Max's Baby Book: Alt School 2016-2017 (Kindergarten)

First day of school
August 30th · Mitzi Mapa

Max's first 3 weeks of school
September 16, 2016· Mitzi Mapa
Dear Sarah and Ole,

Hi! I just wanted to share with you how happy I am to be Max's teacher this year. In the previous school year, I only had a few interactions with him so it's been a real pleasure getting to know Max a lot more over these last 3 weeks. He's been a very sweet boy and still asks me every so often if I still have the Valentines' card he made for me. Luckily I do, so I posted it up on my art wall so he knows I've kept it!

I am pleased to share that Max is beginning to settle in very well to the Beagle class. His first few days being back at school was a little bit difficult as he needed to re-adjust to new routines and expectations around classroom behavior. Max was definitely testing boundaries and being a bit disruptive during some of our lessons. But after the first week, I had a chat with him around my expectations of him and I'm happy to share that Max has started to make much better choices and is beginning to adjust and modify some of his behaviors, especially during morning meeting and class discussions.

Now, Max can be counted on to model some positive behavior especially for some of our new and younger students. He responds quickly when I ask him to think about making better choices as he is learning that there are both positive and negative consequences around the choices he makes. He has enjoyed being a Teacher Helper and is always happy, willing and eager to assist with different classroom jobs. So great!

Max definitely knows when to have fun and play but is also learning to be less silly during inappropriate times. As you can see in some of the photos below, he is able to concentrate and stay focused on tasks at hand. I'm impressed and can't wait to see all the wonderful work he'll produce this year.

Mitzi

Dear Sarah and Ole,

Hi, i just wanted to share with you that Max has been having some great days at school. During Reading workshop and independent reading time, he jumps right in and is able to self-select books and read quietly on his own for an extended period of time. Today was our first day of Writing workshop and I was also very impressed with the quality of his work. He was able to choose a topic to write about (cars and flowers!), drew a very detailed picture and wrote 2 full sentences about his picture. During both structured and open exploration time, Max is almost always fully engaged and can stay focused on tasks at hand.

However, what puzzles me is that during certain parts of the day (small group meetings, lunch time, some transitions...), Max displays some impulsive and hyperactive behaviors. For example today, when we were just about to start our mini lesson for Writing workshop, he decided to start running around in circles and use his shoes in a silly way that was very unsafe. I removed his shoes and took them away for a short period of time and told him he could come and get them when he was ready. He saw that I was getting very upset and that was the only time he calmed down and was a bit more reasonable. We do a lot of body breaks and outdoor play in between learning blocks to get some wiggles out but his energy seems boundless!

Then during lunchtime today, Max would consistently touch and play with Sidd's food despite Sidd and I telling him to stop several times. He has also started to mimic some of the boys when they would ask him to stop doing certain things which would aggravate his peers even more. During these recent incidents (yesterday and today), I would have a quiet chat with him and remind him of our expectations and his choices but as most of his actions seem very impulsive, I'm finding some behaviors a bit difficult to manage.

There are a few things that seem to work -- having him sit beside me during some meetings or reminding him to use the weighted calming blanket that Kay, our personalization lead, introduced to him during the first week of school. But I would also love to hear what are some of the things that are working for you at home. I hope we can find some time in the next few days to sit down and find the best way to support Max with some of these behaviors. I'm free on most days between 330-430 except on Tuesdays. Thank you and I look forward to chatting with you soon.

Warm regards, Mitzi

Slide Ranch Field Trip
9-28-16

Milking goats, drinking from the udder like a water fountain, picking fresh vegetables from the ground, cooking stir fry with the vegetables we picked straight from the farm, hiking along Muir Beach----these were just some of our memorable moments from our first field trip of the year!

Week 5

Huddart Park Camping Trip
10-7-16

Great food, great company, and great place---couldn't have asked for a better night.
We had an awesome time on the camping trip. Huddart Park was a fantastic spot relatively close to home. The kids did a lot of fort-building, glow stick playing and LED hula hooping, s'more making, mud pie cooking (to play, not to eat), and all sorts of fun activities. The parents cooked food (not mud pies) and had a great evening chatting and getting to know each other better (maybe not as fun as fort building but I think they had a good time too).

Beagles Class Field Trip

10-6-16 · Mitzi Mapa

Last Tuesday, we had our first Beagles field trip to the Mission Bay Library and Kids Park! In Readers Workshop, the students are learning that there are different types of books and during our trip to the library, they were on a mission to find learn-about-the world books. They did a fantastic job as we left the library with a wide selection of books about knights, photography, worms, Ancient China and Egypt, submarines, ballet and dinosaurs! Having a collection of these types of books in our classroom (and at home) are a great way for children to know that books are a rich source of knowledge and learning new things.

After the library, we headed off to the newly opened Kids Park which turned out to be a special treat for the Beagles! It's such an incredible outdoor space where the children were able to run around, climb, hang upside down, twirl, spin and engage in lots of active play. What a wonderful way to end the day!

Better Days

10-11-16· Mitzi Mapa

Max has been having much better days in school. I'm not sure what conversations you've had with him at home but he's beginning to learn what behavior is appropriate during different times of the day (and when it's okay to be silly or not!) The weighted blanket has helped a lot and I've observed how Max is actually able to self-regulate himself and know when he needs it to calm his body down. Last Friday, Nate brought to my attention that Max was chewing both his undershirt and top shirt and it was mostly wet so Kay offered him a 'chewelry' necklace that he could chew on. Having these 2 tools available for Max to use when he finds it difficult to pay attention have been helpful.

However, I also want to let you know how much I appreciate what you are doing at home in terms of giving positive and negative consequences for his actions. Max has become more mindful and aware of his behaviors and is constantly asking 'Do I get a thumbs up or thumbs down?' Because of your support at home, I feel we are supporting Max in his ability to make better choices in school. Thank you!

Here are some photos of Max over the last few weeks. As mentioned to you before, he has no trouble focusing on tasks or completing activities on his playlist. He is also always busy making and creating things and makes sure that I take a picture to share with you both! Have a chat with him as you go through some of these and celebrate how far he's come!

Week 7

Taking turns reading in front of the class "mystery readers"

Writing journals
"I made this it is a rainbow city. It is a light city"

Max's Goals

10-16-16 · Mitzi Mapa

Dear Sarah and Ole,

After going through Max's assessments and observing his behavior and daily interactions, I have identified 2 goals for him to work on for the coming weeks. These will shared and made visible to our other educators so we can all work together in helping him meet these goals. Throughout the course of the year, we will revisit these goals and check on the progress Max is making while also identifying new ones that he can work towards. I am also sharing this with you so you can continue to support him at home. We can talk more about this in our upcoming conference or Office Hours. Alternately, please feel free to email me at mitzi@altschool.com if you have any questions. Thanks! Mitzi

Goal: I will understand what my body needs to regulate myself

Description Max will learn to understand when his body needs to regulate himself.

Strategies and approaches Max will do this by using a sensory tool such as a weighted blanket, chew necklace or stretch band to support himself when needed.

Milestone Manage impulsivity

Goal: I will write an increasing number of words to express my ideas independently.

Description Max is beginning to express his ideas in writing and has enjoyed using drawings and visual representations to express his thoughts and ideas. He accompanies each drawing with one sentence and then starts a new piece. Moving forward, I would love to see Max gain confidence in his ability as a writer by adding more detail to his work and responding to questions to strengthen his writing.

Strategies and approaches Using writing tools available (eg ‘adding details to my writing’ chart) to help him stretch out his writing even more.

Milestone Strengthen Writing

Week 8

Field Trips to Asian Art Museum and The Ferry Building

A huge focus of these trips is the rich learning that takes place outside of the classroom. For example, our visit to the Ferry Building reinforced what we’ve been learning in Reading Workshop - that readers read the world! It’s important to give our children authentic opportunities to read signs and labels around to make reading meaningful. Every time you have a chance, point to words around you and ask ‘What do you think this sign might say?’ and ‘What makes you say that?’ Questions such as these help young readers put text and environmental print into context.

At the Asian Art Museum, our amazing tour guides brought life to the Ancient China artifacts by sharing stories and fables about each one. They were such animated storytellers and captivated the children by talking about how life was like during the Medieval times. In our Unit of Inquiry, Deb has engaged the students in learning about the roles of farmers, artisans, peasants and tradesmen and it was great to see how our museum guides were able to weave in all these people and the roles each one played in each of their stories.

New Update for Max CaveLie

10-28-16· Mitzi Mapa

We started our week with a meaningful discussion about what goals are and why it’s important to have them. Some children shared that goals are something we want to achieve and work towards because they make us better people! In my individual conference with Max, he was able to articulate 2 specific and attainable goals that he wants to work on:

• I want to get better at sitting in morning meeting.

• I want to work on staying in the lines of coloring.

I wanted to share these with you so you can also continue to support Max in his learning journey and help him identify other goals he may want to work towards. Throughout the year, we will continue to revisit and monitor progress towards these student-selected goals (as well as the teacher / parent selected goals) and set new ones as needed. If you notice our chart, there's lots of space for Max to make a list of what he wants to learn, work on or get better at in the coming months!

There's a wonderful sense of pride and accomplishment when children are able to meet goals they've set for themselves, no matter how simple or small they may be. Let's continue to work together to help them feel successful in their efforts!

Week Nine

We started our week with a meaningful discussion about what goals are and why it’s important to have them.

In Math this week, we explored different ways to make 10 and came up with the fact family for 10.

This week, the children practiced what it means to read with a partner and it was heartwarming to see them read stories together, share their ‘wow’ pages and help each other with new and challenging words.

Halloween!

Parade around the Dogpatch

Teachers!

11-1-2016 - Mitzi Mapa

Max just moved up a reading level today! He is now reading independently at a Level C. Here is a short description of what readers at this level are working on:

At Level C, readers encounter simple stories and familiar topics in texts that usually have 2-6 lines of print on each page. Level C readers smoothly and automatically move left to right across words and lines of print, sweeping back to the left margin for each new line. Reading is becoming smooth, allowing for some expression, and the eyes are taking over the process of matching the spoken word to the printed word. Readers are moving away from needing to point and are showing phrased reading. They are noticing quotation marks and reflecting dialogue with the voices. They are developing a larger core of high-frequency words that they recognize quickly and easily. At this level, readers are consistently monitoring their reading and cross-checking one source of information against another. Overt self-correction reveals readers’ growing control of the ability to process print.

Congratulations, Max and keep up the great work!

Week Ten

Debra has started the creation phase of our learning cycle which means the Beagles are now all busy making and building different types of Chinese architecture that were built during Ancient China. As the children work in teams, they’re learning to take on different roles, collaborate, negotiate and work together towards a goal. They’ve also started applying their building skills in another context - they’re now building their own forts and play structures using cardboard boxes! No need for expensive playgrounds when you have masking tape, cardboard and lots of imagination and perseverance!

Our 2nd expert, Siri Scull, also started this week. Siri has worked with us in previous years and for the next 6 weeks, will be coming in to do visual arts with the children. She introduced the students to the history and technique of Chinese brush painting. They explored this by painting tree silhouettes against a sunset backdrop. The children did so well and are excited for their upcoming sessions with Siri.

In Math, I’ve also started to introduce the concept of addition. As I was giving examples of what this might look like, Anders and Conor both said in their own words that addition is about putting 2 numbers to make a bigger number! I then asked the students to represent addition using number stories.

Week Eleven
11-13-16
Today was election day and the kids wanted to do a class vote. I took this as a teachable moment and we talked about what an election is, the roles and responsibilities of being a leader of a country. We also talked about respecting other people’s choices and opinions about whom they wanted to vote for. After a quick mock election, we did a bit of Math by tallying and counting the ballots together. The result was 19-Hillary, 1-Trump. The Beagles were ecstatic and there was a lot of cheering, jumping and cause for celebration.

You can imagine the disappointment the children felt the next morning.We were able to have meaningful conversations around how each one was feeling. Children talked about their feelings - some were scared, others worried - and were able to articulate why they felt this way. I used this moment as an opportunity to talk about our democratic process and the need to continue being kind and respectful towards each other, despite our differences in beliefs and opinions. It was a difficult moment for all but Maia said something at the end that made everyone feel better. She said ‘It’s okay. We don’t need to worry, we still live in a beautiful world.’ Such a wise little girl!

In Reading Workshop, the students have started to learn the importance of rereading a book because ‘when we reread, we also learn more by thinking more about the book’.

Matt Morgera is running a year long unit on Exploring Global Cultures through the lens of Performing Arts, Music and Movement. In recent weeks, the children have explored India, Hawaii, Spain, Ireland and China. Last Friday, Matt introduced the Great Wall of China and taught them some basic Lion Dance moves! It’s been a great way to make authentic learning connections with the PBL work they’ve been doing with Deb.

Big Problem and Little Problems continued...

11-18-16 Kay de Veer

On Thursday we continued our discussion of "Big Problems and little Problems" and how we can react appropriately to different types of problems. For example, breaking your arm is a big problem, while getting a paper cut is a small problem. Spilling your milk is a small problem, while an earthquake is a big problem!

New Update for Max Cavelie

11-18-16 Mitzi Mapa

Hi! I just wanted to share how proud Deb and I were today with how Max handled an unexpected situation. During project time, Max was working on his Chinese ceramic bowl which he carefully molded out of clay and was beginning to paint. As he was walking to get something, the bowl fell on the floor and broke into many small pieces. Instead of throwing a fit or getting emotional, he told Deb, 'It's okay. I can always rebuild it.' When Deb said it might not be possible to glue all the little pieces, he said he can always make a new one. I gave Max a shout out during closing circle and told him how proud I was of him and how he was able to differentiate a little problem from a big problem. Double thumbs up today!!

Week Twelve

11-28-16 - Mitzi Mapa

In the days leading up to Thanksgiving, we had some lovely class discussions around what it means to be grateful for something. The children then worked on a beautiful project that reminds us that there is always something to be thankful for.

I wanted to share some of our field trip photo highlights to the De Young Museum and the Japanese Tea Garden. The Beagles started the day with a formal art lesson given by some in-house resident artists at the museum. They introduced the children to pattern and texture in art and showed them some techniques of applying these elements to their art work. We then took guided tours around the museum where students were encouraged to use their skills of observation and perspective taking when viewing some of the museum displays.

In the afternoon, we visited the Japanese Tea Garden. The students have been learning a lot about pagodas in their PBL work and it was great for them to see actual pagoda structures and talk about the shape, form and function of this type of architecture. They enjoyed sketching some of their favorite sceneries, climbing up and down the famous Moon Bridge and just being around such a beautiful landscape.

These 2 trips have been valuable as it gives our students the opportunity to make authentic connections to what they’ve been learning in the classroom. Back in school, the Beagles have been busy creating some of their Medieval Chinese artifacts where they were able to apply what they learned about pattern and texture, making close observations and using nature as inspiration. One of our experts, Claire Lau, who did some brush and ink painting with the class was impressed!

Week Thirteen

12-5-16 · Mitzi Mapa

Beagles have been working hard on their projects as they are now in the last phase of our learning cycle for this Unit on Ancient China. There’s been a lot of interdisciplinary learning within the PBL as children have been using measurement when working on some of their medieval costumes and also lots of narrative writing in their work.

In Reading Workshop, we have moved from reading about-the-world-books to being storybook readers.

We also read ‘Mouse Paint’ which is about three mice that decided to play with colors, and in the process, discovered new colors. The children loved it and wanted to explore and mix colors too so we used red, yellow, blue and white clay to make new colors. Then they started to mold, make and create all kinds of clay sculptures which we eventually turned into writing prompts for Writing Workshop. There were stories about color factories and Santa’s workshop, exploding rainbows, sunsets, geysers and volcanoes! It was such a great way to get the children excited about their writing.

In Math, we have started comparing numbers (more than, less than..) and sequencing numbers from least to greatest and vice versa. Some have been working on ordering numbers from 1-20 while others work all the way up to 100!

Week Fifteen

12-18-16· Mitzi Mapa

Highlights of the week

It was so wonderful to see so many of you come and join us for our 3rd annual Dogpatch Candlelight Lunch! Thank you for all the yummy treats you brought in to share with all our families and spending time celebrating the holidays with our AltSchool community. I hope you also enjoyed the presents your children made for you. They worked so hard on making sure they drew you perfectly, down to the beards (and bellies!) eye color, hairstyles and everything that makes you all so special!

Reading Level D

1-17-17 · Mitzi Mapa

Max just moved up another reading level today! He is now reading independently at a Level D. Here is a short description of what readers at this level are working on:

At Level D, readers follow simple stories of fiction and fantasy and easy informational texts. They can track print with their eyes (not pointing) over 2-6 lines per page and process text with more varied language patterns (and those patterns that exist are more complex). They notice and use a range of punctuation and read dialogue, reflecting the meaning through phasing. Readers can solve many regular easy two-syllable words, usually those with inflectional endings (-ing) and simple compound words. Voice-print match is smooth and automatic, and pointing is rarely needed (only at difficulty). The core of known high frequency / snap words is expanding. Readers consistently monitor their reading and cross-check one source of information with another.

Congratulations, Max and keep up the great work! (The pic above is him volunteering to read aloud to the class)

Week Eighteen

1-22-17 · Mitzi Mapa

For the last 2 weeks, the children have started a new unit in Math on telling on-the-hour and half-hour times (for the older students). This week, we’ll start learning about measurement using non-standard units to compare the various lengths of objects. We have also started a new Unit of Inquiry, with our Central Idea being ‘The properties of materials define how we invent, design and make things.

This week, I have also noticed a growth in the reading confidence in many of the children. Both Max and Maia volunteered to be mystery readers for the whole class! There was also a great interest in Martin Luther King so we watched a video on Brain Pop Jr and read an inspiring book entitled ‘Martin’s Big Words’ (thanks to Max!).

The children have been hard at work on completing tasks on their individual playlists, working on differentiated activities that are best suited for their needs.

We also spent the last 2 days doing site-wide assessments with each child while the rest of the class engaged in maker and tinkering experiments. They made cardboard cars powered by balloons, squishy circuits, ice sculptures, rocket ships and so many other cool creations.

Max Fergel Anders

Some friendship concerns

1-24-17 · Mitzi Mapa

Hi Sarah and Ole,

I just wanted to let you know that during PE today, Nate reported that Max spat on Anders' face during an argument at the park. There was also an incident last week where Max was involved in a minor conflict with Fergal which they were eventually able to resolve on their own.

The reason I'm writing is because I think there is something more that might be upsetting Max. As we all know, Max and Anders have been best friends and now that Fergal is beginning to form a stronger bond with Anders, I'm sensing some difficulty on Max's part navigating some of these changes in relationships and social groups. During quiet reading today, Max came up to me and said he felt really sad that the 2 boys were reading together and not letting him join in. When I spoke to Anders about this, he said that he needed some space from Max.

I know this can be a tough social situation for Max to be dealing with as it concerns 2 of his closest friends. And though it shouldn't be an excuse for spitting, I think a chat with him about how he might be feeling and how he can always find other friends to play with might be worth having. I wanted to keep you in the loop in case he brings anything up at home. I'll continue to observe how the boys relate to each other and support them in dealing with some of their friendship issues. Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns about this. Thanks!

Week Nineteen

1-2917 · Mitzi Mapa

The sun was out all week so we were able to enjoy an afternoon of climbing, spinning, sliding and swinging at the Mission Bay Playground plus a whole day out exploring the Exploratorium and walking along the Embarcadero.

The trip to the Exploratorium was a great introduction to our new Unit of Inquiry on the properties of materials. There was an incredible exhibition on different types of machines and we took this opportunity to talk to the kids about what materials were being used and for what purpose and why this would be a good choice of material.

In Reading Workshop this week, I introduced the concept of being ‘Super Readers’ and using all the super powers we have in our toolbox to improve our reading. Some of these are (1) our pointer power, (2) our picture power, (using picture cues) (3) our sound power (using phonological awareness) and (4) our snap word power (using sight word recognition).

Happy Chinese New Year!

1-30-16 · Kristin Uhlemeyer

Master Leo from Panda King Fu Center did a special performance for all of Dogpatch this afternoon to help us celebrate Chinese New Year. He also showed off some amazing feats of acrobatics with a sword and fan in addition to teaching the kids a few basic moves. Master Leo emphasized that Kung Fu is for exercise and self defense---not for fighting.

'One day, I went up to my cabin. The snow was up to my knees. We had to shovel my driveway.

I ate pancakes after all of that and I almost had a tummy ache. My cabin looks like an old place.

I saw a cat in the snow. We named him Ghost and I love my cabin so much because it is a beautiful place to see stuff.'

Max's Writing Prgogress

2-3-17 · Mitzi Mapa

One of the writing goals Max has been working on is to respond to teacher and peer questions to strengthen his writing. A few months ago, Max would write 2-3 sentences about a topic and would be reluctant to add on to his work. However the other day, Max surprised me by asking if we could work on our weekend news. He seemed really eager and excited to write and by the end of Writing Workshop, Max wrote 3 pages worth of weekend snow stories! After each page, I would ask him a few questions and he would respond by adding another page. I am so proud of the progress he's been making! Thank you for all the support you give Max at home by providing opportunities for him to draw and write about all your travels and experiences!

Week Twenty One

2-7-17 · Mitzi Mapa

I’m pretty sure that the most exciting thing that happened this week was our trip to Public Glass! I’ll have to agree that it was incredible watching the artists bend, blow, mold, shape and create all kinds of wonderful art pieces and talk about the process of glass making with all of our children.

Prior to the trip, the Beagles already had a list of burning questions and were eager to talk to experts to find answers to their questions. Some of these were ‘If glass has similar properties to metal, why does it break so easily?’ (Isidra); ‘Is glass flammable? What happens when it comes into contact with fire?’ (Casey); ‘Does glass break when it gets old?’ (Jonas). They did such a great job making observations and asking questions that by the end of our trip, they all came back with new knowledge about glass and some changes to their thinking. I love seeing young inquirers in action!

Back in school, the children continue to have many opportunities to explore all kinds of materials during Exploration time. In the photos, you’ll notice them working with sand, paper, water, oil, wood, foil, fabric etc and testing what materials will work best for their creations.

This week in Math, I introduced the concept of skip counting by 10s.

New Update for Max Cavelie

2-13-17 · Mitzi Mapa

Hi Sarah and Ole,

Max really loves and adores the 2 of you so much. Since the start of the school year, I have not seen Max break down or cry. When things don't go his way, he's able to bounce back or find solutions to his problems. However last Thursday, the children were working on making a Valentines present for their mommies and daddies and Max started to cry. When I asked him why he was upset, he said it was because he was having a hard time with the crafts that we were working on. But I could tell it was different from all our other activities because he knew he wanted to make it EXTRA SPECIAL for you both. A few other children stepped in to help him and he seemed fine after that. What a special little boy you have!

Valentine's Day

Place Value

2-17-17 · Max Cavelie · Mitzi Mapa

In Math, we've been learning how to count by 10s as an introduction to understanding place value. Max has a solid number sense and so I know he was ready for more challenging math work! Yesterday, I introduced the concept of tens and ones as another way of counting and working with bigger numbers. We did a bit of Math warm up by representing a two-digit number as tens and ones (eg 25 is 2 sets of 10 and 5 ones). Max found this really easy and was able to demonstrate an understanding of this by manipulating base ten blocks and unit cubes. I also told them that adding bigger numbers also becomes easier when are able to regroup or make groups of 10 when adding 2 digit numbers. The children asked for a challenge and I was surprised to see Max use the base ten blocks and unit cubes to solve some addition problems involving 2 digit numbers. Impressive work, Max! Keep it up!

Reading Level F

2-27-17 Mitzi Mapa

Max just moved up a reading level today! He is now reading independently at a Level F.

Congratulations, Max and keep up the great work!

Happy World Book Day!

3-2-17 · Kristin Uhlemeyer

There weren't just readers at school today---books really came to life! I knew we had characters in our classes but I didn't realize just how many: Hermoine, Harry, Wendy, Alice, Pippi Longstocking Piggy, Lily, Clifford, aliens, dinosaurs, robots and more.

In a celebration of books around the world, we filled our day with reading, snuggling up with friends over good stories, and literary silliness. We made bookmarks and did games related to our favorite tales. We tried new books and discussed plots, characters, and settings. And of course, we had read alouds and a quiet reading party with D.E.A.R.(drop everything and read) for a whole hour.

Week Twenty Five

3-11-17 · Mitzi Mapa

Highlights of the week

As we move into the Investigate and Create phase of our learning cycle, the Beagles have been busy working on mini projects with Karen using various materials. They’ve been practicing their designing and making skills and have been working on foil embossing, sewing with fabric and sculpting with clay. They’ve also done a bit of glass painting with Siri and Claire during Art. Now that they understand how certain materials work and behave, they are in better place to apply their knowledge through the projects they’ve been working on.

All of these mini projects are meant to prepare the children for their summative assessment which is to design a special toy for a younger child. To get our children thinking about the creation process, we took them on a trip to the Mission Science Workshop where they were given the opportunity to explore, touch, build, play, make and create anything using all kinds of recycled materials. They also did an incredible job pushing the gigantic hamster wheel and giving our Beagles some extra fun time!

Another highlight of the week was our visit to the Potrero Kids Preschool where our Beagles got to meet and buddy with a younger student. The goal was for our children to get to know their younger friends so we can design and make a toy for them as a final project for our unit of inquiry.

In Writing Workshop, the children have been learning how to edit or ‘fix up’ their writing. We’ve been doing a lot of this during our morning meetings where they’ve enjoyed fixing up ‘Mitzi’s spelling mistakes!’ so they’ve been getting a lot of practice ;) Since we’ve been talking a lot about the elements of a story, the Beagles have started working on story plans and working on organizing their stories with a beginning, middle and end. This week, they’ve been busy writing, editing, re-writing and designing covers and will soon be ready to share this with all of you! They are excited for our publishing party which will take place during our Learning Celebration.

An act of kindness

3-11-17 · Mitzi Mapa

Hi Sarah and Ole, I wanted to share with you something I witnessed at the Dolores Playground last Wednesday. I noticed that Jonas was trying to climb up a rock structure all by himself but was finding it hard to pull himself up. As I was about to come over and help, Siddhartha beat me to it and said 'Here Jonas, let me help you.' He then went ahead and started supporting Jonas by holding his foot then pushing up his legs. A few minutes later, Max showed up and started helping Jonas as well. Together, Siddhartha and Max were able to get Jonas close to the top and as they were helping him, they both kept kept cheering him on and saying 'C'mon Jonas, you can do it!'

It was such a beautiful moment and I was really touched by this act of kindness that was shown towards Jonas. I was especially moved by Max as I know we've been working hard on having him show more empathy and compassion towards his peers. This was a great example of how Max is now being more thoughtful and helpful towards others.

Week Twenty Six

3-16-17 · Mitzi Mapa

Our highlight of the week was definitely the visit from our expert toy maker, Shane (Casey’s dad) who facilitated a Design Thinking workshop to help our Beagles ideate and create prototypes for their final toy project. Shane did 2 sessions with the students - the first one was supporting them in the brainstorming process and giving them the space to practice their invention powers. The Beagles came up with such incredible toy designs while keeping in mind whom they were creating for.

In Math, we’ve wrapped up our unit on describing, creating and extending patterns. The Beagles enjoyed making mandalas by tessellating pattern blocks and 2D shapes on a large floor surface. They were also able to apply color patterns in mandala drawings and have created such beautiful, decorative designs. These types of activities are great for the kids as it gets them thinking about patterns, forming generalizations and developing logical thinking.

In Reading and Writing Workshop, the children have been learning about identifying character traits and finding evidence in stories to support these. We’ve been reading many storybooks and talking about the different characters and identifying what makes each character special and unique. By dissecting character traits, they were able to also revisit their own story characters and bring them to life by creating puppets that show off each character’s unique personality! The Beagles have worked so hard on publishing their story books and can't wait to share these with all of you during our Learning Celebration this coming Friday.

Lastly, the children were adorable on Picture Day! I’ve attached a few photos of some of the Beagles hamming it up for the camera ;)

Handwriting

3-22-17- Mitzi Mapa

Last Monday, Max started writing his weekend news and finished his piece quite quickly. I asked him to revisit his work and see what he could add on by writing using his 5 senses (eg what did you see, smell, taste, touch and feel). As he started on his 2nd page, he surprised me by saying, 'Look Mitzi, I'm using my lowercase letters!' I was really proud of him as that's something I've been giving him feedback on and asking him to work on. I know it was a bit difficult for Max as he was used to writing only using all his uppercase letters but I love how he gave it a go and really made an effort to work on his handwriting. Great work, Max!

Learner Celebration Dance Party

Reading his published book

Independent reader

Working with metal, shovel

Cow prototype - building toys for preschoolers

Add caption

Working with fabric

Working with Clay

Book character

Reading cubby

SEL (social emotional learning)

3-24-17 Learner Celebration!

Week Twenty Seven

3-27-17 · Mitzi Mapa

They were finishing up their toy prototypes, adding last minute touches to their fabric, clay and metal projects, practicing reading their stories and writing about their learning journey. They were really excited to share all that they’ve been working on these last few months and I’m so happy that most of you were able to come and join us last Friday. Thank you you for taking the time to be with us, dance with us, listen to stories, laugh, talk, share, ask questions and celebrate this wonderful milestone with the Beagles!

We also wrapped up some of the units we’ve been working on. In Writing Workshop, the children have successfully demonstrated their ability to plan, write a draft, edit, rewrite and publish their own stories! They were able to create their own characters, identify a problem and solution, think of their own book titles and write a story with a beginning, middle and end. In Reading Workshop, the Beagles continue to apply different reading strategies and are now beginning to enjoy reading self-selected books independently and reading aloud to an audience. My list for ‘mystery readers’ has been growing each week with eager reader volunteers!

In Math, we extended our unit on describing, creating and extending patterns by exploring patterns in numbers. Using the hundreds chart, the children have started to find some patterns. When I asked them to count by 10s, they noticed that the multiples of 10 all end in a 0. They also noticed that the multiples of 5 end in either a 5 or a 0. The children enjoyed looking and highlighting number patterns that they were discovering on their hundreds chart!

We’ve also concluded our Unit of Inquiry. ‘The properties of materials define how we DESIGN, INVENT and MAKE things.’ As they worked on their final project (toy prototypes), they were very mindful of demonstrating empathy for the preschoolers they were creating for and displaying persistence as they worked through minor setbacks. They were also able to apply their knowledge of the properties of materials and how materials behave as they intentionally chose objects to use and build with.

Week Twenty Eight

4-10-17 · Mitzi Mapa

On our first week back, we introduced our final Unit of Inquiry for this year ‘We change as we grow older’. We also spent some time looking over some of the pictures the children have brought of themselves. As we move forward, we will continue to explore some of the more concrete and observable traits that have changed since they were babies. If you have more pictures to share, please keep them coming.

In Math, we also started a new unit on identifying and describing 3D shapes. The children learned to sort and categorize spheres, cubes, cones, pyramids and triangular, rectangular and hexagonal prisms by observing and describing the faces, vertices and edges of these shapes.

In Reading and Writing Workshop, we are revisiting our phonics and letter sounds to enable our students to decode (read) and encode (write) 3 and 4 letter words. This entails paying close attention to the beginning, middle and ending sounds and being able to stretch out words in order to hear all the letters. For our older students, I’ve also introduced some digraphs this week (sh, ch, th and wh) and the children have been learning how to isolate and combine digraphs with other vowels and consonants to form some real and made up words.

Math assessment

4-11-17 · Mitzi Mapa

Prior to Spring Break, Max completed a Math unit assessment on time, measurement, addition, ordering numbers and place value. I am pleased to say that he did really well - he showed an understanding of all these concepts and was able to demonstrate his knowledge and apply skills in the math problems listed below. Max was able to order numbers from least to greatest, measure using non-standard units, and add by counting on and count using base ten blocks and unit cubes. Max still needed a bit of support telling on the hour times but is definitely showing an understanding of the mathematical concepts we've been learning. I do know he can read 4 digit numbers on his FitBit tracker! ;)

We also just wrapped up our unit on identifying, extending and creating patterns and Max did such a great job being able to demonstrate and apply his conceptual understanding of patterns. After working on several activities using shapes, colors and movement to represent a pattern, Max was able to create several beautiful Mandala designs. Initially, I just asked the students to work on one mandala but he loved it so much, he did 5! Well done, Max!

Week Twenty Nine

4-16-17 · Mitzi Mapa

We’ve started to explore our first line of inquiry for this unit by observing things around us that show change. Using clay, they were able to demonstrate their understanding of how some concrete things can transform into something else.

We also talked about how changes can happen with things that we don't necessarily see or touch. Some examples that were shared were people’s ideas, experiences and feelings. I love how the children were able to show changes in emotion using facial expression and color choice in their art!

During PBL time with Karen, the Beagles have also started doing a little bit of planting as a way of testing and exploring how something can change over a period of time. In the coming weeks, they’ll use their plant diaries to record observations, make predictions, measure growth and identify factors that affect change.

In Writing Workshop, we’ve started to work on personal narratives by getting the students to write about themselves when they were babies. The children loved looking at all their pictures and talking about how they looked and what they could / couldn’t do which is a great way to get students excited about the writing process.

In Math, the children got to make their own 3D shapes to add to our growing shape museum! They cut and pasted 2D shape faces and turned them into cubes, triangular and rectangular prisms, square based pyramids and cylinders!

Reading Level G

4-19-17· Mitzi Mapa

Max just moved up a reading level today! He is now reading independently at a Level G. I just did his reading assessment and he scored 100% accuracy! Congratulations, Max and keep up the great work!

Week Thirty

4-23-17 · Mitzi Mapa

Together with Karen, the Beagles have continued to explore the concept of change over time and did a bit of work around understanding timelines and learning how to sequence events in chronological order.

In Math, we wrapped up our unit on 2 and 3 dimensional shapes.

PS Yesterday, we also started inquiring into different personal experiences that have changed us. Max shared his experience of moving to AltSchool last year where he did not know anyone. He followed up by saying that it was a good change because he's made some good friends!

Morning Messages

5-5-17· Mitzi Mapa

Every morning for the last 2 weeks, Max has been busy writing morning messages for the class. I haven't been able to take photos of all his notes but he has written some pretty thoughtful messages on our board. One time, he asked 'How was your yesterday?' and another time he created a survey and asked the class if they were more excited about the growth of their bean plants or the hatching of chickens! Today, he wrote 'Hi Beagles, today is the day we will say thanks to our teachers. Today is Friday, May 5th. What is your favorite weather? Rainy or sunny? Mine is sunny. Did you have a playdate yesterday? Love, Max' I love the way he always finds opportunities for meaningful writing!

PS Max also started writing a story together with T'mari - so cute!

Math updates

5-16-17 Mitzi Mapa

We are wrapping up our unit on solving addition and subtraction problems within 100. Max was able to use concrete models and drawings to represent addition and subtraction stories and demonstrates an understanding of what number operations to use when solving word problems. He has also learned how to write his solutions using both horizontal and vertical equations (without regrouping). Max uses a combination of drawings, concrete models, place value understanding and properties of operations to add and subtract numbers up to 100. Keep up the great work, Max!

Week Thirty Three

5-17-17· Mitzi Mapa

I wanted to wish all our mommies a belated Happy Mother’s Day! I hope you all enjoyed the beautiful cards and gifts your children made for you. I hope you all felt very special and loved!

We are now into the final weeks of school and the Beagles have been busy completing art and writing projects, reading and math assessments as well as their final Unit of Inquiry project. In Math, we have just completed our unit on solving addition and subtraction word problems. The children have done a great job representing addition and subtraction situations using objects, drawings, explanations and simple equations. Some of our older Beagles have also started solving word problems by showing their solutions using both horizontal and vertical equations (without regrouping).

The Beagles have also been learning how to read and write words with consonant blends from the R-family (tr, br, fr, gr, pr, cr, dr). We continue to use stories and other multimodal learning activities to help the children access many of these new sounds. Check out some of their word lists and clay creations!

It's Official----we are chicken parents. Two hatched last night (PG and Ring).

This has been an exciting part of our life cycle unit. Two of 12 hatched.

We have to give them 4 days before we can touch them. We will leave them in the incubator but with food and water and the vents open. The temperature has to stay at 95 degrees for the first week of life. They will mostly sleep for the first few days. Then, we will move them to the smaller brooder.

On Tuesday, when we can begin socializing them, we need to wash hands before and after.

Maker Faire!

5-19-17

We ran wild today along with our imaginations. Maker Faire definitely showcased the amazing and crazy capabilities of the human mind. Now, we all need a nap.

Week Thirty Four

5-20-17 · Mitzi Mapa

What an exciting week we’ve had in our classroom! 2 of our eggs have finally hatched after weeks and weeks of patient waiting and close observation of our eggs. Our little AltSchoolers are now proud parents of 2 beautiful chicks..PG and Ring! What an incredible opportunity for the children to witness the concept of growth and change.

We have also started our final Math unit for the year - learning about money. This week, the children were introduced to different types of coins (pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters) and the amount each coin represents. This carried on to Exploration Time when Max and Isidra decided to open their own toy store as well and have their peers exchange money for special goods!

In Writing Workshop, the students are adding the final touches to their ‘Book of Life’ stories that feature how they have grown and changed through the years. They’re doing a bit of self and peer editing by rereading their own and each other’s work. We will be publishing our stories and they will be ready to share their books with all of you very soon.

And last but not the least..we ended the week with an amazing field trip to the Maker Fair!

Testing is so much Fun!

5-25-17· Kristin Uhlemeyer

All of the teachers are very jealous by how much fun the kids are having in between tests!

Our Dogpatchers are rotating through three stations each day---2 science/building stations in DP2 and 1 outdoor station at Espirit Park. They have built ping pong canons, made hydrogen peroxide explosions, completed nature scavenger hunts, built boats and done regatta races, and made art with paint and vegetables.

Meanwhile, during testing, we have all been blown away by the wonderful growth we are seeing in our Dogpatchers. Everyone is doing so well! What a great end to our school year :-)

Week Thirty Five

5-30-17· Mitzi Mapa

Highlights of the week

In all my 20 years of teaching, I have never heard a child say that assessment days are the best days of the year..until last week! The children had 2 full days making and racing boats, building pingpong ball canons, creating animal masks, marbling paint, going on a nature scavenger hunt at Esprit Park and so much more. This allowed us to do some end-of year assessments with each child which I will be sharing with you during our final parent-teacher conferences. Check out the photos to see how much fun the children had last week!

We are also wrapping up our Math unit on Money. As a final project, the Beagles have decided to set up a postcard shop and sell copies of their very own artwork! I hope you can support our class fundraising initiative. Profit from our sales will be donated to a charity that supports children with cancer. This morning, we invited Dr. Clay (Clara’s dad) who is a pediatric oncologist to talk about how we can help and support children who have cancer. Tomorrow, we will vote on a charitable organization to whom we will donate all our postcard profits to!

Each postcard will sell for $1.00 or a set of 20 postcards for $15.00 On a side note, the Beagles are only learning about pennies, nickels and dimes so please be kind and pay only either using one dollar bills or 1,5 and 10 cents! Now is the time to get rid of all your loose change ;)

Week Thirty Six

5-26-17 Mitzi Mapa

We had 2 incredible field trips to wrap up our school year! The Beagles loved petting, grooming and feeding the horses, cows, goats, llamas, alpacas, pigs, ducks, peacocks and chickens at Loma Vista Farm. We were also able to visit the Jelly Belly Factory! I’m not sure what was more exciting for the children - seeing how jellybeans are made or eating the candy!

I also want to take this opportunity to thank all of you for coming to our Learning Celebration last Friday. On my bus ride home, I was watching some of the videos and looked like a crazy lady, crying and laughing at the same time! The Beagles did such an amazing job with their singing, choral reading and dancing and I’m so glad you were all there to share this moment with them. Thank you for taking the time to read their books, appreciate all their projects, and celebrate their many accomplishments this year.

I’m also pleased to announce that we have sold most of our postcards and as of our last count, we have raised a grand total of $550!!! Thank you to everyone who bought and supported our fundraising efforts!

Our last few days will be spent having fun and enjoying each other’s company, tidying up our classroom and organizing all the work that need to be taken home. I’ll be sending home a few things each day (eg portfolios, art work, projects, workbooks…) so you don’t get overwhelmed and can enjoy going though all the beautiful work your children have created this year!