Fáilte!                                                   

Announcements

2 Márta 2010

We have just finished up proportions, we will be starting percents next week.  Please think about proportion problems in our everyday lives.  Think about cooking for large groups, how much your uncle eats in a week long period, if he eats a certain rate per day.  Come up with a word problem and bring it in. 

Its time to start thinking about 7th grade Math placement please review last year’s placement Letter.  If you have any questions please contact me (kcasey@pausd.org) or  our math IS, Becky Rea (brea@pausd.org).

We’ve had some exciting Earth Science this past weekend.  Chile had a devastating 8.8 earthquake that triggered a small basin wide tsunami.  It even hit the Santa Cruz harbor; Search on youTube Video: Tsunami Chile, Santa Cruz.  You can see the tsunami recede and surge into the Santa Cruz Harbor, its pretty amazing.  Check out the West Coast and Alaska Tsunami Warning Center for interesting information including wave travel times.  

We’re in the middle of the our wettest period of the year, typically we receive between 2.5 and 3.5 inches of rain each month during the period of January through March.  Take a look at one of your neighborhood creeks during a rain storm, what do you notice about the color, volume, and speed of the creek during the rain storm?  Is erosion occurring?  If so where do you think? What about deposition? Where is your creek depositing sediment? 

We have started our lessons about weather, start watching the weather forecasts, look at how low pressure and high pressure affect our weather patterns.  Watch the weather radar during rainy periods (NOAA Weather Radar).  How does our topography affect how much rainfall different regions receive?  Check out NOAA Jetstream Education Site and and www.weather.gov  to look at our weather forecasts, and descriptions of severe weather such as tornadoes, and hurricanes. 

Unfortunately we have had to cancel our Los Trancos field trip several times.  Hopefully we will reschedule in a week or so.  Please check back to the website, and my Homework Calendar for further information.  It is a great place to visit regardless if we go or not.  Check out their website:

Openspace.org - Los Trancos  Its also a great place to check out salamanders in the spring time.   I’ve found California slender salamanders and California rough skinned newts there after a rainy spell. 

I have posted some pictures from camp (Camp Photos).  Don’t expect to see yourself, they’re mostly landscape photos.  I’m still going through the photos, and identifying “No Picture” students.

It’s March, my favorite month, for two reasons: my birthday month as well as St. Paddy’s day (always Paddy and never Patty, the latter is a girl’s name).  What language would you guess is “Fáilte” and “Slán go fóill”?  What do they mean? 

For Homework, please visit the Homework Calendar.

Slán go fóill!