Thanks for Attending

Here are two important events to attend. 


Friday the 25th 

8:30  Moving-Up Ceremony for 4th grade in the theater (parents/friends invited)

9:20 to 10:00  Reception and project share  in the classroom (parents/friends invited)

10 to 1:15  Bowling Party &  Lunch for 4th grade (teachers only)

1:30ish  Cool treat in picnic area (parents/friends invited)

Tuesday the 29th (parents and friends invited)

8:20 Students Share Projects & Writings in classroom

9:15 to 9:45  Students' Portfolios Viewing (in technology lab)

Animal Classification at the Zoo

For months we've been observing eagles from afar in the cel tower next to campus.  Today we got up close to one of the resident birds at Lowry Park Zoo.  The trip was part of our science unit on scientific classification.  We checked out  many of the binomial names listed below the popular name for each animal.

Collections Classified

Socks, gems, water bottles, trophies, balls, coins, bracelets, duct tape, fish, key chains, metal cars, candy....what have I left out?  All done scientifically.....using dichotomous keys.   Hooray.

Splash Now Fun Day Due to Drought

The PE staff is so excited for this Friday May 18, 2012. Our regularly scheduled "Splash Day,” will have to be modified in order to comply with recent water restrictions. The PE staff has arranged for a large inflatable maze to be delivered in place of the water slide. We will also provide multiple play areas and other (dry) activities that are sure to put a smile on your child's face. Spirit wear will take the place of swim wear for our "Friday Fun Day.” We are certain our students will enjoy what we have in store for them and we appreciate everyone's flexibility in this matter. We can't wait!

Thank you,

Your LD PE Staff

New Mid School Uniform Policies

Dear Rising and Current Middle Division Parents,

After conversations with teachers, our parent liaisons, and our student council representatives, we are pleased to announce two color additions to our dress code options and a change for girls to our Dress Code for 2012-13. 

We have added the colors maize (yellow) and grey to give Middle Division students some more choices and differentiate our students a bit from our younger students. Please note, we will be phasing out the color option white by 2013-14 as few students wear white (difficult to keep clean, etc).

We have dropped the skirt option for girls simply to give the girls more coverage when sitting in classes or going up stairs. Girls’ options are now skorts, shorts, capris, and pants. Skirts are no longer a dress code option for girls. 

As always, cargo and corduroy shorts or pants are not approved uniform items for either boys or girls. 

Uniforms are purchased from Lands End. Ordering information is available on the Shorecrest website.

______________________________________________________________________

Dress Code for Grades 5-8

Boys and Girls (required)

• Short-sleeve knit shirts:  evergreen, white, maize (yellow) or grey with school logo OR
• Long-sleeve knit shirts: evergreen, white, maize (yellow) or grey with school logo

Boys and Girls (optional)

• White Oxford dress shirt (button-down collar) with school logo
• Evergreen V-neck, crew or cardigan sweater with school logo
• Evergreen, white, maize (yellow) grey turtleneck
• Ties (school colors; patterned or solid) Some boys have expressed a desire to wear ties!

Boys (required)

• Khaki relaxed fit trousers
• Khaki walking shorts
• Belt

Girls (required)

• Khaki flat-front slacks OR
• Khaki capris OR
• Khaki walking shorts OR
• Khaki skorts

Please note: We will no longer “measure” girls’ shorts and skorts, however, we will ask girls to change if the length of their clothing is not appropriate.

Boys and Girls (cool weather options)

• Evergreen zip-up fleece jacket with school logo
• Evergreen sweatshirt with school logo
• Shorecrest Hoodie available from Spirit Wear or Shorecrest team sweatshirts or jackets
• Outerwear may be Shorecrest team gear with the Shorecrest logo, Spirit Wear sold by the Shorecrest Booster Club, or the fleece jacket with the school logo available from the uniform providers. These are the only heavier items that students can wear inside school buildings.
• Students may wear a heavier jacket to school and outside of the classroom buildings during breaks, lunches, etc. These jackets should be appropriate and may not have holes, tears, rips or inappropriate designs or distracting writing. Non-dress code jackets may not be worn inside the classroom buildings.

Boys and Girls (footwear)

Footwear needs to be comfortable rubber-soled, closed-toe and closed-back shoes that may also be worn for P.E.

Boys and Girls (Physical Education)

Middle Division students will be issued one PE uniform for which families will be billed. While each student will have one new PE uniform of appropriate size, uniforms purchased for PE in previous years that still fit are acceptable for use.

Students who are on campus during school hours must follow the Dress Code, unless otherwise directed. The school reserves the right to tell students when their clothing does not adhere to the spirit and/or to the letter of the Dress Code. Students who do not conform to the Dress Code will be asked to change and parents will be contacted.

Additional Dress Code Guidelines:

• Only clothing that meets the Shorecrest Dress Code Guidelines may be worn inside school buildings.
• No hats other than those worn during PE or outside for sun protection.
• No extreme or distracting hairstyles or unnatural hair colors.
• Clothes should not be excessively tight fitting and should not expose undergarments.
• No facial hair or earrings for boys. A boy's hair should be cut so that it falls above the shirt collar and above the eyebrows.
• No large hoops or excessively dangling earrings for girls.

Every Friday is Spirit Friday. On Fridays, students may wear Shorecrest spiritwear including team shirts, intramural shirts, drama production shirts, club shirts, and grade level class shirts. The Shorecrest Booster Club sells a wide selection of Spirit Wear appropriate for our Spirit Fridays. On Fridays students may also athletic shorts, non-uniform shorts, or denim jeans. For safety reasons, footwear must meet dress code requirements. No clothing on Spirit Fridays may have holes, tears, rips or inappropriate designs or inappropriate or distracting writing. Students will lose the opportunity to participate in Spirit Fridays, if they do not follow dress code rules during the week. Spirit Fridays are a relaxed and fun end of the week for students who respect and abide by the dress code during the week and enjoy showing their Shorecrest spirit.

Luke Leads the Way

Remember when Luke's Uncle Gene visited out class to explain his opal mining and marketing business?  Well Luke's been learning how to recognize, cut and polish opals ever since.  He brought a pile of rocks containing various amounts and grades of opals to show what he's learned.

I quickly realized that Luke's collection and the way he'd grouped them was a perfect example of a project in classification I was about to assign the class.  Luke showed how he had taken his collection of rocks and divided them into two groups, then he showed how he was able to group or classify each group into smaller and smaller groups until he had identified each single stone. 

So now students will follow his lead and assemble a collection of ten items at home and classify them into smaller and smaller groups until all are named.  This system for recording  classification decisions is known as a Dichotomous Key.  Students are expected to bring their collections and written classification systems into class this Friday.  We will all go from collection to collection attempting to discover how each was classified.

Thanks Luke for leading the way.

Everything You Need to Know About Backgammon

Here's a video of our presentation this morning at the Lower Division's Town Meeting. 

Chess Beats Backgammon Lately

We're all chess players recently.  Even the students who've never played the game are catching on.  Everyone enjoys backgammon, but we love chess. 

What a Scream!

Shorecrest parent Lane Lastinger spotlighted (literally, he set up a spot light on this month's picture person selection)  Edward Munch's "Scream" for our class today.  This is one of  four versions, we learned, the artist did on the subject.  Another recently sold for a record millions of dollars.  We watched a video of the auction too. 

At one point, Mr. Lastinger left the room and while the class was viewing it,  a masked thief (Mr. Lastinger's son) ran off with the picture.  When Mr. Lastinger returned students  had to tell him what they remembered about the artwork.  

All in all, it was a memorable Picture Person event.   Thanks.

Our Opera Mom

Rebecca Davis, Henry's mom, got us all excited about opera when she talked about her career as a singer and publicist for other musicians.  We watched scenes from the operas "Carmen" and "Hansel & Gretel."    Oh and we did voice warm-ups just like real opera singers. 

May Days & Events You Won't Want to Miss

Here are some important events to keep in mind for May. 

Friday the 11th 4th grade visits Middle School for an orientation to 5th grade from 10 to 11.

Monday the 14th our class shows off our recycled backgammon games at the all Lower Division Town Meeting at 8:15.

Monday the 21st fourth grade goes to Lowry Park Zoo as part of our unit on scientific classification.  We need two parent volunteers to go along for each class. 

Friday the 25th 

8:30  Moving-Up Ceremony for 4th grade in the theater (parents/friends invited)

9:20 to 10:00  Reception in the classroom (parents/friends invited)

11 to 1:15  Bowling Party & Lunch for 4th grade (teachers only)

1:30ish  Cool treat in picnic area (parents/friends invited)

Tuesday the 29th (parents and friends invited)

8:20 Students Share Projects in classroom

9:15 to 9:45  Students' Portfolios Viewing (in technology lab)

Wednesday the 30th 

Half day in which students get all their papers, art projects etc back and help me get the room ready for the summer vacation. 

We also will have the final backgammon tournament with families welcome to enter the contest.