A Lesson in Caring because of a Christmas Box

Today was a day of much learning.  The most valuable lessons were not learned in my classroom but rather in the halls of our school.  For several weeks our student council has collected toys, clothes, crafts, soap, tooth brushes, combs and many other supplies.  You were generous in your donations to Operation Christmas Child.  I know that you participated so that  a child in another country would have a Christmas gift. What I want you to know is how your little one was blessed today.

Our high school kids did an amazing job of organizing and leading today.  All students, K-12, were organizing in to groups and moved through 3 stations, making cards, packing Christmas boxes and prayer groups.  The older kids lead and helped the younger ones as they together they chose gifts for a child. They wrote letters and made cards for the child.  Once the boxes were packed they sat down together and prayed for the child who would receive that gift.  They prayed for both the physical and spiritual needs of the  child who would get that box.  These are the blessings of a K-12  Christian school.  These powerful life changing lessons!  

And the King will answer them, 'Truly I say to you, as you did it to the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.'  Matthew 25:40

A Look Back at the First Days of First Grade

The first days of the school year are behind us.  Gone are those timid little ones with the wide eyes who wondered what first grade would be like, or if they'd find a friend or where should they sit.  We used those first days to make friends, learn procedure, engage in cooperative activities and understand the first grade way.  Take a peek into those early days.

This is the classroom as I walked through it one final time the afternoon before school started.  I too, was excited for the first day of school.  I used those last quiet moments to pray for each of the precious little ones that would walk through that door in the morning. The quiet and the order would be short lived but the time spend committing our year to the Lord will bring blessing all year long.




Many of the beginning of the year activities were designed to build friendships and to learn to share and work together.

All smiles

Accomplishment1

Working on a hard one

Look what cooperation can do!

Having fun

Pretty




We had to learn to be responsible for our own desk and supplies and even how to how to take a test!







The school year has been especially warm and sunny.  It has been beautiful weather for using our new playground equipment. But who would have thought we would have needed to use the misting tent on the first day of Fall!

A Trip to the Vet

Last week we went on our first field trip of the year.  We have just completed a reading unit on Animals Tame and Wild.  We have read about and discussed pets, service animals and the job of a veterinarian.  A local veterinarian and school parent, invited us to visit her office to continue our learning.

When we arrived we changed into our scrubs so that we could begin our training as vet for a day.

We met the office staff, technicians and other the other doctor.  We learned about scheduling appointments, checking in and how pets are weighed with the help of a patient and registered therapy dog named Rudy.  We learned how good veterinary care keeps Rudy healthy and able to do his jobs of visiting nursing homes and reading with children. 

We met Officer Eli, who is a German Shepherd, Belgian Malinois mix.  He a police officer who knows how to find missing persons and can sniff out drugs and track down 'bad guys".  Officer Eli and his partner helped us learn how to ask permission before approaching a dog and then how safely meet a dog.

Hammy the  basset hound was the patient as we learned how to listen to heart and lungs.  We each got a chance to hear Hammy's heart.  We also saw an x-ray of Hammy's stomach after he had swallowed rocks!

Clifford helped us understand how pets are cared for when they need surgery.

We met a giant Nemo in the x-ray room, looked at a spider in a microscope, saw the isolation room and learned so much more. 

We had a wonderful day.  Perhaps one of these little ones will be a vet someday!

A Trip to the Library via Memory Lane

I love libraries!
I grew up in a neighboring community and when I was a small child the library was behind and under Dairy Queen.  I feel certain if it were still there today I would be unimpressed.  It was small and dark, but I remember it so fondly. It was a great place with so many books just waiting for me to take them out to read in a tent in my backyard or under the covers at night. In order to get a library card, I needed to be able to write my own name. I can still remember practicing to get my name small enough to sit on that little line so that I could get my first library card.

Today that library is a beautiful, large, and modern library like so many others in our neighborhoods. We all have access to many services and programs at our local libraries.  Using a library is easier than ever before.  You can reserve and renew your books online.  Are you taking advantage of all your local library has to offer?

Your local library is a great resource. Think about taking out books on a subject that your child is studying at school or more books by an author your child is enjoying.  Stock up on new titles to read together at bedtime.  Does your child know that feeling of responsibility and joy of having their own library card?  (Yes, you still must sign as the responsible adult).  Do you remember your first library card? For me it is a sweet memory of accomplishment. Consider allowing your little one to get a library card the next time you visit.  Make time in your busy schedule to visit the library.  When you take your children to the library they learn that you think reading is important.

We are blessed with a great library here at school.  We have a great librarian who carefully chooses great books to read to our class every Thursday.  After story time, there are interesting centers to visit.  The children have opportunities to participate in puppet shows, readers theater and even work on making books.  Children may borrow a new book each week as long as they remember to return their book from last week. Enjoy a peek at our class enjoying some time in our school library.

Celebrating Roald Dahl's 100th Birthday and the Love of a Good Story

This week we joined the celebration of author Roald Dahl's 100th birthday.  Our K-8 classes joined together for a celebratory assembly.  

Some teachers shared favorite Roald Dahl books.  Some told about his love of a good story and shared quotes. Others shared about about his life as a WWII pilot. All students who had read or listened to a Roald Dahl book were entered to win a special prize!  Seven winners who had a golden ticket won a bag of Roald Dahl book and a bar of his favorite candy.

One of our classmates had a golden ticket!

                          Congratulations!

The fun continued as we made Chocolate Gak in keeping with a Willie Wonka theme.  We worked together with our Kindergarten and Second Grade friends.  The room smelled wonderful and we had so much fun.

We read books, sang Happy Birthday, ate cupcakes and a good time was had by all.

We plan these events to share with our children our love of books.  Good readers have readers in their lives. We want to be those adult readers in your child's life.  Do your children know what you are reading?  Do they know that you think that reading is exciting and worth celebrating? Share the joy of a good book with your little one tonight.

The 10th Day of School

He is here!  Zero the Hero has been spotted at our school!

Yesterday was the 10th day of school.  As we were having our Morning Review with our friends in Kindergarten and Second Grade who should appear but that masked mathematical marvel, Zero the Hero, himself! He posed for pictures, taught us the importance of zero and gave us a lesson on place value.  Since zero is his favorite number he shared a sweet treat of gummy zeros with us.  As quickly as he appeared, he was then gone amidst chants of "Zero saves the place! Zero saves the place!" - but not before promising to return on the 100th day of school.  

Some couldn't help noticing the slight resemblance to our headmaster - but no...it couldn't be, or could it?