Week 36

Dear Parents,

Last week was long and busy but lots of fun! Congratulations to our drama club students who successfully performed their first play, “The Firebird!” It was a real treat to see the results of all their hard work, and to laugh along at their comedic efforts. Mr. Ohbayashi and Mr. Elefson did a wonderful job directing.

Congratulations to Ms. Sassaman on a successful week of concerts! I did not get to see the 1^st-3^rd concert, but the 4^th and 5^th graders sounded lovely. I was especially impressed by the fourth grade students harmonizing in “Going to Ghana” and the fifth grade students giving such a beautiful rendition of “The Road Not Taken.”

As always, thank you to all of you parents who support your students as they prepare for and perform in these school events. We know this takes a lot of time and effort on your part, but rest assured, your work does not go unnoticed!

Of course, this post would not be complete without mention of our art walk! While the rain threatened to spoil our fun, I think you can all agree we had a great time. Thank you to all of you who hung black paper and pictures, made donations to baskets, collected donations for baskets, and of course attended and supported this fundraiser. A big shout out especially goes to Ms. Stephanie Dean, our receptionist who took on organizing the whole event! Also, Mrs. Walters and Ms. Lipmann took the lead in collecting donations for 4A’s baskets and putting them togather.

We have a few more standardized assessments to complete before the end of the year. These are not state tests but rather tools we use at Trivium East to help teachers understand in what areas their students need to grow. On Monday we will have our multiple choice Galileo math test, and on Tuesday we will have our multiple choice Galileo language arts test. Next week we will also have an Algebra Readiness assessment for fourth grade students; further details will be included in next week’s blog post.

In math this week we will be simplifying fractions. In science, we will learn about clouds and the water cycle. On Wednesday we have a science test on what we have learned about meteorology so far. Here is the study guide:

1.       Meteorology is the science of earth’s atmosphere and weather.

2.       The atmosphere is a blanket (or bubble) of gasses that surround the earth. The gasses are held around the earth by earth’s gravity.

3.       Components of the atmosphere: The gasses that make up the atmosphere include nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide and others.

4.       What the atmosphere does for us: The atmosphere allows us to breathe and protects us from outer space.

5.       The gasses in the atmosphere are, of course, composed of atoms and molecules. These atoms and molecules press down on us from above. This is called “atmospheric pressure.” (Pressure literally means “pressing.”)

6.       Just as the inside of the earth has layers, so does the atmosphere. The main layers of the atmosphere are the troposphere, the stratosphere, the mesosphere, the thermosphere, and the exosphere.

7.       The troposphere is the layer of the atmosphere that starts just above the earth’s surface and extends 11 miles above the earth. The air around you right now is part of the troposphere. Most clouds and storms are in the troposphere.

8.       The stratosphere is the layer above the troposphere. It has a few clouds and (as a result) a few storms. It also contains ozone.

9.       Ozone is a special kind of oxygen atom found mostly in the stratosphere. It protects the earth from the harmful ultra-violet light rays of the sun.

10.   The mesosphere is the layer after the stratosphere. Meteors falling from outer space usually burn up in the mesosphere.

11.   The thermosphere is the layer above the stratosphere. It’s temperature is about 3,600 degrees Fahrenheit! The thermosphere absorbs most of the heat from the rays of the sun that come towards earth, protecting us from getting too hot.

12.   The exosphere is the highest layer of the atmosphere. The atoms and molecules of gas are extremely far apart from each other in the exosphere. Some scientists consider the exosphere part of outer space.

13.   Air takes up space! You can feel that air takes up space when you wave your hand quickly and feel the air moving past your hand. We also proved that air takes up space in our experiment with the jar under water. When we put the jar straight down underwater, no water got into the jar. Then we tipped the jar to the side and saw air bubbles come out of the jar as water moved into the jar. This proved that air had been in the jar, and it was taking up space in the jar because it had to move out before the water could move in.

14.   Air has weight! We proved this when we blew up two balloons to the same size, attached them to the ends of a ruler, and then balanced the ruler at its center. The fact that the rule balanced proved that both of the balloons were the same weight. Then we popped one of the balloons. The ruler no longer balanced but rather tipped toward the full balloon, proving that the balloon full of air was heavier than the empty balloon. The air has weight which is weighing the full balloon down.

As of this week we have only two full weeks until the end of the school year and three half days the week after. Fourth graders will devote their half days to studying for and taking their finals. As with the finals before Christmas, these will NOT be cumulative tests; they will only be on material taught in class since the last test. However, the fourth graders will have 4-5 tests over the course of those half days in order to practice the skill of studying for several tests at once. More details will be given as we get closer to the last week.

These are all the notes I have for you this week. If you have any further questions, comments, or concerns, do not hesitate to email me at rwycklendt@archwaytriviumeast.org.

Sincerely,

Miss Wycklendt