To prepare for ISATs, students participated in a Strategy Gallery Walk. Rather than just listening to a lecture, students took on the role of "Performance Coaches" to help each other normalize testing anxiety and build a shared survival guide.
Testing "Toolbox"
To prepare for state assessments, students acted as "Performance Coaches" in a strategy gallery walk. Rather than just talking about the test, they collaborated to build a survival guide of peer-approved tips. They focused on four key areas: staying focused when the room is quiet, using the process of elimination on tough questions, using physical "reset" techniques like box breathing to stay calm, and double-checking for simple mistakes.
Earth Day: The Impact of Everyday Items
We celebrated Earth Day by investigating the environmental footprint of a common school tool: the pencil. Students explored the lifecycle of a pencil—from the cedar forests and graphite mines to the energy used in manufacturing and shipping. The activity encouraged students to be mindful consumers by researching eco-friendly brands and practicing simple habits, like sharpening less frequently, to reduce waste.
