Oh this day has been so crazy!!!
This morning we still had to set the place settings on all the tables for the noon meal. My class set out cups, plates, and forks. We couldn't find napkins, but once the cooks arrived we took care of setting those out. Then we moved the piano out and tried to plug it in. Unfortunately, the cord/piano are broken and it wouldn't turn on. So on to plan B... we had to move Mr. E's heavy piano from his room to the gym. Then there was no screen set up for the science museum presenter, and they needed one, so Mr. D and I were trying to figure out if the IT guys just hadn't come, or if they were coming later. It turns out the science museum just brought their own screen. Whew! This stuff doesn't seem like a lot when I type it, but in the moment it felt like there was a million things happening!
To top it off, I had two grandparents show up at school thinking it was VIP day and they were supposed to hang out in our classrooms until chapel. Oops. Not today. Chapel was at 10:45. I offered to let them stay, but they declined. And they never came back at 10:45. Bummer.
More stress got added to the day when I found out a 5th grader and a 7th grader were sick today and wouldn't be playing bells with us at the Lenten service. The song we're doing this time includes the 5th graders playing tone chimes, so we have no substitutes. At least we knew about them ahead of time so we could adjust the bell parts. No one else can get sick between now and then!!! We're spread as thin as we can go! Practice at church went okay. I think we'll sound all right.
Uncle Robert was our guest pastor for chapel. He had to do some rearranging of his schedule so he could make it to us on time (his church has a morning Lenten service). But the timing was good and everyone enjoyed his message. He stayed for lunch too, so I actually had someone to sit by for once! Then came the science museum speaker. He talked about solids, liquids, and gases and showed us stuff with liquid nitrogen and dry ice. I'm sure my students will be begging to get dry ice now... We actually saw that same presentation a few years ago at another school, but the demonstrations were cool enough that if anyone remembered them, they probably didn't mind seeing them again.
After the speaker, my class took down the tables/chairs and put them in their rightful places. We went to church to set up for bells, came back for five minutes of recess, did the all-school Fine Arts Fair dress rehearsal, and had ten more minutes of recess before packing up to go home. Now it's the waiting game until the Lenten supper starts.
Tomorrow is Duct Tape/Fake Injury Day. I'm not sure what I should wear. I want to wear my orange Under Armour sweatshirt, so maybe I'll slap some duct tape on it somewhere. Or I could put band-aids all over... hmm... I'll have to think on that.
Wednesday, March 9, 2016
Tuesday, March 8, 2016
Feed the Teacher
I didn't forget my sack lunch today! I survived on a pb/j sandwich, string cheese, and carrots/celery. The field trip was fun! And educational.
The first session I went to was about writing scary stories... not something I'm too fond of, but a lot of my kiddos were going there, so I went too. The speaker was not that great at public speaking. He did tell some good stories (creepy and suspenseful, but not too scary for me). The second session was better. I went to an observational drawing class. The speaker had us practice drawing lines of varying shades. Then we had to draw our hand without looking at the paper... kind of use our eye as the pencil. The best way was to keep our pencil moving the same speed so the proportions would be even. After that, he had us put a hand behind our back and he put an object in it. We had to draw it without looking, just based on touch. That one was super fun! I got a lot of art ideas from that session. Then it was lunch in the gym. They gave us time to look at the book sale/get author autographs. I hadn't planned on buying any books but... I found one on my to-buy list (a collection of fairy tales from the antagonist's point of view) and one by the main speaker (to add a "Minnesota author" book to our library... it's about Paul Bunyan). Then two of the 5th graders came with me to get it autographed. Hopefully someone in my class reads it!
The last session was "Design-a-Saurus" taught by Scott Rolfs. He's illustrated cereal boxes, coloring books, etc. and he's very good at drawing. He gave us a tutorial and then let us draw pretty much the rest of the session. I drew some pretty neat looking dinosaurs! One of the mom chaperones had the brilliant idea to have a dinosaur drawing contest at school and have everyone vote on their favorites at the spring carnival. We have a PTL meeting tonight, so she's going to bring it up there.
We got back to school in time to make Easter greeting cards for church. Then my kids were so wound up we went out for recess. After school we set up tables/chairs for the NLSW dinner tomorrow. Miss N brought real tablecloths from home, courtesy of her mom. They were huge! So we had to fold them in half so they didn't drag on the floor.
Now it's waiting for the PTL meeting to start. I got a text from a parent in charge of cleaning the gym. They were supposed to do it over the weekend to make the gym spiffy for our dinner tomorrow, but the parent said they're coming tonight to do it and is there a list of things to clean? Well... it's going to be hard to clean with all the tables set up.
As I was sitting at my desk, working on stuff, one of the 6th graders came in. He'd stayed after to help set up and his deal with Mr. E is that Mr. E cooks him supper when he helps after school... bacon cheeseburgers. Well, this kid asked if I liked bacon cheeseburgers and if I'd ever had one before. And then he handed me one! Mr. E made him three and he only ate two. And he said he always gets them, so he'd share with me since I don't get them ever. A few minutes later he handed me some bacon leftover from his thank-you supper. The extra funny thing is that this same kid was also sharing his Girl Scout cookies with me on the ride to and from the field trip!
The first session I went to was about writing scary stories... not something I'm too fond of, but a lot of my kiddos were going there, so I went too. The speaker was not that great at public speaking. He did tell some good stories (creepy and suspenseful, but not too scary for me). The second session was better. I went to an observational drawing class. The speaker had us practice drawing lines of varying shades. Then we had to draw our hand without looking at the paper... kind of use our eye as the pencil. The best way was to keep our pencil moving the same speed so the proportions would be even. After that, he had us put a hand behind our back and he put an object in it. We had to draw it without looking, just based on touch. That one was super fun! I got a lot of art ideas from that session. Then it was lunch in the gym. They gave us time to look at the book sale/get author autographs. I hadn't planned on buying any books but... I found one on my to-buy list (a collection of fairy tales from the antagonist's point of view) and one by the main speaker (to add a "Minnesota author" book to our library... it's about Paul Bunyan). Then two of the 5th graders came with me to get it autographed. Hopefully someone in my class reads it!
The last session was "Design-a-Saurus" taught by Scott Rolfs. He's illustrated cereal boxes, coloring books, etc. and he's very good at drawing. He gave us a tutorial and then let us draw pretty much the rest of the session. I drew some pretty neat looking dinosaurs! One of the mom chaperones had the brilliant idea to have a dinosaur drawing contest at school and have everyone vote on their favorites at the spring carnival. We have a PTL meeting tonight, so she's going to bring it up there.
We got back to school in time to make Easter greeting cards for church. Then my kids were so wound up we went out for recess. After school we set up tables/chairs for the NLSW dinner tomorrow. Miss N brought real tablecloths from home, courtesy of her mom. They were huge! So we had to fold them in half so they didn't drag on the floor.
Now it's waiting for the PTL meeting to start. I got a text from a parent in charge of cleaning the gym. They were supposed to do it over the weekend to make the gym spiffy for our dinner tomorrow, but the parent said they're coming tonight to do it and is there a list of things to clean? Well... it's going to be hard to clean with all the tables set up.
As I was sitting at my desk, working on stuff, one of the 6th graders came in. He'd stayed after to help set up and his deal with Mr. E is that Mr. E cooks him supper when he helps after school... bacon cheeseburgers. Well, this kid asked if I liked bacon cheeseburgers and if I'd ever had one before. And then he handed me one! Mr. E made him three and he only ate two. And he said he always gets them, so he'd share with me since I don't get them ever. A few minutes later he handed me some bacon leftover from his thank-you supper. The extra funny thing is that this same kid was also sharing his Girl Scout cookies with me on the ride to and from the field trip!
Monday, March 7, 2016
Windows Open
It is SO nice outside. I've had my classroom windows open pretty much all day, so it smells like spring in here. It's a happy smell. And we went outside for recess. It was lovely. Lots of four square players and mini-basketball. We had to stay on the blacktop because there is still some melting snow on the playground... and it was pajama day at school.
I wore slippers, sweatpants, and my Case IH muscle machine shirt. Lots of compliments from the Case lovers and lots of "ugh, that's a terrible shirt!" from the John Deere lovers. Being in "pjs" all day was actually kind of tough! It definitely took more energy to motivate myself; it was kind of a lazy day.
For NLSW, we spent part of the afternoon signing up for the Winter Olympics and making country banners/flags. Friday, we'll actually compete in the Olympics. Tomorrow is a field trip day to Bethany for the Young Writers and Artists Conference. I'm taking a car-full of kids with me as soon as the first bus gets here in the morning so I can take care of registration. Everyone else will follow after the second bus arrives. So part of my after-school routine was putting kids in cars with chaperones. Hopefully I don't forget my sack lunch!!!
I wore slippers, sweatpants, and my Case IH muscle machine shirt. Lots of compliments from the Case lovers and lots of "ugh, that's a terrible shirt!" from the John Deere lovers. Being in "pjs" all day was actually kind of tough! It definitely took more energy to motivate myself; it was kind of a lazy day.
For NLSW, we spent part of the afternoon signing up for the Winter Olympics and making country banners/flags. Friday, we'll actually compete in the Olympics. Tomorrow is a field trip day to Bethany for the Young Writers and Artists Conference. I'm taking a car-full of kids with me as soon as the first bus gets here in the morning so I can take care of registration. Everyone else will follow after the second bus arrives. So part of my after-school routine was putting kids in cars with chaperones. Hopefully I don't forget my sack lunch!!!
Friday, March 4, 2016
Bulletins and Fine Art
Last night's book talk was very nice. Lots of great picture books to add to my to-read shelf! There were a few I'd read already, but many I have never heard of before.
Today's big project was getting the bulletins colored. Since I had to pick up the bulletins from church this morning before school, I frantically folded the towels/washcloths my class had used at the Lenten supper Wednesday (I took them home to wash) so I could drop them off as well. I ended up leaving my apartment later than I like to, but I got all my church errands run before too long.
My class was not gung-ho about coloring. I must admit, many of our covers look like they were colored by preschoolers or kindergartners... Some did take their time, but the majority were rather reluctant. Mr. D brought them over to church after school and the church secretary will put them in the church mailboxes for Sunday. And National Lutheran Schools Week here we come!
Mrs. B helped me get my art ready for the Fine Arts Fair. All the art has to be matted and have a judging sheet/name card attached. Some of the art my students picked is a little bulky and doesn't mat well. We have some paper plate weaving projects and some quilling projects that are 3D and heavy... hopefully they stay stuck to the paper backing! Now our art "Unearthed Treasures" corner is looking pretty bare! I guess we'll have to do an art project soon!
Today's big project was getting the bulletins colored. Since I had to pick up the bulletins from church this morning before school, I frantically folded the towels/washcloths my class had used at the Lenten supper Wednesday (I took them home to wash) so I could drop them off as well. I ended up leaving my apartment later than I like to, but I got all my church errands run before too long.
My class was not gung-ho about coloring. I must admit, many of our covers look like they were colored by preschoolers or kindergartners... Some did take their time, but the majority were rather reluctant. Mr. D brought them over to church after school and the church secretary will put them in the church mailboxes for Sunday. And National Lutheran Schools Week here we come!
Mrs. B helped me get my art ready for the Fine Arts Fair. All the art has to be matted and have a judging sheet/name card attached. Some of the art my students picked is a little bulky and doesn't mat well. We have some paper plate weaving projects and some quilling projects that are 3D and heavy... hopefully they stay stuck to the paper backing! Now our art "Unearthed Treasures" corner is looking pretty bare! I guess we'll have to do an art project soon!
Thursday, March 3, 2016
Speedy
This is going to be short because I have to be in Mankato for a book talk at 5:00... we had a faculty meeting right after school so I've been in a rush to get all my putzy things done before I have to leave.
Last night's Lenten supper went well. We made $391 for next year's trip to Camp Omega. All my helpers showed up too! We barely had enough chicken for the fajitas... I didn't get any and neither did most of the parents, but all the "paying customers" did.
I love watching my kids serve the food. They're all worried about getting it right and the people eating are happy to see them helping out. One of the 6th graders was serving the tortilla shells we had heating in a crockpot. First they were sticking together because they were too warm. Then we used all of them and the new ones we put in weren't warm enough for his taste. I caught him holding a tortilla against the warm side of the crockpot, trying to heat it up! "They're ice cold Miss H! We can't serve these!"
Last night's Lenten supper went well. We made $391 for next year's trip to Camp Omega. All my helpers showed up too! We barely had enough chicken for the fajitas... I didn't get any and neither did most of the parents, but all the "paying customers" did.
I love watching my kids serve the food. They're all worried about getting it right and the people eating are happy to see them helping out. One of the 6th graders was serving the tortilla shells we had heating in a crockpot. First they were sticking together because they were too warm. Then we used all of them and the new ones we put in weren't warm enough for his taste. I caught him holding a tortilla against the warm side of the crockpot, trying to heat it up! "They're ice cold Miss H! We can't serve these!"
Wednesday, March 2, 2016
Lenten Supper
My kids are back to being crazy again.
Some of it is caused by all the presidential candidate hullaballoo. One of the 6th graders was sick yesterday and missed our discussion of the candidates, so today the other 6th grade boys were interviewing him to see what he thought. And when his thoughts didn't match up with theirs, they chanted, "Trump, Trump, Trump, Trump!" Yesterday one of those same boys made a sign out of a ruler and a piece of paper that said "Trump" and stuck it between the desks so it'd stick up all day.
We did have some really good discussion about each of the candidates (with the 5th and 6th graders and the 7th graders too). We're learning about the three branches of government and checks/balances, so it fits in the curriculum very well. Last night I went to a caucus for the first time. It was neat! There weren't very many people at the caucus. A few stood up and spoke for a candidate, but not that many. I wish there would've been more. Cruz won our caucus with Rubio taking second and Trump taking third.
On a completely different note, tonight my class is serving the Lenten supper at church. We're serving chicken fajitas, rice, fresh fruit, chicken soup, and bars. About half the class is sticking around afterward to help set up. I don't think it will take very long, so I'll have to find things for them to do between set up and serving time... homework perhaps?
Today was read across America day. To celebrate, the whole school went into the gym and read for 15 minutes after chapel. I brought a book from home. It was lovely. I wish we could've spent more time reading... but then again, I always do!
Some of it is caused by all the presidential candidate hullaballoo. One of the 6th graders was sick yesterday and missed our discussion of the candidates, so today the other 6th grade boys were interviewing him to see what he thought. And when his thoughts didn't match up with theirs, they chanted, "Trump, Trump, Trump, Trump!" Yesterday one of those same boys made a sign out of a ruler and a piece of paper that said "Trump" and stuck it between the desks so it'd stick up all day.
We did have some really good discussion about each of the candidates (with the 5th and 6th graders and the 7th graders too). We're learning about the three branches of government and checks/balances, so it fits in the curriculum very well. Last night I went to a caucus for the first time. It was neat! There weren't very many people at the caucus. A few stood up and spoke for a candidate, but not that many. I wish there would've been more. Cruz won our caucus with Rubio taking second and Trump taking third.
On a completely different note, tonight my class is serving the Lenten supper at church. We're serving chicken fajitas, rice, fresh fruit, chicken soup, and bars. About half the class is sticking around afterward to help set up. I don't think it will take very long, so I'll have to find things for them to do between set up and serving time... homework perhaps?
Today was read across America day. To celebrate, the whole school went into the gym and read for 15 minutes after chapel. I brought a book from home. It was lovely. I wish we could've spent more time reading... but then again, I always do!
Tuesday, March 1, 2016
Newsela
I am in love with the website Newsela. For how long? Who knows. But today was fabulous.
I had gotten an email from the company a while ago and what caught my eye was the mock-primary/caucus students could vote in. My kids have been politically minded these days, so I brought it up to them and they wanted to sign up! Today I printed instructions and about half the class signed up. The site features current event articles about a variety of topics... science, sports, politics, war and peace, money, laws, health, kids, etc. And teachers can assign articles for her class to read. I can also see how many students have read an assigned article and have them take quizzes on the articles too! I'm not going to use the site as homework, my intention is to use it as more of a "broaden your horizons" type thing. We found some neat articles about a potential other planet found, the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster (read the article here), and a Nazi death camp survivor's death. My kiddos were riveted!
The other cool thing that engaged my students pretty much all morning was our biome project. Each group/individual has to be a travel agent convincing his/her classmates to buy a vacation package to their own biome. They've been researching and finding pictures and sharing facts... it's so lovely. Everyone is excited about it!
I had gotten an email from the company a while ago and what caught my eye was the mock-primary/caucus students could vote in. My kids have been politically minded these days, so I brought it up to them and they wanted to sign up! Today I printed instructions and about half the class signed up. The site features current event articles about a variety of topics... science, sports, politics, war and peace, money, laws, health, kids, etc. And teachers can assign articles for her class to read. I can also see how many students have read an assigned article and have them take quizzes on the articles too! I'm not going to use the site as homework, my intention is to use it as more of a "broaden your horizons" type thing. We found some neat articles about a potential other planet found, the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster (read the article here), and a Nazi death camp survivor's death. My kiddos were riveted!
The other cool thing that engaged my students pretty much all morning was our biome project. Each group/individual has to be a travel agent convincing his/her classmates to buy a vacation package to their own biome. They've been researching and finding pictures and sharing facts... it's so lovely. Everyone is excited about it!
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