Hi Everyone!
We’re doing really well on funding our Riley’s Farm trip with Yellow Cluster through Donors Choose. Thank you to everyone who has already donated $15 (or more, wow!) so our kids can go on this amazing trip. We only have until December 6th, 4 more days, to fully fund the trip and have our donations matched by using the promo code SPARK. We have approximately $1100 left to go, so if you haven’t yet donated, please do so soon! (And then we won’t have to clutter up your inbox any more by sending more email reminders! :) )
Blue Cluster (Grades 4-5)
Welcome to blue.clusterme.com (Blue Cluster) from Imani Smith & Lillian Peralta Alba
Visit the Resources Page for resources you can use in remote learning. |
The Theme of Blue Cluster: Patterns of Change
The students in Blue Cluster learn the importance of being part of a community and responsibility to each other. Using the theme Patterns of Change we describe, analyze and find patterns in what we see is happening in the world around us. We look for these patterns in the literature we read and the historical concepts that we study. We learn to understand the patterns we find there so that we can make sense and connections from the past in order to predict future patterns.
Blue Cluster stresses independence, work quality and time management skills as students study our environment and our state’s and country’s history through simulations. Our curriculum encourages children to make appropriate choices, both academically and interpersonally. Students participate in whole group, small group, interest groups and cooperative group lessons. They learn to analyze, infer and make judgements as they write from a character’s perspective that they have studied in literature. Students learn to look at the world like a poet rather than a scientist in our Writer’s Workshop where we teach our students to show and not tell in their writing. They learn to write from the heart rather then writing a grocery list of ideas. Using technology, the students are encouraged to reach beyond the walls of the classroom to gain insight and knowledge from the sources this media makes available to them and they also learn to incorporate their math skills such as algebra, statistics and physics as they create simulations in the computer program Squeak. The students learn the many possibilities to problem solving in scientific situations and mathematical ones.

Donors Choose (Announcement)
2015 Fall Conferences (Announcement)
Dear Blue Cluster Families,
Please follow the following link to sign up for Student, Teacher, Parent Fall Conferences:
http://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0f4eaead2fabfa7-parentstudenttea1
Here's the Stomp Link (Article)
Once a week Blue cluster students meet with our musical director, Mr. McBain and work in collaborative groups to learn about musical orchestration. With Mr. McBain's guidance, the students produce original musical pieces by utilizing a variety of instruments including, bongo, drums, xylophones, gong, and many more. The small group creations are compiled into one class 45 minute performance.Take a look at one of our student groups during rehearsals:
Read-a-thon Minutes (Announcement)
Dear Parents of Open School Time Travelers,
Blue Cluster Announcements (Article)
Morning Assembly, Tomorrow, December 12 (8:30 am in auditorium)
Blue Cluster will be leading the morning assembly tomorrow, Thursday, December 12, 2013. We will sing a short song that the students created and perform a student-written skit to reinforce a Community of Respect. Every student needs to wear their cluster t-shirt or a blue shirt. Please join us if you can.