Students had a great morning last Friday, participating in Native American activities. It was wonderful to have so many parent helpers; thank you! Students were able to make their own staves game to take home, as well as a cornhusk birdie (used like a hackysack); they got to play lacrosse, have popcorn (yes, Native Americans ate popcorn, although not prepared in a microwave), create sandpaintings, and winter counts. A morning well spent.

Just a reminder: For parents interested in having their child take the upcoming (March) GATE test, you must complete the district form (available on the NUSD website) and return it to me no later than January 29. If you have any questions, or if you need help getting the form, please let me know.

The Scholastic book order is in this week's Friday folder and is due back to me by Friday, Jan. 30.

We are busy preparing for the upcoming science test. The test will be given on Monday, Feb. 2, and will cover almost half of this FOSS module: cells, their structures and the function of those structures, and cellular respiration; and the circulatory, respiratory, digestive, urinary (excretory), and skeletal systems. Students need to understand the purpose of each system and be able to identify the major organs in each system (they do NOT need to learn specific names of the bones of the skeletal system--just the main purposes of the skeletal system). They have many resources to study: the science book, their science journal, various worksheets completed, and study guides (I-Checks and vocabulary/concept lists).

Students will be dissecting owl pellets next Friday, Jan. 30. A few parents have already volunteered to help out (Thank you!), but we could use a couple more. Very interesting activity!

And speaking of parents, it was fun to have some stay on Tuesday to watch the inaugural ceremony with us. Truly an amazing event--and a healthy reminder that everyone can get nervous, make a mistake, and then correct it later!

Remember, there is no school for students on Monday. I'll see everyone back on Tuesday!