The excitement of the upcoming winter break is palpable in Room 17. At random moments during the day, I hear children singing holiday tunes quietly to themselves. It is quite endearing. IXL Math just sent an update, and students have completed an impressive 11,000 math problems since September, logging in for 54 hours of math practice outside of school! It should be even handier to remember just one password, as Raz-Kids and IXL are now the same. We spent time on Friday counting our collection of money raised for Mercy Corps. We tallied an amazing $90.61, which allowed us to purchase a dairy cow. With the additional funds, we had four items we could buy: a bag of seeds, comfort for a child, compost, or emergency food. This led to an interesting discussion about what we truly need, versus what we want. Students used dry erase boards to record their data, and revealed emergency food to be the top selection. Thanks to all who contributed our project. Along the same vein, in appreciation for all the great volunteers for our class, I made a donation to Mercy Corps to outfit a classroom where supplies are most needed. Tuesday morning at ten, we welcomed Mr. Marchyok’s 4th grade class into our room to watch four Reader’s Theater plays. They were a very attentive and polite audience, and the performers really appreciated having them there. We return the favor Wednesday afternoon. You probably have a keen sense of how dramatic your own child can be, and I am going to encourage them to put this character trait to good use in the Lewis School play.
For the holidays, my hope is that you and your family get plenty of rest, good food, and choosing time. I feel very fortunate to have spent the final four months of 2011 with your children. They are bright, sweet, and eager to learn. I look forward to our New Year together!
