That was fast

I just don't know where the time went. It goes by faster and faster with each passing year doesn't it?  It seems like it was five minutes ago that I walked my class upstairs and welcomed them into Room 208 and then 40 weeks later, here we are. My hope is that they enjoyed the adventure as much as I did. Every single day, we laughed, learned together and then laughed some more.  We sang songs, read poems, told stories and had our own little jokes that no one else understands. And like all families, we had some bumps in the road and we talked, planned, and then carried on.  

When they look back on our year together, I hope my students will say they learned the value of a good handshake,  that good manners and saying a person's name are just as important as knowing your times-tables, and that if you always pack your sense of humor and treat people the way you want to be treated, there's really no limit to what you can achieve.  

I'm proud of our year together. It was time exceptionally well spent. They say when the teacher is happy, everyone is happy, and this year, I was really, really happy.  My classroom feels like a home, that's always a goal of mine, and leaving my "real" home and heading to my "school" home each day to spend my day with your children never felt like work. Even when I over-filled the sink or jammed the copier, it was always a pleasure to spend my day with my school family.  

It is my sincere hope that my students will look back on our year together and recall it fondly. I hope I've made a difference in their lives. I hope that I've taught lessons that will remain with them and that I made them feel special and important.  I can tell you that your children certainly made me feel this way.  I often refer to my students as my "chickadees", and as my mother will confirm for you, this little group literally felt like my little chicks.  I noticed early on. They followed me everywhere and clung to every word. They seemed fascinated and engaged and I cherished that so much. I always will. 

It was so heart-warming to watch this crew get to work after instructions were given or lessons were taught. One could practically read their minds. They looked like they were thinking "Hey, if she said to do it, I'm sure it's important, so let's get 'er done." I have a sneaky feeling that if I told them we were going to learn about the history of paper-towels, they'd sit up straight, with a smile on their face and be ready to learn. They're just that sweet.   

They were interested in everything and just wanted to show you their very best. What more could a teacher ask for? What more could a parent ask for?  

Thank you for sharing them with me.  I gave your special people my very best and I will miss them terribly as they move on to Grade Four.  

Next Fall, I've designated last recess as the "visiting hour" during the school year, and my hope is that my room will be full once again with the enthusiastic voices and shiny smiles of my 2015-2016 friends.  

    

Beethoven and Building

Today it was all about Beethoven and building!  We began the afternoon by finding a favourite spot in the room, resting our heads andlistening to "Beethoven Lives Upstairs". It was a quiet few minutes, with no noise, other than the narrator and beautiful Beethoven. 

But look out, because when that was done, there was some serious noise! The boys and girls completed a number of Solo-Cup building challenges! They ranged from easy to hard and in the end, we finished with a whole-class challenge. 
It was fun for all, but we quickly determined that uttering the phrase, "Let me take a picture of this" was the death phrase. It seemed like whenever I said those magic words, all of the Solo-Cups had a great fall.  

That was so fun! And how to buy the dvd!

Tuesday night was so much fun! 
Thank you parents for supporting the school play! The kids were so excited upon their arrival and didn't they look positively adorable as they performed? Would you believe we've been practicing that routine since February?  To see it all come together so beautifully was really touching. 

I especially enjoyed seeing how our dance fit into the play overall. It was so fun seeing how the main cast interacted with my students on stage. 

After our dance number, we all returned to the classroom to enjoy some preferred activity time while watching the movie itself! Thank you to Miss Sarah for sharing it with us!  

Then, just before it was time to return to the stage for our bow, we had a real "Evening Meeting"! We usually do this every afternoon, but this was the first time we'd ever had a true "evening" meeting! We gave out brag tags and talked about how wonderful the entire process had been. It was neat to hear how some of the kids didn't want the night to end; they wanted it to go on and on. Other kids want to take dancing/acting lessons and other kids are just plain relieved it's done! 

Thank you parents for your help with costumes and drop offs and pick-ups. The evening was a huge success and I sincerely appreciate your support!   

If you would like to order a dvd of the performance, here are the details: 

• you must order your dvd online
• sales will take place from June 10-June 17
• late orders after June 17 will not be accepted 
• you will need to order Cast A, B, or C when purchasing online (we were cast B) 
• copies of the dvd are $5.00 
• orders can be placed at https://hcdsb.schoolcashonline.com/Home/SignIn

I like the sound, I like the sound of that.

There's a really sweet song by country group Rascal Flatts called, "I Like the Sound of That".  It's a love-song and the chorus is really catchy. It's my jam right now.  I had the video posted above, but I can't get it to stay put; every time I refresh the page, it disappears, so you'll have to take my word for it! 

As the year winds down, I get a little sentimental. Okay, maybe a lot sentimental.  I have, after all, spent almost 190 days with these chickadees. And it doesn't take long before they kind of start to feel like mine.  We become a little family really quickly. I think that happened mid-September.  And today (Friday)...when they left, the room was really quiet. Really quiet. I needed Kleenex. 

How often do you have a day at work where you go, "Ya, this career thing, I'm doing it right." ? It was a really great day today. 

It was "Despicable Me" day and it could have been "let's watch paint dry" day and these kids would make it memorable.  I took a million plus one pictures and I hope to have them on the bulletin board outside our room for you to see on Tuesday night. Fingers crossed for the Costco photo lab.  Since I don't really post photos of the kids online anymore,  we'll have to go old school for the memories from today.  

We played crazy games, blew bubbles and flung Frisbees. We watched a movie, drank punch and ate chips. Does it get any better than that?  Seriously.  The laughs, the singing, the jokes and the sweetness...so much sweetness.  The best part of the day? Well, that was the thank-yous for all the fun. How do you top that? It's music to my (and I suspect your) ears.  An adorable group of 8 and 9 year- olds, thanking their "mom during the day" for the fun.  

I like the sound of that. 

And after listening to that song a hundred times, I want cowboy boots! ;) 

Beauty and the Beast

An update on the play: 
Our performance night is June 14th.  Students need to report to our classroom by 6:45pm.  Once students are dropped off, they must remain in the classroom.  

During the play, there is an intermission with an opportunity to purchase food items. I respectfully ask that parents do not purchase treats for their children and deliver them to the classroom during that time.  It's a really busy night and safety and supervision are my priority.  Any efforts to reduce traffic to the classroom are appreciated.  

In the past,  a nervous belly,  coupled with ice-cream or other treats has proven to be a...well...nasty combination. Students have worked so hard for this night, I wouldn't want anything to take away this opportunity.   

Students will be able to drink from their water bottles and classroom cups should they need a refreshment.  

Their costumes consist of the following: 

Tops: white, beige or pale colored/pattern shirts or blouses.

Bottoms: 
Girls:  skirts, preferably longish, and plain in colour (black, blue, beige, brown).
Boys: plain coloured pants in black, blue, beige or brown 

Shoes: simple footwear, no neon colours please.  
Accessories: none for boys, but girls can wear plain scarves or shawls 

Students are playing townspeople, so their looks should be very simple, so as to not distract from the actors on stage with them.