This week at Cottage Lane we are participating in the “Start with Hello” campaign. We are encouraging every student to make a difference with their peers. Whether it is a simple hello or a conversation, we are trying to foster an inclusive community.

Having conversations can be awkward, but Kid President shows us how it’s done! He too is on a mission to meet lots of awesome kids! #YearoftheKid Sometimes meeting new people can be scary. What if they’re too different and we don’t get along? What if things get really, really awkward? Well, Kid President says, embrace the AWKWARD! Check out his video below.

Share a message of positivity by leaving a comment on this blog.

We discussed decorating our writer’s notebooks as a class. Please see the photos for an example of a writer’s notebook and the letter that went home today with your child’s writer’s notebook. Please have children return decorated notebooks by next Wednesday! Thank you!!

Welcome to third grade! We are very excited to start our year with you! Lots of exciting learning adventures await you! You will be meeting Mr. Tanenbaum for science and he has lots of wonderful activities and information to share with us! We hope your first day of school is awesome!
Mrs. McCarthy and Mrs. Sullivan

This month’s superpower is Patriotism. The Poppy Lady by Barbara Walsh is our book of the month. It is About Moina Belle Michael who helped establish the red poppy as a symbol of remembrance for veterans. The following video is the the famous poem ‘In Flanders Fields’ by John McCrae written in May 1915. This video is in remembrance of all those who have lost their lives during war.

A Poppy is to Remember is another tribute to our American service men and women, as well as to those from other nations who have fought side by side with them to restore peace and freedom in troubled regions of the world. Even as they fought and died together, let us also remember them together.

As a tribute from you to all the soldiers who lost their lives fighting for freedom try these activities:

1. Write a cinquain and post your poem to this post.
2. Participate in this month’s challenge – THE POPPY CHALLENGE

About the Contest: CLE is celebrating Earth Day by sponsoring a recycle poster contest using the theme, Every Day is Earth Day! This contest is open to students to promote recycling in creative and fun ways, raising environmental awareness.

Theme: Every Day is Earth Day posters should clearly highlight the importance of recycling in our school and community. This theme can include topics such as “reduce, reuse, and recycle”. Use your imagination and get creative!

Poster Requirements:

• Students must create their own original artwork – no copyrighted clip art, computer-generated graphics, or copyrighted characters.

• Posters must reflect the theme of the contest.

• All entries on paper 11 inches in width and 8.5 inches in height. (No lined notebook paper!)

• Artwork must be oriented on the page in landscape or portrait format.

• All entries must be 2-dimensional; no collage or glued on pieces can be accepted.

• Paint, crayon, marker, colored pencil is acceptable, but remember that bright solid colors will reproduce better!

• Individual students may only submit one entry.

• Each poster must have student names and class teachers on the back of the poster.

• Do NOT fold posters when submitting to the main office.

Awards: One student from each grade level will receive a class award for their poster.

Due Date: Posters are due by April 23, 2018. Submit to the main office for display. Posters can be turned in any day earlier.

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. Listen to the children’s books here – The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind.

Here is another video, Moving Windmills.

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

On Friday, please wear blue. As a school community, we are going to show our support for National Autism Awareness Month! National Autism Awareness Month is a time to promote autism awareness, autism acceptance and to draw attention to the tens of thousands facing an autism diagnosis each year. What else can you do? Please visit Mrs. McBride’s website for further details – Blue for Autism.

Back by popular demand… The Peeps Challenge! After nine years the Washington Post is no longer sponsoring its annual peeps contest. We want to keep this challenge alive at Cottage Lane. Get those creatives juices flowing and find out more information here – THE PEEPS CHALLENGE.

Mrs. McBride was all ready to come to school yesterday. She wanted to wear these mismatched socks to spread awareness for WDSD. Due to the snow day, this did not happen. March 21st is a very special day for her. If you want to help her spread awareness and take the pledge, you can find out more here.