December’s superpower is acceptance. Acceptance is the willingness to embrace feelings, habits, or beliefs that are different from your own. Acceptance is the ability to experience or survive something unpleasant. Acceptance is the willingness to tolerate a difficult or unpleasant situation. We all have the human need and right to be accepted.

This month’s book of the month is Remember: The Journey to School Integration. It is a collection of photographs from the Civil Right movement and the era of public school integration with a story by Toni Morrison. In this two-minute mini-documentary, Toni Morrison introduces her book and shows young people the relevance of the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education decision.

After reading Toni Morrison’s Remember: The Journey to School Integration, look back at photographs on page 22, 42 and 67. Select one photograph and write a dialogue between the two students. Post the conversation to this blog.

In an effort to show our understanding and display of Gratitude as our character education trait for the month of November, students in some 3rd and 4th grade classes came together to create our “Wings of Gratitude” bulletin board.  Students identified and recorded some of the things they are grateful for on individual feathers which they then decorated.  We compiled our feathers to make our wings.  These wings represent the beauty and positivity of being grateful as well as the ways that living a life of gratitude can help you “fly”.

Solve the logic puzzle by filling in all of the squares in the game grid. Use the clues and your deductive reasoning to solve these online logic games:

• Pet Mix-Up
• Foot Race
• Toy Cars
• Pony Snacks

Are you an expert? Try these logic grids on PuzzlersParadise.

In Science, we’ve been learning about the various tools used to measure.  We have explored linear measurement and the measurement of mass.  We have learned about customary and metric systems of measure.  We have explored metric conversion and have used many different tools including meter sticks, centimeter and millimeter rulers, measuring tapes, pan balances and gram weights.

This month the Hulk challenges to use our Superpower, Gratitude.  Kid President has a few ideas for us too.

Here are three challenges:

1. Call that special person on the green slip and let them know how grateful you are for him/her. Return the slip to school and link it to our gratitude chain.
2. Bring in an item for our Food Drive.
3. Be inspired by The Secret of Saying Thanks and keep a 21-Day Gratitude Journal. Read and listen to our book of the month here – Secret of Saying Thanks. Write down 3 things you’re grateful for. They can be super simple—and nothing is too small. For example: 1. Favorite cereal this AM 2. Warm bed to sleep in 3. Funny chat with my brother. Do this for 21 days, But you can’t list your family members by name over and over. You have to write different things each day—this is how you learn to flex your gratitude muscle.Why 21 days?  Scientists believe it takes that long for something to become a habit.  Good luck!