Welcome to Room Five!
Welcome to Room Five! My name is Cathy DeCecco and I have the privilege of teaching the kindergarten through second grade at Yosemite Valley School. I have been teaching in California for nine years and this is my fifth year at YVS. Working at YVS has given me the unique public school experience of having taught a total of eight grade levels within a four year span! I love the challenges and rich rewards of multi-grade classrooms and enjoy the collaborative mind set of our staff.
When I am not spending time with my wonderful students, I love to enjoy all the delights of living in the most beautiful National Park in the United States.
When I am not spending time with my wonderful students, I love to enjoy all the delights of living in the most beautiful National Park in the United States.
Our classroom aide: Laurie Smith
We are so fortunate to have Laurie in our classroom everyday. Ms. Laurie has an extensive background of working with children and is our resident artist. She can always add a special flair to a project! Ms. Laurie also teaches hula afterschool and is the primary coordinator of our performing arts program.
Thank you for all of your hard work!
Thank you for all of your hard work!
Meet the best part...the students!
Room five is made up of two kindergartners, eight first graders, and two second graders. They are a wonderful group of students that love learning and make a delightful team. Already we have been lucky to experience some great educational adventures such as our S'mores and Stars Campout and the Yosemite Facelift. Each day students also work hard to meet California State Standards at their grade level. Take a peek at all we do!
S'mores & Stars in the Schoolhouse Meadow
Mrs. Soria , our principal, gets the party started.
We kicked off our 2010-2011 school year with a schoolwide campout in our meadow. Children and parents enjoyed a talk with Yosemite Park Ranger Shenk about the school's history. We also learned about the night sky from our friend, naturalist Jeff Crow. The evening wouldn't be complete without some s'more making and fun games.
YOSEMITE FACELIFT
For the fourth year in a row, Yosemite Valley School participated in the Yosemite Facelift. This project, which was started by our friend Ken Yager, has turned into a massive clean up effort. Ken reported that 170,000 pounds of trash was removed from the park during this six day event. It is an honor to be a part of such a momentous project. Our class was fortunate to have Park Ranger Chris accompany us to tell us about different kinds of trash, some of which may be historic and therefore should not be removed. We also made homemade granola to enjoy as a snack.
Science
At Yosemite Valley School, we are fortunate to use the hands-on, inquiry based, Foss Science kits. Students discover information about science through investigations and challenges. This program is so engaging and fun! Our first theme for the year is air and weather. We have done investigations with parachutes to learn about air resistance, used syringes to push air and pull air, and learned about water and air.