Last week, students in grades EK- 12 gathered to celebrate Laguna Blanca’s 85th birthday. Special guest speaker, Mr. Arthur “Bam” Spaulding, class of 1943, was at Laguna on its opening day 85 years ago on September 21. The lively celebration included a pep rally, a drone photo shoot, and delicious treats! What a great day to be an OWL!
The Junior Great Books reading program brings high-quality literature and student-centered discussions to our classroom. It provides a solid framework for practicing reading comprehension, critical thinking, and writing. The discussion platform we use each week is called Shared Inquiry. This particular method fosters a vibrant learning environment in which students learn the habits and strategies used regularly and naturally by good readers, thinkers, and learners.
We started our unit with the theme trust, and we asked ourselves, “How do you earn someone’s trust?” During our first discussion we explored this question and came up with several ideas :
Award-winning author, Langston Hughes, wrote Thank You, M’am, the first story in our book. This realistic fiction story centers around a boy of about fourteen, Roger, as he attempts to steal a woman’s purse late one night but winds up with more than he bargained for. As we read, we noted questions that we had, and instances where we felt the woman in the story was being hard or easy on Roger. Using our reader’s journals, we recorded our reactions and ways in which the discussion shifted our point of views.
Please join us on Saturday, September 15 from 9 a.m. to Noon for California Coastal Cleanup Day! http://www.coastal.ca.gov/publiced/ccd/cleanup Laguna Blanca School is hosting the table for the ninth year in a row at Miramar/Hammonds Beach (San Ysidro Road exit/Eucalyptus Lane) in Montecito. This is an opportunity for our EK-12 grade school to give back to the community and to give our coastline some much needed attention!
WHAT TO BRING:
· Bring Your Own (B.Y.O.) bucket or reusable bag to collect trash in, and/or gardening gloves. Help us cut down our waste. http://www.coastal.ca.gov/publiced/ccd/byo.html
– Wear sunscreen and close-toed shoes, and bring a refillable water bottle and a hat. Please sport your LagunaWear!
– MS and US volunteers under 18 who are cleaning the beach without a parent/guardian MUST bring a signed waiver with a parent or guardian signature. The form can be found on the community service page and in the HR front office.
(Everyone else will sign the waiver at the beach)
Parking down by Miramar Beach can be tough. Limited street parking is available. All Saints-by-the-Sea (83 Eucalyptus Lane) is kind enough to let us use their parking lot for parking for this event. Directions are to use the East lot by the school (left side of Eucalyptus Lane past the church). Otherwise, walking or biking to the site is encouraged.
The majority of trash found will be micro-trash. High tide may reduce cleanup area. Low tide is at 7:49 am (+2.5 ft) and high tide is at 2:29 pm (+4.89 ft).
Pre-registration is not required, but is encouraged. All participants who register for Coastal Cleanup Day before the event will be entered in EXPLORE ECOLOGY’S Ocean Lovers’ Give Away with prizes from Patagonia, REI, A Frame Surf Shop, Santa Barbara Sailing Center, Mountain Air Sports, Okeanos Swim, Paddle Sports, Surf Happens, Surf N Wear, and the Boathouse Restaurant. Sign Up Now!
Help us keep track of the litter found at Coastal Cleanup Day. Record the trash you collect on a Data Sheet or on the Clean Swell App that instantaneously uploads to the Ocean Conservancy’s global ocean trash database. (There will be Data Sheets at the event for those who don’t want to or are unable to use the app for recording their trash.)
Let’s make this year’s event even more successful… See you at the beach!
Best,
Ms. Svedlund (LS) and Ms. Armstrong (MS) and Mr. Faust (US)
