Mrs. Young & Mrs. Pretty
“Life is a gift, and it offers us the privilege, opportunity, and responsibility to give something back by becoming more”
Course 3- Mrs. Young's weekly math assignments
May 14, 2012 Newsletter
Approved 2012/2013 school calender
Spelling May 7th
Water Quality/Testing Science Unit:
Water Testing at Farmers Creek! Eighth graders did a great job.
We are starting our study of the local Flint River Watershed. This not only involves water quality testing, but students are being exposed to a variety of environmental concerns and projects around the world. We have and will be meeting with Ecology Director, Peter McCreedy to discuss renewable energy and to study the environmental concerns and any benefits to bottled water. Students will be attending the Mott Student Summit on May 11th and will be testing our local water quality and collecting/reading their data to present at the summit.
LA View article staring a photo of one of our students!
Prarie Burn took place April 12th
Ponds and Prairies-
The prairie here is an attempt to restore a historical plant community called an oak savanna, documented in pre-settlement vegetation maps of Lapeer county. These unique ecosystems are a combination of prairie grasses and wild flowers mixed with forest species especially oak. Fire played an important natural role in the development and maintenance of grasslands, forests, and wetlands throughout history in the Great Lakes region. For thousands of years, tallgrass prairies and open oak woodlands were kept free of shrubs by the occasional wildfires that cleared the landscape every year or two. These fires were caused by lightening or set intentionally by Native Americans, who used fire to clear areas for agriculture, improve forage for game species, stimulate berry and acorn production, and to ease travel. Prescribed burningis the controlled application of fire to accomplish specific land management goals. Prescribed burning recycles nutrients tied up in old plant growth and controls many woody plants and herbaceous weeds. Fire stimulates new plant growth, especially in native plants and wildflowers. Prairie plants have very deep root systems that grow 15 feet below the soil surface. This both protects them from fire and, as they decay, enriches the soil. Fire also promotes the viability of prairie plant seeds. In short, fire gives a competitive advantage to native fire-adapted species which also provide valuable habitat to wildlife.
Reading Buddies with first grade- March is Reading Month!
Reading month ended with a staff/student challenge basketball game. Students who participated in the reading moth and earned the most reading time got a chance to play their teachers! (staff WON)
Students presenting their Science Fair Projects
