Ganderia Middle School

It has been a transition year here at Ganderia.  We have changed from a single-teacher model to a two-teacher model.  We welcomed Sarah Carter in December to fill the second teacher spot.  Sarah brings a variety of interests and life experiences to the school.

We also have a new sign for the building and a new storage shed.

We are having a busy school year.  The theme this year is "Where am I?"  

In the Fall the students attended the Maine Primitive Gathering in Wells, a four day camping trip where they learned primitive skills like brain-tanning deer hides, making atlatls and forging.  We also attended the MOFGA Common Ground Fair in Unity.  In October we attended a New England Intercollegiate Geolocical Conference field trip to Deer Isle where we learned about magma chamber dynamics in the formation of the unique Deer Isle granite formation.  We took trips to Streaked Mountain, Kesar Falls, Sabatus Mountain and Jockey Cap.  We toured the Maine State Museum in Augusta.  We participated in a bow hunter safety program at the Bryant Pond Conservation School.  We baked bread at Lolliepapa Farm.  We helped mulch the newly seeded trails at The Robert's Farm Preserve.

In the classroom we are studying the geology and geography of Maine and the constellations in our night sky.  In literature we read "The Good Thief" by Hanna Tinti and are now reading "The Book Thief" by Markus Zusak.  We're reading "Thunder from the Mountain" by Edward Martin, "Finding Katahdin" by Amy Hassinger and "Notes on a Lost Flute" by Kerry Hardy as part of our history of Maine study.  

In math we are working on problems solving, geometry and algebra.  One math project was to set a level, square foundation for our new shed.  

We've done quite a bit of cooking this year, including pickling cucumbers from the garden, making butter and yogurt, making lasagna with homemade noodles and sauce with tomatoes from the garden.  We've made pear cake and pineapple upsidedown cake for volunteer birthdays.  New this year is Food Tuesday where we shop for ingredients and cook lunch.  We've made burritos and Greek pasta salad.