​Five River trips re-scheduled for this week.

Just got back from the Riverbank Neighbors restoration site with Room 205. A beautiful, if not wintry day. 0% cloud cover. We saw 2 coyotes on the west bank, mergansers, goldeneyes and mallards. 
Tuesday we will repeat with Room 111, leaving at 8:30 a.m. and returning by 10:30 a.m.
Wednesday, February 28, 203 will try again. Join us.

On Thursday, March 1, 6th grade, Room 309, will try again to do the river tour. Leave at 9:30 a.m., back a 2:30 p.m..
Friday March 2, 305 takes the same trip. Let's cross our fingers. 

On Thursday, March 8, from 6:30 until 8:00, we have reserved the Green Wing Annex for our Waters School/Community Garden Film showing. We have some wonderful footage from before the Annex was built, and so many familiar faces, kids who have already transformed into adults. We have invited some of the original Media Lab film crew to attend. Some already have their own children! These films tell our story.
I am wondering if there is anyone in our school community who could help us with the technical parts of the showing: getting the films cued up, the computer talking to the projector, making sure the sound is clear and good. Please let me know if you have some experience and can help. 

I will be bringing aronia juice from our garden. Delicious!
​
Thanks, 
Mr. Leki

Sorry friends for late notice on the many cancellations, postponements and changes in schedule.
Tomorrow, Wednesday, February 14, right on schedule, 3rd Grade, Room 202, is off to Sauganash for their first winter outing. Today I taught them three songs they needed to know for this trip:
"Winter in Sauganash," a lullaby written by former Waters' music teacher Nadine Zelle and one of our MA classrooms more than ten years ago;
also "Listen the Snow is Falling" slightly adapted Yoko Ono lullaby about how snow calms things down, levels differences, quiets things. Beautiful;
and the Potowatomi song "Ti bi wenda bahno gwen, ayabay!" (From whence cometh the deer?")  It's a kind of homage, almost a prayer to the precipitation of these beautiful animals out of the mist, their black eyes endless wells that holds our stare.
The kids are excited about cutting brush, inspecting scat, tracking the dance of wild animals, and testing the ice in the slough. Join us tomorrow at 9:00 by the fish tank. We leave at 9:30 and should be back by 12:30.

On Thursday, February 15, 4th grade Room 204 will do its re-scheduled trip from last week. Same drill. Join us!

On Friday, February 16, we are scheduled to do the Chicago River system tour with Room 309. It is a long involved and lovely bus tour, with multiple stops and aspects. We plan to leave at 9:15 and return at 2:30.

Hope it all works out. If not, we'll re-schedule!

If you were wondering what was going on in ecology this week, 
just know that, 
so was I!
I was in a miasma, 
a fog of conflict, 
I was addled,
and confused. 
I never sent out a schedule, 
although one was there, 
jam packed with stuff,
because I couldn't find the "on" button on the computer machine. 
I went to the doctor, finally, 
when the grossness of my cough sent my partner Deb fleeing to another county.
I asked the Doc if it was the FLU. 
He asked, "Did it feel like a truck hit you?"
I told him it was more like an Amtrak train.
Anyway, it caused me to cancel at least two trips.
The harsh cold had a say in the decision to cancel, as well. 
It is a narrow line we walk between what is spectacular winter weather, 
and what is an arctic blast that could freeze dry a 2nd grader in 30 seconds. 
Apologies to those of you who had made plans to join us, 
and then had to endure the cancellation. 
Below you will see all the re-scheduled Field outing dates. 

The one trip that did survive the vortex and the Flu, 
is this Friday's 6th Grade River System Tour,
Room 305,
9:30 - 2:30.
Volunteers meet a bit earlier by the fish tank. 
The idea of this trip is for the kids to physically experience, 
to see, 
components of our fresh and waste water treatment systems, 
and to "be" in the places where significant action and history has taken place:
the sewage treatment plant at Howard Street and McCormick where all our neighborhood waste goes;
the locks at Wilmette, the great flush valve of our metropolis and a place of beauty in its own right;
the Evanston Water Utility (my former employer), 
where lake water is treated and pumped for millions of residents. 
It's an information packed trip, 
in context, 
with too much time on the bus, 
but lots of time to socialize, 
and think. 
The kids chart their voyage on a 3 page long trip map, 
and are asked to fill the empty spaces with ideas, 
questions, 
sketches, 
and observations. 
If you join us, 
I will equip you with said map
for your use, as well. 

We have not re-scheduled the 2nd grade River walk, Room 203. 
I will do that tomorrow. 
Every time today I peeked my head out  to get firewood, 
I sighed at the beauty of the day, 
the fresh snow, and blue sky. 
Thanks to Ms. Peterson for doing the in-class prep work for 203...

...and 4th Grade Room 204, 
whose trip to Sauganash has been re-scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 15.

4th Grade Room 207 has been re-scheduled for Thursday, Feb 22.

and, 3rd Grade Room 201,
has been re-scheduled for Wednesday, February 21.

Whew! I hope this is all true and correct. 
I'll check again in the morning. 
Good night, 
and thank you all for your good wishes and tolerance, 

Mr. Leki