Birthday Celebration: Schedule of Events

To kick May off right, we will have a busy week here at Willowwind. Please see the schedule of events for Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Read carefully as friends will need special clothing and there will be some schedule changes.

Wednesday, May 2nd - Planting Day

• Friends have worked so hard to research, measure, fundraise and plan for their Prairie Restoration, and on Wednesday it all comes together. We will planting in the afternoon from 12:45 to the end of the day.
• We will be outside planting and painting so be sure that your child has clothes and shoes that can get muddy and stained. They will also want to dress in layers on this day to accommodate temperature. 
• If your child is going to ASP please send them in with a change of clothes, socks and shoes. 
• We will end the Planting Day with an all natural fruit popsicle to celebrate our planting success. 

Thursday, May 3rd - Spring Concert from 2:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.

• Please join our friends as they perform songs and music that they have been working on with David.
• At 2:00 students will go to music class as they prepare for their performance.
• Your child will be dismissed at 3:00 p.m. after the concert. If you are not here to pick them up at that time, they will join ASP.
• If you AND your child will not be attending the concert, please let me know so that I can communicate this with David. Also, if you are picking your child up at regular dismissal time (2:00 p.m.) please meet them at the classroom door. 

**ADULTS Please come to our innovative education speaker at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday night. This event is FREE and open to the public. 

Friday, May 4th, V.I.P. Day

Please invite a special someone to come be apart of our school for the afternoon (this includes parents, neighbors, a special babysitter etc.).

The schedule is below:

11:45 p.m. to 12:45 

 Lunch and Recess with our V.I.P. Friends. Have you ordered Grey Wolves' Diner - it's a taco bar!

12:45 to 1:00 

V.I.P. Welcome

1:00 to 2:00 

Prairie Presentations in the Gathering Space upstairs. 

Listen, watch and learn how the K-6 Willowwind Friends researched, measured and planned for their Willowwind Prairie Restoration. Join in the fun as we conclude the presentations with a Sing Along favorite that ties it altogether. 

2:00 to 3:15

Classroom Time: share work from the year with V.I.P.s

Saturday, May 5, 2012 - Willowwind 40th Anniversary Picnic

• 11:00 Silent Auction
• 12:00 Potluck Lunch (did you sign up with Amber for a dish to share?)
• 1:00 All School Group Discussion with Alumni Friends

Burrowing Owls' Food Drive

The Burrowing Owl class focused on learning about Iowa City this year. We learned about some of the ways people in our own community, as well as others, become activists to assist those in need. One way is to establish food pantries for those who need assistance feeding their families. We talked about the fact that children are not too young to help and decided that we wanted to collect food for the River Community Church food pantry. Between May 1 and May 7 families are invited to bring in food for a spaghetti dinner. This would include spaghetti pasta, spaghetti sauce, canned fruit, and canned vegetables. If you choose to participate, please leave the the food in the boxes you find in the front entry to the school. Thanks for your support.

The Burrowing Owl Class

VIP Day: Friday, May 4th!

As a part of Willowwind's 40th Birthday Celebration, Willowwind will hold its annual VIP day next Friday, May 4th. VIP Day is a time for your child to invite someone special to spend time with them at school.

VIP Day will occur from 11:45 - 3:15.

Brainstorm with your child a special person they may like to share part of our school day with. Your child's VIP may be a grandparent, aunt, uncle, family friend, neighbor, babysitter….the list is endless. In the coming week, please let me know who your child's VIP will be.

VIP Day's Tentative Schedule11:45 - 12:45 - Lunch / Recess
Your child's VIP can start their afternoon at Willowwind with a special lunch with your child. Students always look forward to a meal for them and their VIP from the Grey Wolves' Diner. The Diner's VIP Day meal will be a Taco Bar. Each meal costs $7. Order a meal for your child and VIP by visiting the Grey Wolves' Diner table in the front entry way.  All orders must be placed by Thursday, May 3rd. Please note, unlimited punches and Tuesday and Thursday punches cannot be used toward VIP Day meals.

12:45 - 1:00 - VIP Day Welcoming

1:00 and Beyond - Prairie Presentations
At 1:00, Willowwind classes will take time to share with our VIPs our year long prairie study. Students are excited to present information, participate in a school wide group reading, and sing one of our favorite prairie sing along songs. After our prairie presentations, students will have a chance to share student work with their VIP.

Please let me know who your child would like to invite for Friday, May 4th's VIP Day. 

From the Interview to Transcription

Conducting the interview

An incredibly important part of the documentary process is creating transcripts of all of the interviews that the students have conducted.  By having a clear understanding of what was said, who said it, and when, student documentarians will be able to efficiently edit film.  Instead of spending hours searching through videos for the exact line wanted, students will be able to quickly read over transcripts and go directly to the clip that they need to help tell their story.  The transcription process also allows students to thoroughly process what was said by interviewee.

Transcribing the interview

The Willowwind Documentarians are on the Move!

Students interview Craig L. Just at the Water Treatment Plant

From the East Side Recycling Center to the Iowa City Water Treatment Plant, Willowwind documentarians are interviewing water quality experts and collecting footage of water projects throughout the Iowa City area.  I've had the pleasure of accompanying the student groups on two of these interviews and WOW!  The students are approaching this project with not only professionalism, but a high level of knowledge that allows that them to understand complex water quality issues such as bioindicators, nitrogen runoff, and dead zones.  Thank you so much to those of you that have driven or will be driving the students to interviews.  Your help is very much appreciated!

Update on Field Days

After further discussion with the students, we've decided to push back our field days to May 9th and 11th so that we can spend more time editing interviews and deciding what shots we need on our field days.  If you can drive on either of these days, please let me know.  Thanks! 

Field Days

The Wolves will spend next week interviewing experts from around the country.  Whether chatting with a  member of the Iowa Environmental Council via Skype or rushing out to North Liberty to interview leaders of a water clean-up effort, the students are truly getting the chance to be documentarians.  As we finish up our interviews, students will work together to use this footage to put together a cohesive story-line.  Part of this story-line will include water quality testing at various locations and footage of sites throughout the Iowa City area.  We'll therefore be spending Monday, April 30th and Wednesday, May 2nd out in the field, collecting this footage.  Students should dress in quick-drying clothes those days as we will be getting muddy!  We may need drivers for these trips so I will keep you posted as the students firm up their itineraries.  

Interviews: Drivers Still Needed!

The Wolf documentarians are still in need of transportation for next week's interviews (especially Monday and Tuesday).  If you have any time to spare on either of these days, please sign up on our transportation spreadsheet.  We really appreciate the help!

Interviewing Experts

The Wolves have begun contacting water quality experts around Iowa City and setting up interviews for our documentary.  We are in need of drivers to help take students to and from interviews.  Each interview will take approximately 20 to 30 minutes.  Please see this interview sheet to sign-up to drive a child to and from an interview.  More interviews will be added tomorrow so please check back frequently over the next week.  Any help is much appreciated!

Bike Rodeo!

Students who have a working cycle should bring them to school this Friday April 20.  Bicycles, tricycles, and bikes with training wheels are all acceptable.  Helmets are required!  We will be having a bike rodeo during Movement class.  Representatives from the Iowa Bike Coalition are coming to help us.  We will be in the parking lot, so please consider this if you will be driving to school in the morning.  Feel free to drop off your children as usual, but please do not leave your car in the parking lot from 9:00-12:00.  We do some bike maintenance, biking skills, and safety activities.  Bikes can be left at the bike rack in the parking lot or up near the front door.  If you don't have a bike, don't worry.  We will be able to share.  If you don't have a helmet, please let me know.

Thank you,

Christine Kaldenberg

Relay for Life

Dear Willowwind Families,

We are kicking of a Relay for Life fundraiser this week.  We are asking each family to support this service learning project by talking with your children at home about the American Cancer Society.  As a fun was to raise awareness and funds, we will have a series of Silly Fridays.  Students will be asked to bring a minimum donation of one dollar in order to participate.  To conclude the fundraiser, we will celebrate with a Relay Recess at Mercer Park on the last day of school.  Please see the schedule below for more information about Silly Fridays.  

 April 20  Crazy Day: Come dressed in crazy hair and crazy clothes.

 May 11  Character Day: Dress as your favorite character from a book.

 May 18  International Day: Bring or wear an item from another country.

*May 25  Mustache Day: Wear a mustache or mustache related clothing.

*The Burrowing Owls will have Mustache Day on Thursday May 24 since they have a field trip on Friday the 25th.

Thank you,

Christine Kaldenberg

Eagle Bluff Reflections - Monday at 12:10pm

The Wolves will be making a short presentation to the K-4 on their trip to Eagle Bluff this Monday at 12:10pm in the Group Discussion space.  The students will be discussing classes that they took, what they learned, and challenges that they faced.  Feel free to join us to hear more about their exciting trip!

Help Needed with Sod Removal for Prairie Restoration

The K-6 students are in the final stages of preparing the site for our prairie restoration!  We are in need of several volunteers that could help with a few different components of the sod removal process.  The sod will be removed on the upcoming parent work day, April 21st, from 9-12pm.  Please email me if you can help with any of the following:

Pick up sod remover - ACE Hardware in Coralville at 8:30am

Sod removal - using gas powered sod remover (need a few volunteers)

Help carry sod to truck(s) - need several volunteers

Remove sod from Willowwind grounds - will need a truck for this, welcome to plant in your own yard!

Drop off sod remover - ACE Hardware in Coralville (once sod removal is complete)

Any help is much appreciated!

Newsletter Updated

Please check out this link to find out more about what the Wolves have been up to lately.

Newsletter Updated

Please check out this link to find out more about what the Wolves have been up to lately.

Class Trip

What a trip! Rock climbing, the high ropes course, karst geology, and Seed Savers were just a few of the highlights. Be sure to check out the entire album of photos from the trip under the photos tab or by clicking here. Remember, you can download any photo by selecting the image, then right-clicking on the open image, and finally choosing download. Also, a huge thank you to Timothy for volunteering his entire week by serving as a chaperone for the trip. I honestly could not have done it without him!

Class Trip

What a trip! Rock climbing, the high ropes course, karst geology, and Seed Savers were just a few of the highlights. Be sure to check out the entire album of photos from the trip under the photos tab or by clicking here. Remember, you can download any photo by selecting the image, then right-clicking on the open image, and finally choosing download. Also, a huge thank you to Timothy for volunteering his entire week by serving as a chaperone for the trip. I honestly could not have done it without him!

Requests and Upcoming Dates

Save the Date: Wolves' Dinner and Documentary

The Wolves have begun work on their final project, a documentary about water issues in Iowa City. Please save the date of Thursday, May 24th from 5:30 - 7:30pm for the showing as well as a dinner. Further details will follow in the upcoming weeks.

National History Day Contest

The Wolf class will be headed to Des Moines on Monday, May 7th to support Halle and Emma at the state National History Day Contest. Please email me if you are available to drive.

Have Breakfast at Willowwind this Friday: Burrowing Owl Cafe

Please support the annual Burrowing Owl Cafe this Friday from 7:45 - 9am. The students are fundraising for their upcoming class trip. Drinks will cost $.50 and baked goods will range from $.50 to $1. Hope to see you there! If you can't make it yourself, feel free to send your child with money.

Garden Needs

Christine and the students have been working incredibly hard to get the garden ready for planting. She's looking for a family that has access to a pick-up truck to head to the Iowa City landfill to pick up some free compost and mulch. If you can help out, please email her at christinek@willowwind.org.

Spanish Lunch

Danielle is looking for a Spanish blanket/sarape/beach towel for our outdoor Spanish lunch group. If you have one that the group could borrow, please email her at daniellee@willowwind.org.

Girls Soccer

Amanda, who has volunteered for quite some time in the Burrowing Owl class, has a few spots left on her 5th/6th grade girls soccer team. Please check out this flyer for more information.

Open House

Willowwind will be hosting an open house for prospective families this Saturday from 10:30 - 12:30pm. If you know of any families that may be interested in checking out our great programming, please ask them to join us!

Reminder: No school on April 27th

Just a reminder that there is no school on Friday, April 27th.

40th Birthday Events: May 3rd - 5th

Willowwind's 40th birthday is just around the corner! Please mark your calendars for these exciting events:

Thursday, May 3
2:30 p.m. Music Concert (Willowwind PK-6)
7 p.m. 40th Anniversary Lecture - Rick Ackerly (author of The Genius in Children) Learning, Mistakes and Failure:  Crafting New Myths for Successful Kids and Better Schools 
Friday, May 4
10:45 a.m.VIP day starts for Preschool students
11:45 a.m. VIP day starts for K-6 students
Saturday, May 5
11 a.m. Silent Auction
12 p.m. Willowwind Picnic for friends, families and alumni
1 p.m. Alumni Group Discussion

Requests and Upcoming Dates

Save the Date: Wolves' Dinner and Documentary

The Wolves have begun work on their final project, a documentary about water issues in Iowa City. Please save the date of Thursday, May 24th from 5:30 - 7:30pm for the showing as well as a dinner. Further details will follow in the upcoming weeks.

National History Day Contest

The Wolf class will be headed to Des Moines on Monday, May 7th to support Halle and Emma at the state National History Day Contest. Please email me if you are available to drive.

Have Breakfast at Willowwind this Friday: Burrowing Owl Cafe

Please support the annual Burrowing Owl Cafe this Friday from 7:45 - 9am. The students are fundraising for their upcoming class trip. Drinks will cost $.50 and baked goods will range from $.50 to $1. Hope to see you there! If you can't make it yourself, feel free to send your child with money.

Garden Needs

Christine and the students have been working incredibly hard to get the garden ready for planting. She's looking for a family that has access to a pick-up truck to head to the Iowa City landfill to pick up some free compost and mulch. If you can help out, please email her at christinek@willowwind.org.

Spanish Lunch

Danielle is looking for a Spanish blanket/sarape/beach towel for our outdoor Spanish lunch group. If you have one that the group could borrow, please email her at daniellee@willowwind.org.

Girls Soccer

Amanda, who has volunteered for quite some time in the Burrowing Owl class, has a few spots left on her 5th/6th grade girls soccer team. Please check out this flyer for more information.

Open House

Willowwind will be hosting an open house for prospective families this Saturday from 10:30 - 12:30pm. If you know of any families that may be interested in checking out our great programming, please ask them to join us!

Reminder: No school on April 27th

Just a reminder that there is no school on Friday, April 27th.

40th Birthday Events: May 3rd - 5th

Willowwind's 40th birthday is just around the corner! Please mark your calendars for these exciting events:

Thursday, May 3
2:30 p.m. Music Concert (Willowwind PK-6)
7 p.m. 40th Anniversary Lecture - Rick Ackerly (author of The Genius in Children) Learning, Mistakes and Failure:  Crafting New Myths for Successful Kids and Better Schools 
Friday, May 4
10:45 a.m.VIP day starts for Preschool students
11:45 a.m. VIP day starts for K-6 students
Saturday, May 5
11 a.m. Silent Auction
12 p.m. Willowwind Picnic for friends, families and alumni
1 p.m. Alumni Group Discussion

Eagle Bluff - Day 3

Oh, what a day!  After a breakfast, the Wolves headed to Wildlife Ecology where they learned about what can effect the population of different animals.  They explored different habitats included bat houses and a snake hibernation pit!  

In the afternoon, students honed their orienteering skills by participating in competitive orienteering.  This class is normally designed for high school students but because of the Wolves' prior experience with compasses, they were able to catch on extremely quickly to the new material.  Their knowledge of topographical maps was especially helpful as they used compasses and maps to navigate through an intricate course.

Planning routes with topographical maps

Working together to find their bearing point

Orienteering was followed by a special surprise visit to the Eagle Bluff costume shop! 

So many choices!

Yes, I'm wearing a green jumpsuit!

Once we had dinner and were out of our costumes, we took a short hike to the high ropes course.  I was incredibly proud of each student for setting a personal goal and reaching far beyond that goal.  Every student finished the course!

Crossing over the cargo net

Coming down the zip line

We ended our final evening with reflections about our goals, acknowledgements for the work of others, and... 

Hope everyone had a wonderful week!  The students are extremely excited to see you all tomorrow!  Just a reminder, we will be arriving at Willowwind at approximately 6pm.  See you soon!

Eagle Bluff - Day 2

The Wolves began their day bright and early at 6:30am with some morning yoga.  We then headed off to breakfast where a few friends helped the kitchen staff with clean up.

Kitchen party

Our hearty breakfast helped us power up for a morning of rock climbing and archery.

Almost there!

Watch out for that one!

Students spent the afternoon learning about bio-indicators, collecting organisms at the pond, and studying their samples in the lab.  This class will serve as a great pre-cursor to biological assessments that we will do at the creek when we get back.  

What'd you catch?

Classifying organisms

Getting a closer look

In the evening, students had the opportunity to see several raptors including an owl and a hawk.

Demonstrating raptor adaptations (all in the name of science, of course)

Wait a second, you're not a raptor - you're a turkey vulture!

We ended our evening with a night hike and some hot chocolate along the way.  Can't wait to see what tomorrow holds!

Eagle Bluff - Day 1

Swinging over a "lava pit"

The Wolf Pack eagerly pulled up to Eagle Bluff right in time for lunch.  We tossed our belongings in our room and then discussed the food waste program.  The students decided to set their goal and 0 lbs of food waste for our entire trip!  Two meals down and 0 lbs of food waste so far so we're off to a great start!

After lunch, we headed out to group challenges.  We worked on building trust, communication, problem solving skills, and cooperation.  Check out some of the fun games we played:

The Human Knot

Blindfold walking

After group challenges we did some reflective writing about our role as community members.  We then headed off to dinner for a scrumptious plate of spaghetti and meatballs!  Our night ended with a naturalist program on constellations and smores by the campfire.  What an amazing first day!  Off to bed now so we can wake bright and early for rock climbing and archery!

Taking on the role of Artemis in a legend about the constellation of Orion

State Science Fair

Overhead view of 6th and 7th grade projects

From projects on spice inhibitors to jet propulsion, we saw it all!  Non-competing students spent the morning taking notes on 6th and 7th grade projects.  We then all headed out for a lunch and some gelato - even scientists need a sweet fix!

Taking a much needed break!

After lunch, we went back to the fair and spent the afternoon discussing projects with presenters and even seeing a seminar powerpoint presentation.  

Talking with presenters

Non-presenters then headed back to Iowa City while our participants, Adam, Halle, and Emma, continued to await judging.  

Standing post

Congratulations to all of our presenters for their incredible work!  It was not easy to create this project while also completing a history fair presentation!  Congrats to Halle for receiving an award for Excellence in Women in Science.  Congrats also to both Halle and Emma for their respective 11th and 5th place finishes in the 6th grade physical science category.  

Water Quality Testing

Determining transparency

The Wolves spent Wednesday afternoon back at Ralston Creek performing their first round of chemical and physical water quality assessments.  Timothy joined us for the day and helped students perform their tests.  The students began with physical assessments in which they measured the width of the stream, calculated stream velocity using a tennis ball, and determining water transparency.

Measuring stream width

Chemical assessments included using tests for nitrogen, phosphorus, dissolved oxygen, chloride, and pH levels.  Tests unfortunately showed that the creek had a pH level between 8 and 9 (be sure to ask a Wolf what that means)!  We'll continue to monitor the stream and see if this trend continues.

Collecting samples for chemical assessments