Science: 

We are taking a brief pause from our work on Passion Projects this Monday to learn about the Solar Eclipse. The best time for viewing the eclipse is about 12:30, and that happens to be during our Science/Social Studies block. Students will read about solar eclipses, then watch a video about them, and finally, we will go outside to view the eclipse. To ensure the safety of our students, Westgate will be providing eclipse glasses that comply with the ISO 12312-2 international standard for every student.

Colorado will not be in the area to witness the totality of the eclipse; we will only see approximately 65% coverage. Therefore, it is important that the students wear their protective glasses at all times. Rest assured that the safety of our students is our top priority, and our staff is committed to ensuring a safe and enjoyable experience for everyone. 

Before the eclipse viewing, we encourage you to review the following eclipse viewing safety with your student. Our teachers and staff will also be going over essential safety tips with the students to ensure they understand.

Safety reminders for viewing a solar eclipse:

• Wear certified eclipse glasses at all times while observing the eclipse, even during partial phases.

• DO NOT remove or peek over the edges of the protective glasses while viewing the eclipse.

Passion Project Update:  

Before Spring Break, the students should have finished finding facts about 3 possible topics and then chosen their topic. After students have chosen their topic, then they will write 3 essential questions about their topic.  

For example, if the topic is penguins, the 3 essential questions might be:  

1. What is the penguins’ habitat?  

1. What do penguins eat?  

1. How do penguins survive in the cold? 

This week, students will learn how to take notes as they read, without plagiarizing. Students will learn to jot down a word or phrase on a sticky note as they are reading. When they have a variety of notes about their topic, they will close the book and write what they learned.  

Last week, we began our science unit on Biodiversity and Ecosystems. So far students have learned that plants depend on water and light to grow and that there are many kinds of living things in any area, and they exist in various places on land and in water.  

This week, we will begin learning about how plants pollinate and use a variety of strategies to move their seeds around.  

Science/Social Studies: 

Last week, students learned about chemical and physical changes to matter. For example, breaking a stick is a physical change, and making pancakes is a chemical change. 

This week, students will be making Oobleck – a non-Newtonian liquid. You can learn what Oobleck is by clicking here. We will also take our Science Post-Test and Social Studies Pre-test. After Winter Break, we will begin our new Social Studies unit on Civics and Economics.  

Before Thanksgiving break, we wrapped up our Social Studies unit, “History & the Past,” and started our new science unit, “States of Matter & Material Properties.” Students took a history post-test and a Science Pre-test. At the end of the week, we began learning about what matter is and that there are three states of matter - solids, liquids, and gases. 

This week, students will learn in detail about the properties of each type of matter, including how the molecules are different. 

Science & Social Studies: 

The week before break, we continued with our current unit, Earth Systems. We learned about events that quickly change the earth’s surface, such as volcanoes and earthquakes.  

This coming week, we will wrap up this science unit and begin our new Social Studies unit, “History & the Past.” If you have antiques around your home (or at a grandparent’s home, please show them to your student and explain how they work. We will be continuing this unit until the week of November 10.