Throwback Thursday!

As usual, it's Friday which means it's time to link up with The Teacher's Desk 6 for:

This post was on my blog on February 19, 2014:


Here's something you wouldn't know about me:  I'm always a day late reading the newspaper; it's just a habit I developed when our former paper delivery person brought the Boston Globe after I had left for work so I had to read it a day late any way.  Now I could read it on time, but old habits die hard.
In Tuesday's (2/18/14)  Boston Globe, there's an article by Tom Keane titled - Is college worth it?  Here are some highlights that I think are worth directly quoting:
...College doesn't make you smart.  Rather, smart people go to college.  And it's an important distinction...being educated and smart is something that happens before college. Some of it is the luck of the genetic draw.  But much if not most is what happens from birth (or even before birth) through age 18.  Nutrition...culture you're raised in...Character, especially qualities such as grit and determination, matter.  The stuff that happens before kindergarten, when the brain is rapidly developing, matters...K-12 education matters.  Your peers and the adults around you matter...
I'm just quoting a very small part of this article which is totally worth reading in full because we - parents and teachers working together - are an important team in the education and success of each child.  
I reminded my 22 year old son, Derek, as he was leaving this morning for work, he owes his success to his mother - I got a small chuckle in response.  Any way, I watched my first "Kid President" video at:   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5-EwrhsMzY.  In one of the videos, he mentioned that MOM spelled upside now is WOW.
Wow, enough said for today!

Quick update:  My son, Derek who is 23, now goes to U-Mass Amherst where he is studying for a Master's degree in Public Administration!  

 

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Wordless Wednesday!

I am happy to link up with Miss DeCarbo for:

Here's our wonderful custodian, Marcia, using the floor buffer:

How many of you would like to bring the buffer home to clean your own floors?

p.s. I want to try out the vacuum that you can carry on your back!

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Five For Friday For February Vacation!

Happy Friday!  This week we were on vacation which means it's time to link up with Doodle Bugs for:

If you live in eastern Massachusetts, we got to shovel again:

Shoveling the mouth of the driveway is the WORST!




Luckily, my son and his friend were willing to shovel the roof:

 I joined a new health club - the Boston Sports Club - in Lynnfield.  I'm adjusting to the new spin bikes and schedule.  The bikes have a monitor that indicate how far you've gone and how many calories you've burned.

 I've been putting together a presentation about the American Revolution for my interactive whiteboard.  We've been learning about Massachusetts in the American Revolution for almost a month now, but we keep getting so many snow days and now vacation, it's hard to remember what we've been learning.

I've been catching up on appointments: the hairdresser; the dermatologist; the veterinarian....

Amazingly, with all the treats my husband gave Gabi the Dog, she still lost 5 pounds! 

My favorite activity this week has been reading.  I'm reading this book by one of my favorite authors, Anita Diamant:

 Here's part of the book summary from Amazon:

 Eighty-five-year-old Addie tells the story of her life to her twenty-two-year-old granddaughter, who has asked her “How did you get to be the woman you are today.” She begins in 1915, the year she found her voice and made friends who would help shape the course of her life. From the one-room tenement apartment she shared with her parents and two sisters, to the library group for girls she joins at a neighborhood settlement house, to her first, disastrous love affair, Addie recalls her adventures with compassion for the naïve girl she was and a wicked sense of humor.


Overall, this week has flown by - like most vacations - I've enjoyed my vacation tremendously!

Happy Weekend!

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Wordless Wednesday!

Yesterday (Wednesday) I did a lot of taking care of business activities, like taking Gabi to the vet.  That's why I'm exciting to link up with Miss DeCarbo for:

We had a very caring and wonderful veterinarian who started out as a technician at VCA Animal Hospital in Wakefield:

Don't you just love having such a loving veterinarian?

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Frigid Five For Friday!

It's Sunday, and we've just had our second blizzard of the winter.  My neighbor just told me that they had to postpone  the Iditarod because there's not enough snow.  I guess the snow and cold have been relocated to eastern Massachusetts!

Now I'm linking up with Doodle Bugs for:

We had two snow days and three school days this week.  On Wednesday, we were super lucky to have President Abraham Lincoln from Historical Perspecitives:

The actors who do these shows are so talented, and they share so much fascinating information about the person they're portraying.  I really loved when President Lincoln had some students come up to square dance.

On Thursday we had Pajama Day!  Here's me on the left and Mrs. Borselli on the right:

With all these snow days, Valentine's Day and an upcoming vacation, focus has become difficult so we discussed what it means to focus:

We received several Valentine's from our Valentine Exchange (on the left):

On the right, there are pictures from our Healthy Heart Valentines Breakfast Party and our Morning Message.

Happy Presidents' Day and Long Weekend!

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Wordless Wednesday on Thursday!

Hello there!  I'm so excited to link up with Miss DeCarbo  for:

Yesterday - on Wednesday - Abraham Lincoln from Historical Perspectives for Children spoke at an assembly:

What are your favorite kinds of assemblies?

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What We Love!

Here's a fun link-up with Primary Powers!

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Here's something else I LOVE - we're having school tomorrow!  Also, it looks like the next snow will only be one to four inches so we'll have school for THREE days this week.  I'm very excited that we're having a mini-break from the snow!

Happy Wednesday!

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Anchors Away on a Snow Day!

Happy Monday!  I'm pretty sure this is our 6th snow day this year (when you lose count, you know there's been too many).  Luckily, I did manage to make an anchor chart last week so I can link up with Deb for:

We've been learning about singular and plural nouns:

We also work on this skill in our Morning Message.  The top of this message is based on a freebie from another blogger (I need to start writing down this information).  I wanted to try something new:

Of course, Georgia pointed out that I forgot the Fact of the Day, but I just ran out of room because I wanted to write 19 words to make plural (there are 19 students in our room). 

Tomorrow we have our 7th snow day.  Next week we'll be on vacation.  I can't believe how much snow we've been having this winter!

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Five For Friday For A Three Day Week!

Hello there!  It is Friday so I'm linking up with Doodle Bugs for:

We started off the week with another snowstorm and two more snow days.  The blizzard brought about 30 inches two weeks ago while this week's storm brought another 17 inches.  Now the meteorologists are saying another foot this weekend.  Supposedly, we have more snow than in Alaska! 

We are learning to tell time using a regular clock.  It's a whole new learning experience for most of my students who use digital clocks.  When I got my first watch in 1968 in third grade, I had to turn the knob every night so the clock would keep working.  Now younger people use their cell phones to tell the time.  The world has changed so much in such a short time.

 We reviewed the events leading up to the American Revolution such as the Boston Massacre and the Boston Tea Party:

 The fairness issue tied in nicely with our Character Assembly.

 This month's character trait was fairness.  We had our monthly assembly today:

 The bottom pictures shows the third graders who received a Fairness Award.

We received two more Valentines:  one from York, Pennsylvania and one from Hubert, North Carolina :

I loved learning that York Peppermint Patties used to be made in York, PA while the boys loved learning that Harley Davidson has a factory there. 

We also mailed all of our Valentines.  We made adorable ladybug ones.

Right now I'm waiting to hear from AAA.  My car is sitting at the supermarket parking lot because it wouldn't start.  The lights and radio work so it's not the battery.  The AAA lady said it would take about three hours.  Hopefully, I won't be up for too long since I'm usually in bed by nine o'clock.

Happy Weekend!
 

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Wordless Wednesday

Today I'm linking up with Miss DeCarbo for:

Thanks to PAWSitively Teaching our class is participating in a Valentine Exchange.  Thanks to Mrs. Brown, we created these delightful ladybug valentines because the state insect of Massachusetts is a ladybug!

Have you ever participated in a Valentine Exchange?

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Currently Time Is Flying Into February!

It's FEBRUARY!  I have a snow day - again!  This is the 4th one this year!

Now it's time to link up with Farley for Currently:

In my basement, my sons have amassed a drum set, amps, ...for their band, Foxglove.  Click here to check out their pictures.  You'll even get to see what my basement looks like.

WE'VE HAD ENOUGH SNOW ALREADY!

These snow days mean that we'll be late to send out our Valentines.  I signed my class up for this Valentine Exchange arranged by Pawsitively Teaching.  We should have our Valentines in the mail by Wednesday, but we haven't even started yet.  Last week we didn't even get any mail delivered for two days so the snow has definitely impacted so many people.


On a positive and summery note, check out this most adorable watermelon cupcake here!

Have a fabulous February!

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