Catalina 2013 - Day 2

Another great day on the island!  We had a light rain throughout the morning, but we still had a record number of students wake up early for a 30-minute hike.  Congratulations to Erick, Zoe A., Sabina, Aria, Kiera, Rami, Josh L., Allie, Cole H., Hunter H., Halle, Milee, Jack, Asheton, Chris, Dylan, Tanner, Tina, Peyton, Ava, Courtney, Meagan, and Samantha for making the trip!  A special thank you to our chaperones who led the way:  Mr. Sibai, Mr. Hamilton, Mr. Flannigan, Mrs. Rickard, and Mrs. Jose.

After breakfast, the students participated in several labs, including a hands-on experience with invertebrates and the identification of plankton under digital microscopes.  The rain cleared by mid-morning, providing us with a little sun during our afternoon snorkeling expedition.  The students had some fun jumping from the floating pier, and they were able to see many different types of sea life, including the giant black sea hare, an octopus, a horn shark, and the Jeras face flop.

Our evening concluded with a lab about sea mammals, which also included some time spent discussing the 18-foot oar fish that was found here two weeks ago.  It was a well-timed discovery for us as we learned a lot about this rarely seen fish.

We leave tomorrow morning, and while the students are sad to go, I know they are excited to get home to share their experiences!

Click HERE to see photos from our trip.

Catalina Island Day 1 - 2013

We started out with a rather uneventful bus ride through the night as the students slept for most of the trip.  The boat ride from Long Beach to Catalina, however, was rather choppy, leaving several students with motion sickness.  They quickly recovered when we landed on solid ground and began a day of discovery.  During our snorkeling orientation, the students learned how a wetsuit works, and how to put one on.  The students had the chance to spend time in the water and saw several examples of marine life, including bat rays and garibaldi.  We ended the night with an island project, where students were left with the challenge of developing an island in a way that is both profitable and ecologically sound.  It was great to see our students using their creativity and challenging each other as they discussed transportation needs, water supplies, and animal preservation.  The night ended with a misty rain, which is likely a sign of our weather for tomorrow.  

Each year this trip brings great fun and adventure, but it also reminds me of how amazing our students are.  They were complimented by other customers at McDonald's, people who could have easily been irritated by a restaurant filled with 6th graders. The CIMI instructors have consistently praised us for the talents and behaviors of our students, and this year was no different.  Congratulations to the parents and teachers of Sandpiper for working together to develop such wonderful people.

If you would like to see photos from our first day, click HERE.

Catalina Day 2

We had another great day, filled with different labs and another snorkeling outing.  We began with an optional hike before breakfast.  Congratulations to the students who woke up early and made the hike: Alexa, Ella, Cassidy, Lauren, Matthew, Shane, Jesus, Ben, Jack, Bryan, Michael, and Tanner!

After breakfast the morning was filled with labs, where students measured the salinity and visibility of the water, identified phytoplankton under a microscope, and learned about exo-, endo-, and hydrostatic skeletal structures.  And they enjoyed doing long division...?

Our second day of snorkeling was a little warmer with the slight overcast, and most of the students had the chance to see more of the ocean's animal life.

We ended the day with an activity where students designed islands with the intent of creating a balanced ecology that focused on sustainability.  Everyone is having a great time, and I know they look forward to telling you all about it when they get home tomorrow night.

You can see photos of today's events (and some more from yesterday) by clicking HERE.

Catalina 2012

We had a near perfect day!  After a very quiet and smooth bus ride through the night, we landed in a crowded parking lot at the Queen Mary.  The students were excited the see a long line of people waiting to audition for American Idol, and they even had a few "Sandpiper shoutouts" promised from some of the hopeful contestants.

Our boat ride was easy, with no sicknesses reported.  The 76 degree weather held up through our first snorkeling activity, where most of the students saw several leopard sharks, bat rays, and a few shovel-nosed guitar fish (as well as the ubiquitous Garibaldi).  The near perfection only came to an end as the sun set, bringing us some cold weather that we haven't experienced in awhile.

After a great dinner, our students ended the evening with an activity in the mammal lab, where they learned more about different types of sea mammals and played the parts of different sea mammals searching for their partner in a crowded room.

Everyone is having a great time, and I know the students and chaperones are looking forward to a fantastic second day.  We will begin the day with an optional hike before proceeding with breakfast and our morning lab work.

You can see photos from today's events by clicking HERE.

First Week 2012!

We had a great first week back to school!  The excessive heat had us inside for recess, which made the afternoons a little long for the students and staff.  Don't be surprised if your students are eager to burn some energy this weekend.

I want to thank all the parents for their cooperation before and after school.  We don't have quite the space needed to handle all of our drop-off and pick-up activity, so I greatly appreciate everyone working together to help safely transport our students to and from school.  It will get better as the excitement of starting school tempers and more people carpool and utilize the bus.

We ended the week with a kickoff assembly, where I encouraged students to become heroes this year.  Heroes don't wear capes and masks, and you don't have to do something on a grand scale to be a hero to someone else.  We emphasized the following characteristics of a hero:

• Choosing to do the right thing
• Helping others, even when it may be difficult
• Working hard
• Not settling for less than your best
• Being brave
• Being kind
• Caring about your own safety, as well as that of others
• Not wanting to see others get hurt

The students were definitely loud, and it was a great way to end the week, but I also left them with some homework: each student should think of how he/she can be a hero this year.  We talked about possibly helping out more at home, assisting a neighbor in need, setting higher academic goals, or even helping classmates feel like they belong at recess.  I asked the student to share their plans to be a "hero" by sending me an email through their PVLearners account, or by leaving me a note in the office.  I hope you can have similar conversations with your children to help them become the amazing people that we know they can be.

Thanks for a great first week, and I am excited for an incredible year.

Catalina Day 2

Day 2 was filled with more thrills at Toyon Bay! Some of us began with an early morning hike up Shrine Trail. Congratulations and thank you to Danny, Sergio, Sergei, Zack, Luke, Nick S., Dominick, Garrett, Nick E., Mr. Lalescu, and Ms. Koda for joining me on this short adventure. As you can see from the photos, the view was worth waking up a little earlier.

Our morning program involved rotating through lab stations, where we learned about algae, sharks, and different types of fish through hands-on activities. We enjoyed more snorkeling in the afternoon, which also included some time jumping off the floating platform. The water was very clear, allowing the students to see several more leopard sharks and garibaldi. Some of the instructors were also able to locate sea stars and a sea cucumber, which they brought to the surface for the students to see. Yes, it was cold, but the students were thrilled and had a great time. As the activity came to a close, fog rolled in, creating a beautiful backdrop as we returned to the island. Our evening program was an island simulation, where students had to address critical issues as they planned the development of a newly discovered island. They had to work together as a team to present a model that would help solve such problems as power/energy supply, waste removal, and resource protection; it was great fun watching them think and discuss (and argue, of course) during the project. You can see photos from today’s activities at www.flickr.com/photos/sandpiperprincipal. (My apologies for not making this a link… I can’t get it to work. Also, I did not upgrade my Flckr account, so it only allows me to upload 200 photos. Many of the photos from day 1 were removed to make way for photos from day 2.)

We will leave Toyon Bay on Friday morning and take shore boats to Avalon. The express shuttle leaves at 11:45 am (12:45 pm – Arizona time), and it typically takes about an hour to get to Long Beach. I will send out another phone message when the bus is loaded and we are ready to travel, which I expect to be around 1:15-1:30 pm (2:15-2:30 pm – Arizona time).

Your students are having a great time, and I know they are eager to get back home to share this experience with you!

Catalina 2011

We had a great first day on Catalina Island, although it was a bit colder than we are used to! We obviously began with our bus ride through the night. All of the students attempted to sleep, some with more successful than others. Aside from struggling to get comfortable, it was an uneventful drive, and we arrived in Long Beach a little ahead of schedule. Our ferry ride was a fairly smooth one with slightly overcast skies for most of the trip. The students were excited to see some dolphins and sea lions swimming along the way. Once we arrived, we enjoyed a quick lunch and basic orientation session about the camp before beginning our first snorkel activity. The weather was perfect and the water was clear, so our students were able to see many different types of marine life, including bat rays, guitarfish, garibaldi, and a few leopard sharks. While the water was cold, it became even colder as they had to exit the water with the sun disappearing behind the mountains. After dinner we learned a great deal about marine mammals in our evening lab, where students participated in a scavenger hunt for facts. It was an exciting and exhausting day, one that ended with many students asleep long before our prescribed quiet time. Tomorrow we have several lab activities scheduled, as well as another snorkeling outing. With the exception of facing the cold water, the students are eager to get back out there to see some more marine life. You can see pictures of today’s activities by visiting www.flickr.com/photos/sandpiperprincipal. (This is not a link; cut and paste it into your address bar to see the photos.)