Fall is Fabulous

The weather is cooling down a little these days, but that doesn't deter our students from working hard and playing hard.

In both Katie and Lena's classes kids have been working on recognizing and using words with pizazz. In Katie's class these are called Wondrous Words, and in Lena's class they are called Dazzling Words. When you and your child are reading together, see if you can pick out some of your own. Life can be a little spicier when you know how to phrase it.

This year we are also using a great idea that Kim and Betsy use in their classrooms. Lena and Katie both have plastic bottles with different colored jellybeans in them. Each bottle of jellybean has a quality that we like to see in our students: pink is enthusiasm, yellow is respect, red is kindness, etc. When a teacher or student sees another person in our classroom exhibiting any of the qualities listed on one of the bottles, we put a jellybean in a small glass jar. When the jar is full, the class gets to have a special treat like time outside or a class party. The trick is, kids have to get "caught" performing that behavior; they can't tell on themselves. This is a wonderful way of making kids aware of how our behavior positively affects others.

Be on the lookout for upcoming information on Fall Festival; it will be in folders this week.