Big Blue Can

Finally, I have a big blue recycle can in Chesapeake at my house. It felt like Christmas this morning when I saw them deliver my recycle can. I took out my 3 little blue tubs and dumped them into my big blue can. I then added some cardboard boxes which I have not been able to do before for Tuesday pick-up. Now I can see that we are recycling more than we are sending to the dump. Yeah!

Holidays Around the World

I have had a blast with our holiday destinations around the world. How about you? My favorite has to be Germany because I love gingerbread cookies. But the yule logs of France are a close second. It sure was fun adding Sweden to our passports this year, too. I am glad we made that decision. Besides the food, I must say listening to the music and exploring the symbols of each of the tradions was exciting. Piera's mom joining us for our Hanukkah studies was certainly a treat too. I loved Piera's menorah. What was your favorite part?

December is Here!

Yeah! I'm glad to hear that you all had wonderful Thanksgivings. It sounded like you all enjoyed spending time with family and friends. It was awesome to hear how much you are looking forward to the winter holidays so that you can spend more time with friends and family. Close knit relationships make everything much better. I feel like we are our own little community in room 104. I love spending time with you every day and watching you grow and blossom into super citizens who care about what you do and each other. Remember KINDNESS is the citizenship characteristic I will be looking for this month. Who do you think I should pick?

Readers' Theater Presentation

I made my presentation about readers' theater at the Virginia Beach Reading Conference this weekend and the teachers attending seemed very interested. They liked our video clip of your presentation of the Three Little Pigs. Thank you for your help. I am glad that you are enjoying it also because it is fun working with you to get your expressions and voices right. I am looking forward to watching your progress as you improve as readers and presenters. So what do you like best about readers' theater?

Another Crazy Week

It has been wild and crazy this past week. First being off because of the Nor-eastern two days and then coming back to get H1N1 shots, really threw off our schedule, but we perservered. And what did you think about doing Readers' Theater? I loved the 4 different presentations of Goldilocks. It is going to be so much fun watching you all grow as readers and presenters that I am having a difficult time turning my brain off tonight. I have lots of cool ideas bouncing around in my head for things we can do with readers' theater this year. Thank you for being the amazing group that you are and being willing to try new things with me.

What a Week!

Pumpkin Exploration, Crazy Hat and Hair Day, strep throat, flu, elections, and conferences...lots going on. Pumpkin exploration was a blast with all of our volunteers helping us predict, measure, and explore. Crazy hat and hair day was amazing with so many students participating. I loved it. If you have had the flu or strep throat, you have my sympathy. Please make sure you are healthy and well before you come back. It is no fun to share germs with friends. I hope you had fun voting with Mrs. Smith while I was out recooperating. I know I enjoyed talking with your parents and telling them about your progress. With so much to choose from, how will you decide? What did you like the most about everything during the past week?

Fall Festival

Did you see Mother Nature and a Creeds Indian at Fall Festival? That was me and Mr. Andy. We had a fabulous time at this year's Fall Festival. It was wonderful seeing all of our Creeds friends present, past, and possibly future. We sure have a super PTA for putting on such a fantastic event. What was your favorite activity?

Biographies

We have been studying important 1st grade biographies about people who have made amazing contributions to American history. They were explorers, leaders, patriots, scientists, inventors, and volunteers. They worked to fulfill their dreams for freedom, equality, and a better life. One thing we noticed about these extraordinary people was that they were all DILIGENT in their pursuit of their dreams. We made the text to self connection with our October guidance lessons on diligence. Which diligent historical person do you admire most?

Farm Days Fun

We had lots of fun at the farmers' market on our field trip Friday. We saw water being polluted, bees, a magic show, chickens and ducks, pigs, goats, donkeys, and sheep. We saw a miniature horse named Blue Boy. During lunch, we sat on haybails and watched a magic show. The hay ride and pumpkin patch was lots of fun, too. What was your favorite part of the field trip?

Conservation

We have been working on learning about conservation all week. I would love to hear what you think about it. We discussed reducing, reusing, and recycling. We talked about composting being a form of recycling. What can you do to conserve earth's resources?

Hooray for reading!

Finally, all of the reading assessments are complete and we can get down to the business of reading. It was great to get back to reading groups todays. It is one of my favorite parts of teaching Language Arts because I can see the possibilities and the growing confidence in your faces as you read. What do you like about reading and what kind of stories do you like to read? Let me know and we will make it happen so that you can enjoy reading as much as I do.

What is a Scientist?

We are learning about what scientist do this week. We had a great time during our apple exploration. We observed, sorted, graphed, measured, and tasted. Those are some of our favorite things to do as scientists. We were surprised that a green apple was our favorite flavor for our apple tasting. Yummy! What do think about being a scientist?

Officially Fall

Yes, fall is officially here. Today was a wonderful 1st full day of fall. The weather was warm enough it didn't feel like fall, but with all the fall stories we have read this week I just want to jump in a giant pile of colorful leaves. We will be learning more about fall this week with activities, holidays, and animal behaviors. I'm really excited. What do you think of fall?

Wonderful Week 2

You all looked adorable for pictures today. Did you tell mom and dad how you learned to add details to your writing and your illustrations? I am still in shock over how wonderful your journal entries were about the things you liked. It just goes to show that "nobody knows you better than yourself." We are going to have so much fun writing together this year and sharing our stories. We will blow Mr. Davenport's socks off with our brilliance. What is one thing that you would like to write about this year?

First Week

We have had an awesome first week of school. We learned some rules and procedures, discovered things about each other, and had fun playing games and sharing stories. The hardest part for some students was getting through the day. A whole day of school is very different from a half day of Kindergarden. My prediction for this group is that we are going to have an amazing year learning and sharing with each other as we prepare for 2nd grade and the future. My favorite part of this week was interacting with the students. What was your favorite part of the first week of school?

Summer's End

I am thrilled to have found that so many of you commented in the last couple weeks. It sounds like we have had a lot of fun this summer and that we have a lot in common. I am thrilled to have met all of you at Open House Night. I believe we are going to have an awesome year this year. I hope to have all of you blogging with me by the end of the year. I love hearing about what you are doing.

My final share for the summer is my most memorable part of this summer: my daughter's wedding. Saturday, August 29th, Heather married Carl Federoff at a beautiful beach ceremony in East Ocean View. It was an amazing day for all of us and the beginning of a wonderful new chapter in our lives. They are blessed to have found each other.

What was your most memorable part of the summer?

More Travel

I hope you are all looking forward to school beginning next month and enjoying your summer, too. I have been off on adventures of my own. I flew to the west coast for an exciting weekend get-away. I visited the castle that was in the Bedtime Stories movie located in Napa Valley and I walk out over the Golden Gate Bridge. I was an awesome experience that I shared with my wonderful husband. The weather was much cooler than here and amount of fog was amazing. The flight was spectacular because we were way above the clouds making it look like a winter wonderland covered in snow. I hope you will share your adventures with me. I would love to hear about them.

Day at the Beach

I just have to ask...Have you been to the beach this summer? I went to the north end of the beach Friday. It was a wonderful afternoon. The sun was bright and hot with very few clouds in the sky. There was a cool breeze that helped to keep me comfortable. The amazing thing was that there were dolphins not far from shore. They looked like guards the way they swam back and forth just beyond the people in the water. But even more amazing than that was that I saw them jump entirely out of the water twice. I had only seen that in pictures before Friday. It was awesome and inspiring. Have any of you seen the dolphins jump out of the water at Virginia Beach? Have you seen anything unusual this summer?

Keeping Busy

I am glad to have heard from some of you. I sure am curious about what the rest of you are doing. I know Sarah is swimming and looking forward to 1st grade. How about the rest of you? I just spent a week getting ready for a yard sale at my house which fortunately wasn't rained out. I found new homes for some of my stuff (reusing) so that it didn't have to go to the dump. In addition, I made a little money to spend on my trip to California and my daughter's wedding at the end of the month. Saving the world can be beneficial for all of us. Have you done any reducing, reusing, or recycling this summer? I would love to hear about it. I have big plans for all of us this year so that we can each do our part to conserve our natural resources.

Picking Pungo Blueberry

Las Vegas was fun with all of its shops and shows, but you can have fun in Pungo, too. I went to Pungo Blueberries today to pick blueberries and blackberries at the peak of freshness. They are so tasty and this winter when I pull them out of my freezer and savor their flavor, I will be reminded of this warm, sunny summer day when I picked them. I think I will have to go get more soon so I have enough to last me all winter. Will anyone else be picking berries this summer? It is just down the road on Muddy Creek Road. They are opened 7 am to 7 pm Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday.

Having Fun?

I hope you all are having a fun summer. Respond and let us know. My family went to Ohio/Pennsyvania to visit with family. It is nice to see them and just catch up on what is going on with everyone. Then my husband, Rich, and I went to Las Vegas for a few days. It is a great place to see a show and people watch. It made me "wonder" about them and "visualize" stories in my head. During our travels, I had a chance to read 3 exciting novels. It is such fun to take mini-adventures while reading. Have you all been taking adventures through books or family fun? I know Kateland is hatching chicks and babysitting Shannon's maple tree for her while she is on vacation. What are the rest of you doing? Let us hear from you.

Planting a Dogwood at Creeds ES

I want to thank my friends who came to help plant the dogwood at Creeds ES with me today. It was hot, but we got the job done. We planted it in front of the second grade windows for everbody to see. I hope it likes its new home. Speaking of trees, how are your maple seedlings doing? Have you measured them yet?

Dogwood Planting

I hope you are all enjoying yourselves. It was nice to hear from Liam and Judy today. I have been in 4 classes already in the last 2 days. They were interesting classes, but they make me miss you more. If you are available Thursday, June 25th, we will be transplanting a dogwood from my yard at Creeds ES at about 1 o'clock. I would love to see you there as we give this little dogwood a new home and begin documenting its growth. Can you lists all the reasons why trees are important to us?

Hooray for Summer

I packed everything away today. The room looks so different without you in it and with everything covered up, but it will be clean and fresh come September. So what did you do today? What are you looking forward to most this summer? I can't wait to hear.

Maple Tree Growth

So that you can stay in tip-top shape for your 2nd grade challenge, let's practice being scientists this summer. Carefully measure how tall your baby maple tree is from the soil to the top of the plant once a week and post your measurements so I can make a chart of the growth. As a plant scientist, like George Washington Carver, you need to provide the plant with water, air, and sunlight. Check its space and soil, too. Talk (communicate) with other people about your experiment observations and compare your results with the results of others on the blog. This will be so much fun. I am looking forward to hearing from you.

Field Day

What a wonderful day! The weather was comfortable. The activities were exciting. It was awesome being outside and seeing everyone having fun. It was a treat to have Mr. Andy at Creeds on a Tuesday and to have Ms. Wilkerson visit, too. It was simply a SUPER day! Make sure you give the PTA and the PE staff a huge thank you when you see them.

What was your favorite activity during field day?

Afternoon with Dad

That was a blast! It sure was fun taking the afternoon off of classwork to play with your dads. It was wonderful that they could all attent. Remember to thank them and always show them just how much you appreciate them, even when it isn't Father's Day. My favorite part was talking to your fathers, but I bet you enjoyed the games more. Which activity was your favorite? Which one did Day like most? Remember to be nice to Dad on Father's Day, June 21st.

End of the Year

The end of the year is closing in on us. I think you are ready for 2nd grade so I am not worried. But let's make sure we finish 1st grade in style and don't miss anything. Here's what you have to look forward to in the final days:

1. Thursday, June 11, Handel's Ice Cream Fundraiser 5-8 pm
2. Friday, June 12, Hawaiian Day/Surf's Up Spirit Day
3. Friday, June 12 @ 1:30 "Afternoon with Dad"
4. Tuesday, June 16, Field Day Fun 9-12
5. Wednesday, June 17, Class End-of-the-Year Celebration
6. Wednesday & Thursday (June 17 & 18) Early Release @ 12:30
7. Thursday, June 18, Last Day of School (Early Release @ 12:30)
8. Friday, June 19, First Day of SUMMER! Have fun!

It all looks exciting to me. What do you think? What are you looking forward to most?

Welcome

Welcome to our new blog page. I am hoping that this one will be easier to navigate so that we will have more students participating.