Wings, Feathers, Beaks and Pellets: First and Second Graders Learn About Birds
Like little birds building nests from materials gathered from the surrounding habitat, first and second graders eagerly collected small sticks, acorns, bits of grass and oak leaves to push into clay and dough that they’d fashioned into small, bowl-shaped-nests. This unique hands-on activity was just one piece of a cross-curricular bird study that included learning about identification and field marks, incubation, developmental stages, habitat and adaptations. 
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The sixth graders have completed their integrated study of the history and culture of ancient Egypt,
This week, middle school students were introduced to a new curriculum in media literacy. MMS combined elements of curricula from The Representation Project, Common Sense Media, and Photovoice in a focused learning experience of how to create and evaluate media appropriate for 11-14 year olds. 
‘ It does not require many words to speak the truth .’
The middle school was honored by a second guest teacher for the middle school master class series in dance. I Gede Oka Artha Negara (also known as ‘Oka’) brought costumes and music to share Balinese dance with our students. I’ve included his biography below. Balinese dance is an impactful and disciplined style of dance that includes gorgeous costume work. Saki, the middle school dance teacher, invited and arranged Oka’s visit.
For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction , Sir Isaac Newton’s third law of motion formalized in his 1687 tome Philosophi’ Naturalis Principia Mathematica ( Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy ), has intrigued scientists and curious students ever since — and was the inspiration for a recent Mount Madonna middle school physics proj
Santa Cruz Sentinel, 12/10/2015, “Mount Madonna students stand up for snowy plovers,” by Donna Jones. Photos by Shmuel Thaler. 
Each day, as I approach the mountain, there is a moment where I look up and I am struck by the beauty and majesty that will envelop my child during his school day and I become inspired.
