Kindergarten students at MGCS have been comparing toys from long ago to toys seen today. One specific concept was the importance of our imagination, which may be considered the best toy of all!💭
During outdoor labs, we practiced using our imagination by finding images in the clouds and completing a nature journal entry to record our observations. Who needs a television when you can simply step outside? ⛅️👀
Some special 3rd grade learners were rewarded some extra outside time for getting all their work done! Keep up the good work kids! 🧡
During Fire Prevention Week, volunteers from the Hamburg Fire & EMS spoke to our learners about fire safety. We always look forward to their informational visit and annual coloring contest. We are so lucky to have local community helpers who are active in our school- THANK YOU! 🚒🦊
Our first annual MGCS BioBlitz was a success! We could not have done it without our experts and volunteers! Thank you to Mrs. Sandy Benton, from Field Edventures, for your organization of this! Check it out the story on News Channel 7 tonight and in a future Record Review article! More pictures to come 📷
Thank you to Westfall Construction for beautifying our trails at Maple Grove Charter School! Your work helps our trails easy to access and walk on! The trail cutting through the woods to our outdoor classroom allows for quick access. The new turnarounds created will make it so much easier to navigate while collecting sap with our tractor and trailer. We are grateful you were able to fit us in! Thank you!
Maple Grove learners will have no school Friday, October 18th and Monday, October 21st.
Enjoy the fall weather!
Maple Grove BIOBLITZ
We are looking for volunteer experts - amateur and professional - to work with students and staff on Friday, October 11th as we conduct our first ever Maple Grove Charter School Bioblitz. The purpose for the bioblitz is for students to find out what species are here at Maple Grove, to track changes over time in the species present, and to spark curiosity for further inquiry. Students will be able to create site-specific field guides as well as trail signage.
A bioblitz typically for 24 hours with expertsand volunteers working to identify as many living things ("bio") at lightning speed ("blitz"). Our bioblitz is a condensed version and will run from 8:30-2:30, rain or shine. All Maple Grove students will be involved and will contribute to our account of species on the school property for at least some of the day. The students in the upper grades will be spending a significant part of the day.
We are looking for adult volunteers who have expertise in identifying plants and/or animals. Currently, an arachnid expert as well as an entomologist (insects) are scheduled to join us. Folks who excel at identifying trees, plants, and fungi are needed. We are looking for folks who bird by sight and/or sound as well as those who can read animal tracks and sign.
If you, or someone you know, has expertise in these or other related natural resource topics would be available to spend a couple of hours, or the full day, please contact Sandy Benton at sandy@fieldedventures.org
Yesterday was crazy hair / hat day at Maple Grove! Here are some fun pictures of our learners!
Maple Grove Charter School's 3rd graders enjoyed a beautiful day of learning at Amco Park last week. A big thank you to our chaperones who were actively involved in our activities and supervision. Students did experiments to determine how temperature, velocity, sunlight, shelter, and vegetation determine where amphibians like to dwell. Students were also able to do a sampling of vertebrates and were surprised how many were found! Our day ended with a fun game where students learned about the limiting factors affecting salmon as they complete their life cycles. Thank you to Mrs. Sandy Benton for teaching us and providing fun activities for us to do!
Here are the remaining dress up days for Maple Grove! Go Athens Bluejays! 🏈
Hanging out in the hammocks are a favorite recess activity! Learners take responsibility putting up the hammocks and rolling them up and putting them away properly.
Kindergarten students at MGCS have been using different attributes to describe objects. Using color, shape, size, and texture, learners "painted" items that fit various descriptions. It was a perfect activity on a warm September day!
A big Maple Grove welcome to our two newest residents, Buttercup and Pearl! Our rabbits have settled in nicely in their new hutches, and seem to be unbothered by the noise of our students and chickens! Our 3rd and 5th grade students have been caring for the rabbits since their arrival, and all students will have a hand in this starting in October! A big thank you to Mrs. Neske who takes the students out each morning to care for the rabbits, and to the Cyrtmus family who have helped with various rabbit tasks as well!
Maple Grove 3rd graders had a fun and educational day at the Merrill School Forest recently where Mr. Noland taught us all about beavers. We learned about beaver adaptations, how beaver dams are built, and how they affect rivers and the land surrounding them. We also had the opportunity to build our own beaver dams and learned a fun song as well! Thank you to Mr. Noland and our adult chaperones who helped us have a great day outdoors!
Please save the date! Our annual Chili Supper has been scheduled for Thursday, November 7th from 5:00-7:00 in the MGCS gym. This event is a free will donation! More information will available closer to the date! 🦊
Another great learning addition was created at Maple Grove Charter School! We will now have our very own prairie right on MGCS grounds. This will be another place our learners will gain knowledge through observation and exploration. They will be able to observe wildlife, bird watching and identification, pollination and the food chain, vegetation and identification of various plant species. A huge shout out to Kelly and Bruce Steidinger for their knowledge, equipment, and perseverance with getting the ground prepared and the seed into the ground for our kids to enjoy this spring!
Kindergarten students learn to incorporate movement with music in Mrs. Triebold's music class.
Ms. Etten’s first grade class has been very busy the last two weeks learning. The beautiful weather has allowed for learning outdoors and enjoying being back with peers and staff! The week wrapped up with being introduced to agriculture through a hands on bracelet activity during LABS. Student learning objectives were to be able to explain agriculture and be able to make connections between agriculture and their daily lives. Each bead represented a different aspect of agriculture. These included milk, water, animals, plants, machinery, workers, barns/buildings, and air! All beads were strung together to make the connection of how they are all connected to our lives. The learners were excited to be able to take this piece of learning home and share with families. We are so fortunate to have these experiences and are thankful for Mrs. Bunkelman and her creativity with the bracelets👩🌾🌾🚜
Maple Grove is blessed with another year of offering our students FREE POPCORN once a month! A big thank you goes out to the Maple Grove Foundation for bringing this yummy tradition back to our school!
Maple Grove BIOBLITZ to be held Friday, October 11th
Maple Grove Charter School is looking for experts--both amateur and professional--to work with students and staff on Friday, October 11th as they conduct their first ever Bioblitz.
The purpose for the bioblitz is for students to find out what species are at Maple Grove, to track changes over time in the species present, and to spark curiosity for further inquiry. Students will be able to create site-specific field guides as well as trail signage.
A bioblitz typically lasts for 24 hours with experts and volunteers working to identify as many living things (“bio”) at lightning speed (“blitz”). Our bioblitz is a condensed version and will run from 8:30-2:30, rain or shine. All Maple Grove students will be involved and will contribute to our account of species on the school property for at least some of the day. The students in the upper grades will be spending a significant part of the day.
We are looking for adult volunteers who have expertise in identifying plants and/or animals. Currently, an arachnid expert as well as an entomologist (insects) are scheduled to join us. Folks who excel at identifying trees, plants, and fungi are needed. We are looking for folks who bird by sight and/or sound as well as those who can read animal tracks and sign.
We are also in need of parent volunteers to learn alongside students and to assist in recording sightings of various species with the iNaturalist app (a free download) on mobile devices.
If you, or someone you know, has expertise in these or other related natural resource topics would be available to spend a couple of hours, or the full day, please contact Sandy Benton at sandy@fieldedventures.org We would like to have our experts and volunteers scheduled by October 1st.
