Arctic/Inuit Inquiry:

 Blubber

 The students first tested their ability to withstand the cold ice water with their “naked” finger.  The cold made it difficult for students to keep their finger in for even 15 seconds.  Next, I encased their finger in vegetable shortening, and asked them to dip it back into the ice water.  The results? Their finger felt insulated and warm, and the students experienced first hand an important adaptation that is key to the survival of many Arctic animals, especially those that spend time in water.

Div. 5 is buzzing with the news that two of our eyed eggs have hatched as Alevin.  Notice the wiggling tails, and orange yolk sack.

Div. 5 takes a well deserved relaxation break in Yoga

Mrs. Glavas’ class came for a visit to see our salmonids, and share in the excitement of observing the maturing eggs.  We shared a video about the next stage in the life cycle:  becoming alevin.

Div. 5 is proud to announce the arrival of 55 tiny orange Chum eggs to our classroom today.

With Mrs. Devlin’s help, we have been preparing the aquarium for this exciting day.  It was meticulously readied with a thorough cleaning, a lot of tinkering with some temperamental equipment, and the addition of clean, ph balanced water as well as a redd (salmon egg nest).  The redd is the grouping of large rocks that are at the forefront of the tank.  The salmon eggs were gently dropped in front of the redd, and, over the next few days, will roll themselves into the crevices of the redd.  They will stay there until the next phase of their life cycle.  Each day, we work on deepening our understanding of salmon and salmon habitat while making connections to our own life cycle and the ecosystem that we share.

Stay tuned for more updates as we grow along with our salmon eggs.

Welcome Parents,  

I am getting some tech help today, so this is a test run.  

I am hoping to see everyone at the event next week on Dec. 14th at 5:30.

Mrs. Marto