Four Rivers Charter Public School

248 Colrain Rd., Greenfield, MA 01301

Four River Charter Public School is dedi-cated to educating young people for lives of learning and service. The school offers a rigorous academic program aligned with the Massachusetts cur-riculum frameworks and an emphasis on charac-ter development for moral and social re-sponsibility. Three cen-tral themes – nature, technology and commu-nity – pervade the teach-ing and learning at the school. Four Rivers works closely with par-ents and seeks both to serve and learn from the many resources of Franklin County.

“This institution is an equal opportunity provider. To file a complaint of discrimination write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, Washington, DC 20294”

Intensives have kids climbing the walls!

Kyle Deaver gets horizontal and vertical at the same time; the climbing group learns a bit about the gear.

From the Executive Director’s Desk . . . After an intense period of assessing and writing by our faculty, the comprehensive Four Rivers Progress Reports will be mailed on Friday and Monday, December 7 and 10. There is plenty for students and parents to learn from and, we hope, celebrate in these reports. As a faculty, we encourage reviewing them with your son or daughter, with an eye toward setting positive goals for improving or maintaining his or her performance in the second trimester, which ends March 13, 2008. Mid-trimester student-led conferences will be held January 23 and 24.

Come January, another season of admissions activities will be upon us and, as before, we can use your help. Our re-search shows consistently that word-of-mouth is the most powerful factor in bringing new families to the school. So, please spread the word! Applications for the 2008-09 school year are available from Leslie Taylor in the School Office or from our website, www.fourriverscharter.org. We will have openings for a full 7th grade, and typically have a few open-ings for 8th, 9th, and 10th, but none for 11th or 12th. The application deadline is February 26, 2008. Four Admissions In-formation Sessions are being held on the following dates (and attendance at one continues to be a required part of the application process):

Saturday, January 12, 10-11:30 am Wednesday, January 23, 7-8:30 pm Saturday, February 2, 10-11:30 am Wednesday, February 13, 7-8:30 pm

Our fifth Annual Fund appeal is underway, and all parents should have received a letter recently asking you to consider making a gift to support the essential activities of our school. As with virtually all charter schools, our public funding alone is not enough to cover all the programs and equipment we need, and voluntary giving, at whatever level one can afford, is vital to our success. Our parent support has been strong in previous years, and we appreciate it all!

Happy Holidays ~~ Ed Blatchford ~~

December 2007

Four Rivers Currents Four Rivers Grading System

~ different for good reason The first trimester has ended. Report cards will be in your hands soon. So how are your students doing? Can you tell what they have been learning? Do you know what their strengths are? Their chal-lenges? Do you know how hard they’ve been working? Or not?

We want you to know all of these things and we want our grading system to communicate them clearly. In our stan-dards-based grading system, we lay out the three to five stan-dards in each class that students are responsible for in the trimester. Students work on those standards through a variety of assignments, practicing skills, studying for tests, writing papers, and advancing their skills and knowledge through pro-jects and expeditions. Every assignment counts, both to help students progress towards standards and to give evidence of that learning.

With just a few standards to meet in every subject, students must pass all standards in order to pass a class. We set the passing level for each standard so that all students have the opportunity to meet it if they work hard and try their best. Some students will need more support than others and some may be able to exceed the standards. Continued on page 3... Kyle and Mario create data tables on mud brick strength

PAGE 2 FOUR RIVERS CURRENTS

7th Grade News

MATH and SCIENCE

In preparation for an upcoming study of geologic time, 7th grade math students just completed a study of very large numbers. They should be able to tell you the name of the number that would be written with a one followed by 50, 60, 70 or even 257 zeros. Of course they will probably have to consult their handy-dandy chart which is written in Scientific Notation format, which they now know how to read.

In connection with their study of ancient Meso-potamia in history, the 7th grade scientists have been exploring mud bricks as a structural tech-nology. In ancient Mesopotamia mud bricks were formed and dried in the sun for building the structures of that early civilization. Students were surprised to learn that even today in the modern world, one half of the world's popula-tion, approximately 3 billion people on six conti-nents, lives or works in buildings constructed of earth. Soil-cement is a mixture of cement and other materials. It was and still is used in many places to improve those parts of a house where soil, dirt, rocks or mud are normally used by themselves. Thanks to a donation of cement

from Mr. Rucci who just finished fixing the farmhouse chimney, students experimented with different ratios of soil and cement in their brick mixtures. Since soil is free and cement is a costly resource in many parts of the world, the goal was to try to discover how big an additional structural stability could be gained with the smallest possible amount of cement in the mixture. To test the bricks, students created clear and replicable procedures for testing the bricks' resistance to break-ing, crushing, erosion and abrasion. They tried to set up tests that were fair and that used multiple trials. In the process they learned that not all procedures turn out as planned. For example, after a few broken scales, we had to resort to piling people on the bricks to test their breaking strength! (This may in fact have been the most fun part of all, but the mixing of mud would be a close second!)

Photo Above: Meaghan, Brittney and Sam D. mixing up mud bricks.

Left: Pile o’ kids balancing! (How many students will a brick hold?)

PAGE 7 FOUR RIVERS CURRENTS

FAMILY COUNCIL SAFE FAMILIES LETTER

Safety First

The Family Council, with full support of the school administration and in keeping with the tradition of community, trust, and respect at Four Rivers Charter Public School, strongly encourages families to communicate with one another using the published School Phone List, available in the office. As our children grow, it becomes more difficult to monitor all their activities. It is our hope that parents/guardians will feel comfortable calling each other to support/confirm that appropriate supervision is provided while our children are not under our own supervision. Student plans are often fluid, flexible, and occasionally made without adult input. If your son/daughter is visiting, know that it’s okay to call to be sure that a gathering or party will be actively supervised. Exposure to, and experimentation with alcohol, tobacco, marijuana or other drugs is a difficult, challenging, and real fact of life in our culture and we need the tool of open communication to face that challenge.

Safety first. A Family Council goal is to have a strong community of families that support each other to keep our teenagers safe and healthy with the following guidelines in mind. 1. When other friends visit, it’s important to let them know that the possession or use of alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, or other drugs will not be tolerated/allowed, and that parents/guardians will be called. Safety first. 2. Four Rivers Charter Public School hopes that parents/guardians will call and accept calls from other parents/guardians freely, without judgment. Be an open listener. Safety first. 3. We encourage parents/guardians to let their sons/daughters know that a call to a parent/guardian for a ride will always be responded to positively if they find themselves in a situation that is unsafe or uncomfortable. Safety first, questions later.

4. If your son/daughter is a passenger or driver of a car when there has been alcohol or drugs in use, they should always call a parent/guardian or other responsible adult for a ride regardless of the hour of day or night. Safety first, questions later.

While these are just some suggestions about how to keep our children safe, please have conversations with your teenager about what to do before something happens. What are your family’s expectations? Clear expectations will help them be prepared and guide them to deal with situations that may arise related to this subject matter. Safety first!

DECEMBER 7 –

BOOK FAIR NIGHT, 6:30 P.M. – 9:00 P.M. CALL JACQUIE BOYDEN AT 413-423-3242 FOR MORE INFORMATION

DECEMBER 3RD – DECEMBER 14TH:

SCHOLASTIC BOOK FAIR IN THE COM-MON ROOM.

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 4TH 7:00 P.M. – 8:45 P.M.

All Four Rivers families are encouraged to partici-pate in the Family Council and attend our monthly

meetings. It is a great way to keep in touch with what is happening at our school and we have fun at

the meetings!

PAGE 6 FOUR RIVERS CURRENTS

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Four Rivers Charter Public School T-shirts, Sweatshirts, Backpacks & Hats

On Sale Now! Order by December 7 for delivery in time for the Holidays!

Zippered Hooded Sweatshirts: $32.00

Pullover Hooded Sweatshirts: $28.00

Knit Hats: $10.00

Short Sleeve T-shirts: $9.00

Sport Backpacks: $8.00

Personalization is available at additional cost of $6.00 per item. Samples are located in foyer in the Farmhouse. Please see Ms. Taylor for an order form. We will have some items available for sale at the Book Fair Evening

Event on December 7th. Color Choices for Hoodies are Ash Grey or Royal Blue

December Nurse's Notes WASH WELL WITH SOAP AND WATER! For any student who comes to the health office with bleeding, this is the first step in preventing infections.

Recently there has been much media coverage regarding "super infections" such as M.R.S.A. The best defense against these is thorough washing with soap and water. Soap does not need to be antibacterial! There has been some speculation that the increase use of antibacterial agents has created this problem.

Other preventable measures include: covering any skin breaks; NO sharing of personal items such as make-up (including lip products), clothing, towels, wash cloths, and toothbrushes; keeping your skin healthy by avoid-ing dry, cracked skin with the use of moisturizers.

Any cut, scrape, wound that becomes red, painful and draining must be assessed by a physician.

COLLEGE COUNSELING

Contact: Christine Childress

Email: cchildress@fourriverscharter.org Telephone: 413-775-4577 ext. 207

Student Conferences

I am in the process of meeting individually with all juniors and seniors to discuss their specific needs and plans for post-secondary education. Some students have clear career plans, most are planning to attend a post secondary program, including community college, four- year public or private colleges, technical schools and more. Several students are exploring the idea of a gap year, an increasingly popular option that is more common in the U.K. and Europe. I encourage students considering this option to go forward with the college plan-ning process as seniors for two reasons: applying to college and then deferring (many institutions are will-ing to do this- with proper notice) is much simpler than trying to gather all the relevant paperwork while working, traveling or adventuring, and secondly, applying to college as a senior will allow the student the opportunity to keep their options open (most schools do not require an answer to their admission offer until May). We will also be offering a Financial Aid seminar in the new year. Meanwhile, check out these resources: Financial Aid Resources on the Internet www.mefa.org Massachusetts financial aid www.finaid.org/calculators Free financial aid calculators to estimate Expected Family Contribution www.fafsa.org Federal financial aid forms and information

7th Grade News cont...

PAGE 3 FOUR RIVERS CURRENTS

Four Rivers Grading System ~ continued from page 1

In this system, students do not pass just for showing up. They have to complete assignments and those assign-ments need to show that the student has passed the standard. That’s why we show you a grade of Meeting or Exceeding. Approaching + is our minimum performance level for passing; we feel that such performance is close enough, while still indicating that the actual standard was not quite met. There is definite room for improve-ment, but we feel confident in the powers of students who reach Ap+.

So many of your children – our students – have been working hard this first trimester and showing their stuff. They are smart, creative, thoughtful, caring young people. And they’re getting smarter. Some of our students are struggling, and might squeak by, and we hope for them that they can begin to experience more success next trimester. A few might not squeak by, and they will have to make up the learning they’ve missed. In all cases, our progress reports should tell you and your student how well they met the standards in each course, in habits of work and learning, and in growth of character. Call or write if you have any questions (413-775-4577 x318 or pgarbus@fourriverscharter.org).

~~ Peter Garbus, Principal ~~

Humanities In English, the new trimester finds the seventh graders preparing to write short science fiction stories in-volving what they will be learning about the Earth’s past in science class. Preparation for this writing as-signment involves a brief study of the genre of science fiction through reading and discussing short sto-ries. Working in small groups that mirror the literature groups they will work in later in the trimester, the seventh graders are examining the works of writers like Ray Bradbury. One of the stories they read will serve as the inspiration for their own “sci-fi” text.

In Social Studies, after looking at how the earliest humans lived and worked to improve their lives, we are now investigating how cities and city-states emerged in ancient Mesopotamia. After learning to farm, the next big development in the lives of early humans was the development of permanent shelter. Mud brick technology allowed people to settle in one place, work on developing specialized jobs and eventually form cities. While we are looking, in social studies class, at the changes in human life thanks to this de-velopment, the students are also experimenting with mud bricks in science class, as explained in the previ-ous section..

Near left, Alex, Megan, Mario and Kyle test the breaking strength of their bricks using a ordi-nary bathroom scale.

Far left: Brittney, Kirsten, Shannon and Sam are making care-ful observations.

DIV II NEWS

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ENGLISH

10th grade English students are performing original works at a Writer's Cafe on Tuesday, December 11th. It will take place at Cafe Koko in downtown Greenfield, 9 — 11:00 am.

Families are welcome to join us!

SCIENCE In ninth grade Environmental Science we are launching into a new investigation around global cli-mate change. The students are already looking at data as they piece together information about cli-mates of the past and make predictions about the future climate. The students will be graphing tem-perature data and learning to create and analyze graphs using Excel. In tenth grade Biology the students are currently creating cell organelle metaphor posters. Soon we will be learning about how cells specialize to form tissues, organs, and body systems. We will be fo-cusing on the nervous system and circulatory system and conducting several labs that investigate how these systems function in the human body.

MATH In 9th grade Math this month we've been working on probability, exploring this topic mostly through games of chance. This topic is also seen through the lens of sports statistics and how athletic scouts may decide which athletes are good prospects. As our understanding deepens, students will create their own game, which will entail an analysis of the probability associated with the game. In 10th grade Math this month we finished up our Solve It! unit by looking at ways to factor trinomi-als. In addition, we spent some time on creating linear equations given specific information as well as extracting information from equations that we were given. Our next focus will be on the IMP 2 Unit Cookies, in which we will study inequalities and systems of equations.

SOCIAL STUDIES The ninth graders completed their unit on American Environmental History with an exploration of westward expan-sion in the 19th century, and the different ways regions of the country used their natural resources as industrialization spread.

Students reached out to the Greenfield Public Schools Food Service Director and are hoping to meet with him soon to learn more about the policies that impact student lunch choices. Students remain enthusiastic about getting as much local food into our school as possible. We just began our unit on the events leading to the American Revolution. Stu-dents will be engaging in debates in which they will wrestle with the issues that fueled the colonies' desire for inde-pendence from Britain.

Tenth grade students most recently investigated the growth of corporations in U.S. History, including the current in-fluence of the largest retail chain in the world, Wal-Mart. We also read current perspectives on the potential of a new "big-box" store being built in Greenfield. In the weeks prior to our winter break, individuals and pairs are working on a range of projects focused on "Sense of Place." Some students are designing a town plan that embodies the princi-ples of sustainability and "Smart Growth." Other students are going to perform "The Lorax" and write an essay that explains its relevance in contemporary society, and some students will be creating "Digital Stories" that blend images and audio to tell the story of a place that has meaning for them.

PAGE 5 FOUR RIVERS CURRENTS

DIV III NEWS

MATH NOTES from Mr. Levine In Four Rivers math, much of our work isn't skill-and-drill problems like most of us adults had grow-ing up. They're often chewy problems without obvious strategies. So in this month's math note I'm offering suggestions for parents to help your students make progress on their homework, especially when they're stuck. You don't have to actually know the math!

Here are some things to try: Ask the student to explain the problem in her own words. Ask, "What have you tried so far? Why did you take that approach?" Explaining the strategy often helps us make connections and see what else we can try. Ask, "Does this remind you of a problem you've seen before? How can you use your approach on the similar problem?" Suggest making a diagram, which can often help reveal a solution.

Suggest looking for patterns. Putting results in a chart, table or graph often helps to reveal pat-terns. Suggest trying to work backwards. Sometimes the answer is given and you have to figure out how to get there. Finally, always have your student check the solution to see if it's correct.

ENGLISH

In eleventh grade English in Trimester II, we will be studying dystopia, an imaginary place where people lead dehumanized and often fearful lives—the opposite of utopia. We will be reading 1984 and Blindness, and analyzing the way good societies go bad. We will look at what values we each treasure, and use these values to envision and design our own utopias.

In twelfth grade English in Trimester II, we will be joining with Social Studies to create an expedition re-lated to Social Commentary and the Democratic Movement in China. Students will be studying different elements of social commentary as it occurs through the media and through the text The Poisonwood Bible, and creating their own examples of social critique.

SOCIAL STUDIES

In twelfth grade Social Studies Topics, we are entering a trimester on Modern China. We will begin by focusing on the history of power and resistance to power in the Chinese tradition, by writing a reform minded speech drawing on historical precedents such as the resistance to the Manchu conquest, the resis-tance to 19th century imperialism, and the May 4th Movement of the early 20th century. We will also be conducting mock senate hearings on contemporary issues in China, including environmental and economic problems.

In eleventh grade U.S. History II, we are about to finish our unit on Reconstruction after the Civil War and Civil Rights with an activity in which students design and teach elements of the Civil Rights movement to one another. When this concludes, we will begin a unit on Labor History, in which students will choose an aspect of the history of work to research and turn into an audio podcast.