Happy November, Rainiers!
Dear Columbia Crest Families,
November is a time to show gratitude. The staff at Columbia Crest is entirely grateful for each and every student enrolled in our school. We are appreciative to all of the parents and families for taking on a strong role in your child's education. We are thankful for the health and wellness of all and appreciate everyone's flexibility as the guidance continues to evolve in Covid protocols.
As we enter the third month of school I hope all of our new students feel part of our Columbia Crest school family and have pride in being a Rainier. Watching the participation in last week's Spirit Week was very encouraging. Our Student Council members also organized a Pumpkin Decorating Contest. Please enjoy the pictures in our newsletter that highlight some of the entries.
Enjoy the new month!
Take Care,
Principal Shew
October Highlight
This month, we had two elementary Highly Capable sessions and one for middle school. Each week we start with a small team building and engineering challenge. Both groups participated in a spaghetti noodle building challenge. A few groups were able to successfully build a structure that held a marshmallow. For our first elementary week, students were introduced to water testing and its importance. We trekked down to the Nisqually River to gather water samples and practice a couple of water quality tests. Upon our return, we used microscopes to look for any organisms that may indicate healthy water. On our way back, we collected nature samples and finished the day with an art project making nature names.
The second week of elementary Highly Capable was focused on water testing. Since Sahara Creek was dried, we only went to the Nisqually River testing site. We completed tests such as pH, turbidity, dissolved oxygen and more. Results will be reported to the Nisqually River Education project to help in their restoration efforts. We ended the day with pumpkin science. Thanks to GRITs Farm students, each Highly Capable student got a pumpkin to take apart. We learned about density and used part of the pumpkin to create density columns, used the pumpkin for a chemical reaction experiment, and then finished the day having each student clean and bake their own pumpkin seeds.
After the team building challenge, middle school students had an amazing opportunity to meet with a plant ecologist from Mt Rainier. She led our group in a discussion about a scientific article written for Frontiers for Young Minds. Not only did kids get to discuss what they learned, but they had the opportunity to provide feedback and edits to the authors of the article. They will be listed as young reviewers once the article is published. After a rigorous morning of editing and reviewing, students enjoyed designated choice time. Then, all students were given time to finish their apple launchers. We did our launching competition and of course had to have a throwing contest with leftover apples at the end too!
~Mrs. Dattilo
Highly Capable Teacher
