The students are working hard and learning something new everyday!  Please take a look to see what is happening in our classroom this week.

We hosted a celebration for our reading buddies to tell them than you for the wonderful year with us.  We had a special treat and enjoyed some musical instruments and the parachute.

Each year TVCS works with local musician Beth McIntosh to create a song for the end of the school year. This year she we were able to spend some time exploring her instruments and singing songs.

Take a look at other special moments from the past week.

We were busy in the classroom.

The students have built with blocks, created in the art studio, read stories in the library, and played outside.  We have a brand new mud kitchen in our back yard.  Be ready to enjoy pies, cakes, and muffins when you come to pick up your child. 

Rudy and Maggie performed for us on Wednesday.  Rudy sparkles on and off stage. (see photo)

Here are some other great photos of the variety of work in our classroom.

We have been preparing for our Valentine's Day celebration.  We have worked hard to write the word Valentine, Happy, Love, and family members.  We have brought new items in the classroom.  The students are very interested in the marbles and cars. We have a set of "marble works" that allow the students to move pieces around to create the appropriate physics to allow the marble to drop to the bottom.

We were able to meet with our reading buddies on Friday.  The students were so excited to meet with them again.  Take a look.

Happy 1/2 Birthday to Cache Ripple.  We will also celebrate his last day on Monday.  He will be moving to California.  We wish him and his family the best in this new adventure.

Braden sent us a video about his sail boat.  It was great to see him enjoying such a wonderful trip.  We will see him again soon.

Here are some of the other exciting moments in the classroom this week. 

We thank Nico for sharing his Guinea Pig named Lars. 

We welcome Claire Cisco and Cora Moses to our classroom.

We thank Tucker for sharing his remote control helicopter.

We were very busy this week with other activities besides our helicopter.  Please take a look.

Even with our exciting project we still have time for clay, blocks, beads, and art.

As we prepare for a week long break, we remember some of the wonderful things we do in our classroom everyday.

We had a busy week with one another.  It is a joy to teach your children. They try so hard and come up with incredible thoughts and ideas. 

We have been drawing self portraits for our student portfolios the past several weeks.  This is an important document for the students to demonstrate drawing abilities, writing abilities, self-awareness, and time to reflect on oneself. You will see the finished product in the student's portfolio at the end of the school year.  They are working hard and doing a great job.

We have had a busy week writing words, reading stories, building with blocks, and creating in our studio.  We have been very thankful for the wonderful weather and have enjoyed our time outdoors. We have asked the students to draw self-portraits and will continue this project for the next few weeks until everyone has had a chance to complete one.  These portraits show us where the student is in his or her drawing development and how they see themselves.  They will complete one now and one at the end of the year and it is amazing how much the portraits change. 

As we were busy preparing for Grandparent's Day and Harvest Festival, many other exciting activities took place in our classroom.  Please take a look. I have noticed that students are feeling comfortable in the space and experimenting with social interactions with different students each day.  I have noticed where certain students participate on a daily basis and where I may need to find more motivating items to draw in certain students.  The classroom environment is ever changing and we do this in response to how the students are using the space.

Reading Buddies

We met with our reading buddies and completed a scavenger hunt.  The questions were designed to get to know one another a bit better as we continue our work together.  Ask your child if he or she remembers the name of his or her buddy.

We met with our reading buddies for the first time today.  The Tiger Wolves are 3rd and 4th graders that we will work with throughout the school year on various projects.  They taught us a group game as an ice breaker.  We will pair off the students with a buddy in our next adventure together.

This week the class worked on the classroom name and the potato project mentioned in other sections.  We spent time working in the art studio and creating 3D sculptures in the clay. We celebrated a birthday and read some wonderful stories. 

Take a look at our first week slide show.  The students explored the classroom and learned about one another.  We have learned about morning meeting and our daily schedule. We have mentioned the idea that we will making a decision about our class name.  Stay tuned to hear our  class name. 

Here are the recommendations for our class name:

Fiona - Princess

Rudi - Pink Cupcake Penguin

Braden - Bear

Cora - Butterfly

Tucker - Snow Wolf

Bode - Horsie

Walker - Gator like my horse Gator. It would be kind of fun to have another Gator

Zane - Beetles

Cadence - Bunny

Nick - (he isn't sure yet so we will check back)

Cache - Screaming Chipmunks

Maggie - Great Horned Sheep