Night Hike a Big Success

The first-ever candlelight night hike for the Lower School was a big hit with the 20 families who participated. The temperature was about 15 degrees, no wind, and slightly overcast skies. There was just enough snow cover to make that crunching sound under your boots as you walked. There were 339 luminaries that lit the trail, and many families hiked it several times. Afterwards, everyone gathered in the dining hall by the warm, glowing fireplace, sipping hot chocolate and munching on cookies. The children drew some pictures to share their experience of the night hike. You can see these hanging outside the science lab. There were plans to do a little star and moon gazing, but the cloudy skies hampered the effort. Maybe next year! Make sure you check out video on the USM portal.

Happy New Year!

Welcome back everyone! January's weather is keeping us guessing. Will it snow? How cold will it get? When will this ice ever melt? Let's hope we get a little snow before January 24th, which is the date of the first ever Lower School Candlelight Hike on our nature trail. I hope all the 1st -4th grade families will join us for an evening of hiking on our beautiful nature trail lit by 375 luminaries, followed by fellowship in the dining hall with hot chocolate and cookies, and a drawing for a door prize. Let's make this first-time activity a great success! The first graders are getting close to wrapping up their unit on magnetism. They have discovered that certain objects can act like magnets, only certain kinds of metals are attracted to magnets, and that the poles of magnets have very important properties. The last lab is discovering if magnetism can be blocked. The students have had a lot of fun making magnets float, making toy cars move without touching them,and playing "Magnet Marble Mania". First grade students are also continuing with their weather observations on a daily basis. The second grade is preparing to hatch frog eggs. The eggs should arrive next week, and the students will take care of the eggs, and look for signs of metamorphosis. Our second grade scientists will be caring for these critters until the end of the school year. The 3rd graders are in Astronaut Training now, getting ready to "Take Flight" to Mars. Over the next several weeks, they will go through Mission Training, become engineers and build and design a rocket, launch that rocket with the help of Mission Control, and then explore space as they travel to Mars. Keep tuned in to watch the astronauts' progress throughout their mission. The 4th graders are exploring forces that an change the Earth's surface. They have built river systems, damned them up, and constructed levees, all to see what happens when water changes its course. Next week they will be investigating nitrate pollution, to see where nitrates come from and how they affect our rivers and lakes. Hope to see everyone at the Candlelight Hike Thursday evening, Jan. 24th from 5:30-7:00P.M. on our very own nature trail.