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Bestselling author Brad Meltzer wrote two books with:
60 heroes.
60 stories.
60 reminders that anything is possible.

Check out his #1 Hero – Video!

Who is your #1 hero that you would want your son/daughter to know about? Model your writing like Brad Meltzer. Use a title, subtitle, story and quote. Post to this blog, create a google doc and/or video.

In addition, check out:

• National Parks: America’s Best Idea, Ken Burns’ film on PBS. Its website is filled with great resources, including video clips.
• Can you name these national parks just by looking at their maps? is from The Washington Post.
• Google Unveils Impressive Site: “The Hidden Worlds of the National Parks”

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.

Please order your t-shirt here – Field Day 2018

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.

1. Add your “Black Out” poem to our shared google doc – Women’s Black Out Poems.
2. It does not matter if you are a boy or a girl. What are you going to make? Please write your “One day I will…” statement to this blog post.

We can a learn a lot about perseverance from Martin Luther King, Jr. On Monday, January 16th we observe his birthday and honor all of his accomplishments. Listen to Kid President’s video on how King taught us that things won’t always be awesome, but your response can be.

Remember, things don’t always have to be they are. We can change them! Kids can change them.

Let’s use a creative form of poetry, Blackout Poetry, to share our own message of hope and perseverance with MLK: An American Leader.  For homework, post your poem to this blog.

Additional Resources:

• Try this listening activity. Listen to the I Have A Dream speech while you’re reading text.
• Here is a Martin Luther King, Jr. Internet scavenger hunt. Information is from the official U.S. Government website on Martin Luther King, Jr.
• Watch the video of the book, Martin’s Big Words.
• Watch King Leads March On Washington.