Dear Tree Swallow Families,

First of all, I hope you took advantage of yesterday's absolutely perfection to get outdoors and play, discover something new in your backyard and get a good dose of vitamin D. Today on the other hand, is made for catching up with reading, baking cookies (perhaps for some hammy teacher that you know..:) and for some of us work (for those of us, work is not really "work", right?).

Here we are with just 7 days of this fabulous school year left. Oh and it has been a fabulous year. I have been working to create a Tree Swallow yearbook, compiling highlights from the year. I really tried to focus on key projects, events and studies, hoping to keep production costs and time to a minimal. Last night I was at 26 pages and, like that drum-rolling rabbit, "still going and going...."

About 10:00 pm the program closed unexpectedly, loosing about half of what I had just created; I like to think it was the universes way of offering some perspective.

We have had a year filled with meaningful and authentic projects, relationship building and remarkable creativity. To truly capture this, the yearbook might have to be upwards of 50 pages or " you had to be there". I will do my best to create a summary memento of this year.

One of our most authentic projects just culminated this last Thursday. Recall that the Tree swallows have been stewards and students of a local seasonal wetland, we call Ash Street Field. This space is managed by Metro and will border one of the trailheads for the FG Emerald Necklace Trails. The Swallows wondered what the surrounding neighbors knew and wanted to know about Ash Street Field. We worked together to create a survey and planned how and where this survey would be distributed. We distributed surveys door-to-door, providing many Swallows an authentic opportunity to practice and refine public speaking skills. A few weeks later, the survey came back to us and we worked together to extract and analyze the information.

What did the public know? What misunderstandings did they have? What were their questions? This guided expert group research topics to create our brochure and our information share. The Tree Swallows also created a presentation visual: an informational mural of Ash Street Field out of painted paper. It is gorgeous!

Last Thursday, at the Rogers Room in the Forest Grove Library, the Tree Swallow Stewards of Ash Street Field presented in partnership with two representatives from Metro. To an audience of about 25 (FGCS high-schoolers, Pacific faculty members, our Principal and invited neighbors of this field), four Tree Swallow ambassadors presented on our stewardship of this wetland, our creation of a public survey about this space and survey results. All Tree Swallows "Ash Street Experts" were onstage and at the ready to answer audience questions about the survey project and the wetland. The audience members and Metro received brochures and Metro asked if they could have the mural to display in the Metro lobby in Portland. Wow!

After this monumental event, the Swallows were surprised with ice cream at Joe's. The waitress at Joe's commented on how well behaved and respectful they were.

Congratulations Swallows, we are all so proud, as you must be too!

What could possibly follow this, you ask?

Let's start at the beginning: I hope you have had a chance to work in and/or visit the garden. Last week, the Swallows worked to build the foundation of the benches. The Owls and Swallows worked together to brainstorm possible bench designs. This week, we will work with the Owls to create the back of the benches---a curving worm. In order to accommodate for both classes schedules, we need to take any open opportunity we can. The first is this Monday (tomorrow) morning at 9:00 - 10:00. I just checked the weather and it supposed to be 70 and clear tomorrow (the only day next week). However, it was supposed to be 70 with a 20% chance of rain today, and ummmmmmm, well, see how that worked out? We will be flexible (it is a life skill). The plan is to work with our Owl buddies in the garden, making and applying cob. This gets messy. Please send boots and perhaps a change of clothes for tomorrow. If the weather is like this, we will postpone our bench making for another day this week.

Tuesday: The Tree Swallows will have a well-known substitute for the last hour of the day. I have an appointment. I just want to say thank you for all the support you have given your kids and me during this time. What a family I have.

Tuesday afternoon we will visit the high school classrooms as audience for their poster presentations.

Wednesday: RETURN TO NANA CARDOON'S: This will be our second annual end-of the year celebration in one of our most beloved places, Nana Cardoon Garden. We will leave school at 11:30 and return at dismissal. While there, the Swallows will rotate through stations to steward the garden, prepare for our celebration and just be together as a class family and community. We will be presenting Richard and Charlene with their autographed copy of the treasure book (shhhhit is a surprise for them) and reminiscing about the year. I have spoken to some of you about coming with us. Please let me know if you will be attending and if you are willing to guide/lead a small group during this event.

Thursday: The Swallows will have an extended PA (it is the last for the year and they presented during their PA block last week). This is also scheduled to be the day of our last Authors Tea.

Friday: We will spend our Art period in the garden working on our cob benches. This is our last All School Meeting for the year.

* Third Graders are required to prepare and give a 2-minute speech. The Swallow elders have all selected their topics (something they know some about that they want to teach or share with the class) and some have been working on these in class. This Thursday and Friday, the 3rd graders will present their speeches in front of the class. While there will be blocks of time for the Swallows to write and practice, it might be helpful to offer your child an opportunity to share their speech and practice it with you. Ask your swallow about the scoring guides.

NEXT WEEK:

Monday the 14th: Bridgers will visit their receiving class for 40 minutes. This is Field Day.

Tuesday, the 15th: BRIDGING CEREMONY at Pacific University from 11:00-12:00. School ends this day at 1:05. Happy summer!

Love,

Rachel

Stewards of Our Place: Ash Street Field

Ah, Ash Street Field.... Here, we have been scientists, writers, stewards and playful. We have a sense of ownership and responsibility for this place. This role is shared with Metro, the governmental entity that owns this private-use wetland.

To further nurture our role as stewards and fill an authentic need to gage public awareness of this space, the Swallows have created a survey for public in the neighborhoods surrounding Ash Street Field.

We have collected our first round of completed surveys and have begun to analyze the information. We are identifying both what neighbors know (fact and misconceptions) and what they want to know. This will guide our information share with Metro and the public.

The students were all so professional during their interactions with neighbors!

This week, Tom Gamble from Forest Grove Parks and Rec. will visit to share more about the Emerald Necklace trailhead that borders Ash Street Field. Next week, the stewardship coordinator from Metro will meet with us and June 3rd we will have our final information share. Watch for updates...

Playing in the Mud?

While not exactly "play" or mud, making cob at Nana Cardoon's was an absolute giddy joy. Just look at their faces...

Richard guided the Swallows as they mixed soil, clay, sand and water by dancing (really.. we did the twist) to create a building material similar to adobe. With plans to create a cob bench in our school garden, we needed to have some experience with the material.

We shared our experience with our Owl buddies (Level 3, Chris) and then worked with our buddies and the cob to try and create invertebrate inspired bench models. It was messy and tricky, but we learned a lot about working as partners and the limitations of the material. Last week buddies took a step back and drew plans for their bench design. The designs are inventive and indicate applied understanding about the material.

Tomorrow we will meet with the Owls again to create 3-d models of these plans. Our goal is to propose one of these benches for the FGCS garden to be built during the VBC. We will keep you posted.

Goal!

What's Growing on in the Goal Garden?

Make sure you check out the blooms, fruits and veggies that have emerged. Each one indicates a student personal goal was met! This deserves a yippee and hooray for each one also represents the student's initiative, perseverance and collaboration with family and school community.

The front of the school will be even more beautiful because of a student goal to create a butterfly garden, and because of her peers collaboration to make it happen.

18 level 1 and 2 "LEGO- lovers" are getting together and practicing teamwork, cooperation creative expression because of a student's personal goal and the family support to make it happen.

Our community is a little cleaner because of a O&A Trash Collection Contest for level 1 and 2 coordinated by a student personal goal.

There are ongoing goals and new sprouts too (that means new goals)!

We have students who are writing chapter books, teaching science inquiry, making a documentary about volcanoes, co-teaching music with our music volunteer, teaching ballet and jazz to a group of peers, teaching drawing and coordinating a fundraiser for the ASPCA, to name a few.

Thank you again, Families, for your support! These kids see no limits!

Forward MARCH!!!! AKA what is happening this month...

I am sorry, but who pushed the fast-forward button? How is it possible that we are 2/3 of the way through this school year and already near through the month of March? Ugh...now we have the time change to boot (you did remember to jump forward an hour?)

Let's jump right in....

Our listening library project for Adelantes Mujeres with the Merlins is complete. Each buddy group put together a wonderful packet, complete with audio recording of selected book and supplementary learning activities. To be truly complete, we would like to be able to send the book along too. For this we need your help. We are seeking donations of selected book titles to send along to the Adelante Preschool. Below is a list of titles we still need. Please let me know if you need the authors name to locate the book and if you are able to donate (used or new) this title to make our project complete. When we have collected each title, we will coordinate a trip to deliver the literacy packets to the preschool. Thanks for helping to make a reader!

-I Saw It Happen On Mulberry Street (Seuss) -If You Give A Cat A Cupcake

-Butter Battle Book (Seuss) - Thomas the Tiger

-Green Eggs and Ham (Seuss) - Chrysanthemum

-Horton Hatches an Egg (Seuss) -The Girl Who Swam With the Fish

-Imogene's Antlers - The Secret Shortcut

-The Little Red Hen

SOMETHING TO TREASURE....

Our Treasure book is almost finished! This week we decide on a title for this homage to and informational tour of Nana Cardoon, the garden-farm that has become our treasured backyard. The Swallows have taken this authorship task very seriously and have worked very hard to create this informational book and scrapbook of experience. Thank you to all have already sent in order/decline sheets. If you have not sent in either an order form or a decline to order, please do so by Wednesday this week. Even if you decide not to order, your completion of the form guarantees the class a copy of the published book. If you do wish to order, unlike other books we have created in the past, this book can not be ordered at a later date. There is just one publication run. If you would like to see a mock-up print, please contact me by email or in person by Wednesday morning.

AUTHORS' TEA: THIS FRIDAY!

This will be our 3rd opportunity this year for Swallow writers to publish and share the writing they are doing in the classroom. All Swallows will have the opportunity to share their Treasure book pages and many writers have indicated they have pieces to share with the Swallow audience. This Tea will be the first "trial" with a microphone. Join us as audience, if you are able.

SPRING BREAK IS NEXT WEEK

When we return...

WEDNESDAY is our O&A to Nana Cardoons to learn about and explore creating cobb mud structures/sculptures. Alas....although our initial plan was to create a FGCS earth oven and many of us prepared to support this, we have since discovered that we can not create this for our school. This will not preclude our cobb workshop with Nana Cardoon on March 31st or our plan to create both a useful and aesthetically pleasing cobb structure.

O&A this week...

We will have two outings this week and the weather is predicted to cooperate! That is worth the outing alone... However, there are additional reasons we will be heading outdoors.

WEDNESDAY: This week, we will begin "publishing" our backyard "Critters" storyline and shifting our full-time focus to Ash Street. Over the next couple months, we will become "experts" about this space (what lives and grows here and public and educational use) to create some information sharing product/forum. Wednesday, we will head to Ash Street at 1:00 p.m-3:00 p.m. to identify and record native plants and animals and to work toward deciding upon focus for independent study.

THURSDAY: We have been gifted the opportunity to explore another local organic garden/farm (think Nana Cardoons...) and habitat for natives wildlife (insects, amphibians and mammals) with a buddy classroom.

This Thursday, we will head to Flamingo Ridge Farm near Gaston at 9:05 a.m., with our Peace Buddies (Charlie's Level 2 classroom). There, we will tour the garden farm to gather inspiration and information for our own garden/farm. We will spend time identifying native plants, insects and animals species. If the weather cooperates, we will have lunch there and return to school by 12:30.

One Book, Two Books, Read Books, Knew books...

You're never too old, too wacky, too wild,


To pick up a book and read with a child.


You're never too busy, too cool, or too hot,


To pick up a book and share what you've got.

In schools and communities,
Let's gather around,


Let's pick up a book,
Let's pass it around.

Read a book all day long, read to someone you know,

Oh the thinks you will think, oh, the places you'll go!

March 2, is Dr. Suess' birthday and is celebrated as Read-Across- America Day! This Tuesday is all about reading! We will have guest readers, buddy reading and time to enjoy independent reading as well. We will explore a "Suess-ish" substance called Oobleck and try to determine if it is a solid or liquid (we might find it has properties of both). Because we want to focus on the reading, we need to be really comfortable. Tree Swallows are invited to wear PJ's and bring one favorite stuffed friend (to read to). We will be going outside for break, so please make sure to have a coat and shoes. Slippers are o.k. in the classroom.

Wednesday is our trip to Salem for the Entomology Museum and to the Children's Museum for a "Bug building" class. We will be leaving FGCS parking lot sharply at 9:00am and will return at 2:45 pm. We will not have access to a microwave for lunches. The majority of our O&A will be indoors. However, we are planning on having lunch and a short break outside, so please make sure that your child is prepared in case of rain (forecast say's it is supposed to be raining).

If that isn't excitement enough for one day... Wednesday evening is Celebrations of Learning 5:00-6:30. This is like an open-house event where you can come see what is going on in the classroom. Come explore our backyard Storyline (character homes, diary entries and the Critter Cafe menu items). We will have samples of the Swallows work with the Merlins (recorded books and supplemental activities) and an invitation to help complete this gift to the Adelante Mujeres preschool.

LET'S GO OUT WITH A BANG... The Pennies for Peace fundraiser was scheduled to end February 28th. We are so close to our goal of $300.00 and have done so much to prepare for this project. To honor the investment of time and creativity by the Tree Swallows and the Kestrels, we will be showcasing student Pennies for Peace PSAs and inviting your penny donations during this Celebrations of Learning evening.

What's up next?

Monday, March 8, we will be heading to the Oregon Zoo. There we will participate in a guided exploration of habitat with a NW focus. I am seeking a few parent guides for this trip. If you are willing and able, please contact me asap.

On Wednesday, we turn our attention to Ash Street Field, where we will look for signs of NW life and broaden our research in preparation for our public information product (later this year).

Oh, the places we'll go...

This Wednesday, we are off to Nana Cardoons! We will begin our afternoon there with our Level 3 “Garden” buddies to explore soil, research plans and perhaps, help Richard and Charlene prepare their garden for planting (this gets us ready for when it will be time to plant our FGCS garden). The second half of our time there will be time to work on our Treasure Book (shhhhh… this will be a surprise for our hosts). Tree Swallows will be taking photos, researching and mapping grounds (depending on their topic pages) to create a book about this garden farm and what lives, grows and visits here, including our experiences.

It is estimated that there are approximately 10 quintillion (10,000,000,000,000,000,000) individual insects alive. There are 1,017,018 species of insects in the world with some experts estimating that there just might be as many as 10 million species out there. That means you could spend your whole life looking at different kinds of insects and you'll never be able to see them all.

That doesn’t mean we aren’t gonna try, though. On Wednesday, March 3^rd, we are going The Oregon Department of Agriculture's Insect Museum in Salem. The collection, with 150,000 pinned specimens, is open to small tour groups. It's hard to imagine, but 95% of all the animal species on the earth are insects!!