Mrs. Bolte's Class Blog

Be responsible! Responsibility is being accountable for your own actions.

Assembly Read Aloud:
But It’s Not My Fault! by Julia Cook

My name is Norman David Edwards… but everybody calls me Noodle. Sometimes things happen to me that get me into trouble. But it’s not my fault! This first book in the new Responsible Me! Series, follows Noodle through a very rough day at school. It just isn’t his fault that his brother’s game ran late and he didn’t finish his homework. Or that his mom forgot to remind him to turn in his library book. Or that Mary Gold got in his airspace and hit his arm with her head…

Students will join Noodle on his journey as he learns not to blame others or try to find fault, but instead practices accepting responsibility, and turns his very rough day into a very good NEW day!

Books:

• Pigsty by Mark Teague
• I Just Forgot by Mercer Mayer
• Ruthie and the (Not So) Teeny Tiny Lie by Laura Rankin
• The Way I Act by Steve Metzger
• Lucy Goosey Takes Responsibility by Katherine Ciriello Clark
• The Worst Day of my Life Ever! by Julia Cook and Kelsey De Weerd
• I Am Responsible! by David Parker
• I Tell the Truth! by David Parker

Read Aloud YouTube Videos:

Charlie and Lola:It Wasn’t Me by Lauren Child

Pigsty by Mark Teague

What If Everybody Did That? by Ellen Javernick

The Paperboy by Dav Pilkey

Ruthie and the (Not So) Teeny Tiny Lie by Laura Rankin

The Emperor’s Egg by Erin Boone

The Way I Act by Steve Metzger

The Worst Day of my Life Ever! by Julia Cook and Kelsey De Weerd

Be persistent! Persistence is the continuous effort to do or achieve something even when faced with obstacles.

Assembly Read Aloud: My Brave Year of Firsts by Jamie Lee Curtis

Books that teach persistence:

Stuck by Oliver Jeffers

The Very Busy Spider written and illustrated by Eric Carle

I Knew You Could! A Book For All The Stops In Your Life by Craig Dorfman

Below is a fun little animation that illustrates persistence!

Be Positive! Optimism is the ability to remain hopeful and confident about the future or successful outcome of something.
Assembly Read Aloud:
Pete the Cat I Like My White Shoes by Eric Litwin

Books with Optimism Theme:

Be Positive! A Book about Optimism by Cheri Meiners	Wanda’s Roses by Pat Brisson	Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes by Eric Litwin	When Pigs Fly by Valerie Coulman
The Carrot Seed by Ruth Kraus	Sally Jean, the Bicycle Queen by Cari Best	The Little Engine that Could by Watty Piper	I Think, I Am by Louise Hay

Additional Resources:

Songs:

This request may find you busy preparing for the upcoming holidays and sharing special celebrations with family and friends. It is our hope, however, that your family will reserve some time to help with our community service project.

For the fifteenth year, William O. Schaefer’s community service activity will be donating BLIZZARD BOXES, formerly known as Covered Cupboards, for the Meals on Wheels Program.

A BLIZZARD BOX is an assortment of donated non-perishable food items packed into shoeboxes. Refer to BLIZZARD BOX FOOD LIST to find out all the details, including the suggested foods. Please be sure to check product expiration date.

Please wrap the lids separately from the boxes – wrap the top of the shoe box separately from the bottom of the shoe box (no boot boxes please) in grocery bag paper in order to make sure contents are easily accessible. Do not put any decorations on the box. Children can use their imagination to draw pictures on the paper that seniors would enjoy receiving! The BLIZZARD BOXES will be delivered to the recipients of the Home Delivered Meals Program if regular food deliveries are halted due to weather related or other emergencies.

Consider creating a BLIZZARD BOX with your family. Drop off your BLIZZARD BOX at William O. Schaefer (WOS), 140 Lester Drive, Tappan, New York between December 5th and December 16th.

Thank you in advance for giving so generously to the seniors in our community during this winter season.

Questions can be forwarded to hhill@socsd.org, ebarsanti@socsd.org, ccosgrove@socsd.org.

The nation celebrates Veterans Day on November 11th to honor all who have served in the military for the United States. Across America, various parades and ceremonies are held to celebrate the loyal services of our country’s armed forces. Watch the video below to learn more about Veteran’s Day.

The Character Education Word of the Month for November is “Gratitude”. It is important that Americans give thanks for their freedom. Veteran’s Day is an opportunity to honor, give thanks and to be grateful to those who have served or are currently serving in the military.

This year, William O. Schaefer (WOS) is participating in the Vetiquette Program’s; Veteran’s Day Project spearheaded by Maureen Kelly. Each student will decorate a brown lunch bag which will be filled with candy and gifted to a veteran. Students will also write a note of thanks on a dog tag style card identifying at least one character trait that our veterans display by their service. (e.g., brave, generous, selfless, kind, etc.) As liaison to the project, first grade teacher Suzanne Luke coordinates the efforts of all WOS teachers and students assists in collecting, packing and shipping out the project. Thank you Mrs. Luke!

Additional Resources:
Learn a Veterans Day Song or Poem, Songs for Teaching has a long list of Veteran’s Day songs to choose.
Read a picture book about veterans.

Kids Thank a Vet includes many resources to help kids learn more about veterans. There are pictures of famous veterans, book lists, activities, and much more.

Are there additional ways you and your family celebrate Veterans Day? What are they? Please share in the comment section below.

The word on the street this month is respect: treating people the way you want to be treated. Watch this video to hear what other people think about respect!

Assembly Read Aloud:

Respect: Dare to Care, Share, and Be Fair by Ted and Jenny O’Neal

Please Say Please by Margery Cuyler	Do Unto Otters by Laurie Keller	Frog and Toad All Year by Arnold Lobel
Clifford’s Book of Manners by Norman Bridwell	The Legend of Papa Balloon by C. R. McClure	How To Be a Friend by Laurie Kransy Brown & Marc Brown

Read Aloud YouTube Videos:
Me First by Helen Lester

Pinkerton Pig always has to be first — first to eat, first off the bus — until, running to be first for a sandwich, he finds himself in trouble with the Sand Witch.

The Recess Queen by Alexis O’Neill

Mean Jean is the reigning Recess Queen, pushing and smooshing, hammering and slammering the other kids whenever they cross her. And then one day a puny new girl shows up on the playground and catches Mean Jean completely off-guard. Not only is little Katie Sue not the least bit intimidated by the bully, she actually asks her to jump rope with her. In no time flat, Jean and Katie Sue are best buddies, and the playground is safe for all again.

Same Same But Different by Jenny Kostecki-Shaw

Elliot lives in America, and Kailash lives in India. They are pen pals. By exchanging letters and pictures, they learn that they both love to climb trees, have pets, and go to school. Their worlds might look different, but they are actually similar. Same, same. But different!

Are You Respectful Today? by Kris Yankee and Marian Nelson

Why do you need to be respectful? Patience, tolerance, consideration, and trustworthiness are qualities of respectful people. Life is happier with a respectful heart.

Respect Song:

Bruno Mars You Can Count On Me video

Below is a short film created to help teach students “What is a Friend?”

Look how we have grown!
Reflection is the willingness to learn about yourself. What have I achieved and what else do I need to do?

Assembly Read Aloud:

The OK Book by Amy Krouse Rosenthal

OK is turned on its side, upside down, and right side up to show that being OK can really be quite great. Whether OK personifies an OK skipper, an OK climber, an OK lightning bug catcher, or an OK whatever there is to experience, ok is an OK place to be. And being OK just may lead to the discovery of what makes one great.

Additional Titles:

If Kids Ran the World by Leo & Diane Dillon

Cookies by Amy Krouse Rosenthal

I Like Me! by Nancy Carlson

What I like About Me! by Allia Zobel Nolan

Activities:
Look how students have grown. (i.e. Look back at samples of work, Quick writes, handwriting, self portraits, etc.)
A Memory Book can be used to reflect upon the past year.
Thinking back to the beginning of school, what was I not able to do that I can do now?
What do I remember about meeting my teacher, friends, etc. for the first time?
How did I feel about going to school or riding the bus?
What did I want to learn and have I achieved that?
How have I grown as a person and as a member of the WOS community?

Girl Sorting Recycling

Earth Day is an annual event, celebrated on April 22nd. Earth Day is a reminder of the huge job we have of saving our planet 365 days a year!

Watch the video below to learn about “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle”and read the suggestions to find other ways you can “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle” everyday!

1. Change a light
Replace a regular bulb with a more energy-efficient compact fluorescent bulb.
2. Drive less
Walk, bike, use public transportation like a subway, bus or even car pool. Talk to your parents about considering a hybrid, or alternative fuel vehicle. And keep your tires inflated properly.
3. Recycle more
Think before you throw away trash. Recycle instead. Cut down on how much you throw in the trash, which ultimately ends up in a landfill. And be sure to take e-waste, like computers, cell phones and hazardous waste to a special recycling facility.
4. Avoid products with a lot of packaging
When it comes to your shopping habits, consider buying products that are better for the environment or that are made from recycled materials, and have less or no packaging. And when it comes to food, support local farmers markets.
5. Use less hot water
It takes a lot of energy to heat water. Install a low flowing shower head and wash a full load of clothes in cold or warm water.
6. Adjust your thermostat.
Moving your thermostat down 2 degrees in winter and up 2 degrees in summer can save a lot of energy. And ask your parents if your local utility company offers alternative power like solar power. If so, consider switching.
7. Plant a tree
A single tree will absorb one ton of carbon dioxide over its lifetime.
8. Turn off electronic devices
Simply turning off your TV, DVD player, stereo, and unplugging your iPod and cell phone charger when not in use, will save you thousands of pounds of CO2 a year.
9. Spread the word
Talk to your friends, family and teachers. Teach them what you’ve learned and make your house and school as green as possible. Think of ways to raise awareness & educate others, create fund-raisers in your local community to make a change.
10. Go Green
Work to make these changes in your daily life so it becomes second nature.

In the video below, Ms. Kolesar’s class suggests more ways we can “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle”!

Try This!

• Play My Garbology! My Garbology is an interactive game that teaches about sorting garbage for recycling, reusing, and composting. Sort garbage into four bins according to where you think each piece of garbage should go.
• Have a fashion show! Create an outfit from materials that were destined for the trash! Below is an example of how much fun it is to”Reduce, Reuse, Recycle”!

Be flexible! Flexibility is the ability to adapt to changing circumstances.

Assembly Read Aloud: Giraffes Can’t Dance by Giles Andreae

Gerald the giraffe longs to dance, but his legs are too skinny and his neck is too long. His knees buckle whenever he tries to twirl. At the Jungle Dance, the warthogs waltz, the chimps cha-cha, and the lions tango. “Giraffes can’t dance,” they all jeer when it’s Gerald’s turn to prance. But there is one little creature who believes in Gerald. “Everything makes music,” the cricket explains, “if you really want it to.” So Gerald starts swaying to his own sweet tune.

Books:

Zoom by Istvan Banyai

Spaghetti in a Hot Dog Bun by Maria Dismondy

Not a Box by Antoinette Portis

You might have had your hopes up that your mommy packed you a meatball hero with an ice cream sandwich on the side for lunch, but don’t get upset if it turns out to be a PB&J with some carrots. You’ve got to change the plan, and be flexible. Sing along with Ernie as he sings the Change The Plan Song!

Last week in the library we had all the ingredients of a mystery! First, we discussed a real mystery involving the stolen statue of the Lorax from the home of Dr. Seuss located in California. Discussing this real mystery, allowed us to use detective vocabulary such as “clue”, “crime”, “red herring”, “detective”, “evidence”, “mystery”, “suspect” and “witness”! Watch the news broadcast below.

Now that our detective skills were warmed up we were ready to solve the mysterious happening in the William O. Schaefer Library! Four of Dr. Seuss’ beloved characters were suspected of creating a mess directly inside of the library door! View the “Crime Scene” images below.

The students and I were extremely upset to find such a disrespectful mess in the library. We knew we needed to get to the bottom of this crime, but first we had to read each character’s alibi!

Yertle the Turtle alibi: It was 4:00 and I was baking some homemade bread. When it was finished, I took some bread over to my friend Hop On Pop. I asked if he wanted to go to the mall, but I got a text from Fox in Socks and Starbelly Sneetch asking if I wanted to go to the movies. My mom said I could go to the movie, but his mom said he had to do homework. He tried not to show it, but boy, was he mad. I had to leave Hop On Pop to make it to the movie on time. I told him if we had time, we’d stop by the library after the movie to hang out with him.

Starbelly Sneetch alibi: It was 5:00 and I heard a knock on my door. It was Fox in Socks. He came in and I turned off my music and put away my iPod. We played at my house until we got bored. We decided it would be fun to go to the movies. We texted Hop On Pop and Yertle the Turtle to see if they wanted to come, too. Everyone came to the movie except Hop on Pop. After the movie we couldn’t think of what to do so we walked around. We thought we might stop by the library to visit Hop On Pop. It started to rain as we walked so we stopped at Fox in Sock’s house to pick up some blankets to keep us dry on our walk.

Hop On Pop alibi: It was 5:00 and I know because I was looking at the clock when the doorbell rang. It was Yertle the Turtle. He had brought me some homemade bread! He asked if I wanted to go to the mall. My mom said, “No. I had to work on my homework at the library.” Yertle the Turtle got a text right after that asking if we wanted to go and see the Diary of a Wimpy Kid movie. Bummer. I really wanted to see a movie and hated that I had to go to the library instead. Yertle the Turtle left to meet everyone for the movie. I headed to the library with my homework. My animal report was due on Monday and mom said I couldn’t do anything fun until I was finished with the report. The fun thing was that everyone came by the library after the movie and told me all about it. They had a great time. At 8:00, everyone had to head home. I had about thirty minutes left of homework, so I told them I’d have to stay around just a bit longer…

Fox in Socks alibi: I was sitting in my room when my mom came in and said when I finished my chores I could play. I decided to go over to Starbelly Sneetch’s house to play. We thought it would be fun to go to see a movie and texted our friends to see if they could come, too. When the movie was over we went by my house to get some blankets because it was raining and we didn’t want to get wet. Then, we headed to the library to visit Hop On Pop because he was doing homework there. At the library, I looked for the Diary of a Wimpy Kid book. I really liked the movie so I thought I would like the book.

Students gathered round the crime scene to take notes, discuss clues and look for evidence! Any accusations made MUST be backed up with evidence from either the crime scene or the suspect’s alibi!

So, I guess you want to know who did it!

Hop On Pop was guilty. Hop on Pop was mad he could not go to the movies with his friends. Instead, he had to go the library to work on his animal report which was about bees, bears LOVE honey! Many of you good detectives figured it out when you saw the pencil beside the nonfiction book, “All About Bees”!

Well, he was sitting in the “Honey Bear” rocking chair when his friends came to visit him after seeing the “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” movie. He was so excited to see them, he jumped up and knocked the chair over! No one bothered to pick the chair up because they were so excited talking and telling Hop on Pop all about the movie! While his friends were at the library, Yertle the Turtle wanted to read “All About Geckos” and Fox in Socks wanted to read the “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” book. Hop on Pop said he would check the books out for them.

After his friends left the library, Hop on Pop noticed they dropped their movie tickets and forgot the blanket that was keeping them dry on the walk to visit him! He got mad when he realized he had missed such a good time with his friends! He turned and pulled all the Jan Brett books off the shelf! He was so frustrated that he still had so much work to do on his animal report that he ripped the “All About Geckos” book and threw down the “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” in a fit of anger! Hop on Pop left the library.

Evidence: All of the other characters visited the library to visit Hop On Pop and they did not say anything about something being wrong in the library. It all happened after they left!

Thank you all for being such great detectives and supporting your theories with evidence! This was a tricky mystery!

Thank you to the Everything Library blog for inspiring and creating this fantastic mystery!