Pathfinder Photos

Science Camp 2011

All is well at Science Camp 2011!  We arrived safely up the mountain, just on the other side of the mountain from Palm Springs, to a beautiful mountain retreat.  The facility is really nice- there is a large central quad that has a basketball court, a soccer field, a few games like tether ball and ping pong- all surrounded by trees and rocky hills.
The meals are served family style, and one student, the hopper, at each table is selected by a special criteria such as who has the brightest socks.  For lunch today we had tacos and for breakfast, scrambled eggs and sausage.  After weighing the leftover food waste, there is a "garbology report" which consists of the measurement of food waste and the setting of a goal (for less waste) for the next meal.

Students get a little bit of free time when they transition from one class to another, but they are spending most of their time in activities such as animal husbandry, rock climbing, horseback riding, canoeing, interactive games and hikes. 

After getting freshened up, the studnets will enter the dining hall at 5:30 with a squirt of hand sanitizer, a moment of quiet reflection, and then digging in to a big meal.  "Would you please pass the salad?"  The students clean up the tables, put  away their chairs and then it will be time for the campfire which includes skits and music.  The kids will be back in their cabins by about 9 p.m. and lights will be out by 9:30.  Tonight they are will be so tired that they will fall to sleep right away.  There are no problems to report- the students are all behaving like angels, learning a lot, and having fun.  Thank you again, parents, staff and especially Lisa Newhall for leading up the efforts to get all of our kids to camp!

CST Test-Taking Strategies

Here are a few tips for taking tests.  Some strategies are really basic, and some may seem counter-intuitive, and some may not always be best for every student, but knowing these strategies can help students take tests more effectively.

• Get a good night's rest before a testing day.
• On the day of testing keep your routines (eating a healthy breakfast etc.) in place.
• Have several number 2 pencils sharpened and ready.
• Review previous assessments and know why you missed the questions that you missed. 
• Practice your math facts.
• Make sure that you are not late to school! 
• Ask your teacher for help with procedural questions.
• If you don't understand the directions for bubbling, using scratch paper, or the directions about how to take the test, ask for help. 
• Be confident that you have already learned most of the material that will be on the test.
• Read the questions carefully.  Read all of the possible answers carefully.  Mentally answer the question before marking the answer. 
• Don't change your answer unless you have a really good reason.  Your first choice is most often correct. 
• Make the most intelligent answer possible.
• Answer the easiest questions first.
• Prove it before you choose it.
• Don't spend too much time on any one question, pace yourself!
• Go back to answer any questions that you skipped. 
• Carefully match up the questions and the answers on the bubble sheet. 
• Eliminate obviously wrong answers.
• Think about the BEST answer choice.
• Look for key words or phrases in the questions and answers.
• Understand what the question is asking and then answer that question.
• When there is a reading passage, read the questions first.
• All grades can use scratch paper on the math test.
• Transfer the question correctly from the scratch paper!
• Line up place value correctly and neatly to avoid computation errors.
• If your answer does not match one of the choices, re-read the question and solve the problem again. 
• The tests are untimed, so take all the time you need!
• When you have extra time, check the problems that you were unsure of. 
• If you finish early, check to see if you have answered all of the questions. 
• When you finish, please stay quiet so others are not distracted!

 

 

 

Good Morning Emerson Eagles!

Greeting of the Day:

Because it's getting too hot, we have decided to eliminate recess for the rest of the year.
Cents for Sendai
Teachers, please plan to turn in your Cents for Sendai containers to the office today at recess. Students can continue to bring in change that we can send to Riverside's sister city in Japan that was devastated by the 4th largest earthquake ever recorded.

Skill Blitz
Our Reading Comprehension Skill this week is Sequence of Events. As you read think about the order in which actions take place. What happens first, second, third?

Rule Reminders
We have started a new recycling program at Emerson.  The styrofoam trays and milk cartons are getting recycled.  In order to recycle milk cartons, first students need to dump their milk into the bucket with the strainer on top.  Then the milk cartons need to be placed in the trash recepticle that has the small round cut-out in the middle.  Only milk cartons can go in this can. 
The trays are going to be recycled also.  We have to stack them up neatly so that they can be sent to the recycling plant.  Only left over food and plastic will go into the trash.  But it would be great if we could get our composting project going again.  Implementing all of these will help us from filling up the landfills full of trash. 

Lunch and Attendance:
For lunch, you have two choices, the Farm Fresh Salad Bar, or the hot lunch.
Beef Rib BQ
Corn on the Cob
Applesauce, Animal Crackers
If you would like to have a hot lunch, please raise your hand.
Teachers, please take a count and make a note on your online attendance form.

High Expectations:
There's no choice, achieving your personal best is required every day at Emerson!
Please stand for the Pledge of Allegiance!
Oh and about the recesses, nevermind- Happy April Fools Day!