I recently saw something online that made me laugh. It was a meme with the state of Texas talking to one of its residents ... saying, "Put your jacket on. Now, take it off. Now, put it on again." [repeat throughout Winter]. It's definitely been like that around here with the weather ... changing day-to-day.

It's also been that way with our enrollment here at The LRC. Kids coming in ... kids going out. Every couple of weeks, our enrollment looks different with new names, new faces, and new needs. Most of the time, the Social-Emotional aspect of learning takes its place front-and-center. We continue to experiment and practice with techniques to help kids stay regulated in the midst of experiencing big feelings.

The Ranch Facility has a few dogs that enjoy exploring the grounds and keeping up with the kids. Sometimes, while the kids are in class, they will sit/sleep outside the classrooms and wait on the kids to come back outside. <3

(btw ... these two dogs, brother and sister, stand taller than some of our Kindergarteners!)

A fun unit the kids have been learning about in science is Objects in the Sky. We learned about the phases of the moon and watched lots of cool science videos throughout the unit. The students used their imaginations and prior knowledge to create drawings of objects in the sky.

The K-2 students spend time each day using ST Math and PathBlazer for Reading and Math. These programs do a great job reinforcing what the students learn during their Math lessons, and give students extra practice at their individual levels.

Students read a variety of nonfiction texts to learn about new topics. They learned to read and identify different text features, such as charts, graphs, maps, timelines, labels and diagrams. Students learned how texts can be organized, and they read and identified cause & effect, problem & solution, compare & contrast, and order & sequence in nonfiction text structures. At the end of the unit, students wrote their own compare & contrast paragraph about how schools and life have changed from the 1800s to modern times.

The last two weeks, students enjoyed practicing their Reader's Theatre scripts and presenting them to the primary grade class and the Ranch Facility staff. The morning class performed a realistic fiction story called, “Riding the Snake”. And the afternoon class performed a Famous Scientific show about Albert Einstein.

In Math, students have been enjoying the geometry unit. Grade 3 learned about 2 and 3 dimensional shapes and their features. Grades 4 and 5 have been learning about lines, rays, angles, lines of symmetry, and coordinate planes.

In science we learned about The Water Cycle and The Solar System. Students were able to make a mini water cycle and explain how it works in the real world. Students really enjoyed creating their own solar system posters to end the 6-weeks.

Our read aloud texts were “The One and Only Ivan” by Katherine Applegate and “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” by CS Lewis. Students were rewarded by watching the movie at the end of the 6 weeks.

In English the students are doing argumentative writing. They have been practicing their debate skills on topics like school uniforms, student athletes, and snacks in school. They have enjoyed being able to discuss and argue their point of view.

Each student was able to read through an entire novel during this grading period. They read and journaled their thoughts and feelings about their novels and how it related to them. One of our eighth-grade boys, our super reader, was able to read 5 complete novels during this single grading period!

In Social Studies, our sixth-grade students have been learning about Russia. They have enjoyed learning how other cultures live. The eighth graders just wrapped the unit on reforms. They were using the info from social studies on child labor during English to debate for their argumentative unit. They concluded it was better to be in school than be at work!

Students in Science have been studying about how geologists learn about Earth’s interior, comparing and contrasting the three main layers of Earth, and reading all about Continental Drift.

Other topics include the historical development of the theory of evolution, the evidence that Darwin used to support his theory of evolution, and how natural selection leads to evolution. Students have discussed factors that contribute to the extinction of a species, how a fossil forms, and how the fossil record indicates a long history of changing life-forms.

Most recently, our science students have identified objects based on their characteristics, examined and compared the physical characteristics of organisms, and used a dichotomous key to identify organisms.

The Middle School math classes experimented with Triangles and Parallelograms, solving real-world problems regarding area and surface areas of 3D shapes including prisms and cylinders.

To demonstrate one example of how Mathematics is used in the real world, a clip was shown from the movie, "Hidden Figures", in which mathematical equations were being written on a chalk board at NASA. One of the Middle School students shouted out, "She wrote Pi! I saw her write Pi!!"

This spring, a couple of our girls were able to join the Gonzales Youth Basketball League and compete in games. One of them even made an all-star team at the end of the season. These girls got the chance to meet other girls from around the area and get some experience with team sports.

Now, some of our boys and girls are participating in T-ball and Little League baseball. Practices have begun, and games will begin soon. The kids are having a good time so far!

Legacy Ranch keeps about 6-10 horses here at the Facility on a regular basis, and many of the kids are involved in feeding, grooming, and learning how to ride them. It's a program that the kids really enjoy! This month, some of the older kids got to go to the Vet with one of their horses while a surgical procedure was performed. As expected, these kids have grown attached to 'their' horses, and they were glad to be there with one of them during the trip to the vet. They told us all about the procedure and even what to expect and how to take care of the horse during rehab and recovery. They are learning a lot about animals and how to take care of them!

Michael Moers, Principal

Kelly Delgado, K-2

Monica Atkinson, 3-5

Amber Cruz, 6-12 English & Social Studies & Electives

Efrain Garza, 6-12 Math & Science & Spanish & PE

Granella Hendricks, Instructional Assistant