Christmas with the teacher

Hi Friends,

As promised, here are some pictures from MY holiday in Indiana. What do you think? Send me some pictures of your holiday for me to post on the website.

Love, Mrs. E.

It Feels like Spring!

Hi Friends,

I am posting this from my parent's living room in Bloomington, Indiana. Guess what? Right now the temperature is 68 degrees! It feels like early Fall here because it is so hot and there is no snow on the ground. I was trying to explain to my family what -35 degrees feels like:-) I had a wonderful Christmas. I am wondering about you all and what fun things you got to do over the holidays. Email me your favorite present, and favorite thing that you have done so far over the break, so I can make a post about what everyone is up to. Don't forget to email me about your science fair project if you want to start it over break. I will post some pictures of my Christmas soon. If you have any pictures from your holidays, send them as attachments to me and I will post them on the blog.

Holiday Festivities Part 2 pictures posted!

Merry Christmas! Happy Holidays!

Letter to my students

To open our last justice circle, I wrote a letter to the kids. I wanted to post it here as a reminder that the greatest gift I have received this year is the opportunity to teach this group of students. Happy Holidays.

Dear Friends,

I wanted to let you know how proud I am of you. Every day you never cease to amaze me with your questions, curiosities, hopes and dreams. Two of the greatest joys in my entire teaching career have been to watch you grow in your learning, and mature as kind, caring and honorable human beings.

Over the past several months we have gotten to know each other well. We have laughed together in the lunch room. We have screamed together down the sledding hill, and we have asked each other if we want to "buy a duck" more times than I can begin to count. More than all of this, I especially look forward to the special time we spend getting to know each other inside of our circle. This past week, we talked about our enchanted places-- places where you can shed the outer layers of yourself and can be the most authentic YOU. Many of you described your enchanted places being in your bedroom, nestled in your favorite blanket, or with a wrench, a car and the company of your father. I promised you that I would reveal one of my enchanted places. I will give you a hint...you are all sitting in it right now. Inside the bounds of this circle, this special place, true magic happens. I am not talking about the pulling the rabbit out of the hat kind of magic. I am talking about the kind of magic where 16 unique individuals, with different backgrounds, families and lifestyles can sit together and be their truest selves. Inside of our circle we have established a place where we only know the best that everyone has to offer. While we recognize that we are all human and capable of making mistakes and decisions that we aren't always proud of, we are somehow able to look past all of that. Inside our magic circle, we cry, laugh, reflect, listen and understand each other from the deepest parts of our hearts. Inside this circle we know that we don't have to put on an act or a front. No one is expecting us to be anything but our most genuine selves. It is not often that we come across this kind of magic--the kind of magic that takes our breath away--the kind of magic that results in a common understanding of what it is like to grow up and discover who you are.

I hope that one day you will look back on the time we spent together in our circle as an enchanted place of your own. When you grow up and flourish in everything that you do, you will remember these things:

**how important it is to listen with an open mind
**how important it is to speak with an open heart
**for years to come, long after you graduate high school and college--in the many circles i will have with other students, there will always be an opening and a place for you.

I am so proud to be your teacher.

New Pictures!

Winter Festivities Album Part One--posted

I am here:-)

You are absolutely right...I do need to write a new post. As you all know, the holidays are a very busy time of year. Over the past several days we have had so much fun together. I have posted several new pictures of our holiday festivities--concert, outside sledding, the results of having my camera stolen by my students, and making our gingerbread houses.

First of all, I want to thank you all for the generous Christmas presents that you gave me yesterday. I was overwhelmed and greatly humbled when I received the spaghetti bowl, gift cards to my favorite stores,chocolates, handmade note cards, key chains, pies, bakeware, Wii games and books. You all know me so well. Please know that everything you gave me will be enjoyed by my family, and when it is used, I will be thinking of YOU. I am so blessed to be your teacher. There are no words to describe how much fun I am having with you, and being able to be a part of your educational journey.

Baking gingerbread houses was a big task! Thank you to Angie, Michelle, Scarlett and everyone else for your candy donations, time making frosting and helping countless students piece together their gingerbread creations. As you can see from the pictures, the houses turned out beautifully. I hope you will enjoy them over the break!

Our Christmas party was also a huge success. Once again I am so grateful to all parents and your unwavering support and time and for pouring your hearts into giving the kids a party to remember. My favorite part was singing Christmas carols while Mike played the electric guitar. I know the kids loved making the ornaments and unwrapping their white elephant gifts. A huge thank you to Audrey, Michelle, Mike, Scarlett, Angie, and Cathy!!!!!

We were disappointed that the cold weather didn't allow us to go skating on Monday, but please know that Mrs. Lisa and I will work together to schedule a time after break when we can go. We wouldn't have enjoyed ourselves as much as we could have with 30 below temperatures. Thanks to all students for your patience and understanding.

I am very excited to look over your book projects in the coming days. I will take them on the airplane with me for my reading pleasure:-) I am leaving tomorrow for Indiana. I will be spending a week of relaxation with my mom, dad and sister. I hope you will send me lots of emails telling me about the fun things that you all are doing over winter vacation.

Thank you again for such a tremendous 2008. You all mean so much to me. We have formed a special family in a few short months. Enjoy the next 10 days off. Relax, make snow angels, eat lots of treats and be thankful for the incredible families you have. See you all next year!!!


PS. If you are going to start science projects over the break, send me an email explaining your project so I can approve it. joanna.etshokin@gmail.com

Reminder

Are you remembering to fill in your December reading calendars each night? They are due January 5.

Holiday chaos:-)

I just came home from spending a wonderful evening decorating the gym for your holiday concert tomorrow. Between the twinkling lights, the ringing bells and your voices, tomorrow evening should be magical.

Take a deep breath and think about how close you are to the upcoming break. You have worked so hard for the past 3 months. You have learned a lot about time management, asking good questions, staying organized and how to finish a challenging project. You have a lot to be proud of.

We had a wonderful justice circle today. I invited Ms. Nikki, Mrs. Chang and Mr. Scott to sit in on our circle today. We had a great discussion about conflict resolution and and what it means to be an advocate for someone. It was a special time that we shared with each other and our special guests.

Today was so busy trying to prepare for the holiday concert. Remember to have your recorders at school tomorrow for our afternoon practice. Tomorrow morning we will be making and baking our gingerbread dough. If there are any parents who would like to come in and help our class with this, we would love to have you. Don't forget to bring in candy to decorate your houses by Friday!

I apologize for Wednesday folders not making it home today. They will be on the kids' desks tomorrow morning ready for you to take. With a late afternoon concert rehearsal, things were very chaotic and rushed at the end of the day. Thanks for your patience and understanding.

Look for a posted list of our Empty Bowls auction winners in the lobby tomorrow. We raised $1433.00--enough to feed 1500 Indonesian children one meal. I am absolutely astounded and humbled by the generosity of the FPA and POM community.

Have a wonderful night. Rest your singing voices and get ready for another busy day tomorrow.

Pictures Posted!

Empty Bowls pictures are now posted. I will work on labeling them soon. As you can see, the kids had fun experimenting with my camera to capture the special moments of the most.

The auction closed today. I will post the winners tomorrow. Thank you again for your generosity and support.

Permission slips for ice skating on Monday will be coming home in Wednesday folders tomorrow.

Remember to bring a candy item for gingerbread houses by Friday.

Homework for tonight: Finish math, Spanish paragraph due tomorrow, Matisse art project due Monday, gingerbread house drawing due Friday, book project due Friday

After several failed attempts to upload pictures from Empty Bowls and Alexandra's play, I am going to stop and try again tomorrow:-)

Congrats Alexandra!

Last Saturday, Alexandra performed in the play she has been working on for several weeks. It was called PORC IN NEW YORK. Alexandra is a member of the Stagecoach Theater group. If you are interested in getting involved in the theater, I am sure Alexandra would be happy to tell you all about the fun things that she has been doing. Way to go, Alexandra! We are so proud of you.

Quite a bit of information

Hello all!

Another tremendous thank you to everyone for your help and support with our Empty Bowls project. The auction closes tomorrow at 3:30. I will have the kids make the final calculations on the amount of money that we raised. So far, we are well over fifteen hundred dollars! I am so impressed with how much the kids have put into this project, and the pride they showed on Saturday night. I received several emails today complimenting the students on their work and genuine giving spirits. Pictures from Saturday night are being uploaded as we speak.

We did a fun exercise with our Stargirl books today. We read my most favorite piece of writing in all of literature today--Chapter 17 in Stargirl. In this chapter, Stargirl takes the main character, Leo to her "enchanted place." This place is in the middle of the desert, with nothing exciting around. In this place, Stargirl imagines a big pink eraser, erasing her away--erasing away her thoughts of worry and stress, and making her feel like a valued part of the universe. We tried this activity as a class, just laying down on the floor with our eyes closed, focusing on the calm simplicity of the things around us. We reflected in our journals about where our "enchanted places" are--where we can be our most authentic selves. Many students wrote powerful, heartfelt entries about their bedrooms, sports arenas, being alone on the ice rink, fixing cars in the garage, and being snuggled in their favorite blanket like a tortilla being the places where they are their truest selves.

This is a busy week for us. Tomorrow morning we will have Spanish and art with Mrs. Lisa, and in the afternoon we will have our final book club for the month of December. Wednesday we have art, a justice circle with special guests, gym, and then in the afternoon we have concert practice. Thursday we will have concert practice once again and then we will be making and baking our gingerbread dough. Thursday evening we will have our concert, and Friday afternoon we will have our final Mix It Up class for session one. Whew!!!

Remember to bring in a bag of candy for gingerbread houses by Friday. Next week we will be ice skating at the new rinks by school for gym class...we will be sending home permission slips and what to do about skates--we will also have plenty of extra skates so don't worry if you don't have any skates. More to come on this later.

Post your ideas for a fun movie to watch next week as a fun activity. I will go to the video store this weekend to pick one out.

Check out the 3rd graders tomorrow evening on the 5:00 news on Kare 11. They will be bringing all of the Toys For Tots donations to the studio tomorrow. Go Footprints!

I hope I am not forgetting anything. I had lots to tell you tonight.

Remember---book projects are due Friday! Let me know if you need any help. You are always welcome to email me with questions.

Empty Bowls Success!!!

Our dinner tonight was a huge success thanks to all of you! Have a great night. Thank you for all of your help. I will post pictures tomorrow.

Almost time!

Hi everyone,
Last night Mrs.E got a lot food for the spaghetti dinner!
Can you beleve that tomorrow is the spaghetti dinner?
I can't! There is a lot to do!
see you,
Alexandra

Empty Bowls Updates

Whew! What a busy day today. Final schedules for Empty Bowl dinner shifts should have come home today. Permission slips for students to be photographed and filmed by the media during our Empty Bowls dinner should have also been brought home today. Please fill out and return the permission slips by Monday at the latest. I will not release any photographs or film until Tuesday.

We worked so hard on our Empty Bowls project today. Our biggest highlight was our finished bowls being delivered. All of our bowls are on display in the main lobby. The silent auction is open and, bids may be placed on bowls through Tuesday, December 16th. Pass on the word to FPA and POM families to check out our bowls. Tickets for the spaghetti dinner are being sold before and after school tomorrow as well as at the door on Saturday evening. Tickets will be available for pick up on Saturday evening. We look forward to seeing you all there.

We have received close to one hundred dollars in food donations from Cub, Kowalski's and Sam's Club. I purchased all of our food this evening! It was a cart full! We are also grateful to Tinucci's for donating several loaves of french bread to our dinner. Our evening should be fabulous!

Homework tonight: Finish math, read for 20 minutes, continue to work on your book projects (which are due one week from tomorrow)

Have a wonderful evening.

PS. I will be taking lots of pictures of our bowls and spaghetti dinner and will be posting them this weekend on the website, so check back often:-)

It's Wednesday already!

Hello all.

Sorry for the late post. I have been busy grading your power up tests and getting the final schedule for Empty Bowls shifts together. Tomorrow morning you will have the final schedule for when your shifts are on your desk. I have been told that our bowls will be delivered tomorrow. We will set them up immediately in the front lobby with bidding sheets so those who cannot make it to the dinner will still have the opportunity to bid on the bowls.

We will work more on putting the finishing touches on our power point presentation for the dinner and we will finish hanging the last signs in the school. You have all worked so hard.

Remember that the school store opens tomorrow. 3rd-6th graders will be in charge of running it all year. The school store hours are 8:45-9:00 in the front lobby.

I hope you all have a wonderful night. If you want to bring sleds for the sledding hill on the playground you may--you just need to be willing to share your sled with others. :-)

Hi Fellows! It's me, TT, as most of you know me by. AKA Natalya.

Today was a fun day. I personally think that recess was the best part. You know, sledding,crashing, doing it all over again. We have spanish homework tonight. It has to do with liking and not liking different things. Tomorrow we have Phy Ed and music. Don't forget to bring your recorders. You should have practiced "Jingle Bells." That was our music homework. Mrs. E still needs to figure out our Empty Bowls stuff. Mrs. E. really worked hard to help us with this, so we should have faith in her and trust her decisions. After all, she is our teacher. Remember to work on your book projects!
HOMEWORK:
*Spanish
*Math (not everyone)
*Practice Recorder
*Read 20 minuets
*Work on book project

You don't have all of this homework, it is just a list of things that you might have for homework.Tomorrow, please answer the question on the white board.

Ciao 4 now!
TT

Morning Update

Wow! I have a lot to fill you in on. Yesterday was a busy day. We are working really hard on our math contracts, vocabulary and daily oral language. We also did a fun cursive activity on whiteboards. I am expecting that we will be working more often on our cursive as a review. My favorite part of the day was our discussion about STARGIRL, our current read aloud by Jerry Spinelli. We examined Stargirl's actions and did a cause and effect activity with them--for example, we talked about why was Stargirl so fearless, and what the results of her actions were. I kept remarking to the kids that I felt like I was leading an advanced high school level reading course. Per the students' advice, I took a picture of the notes we took on the whiteboard as "memento" of such a mature, in depth discussion.

For our next writing project, we are working on putting together a student handbook for Footprints Academy students. We have been inspired by Stargirl to welcome all students and do what we can to make everyone feel a part of the Footprints community. Look for more updates on the handbook soon!

I have posted pictures of the Empty Bowls pottery painting experience. I haven't labeled them yet, but here is the link to those pictures. I can't wait to get our finished bowls back this week.

This morning the kids will be attending the official Science Fair kickoff assembly. They will be getting their science fair handbooks--all information necessary for how to complete an experiment is included in the handbook. If you have any questions, feel free to email me, or give me a call. The Science Fair is February 24, 2009.

Remember that book projects are due December 19th. Our last book club for contemporary fiction books will be Tuesday, December 16th. Our next unit will be a short poetry study.

Short post

Hi Friends,

I had something come up this evening. Thanks for your patience. My regular blogging will be back tomorrow! In the meantime, Marselienna wanted something posted so here it is.

Hello! Today we played What Are You Doing in Morning Meeting. That was a fun game. I hope we can play it again! We also had Gym and our Art home work was due today!! Remember to do Math if you have it!
-Marselienna


You do not need to worry about doing your student handbook page tonight. Things were busy at the end of the day for me to remember to remind everyone. Your only homework is to finish math and work on your book projects.

See you tomorrow.

Late post

Today was a blast. I had so much fun playing with you guys out on the playground in the snow. I promise you that we will find a time to go sledding on the big hill. I also had so much fun painting bowls with you. I know that all the hard work you put in to getting this spaghetti dinner up and running will pay off in the end. Your bowls are going to be auctioned off faster than you can blink an eye, and we will feel amazing knowing that we are helping those in need. I took several pictures today of the bowl painting procedure. If I don't get them up tonight, I will for sure have them posted tomorrow. So check back here often.

December 3

Today was another great day. I can't wait to paint our bowls tomorrow with the studio manager from Color Me Mine. The designs that you planned out for your bowls look absolutely amazing. I know they will go fast at the auction. Thanks to those of you who remembered to bring back your Empty Bowls schedule sheet.

I also hope that tonight you are taking time to celebrate all of the successes you have experienced so far this year. Report cards went home today, and I am so proud of all the growth you have had during the past 3 months. You are all a really unique group of learners with so many gifts and talents to share. In fact--you all possess the essence of Stargirl--and you are not afraid to let that show!

I can't wait to start working on the new student handbook and to use what we are learning from Stargirl to help us write words of wisdom for current and incoming Footprints students.

Tomorrow morning we will have our all school assembly. Families are welcome to attend. The assembly will start at 9:15 in the cafeteria. The third grade class will be leading the assembly. I can't wait to see what they have planned for us.

Homework for tonight: Read for 20 minutes (Don't forget to record your reading on your December calendar!!!!), work on book project, finish math if you need to.

Pizzelle Pictures Posted

Photos of Pizzelle cooking are posted. Check them out!

As promised, here is the recipe that Michelle and Olivia were gracious enough to share with us. Let me know if you end up trying the recipe at home.

Pizzelles:
(makes 60 cookies)

6 eggs
3 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup (1/2 pound) margarine melted and cooled
4 tsp. baking powder
2 Tbls. vanilla or anise flavoring

Beat eggs, adding sugar gradually. Beat until smooth. Added cooled margarine and vanilla or anise flavoring. Sift flour and baking powder together and add gradually to the mixture. Place one tablespoon of the mixture onto hot pizzelle oven. Bake according to iron directions.

Congrats Laura!

Check out this email that Laura shared with me this evening. Hip Hip Hooray to Laura!

Dear Mrs. E,
This amazing thing happened to me right when I got home. I will tell you the whole story. Me, Nicole, and my mom pulled into the driveway, and mom said, "Can you go get the mail?" "Yes," I reply. I get to the mail and I find a small package. I thought it was for my parents and it was addressed to me. It was from the poetry people. I ripped it open. Once I got inside, I found a book! It was the poetry book, and mine was the first poem in the book!!!!! I will bring the book in tomorrow. It is really cool. Hope you have a good night!!!!


Love,
Laura D.

This and That

Hello everyone. I am uploading pictures from Thursday as we speak. They take a long time to load since there are so many. The pictures that you guys took of each other are so fun to look at. I hope you will enjoy them as much as I do.

WOW--we worked really hard on our Empty Bowls project today. I am so amazed at the fliers that you and your groups created for the event. I will make sure that we can get them out to FPA and POM families this week. Please remember to share the Empty Bowls schedule sheet with your families so that you can plan ahead for December 13th. Remember to bring back your sheets as soon as possible, so we can get all of our shifts and schedules finalized by the end of the week.

If you didn't turn in your reading calendars for November already, please turn them in tomorrow. You will not lose any points for turning them in tomorrow. I forgot to remind you last week. December reading calendars went home today. If you didn't get one from me at the end of the day, remember to come and see me to get one tomorrow. They are worth 30 points.

Monday and Tuesday reading response groups also need to have their journals ready to turn in to me tomorrow morning when you walk in the door.

Finally, if you have any questions about your book projects and need help, please come and see me before or after school. Your projects are due in a little over two weeks, and I am expecting that they will ALL knock my socks off. I know exactly what kind of critical thinking and analyzing skills you all have, and I can't wait to see which project you chose.

Thanks for all the fun emails and blog comments. I am so happy to be your teacher!

Hello again

I can't wait to see you all tomorrow. I have been having fun reading all the fun comments you have been posting on the blog, and all of the fun holiday emails you sent me over break. I spent all day working on report cards which will go out on Wednesday. I got all your reading response journals graded and passed back, AND I also had time to make a new seating chart. Get ready for new seats tomorrow morning. We will also do some cleaning and organizing. Mrs. Lisa will be coming in on Tuesdays to do some art with us which will be very exciting. Remember, we will be painting our Empty Bowls on Thursday. We need to get final fliers done, talk to Mr. Scott and Mrs. Nikki about calling the newspaper, and asking Mrs. Nikki about how we can purchase the food for our dinner. It is going to be a busy week. I am excited to hear all about your breaks. AND, I have a special surprise for you on Friday because it is a special day.

I will also post pictures tomorrow from our pizzelle making experience with Michelle Johnson. I had so much fun watching you make the cookies. I hope your families enjoyed them with you. When I post the pictures, I will also post Michelle and Olivia's pizzelle recipe for you to try at home if you have the special iron.

Have a great night. See you soon.

Almost there...

One last push until a much deserved holiday vacation. I am so proud of all the hard work you have done this first trimester. See you tomorrow--be excited for our special guest cook:-)

Don't forget to read your Jerry Spinelli books and finish your math.

Decision making homework

Here is your homework assignment to work on with a family member tonight.

1. If you were the thirstiest you have ever been and could choose from any drink in the world, what would you choose and why?

2. If you had an all expenses paid trip to anywhere in the world and could leave tomorrow where would you go and why?

3. If you were told that you were going to be living on the moon for the rest of your life and could never return to earth, what one possession would you bring with you and why (Assume that your family, friends and pets were coming with you)?

4. Would you rather be popular and liked by everyone at school? ( knowing that people like you because you are putting on an act and not showing your true self) or would you rather be yourself, and have one or two close friends? Why?

After you asked your family these questions and they answered, show them the factors that can influence the decisions we make. Next to each response your parents gave, have them indicate which factor influenced the decision they made.

Decision Making Factors:

--habit
--faith (spiritual beliefs)
--esteem(how you think of yourself)
--peers (others who are your age)
--family (close and extended)
--media (TV, print, movies)
--values (what you believe is important)
--emotion (how you feel)

This activity is worth 10 points and is due tomorrow morning.

This activity is a pre-reading activity for our new read aloud book, STAR GIRL--a book about personal choice, and influence.

An inspiring letter from Jerry...

I shared this letter with the kids last week during our first book club. It was so inspirational to everyone, I had to post it here. I hope you relish the message as much as I do.

Dear Readers,

OK, let's stop right there...

You are a reader, aren't you? Maybe you don't think of that as a big deal. (“Yo—I'm a Reader!”) Well, let me tell you, it is a big deal, at least as far as I'm concerned, because when I was a kid you couldn't use the word “Reader” to describe me.

Except for schoolwork, about the only thing things I read were sports pages and the backs of cereal boxes. I regret that now. I wish I could go back and change it, but I can't. The best I can do is have one of my characters (Maniac Magee) carry a book everywhere he goes. It's the closest I can come to going back in time and doing it right. But it's not too late for you. Be proud, Dear Reader.

Jerry Spinelli

Brrrr it's cold out!

Brrrr it's cold outside. Winter is here. Remember to bring appropriate winter clothes to school. We will be going out each day:-)

Grandparent's Day photos posted

Here is the link to Grandparent's Day photos. If your grandparent's couldn't come, or left before I could take a picture, feel free to send me a picture of you with them and I will add it to our album. :-)

Happy Sunday

Happy Sunday everyone. I am sorry that I didn't get a blog post up sooner. I got sick this weekend and spent most of my time off in bed. Thanks for being patient with me. I am back to normal today. We had a wonderful end of the week with Grandparent's Day, a justice circle and book clubs. It was so much fun to meet members of everyone's extended families. Students could choose from four different stations to do with their families--snowflake magnets, snowflake ornaments, snowman ornaments (that unfortunately wouldn't stay glued!!) and an interview between students and their families. I was able to get some pictures of every student and their family member who was there. I will post these pictures once I get finished with this post. We will also be using these pictures with the interview sheets to turn them into nice gifts for our families.

We had a great justice circle on Friday morning. The time we spend together in our justice circles are my favorite times to spend with the students. For one hour, we sit on the floor in a circle as equals, as friends and as human beings. We suspend judgment, listen to each other intently and speak from our hearts. This week's topic was on personal choice. I read two poems to the students about the power of choice--as human beings we have the ability to make thousands of choices each day--and each choice we make has an impact on ourselves and those around us. Students shared stories of times when they knowingly made a choice they were not proud of. Together we compiled a great list of why we make the choices we do. Students came up with: getting revenge, giving in to peer pressure, for personal enjoyment/gain, because it is just the right thing to do, because we experienced it before, giving in to emotion, automatic response, etc. We talked about each reason and the positive and negative aspects of each. This circle time is always so poignant. Because everyone knows each other so well it has been good for the kids to see other "layers" of each other that we might not ordinarily come to know. I know we all look forward to this time each week.

Our book clubs started on Thursday. All students should have brought home their Jerry Spinelli book. In book clubs, we spent the hour "getting to know" Jerry Spinelli. We learned about where he gets his ideas, why he writes the type of stories that he does, and what messages he has for young readers and writers across America. Ideas for book projects will come home this week, as well as daily activities to complete while reading the book.

I can't believe we only have three days of school this week. I hope that you will all enjoy a happy, peaceful and healthy holiday with your families and friends. This time of year always brings about a little touch of magic and joy. I hope you are able to feel warmth and peace. Enjoy your Sunday night. See you bright and early tomorrow morning.

Life has been hectic this weekend. Look for a "Friday post" coming soon.

New Reading Contracts Posted

Here you go. I finally got around to posting the contracts that all reading groups came up with. There is a contract sheet posted on the news board, and every student also received a typed copy of their individual contract.

EGGS:
By November 25: Read to Chapter 24
By December 2: Read to Chapter 37
By December 4: Finish the book

LOSER:
By November 25: Read to Chapter 16
By December 2: Finish the book
(Everyone agreed to read 20 pages a night)

MANAIC MAGEE:
By November 25: Read to page 50
By November 27: Read to page 90
By December 2: Read to page 124
By December 4: Finish the book

All projects are due December 19.

Natalya's Poem

Natalya shared this poem with me that she wrote. It took my breath away, and I had to share it with you. Thanks Natalya:-)

Tornado in 1888

Rain is falling on the roof,
I hear the thunder boom.
Lightning gives off a flash,
While I catch a glimpse of the solid hail.
The warning sirens blaring,
All the people staring.
Everyone is in shock.

This is a TORNADO.


After the devastation, the townspeople weep,
They shiver and they shake,
While the high winds take a break.
The clouds return to plain black,
From their greenish black hue.
Everyone is still afraid of the tornado,
That one summer night,
In 1888.

A bunch of reminders

Congratulations to Haven! Haven was nominated by her tae kwando instructors to be a part of their leadership team. Normally, students write letters to their instructors nominating themselves. Haven is such a natural leader, she didn't even have to write a letter. Her instructors nominated her! Haven, you will have to keep us posted. We are all so proud of you. Hip Hip Hooray!

Tomorrow is Grandparent's Day. Students should have written down in their planners what time their lunch session is. All grandparents are invited to school from 11-1. I will have a variety of wintery crafts for the students to make with their grandparents, as well as several games to play. I can't wait to meet members of your extended family.

Book Clubs start tomorrow. We will be doing an author study on Jerry Spinelli, and will be doing a writing activity that asks us to write using Jerry Spinelli's writing style. It should be interesting to see what everyone comes up with. Keep your fingers crossed that all of our book club books will be in tomorrow. If not, don't worry...we will adjust the final project due date.

Please remember to return Reindeer Run permission slips ASAP. Even if you are not in running club, you are welcome to run in the three mile race with us on December 6th. All students should have brought home registration forms yesterday. We will have running club tomorrow--unless the temperature is unbearably cold, we will go out for some fresh air, so dress warmly.

Mix It Up! will be happening again on Friday from 2:30-3:15. I know the kids are looking forward to it.

We heard back from Color Me Mine! today. The studio manager is willing to donate 16 bowls, paints and all other supplies necessary to paint bowls for our Empty Bowls fundraiser. We are so excited. Hopefully next week, Color Me Mine will be able to come to our classroom and help us get our bowls ready. Next week, we will be working hard to put final details together. We will keep you posted.

Homework tonight: Please read chapter 18 in WITCH OF BLACKBIRD POND. This may count as your 20 minutes of reading. Have a great night. See you tomorrow!

Short and Sweet

Hello All,

Late post tonight. I just got back from class. Look for a more detailed post tomorrow. Remember to complete your Spanish homework tonight. It is due to Senorita Kim tomorrow. Good night.

A Post from Marselienna

Newspaper has been a blast! We all wrote articles and some of us took pictures or sold adds. Are newspaper term is coming to an end, so tell Mrs. E if you want to be in the December Newspaper, and she will tell my mom, and my mom will decide.
I wrote an article about our Empty Bowls Project. It has some good info. on it! Look forward to getting the newspaper!
~Marselienna

My awesome class!

Dear Students,

Thank you so much for my surprise today. It was one of the best surprises in my entire life! You are so thoughtful. I am so lucky to have you as my students. For those of you who don't know what happened today, let me fill you in.

One of my all time favorite shows is ARE YOU SMARTER THAN A FIFTH GRADER? I watch this show every week, and play along. I ask the kids several of the trivia questions from the show each week. I always joke with the kids that if I were to ever win the million dollars on the show I would take them all out for dinner.

Today I found out that my students wrote a song and hope to prepare an audition tape to help me get on the show. I was presented with an application for FIFTH GRADER, along with a handful of confetti wishing me good luck. So far, I feel like I have already won!! The creativity and support that my kids have means far more to me than one million dollars--but just for them I will write the most awesome application the producers of FIFTH GRADER have ever seen (And by the way, I am STILL picking confetti out of my clothes and hair.)! I even called my mom and my sister in Indiana and even a couple of my best friends to tell them what my amazing students planned for me.

I cannot express to you all in words how much this class means to me. You are all rare gifts. I cannot wait to see what new things we will learn together each day. I hope you have a great night.

Book Clubs start Thursday. Finish math if you worked in my small group today. Tell your families about the experiment we did in class today with levers (what happens to the effort it takes to lift a load, when the effort is moved farther from the fulcrum?). MARK YOUR CALENDARS: CONTEMPORARY FICTION BOOK PROJECTS DUE DECEMBER 19th.

See you all tomorrow.

Love, Mrs. E.

I am only one...

“I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; And because I cannot do everything I will not refuse to do the something that I can do.”~ Helen Keller

We had an incredible justice circle today. We remembered and shared different experiences or people that have made an impact or a difference in our lives. We learned that most often, you don't realize that someone or something has made a difference in your life until several years later. I wanted these kids to understand that whether or not they realize it, everything they do impacts those around them. I heard several stories from the kids today about how people's words make an impact, and how with the support or a friend you can do things you never thought possible. I wanted to share with you the same story I shared with the kids about being impacted. I stayed up late last night trying to come up with the "perfect" story. I called my mom and my sister and for hours we were remembering special times, people and family moments. Around 11:30 last night, I realized that the people right now who are making the most impact on my life are my students. What follows are my letters to each of them, explaining just what a difference they have made in MY life. I also gave each student a copy of his/her own letter. Thank you so much for sharing these wonderful, amazing people with me each and every day. I am so blessed.

Dear Craig,

You have caused me to stop and think about the many pleasures in life. You notice and take delight in the little things. There is always something that brings a smile to your face. Thanks to you, I have learned how important it is to laugh.

Dear Laura,

You have caused me to stop and reflect about the deeper meaning behind things. You have taught me that things in life aren’t always as they may appear. You have taught me that we don’t truly see unless we take time to really stop and look.

Dear Natalya,

You have caused me to stop and realize that with a lot of determination and effort, I can make something truly great. You have taught me how important it is to slow down, not rush and really work on perfecting a task—that if I work too quickly I miss what is really important—the process and the journey, not the final product.

Dear Alexandra,

You have reminded me of the feeling you get when you accomplish a goal. I have watched you work toward overcoming challenges that can sometimes get in the way of our dreams. You have taught me the importance of never giving up. When you reach your dreams and goals, you feel so proud—and what an incredible feeling pride is.

Dear Marselienna,

You have caused me to realize how important it is to “wonder” about things in life. You have shown me how important it is to not just accept what you learn, but to ask about the “whys” and the “hows” behind it. You have reminded me to stay inquisitive and curious.

Dear Sam,

You have reminded me how important it is to play. No matter how busy we get in our lives, we need to remember that sometimes we just need to have fun. You have shown me that a tree branch can be a mighty sword and a snow fort can be my castle.

Dear Haven,

You have reminded me how important it is to imagine. You have taught me how to bring a little bit of magic and mystery into the ordinary. You have shown me that I can travel to outer space, the farthest depths of the ocean and the other end of the earth just by dreaming and creating.


Dear Cole,

You have taught me how important it is to pour your heart into everything. Everything you do is special to you. You treat everyone and everything with the utmost kindness and respect. There is always room inside of you to welcome another friend, and let them get to know you.

Dear Rachel,

You have reminded me that the things that I think are impossible can be possible. You have taught me that when the challenges in front of you seem insurmountable, it’s always possible to overcome anything. With your steadfast and determined attitude, you can literally hold the world in your hands, and anything can happen.

Dear Carly,

You have reminded me how important it is to remain young at heart. You have an incredible maturity, but you also know how important it is to laugh with your friends, make snow angels in the snow, and do flips on the monkey bars. You have reminded me how special it is to grow up, but at the same time to remember that we will always have the free spiritedness of our youth inside of us.

Dear Haley,

You have reminded me how important it is to be loyal to someone. Through thick and thin, you always remain true to your friends and others around you. Even more importantly, you have shown me how important it is to be loyal to yourself—to never compromise your beliefs and values just to fit in. You constantly remind me how special it is to just be “you.”

Dear Jo (my special name for Olivia J., because it is my nickname too),

You have reminded me of how important it is to be kind—not just to the friends and adults you see everyday, but to those people who pass you by on the street—who you may never see again. No matter who you encounter, you make that person feel welcome, appreciated and special. You have reminded me that everybody is important.

Dear Emma,

You have caused me to reflect on how important it is to try new things. You have reminded me how important it is to take a chance and experience something outside of your comfort zone. Everyday you have shown me how much I can learn about myself when I take a risk and do something I never imagined ever doing.



Dear Mady,

You have reminded me of how important it is to be versatile. That means you have an interest in a variety of things. You have an open mind and are willing to be a part of new experiences. You have reminded me that I can have an interest in lots of different things—and that all of my different interests fit together like a puzzle and make me who I am.

Dear Olivia (Hummel),

You have reminded me of how important it is to be happy. You have taught me that a positive attitude can make an ordinary experience seem extraordinary. You have reminded me how good it feels to smile, and laugh. When you are happy, the whole world becomes alive and beautiful.

A surprise

Short post for tonight friends. I am working on something really special for tomorrow's justice circles. I have something really really neat to share with you all in our circle. I can't wait. Have a great night. You are all the coolest, neatest people I have ever met. I just wanted you to know that.

Finish your math homework tonight, if you didn't finish in class:-)

Veteran's Day Essays Posted!

As promised here is a copy of everyone's poignant essays on America's heroes and veterans. I hope you treasure these as much as I do.

A Veteran's Day Anthology

Happy Veteran's Day

Happy Veteran's Day. We had an incredibly special day. Our morning began with a poignant assembly honoring and remembering Veterans. One of the most memorable and touching parts of the ceremony today was listening to the children sing, "The Star Spangled Banner," "America the Beautiful," and "God Bless America." It brought tears to my eyes to hear the innocence and the hope-filled voices of 100 young people. There was just something humbling about being in the presence of so many children who are optimistic, hopeful and trying so hard to make our world a better place. Several of our students shared their powerful essays about heroes and their appreciation for all of our Veterans. We also took part in a small, solemn flag-raising ceremony outside. What a powerful message to send to the community--100 children and teachers joined in a circle around the flagpole. The delicate snowflakes falling added just the right touch. When I look at the pictures from today, I feel so incredibly blessed. This is why I am so proud to be an American.

Colony Project

Hello! The Colony project was so much fun! We made a poster about a colony, and it had a bunch of stuff on our colony. We had a map, a section on climate/geography, a section on history, a section on daily life, a section on important people and landmarks, and I think that's it. It was fun doing it, and I liked the final product, too! I can't wait to see my grade!

~Marselienna

Another week:-)

Happy Monday. Welcome back after a three day weekend. Congratulations to everyone for successful conferences. Mrs. Chang and I really enjoyed speaking with each family about the incredible things that are going on in our room. I hope that you are all proud of yourselves, because you should be! I know that I am! Today we had a wonderful discussion about the history of Veteran's Day and what makes a person a veteran. The kids wrote incredibly touching pieces about veterans as heroes. I will post each story tomorrow (I forgot them at school this afternoon--sorry!). Tomorrow we will also be having our Veteran's Day assembly at 9:15 in the cafeteria. We will be listening to the stories of two local veterans. Each grade has created special artwork or writing to share during the assembly. I will be selecting three-five students to share their veteran's essays. I typed them all up, and put them into a short book. Each adult who attends our assembly will get a copy of YOUR work to read and cherish.

I introduced our new book club books for the next four weeks. Our genre is contemporary fiction. Each book was written by one of my favorite authors, Jerry Spinelli. The books were chosen because they all center around the theme of friendship, and differences. The three book club options are: STARGIRL, LOSER and EGGS. We will be starting our official book club meetings next week on Tuesday.

We will beginning a short unit on Greek and Latin roots. After today's review assessment on roots, we learned that we need to review Greek and Latin roots. I am excited to do some fun, hands on activities that will help reinforce these skills.

Tonight, enjoy a night off from homework (unless you have math from today to finish). You have worked so hard on book projects, packets and social studies reports. Tonight is your night to enjoy!

Come check out our colonies projects that are hanging on the railing outside of our room. I am so impressed with the quality effort that went into each poster. WOW.

Have a great night. Remember, if you ever have anything to blog about send it to my home email: joanna.etshokin@gmail.com and I will post it for you.

Two Stories From Haven

I am excited to share two stories that Haven gave me to post on the blog. One story she wrote last year for school and the other one is a work in progress. Enjoy:-)

I am Lhok

Enter If You Dare!

Student Postings

Hello Friends,

If anyone would like a turn to blog on our website, please email me your thoughts, stories and ideas. I will gladly post them on here for you.

You can email me at joanna.etshokin@gmail.com

Have a great rest of the weekend. I will be looking forward to reading your posts. :-)

Justice Circles

Justice Circle

The Justice Circle is a time where you gather in a circle and you talk about what's been going on. If there is any problems, we try to figure out how fix them. BUT, what ever is said in the circle stays in the circle!! When you have a Justice Circle, you listen to what other people have to say and make sure you respect them and what they are saying. Don't laugh at people when they say something they did wrong.

I think the Justice Circle we had on Thursday was fun and interesting. I liked having people know that whatever they say will be respected and it will stay in the circle. I think having us write down a word that is a value to you and sharing them was great because now people know what is important to keep and do in your life.

--written by Rachel

I'll Be Back Tomorrow

Good Evening Friends,

Tonight's blog post will be short. I did leave school early because of illness. I will be back at school tomorrow. I really missed you all but I needed the time to relax and recover. I hope you will email me, or leave me many comments on the blog about how your day went. All day I was thinking about what you might be doing. I hope you had fun with Mrs. Chang. I know I definitely left you in her good hands.

See you tomorrow. Thanks for your well wishes. :-)

Election Day 2008!

Happy Birthday Cole!
Happy Election Day!

Today is an historic day. We are all a part of a time that will be remembered for a long while. The best part is that we all get to watch history happen. When we wake up tomorrow we will more than likely have either our first African American president, or our first woman vice president since Geraldine Ferraro.

We had a wonderful discussion today about the process of voting, what the ballots look like, how long it takes to vote, etc. The kids were full of questions for me. I even had to look up information on the Internet to find the answers. We talked quite a bit about the Electoral College, and what electoral votes mean. We learned that there are 538 electoral votes (the total comes from the number of US Senators and Representatives, plus three votes from the District of Columbia) and the magic number to win the presidency is 270 votes. Minnesota has a total of 10 electoral votes. We also learned about swing states, and why presidential candidates choose certain states to heavily campaign in. It was also interesting to hear the kids' thoughts on the political advertising that occurs on the radio and television. All on their own, they talked about the commercials being negative and hurtful, and that they hoped people would understand that many things we see candidates doing are taken out of context. In the next 8 years I know that our country is going to be in great hands--the hands of the intelligent, thoughtful students I see everyday in my room.

We had a mock election in our room using sample ballots. It will be interesting to compare these results with the rest of Minnesota. Here are our classroom results:

President:
Obama/Biden: 7 votes
McCain/Palin: 7 votes
no other candidates listed received any votes

US Senate:
Coleman: 10
Franken: 4
no other candidates listed received any votes

US House of Representatives:
Bachman: 9
Tinklenberg: 4
Anderson (Independent Party): 1

On a humorous note, Mr. Scott and I both received "write ins" for the District Judge Seat 43 position from a few students. We both "accept" your write in:-)

Constitutional Amendment: Clean Water, Wildlife, Cultural Heritage and Natural Areas

Yes: 8
No: 6

Before students voted on this issue, they listened to a newspaper article that clearly explained both "yea" and "nay" viewpoints on the issue.


Decision Dollars will be offered tomorrow for those who can tell me who won the presidential, Senate and House race, and whether or not the wildlife amendment passed.

Enjoy this historic night:-)

Social Studies Colonies Project

Today's blog is a reminder for everyone about our social studies project. Your colony research project is due November 10th. We have had four days of class time to work on this project. Today in our planners we listed out each part of the project and when we would work on each one. Our goal is to work on one part each day. Here are the parts:

Colony map (this map should be of your colony after the Revolutionary War. Make sure to only list cities and settlements that were a part of this time period. I have included a link to a helpful website in a previous post)

History of the colony: who founded it, why, what kind of people live there, when was it founded. In this section you may also include any important war battles, leaders, or famous people who lived in your colony.

Climate and geography: include major landforms, rivers, mountain ranges, lakes, ocean, etc.

Economics: Jobs, major crops, trading

Daily Life: What goes on each day in your colony--food, religion, recreation

Our social studies textbook will be your best bet for finding the most information (as we discovered together today). Pages 164-(approx)224 have the information you need. Challenge yourself to find the information in the textbook using the table of contents, index, etc. before going to the computer.

I will give you your tag board for your poster display tomorrow.

Thank you for your hard work today! AND--the book projects that you shared today were absolutely incredible. They all knocked my socks off. I am so proud of you.

Happy Halloween!

Here you go--

Halloween pictures! Have a happy and safe Halloween. And remember--my favorite candy is Heath, but I accept anything you have leftover:-)

A Surprise for Scott

Question for you: Can you find the REAL Scott? If you click on the picture, you can see it in a larger form. I will post this to the photo album after school. I hope this gives everyone a laugh. Nametags, Mountain Dew, red water bottles, polo shirts tucked into khaki pants with belts, warm up gear, and brown day planners--I think we make pretty good Scotts. The kids told me that they tried to smile like Scott too--can you tell? Thanks for being a great sport, Mr. Scott.

Half Day Report

Hey Laura talking here! And i am here to tell you what has been happening in our day so far! It was so funny to see everyone dressed up as Mr.Scott this morning everyone did a great job. Look for the picture we took all of us dressed up coming soon! Everyone is talking all about Halloween tonight i hear a lot of friends going with friends, so have fun! Also i hope everyone that got Mrs.E's gift on our desks this morning which was everyone enjoys it! Question for everyone who do you think booed you? And remember if you still didn't get locker booed you probely will by the end of next week. Now last but not least i have a would you rather: Would you rather have been the only one dessed up for halloween in the whole world, and get all the candy on the whole earth? Or Would you be the only one not dressed up for halloween but get to go anyplace in the world? Think about before you answer! Will i have to go music is starting! And look for more upcoming post made by me!

Laura

Pink Elephants

I am very excited for Halloween tomorrow. We have some fun surprises planned for you. Friends--remember the pink elephants tomorrow.

Today was another great day. We are worked on quizzing each other on the nifty thrifty spelling words, and did some word work with synonyms. We had a great discussion today with the WITCH OF BLACKBIRD POND--finally, our classroom collection of the book came in so everyone could follow along. We talked about the symbolism in the book, particularly how the author used the weather to parallel the inner feelings of the characters.

Best of luck to you tonight as you work on putting the final touches on your book projects and packets. I am so proud of you for all your hard work. I am excited to start our new unit on contemporary fiction soon.

This weekend I will be working on putting together literacy and language arts grades so you can see where you are at. Please remember to sign and return the math grade sheet. Yearbook order forms are also due tomorrow.

Have a wonderful night. It feels weird for me to remind you about pink elephants:-) I hope your families don't think we are being weird. You will have to explain our code words to them.

Capitol Pictures are Posted

We had a wonderful field trip to the capitol. Take a look at the many pictures I took. The kids were awe struck by the sheer size of the building, and all of the important things that happen inside of it. We took a tour of the capitol, and sat in the Senate and House of Rep. chambers. We learned about the Civil War and how Minnesota was affected by it, we wrote letters to home pretending to be members of the Union Army, we learned about women's suffrage and even got a special visit from Senator Kathy Salzman and Representative Julie Bunn. Both congresswomen honored us with an hour of their time for a special question and answer session about life in the government. We even got to take a special picture outside the capitol with the congresswomen by a professional photographer. Tomorrow I will see if two students would like to write about their capitol experiences. I still have some editing to do on the new pictures, like name tagging and writing captions. I hope you enjoy these pictures as much as I do.

P.S. Don't forget that running club is tomorrow at 4:15. All are welcome.

P.P.S. Our Halloween party will start around 2:30 on Friday afternoon. Thank you to the parents who have been planning this for our room. I truly appreciate your help and assistance.

P.P.S.S. No book clubs tomorrow! They will start up again the second week in November. Thank you to Audrey and Michelle for your time. Your leadership, guidance and expertise was more than I ever anticipated. The kids and I truly appreciate all that you gave to our book clubs.

BUSY!

This morning Carly and Haley typed up a beautiful blog post. Unfortunately it didn't save. We will try again tomorrow. Today after school several Footprints teachers have a class in Saint Paul. I should be able to post about our field trip and upload the many pictures I took of us at the capitol. I promise that this is an exceptionally busy week--my postings will go back to being on the web by 7 p.m. Monday. I appreciate everyone's patience and support. I have so many wonderful things to share with you all. Check back soon.

More later...

Hi friends,

I had such a busy night tonight. I will write something for you all tomorrow morning. Right now it is bed time for me:-) Thanks for understanding.

Love, Mrs. E.

Colony Map Website

As promised, here is the website that will let you see detailed maps of the thirteen colonies--you should label as many settlements as you see that appear on your map. When you click on the link, scroll down until you find your colony. (Many students were on a roll this afternoon working on drawing a map of the colony that they chose to research. They decided to bring their map on to continue working on it. Don't worry if your student didn't bring home his/her map. It was not assigned homework.)

Colony Map Website Link--click here

A bunch of reminders

Just as a heads up...

Running club meets tomorrow--4:15 in the gym. Please dress in appropriate outdoor running attire. If you haven't signed up to come, but are still interested you can still join us. The more the merrier.

Tomorrow we will be having our last work time for anything related to your historical fiction book. Whether you choose to work on your packet or your project, make sure you have all necessary materials at school tomorrow.

Because of our field trip on Wednesday, we will be running the mile TOMORROW. Please bring tennis shoes and appropriate outside gear.

Our field trip to the capitol is this coming Wednesday. I will send a note home tomorrow, but all parents who are interested in coming may join us. We are leaving promptly at 9:30 and should be back at school no later than 2:30. Unless you requested a lunch from school, please remember to bring a bag lunch from home.

Remember that the second entry in your music journal is due on Wednesday, and your Spanish video/sheet is due on Thursday.

Whew--I think that's all I have for today. Enjoy your evening. Stop by and check out our display of fabulous pop art paintings. They look amazing.

Better Late Than Never!

Happy SNOWY Sunday to everyone. Last night was so much fun. I had a blast seeing you. Your costumes were all so clever and creative. I posted the pictures I took. I think I got pictures of everyone that I saw. If I missed anyone, I am sorry--but know that I tried my best to get everyone who came. I also posted pictures of students working on their pop art painting activity. These will be on display outside of our classroom. I will post pictures of each student's painting in our photo album. The paintings look amazing! Very Andy Warhol-like:-)



Looking back to Friday, our biggest accomplishment of the day was that we finally finished our persuasive business letters! After weeks of hard work, the final copies looked so professional and adult-like. It will be fun to hear back from Cub and Color Me Mine and get our spaghetti dinner and silent auction planned. I am so PROUD of everyone for working through a very challenging assignment, for giving it your all, and for seeing it through until the very end.

I know that the students were very excited to bring home their dream jars this weekend. I hope that in the process of getting them home, the jars and students weren't too greasy:-) Ask your student about the dream that is inside of the jar they made.

Our first Mix It Up class went really well. I heard nothing but positive feedback from the kids. I appreciate getting to know the students outside of the classroom. I know that the kids in my jump roping class had fun making new friends. It was really neat to see the older students take the younger students "under their wings." We have amazing leaders and role models in our class--I just can't say that enough:-)

We have our field trip to the state capitol on Wednesday. Those of you who expressed interest in joining us will be getting more information Monday. We should have a great time with Mrs. LaRoue's class touring the capitol, learning about the importance of voting, and a little bit about the history of government in our state.

I hope that you all are finding time to complete your book club "stuff" (packets, and projects). Everything is due on Friday--and what a celebration we will have when you turn everything in. This will be another challenging project that will have stretched your brains, and helped you to grow as a learner. Also remember to complete your Spanish in school computer activity for Miss Kim by Thursday.

Things to look forward to this week: book clubs, field trip, Halloween party!

More to come..

Hello all,

I was so busy Friday and Saturday with the Halloween carnival. I will most definitely post a more detailed blog on Sunday. I have pictures of the Halloween carnival and the fun costumes I saw you wearing. Thanks for your understanding and patience.

Love, Mrs. E.

Dream Jars

Today was a fun day. The highlight of the day was making dream jars. This fun activity was our cooking activity for the week. I wanted to show the kids that they can use everyday food items to create art. We created dream jars inspired by two of my favorite books: THE BFG by Roald Dahl and GOSSAMER by Lois Lowry. Both novels center on the importance of childhood dreams and how good they can make us feel. Today we created our own ideal dreams--we formed these dreams from positive memories, wishes, hopes, and things that just make us down right happy. We filled jelly jars with water, vegetable oil, food coloring, glitter, buttons and beads. It was so exciting to see the kids first write about their dreams and then bring them to life inside of their jars.

Today was also the first day of running club. If any of you are still interested, you can still sign up--no matter what kind of a runner you are. The important thing is that we are doing something healthy for our bodies while having a good time. The next running club is on Tuesday at 4:15.

Tomorrow we have our first Mix It Up class. I will be so excited to hear what you think of this new activity. Come ready to make new friends, learn new things and have lots of fun.

I am so proud of how hard everyone is working on their book projects and packets. You are all becoming stronger readers as a result.

I am hoping to get some of you (students) to do some posting for me. It would be fun to hear about our school days through your eyes. Be thinking about whether you would be interested in writing on our website.

Reminder: Please return conference forms to school ASAP. If your time doesn't work, please let me know. I would be happy to work around your schedule. A reminder that on conference day (November 7) there will be no school all day.

Have a great night. Thanks for a wonderful day.

PS. What lesson did you learn about taking your teacher's keys? :-) HAHA.

More later. Happy Birthday Rachel!

Hi friends,

I have a busy night tonight. I will post about our day in more detail, but it won't be until after 9 tonight. I did wanted to make sure I posted a "happy birthday" to Rachel. Check back later on, or tomorrow morning when you wake up. I hope we can play, "Do you love me honey?" tomorrow:-) That was so much fun.

Would you rather...

Last night I asked you about dogs and cats. Tonight I am asking you about the body.
Would you rather have a third arm or a third leg? Why?

PS. Today's morning meeting was my favorite. I loved our game, and asking each other Would you rathers:-)

Happy Wednesday

Hello and Happy Wednesday. Families, in today's Wednesday folder please look for your student's conference time. If you are unable to attend conferences at your time, please indicate on the form what time would be convenient for you. All forms need to be returned to school ASAP.

We got quite a bit of work done today--many of us typed and finished our final copies of our persuasive letters. We also worked most of the afternoon on anything related to our historical fiction book--catching up on reading, answering questions in the packet or working with our groups on final book projects. I must say, I am very anxious and excited to see your final projects. We have so many creative people in our room. It was fun for me to notice your dioramas, puppet shows, plays and models take shape.

Most of us took a pretest in math today on fractions. Some of us just spent time catching up on last week's work and getting started on this week's lessons.

Tomorrow, look forward to a cooking project (something you make with food but don't necessarily eat), a fun birthday treat from Rachel, painting our self portraits, finishing and sending out our business letters, Spanish, book clubs, and our colonies project.

This is a heartfelt section to my 15 wonderful students: I have been noticing several comments on our blog that are disrespectful. I am sorry that this is happening, even after our thought-provoking conversation on respect that we had yesterday. Here's what I want you to always remember: In a few short weeks, you all have become like my family away from home. I care about each and every one of you. If you are unhappy with someone or something in our room, please come and talk to me or some other adult. I think it will only make you feel worse if you try and hold a problem inside. My email address is jetshokin@footprintsacademy.com
I would love it if you would write to me if something is upsetting you.

On a lighter note...I am almost finished making my Halloween costume. Another clue for you:

Last week I told you my costume came from a kind of game.
This week, I will reveal that the game is a board game (and no, I am not the Monopoly man:-)).
I can't wait to see everyone's costume on Saturday at the carnival. Have a great night. Thank you for being such an amazing group of individuals.

See the calendar for homework.

To make you think...

Just for my 15 favorite students:

Here is a Would you rather question straight from my book:

Would you rather live your life as a dog or as a cat? Why?

R-E-S-P-E-C-T, I know what I means to me...

Hello!

Thanks for such a great day today. I feel like we got so much accomplished together. I am happy to hear that book clubs went well and that so many of you felt better after having time to work on your packets together. It sounds like you learned many wonderful reading strategies and note taking skills from your group leaders.

Remember that tomorrow we will be working on book projects/packets during literacy time. Make sure you have the supplies that you need to work on with you at school.

I am so proud of you all today during our conversation on respect. Thank you for understanding why we needed to have this talk. I can't emphasize it enough about the amazing role models and leaders that you are for the rest of our school. I know that you will continue to show a positive attitude, even when we are doing an activity that is not your favorite thing. AND--as students, you always have the right to question why we are doing a specific activity. If I can't provide an answer, then we shouldn't be doing it. Remember the great advice that your classmates shared, about what to do when things get tough. I also hope we can remember to stay positive on our website. It's okay to express that you dislike something but please do it in a respectful way--better yet, give me a reason why. It's not okay to say you hate everything! If you have a concern that you need to share please, PLEASE email me, write me a note or come talk to me. I am always on your side. My job is to be there to support you. I hope you ALL know that.

I think our social studies project will be a lot of fun. I am excited to see which colony you chosse to make your poster on to convince new colonists to settle there. So far the maps of the 13 colonies that you were working on today look incredible!

Homework tonight: Work on book club reading/packets/projects

See you tomorrow, friends:-)

Running Club

Get the word out...

Running Club will NOT meet tomorrow due to the FPA staff meeting. The first meeting will be on Thursday, October 24. Meet in the gym ready to run at 4:15. Dress appropriately for running outside. Can't wait to see you all there.

Welcome Back!

SMILE!!!!!!

Hello and welcome back from what I hope was a relaxing MEA break. It sounds like you all had wonderful adventures, travels and time to enjoy the fall weather with friends and family.

My favorite part of our day was the great discussion we had on stereotypes. We talked about where stereotypes come from (false assumptions), and what can cause a false assumption. We discovered that assumptions come from many aspects of a person's life including his/her physical characteristics, family history, job choice, cultural background, religious beliefs, how he/she talks, political views, etc. We were really able to connect with Kit in THE WITCH OF BLACKBIRD POND. How cool that a novel that takes place in the late 1600's has a message that is still relevant to us today.

We shared the stereotypes and assumptions that we found in the media. It was fun to watch everyone react to them, and to recognize what wasn't true. I was happy to hear that everyone was concerned with how to break down the stereotypes and how to promote positive images of humanity to others. I truly believe that the very best and brightest young adults are in our classroom.

We worked hard today on a new social studies project that will be done primarily in class. We used the textbooks to learn about the formation of the 13 colonies. Each student will be in charge of choosing a colony and creating a persuasive poster/travel brochure to convince travelers to visit there. By the time we are finished with this project, we will be experts on the 13 Colonies, and colonial life before and after the Revolutionary War.

Remember that book projects, and packets are due October 31 (Johnny Tremain--we talked about when your stuff is due). You will have time in class this Wednesday and next Tuesday to work on projects, packets or catch up on your book club reading. However you choose to use the hour and 15 minutes of work time (on Wednesday and then again on Tuesday) is up to you. Remember to have whatever materials you need with you at school.

Tomorrow in book clubs we will have time for students to work together on their comprehension packets. I hope that this will help to ease some of your anxieties. Your group leaders will help you make sure you are answering the questions completely, and you will have the rest of your group as support. Remember, from here on out you will not have any additional homework (unless you don't finish your math in class). Your primary job will be to focus on finishing your book project and book packet. If you need help from me, don't wait until the last second. I am always available before and after school for one on one help. I don't want you to feel stressed.

Homework for tonight: Work on book club "stuff" (packet, reading and project), remember to have your book packet at school tomorrow so you can work on it during book clubs.

FIELD TRIP permission forms went home today for our trip to the state capitol on October 29. Signed slips are due to me by Friday, October 24.

New Photos!

Hello Friends. I hope you all had a relaxing four days off. I know that I certainly did. Just to let you know, I have posted some new photos in the album. They are of our morning meeting silent ball game, sharing our pop up stories with Mrs. Missy's class, and music class--a little bit of everything. I am looking forward to hearing about all of your adventures and travels. It was fun for me to read your comments this weekend. Enjoy the photos. See you tomorrow.