In Science we took a quiz on sedimentary, metamorphic, and igneous rocks. We used our sample rocks to match our observations.

In Social Studies, students are continuing to read The Birchbark House, a novel that follows a Native American family through the cycle of one full year. We were also lucky to have a guest, Mr. Jacques, who shared an exciting website called iCivics. We learned about Maine's two Representatives in the House and students utilized this website to craft and pass a bill through the House of Representatives.

We are studying poetry in Language Arts and have written Cinquains, practiced onomatopoeia and alliteration, and have chosen a poem to illustrate.

Negative and positive numbers are the topic of Math in this unit. We are learning how they differ, how to add and subtract positive and negative number, and tools such as the number line that can help us understand them better. We will also take a mid-year assessment that will help the teachers make sure that all students are on target and provide any additional help that may be needed.

We have enjoyed six weeks of CHOICES lessons with Officer Phil Jones of the Bridgton Police Department. We learned how to make good choices, how to deal with peer pressure, stress management, and had a lesson on drug and alcohol awareness. We also set goals for ourselves and went out to see his cruiser. We wrote five paragraph essays on everything that we learned and we will celebrate next week with cake, t-shirts from the CHOICES committee, and readings from our essays!

Finally,we will have a panel discussion for fourth and fifth graders on how to be Effective Citizens, sponsored by the Parent Involvement Committee. This will be on Friday, February 18. The panel will include parents who are nurses, EMTs, forest rangers, and other exciting professions. This gives our kids ideas on setting goals for themselves for the future