, but we will start it at school. As a culminating activity, each child will present their research to the class in a choice of ways. We will send more information about this next week.

Happy Tuesday!  We hope your weekend was full of fun and games, with a little bit of relaxation in between!  For this shortened week we will have a lighter homework load.  There will be no spelling or vocab this week.

Some students will be starting a novel study with Bryce or Suzanne.  These novel groups will meet over the lunch hour on Tuesdays for awhile.  If they have been given a book, notice that they need to read the first three chapters by next Tuesday.  Please have the kids leave their book in their folder.  We are trusting them not to misplace it so that they have it here next Tuesday when we have our first meeting.  Each week on the homework menu we will give instructions and our expectations for the week.  This reading can always be counted as the reading homework.  Once this first group wraps up in approximately 6 weeks, we will choose another group.  Keep in mind that not all students are ready to take part in novel studies at this point.

For the next few weeks in writing we will focus on expository writing.  The kids are continuing to learn to use a T-chart to organize information before beginning a paragraph.  They are working on taking the information they have learned and writing complete sentences and paragraphs.  Some of them will be writing one paragraph, while others will be writing two or three. This goes right along with our new focus in Reading Workshop. We are starting to work more on nonfiction as we explore the ways nonfiction texts differ from fiction.  We will be using comprehension strategies to better understand and gather more information from nonfiction books.

As I look out the window this chilly morning I see the parking lot covered in snow as white and clean as fresh cotton sheets.  Yes, this week the Middle Kids will begin an exploration of similes.  We will identify similes and create some of our own.  We are working towards writing descriptive passages where the use of figurative language can make our writing more interesting and help our reader visualize more clearly.  Throughout this year we will continue to learn about and practice many different kinds of writing.

In Reading Workshop, we are learning more skills and strategies to help us become better readers.  We are practicing asking questions about our texts while we are reading.  Asking questions can help readers hold on to the story and think more deeply about the characters and plot as they wonder about and anticipate why events unfold the way they do.

Our exploration of South America will lead us to the tropical rainforests this week as we study the people, plants and animals of this region.  We will also look at environmental concerns caused by the destruction of the rainforest.

Homework this week is the usual spelling, Mad Minutes and reading.  We will also be doing a short recitation.  Please look in the homework folder for further explanation.

Today we challenged the Middle Kids to work in teams to move a load from the floor to a desk using at least 3 simple machines.   Some teams were successful and some were not, but all teams learned a lot in the process.

In the next two weeks before winter break, the Middle kids will be working hard to finish up some projects. We have spent the last seven weeks working on narratives.  Spending an extended amount of time on a writing project is a valuable experience for our budding writers.  They have learned how to begin a story by introducing the characters and setting, how to build up to a good problem and how to resolve this problem and finish off with a good ending. Since the kids have had plenty of time, they have been able to add interesting details and action. They have had time to think , revise and edit. We are now learning how to publish by adding illustrations to the typed story and will share the finished product in our Author’s Chair.  In the new year we will embark on new writing adventures with letter, opinion and persuasive writing.

We are also finishing up our study of simple machines. We have had fun with hands-on experiments and activities with levers, inclined planes and screws. This week we will discover the power of the pulley and move onto the wheel and axle. Next week the kids will be working on a team challenge using all the simple machines.  It should be fun.

We have a busy week with lots of extra assignments in class, so we have decided to spread our vocabulary and spelling lesson over this week and next.  The words for study will go home today, but we will have the vocab and spelling tests next week on Thursday, December 18th.

We do have  Readers’ Theater for homework this week. Last time we did this the kids enjoyed it so much that they asked for another one soon.  Remember, your children do not need to memorize their lines, but they do need to practice reading loudly, clearly and with lots of expression. Readers’ Theater is a great, and fun, way to improve fluency.  If they would like to count this as their 15 minutes of reading each night that is fine.

On Friday we have our bookfair at Barnes and Noble.  The kids will be participating in our first ever flash mob at 6pm. Some kids will also be sharing poems we have been writing in class.  Please let us know if you are planning on being there.

Happy Monday, and welcome back from what was hopefully a nice, relaxing, long break. The kids were very enthusiastic today and had a lot to say about their time away from Rivendell. Now we have three weeks before our next extended break, and a lot to do during that time!

We would like to take this time to welcome a new student to Rivendell. His name is Skyler, and he is in Bryce’s class. If you see a warm, friendly face you don’t recognize, it is probably his! We are thrilled to welcome him to our Rivendell family.

We will continue our study of simple machines this week. We will take a closer look at screws and the many places they are used. We will keep revisiting the scientific rule stating that work is using force to move an object, and simple machines make work easier.

We have our annual book fair coming up at Barnes and Noble on Friday, December 12th. We will be attempting our first-ever flash mob as well as presenting a poetry reading at the book store that evening. Of course we hope that everyone is able to attend, but we understand that this is a very busy time of year. Tina would like to get an initial count of people who are planning on coming and participating that evening. She sent out an email today – please take a moment to respond to it. We are working on some poetry here at school for kids who are wanting to share some of their writing skills on stage.

Some middle kids will continue to bring home booklets to study their multiplication facts. Not all kids are doing this since it correlates with where they are in the math progression. They should be practicing these each night for a short time. They need to be trying to memorize them. We test them on Fridays, and we test them in random order. If they need to calculate the answers, or count up by multiples in their heads that is not memorizing the facts. Please help the kids by practicing with them whenever you can.