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Have you ever wanted to see the world? I always have! I was 15 when I started traveling without my parents! One of the things I try to find on my trips is postcards. Back in the days of film cameras, I always worried that my photos would turn out awful, so I bought postcards of the places I visited just in case. I have hundreds of postcards, many from faraway friends.
On Saturday, I headed over to the car wash fundraiser for the 5th Grade Science Camp. The 5th Grade teachers, parents, and students worked hard to clean the grime off numerous cars! I hear that my car was especially dirty. :) At $5 per car, not only did we get to support a worthy cause, we also got a great deal!
To host a drive, sign up at the website below by September 28, 2007.
http://www.walden.com/walden/properties/magorium/toysfortots/toysfortots.php#
Hey Kids!
For the official announcement and rules, click on the link above. Get that entry in by November 15 and good luck!
Peter Pevensie received a shield on which the charge was a rampant lion, the symbol of Aslan. A rampant animal on a shield would be in a charging position, facing left, on it's hind legs, with the forelegs and tail raised.
Life on a farm like Zuckerman's often included such chores as churning butter. These days, most people get their butter from the market, but on Friday, we made it ourselves. It's actually very easy!
Every self-respectin' pirate needs a treasure chest in which to stow their ill-gained booty! Last week, all the pirates on board The Black Pearl and The Death Deck crafted their own treasure chests. Each one was painted and decorated. The Cap'n was gracious enough to give them all a share of booty to put inside, with more to come as we be plunderin' the high seas! 
Check out these adorable paper plate farm animals! There were three different ones: cow, chicken, and pig. Our farmers did a very good job making these, they'll look great in your barn. 
Has your little pirate been singing a new tune? We've just learned the song, "Hoist the Colors" from Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End. Styled after pirate shanties of old, this type of song would be sung while raising the "colors" (flag). Pirates used these songs to keep up a good rhythm and promote teamwork. Here is the chorus from "Hoist the Colors."
Unfortunately, PhotoSite will be closing at the end of September. That means that my pictures will not be available online after that time. I will continue to upload photos of the classes throughout the summer, which you can view and download. Make sure that you save all the photos you want to keep by September 27, 2007. If you have trouble downloading, contact me at miss_cong@hotmail.com and I will email you the photos you want.
Hail Narnians! Did you try making Turkish Delight last week? Well, if you enjoyed that, look in your books and make a list of all the foods enjoyed by the Pevensies at the Beavers' house. Perhaps you can try a few of the tasty dishes this weekend?
Attention all SPEF'ers, friends, and families!!! Photos are now up! Please go to http://www.misscong.photosite.com/ to check them out. More photos will be posted as the classes progress, so check in every week for updates!
In Zuckerman's Farm, we have of course been reading Charlotte's Web as a class, but we've also been hard at work putting together our farm mobiles (example at right). Each student will get to take home their mobiles at the end of summer. The class is learning about main events, characters, and settings. Today we also learned about the parts of a spider. Stay tuned for some fun activities that are coming up!
Ahoy me hearties! Captain Cong is pleased to announce the crews of her two ships, The Black Pearl and The Death Deck! All these salty sea dogs will be goin' on account for our next sailing:
Today in World of Narnia, we read about Edmund's experience with Turkish Delight, a delicacy also known as lokum. To the left is a picture of real Turkish Delight, which we will sample later on in the class. 
Well, hats off to Arroyo Vista for hosting this year's SPEF Summer School, and to Mr. Nielsen for lending me his classroom! We are off and running with the start of classes. This year, I have Zuckerman's Farm, World of Narnia, and Pirateology on my schedule. We're just getting to know each other right now, but there are lots of fun activities in store over the next few weeks.
More Science Fair photos have been added to the PhotoSite.
The Upper Grade Science Fair was a great success! There were so many projects exhibited, the tables in Bennett Hall were nearly full. Each student will receive a certificate for participating and plaques will be awarded for the top project in each of four categories. 
June's "Harvest of the Month" is the peach! Nurse Sherwood stopped by last week with enough peaches for the whole class. This stone fruit is an excellent source of nutrients and is closely related to the nectarine. 
Many students wanted a copy of the Museum maps. Unfortunately, they were only giving these out to the adult visitors, so here is a scan of each section.
I encourage everyone to visit the Natural History Museum with their families over the summer. Admission is $9 for adults, $2 for children under 12, and FREE every first Tuesday. The Butterfly Pavillion of Wings will be open until September for an additional charge. While in Exposition Park, stop by the California Science Center (FREE), California African-American Museum, and nearby USC.
We have just returned from the 4th Grade Field Trip to the Los Angeles Natural History Museum! Huge thanks to Ms. Dea, Ms. Savare, and Coach C. for accompanying us on the trip. Today, the students learned from hands-on exhibits about California history, gems and minerals, modern and prehistoric animals, and ancient civilizations.
Thanks again to everyone who turned out for Open House on Thursday night! I think the kids really loved showing you all the different things they've learned about this year, including electric currents, probability, and California history. We were also glad to welcome the rest of the school as well as grandparents and other VSPs on Friday morning.
Today we experimented with electricity. Two sets of D-cell batteries, wire, and tape were passed around the room. Using only these tools, students had to figure out how to light a small lightbulb (closed circuit). Once they lit the bulb, students passed the items on to the next person until everyone had a chance to try it. Check out more pictures in the Science album of my PhotoSite!
Next Thursday is Open House! Class will be dismissed at 1:30PM that day. Families are welcome to join in at the International Feast at 5:30PM. Cost of admission is one dish to feed about fifteen people. Immediately following the feast is a brief PTA meeting and then at 7:00PM, guests are invited to tour the classrooms. Come and see our students' hard work! Since we only have one hour to talk with all of our visitors, it is requested that parents schedule a separate meeting if they wish to discuss their student's progress. 
As part of their homework, students should be working on their Science Projects in anticipation of the Science Fair this June. Topics and partners have been chosen, and information packets have been distributed. Each project centers on a question and the students' hypothesis (theory) on the answer. Students will devise experiments or investigations which will prove or disprove their hypothesis and hopefully answer their question. 
Each student is creating a mosaic Mission Platter art project. Check out more pictures in the Social Studies section of our PhotoSite. You can see the finished projects at Open House in two weeks!
Join Mr. Perry for an informational meeting regarding 5th Grade Science Camp for 2008! Stop by Room 9 at 7PM on Thursday, May 3 (after the Parent Academy) to find out more about this great opportunity.
In Science, we are learning about Static Electricity. We did an investigation in which we rubbed these balloons with different materials and observed their behaviors. See more pictures by clicking my PhotoSite link to the left.
As you can see, we are running low on lined paper! We have ordered some from the District Warehouse, but it has not yet arrived. So, I am asking that students supply their own paper until our order comes in. Thanks for your understanding!
