Barracudas

International District

2012-02-10T11:01:00.000-08:00

As part of their study of Asia the Barracudas spent the day in the International District of Seattle. They toured China Town and learned the history of early Asian immigrants and then had a great lunch at a Chinese restaurant. After lunch they toured the Wing Luke Museum and learned more about Asian traditions including New Years celebrations and the dancing dragon!

Chair Affair

2012-02-02T08:49:00.000-08:00

The Barracudas once again participated as artists creating a chair for The Chair Affair, a fundraiser for a Tacoma charity that provides furniture for low income families. Last year's entry went for $200 and was the first that sold! We're hoping for similiar results this year.
If you are interested in attending the event or just want to see more about it check out: http://www.chairaffair.org/

Trebuchets

2012-01-31T10:43:00.000-08:00

To test some of the physics concepts they have learned the Barracudas created and test fired trebuchets, or catapults. Some were more successful then others but in the creation the Barracudas learned a lot about energy, force and trajectory.

Happy Chinese New Year

2012-01-23T14:40:00.000-08:00

The Barracudas had a busy day celebrating Chinese New Year. The morning was spent learning about New Year traditions as well as doing Chinese activities like tanagrams. For lunch one of our wonderful parents brought in Chinese food and everyone tried out different entrees.
In the afternoon we learned about Sume painting from a local artist. The Barracudas learned how to paint in this traditional style and some of the philosophy behind it.
It was a pretty exciting back to school day!

Seattle Asian Art Museum

2012-01-13T09:20:00.000-08:00

As part of our study of Asia, the Barracudas and Wildcats went to the Seattle Asian Art Museum to learn more about ancient and modern Asian art. We'll also have a Japanese artist spending an afternoon with us to teach us the art of Sumi e.

Swimming Lessons

2012-01-06T08:07:00.000-08:00

Swimming at Norpoint is major fun and the kids are already showing their skills. What a great addition to our PE program!

Roller Coaster Physics

2012-01-06T07:47:00.000-08:00

It's not too often that fifth graders beg to stay in from recess to work on a science challenge but such was the case with constructing roller coasters to show potential and kinetic energy. After much design work and numerous tests the coaster were shared with the Wildcats who loved trying them out.

New Friends

2012-01-03T13:16:00.000-08:00

The Barracudas have two new friends from Korea. The girls are teaching NaYoung their favorite game, Phase Ten and Edmond is teaching the boys a Korean game, Air. Looks like a fun month ahead!

Folktales

2011-12-13T09:01:00.000-08:00

After reading Asian folktales the Barracudas wrote one of their own. Here are a few examples:

Carla’s Island

By A.A.

Think of others not just yourself.

Introduction

When I was very little my mom and dad lived in Chile which is next to the Pacific Ocean, even though they spoke English. One day my mother went out onto the ocean by herself. Once she was farther out she saw something move in the water, once she got closer she recognized it as the whale she had spent hours admiring when she was little. They stared eye to eye until my mother saw something, it looked like a ship. As the ship drew near she saw it was the Patriot Ship. As the Patriot Ship got closer it scared the whale. In the Whales hurry it ate my mother and our bout leaving only memories of my mother behind.

A New Life

Once I was two and a half years old my father and I went out to sea with everything we would need in search of a new life. After a week or so we found an island. No one had ever found this island before. This is our own island now it is also where our adventure begins.

I am eleven years old now and my name is Carla. You are probably wondering if I have any friends, the answer is yes. My best friends are Kiki the seal, Felix the lizard, Joey the rattle snake, and Leo the pelican. Even if Kiki, Felix, Joey, and Felix are my best friends all the animals on the island are my friends. Every month a ship comes three miles away from the island to bring us supplies that we can’t get or make on our island. The ship brings us food, clothes, and other stuff. Today I got some books and for seven hours I read nine out of fifty books. Gone Everything had been going well until my twelfth birthday.

When I was playing hide and go seek with Felix my dad was making a special dinner because it was my birthday. After ten games of hide and go seek I heard a loud boom. As I turned around I saw smoke and rocks flying, the volcano was erupting! As I ran for the water I remembered my dad and my friends! I turned and ran towards the house the ground shaking under my feet I could feel the air getting hotter and hotter as I ran. It seemed the forest went on and on forever. Finally our house came into view but I was too late lava was already destroying it. The lava was pouring out of the windows swirling, twisting, and turning it was almost magical for that one moment. Then I realized how close the lava was coming so I turned and ran for my life.

I made sure that all my friend where safe. After helping a duck and watching it fly away I felt the air getting hotter and hotter so I looked around and I saw the lava drawing near. I ran I ran for my life away from the lava. Soon after I saw the sand of the beach ahead it never felt better to be on the beach. As soon as I felt the water on my feet and the ocean spray in my face I dipped under the waves and swam as fast and as far away as I could from the island.

Home Again

As I turned I saw a boat coming towards me, at was at first I was scared since it was moving fast. I swam away my clothes dragging me forcing me to go slower as I cut through the water. Then I heard someone call my name behind me. I spun around to see who called my name. The person calling me was my dad. He drove the boat closer and I pushed myself out of the water and onto the boat. Out of breath I flopped down on the boats floor and fell asleep. When I woke up I felt much better. I looked up and saw my dad gazing down at me. I slowly got out of bed and gave my dad a hug. When I looked around the room I saw I was in my old house in Chile. It looks like my future has been turned around in a good way. Life in Chile is nice but I will never forget the island because it will always be our island.

The Boy with the Magic Rock

By: M.Y.

Once upon a time there was a boy named Joseph Jacobson who lived in a Cabin on Mount Yeh. Joseph’s mother had died many years before, but his father had remarried to his wicked stepmother, Gladys.Gladys had always taunted him with many chores but there was nothing he could do about it, even Joseph’s father was deathly afraid of Gladys.

Everyday he would go back to Gladys and receive a new list of chores to do while Gladys would be watching his every move.One day while Joseph was wandering alone in the forest, he found a very unique rock, light blue on the top, green on the bottom and small colorful crytals of light moving in the middle. Joseph was told by Gladys never to have any fun or excitement while doing his chores but this was “Incredible,” Joseph thought. He had never seen anything this exciting in his life.Joseph thought to himself what this brilliant rock could be used for.

Joseph started thinking about the past when his mother was still alive and how they played games and had fun together. He thought about why Gladys was so mean and cruel and how she got to be like this. Then, Joseph got furious that this rock was the only excitement in life. He threw the rock down as hard as he could to get all of the madness and pain he had suffered away, he hated life!Suddenly a portal opened up. It was filled with bright colors and lights, Joseph looked down and he saw that it was the rock! Everything became frozen around him the portal was getting larger and larger, he could not see anything. The skys became filled with light, the animals disappeared and then everything was gone. Joseph’s mind went blank! The whole world was spinning around him.Joseph found himself lying down having fainted.

He stood up and found himself in a world filled with people everywhere was wearing great big dresses and suits. Then Joseph saw a very unusal guy; he had brown hair, blue eyes and was wearing a big crown and a long red robe. “It is time for a very important ceremony! I must now be crowning my daughter, Gladys, who is about to become our new queen of China!” Then Joseph realized that Gladys wasn’t ugly and evil at all, she was nice and calm. Joseph saw that the rock was lying on the ground; he realized that the rock was not just a common old rock; it was a magical time traveling stone.

Joseph saw that the king was crowning Gladys and some guys were hiding in the bushes with swords and maces waiting to attack. The guys came up and kidnapped the king. The knights came and grabbed Gladys to protect her. Gladys screamed and asked the knights if her father would be okay. Joseph realized why she was so cruel and evil; he had to save the king.Joseph ran up and followed them to the castle, he saw that the king was being asked to give his wealth to them. The king replied saying that if his family would be okay he would do it. The guys huddled up discussing it. Joseph came and untied the king and brought him back to safety leaving the guys locked up in the king’s palace.

“We shall thank this young man for his bravery for saving the kingdom and all of China,” said King Jacobson. Joseph ran up to the king and was crowned ruler of Mount Yeh, and was promised to be treated respectfully from the king. Later that day Gladys was crowned queen of China. Meanwhile, Joseph found the rock gray and colorless with no use, knowing that he used it for the right thing.The

Story of Carnidous Island

By: B.S.

Once, on a jungle island called Carnidous Island in the middle of the ocean, there lived a few animals; tigers, chimpanzees, and various birds. Also, there was a very nice, strong, giant who lived in harmony with the animals; he patrolled the beach for dangers and sea life. He also played with the animals. They got along very well together.

However, there was a small stretch of land that appeared once a year on the first day of spring. This stretch of land led to another small island, the island of Suodinrac. On this island, there was a cave. In the cave, there lived a fire breathing dragon with flames coming out of every pore that wanted the world to end, and he wanted to cause it. His first victim, Carnidous Island.This brings us to the story.

One fine sunny day, on Carnidous Island, the animals were playing tag with the giant. “No way you’re catching me!” said one of the birds, “Oh, yeah? I got you anyways!” said one of the tigers, specifically the one who was “it.” “Good luck finding me!” said one of the chimpanzees. “Really? Thanks, but I don’t really need it. Tag!” said the bird. “Darn, how am I goi-“ said the chimpanzee, but he was interrupted by a loud noise. RUMBLE!!!The land bridge slowly rose out of the ocean, frightening all of the animals back into the jungle.

Slowly but surely, the dragon came out of the cave and started to cross the land bridge to Carnidous Island. Once he got there, he set fire to a little bit of the forest with the hottest flame he had ever breathed. This scared the animals back out of the forest, vulnerable to the monster’s attacks.The giant, who heard the rumbling, came to check that all the animals were ok, and doing so, saw the dragon.

The giant began to fight the dragon, to protect the animals, but the dragon was still attacking the animals. “Uh-oh,” thought the giant.But the animals had formed a plan. A tiger went and jumped into the shallow part of the ocean and said, “Nyah-Nyah! Bet you can’t hit me here!” The dragon, being stupid, changed to aiming at the tiger. He breathed one of his hottest, while the tiger dove underwater.Doing so, this evaporated some of the ocean and made salt. The tiger quickly swam to shore to hold the dragon away from the chimpanzees and the birds. A chimpanzee grabbed a large leaf and started to pile salt into it, and when he was done, handed it off to a bird.The bird grabbed the leaf by the top so it wouldn’t leak, and flew up as fast as he could, while the fire was spreading below. When he got to the clouds, he let go of the bag, and it flew up and released the salt into the clouds. This made it rain.The rain put the fire out, and also made the monsters flame breath useless. Now, the dragon was in a bad spot, because after that, the giant picked him up by the tail and threw him as far as he could into the ocean. This was the last time that Carnidous Island saw the dragon.

Awesome Field Trip!

2011-12-13T08:16:00.000-08:00

Thanks to one of our moms the Barracudas got to spend the morning at a professional photo studio taking pictures, learning about lighting and how cameras work--oh and trying on costumes!
Then they went to the MS campus for lunch and a little visiting with their soon to be classmates.

Balloon Car Rally

2011-12-06T13:55:00.001-08:00

The Barracudas tested out their knowledge of Newton's Laws of Motion with their own balloon car designs. While the cars didn't exactly set any land speed records they were a lot of fun and demonstrated what the Barracudas had learned.

Friction Experiments

2011-11-30T10:52:00.000-08:00

The question is, how do different surfaces affect friction? The Barracudas were challenged to make a hypothesis then put together an experiment to test their hypothesis. Ask them about what they found out.

Physics Day I

2011-11-28T11:31:00.000-08:00

What does shooting marbles have to do with physics? Ask your Barracuda about Newton's First Law of Motion.

Manifest Destiny

2011-11-22T07:49:00.000-08:00

As their final project for our social studies unit on Westward Expansion, the Barracudas wrote an essay about Mainfest Destiny. Here are two of them:

Manifest Destiny
By: C.H.

Manifest Destiny was the spark that inspired the USA to move west and take over the continent from east coast to west. There was many other ways to accomplish spreading across the continent, Manifest Destiny was not necessary for America growth.

In 1811, John Quincy Adams the sixth president of the USA wrote: “The whole continent appears to be destined…to be peopled by one nation. The acquisition of a definite line of boundary to the pacific forms a great epoch in our history” Meaning America should spread throughout the continent from east coast to west.

34 years later John O’Sullivan, an editor of the United States Magazine and Democratic Review wrote: “Away, away with all these cobweb issues of rights of discovery, exploration, settlement, contiguity, etc. The American claim is by the right of our manifest destiny to overspread and posses the whole of the continent which Providence has given us for the development of the great experiment of liberty and federative self-government entrusted to us. It is a right such as that of the tree to the space of air and the earth suitable for the full expansion of its principle and the destiny of growth. It is in our future far more than in the past history of Spanish exploration or French colonial rights, that our true title to be found” meaning to forget the past and move west. The main idea of Manifest Destiny was god had sent a message saying they must move west and take over the entire continent.

After the Louisiana Purchase of 1803, America was almost double the size it was before, that gave Americans a great chance to travel west and restart with a fresh new life. Many people were on a rush to get to the west because you could get lots of land cheap. Starting in 1862 the Homestead Act cut the price in half and gave Americans a very good reason to go west and get low priced land. Traveling west was a dangerous thing, going through thousands of miles of unknown land. Many people risked their lives to travel to the west and some of them like the Donnor Party lost more than half of their people.

In 1948, the California Gold Rush began and when the populous found out everyone wanted to travel to California to make their fortune. It all start May 1848 when a man named Sam Brannan, a cashier in Sutter’s Creek was cleaning the store after it closed and came across a bottle with gold dust in it and ran outside yelling “GOLD, GOLD, GOLD FROM AN AMERICAN RIVER!” the people in the city now had proof of gold and all rushed to San Francisco harbor and the rush for gold was on.

During this wonderful time for Americans they ran into a small but to become large problem with the Indians and they weren’t about to give up their land for some greedy American. To deal with this ‘Indian Problem’ the Americans took four steps; Sovereignty, Assimilation, Removal, and Elimination.

Sovereignty was the American government writing three policies one saying we would not take the Indian’s land, the second saying we would make friends and not fight with them, and the last allowing us to trade with them. The bottom line of this was to make friends with them. But since Americans still wanted the Indian land the policies of sovereignty were revoked.

Second would be assimilation; assimilation was the Americans removing the Indians from their home and making them become part of the American society by making them eat American food, wear American clothes, speak English, follow Christianity, follow American law etc. etc. etc. This would destroy Indian culture, and it utterly failed since the Indians did not want to give up their culture.

Third would be removal; around the early 1830’s President Andrew Jackson decided that a new policy would be necessary to remove the Indians from their land. He supported the Removal Act of 1830 which gave the U.S Government the right to go to the Indians, take them to reservations and take their home land against their will. One of the largest removal events of the Indians was The Trail of Tears; The Trail of Tears was the American army taking the Cherokee, Creek, Chickasaw, and the Seminole from Georgia to land in Oklahoma. Except there was one little problem the land we put them on was pretty nice land and some whites wanted it so the government took the land then put them somewhere else. This happened repeatedly until we finally put them on to reservations.

The Americans put the Indians on reservations which was land that no one wanted; it was arid, had no plants, and you couldn’t leave. This caused the Indians to rebel and leave the reservations. This is one of reasons that the Indian Wars started.

Last is elimination; the Americans finally came to the conclusion that the only way to get rid of the Indians was to kill all of them. The Indians hated the reservations so they left, and that made the government very unhappy so they hunted them down like dogs. For example at the Wounded Knee Massacre, December 29, 1890 an American group of soldiers surrounded an Indian camp at Wounded Knee and attacked it completely annihilating them and killing their chief Sitting Bull. By 1900 the Indian population went form 6-10 million to less than 250,000 Indians alive.

As you see the Indians were gravely harmed and almost went into extinction. America was stronger than ever but did a horrible thing to get there, Manifest Destiny was not necessary for Americas growth.

Manifest Destiny
By: E.M.

Inspiration is a powerful thing. It makes us do things we never thought we could do and gives us the power to move mountains. Everyone has their own idea of motivation; Manifest Destiny, for many people, was inspiring. Manifest Destiny hurt both sides but, in the process, made the American settlers stronger and was what inspired them.

There is so much land to discover! Spread out! It is our destiny given to us by God! In 1849 Manifest Destiny was big and booming, the Louisiana Purchase had defiantly made its difference, the air was buzzing with inspiration and determination to accept our destiny, no matter what may land in our way. What an adventure! In 1811 John Quincy Adam’s wrote: “The whole continent seems to be destined …to be peopled by one nation. The acquisition of a definite line of boundary to the Pacific forms a great epoch in our history.” In other words we are destined for greatness and to be the rulers of this continent. This gave people courage and strength.

Then they ran into the Native Americans. The Earth probably felt like it had introduced two nuclear bombs, ready to see which one exploded first. Fortunately the Indians welcomed them, thinking they would stay just a little while. It wasn’t long though, before the Indians began to notice things, things that they didn’t like. The Whites were taking land, saying that they owned it. The Native Americans thought the land was shared, not bought or owned. Then they moved on, while some of them stayed behind to protect the land they ‘owned.’ The Whites were ready to fight for their destiny.

Time went on. More and more Whites were coming that said they owned land. Indians were getting impatient. To deal with the new ‘Indian Problem’ the American government decided to make three polices to deal with them. First, The Northwest Ordinance of 1787 proclaimed that the Native Americans would be treated nicely and fairly, their land not taken from them without consent and not invaded or disturbed, unless Congress authorized it. Second, Congress would have the power to regulate commerce with foreign nations, Indian tribes and the several states. Third, The Indian Trade and Intercourse Act of 1790 placed all Indians under federal control, including the act of buying and selling land. It also settled the boundaries of Indian Territory, made trading with Indians under federal management and arranged that injuries against Indians was a federal crime. They could do anything they wanted on their land.

That didn’t work so well. Throughout the 19th century, the American legislative and legal system created a series of treaties and laws that applied only to Native Americans. Assimilation was what was expected of the Indians, the goal was to change the Indian ‘threat’ to ‘peaceful’ westward expansion of white settlers and destroy Indian culture, religious and political traditions by assimilating them into the American lifestyle.

Things were becoming less and less friendly between the Native Americans and Whites. Native Americans were very much into nature. They worshipped the Earth, believed in shared land and freedom. Americans thought of themselves as the first explorers and destined for greatness, similarity was what was expected and admired, if you weren’t part of the Christian community and ‘civilized’ you were savage and needed to be changed.

This ‘moving’ of the Indians was where government agents, missionaries and other White people functioning under federal management, would continue to try and ‘civilize’ Indians and prepare them for admittance into the United States. As Whites began to move westward they began to come onto more and more land, most of it was being held by American Indians. So, from 1830 to the rest of the 19th century, the federal government answered with four specific categories to open up Indian land the white settlement: allotment and assimilation, removal and reservations and then finally, elimination. (Not necessarily in that order.)

Americans didn’t like the fact that Native Americans weren’t assimilating. The amount of animosity between the two was building by the second. The Americans were mad, they had tried assimilation, they had tried working things out, it was time to take more drastic measures, they would start with removal. So, by the early 1830’s, about 80,000 members of the Cherokee, Creek, Chickasaw, Choctaw and Seminole Nations lived on land that many Americans thought could be more beneficially settled by non-Indians. All five nations had signed the treaties with the federal government that guaranteed their right to live in their ancestral lands and carry on with their systems of tribal government. These tribes refused to give up any of their land or make any new treaties that would give away any of their territory.

President Andrew Jackson decided that a new federal policy would have to be made to in order to separate the Indians from their lands. And so, he supported the Removal Act of 1830 which gave the President the right to make ‘exchanges’ of land by forcibly removing the five tribes from their native lands, against their will. The President justified this to the Indians by saying that they were not losing any land; they were simply exchanging it for new land. The Removal Act was backed up by the 1834 Indian Intercourse Act which moved Indian Country westward above Mississippi and was set aside for all Indians once removed from their ancestral lands. Over the next several decades, more than 40 tribes were pushed into the new Indian Country, the land that now makes up Oklahoma.

From 1830 to 1840, between 70,000 and 100,000 American Indians living in the East were forced to resettle by the US Army. Many others were annihilated before they could be persuaded to leave, an unknown number died from disease, exposure and starvation suffered from the Trail of Tears, as well as on other enforced, long distance marches westward to the new Indian Territory.

The removal policy was working, people were happy, the Indians weren’t happy but Americans were happy, at least for a time. Though as more and more Americans moved westward, they found other Indian tribes living in peace and happiness throughout the continent, because these Indians prevented Americans from settling in many desirable areas, thus, the federal government had to do something about it. Many White settlers didn’t feel safe living around the ‘Indian danger’ and were probably afraid of the different things they did that Americans didn’t do. So the government thought…. and thought and thought. Finally, they came up with the idea of reservations. This idea was designed in the belief that if Indians were put in one specific place ‘reserved’ for them, they could be encouraged to work into a ‘civilized’ and assimilated American way of life. They thought that Native Americans could be encouraged to abandon their Indian ways and live like White men. These reservations goals were to make sure that the remaining tribes be converted to Christianity, taught English and above all else, to be Americanized.

After being relocated, Indians weren’t allowed to leave the reservations; they were subject to arrest if they left without permission and were ruled and governed by men from the Bureau of Indian Affairs. By the end of the 19th Century, 56 out of 162 had been established by executive order. But, after 1919, only an act of Congress could create a reservation. Even after the government’s enthusiasm for reservations the majority of Indians still did not adjust to the reservations, they didn’t even become like Whites a little bit or abandon their culture, and most even fought to protect their traditions and ways of life.

However, the reservation system continued to grow, resulting in nothing but more territory loss. It eventually became clear to even the dullest pencil in the box that not all Indians were going to be confined and the vast majority of them would not be changed or Americanized. By this time many Americans believed that Indians would never be Americanized as long as they celebrated their culture and spiritual beliefs on the reservations they were on. Furthermore, the reservation situation the Indians were in didn’t seem to give them any incentive to improve their situation. The frustration and anger clouded the minds of the government and left only a few choices, all of them extreme, the government chose the one they thought was the best at the time: allotment.

The federal governments’ idea was designed to break tribes apart and not have them so close together on reservations. This new policy was signed into law as the Dawes Severalty Act of 1887. The Dawes Act gave the President the power to give bits and pieces of certain reservation land to individual Indians. Any land that Indians didn’t ‘claim’ would be given back to the federal government to give to Americans or non Indians to farm. Every head of the family would be given a final title to the land and American citizenship after a 25 year period of taking care of and taking responsibility over the land.

At the time where the Dawes Act was being thought over, American policy makers were thinking of a new assimilation policy, something that would make Native Americans let go of their culture and live like White men. Many people thought different things, one of them was that for Indians to truly become Americanized the Indian children would have to be taken from their tribal and spiritual environment and instead, be in an environment that would support American cultural, religious, political and economic traditions, therefore, forcing them into an American way of life. So, in 1879, that the former Indian fighter, Colonel Richard Pratt created the first large Indian ‘boarding school’ in the country. It was called the Carlisle Indian Industrial School, talk about being humble. It was in Pennsylvania and dedicated to totally Americanizing Indian children.

As usual, the Dawes Act and the boarding schools policy were nothing less than catastrophic for American Indians; it ended up in huge land loss for them, making the 138 million acres of land they owned before the allotment idea into 90 million acres of land. It represented a result of 60% land loss after the Dawes Act was repealed. Indians, as expected, lost an enormous amount of their languages and culture and Indian family life was greatly disturbed. All these acts were created around the belief that Indians would transform and assimilate to imitate Whites but, in the end, just managed to make Indians poor, landless people that now depended on the American federal government for basic things.

So, again, the federal government had made a policy and it had failed, some Indian traditions and languages had been lost but ultimately, allotment and assimilation had finally failed. Toward the end of the 19th century a large number of Indians and Indian nations refused to be part of allotment or to live on reservations. Again, the anger and frustration built up in the heads of policy makers and the minds in government, resulting in only a few choices, it wasn’t the most reasonable and it certainly wasn’t the best but the federal government decided to go ahead with the policy they thought would surely work, elimination.

When all their other policies had failed, the federal government thought elimination would reach the goal of ‘Killing the ‘Savage’ Indian.’ It came out of and grew into the idea that Indian resistance was a declaration of war against the US. So it was that, in the late 1800s the US Army declared war upon several tribes and, with the idea of elimination, to annihilate any resisters and to completely control any survivors. The vast majority of the fighting happened from 1866 to 1891 and the US Army was involved in 1,470 official actions against Indians. In total, 948 soldiers were killed and another 1,058 were wounded while 4, 371 Indians were killed and another 1,279 were wounded. In 1890 when the federal ‘head count’ included American Indians for the first time less than 250,000 identified themselves as American Indians.

At the turn of the century, the first era of federal Indian policies came to a dramatic and sad end. The Indian population had 6-10 million people at the time of the US’s birth and only 250,000 people remained in 1900 and the majority of Indian tribes were at the brink of extinction. Most surviving Indians were on allotted lands or reservations and, once again, were expected to become civilized Americans. From the 1800s forward the Indians depended on the federal government for basic things. Between 1887 and 1934, Indian land went from 138 million acres of land to 48 million, 20 million of which were parched and arid or semi arid.

After over 100 years of these policies, treaties and agreements, fights and small skirmishes, the cultural and spiritual customs and traditions of many Indian nations still survived to live today. By the end of the 19th century, American Indians across the country refused to be like Americans, assimilate into the White life style, inherit the traits of Americans or be hurt by their historical experiences with the federal government. This survival style and life, with the movement of the 20th century, helped heal and help many Indian nations as they continued to fight assimilation and to celebrating their own spiritual, economical, cultural and political traditions that they fought so long to keep.

Inspiration is a powerful thing. It makes us do things we never thought we could do before. Manifest Destiny, for many people, was motivation, power and strength. Manifest Destiny hurt both sides but, in the process, made Whites stronger and what was inspired them.

School Store

2011-11-18T13:28:00.001-08:00

The Barracudas have gotten into the swing of running the School Store and everyone has learned their jobs. Things are going smoothly and the Barracudas are earning money for their trip to Washington D.C. in May!

Spaghetti!

2011-11-10T12:44:00.001-08:00

The Barracudas love to follow recipes and cook. They decided to use the garden tomatoes to make spaghetti sauce, and they also made bread sticks and apple crisp. Yummy stuff and a fun way to finish the week.

Happy Halloween

2011-10-31T14:26:00.001-07:00

The Barracudas dressed in their finest and are ready to hit the streets in search of Halloween goodies!

Down on the Farm

2011-10-27T10:44:00.001-07:00

The Barracudas got a beautiful day for their visit to Spooner Farms and the corn maze. And being the ingenious group that they are they whipped through the maze in record time, despite occasional dead ends and surprise attacks by other groups. It was a fun way to spend a morning and they each got a free pumpkin to take home and carve!

Christmas is here early

2011-10-24T14:21:00.000-07:00

The Barracudas have turned into Santa's elves as they prepare items for the Meeker Craft Fair. All this hard work is just one of the many fundraisers they will be doing for their DC trip.

Goooooooaaaaaalllllllllll!!!!!!!!!

2011-10-20T12:22:00.001-07:00

Soccer has become the game of choose for the Barracudas at recess. So many of them are playing on teams that the games get really competitive and except for the occasional kicked shin, a whole lot of fun to play and watch.

Middle School Visit

2011-10-13T14:15:00.000-07:00

The Barracudas spent half the day visiting the middle school campus. First they sat in on the end of tech class and then joined the MS students for lunch at the Broadway Farmer's Market. Afterwards they helped with jobs then took a walk to the B-2 Gallery to see a student show from all around the world. And guess who had two pieces in the show? Our very own Maleah B.!

Natural Selection

2011-10-11T12:31:00.000-07:00

The Barracudas spent hours absorbed in conducting an experiment about natural selection with the mythical Carmel Origami Birds. They tested successive generations of their paper birds as each generation of offspring mutated from the original ancestral bird in wing size. They used math to measure flight distance and wing size, find averages and graph the results of their experiment. Surprisingly one mutation, a very small front wing, resulted in the most successful bird in length of flight.

Big Brothers and Sisters

2011-10-05T09:51:00.000-07:00

The Barracudas had a visit from the Navigators and acted as mentors. Together they talked about what makes a good friend and expressed it in a friendship flower. It's pretty cool to be the oldest kids in the school and have the younger ones look up to you.

Loving that Smart Board!

2011-09-29T11:37:00.000-07:00

The Barracudas are using their Smart Board for math, interactive web sites in science, language arts and social studies as well as watching videos. Thanks to all you kind folks that contributed to the fund raiser at last years auction!

Our favorite 4 year olds!

2011-09-22T13:53:00.000-07:00

Getting ready for Curriculum Night the Barracudas cleaned their desks in the time honored elementary manner--shaving cream! And instantly turned into 4 year olds.

Fossils

2011-09-20T12:51:00.000-07:00

After talking about how fossils form the Barracudas made their own by putting shells in a mixture of plaster and sand. Then the real fun began as they got to be paleontologists and excavate the "fossils" that had formed.

Go West Young Man!

2011-09-15T11:19:00.000-07:00

The Barracudas are using all their research, math, writing, computer and map skills to plan a trip to the "Wild West" circa 1850. After reading the advice of a guide from that era they began to plan a route and supplies--including food, clothing, and animals--then put it all together in a presentation.

As always, Lilica and Ginger were a great help!

Pie!!

2011-09-08T12:44:00.000-07:00

So many blackberries, what's a Barracuda to do? First we picked, then we made jam and now a beautiful blackberry pie. Can't wait to cut it!

Seattle Art Museum

2011-09-07T14:06:00.001-07:00

After visiting the Seattle Art Museum and learning about artists that recorded the exploration of the west, the Barracudas tried their hand at painting their own landscapes.

We're Back!!

2011-09-06T08:34:00.000-07:00

The newly named Barracudas are back and ready to learn. Watch out world!

Forum of Famous Faces

2011-05-23T09:28:00.000-07:00

History was alive and well at the Forum of Famous Faces. In attendance were Benito Mussolini, Abraham Lincoln, Molly Pitcher, and Karl Liebknecht and many others. Parents came by to visit as well as the other Seabury classes. It was a great culminating event for all the Explorers learned in Social Studies this year.

Artist in Residence

2011-05-19T10:10:00.000-07:00

The Explorers spent two weeks working with the Seabury Artist in Residence, Joanie Joachim. They created great paper mache creatures that you see on Grandparent/Special Friend Day next week!

Poetry

2011-05-16T07:42:00.000-07:00

The Explorers tried their hand at poetry and here are some of the results!

The Sun in the Clouds
By ZK

The sun breaks through the clouds
Children wake and come to school
They come home and sleep

The Black Berry Bug
By RK

When I awoke one morning,
There was a bug,
Snoozing in my head,
I woke it up,
With a shout,
And suddenly,
It's snout grew to the size of a terrain,
I will never eat a blackberry bug,
Never, Ever again.

King
By CH

My king raced
As he was chased
By two dark knights
He ran to the right
But it was no fight
The knights were faster than he
He drew his sword and stabbed at them
But they just swerved away
He looked into the distance
And saw them start to flee
And then he wanted to *bleep*
A ginat castle moved and grooved toward him
And...
"Check mate", said my friend Bob
He stuck his hand out to shake
But I was in disgrace
So I tried to forget it all.

How to Eat Burnt Pies
By JL

Every time we start a new year,
I eat burnt pies with a spear.
Every day when people are having fun,
I eat burnt pies off a gun.
While certain people are always bored,
I eat bunrt pies off a sword.
But someday soon I'll get it wrong,
I'll eat burnt pies on a bomb.

The Fish and the Dish
By BS

There once was a fish in a dish,
The fish had a wish not to be in the dish.
The dish had a wish not to carry the fish,
Then the waiter dropped the dish with the fish.

The dish did not break because it was plastic,
The fish and the dish were greatly ecstatic.
And thanks to the waiter that dropped the fish dish
The waiter had granted the fish and dish wish.

Cheese Doodles
By MM

I have feasted on all sorts of noodles,
I have tried an assortment of strudels.
Of the foods that I've eaten,
Only one can be beaten
An extra large bag of Cheese Doodles.

I have feasted on all sorts of poodles,
I have tried an assortment of Kudos.
Of the only foods that I've chomped,
Only one can be topped,
An extra large bag of Cheese Doodles.

A visit to the MS campus!

2011-05-09T13:16:00.000-07:00

The Explorers spent the morning at the middle school playing dodgeball at the YMCA then eating lunch and even doing chores. It was a lot of fun hanging out with the older Seabury students and learning about how their days go.

Perfect Picnic

2011-05-05T07:42:00.001-07:00

This picture pretty well sums up the Explorers perfect picnic at West Hylebos Wetland Area. The sun was shining, it was warm, the kids hiked, played games, and grazed their way through lots of wonderful food brought in by our wonderful parents. Life is seriously good!

Norman Rockwell

2011-05-02T07:46:00.000-07:00

After studying Norman Rockwell and visiting the Tacoma Art Museum to see his work the Explorers took a shot at creating art in his style.

Fort Steilacoom

2011-04-29T17:28:00.000-07:00

Guess who the Explorers got to meet at Ft. Steilacoom? None other than Honest Abe himself. They also learned lots to complement their study of the Civil War from camp life, to firing a cannon, and even a cool display of Magic Lanterns. It was a great field trip!

Writing about the Civil War

2011-04-22T10:41:00.000-07:00

After reading about Sherman's March to the Sea the Explorers wrote a letter or journal entry from the point of view of a Union soldier or Southern civilian in the way of the army.

By M.B.

Though I shall not reveal my true identity for fear General Sherman shall send me home or worse. I watch as the terrified faces see their once strong and beautiful city of Atlanta being crumbled and destroyed. Though some soldiers are burning away hope some have just as terrified faces knowing that could have been them. I ride on horse back watching with terror in my eyes for executions or slaughter. I rummage through store houses gathering guns and flour. Then a woman stares at me with a mix of pleading terror and curiosity. I got suspicious that she knew so I mounted and rode to the next field to only see an ox being slaughtered then a sheep tossed into a fire. That home was being burned and children were running everywhere. I dismounted and gathered more horses for the Calvary. There over by the slaughtering army of terror a civilian was shot trying to put the slaughter to an end. That army of slaughter was us. My work was done at this plantation so I gather more horses for the Calvary. One of our drummer boys was lying on the ground with fire engulfing his leg. I did what had to be done to stop any more painful suffering and shot him. After that it was almost complete darkness so I now settle down for the night. Sherman was not done though he now sits and eats for he stays up late until three AM. While I lay down early a two AM.

By A.S.

I was sitting in my house when all of a sudden I heard a boom downstairs so I put on some clothes and ran downstairs. It turns out that my house was invaded with soldiers. I felt like a bomb was exploding in my stomach. I ran outside and did not know what to do. So I went back inside to a horrible mess everything was broken and destroyed. I ran away screaming and when I looked back my house was on fire.when I looked forward I saw that children were right in front of me I didn’t have time to avoid them or stop so I ran into them and we all fell and the children ran away crying. I ran the oppisite way to get out of town before dusk. But then I saw a horse and I got a idea I decided to steal the horse and took off. When I looked over my shoulder the town was on fire.

By D.S.

Dear Diary,

“Tonight has been like a nightmare, the only difference is all the torturing and injuring and terror is real. It started with the noise it was about 8:00 pm and my sister Melanie and I were lying on a bed waiting for Pa to come home. Then we hear a loud and scary booming sound. It felt like you were hearing a building crumble but instead of being quiet the noise level was full blast. After that I heard a shriek. A loud, shrill shriek. Then it turned into a weep. A slow, depressed weep.
I ran down the stairs and looked where the noises were coming from. I saw Ms. Carlson standing outside of her house which was burning up in flames. I ran slowly to her than stopped midway. I knew exactly what had happened. I saw General Sherman and his army about a mile away. They were tearing up and burning up everything in their path. I ran back to my home warned Melanie, grabbed a few cotton blankets, a bag of tea and a few personal items and left the house. The war had gone too far, I was leaving America. I don’t know where my sister and I will end up. As we left I saw for a second General Sherman. I expected him to be grinning with his bright yellow teeth. Instead he looked rather sad, like he didn’t like the war either.”

Keisha N. Millo

By M.Y.

Dear Diary

I’ve been locked in my house all day. I never felt so scared in my life. My father James Starewell went to war with my brother John, I have been living alone by myself. Mom had been outside yesterday harvesting apples while the north came by and killed her. Out of respect I shall go and support the south. If Sherman keeps this up then Atlanta will soon be gone. I’d rather die then be in this crucial moment. If I die I hope to make a difference in this horrid and gruesome time. As of today I shall join the army and fight for the south. Sherman has destroyed about half of Atlanta, I sent a message to him about why he would do such a thing. I hope to get a letter back from him. General Hood has lost many people but one day in this world we can make a difference. Last week my dog Elmo died, I felt very sad for him. I put him in a box wishing for him to come back to life but then the house shook. I felt like I was in an earthquake but then the door fell down and windows shattered. I laid there praying to be alive but then it stopped. I got many bruises but it didn’t hurt as much of how my life was. I hope someday the world will get better.

By B.S.

Hello Journal,

I’m sorry I haven’t written in a while, but our leader has lead us over 500 miles to get to Atlanta. The rebel’s leader was sending little delays like 500 people at a time. Didn’t really work. I heard he got fired. This next dude is going all out on us. He might’ve won if the other guy didn’t waste all the soldiers they retreated. We decided to attack from the back because the front was heavily guarded. We succeeded! We burnt down everything in town except for the civilians. A lot of people didn’t leave, so we had to kill them. I suggested taking the ammunition and stuff, but we couldn’t have carried anymore. We must’ve done good, because we got Atlanta.

Wood Sculpture

2011-04-20T10:27:00.000-07:00

Check out the Explorers latest art gallery online at: http://www.artsonia.com/museum/gallery.asp?exhibit=392834

It includes their wood sculptures inspired by Louise Nevelson.

Civil War Artifacts

2011-04-19T09:23:00.001-07:00

One of our MS parents collects Civil War artifacts and was kind enough to bring them in to share with the Explorers. We saw guns, swords, bullets, Confederate bonds and newspapers, and an awesome camera that may have taken a picture of General Lee! Thanks Mr. Fox!

More Art!!

2011-04-13T15:05:00.000-07:00

What artist are the Explorers learning about this time? Hmmm...wood, saws, nails...could it be American sculptor Louise Nevelson, famous for her wood assemblage?

Microbe World!

2011-03-31T11:23:00.001-07:00

The Explorers have begun the study of microbes with looking at various examples in their environment such as moss, fungi, and lichen. The microscopes are very popular and everyone knows how to prepare slides correctly.

The Explorers have also begun growing microbes, on bread and on cultures. They're looking forward to what grows over spring break so they can look at it under the microscopes. More cultures to come!

Spring Has Sprung!

2011-03-23T16:07:00.000-07:00

When it's sunny and 62 degrees what's an Explorer to do but gardening? The Explorers were joined by the Sharks who are studying plants and had a great time digging and discovering while the Explorers were good mentors, as always. Want to guess the next time we get to work in the garden?

Science Fair

2011-03-19T08:08:00.001-07:00

The Science Fair was a full house with all of the Explorer parents and parents and friends from the other Seabury classes in attendance. The Explorers investigated subjects including static electricity, acidity, skin wrinkling, and the strength of silk thread. The projects were awesome and the Explorers displayed their understanding of the Scientific Method!

Read Across America

2011-03-02T14:45:00.001-08:00

To celebrate Dr. Seuss's 107 birthday the Explorers joined their Superstar buddies for a breakfast of Green Eggs and Ham and buddy reading. They then sponsored the 2nd Annual Seuss Trivia Contest. The whole school got together to test their Seuss knowledge and the Beacons won with the Explorers grabbing second place!

Essays on the Constitution

2011-03-01T14:26:00.000-08:00

The Explorers did research and then wrote about the U.S. Constitution. Here are a some of the results:

Constitution Essay
By: BS

The U.S. Constitution was a very important part of the U.S.’s history. It made the U.S. one country, and not 13 colonies. It balanced the power of a “king” across many people. It gave women the right to vote, and much, much more!

The constitution was started on May 14th, 1787, and finished September 17th of the same year. It was created by the founding fathers, but not all of the founding fathers took out a quill and some ink and scribbled away. Most of them just contributed ideas. It was written to fill in the gaps of the articles of confederation.

It was written in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and modeled after the Two Treatises of Government by John Locke, which covered that every man is created equal under god. It solved the fact that the government was not getting enough money to pay for stuff through taxes, and it also fixed the ambassador system.

Its limitations are the limited power of the government and that that we all must obey the law. I think that we don’t need to change the constitution as long as the power is spread out and not on just one person. I feel that it is still as important as it was back then because we still have to follow it.

The constitution is still very important today. It gave slaves the right to vote. Now in the present, we banned slavery. I think that we will continue to add amendments to the constitution until a terrorist comes along and destroys it.

The Constitution of the United States of America
By JL

The U.S. Constitution is a very important document in the history of the U.S. It is what gives women the right to vote, it is what gives us the right against cruel and unusual punishment, and much more. It was started on May 14th, 1787, and it was finished on September 14th. It was written because of the problems the Articles of Confederation had. The Constitution was also written to show the power of each branch; the executive branch, the judicial branch, and the legislative branch. No single branch can make a decision without the vote of the two other branches. This is called checks and balances.

The Articles of Confederation was an earlier document. It made each state a separate country, because they were afraid of a central government from their experience with England. Unfortunately, the Articles of Confederation granted too much power to the states and there was no executive branch or a national court system. The Constitution was also created because of the American Revolution.

The Constitution may have been signed in 1787, but it was ratified in 1788. The Constitution was created by the delegates of the Philadelphia convention. It was written in Independence hall, in Philadelphia. It limits the power of the government.

Some people do not think the Constitution is as relevant today as it was 234 years ago. I think the constitution is very relevant today. It grants us a ton of rights. Those rights include the women’s right to vote, the right to not have to house soldiers in our homes, and freedom of speech, press, religion, petition, and assembly.

I do not think we need to improve the Constitution. I’m perfectly happy with our current rights, and I plan for those rights to stay the same.

U.S Constitution
By: AS

The U.S Constitution is a very important historical document. It is still a very important document that we use. The U.S Constitution gave us rights and our laws.

The constitution was passed in 1786 and was written on May 14, 1787. James Madison and Governor Morris wrote the constitution and 55 delegates signed it. The U.S Constitution was written to solve the problems of Articles of Confederation which was the original constitution.
The constitution was written in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The events that led to writing constitution were the American Revolution and we needed a government. The problems in our society that we solved with the constitution were citizens would be free and independent and made the 13 colonies a united country.

The limitations for the constitution are that the constitution is not easy to change when there is new rights. If I were to improve the constitution I would make more good rights. The Constitution is still relevant for us because we still have the laws and rights written in the constitution.

The Constitution is a very important document in U.S history .We still use all of it today and it still guides our government.

The US Constitution
By: ZK

The US Constitution is an important part of our history. We respect it as our culture. If it weren’t for the US Constitution we would not be a country.

The US constitution was written on May 14, 1787 by James Madison and Governor Morris. It was written to make us one country and to establish the US government. The US constitution was written in Philadelphia, PA.

The first ten amendments of the US constitution are: Freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of assembly, the right to a fair, speedy trial and everyone has a say. These amendments are called the Bill of Rights and establish everybody’s basic rights.

The limitations of the US constitution are that it is not easy to change and the states have to pass changes or else it will not be in the constitution. I think the US constitution is still relevant because we have government today as when the Constitution was written.

If I were to improve the constitution I would give children the right to vote because I am a kid and if kids could vote maybe grown ups would elect a president faster.

The US Constitution made America the country it is. It formed our country and set up the government we use today.

Dissection

2011-02-25T15:16:00.000-08:00

As part of their Health study the Explorers dissected a lamb heart and cow eye to understand better how these organs work in their bodies. Thanks to our awesome physician parents who were willing to volunteer their expertise to make this possible--the Explorers learned a lot!!

Short but Big Week!

2011-02-16T08:58:00.000-08:00

First Valentine's Day and baking and decorating cookies. Then the 100th Day of School and wearing pajamas and cooking breakfast. It's good to be an Explorer!

Auction Time!

2011-02-09T13:35:00.001-08:00

Auction time is right around the corner and the Explorers began placing the glass on the table they designed. It's based on their study of Cubism and will be awesome so start saving your money and let's make sure it gets lots of bids!

The Chair Affair

2011-02-02T08:33:00.000-08:00

The Explorers took on another auction project for the Chair Affair, which raises money for the NW Furniture Bank. The chairs are designed by local artists and the Explorers, representing the Seabury Service Club, are the first student group to be allowed to participate. Inspired by Dr. Seuss and "Oh, the Places You'll Go!" the Explorers are hoping it will sell for a lot and help those in need of furniture in our community. If you would like more information or want to attend the auction go to: chairaffair.org

Before

After

National Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day!

2011-01-31T11:17:00.001-08:00

In honor of National Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day the Explorers were given bubble wrap and told to create. They ended up with a bubble wrap Statue of Liberty, a bubble wrap pencil and notebook, and the Connor bubble wrap Christmas tree!

Piggies and Mazes

2011-01-25T14:10:00.000-08:00

Hmmm, what were the piggies thinking when the Explorers decided to construct a maze for them? Ginger certainly wasn't sure until the carrot and apples became involved but Lilica figured it out in no time and promptly escaped!

Complaints, complaints...

2011-01-21T12:45:00.000-08:00

In learning about American independence the Explorers broke into three groups and wrote up their “grievances”. They then read and discussed the Declaration of Independence.

Group I:
Why can’t we play dodge ball? The only excuse is that it has disadvantages! Doesn’t every game have disadvantages? You, Ms. Nancy, get to choose what is fair or not. Why? Why is it so bad to play dodge ball?

To be independent from the rule would mean a fair and competitive game! Our reasons for this are simple, it is fun and easy and unlike other games it is fun even when you lose!

We have talked to people but do they work for these changes? NO!!! We are powerless against the rules in this school. Why? Who deserves rights here? We deserve a say! What we really want is dodge ball!!!

Ending this, we live in the pursuit of life, liberty and the pursuit of dodge ball!

Group II:
We’re sending this to Mrs. Wollum because she makes the decisions. We are sad because every morning our parents make us a terrible lunch and every day at noon we have to eat that lunch and we just can’t do it every day! We feel like starving ourselves and we need a hot lunch every day!

Please, our lives are in your hands. Please, look at our stomachs! We need hot lunches!!

Things should change here because we are going through puberty and our bodies’ ache! We need a hot meal. Our heads are too big for our bodies and we need our bodies bigger!

Group III:
We the kids in Ms. Head’s class have a few complaints. We would like to change a few things in our school. We are complaining to the staff of the school. Please think about and consider our requests.

Our first complaint is that we should be able to chew gum in school. We think it should only be 4th grade and up. If we are able to do this we will always throw our gum in the trash. We will be responsible citizens and will be responsible for anything bad that happens.

We would also like to play dodge ball in PE, at least more than we do. Playing dodge ball makes everybody happy!

Impressionism

2011-01-14T14:28:00.000-08:00

After learning about Impressionism, the Explorers did their own collages using tissue paper. They also were entered in a art contest--check it out at artsonia.com

Awesome Videos

2011-01-07T10:37:00.000-08:00

Want to take learning to a new and fun level? Check out the Khan Academy:
http://www.khanacademy.org/

Brush up on your algebra, chemistry, physics, history, or finally understand capital markets. And a great way to answer those vexing questions from you gifted child!

Hmmmm....

2010-12-15T08:06:00.001-08:00

What were the Explorers making for holiday gifts that included licking their fingers? Have to wait and check under the Christmas tree!

Gingerbread People

2010-12-10T14:39:00.000-08:00

Which is more fun? Following a recipe and mixing gingerbread cookies? Decorating cookies? Or eating them? Tough to say but the Explorers seemed to enjoy all three!

Buddy Reading

2010-12-08T12:05:00.000-08:00

While some of the students were away on a Service Club field trip the remaining Sharks and Explorers teamed up for reading and an art project. The Explorers enjoy being buddies to the younger Seabury students and do a great job as mentors.

Piglets

2010-12-08T12:01:00.001-08:00

Ginger

Lilica

The Guniea Pigs have come a long way and are now used to hanging out with the Explorers, especially when there are apples involved. The Explorers have learned to care for them and love when the pigs "talk" to them with whistles and squeeks!

The Pigs Have Landed!

2010-11-30T10:27:00.000-08:00

The Guinea Pigs have arrived and the Explorers are thrilled! Named Ginger and Lilica we're looking forward to getting to know them better and enjoying them in our classroom!

Letters to President Obama

2010-11-15T12:56:00.000-08:00

After studying the federal budget process the Explorers wrote to President Obama with some suggestions. Here are a few:

Dear President Obama,

I’m writing to you regarding the 2011 national budget. I am concerned about the national defense budget and I believe instead of seventy one billion dollars you should raise it to seventy four billion to seventy six billion just to finish up Afghanistan and Iraq and protect us from terrorist attacks in the future.
I’m also worried about the environment; I think we need to raise its budget before global warming gets worse. I also think transportation and heath need to be raised. Transportation because our roads are falling apart, health because in this depression the doctors are going mad with patients. But we are extremely far in dept $ 13,739,045,383.550.86 and me a 9 year old boy has to pay $44,394 of that money.
But also I think you are good president and are doing a great job.

Sincerely,

C.H.

Dear President Obama,

We have been studying the federal budget in our fourth grade class. I am thinking that you should raise the funding for the environment because we keep cutting trees down and not planting new ones. I think that at the rate we’re going, we’re going to run out of oxygen before the world ends.
I think you’re doing a great job, but please show lots of respect for the environment while doing so.

Sincerely,

B.S.

Dear President Obama,

I am writing this to you about Agriculture and Transportation. In our 4th grade class we have been studying about the United States budget and I think we should raise the amount of money for agriculture and lower transportation to help the envirorment by not building roads and killing trees and plants thanks.
I realize this is hard work and I appreciate what you are doing to help our country.

Sincerely,

M.Y.

Dear President Obama,

I’m concerned about the budget. I think we should lower Transportation to 80 billion dollars and raise Health Care to 90 billion dollars. If we owe more money to China that’s going to make it even worse. You have to balance it out and make it so we don’t owe more.
Debt is also something I’m concerned about. Our country owes over 13 Trillion dollars in debt. Regarding all the discretionary money we have, instead of spending all of it on Defense we should spend half of it on paying the money we owe to China so in the future, individuals would not owe so much.

Respectfully,

R.K.

Dear President Obama,

Our 4th grade class has been studying the United States budget. I’ve been thinking about the budget and I’m concerned about heath care. I think that we should raise heath care to 71 billon (right now 69 billon) so that the elderly people have better care and people without insurance get help.

I appreciate the people who do the federal budget and how hard they work. I am just concerned.

Sincerely,

A.S.

Dear President Obama,

In our 4th grade class we have been studying the United States budget and I am concerned about Agriculture because no one wants to have their food poisoned. I also think you should raise the budget for Heath because everyone needs heath care.

I know how hard it is I have two brothers (younger) but your job is harder.

Sincerely,

A.A.

Service Club

2010-11-05T14:14:00.000-07:00

The Seabury Service Club took on a major project, making holiday cards for nursing home residents. The Explorers and Sharks rooms were filled with stickers, glue, stamp pads, colored pencils and lots of paper while the students created beautiful cards that they will deliver later this month. A lot of fun and a great way to help others!

Photo Shoot

2010-11-03T14:55:00.001-07:00

The Explorers took a quick field trip to Hylebos Wetlands to take pictures for a photography contest. They got shots of trees, moss, mushrooms, leaves and one unfortunate snake that got in the way!

Halloween!!!

2010-10-28T12:50:00.001-07:00

A rip roaring good time was had celebrating Halloween, both wearing costumes and the party. Thanks to the parents who provided treats, pumpkins to paint, and help at party time. The kids had a great time.

Social Studies and the Senate Election

2010-10-19T11:33:00.001-07:00

The Explorers have been learning about the United States government. Part of that study has been learning about the election process by following the Senate race in Washington. Below are some examples of essays the Explorers wrote about Patty Murray and Dino Rossi.

The Senate Race by CJ

The job of senate is very important, only some people are born with the leadership. Because both of these candidates were born with leadership the voters are going to have to make a good choice.

Dino Rossi is the best choice because he’s trusworthy, a leader and experienced. Dino Rossi severed in the Washington state Senate from 1997 through 2003. He represented the 5th legislative district in east King County. In 2004 he ran for govenor but lost in the 3rd recount by 129 votes. After the election Dino Rossi wrote a book on leadership. In 2008 Dino Rossi ran for govenor again because he knew that Washington needed a change in leadership.

Patty Murray’s spent over a trillion dollars on stuff we don’t even need like 1.2 million dollars on turtles crossing the road and 200 million dollars on office building upgrades.

Dino Rossi would make a better Senate because he’s a business man and business men do a lot of paying bill’s and stuff. Patty Murray’s had enough time to mess up our state now it’s Dino Rossi’s turn.

Dino or Patty by Z K

Dino Rossi is a Democrat. Patty Murray is a Republican. It is a very, very important election that should be carefully considered.

Dino Rossi ran for senate twice, once in 2004 and 2008, but sadly lost both times. This election can change Washington. Patty Murray’s tax hike will be a $94 billion blow to small businesses when they least expect it. Patty Murray supports allowing the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts to expire, and when Patty Murray lets tax cuts expire this is what it will look like: 115 million tax payers will pay $1,716 each,$, 42 million families with children will pay $2,726 more. This is not right.

This election is too important not to be voted carefully for. Dino Rossi is the best choice.

THE SENATE RACE IN WASHINGTON By MM

The senate race is coming up and the air is tense! It is a race for senator of Washington state! Of course there are many voters out there and its imposible to know who will win unless we went to every person 18 or older and ask them who theyr voting for and thats just not gonna happen!

Of course there are many good things about Dino Rossi. Like the fact that hes Secretary for the Board of the Special Olypimics for the state of Washington.

Patty Murray on the other hand is trying to save Boeing,s jobs and spent two billon dollars for cleanup on nuclear waste. And she fights for the funding of public and private schools!

Patty Murray is a very nice person oposed to Dino Rossi with his commercial of Patty Murray walking on peoples, heads. Patty Murray is the right person for the job!

Vote for Patty Murray By AS

On November 2, 2010 there is a big Senate race Patty Murray V.S Dino Rossi. The senate race is important to Washington State because there are a lot of problems that need to be fixed.

You should vote for Patty Murray. Dino Rossi is not the one for the job because he will raise taxes and he is not on our side. Patty Murray the best for the job because she has 18 years of experience. She puts money into health care and education.

The senate race is important to Washington so we need the right person. So Patty Murray is the best choice for the job because she will give money to education. And she has 18 years of good experience

Seabury Service Club

2010-10-19T08:06:00.000-07:00

The Seabury Service Club held a bake sale last week to raise money for Pakistan Relief. The Explorers all participated by baking items and helping the kids with their choices. The service club raised over $200 which will be given to World Vision for Pakistan.

OPI

2010-10-05T11:27:00.001-07:00

The Explorers are working on Powerpoints to remember their time at OPI. But here are a few pictures to share the fun!

Science Experiments!

2010-09-27T14:30:00.000-07:00

As part of their study of chemistry the Explorers have been conducting experiments in density and paper chromatography. Upcoming experiments include polymers, chemical reactions, and acid and bases.

Buddy Reading

2010-09-24T13:26:00.000-07:00

The Explorers spent some time Friday afternoon reading with their Beacon buddies. Afterward they joined the Beacons for some fun math games! It's fun having buddies to spend time with.

PJ and Breakfast Day

2010-09-09T09:59:00.000-07:00

Guess who knows how to wash and dry dishes???? Caught in the act boys!

Gotta take a rest after chocolate chip pancakes, eggs, potatoes and juice.

Loving our new classroom!

Class Rules

2010-09-02T11:46:00.000-07:00

After much discussion and learning about anarchy, dictatorship, representative democracy, and a true democracy, the Explorers established the following class rules:

1. Compete against yourself
2. Work together with respect
3. Give people personal space
4. Take care of our stuff

Welcome Back

2010-07-14T08:07:00.000-07:00

Fourth grade and Explorers, how cool is that?

It's going to be an awesome year with lots to learn about American history, chemistry, health, microbiology and trips to OPI, the Seattle Art Museum and so much more.

Let the fun and learning begin!