We are grateful for your service.

It’s simple. Learn how to say, “Thank you.”

Write a letter to a Veteran to show your gratitude!

TEAMWORK: According to Dictionary.com, teamwork is the cooperative and coordinated effort on the part of a group of persons acting together as a team or in the interests of a common cause.

Your class will be arranged into 8 groups. Each group will be assigned a problem to solve in order to unlock one of the locks. Go to this site – TEAMWORK. Click on the letter in the word “teamwork” that your group is assigned, and the link will take you to the directions of your task.

If your group finishes early, you may help other groups.

What can you do this year to be a great team player? Post your comments.

This month we are “wild” about gratitude. Gratitude is being aware of and being thankful for the good things that happen. Take time to express thanks.

“We must find time to stop and thank the people who make a difference in our lives.” ~John F. Kennedy

This month at Cottage Lane we will do the four week gratitude challenge. Studies show that when you express your gratitude you will feel happier!

Week 1 – Write a letter to a former teacher or someone you have not seen or talked to in a while.
Week 2 – Write a letter to a Veteran.
Week 3 – Donate to the Food Drive.
Week 4 – Write 5 things you like or are grateful for about yourself.

When you complete a challenge post to this blog and initial our poster.

Congratulations to Sophia for showing Empathy this past month!!

We had so much fun celebrating Halloween today! We enjoyed the parade, had some awesome cupcakes baked by Mrs. Fenwick, and a surprise visit from Esti the Math Witch!

Ohmmmmm….. Today we practiced meditation and discussed mindfulness with Mr. Jones. We talked aobut relaxing our minds, and bodies from the everyday craziness!

It is time to get those creative juices going again! Mrs. McBride is offering another opportunity to put your skills to work. Find out more details for this month’s challenge here – The Election Challenge.

Congratulations to Brian for being courageous this past month!! We are proud of you!!!

This month we are wild about pandas and empathy.

• Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another.
• Empathy is about standing in someone else’s shoes, feeling with his or her heart, seeing with his or her eyes.
• Empathy makes the world a better place.

Zen is a Japanese word that means meditation. “Zen shorts” are short meditations—ideas to puzzle over. Jon J Muth’s picture book, Zen Shorts, tells stories about people who feel and act in different ways than most of us do. The main character, a giant panda named Stillwater, teaches us to apply these valuable lessons from the story to our own lives. Be empathetic by listening to others, connecting with others and being altruistic by bringing in socks for Socktober.

Let’s practice empathy this month and learn more about pandas.

Check out the San Diego Zoo Kids website. It provides a fun and informative view of the pandas in the zoo through webcams, photographs, and videos.

Today two of my former students, Charlotte and Mercedes read Who is Melvin Bubble? to our class. We discussed how people perceive each other and how sometimes we form opinions that we shouldn’t. We enjoyed the book and a visit from our guest readers!!