Last Week-This Week

Last week was a very intense week, with an experiment, fire drill and deep research. Students worked hard at identifying forms of energy, energy transfer, and physical change. This current week we will learn about chemical reactions, combustion, and nuclear energy. This friday we will be touring the Washington State University Nuclear Reactor Center. In reading we are still working on identifying good reading strategies, and in writing we are using free writing as pre-writing for a short story. We have welcomed a new student to our CREW. Her name is Emmali, and we hope to welcome another this week bringing our numbers up to 22.

Parents that are going on the WSU NRC tour with us, please be at the school at 9:15am friday. We hope to leave by 9:30am, and the tour should start around 10am. It will be about an hour, so we hope to be back at school by 11:30am. Please bring the largest vehicle you have, so we can make sure to transport as many students as possible.

Riston

Last week we learned about the three states of matter.

It was so much fun, we melted ice on a hot pad while we were in our ice lab.

Noah

We learned about solids, liquids and, gases. The ice went from solid to liquid to gas. The highest temperature was one hundred forty degrees. We even got to wear cool science glasses.

Pictures will be posted soon... technical difficulties with the computer.

CREW Climbing

For Mr. Ellsworth's birthday on Friday, he took the 7/8 CREW rock climbing. We learned the value of trust and how to work together as a CREW. When someone was climbing, everyone cheered them on. It was a fun day and we learned how to boulder safely and challenge ourselves. So if you see Mr. Ellsworth in the hallway, tell him happy birthday!

- Mady

This week we took on a lot of projects and work. As you probably know, we went rock climbing on friday, but we also had much more work in the classroom. Last week we started our first essay, Hopes and Dreams. we have been spending most of our time finishing

that up and creating some new posters , demonstrating CREW in the cafeteria, computer lab,

bathrooms, and hallways they will be posted soon. So keep an eye out!

- Zoe

The First Day Jitters

There is nothing like the first day of school. If you haven't cried or teared up lately, try watching kindergarten on the very first morning of a new school year. It's a magical moment for the little ones, their parents, and that new lady who is really nice and smells like apples. 7th and 8th grade was a little like that this year as they strolled through the hallways of PPSEL for the very first time. Their new teacher smelled of coffee more than apples, but none the less it was still very magical. We have 20 students, four returning from last year's 5/6 crew, five from the district schools, five from the other charter school in town that only goes up to 6th grade, four previously home schooled, and one very intelligent gal from Oklahoma.

Students seem to like the "de-stressed" environment, and they liked the fact that they got to make more choices in their learning. One student even said, "Colored Pencils, I haven't used these in years!" Overall it was a fun day of getting to know you.

Our biggest challenge as we move forward is building our CREW, protecting our individualism, and identifying with a community of learners. Its not going to be easy. We are all coming from different situations, schools, and in search of something new. The great thing is that we (the students and myself) hold the power. With great power comes great responsibility.