Acceptance is the fact of allowing someone to become part of a group or community and making them feel welcome.
Diversity is the understanding that each individual is unique, and recognizing our individual differences. These differences might include: ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, age, physical abilities, religious beliefs, political beliefs, or other ideologies.

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

Read books about acceptance:

• It’s Okay to Be Different by Todd Parr
• Whoever You Are by Mem Fox
• Big Al by Andrew Clements
• A Rainbow of Friends by PK Hallinan
• The Big Orange Splot by D. Manus Pinkwater and Daniel Manus Pinkwater
• There’s a Skunk in My Bunk by Joseph McCann
• The Sneetches by Dr. Seuss
• I’m Like You, You’re Like Me by Cindy Gainer
• The Name Jar by Yangsook Choi

Sing a few catchy songs about acceptance:

• Harry Kindergarten-Acceptance
• Kindness Song in Sign Language
• Friend Song
• Jack Johnson We Are Gonna Be Friends
• Mr. Stanley: Tolerance
• Everyone is Different song

More great books about acceptance from YouTube!
How Full is Your Bucket

Octicorn

Whoever You Are

A Rainbow of Friends

The Big Orange Splot

The Sneetches Video

Same Same But Different

It’s Okay to be Different

We had our first bus drill today.

Dreaming about math with DreamBox. An online, adaptive learning program that helps all children achieve better, faster math proficiency. A letter will be coming home today with login information and password so your child can access this program at home too.

We are writing personal narratives. We are learning that we can revise our stories with different tools. Some of us added a few words to our stories with carets. Some of us added revision strips to the end of our pages to add more words.

We are learning that we can represent a teen number as a group of ten ones and some number of ones.

This week in school we read the story How Full is Your Bucket?  This book encourages positive behavior.  The book explains that we all carry an invisible bucket.  When our bucket is full, we are happy.  When our bucket is empty, we are sad.  In our classroom we are striving to be bucket fillers!  We can fill buckets by being kind and caring.  By helping others and giving compliments.  We will try hard not to be bucket dippers.  Bucket dippers are rude, mean and selfish.

It is difficult to believe that most elementary-age children were not born when the horrific events of September 11th rocked our nation. However, as teachers and as communities we respectfully remember and learn about what happened during and after the 9/11 terrorist attacks just like we learned about the American Revolution, the Civil War and the Declaration of Independence. The stories below will empower students at William O. Schaefer to discover their own super powers!

The Man In Red Bandana by Honor Crowther Fagan

When Welles Crowther was a young boy, his father gave him a red bandanna, which he always carried with him. On September 11, 2001, Welles Remy Crowther saved numerous people from the upper floors of the World Trade Center South Tower. “The Man in the Red Bandanna” recounts and celebrates his heroism on that day. Welles’ story carries an inspirational message that will resonate with adults as well as young children.

Listen to the story below read by Emma.

September 12th: We Knew Everything Would Be All Right

Heartfelt and touching book by 1st graders at Masterson Elementary School in Kennet, Missouri, about the day after the tragic events of September 11th.

On September 11th horrific events occurred, yet through the simple text and vibrant art of first graders, we are reminded that the world continued the next day. On each page, children experience the comforts of ordinary routines, such as their teacher reading books to them, having homework and recess, and knowing that 2 + 2 still equals 4. This is a poignant message of hope that reassures us all that even after bad things happen, tomorrow always brings a new day.

Listen to the story below read by our assistant principal, Jeannine Carr.

Today was our first day of school.  We had a great day getting to know one another.  We spoke about our feelings.  Some of us were nervous to start school.  Some of us were happy and excited.  We read First Day Jitters by Julie Danneburg and then made a class graph about our first day feelings.

Class of 2016-2017 Video Montage on PhotoPeach

We are busy builders!