We began our CSW with an all-school prayer in the gym. We also are making cards for soliders. Our soldier is Jake Norgaard (Mrs. Bostrom’s brother) who is currently serving in Afghanistan.
In preparation for Catholic Schools Week we wrote about what makes St. Malachy School special. Here is our display in the hall and below you will see a couple of samples in greater detail. And yes…we do feed them at school. Whew! What a relief!
One of our favorite indoor recess activities is Guess Who, except Mrs. Wynne (who worked long and hard on this) inserted all of the first graders, Fr. Joe, herself, and…wait a minute…WHERE AM I???
Mrs. Garner planned a couple of great lessons incorporating Social Studies, Religion and Science. First she showed the first graders two eggs under the Elmo (one brown and white) and had them make observations. Next she read a picture book about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and some of the issues surrounding segregation and civil rights. She then removed the eggs from under the Elmo, cracked them open, and showed them again under the Elmo side by side. Students were able to see that they both have the same insides, a yolk and a white. Just as the eggs were different on the outside but the same on the inside, so are we. God made us different on the outside and we celebrate all the wonderful ways he created us. Yet we all have brains, blood, heart, lungs, bones, stomachs, etc. She followed this up on another day with a lesson about celebrating all the wonderful colors of the world. Since we have 21 students, we made a perfectly balanced box of crayons..no gaps! What great lessons!
A few samples of what came to school on Friday…..
Look at these expressions. Did you know snow people could have such emotion?
You might as well meet Captain (the Mini-schnauzer) also known as Captain Percival James Meriweather or Cappy or Percy, Roxie (the Goldendoodle) also known as Roxie the Rock Star or Roxiepoo or Doodlebug or Chewbacca, and Molly (the Calico) also known as Miss Molly. They are great instructional tools for Writers’ Workshop!
Today was our first day with snow of any substance. It was clear they knew it was expected because before noon (and ahem…during math instruction) the heads kept gazing out the window. I can’t compete with beautiful snow. Even I would find myself boring! So, following lunch and recess I told them to go get it out of their system.
I read the first chapter of Mr. Popper’s Penguins today. Poor Janie and Bill! Since Mr. Popper’s painting season is over, the family is faced with cutting out roast beef and ice cream and subsisting on beans all winter long…
Me: Would you all like it if you had to eat nothing but beans every single day?
Student Comments: No! I don’t like green beans! I like some beans. No! No!
One Student: Mrs. Hannon….my dad can’t eat beans.
[Sudden silence from everyone, no doubt waiting to see what I would say.]
Me: And why is that? Why can’t your dad eat beans?
One Student: Well, [head dropping down to hide himself as much as possible]….I’d rather not say.
[More silence.]
Me [courageously]: Is it because of gas?
One Student: Yeah….
[Followed by racuous laughter, rolling on the floor, i.e. the door to bathroom humor opening wider and wider, and me immediately slamming it shut!]
