// It's April! //

The Upper Elementary students returned with many stories of their adventures at the overnight field trip. Students had a chance to spend most of their time outdoors, engaged with nature and with each other. We hiked, worked on team-building, and learned about colonial cooking and wilderness survival. Back in the classroom, we have enjoyed getting ready for the upcoming Exploration Fair. Students are fine-tuning their research writing in order to present to our community, as well as illustrations and visual displays to represent their ancient civilizations.  Students have an opportunity to practice working in groups and making sure that everyone has a chance to participate and contribute to the work ahead. These same skills were a focus in Collaborative Math this week, where we explored fractions as parts of a whole.  The idea of “getting the answer correct” is deemphasized; positive partnerships and clear communication of ideas becomes the heart of the work.