We are still in need of volunteers for the upcoming Mystery Festival. The festival begins on Monday, and we need volunteers all day Wednesday and Thursday in order to make the festival run smoothly. So far, I only have one parent signed up for one shift on Wednesday...yikes!

If you are available at all on Wednesday or Thursday, please fill out the form on the Home Page. Thanks!

When I arrived at school yesterday around 7am, one egg had hatched and there was a little, wet chick resting in the incubator! There was another egg in the incubator that was making good progress, and at 10:00am, during Mrs. Countryman's science lab time, it hatched! By the end of the school day yesterday, there were 6 other eggs that had "pipped," or made their first crack in the shell.

This morning, when I arrived at school, there were 6 chicks in the incubator! They all looked like they had hatched sometime during the night, as their feathers were beginning to dry, and they were more sure-footed. Because it takes a lot of strength and energy to hatch out of a shell, the chicks are very tired, and take frequent naps.

I anticipate we will have more chicks hatching in the next day or two because the eggs were given to me in two batches, about 48 hours apart. We'll see though! Hopefully, we will be able to take these six chicks out of the incubator tomorrow and transfer them to a brooder.

If you'd like to see our fine feathered friends, feel free to stop by the science lab after school. I have duty on Wednesdays and Fridays, but I'll be back in my room by 3pm. Hope to see you soon!

Well, it's Monday morning and I've just arrived at the school. It looks like we have 3 eggs with cracks in them, and I can faintly hear little "peeps" coming from inside the eggs! It should be an exciting day! I'm going to try and take pictures and videos throughout the day...stay tuned!

This week in the lab...

It's Teacher Appreciation Week! Out PTA moms have out done themselves this year! Everyday, the teachers and staff have been showered with gifts, prizes, notes, flowers, posters, massages...you name it, we got it! A huge thank you to all the parents who helped to make this week so memorable. We feel so loved! Also, thank you to the students of Casita for all the cards, flowers, and gifts you gave your teachers. You are all very thoughtful!

Also, a huge thank you to Christine Lys who nominated me for an Athena SD Pinnacle Award! The awards dinner was Wednesday evening at the Manchester Grand Hyatt in Downtown, San Diego. It was quite a swanky affair! I felt honored to have been recognized alongside such amazing and accomplished women in the field of science, technology, engineering, and math. Morgan Stanley Smith Barney sponsored Mrs. Smith and I. Morrison Foerster, the law firm of Christine Lys' husband, donated tickets so my parents and fiance could attend the event too. I'd like to thank Mr. Murphy for his gracious donation, and Athena SD for hosting such a prestigious event!

This week, kindergartners learned about snails! Thanks to Chloe and Molly McGuire, our snail catching extraordinaires, we had plenty of snails to observe! We observed how our snails reacted with water. We also fed our snails, and had a snail race!

First graders learned the difference between a "mixture" and a "solution." We mixed salt and water in one cup, and sand and water in another cup, and then using our knowledge about mixtures and solutions, determined which was which.

Second graders continued to learn about rocks and minerals! This week, Miss Phillips brought in her rock bag, which is filled with rocks and minerals. Each student grabbed a rock/mineral from the bag, and then tested it at 6 station: The observation station, weigh station, scratch station, sink/float station, streak station, and acid station. Then, students took the information they collected about their rock/mineral, and researched online to determine what type of rock or mineral they had! To learn more about rocks and minerals, check out our Rock and Mineral Identification Page.

This weekend is the Casita Campout! I hope you all can make it. We will be camping on Mount Laguna. Mr. Brown has organized the event, so contact him for more information. Saturday at 2pm there will be a nature hike led by Mr. Brown, and Saturday night we'll have the telescopes set up! It should be a great night to look through the telescopes, because there will be lots to see! Saturday nights is one of the few nights when all the planets will be aligned, and therefore we can see them all in our sky! This will happen over the course of the night, so you'll have to stay up all night if you want to see all the planets. Also, the Earch is passing through the orbital patch of Halley's Comet, so there should be an exciting meteor shower with tons of shooting stars! You won't want to miss it! I'll be camping on Meadow Loop, so be sure to stop by and say hi!

Also, our chicks are set to hatch on Monday. I'll keep you updated on their progress!

Well, that's the news f

May 16-27th, there will be a Mystery festival for 2nd-5th graders at Casita! 2nd graders will participate during the week of May 16th, and 3rd graders will participate during the week of May 23rd. Students will act as crime lab scientists to help solve an imaginary mystery. in an effort to discover who borrowed a stuffed animal called "Mr. Bear," the students examine clues and do tests on evidence, while learning important science skills and concepts. This program was developed by the Great Explorations in Math and Science (GEMS) program and the Lawrence Hall of Science, and tested in classrooms nationwide. This will be an exciting week for your child, but to make it run smoothly, we need your help. We will need a number of parent volunteers to help run the crime lab test stations on Wednesday, May 18th and Thursday May 19th (2nd grade), and Wednesday, May 25th and Thursday May 26th (3rd grade). Please visit the Home Page to sign up to volunteer

Presented by the Northrop Grumman Foundation, the Silly Ride Science Festival includes an inspiring talk by astronaut Wendy Lawrence, discovery workshops (put on my local veterinarians, astronomers, microbiologists, and more!), workshops for parents and teachers on ways to support girls' interests in science, and a street fair (with booths, hands-on activities, food, and music)!! While the Sally Ride Science Festival is promarily focused on encouraging 5th-8th grade firls to pursue their interests in science, everyone is welcome to attend! This year, it will be held on May 14, 2011 at UCSD from 11:00am to 4:15pm. Admission is $20 per person. Don't miss out- advanced registrated is required! Sign up now at http://www.sallyridefestivals.com or call them at 1.800.561.5161. For more invormation, visit their website at: www.sallyridescience.com

This week in the lab...

in honor of Earth Day, kindergartners learned how to make recycled paper in science lab!

First graders learned about density. Students compared various liquids, such as oil and water, as well as solids like a pencil, paper clip, plastic block, crayon, and plastic button to determine which are more dense and which are less dense.

Second graders began our unit on rocks and minerals. We learned the difference between a rock and a mineral by watching a BrainPopJr. video. We looked at several rocks and minerals up close, and sorted them into piles depending on if they were rocks or minerals. Ms. Phillips also shared her rock collection with the students.

During technology lab, second graders began their final tech project for the year. Each student created a survey, and surveyed all the children in their class. With their data, their will begin to create a PowerPoint which will showcase their findings.

We candled the eggs! I am happy to announce that nearly all of our eggs are showing signs of development!

Well, that's what's happening this week at 260 Cedar Road. Until next time, stay classy Casita...

This week in the lab...

Kindergartners learned about guppies! We compared guppies to goldfish. We also compared male guppies to female guppies. Each class was given a male guppy and a female guppy to take care of for the week. We were told to be on the lookout, because guppies give live birth! Usually, about 3-5 days after putting a male guppy and a female guppy in the same aquarium, you will see little baby guppies swimming around! Since adult guppies usually eat the babies, it's important to remember to remove the adult guppies after the babies are born, if you want the babies to survive! During technology time, kindergarters created a detailed diagram of a goldfish using KidPix. The diagrams included: eyes, mouth, fins, tail, scales, and gills.

In honor of Earth Day on Friday, April 22nd, first and second grade students learned about composting! We watched a short video that explained how to create a compost bin. Then, we went into the garden to look at Casita's compost and worm bins! Then, we went back to the science lab where we got a hands-on look at the soil from the compost bin, complete with worms!

During technology time, first graders presented their Animal Coverings PowerPoints in the MPR. They did such a fantastic job! A HUGE thank you goes out to all the parents and family members who were able to watch the presentations. The students loved having you there!

Second graders explored Ms. Phillips' website during technology time.

A HUGE thank you to the Humann family who donated an incubator and 26 fertilized chicken eggs this week! The eggs began incubating on Monday, so hopefully on Monday, May 9th we will have hatching chicks! We will candle the eggs next Monday to see if any have begun to develop.

Well, that's what happened this week at 260 Cedar Road. Until next time, stay classy Casita...

This week in the lab...

Kindergartners began their unit on comparing animals! This week, we studied goldfish. We learned that the word "observe" means to look at and pay close attention to something. We observed how goldfish, eat, swim, and breathe. We also observed the similarities and differences between two goldfish. At the end of class, we learned how to care for goldfish, including how to feed them, and clean the water in their aquarium. Each kindgergarten class was given two of Ms. Phillips' goldfish to care for.

During technology time, kindergartners created a digital drawing of something fun they did over Spring Break. Students also typed a sentence about their picture.

First graders began our unit on matter. This week, students learned that matter is made of smaller parts. We observed 5 things under microscopes (fabric, soil, cotton balls, newspaper, and tissue), and learned that they are all made of smaller parts. We also learned that these smaller parts are made of even smaller parts called atoms, which are so small we can't even see them under a microscope!

During technology time, first graders practiced presenting their Animal Coverings PowerPoints, in preparation for our presentations next week! In case you have not seen the flier that was sent home, the first grade PowerPoint Presentations will take place next Wednesday, April 20th in the MPR. Here are the class times:
8:20-9:00: Mrs. Bowidowicz's class
9:05-9:45: Mrs. Wise's class
10:05-10:45: Mrs. Camara's class
10:55-11:35: Mrs. Ritchie's class
We hope to see you there!

Since the weather was sunny and beautiful this week, second graders went outside and played Salmon Run, a game where half the class are salmon who are trying to make it through their life cycle, and the other half of the class are predators trying to tag the salmon before they can make it back to the stream to lay their eggs. What a fun time we had!

During technology time, second graders played the inference games created by other second graders at Casita!

Well, that's what happened this week at 260 Cedar Road. Until next time, stay classy Casita...               

This week in the lab...

no one is here! It's Spring Break, and Ms. Phillips, Roger, and Stella are at the park enjoying the sunshine. We can't wait to see you back at school next week!

Until next time, stay classy Casita...