The third graders are in the process of gathering information about the ways in which the pre-Columbian California Indians used natural resources to support their ways of life. This information will be used to write a multi-paragraph informational essay! To prepare for the essay, our scholars are reading three different sources about the Chumash, Hupa, and Miwok Indians, annotating these sources, and recording notes in a table regarding the natural resources each group used. I can't wait to see their their finished work!

This week, our fourth grade scholars began to prepare for their Walk Through California presentation on January 27. Each student was assigned one or two "expert word cards" related to California history, and they have been tasked with memorizing the word and definition on each card, as well as researching information about each word. They are off to a great start, and I can't wait to see them participate in the presentation the 27th!

Congratulations to our fourth grade scholars who won awards for Semester 1! I am so proud of your effort, enthusiasm, and hard work! 

The Electives Winter Festival was a blast! Our scholars are so very talented, and many of them had their talents showcased at the festival this past Friday. Third and fourth graders from music, dance, art, soccer, and basketball electives showed off their skills through performances, creative art displays, and competitive games. Take a look at the photos to see if you can spot a third or fourth grader you know!

Today, our last day before Thanksgiving break, our students shared what they are thankful for in a discussion with their peers. They were able to name so many things to be grateful for - toys, games, pets, teachers, family, friends. It was a meaningful time of reflecting on the ways in which we have all been blessed!

With the help of a Brain Pop video, we also learned about the first Thanksgiving, and how it was a little different than the story we may have been told in the past. Students recognized familiar historical figures like Squanto, whose name was actually Tisquantum. They learned more about the relationship between the English settlers and the Wampanoag, a Native American tribe in New England, as well. If you'd like to watch the video, click on the image below!

I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving break! See you in two Mondays!

Our third and fourth grade scholars have been learning lots of gestures to help them understand and remember important concepts and vocabulary! Below are some of our third graders modeling the gestures to their classmates, who then repeat the gestures after them. Here, they are naming the landforms, states, and country that share a border with the state of California - to the north, east, south, and west!

Our scholars had so much fun participating in the Literature Festival on Literature Day! Students dressed up as their favorite literary characters, and participated in a number of fun festival activities facilitated by the amazing 7th and 8th graders!

Every Wednesday, UC Irvine receives Mandarin lessons! Here are some photos of our wonderful Mandarin teacher instructing our scholars in the proper pronunciation of Mandarin vowels.

Our fourth graders continued building their map skills this week by learning both how to find the absolute locations of various California cities, as well as identify cities given their absolute locations. Using lines of latitude and longitude on the global grid, students were able to locate and label the absolute locations of cities like Sacramento, San Francisco, San Diego, and others.

In other news, five of our 3rd and 4th graders have already completed 100% of the ST Math program at their individual grade levels! They were celebrated at our pep rally this past Friday. Way to go, scholars!

This week, 10th graders from Sage Hill High School visited our fourth graders to lead them in writing and arts activities! Over the course of the year, the Sage Hill students will be making visits to our campus to continue mentoring our scholars in writing. The fourth graders loved meeting their high school buddies, and can't wait for the next visit!