Holiday Traditions

With each season comes new traditions at our school. Each year we put up a Christmas tree in the lobby and all the kids have an ornament with his/her picture on it.

We also are treated to Cookies with Auntie Claus where students listen to a story read by our own "Auntie Claus" and then get to have cookies and milk. Our media center become transformed into a beautiful cozy setting and makes everyone feel right at home.










We also have traditions in our classroom. Each year we hold our own book exchange in the class. Each kid is asked to donate one book under $5.00. (For those that can't afford it I always have some extra wrapped books so that everyone gets one). It can be a holiday book or any other book. The book is wrapped and students are allowed to write who the book is from if they choose. During our class party, we gather in a circle. Each child is given the opportunity to choose a book out of the pile (we pull class numbers out of a box). Once everyone has a book we get to shred them open and see what great new book everyone recieved. This has always been a favorite with the kids and parents.









Another tradition we have is to collect for a charity. This year we collected for BEAM which is a local organization that provides food, clothing, and personal items for families in our area. Even after our school food drive was complete our class still collected about 25 more cans of food. This year our class alone was able to donate over 100 cans to local food organizations. What better way to teach children about giving to others.


I feel lucky that we are able to share so many traditions with our students. I know that these will become lifelong learning experiences and memories for them. Isn't that what teaching is all about!

Science Workshop Song

Academy of Science

Yesterday I was fortunate to share a demonstration lesson for a group of teachers in our county for Academy of Science. It is exciting being on the instruction end of this new learning as teachers think about the depth of science in their classroom and how to incorporate the 5 E's into their teaching.



After the video conference I was able to spend the afternoon with them discussing not only the lesson but instruction in the primary grades. This is a great group of teachers who are motivated, risk takers, and eager to learn. This year we will have two more AoS days. I can't wait to see the progress they are making in their classrooms.

A Time for Giving

As teachers we teach our students to be academically ready for the world but we also try to make sure we help them to become considerate, helpful, caring individuals. This time of year is a great time to help our students learn about giving to others. BJ's who is one of our business partners this year is helping us do this with our canned food drive. Each year Chets Creeks has a Giving Tree. Students are encouraged to bring in cans of food, toys, clothes, or whatever they feel would help other families in need. One thing our school does is that we support needy families from our school community first. We make baskets for those families during the holidays so that everyone will have plenty of food. This year, BJ's has offered our school $1,000 for 1,000 cans of food donated. Though that may seem like a lot, I know that not only will we meet our goal but will exceed the standard! I can't wait to hear how many cans of food will be donated to help our community families!

The Top Blogger!

Today we had our awards ceremony for our first graders. One of our goals this year is for our students (and parents) to be more involved in our class blog. We encourage them to read it with their parents. We entice them with simple rewards when they have posted a comment. For some children, they are excited by what they find on our blog. They can't wait to see pictures or see what our Extra Expedition is. This is especially true for one of our little girls - Faith. Today Faith received the Top Blogger award for posting more comments than any one else in the class. Faith gets on the blog a couple times a week (I am told by her mother she logs in herself) and writes her own comments. She is proud of herself and learning how to type on the computer. She loves to share her thoughts. She is seeing how we can bring part of the classroom to our homes for our families. But more important, Faith (at 6 years old) is learning about the technology that is part of our every day lives. She is a "top blogger".

Time..Time...Time

Time...do we ever feel like we have enough of it? As a wife, mom to two BUSY teenagers, and a teacher who loves her job, there is never enough. Especially when there is so much out there I want to do and learn. This year I have stretched myself to continue learning how I can use technology in the classroom. One thing I have learned it that learning about technology takes time. It amazes me when I look at the clock and realize that two hours has passed. Tonight was just another one of those days. I found this great site from Jenuine Tech. This site is dedicated to helping teachers learn how to use technology in their classroom. If you go under the newsletter section, she has an area where she highlights different blogs and websites from teachers once a month. There were so many great sites and so many ideas. If you can, take the time to read and search all there is to offer. I hope you will find new ideas as well. Just remember you'll need a little, okay - a lot, of time!