Acceptance is the fact of allowing someone to become part of a group or community and making them feel welcome.
Assembly Read Aloud: The Sandwich Swap by Queen Rania of Jordan

The smallest things can pull us apart-until we learn that friendship is far more powerful than difference.

Books:

• Same, Same, but Different by Carol McCloud and David Messing
• Unique Monique by Maria Rousaki and Polina Papanikolaou
• The Land of Many Colors by Rita Pocock and Klamath County
• Chamelia by Ethan Long
• The Big Orange Spot by D. Manus Pinkwater and Daniel Manus Pinkwater
• Whoever You Are by Mem Fox
• The Peace Book by Todd Parr
• Big Al by Andrew Clements
• There’s a Skunk in My Bunk by Joseph McCann
• The Sneetches by Dr. Seuss
• The Name Jar by Yangsook Choi

Additional Titles:

The Big Orange Splot by Daniel Pinkwater

The Sneetches by Dr. Seuss

Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes

Unique Monique by Maria Rousaki

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It has been a pleasure to grow and learn with your little ones, this year! We hope you all enjoy your summer and we are looking forward to seeing you in September…for 1st Grade!!

It was a pleasure to meet you all on Wednesday. We had a great 1st week of school. Looking forward to the year ahead. Have a fantastic weekend! 🙂

 

Perseverance is this month’s superpower!

• Perseverance is the courage it takes to continue trying despite previous failures.
• Perseverance is the strength that gets you through times of trouble.
• Perseverance is knowing that the road to success is paved with difficulty.
• Perseverance is steady persistence in a course of action, especially in spite of discouragement.

We were inspired by William Kamkwamba’s story. When his village was hit by a drought, everyone’s crops began to fail. Without enough money for food and school, William spent his days in the library and figured out how to bring electricity to his village. Persevering against the odds, William built a functioning windmill out of junkyard scraps and became the local hero who harnessed the wind. View more here…Perseverance Assembly.

In addition, we had a visit from the Perseverance Phoenix. This mythical creature reminded us that when we are faced with an obstacle, we need to persevere and stay strong. Even in the worst of times a lot of hard work can make a huge difference to us and others.  Work hard this month and you just might earn a feather!

Interview an adult.  Determine a time in his/her life when he/she had to persevere and the result of this hard work.  Comment below to share this experience with our class blog!

Born in New York circa 1797, Sojourner Truth was the self-given name, from 1843 onward, of Isabella Baumfree, an African-American abolitionist and women’s rights activist. Truth was born into slavery in Swartekill, New York, but escaped with her infant daughter to freedom in 1826. Read more…

Please share new knowledge that you gain from our assembly or from reading this post. Make sure you contribute something different than your classmates.

Buzz Scott, founder and adventurer of OceansWide, visited our school to share stories about his expedition’s travels in the Gulf of Maine. His team believes it is important to educate students about the amazing and mysterious world that exists offshore. Their ROV (Remotely Operated Vehicle) gave us a firsthand look into the wonders of the largest habitat on Earth.

What are some ways you can become more aware of the treasures deep beneath the waters and the ways you can become more involved in the importance of protecting them?

After you post your comment you might want to play one of the twenty-five educational games provided by NOAA’s Games Planet Arcade to learn more about oceans, wildlife, and weather.

On January 28th, Ralph Fletcher shares his writing experiences with our students.  Listen to his picture book, Twilight Comes Twice.  He uses amazing, vivid, free-verse text to describe the transition from day to night and from night to day.  He makes these every day moments magical.

Select your favorite part of the day or year and make it magical.  Write one or two sentences on this post to create a vivid image for others.  Have your classmates try to name the moment you are describing.

Our class has been discussing the United States Constitution. This week, your mission is to memorize the Preamble and recite it for the class. Let’s see who is up for the challenge!

Today is Veterans Day, a federal holiday honoring armed service veterans. It is held on the anniversary of the end of World War I (November 11) to honor US veterans and victims of all wars. (World War I formally ended at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918. The Germans signed the Armistice.) Mr. Sayers and Mr. Krump served our country in addition to many Veterans who are close to our staff and students.  These men and women have a poppy dedicated to them at Cottage Lane. We thank them for the sacrifices they made to protect our country and our freedoms. Below is a video explaining Veterans Day and an interview with Mr. Krump. Please consider commenting about a veteran on Mrs. McBride’s blog AND enter the Lieutenant Michael Murphy Contest. See additional details below.

Mr. Krump – 5th Grade Teacher

LIEUTENANT COLONEL MICHAEL MURPHY

Perseverance Essay Challenge

Deadline: November 21st

Today we were so fortunate to have Mr. Eckert and Mr. Tanenbaum set up our very first Virtual Field Trip! We explored a wastewater treatment facility in West Virginia and had a chance to interact with students around the country using live video chat.

What was one really interesting fact that you learned today?

EarthEcho International – Virtual Field Trip