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Ashlee's Medal by Sean Crowley 5th grade Ashlee won a bronze medal in a Nordic ski race. She finished in third place. When she won the medal, she was happy and excited. Ashlee says, "I like the medal because it was my first medal." She won it between November and March at Tamarack. She says: "It's fun going to ski practice with my friends." Ashlee likes skiing because she can race and do competitions. MSRT by Hallie Tucker 5th grade MSRT stands for McCall Ski Racing Team. There are six coaches: Kat, Richie, Liam, Bob, Nancy, and Chuck. The coaches split racers into age groups: Nancy, Bob, and Liam take the little guys. Kat, Chuck, and Richie take the big kids. Ski racers speed down courses called "slalom" and "GS," or "Giant Slalom". Slalom requires skiers to be quick and hit gates. Gates are big sticks made of rubber. Coaches put gates in the snow so racers can hit them with poles and the gates won't fall down. Slalom is different from GS because Slalom gates are really close together, and in GS the gates are spread farther apart. A racer must tuck, bending down and putting his poles in his armpits. Poles are for hitting gates. The slalom poles have guards on the front to protect a skier's hands when she hits a gate. In GS, skiers don't hit gates so GS poles don't have guards. MSRT is really fun. Dodder by Ashlee Robinson 5th grade Elsie glows red-brown. As a hunting dog, she runs like the wind when she wants to, but sleeps like an old man snoring: oink, oink. She's a great dog because she listens to me. Skating Harness by Emma Sabala 5th grade In skating I am working on an axel. An axel is a jump that is one-and-a-half revolutions in the air. When I am in the jump, I have to cross my feet together, and cross my arms and hands to my chest. While I am in the air I squeeze really tight, until my toepick hits the ground and I fall, or I freak out and let go of everything and in my head I say, "I can't do this!" To help me land the jump, there is a harness. A harness has two ropes on each side: one of the sides has a regular rope that the coach pulls up to make the skater high, and another side -- that has hooks on -- is to put a safety belt on, which is strapped really tight on the skater. An axel is the first big jump that a skater can ever learn in figure skating, so it is the hardest jump to land. I have been really focused on this jump, but it is just so hard to land! I have landed it and gotten all the way around on the harness without my coach pulling on the rope, but off the harness, it is so hard to get. I have landed an axel off the harness and fallen after I land on my toepick, but I can never land on one foot and check out! An axel is as annoying as hearing a pot on the stove squeak! I hope I land it soon! Sluggish by Hallie Tucker 5th grade Shiloh, at night, slouches when she limps around our house like she doesn't have a leg. Lying on her bed, relaxed as a kid on a Saturday morning, Shiloh is not flexible. I love her just the way she is. Sean's Cross by Ben Crogh 5th grade Sean has an iron cross that his grandpa gave to him when Sean was nine. He said that while his grandpa was a sergeant in World War II, he got it from a German soldier. Sean says, "It is really cool and is from around 1910." When Sean's grandpa was in the war, he went to Normandy and other parts of France. Sean says, "He is still alive, but all he does is sit around." The cross is painted black, and is worth about $3,000, Sean estimates. Sean keeps it in an old desk with a bunch of other German war stuff. Spring Kaleidoscope by Emma Sabala 5th grade Sun rises over the calm spring meadow, glowing bright in lemon and tangerine. Ruby tulips and pale pink apple blossoms bloom as green golden leaves grow small and large. Mud-brown spotted frogs croak; winds blow, hardly knocking over large cinnamon, scarlet, and pitch-black weeds with a light Whoosh! See more finished pieces from this class in our Writing Archives.

We have a VERY hard-working group of writers in WW this year -- having started research reports in the week after the Winter Break, most students have completed all of their research and webs, and are now working on formal outlines and bilbliographies for their reports. We will begin writing paragraphs this week -- writing and revising and editing and revising again -- until the five-paragraph research reports are finished. We have also been finshing poetry exercises, drafts of free verse or metered poems, and Fibonacci projects -- the hardest element of Fibonacci is being precise about writing Math explanations! However, students stay with the assignment, and patiently reword until all is clear... Feel free to visit and write with us any morning! Writing Workshop students are listed below. Click on a name to send a message to that student... Writing Workshop 2009-2010 (3rd - 6th graders): Emma Sabala J.J. Sabala Ben Crogh Hallie Tucker Ashlee Robinson Sean Crowley Bridger Dittmer Savannah Ormsby Thomas Gebhards Kormick Chapman To see who has signed up for all NFS classes in 2009-2010 so far go to REGISTRATION & Class Lists Pieces written by WW students in 2008-2009 Pieces written by WW students in 2007-2008 Pieces written by WW students in 2006-2007 Pieces written by WW students in 2005-2006 Pieces written by WW students in 2004-2005 Pieces written by WW students in 2002-2003 Pieces written by WW students in 2001-2002 Pieces written by WW students in 2000-2001 2009-2010 Supplies one 300-count package of college-ruled paper      [this will go into the CLASS supply] two packages of blue or black pens      [this will go into the CLASS supply] highlighter(s)      [this will also go into the CLASS supply] You may also want to leave a fleece or sweatshirt & warm socks or slippers at the NFS site: we have a no-shoe policy, and it can be chilly, especially on Mondays. Class snacks and hot drink mixes are kept in a separate cupboard for each class, so bring in your favorites to share. Please have your students read books from the 4th-6th Grade Reading List during the year. If they want to, they can also select books from the 7th-8th Grade Reading List . Remember that these lists are not an indication of reading level, but are created to give students a background for their upcoming years of study at the NFS. Please do NOT have children read books from lists that are in their reading level, but above their NFS class level.

2nd Year Program 2009-2010 | English II & American History I | all Math classes

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