When I reflect back on this school year, I think about the wonderful learning our students have been exposed to this year. It has been so exciting to see first hand and up close all the wonderful academic experiences our students have been a part of this year.
Our third grade students have learned quite a lot this year! They have enjoyed their past few CKLA Units which have extended and deepened their knowledge of what they experienced in their history and science blocks. Their investigations with Space were exciting and engaging, as students did their planet projects, glitter galaxies, and planet research. Their Viking Unit took them on explorations with famous Vikings of the past as they learned what life would be like in that time period. Third graders are currently learning all about Native Americans and the different regions that provided different resources. They will begin learning about Explorers soon and will have their Living Explorer Museum coming in late April! In May, third graders will get to experience a STEM day on a field trip to Skate City, where their light and sound science unit comes to life! Third graders also proudly presented their student led conferences to their parents before spring break. They worked hard on displaying their learning and growth, and the parents loved seeing their student's take the lead!
Fourth graders have had many fantastic academic experiences. During the 3rd quarter they learned about Colorado history and will have a Time Traveler’s Music Performance on April 29th at 6:00 PM. On April 9th, fourth graders will host a Living History Museum highlighting famous people from History. Fourth graders will extend their knowledge outside of the classroom when they go on their field trip to the Colorado Museum of Natural History in April. There they will be able to explore the museum and dissect sheep hearts as part of their educational day. Their next unit in Reading will be on Treasure Island. At the conclusion of that unit they have a “Pirate Day” at the end of May. Additionally, our 3rd and 4th grade Battle of the Books team is the Douglas County Library 2025 champions.
The knowledge that fifth graders have gained this year is incredible. The students just did an amazing job creating posters and writing letters about protecting Earth's Resources to coincide with the unit they just finished in Science. Fifth grade students have read a few of the Core Classics that have been integrated into our new curriculum, which include "The Adventures of Don Quixote" and "A Midsummer Night's Dream". They started "A Midsummer Night's Dream" this week and are really enjoying the Elizabethan expressions and learning about iambic pentameter & the sound pattern associated with it. In their History classes, they are close to finishing up their Civil War Unit and the students know that means the Civil War battle reenactment practices will be starting soon. In Science, students will be building a solar system after completing a solar system collage to enhance the learning in those classes.
All these fantastic activities and learning experiences would not be possible without our dedicated, supportive, and wonderful teachers and staff. The best in our students is brought out because they find unique and creative ways to educate their students. They strive to diversify the activities to be able to meet the needs of their student's learning styles. We appreciate all the teachers and staff do to ensure our students learn in a creative, safe, and engaging environment.
As you can see, there have been quite a bit of exciting and varied educational experiences for our 3rd-5th graders this year. I am thankful and delighted to witness this daily. I treasure these opportunities and I am thankful that you trust us to engage your students everyday in new and different ways.
Jean Fanning
3rd-5th Grade Assistant Principal
