Aanin Oshki Ogimaag Community School Families and Community Partners,
Last week was a wonderful week of learning at Oshki Ogimaag!
Last Monday, Teachers and Support Staff, worked together to plan for the last quarter of our school year, engaged in work to better support student needs, and began talking about our vision for next school year!
On Friday, our Forest Friday plan was to go to the Sugar Bush to clean-up and prepare the space. On Friday morning, the sky became a deep indigo blue and we could feel the storm beginning to swirl in the air. And then, we heard big crashes of thunder and saw long, bright zigzagging flashes of lightning over Gichi-gami. The thunderstorm roared on for a half hour or so.
Students wondered out loud, “Will we still go to Sugar Bush after lunch?” By this time the sky had cleared and the rain had subsided. Ms. Kat told the students about how the Thunderbirds come and help get the trees ready for Sugar Bush, so it was a perfect day to go! Shortly after, Erik Carlson, stopped by to see that we were all ready for our first trip to the Sugar Bush this season. Mr. Carlson communicated the same story, telling us that when the Thunderbirds come, it helps the trees get ready. Mr. Carlson, also told us this is backed by science, that research shows that low pressure vacuums help trees produce sap. Mr. Carlson shared he didn’t particularly like that approach as it feels like it is not appreciating the trees, almost tricking the trees. However, when the Thunderbirds come out there is low barometric or atmospheric pressure, which has the same effect. Mr. Carlson reiterated it was perfect timing to go to the Sugar Bush!
Erik Carlson, Tess Bailey, Ruth Vogel and Robert James joined us at the Sugar Bush. Students helped prepare the space and used their muscles to carry a lot of wood! It ended up being a beautiful afternoon spent outdoors in the sunshine. We have tentative plans for tapping at Sugar Bush on April 01st and spending an entire day at Waaban to boil, with teachers bringing their instructional materials, on Monday, April 07th. Family members and other Community members are welcome to join us!
Chi-miigwech to Mr. Erik Carlson, Ms. Tess Bailey, Ms. Ruth Vogel, Mr. Robert James and Ms. Kat for planning and leading our Sugar Bush trip!
A Peek Into Our Week
Waagoshag - In Reading, Kindergarteners continue to sound out CVC (consonant vowel consonant) sight words, identify sight words in poems and identify rhyming words. Kindergarteners are exploring changing individual sounds in words to make new words and noticing the difference between similar words by identifying different sounds of letters. In Reading, 1st graders are working on reading short stories and answering comprehension questions. 1st graders are learning about sight words with suffixes -s, -ing, -ed and -est.
In Writing, Kindergartners are working on writing simple sentences that include their sight words, and 1st graders are wiring sentences that include more than one sight word and are learning about homophones (words that have the same pronunciation but different meanings, origin or spelling). In Math, Kindergartners are working on addition and subtraction and 1st graders are working on addition and instruction within 20, reading story problems, and adding three numbers in an equation. In Science, Kindergartners are working on a study of weather and 1st graders are studying the sun, moon, and stars.
Makwag - In Foundational Reading Skills, students are learning to read and identify words with the suffix -less, and read and identify words with the /ə bəl/ sound spelled ible and -able. For Poem Launch students read a fun poem called Incredible Able, and identified words within the poem that contain the suffixes the class is learning about. Students worked on spelling words they are unfamiliar with, using the spelling patterns they’ve learned. The Decodable Reader was Mable and Sheila Make a Plan. The Decodable Reader contains words with the suffixes the class is learning about and new high frequency sight words. The story is about a character students were introduced to the week prior and her determination to play basketball, even when others doubt her ability because she uses a wheelchair.
In Language Arts Module, Makwag continue to learn about fossils and steps in the process of fossilization. Students are learning to use evidence from the text Fossils by Ann O. Squire to answer questions about fossilization, and describe the steps of fossilization using words and pictures. At the end of the week, students practiced a protocol called Science Talk, where the class discusses an important scientific question and uses evidence from their texts to support their responses to the question. Students are learning to put the steps of fossilization in order and describe each step with confidence using evidence from their research and their Paleontologist’s Notebooks, where they’ve been taking research notes and drawing pictures of the steps of fossilization.
In Math, Makwag have been learning to represent numerical data in line plots using an appropriate scale and interpret data in line plots. In Art, Makwag continued their exploration of warm colors, cool colors and complimentary colors. As part of the Environmental Education work, Makwag made posters representing their findings for the months of November and December. In Physical Education, the whole school combined to play Cross the River and Color Tag. Cross the River is a game where team members have to work together to get from one side of the “river” (gym) to the other. The game builds communication skills, teamwork, and problem-solving skills. The class continues to work on building teamwork skills and showing respect for one another even when there are disagreements and/or differing opinions.
In Science, Makwag learned about the characteristics, plants, and animals of the forest biome. In Social Studies, Makwag continued their geography unit learning about the world’s continents and oceans, and played a geography game where students had to locate the different oceans and continents. In Social Emotional Learning (SEL), the class listened to a read about of Rosie Revere, Engineer by Andrea Beaty. The class discussed the events in the story and made connections to their own experiences of making mistakes, learning from those mistakes, and trying again!
Migiziwag - March 05-07th, Ms. Jeana went to Wolf Ridge with the 5th graders!
The first course at Wolf Ridge was Winter Survival. The group hiked into the forest to find good spots to make their shelter. The supplies they were given included a tarp, foam mats, a kettle, cups, hot chocolate, and matches. The goal was to make a shelter, build a fire, make hot water and make hot chocolate. All students were successful!
The second course was Renewable Energy. The students learned about what renewable energy is. Students had the opportunity to ride a bike to power different electronics in the room. Each group received a watt meter and checked the wattage of many different appliances. Students checked to see which appliance used the most energy. Students built a solar oven and made brownies. The group also took a tour around the campus to see all the renewable energy resources Wolf Ridge utilizes.
The third course was Ornithology, the study of birds. The group took a hike around campus and the students studied birds with their binoculars. Students met a few birds that were rescued and now live at Wolf Ridge. One was a raptor and the other one was a type of mimic bird. The group went to a spot in the woods where bird seed was placed on the students’ heads and chickadees landed on them. In the evening the group explored owl pellets.
The fourth course was Frozen Lake Study. The group hiked down to the lake and measured the ice, took a water sample, and measured the depth. After collecting the data, the student went ice fishing. The group put a camera in the fishing hole and the students were able to view a plethora of fish! The group used a big saw to cut chunks out. The students learned the history of ice fishing. When the group returned to campus, they viewed their water samples under the microscope.
Each night the group journaled about their experiences of the day. It was a wonderful and enriching trip!
Hands-On, Community-Based Projects Happening at Oshki Ogimaag
We have Intergenerational Yoga with Ms. Carly each week on Thursdays. Yoga sessions are 20 minutes long and work to support students with focus, attention, mindfulness, emotional regulation, and bodily awareness. Each session, Elders are invited to participate! See flyer below for details and reach out with any questions!
Sue Ferguson from North House Folk School, assisted by Ms. Kat, provides Woodworking classes after school on Wednesdays.
Mondays 3:30-4:30, through March 31st, Dr. Erik Redix is leading Ojibwe Language Table, located in the OOCS Conference Room! Join us to learn and/or increase your Ojibwemowin skills! See flyer below for details!
Chi-miigwech to Ms. Carly, Sue Ferguson and North House Folk School, Ms. Kat & Mr. Redix!
Each Friday afternoon, the whole school joins together for hiking in the woods along trails, creeks, adventuring to different local areas in nature, including the shores of Gichigami. Forest Fridays are lead by our Environmental Education Coordinator, Ms. Jeana Van Dyne, and Forest Friday activities target meeting our Environmental Education goals with our authorizer, Osprey Wilds.
Chilly Temps Call for Cold Weather Gear
Please make sure your student comes to school in weather-appropriate clothes and outdoor gear every day. We are committed to outdoor learning and experiences throughout the entire school year, including the many months of chilly, snowy, weather we experience in Minnesota. Each day your student should have the "Big 5": Boots they can hike in, a jacket warm enough for the weather, snow pants, hat, and mittens or gloves.
If your family faces barriers preventing you from providing these items for your students, please reach out, we often have donations of winter gear and/or can help you connect with Human Services to ensure all students have warm winter gear. Please include sizes and color preferences, when reaching out.
