Tuesday Tasting Food Research

Today the Grade 5 finished presenting the foods they researched during the month of May. After having myself and Jen present a food each Tuesday from September to April, it's nice to see the kids take over and present and share about a food that they're interested in. Most of the students chose fruits. Today Zafir and Zachary shared about Sea Urchin. Carly and Nika shared about Chocolate Fruit, an idea they got from their former Spanish teacher. Josh and Sam shared their findings on Passion Fruit.

Dissection Day

Today the 5th graders had the opportunity to dissect a sheep's heart. In pairs of two they were given a heart to study and analyze. The class pointed out the different parts and what functions each part is responsible for. They gained a greater appreciation and understanding of what the heart does. The smell of formaldehyde was a bit strong for a few 5th graders but the dissection process is an educational experience I'm sure they won't forget!

Getting Ready for Community Meeting

The fifth graders are gearing up for leading the TCS Community Meeting this Friday morning. They decided to share the fruit research that they have been doing. They have chosen some interesting fruits and I'm sure it will be both an entertaining and informative presentation. We hope to see all of you there!

Spring

The 5th graders have been working hard this spring on PLPs, ERBs and getting ready to host Spring Sing. I am happy to observe them working hard in math, spelling, humanities and their other weekly assignments. They continue to improve their skills and grow academically and still make time for a bit of fun. The photos are from our Skateworld Outing, Spirit Day and our trip to the JCC to see Nika in Tarzan.

Teacher Outing

April 22 is Earth Day. We will be talking about ways to help and preserve the earth tomorrow in class. I encourage you to also have a "green" conversation at home. The TSC Green Team sent this list of ideas to the teachers as discussion topics or categories to start brainstorming from.


Ways to Help the Earth

Brought to you by Green Team

Saving Water

-Turn off water while brushing teeth

-Turn off irrigation system during a rainy week

-Take shorter showers

- Turn down water pressure when using your sink or shower

Saving Energy

-Turn off lights and electronics when not needed

-Unplug things not in use, ie cell phone and computer chargers

-Install solar panel

Trash/Recycling

-Bring reusable tray/container for Ki’s lunch

-Bring reusable water bottle, utensils and containers in your packed lunch  

-Buy reusable bags for groceries and shopping

-Use scrap paper whenever possible or use whiteboards etc

-Use both sides of the paper

-If you see a piece of trash pick it up and put in proper place

-Put your own trash/recyclables in appropriate bins

-Start a compost bin OR save your vegetable and fruit scraps for San Diego Compost Pickup

-Use email/computers instead of paper whenever possible

Reduce Pollution

-Ride a bike, walk, take the bus or carpool whenever possible

-Avoid pesticides when possible

-Buy “Green” biodegradable cleaning products

-Clean up after your pets

Other Ideas

-Teach others what you know about helping the Earth

-If you see someone do something to hurt the Earth, politely teach them what they can do to help

-Donate money to environmental groups such as Greenpeace or Conservation Fund

-Hug a tree

-Eat less meat (it takes many more resources to grow than other foods)

-Plant succulents/succulent garden

Great Artist hard at work

The grade 5 has been been painting, photographing, digitalizing, writing

and set designing in preparation for next week. I'm sure you will enjoy their finished products. Here are a few photos of them during the process.