Kindergartners Are Expert Estimators
This month, kindergartners began each day by examining a tub filled with Unifix Cubes and writing an estimate on a post-it. Later in the day, the class counted the cubes together so that students could compare their estimates to the actual number. This activity helped with the concepts of more or less, number sense, and counting strategies. Students also estimated how long an arm is in popsicle sticks and how many buttons a hand can hold.

First Graders Fly Paper Airplanes
First graders arrived at school extra early for five weeks to fold and fly aerodynamic paper. Students learned drag, lift, air pressure, and that getting a perfect flight is difficult. Flying the planes off the library balcony was their favorite part. At the end of the club, each pilot received a pilot's license and a package with seven planes to make at home.

First Graders Study Flowers
The first grade students studied neighborhood shops as a part of their continued exploration of community. They spent one week learning about flowers. They created still-life art by looking at a vase full of beautiful flowers and made flower-themed calendars. To finish off they took a fun field trip to Bloomers, a flower shop owned by a student's grandfather.

Second Graders Explore Chocolate
Second graders (2JZ) are in the midst of a series of lessons on chocolate. Over they next few weeks, they will be exploring Ghirardelli and Guittard during the mid to late 1800s and early 1900s and learning about the process of making chocolate — from the bean to the delicious treat.

Third Graders Melt Wax
Third graders learned how a solid can be changed into a liquid and then back to a solid again by making candles. The students broke up pieces of wax and put them into a plastic 'oven bag' along with wax crayons. When the bag was dipped in hot water the crayons melted to liquid. To make the candle we cut off the corner of the bag and let the liquid wax pour into the mold. The third graders were mesmerized by the slowly solidifying warm wax.

Fourth Graders Make Polygons
Fourth grade is beginning its study of geometry. Students learned to create three dimensional polyhedrons with origami and "played" with tangrams to create several different polygons. These activities not only reinforce geometric vocabulary they also develop spatial reasoning skills. Ask any student in the fourth grade to make you a cube or a stellated octahedron - you won't be sorry you did.

Fourth Graders Get Down and Funky
Fourth graders were asked to create group dance routines that integrated push-ups, synchronized movement, and creativity. The resulting performances were both imaginitive and entertaining. They included moves such as the Cabbage Patch Kid, the Robot, leaping Air Guitar, and multiple backwards somersaults. Most importantly, the students learned to work well in a team.

Seventh Graders Map Africa
Seventh graders compared Africa to other continents in the world to assess how the projection used in statistics influences our perceptions of Africa and the rest of the world. The students then researched topics of their own choosing and made a cartogram. The challenge was to provide as much information as possible about a particular study, e.g., the distribution of wealth in South African countries. Through this process, they learned the limitations of statistics and continued to develop their media literacy skills.

Eighth Graders Work with the Elderly
In order to help students look holistically at the issues of aging, eighth graders visited the San Francisco Adult Day Services in Ingleside. Students built relationships with seniors by helping them during activity and snack times. The class also examined issues concerning aging in America, such as how we treat the elderly and the impact the aging population has on politics and policy in the U.S.

Eighty Students Compete in Bee
Eighty students from grades four through eight participated in the geography bee, answering tough questions on US geography, continents, cultural and world geography. Tense competition rendered two capable competitors in the championship round, Josiah Corbus and Hugo Kitano.

The champion, Hugo Kitano, won by correctly citing Guam as a United States island territory where the official languages are English and Chamorro. Our heartiest congratulations to all the participants who demonstrated intellectual curiosity, geography skills, and a willingness to take on a new learning opportunity.

January Artist of the Month
The Artist of the Month for January was conceptual artist Olafur Eliasson. Students have been looking at Eliasson's art and working on projects that model and explore themes central to his work such as, reflection, light, geometry, and perception.

Families are encouraged to check out the Eliasson show at the SFMOMA running through late February. You can also check out two of his pieces, Round Rainbow and The Weather Project on YouTube.