So.Many.Things.Are.Happening.
Ok. So you know that time when I said I'd update this blog...you know...every other week? Well yeah right. I would VERY much like to do that, and I do hope to get into a better routine with the blog. However, right now there just seem to be so very many things going on in our world!
Did you know it's Reading Month? I sure hope you know-because our Reading Month Team has been doing a whole lot of wonderful work to engage your child in a month of reading activities all centered around our Racing Theme! Students should be reading every night, and returning slips every Friday to show they are reading. There will be a reward given to at least 1 student from every class that returns all 4 reading slips. How exciting! Just for doing someting you should already be doing!
We also have set up our "Book Talk" wall again. Students can read and review books, and every review gets one entry into a raffle to win a Barnes and Noble Gift Card, and a picture on Mr. Peter's Harley Motorcycle! At least 10 more students will be pulled from the same raffle to win a variety of prizes.
Finally, students and their families are encouraged to attend our Family Fun Reading Night on March 26th from 6:00-7:30. We have plenty of fun reading activities, racing themed games and crafts, and treats. Reading really can be a family activity, and can be incorporated into so many different games and activities to engage all types of learners. We hope you'll join us for this fun night at the school!
Ok-beyond Reading Month...did you know we're updating all sorts of art around the school? The tiles that were painted in the late 1990's have been moved to a mural position outside of the library door in what we hope to become the "Art Hall of Fame." We'd like to continue to pay tribute to the rich heritage of our district and it's deep family and community roots, while finding ways to celebrate the students and families that reflect the community of learners currently enrolled in our district. Some art has found it's way into the building, while others are still in the process. A few pieces you can see are the "Welcome" sign above the front doors, the "In This School We:" paint print outside of the main office, and the "Kindergarten Kindness: Heart Hands" poster that was just hung.
The "Welcome" sign has all of the staff and students thumb prints to create the beautiful background of the welcome sign. The "In This School We" sign was created with ideas from the current Pre-K students. They brainstormed ideas for things that we do in this school, and then I took the ideas and made a print based on their words. Just this week, the "Kindergarten Kindness: Heart Hands" print was hung outside of the office. Another print will be created to compliment this using our 3rd grade students hands, and will also be located right across from the office.
Soon, you'll see the K-2 project, which is "The Best Thing About Me Is..." in which students all
brainstormed the best part about them, and explained why. There were many unique, funny, and thoughtful responses that were then synthesized down into one photo of each child to represent their best feature. We like to encourage a positive self image, fostering confidence in each students characteristics and special attributes that make them perfectly, uniquely different and amazing. I am SO excited to see this project when it is complete, and hope to take it one step further with an interactive piece...but that will come a little later this year. I can only do so much at once!
Another project very close to completion is a project the art club helped to create, using 20 different canvases. Each child painted 1 canvas, which will then be placed together, and some lettering added on top to create 1 cohesive piece of artwork. This should be up next week some time, and I'm so excited to see it all come together.
Ok-beyond all that, we're working towards getting our Kindergarten Round Up stuff together, I've been finishing some Professional Development PLC's, and working to create/revamp some science curriculum...and also testing out some new Math Programs. Ok-and now it's 11pm the night before my birthday and OOPS-I never got myself to the kitchen to make my birthday treat. I guess all those yummy frosting goodies will just have to go into my "baking" bin and be used for my own purposes another time. I'll stop in the morning and buy chocolate donut holes and push a few of the golden coins I have in the top....walah! Pot of Gold on the fly! Take that, pinterest....
Goodnight, all!
