Go West!

All of your hard work paid off- Go West was an absolute success! I was so proud of all that you accomplished over the last month. Your performance put me to tears. Enjoy the video!

Discovery World

D.A.R.E.

The weeks are flying by so quickly and before we know it our time with Officer Kotrly will be over for the year. A few weeks ago we had an extra few minutes so Officer Kotrly thought it'd be a great idea to show the kids how to use the handcuffs. Somehow I was his first victim...for the record, Kevin and I did NOTHING wrong and we were very cooperative!

Sorry for my delay on posting…

I wanted to apologize to all of you for not posting on our blog as often as I wanted to. Being brand new to 5^th grade I feel like I'm just trying to keep my head above water each day. I have been meaning to publish these pictures FOREVER! Enjoy them!

Dear Families of Room 202-

Jim and I are bringing Willie and Lexa a brand new joy. Could it be a bone, ball, or treat…nope, it's a sweet little boy they’ll meet!

Thought I’d write a quick post letting you know about our exciting news. Jim and I are expecting a new baby in early September. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or concerns.

Flipping out over Forensics!

We have spent the last two weeks preparing for our forensics presentation this afternoon. The students chose individual poems to interpret and perform in front of an audience. I have been so impressed with their diligence and creativity. Enjoy the photos from our practice and the video of the live show!

Don't forget to hit mute on the playlist (bottom of the screen) so you can hear our performances.

Skateland!

What a fun morning! The 5th graders spent their morning skating at Skateland. We all had a great time. We were back in time for Phy. Ed and a delicious pizza lunch. Thank you to all of the parents that were able to chaperone. You always make our trips possible.

Our New Flip Video!

I received a grant to purchase a Flip video camera for our classroom. It arrived on Friday afternoon during Social Studies class so we thought we try out our new toy and take some quick videos. I merged the short clips to create a brief movie of the students working together in groups.

I am really excited to have this new tool in my classroom. The software was loaded on my laptop today so I can try to figure out how to best utilize the video. I am anxious for the kids to start taking videos in and helping me collect them for our classroom blog.

Just another way for you to catch a glimpse at what we're doing in room 202!

D.A.R.E.

D.A.R.E. started today. Officer Kotrly will be working with us for about 11 weeks between now and the end of the year. He came to our classroom and introduced himself to us and he learned a little more about all of the kids in our classroom.

The students all wore their D.A.R.E. shirts and today they received their D.A.R.E. handbook. Today we learned the Decision-Making Model:

D- define the problem, challenge, or opportunity
A- assess your choices
R- respond by making a choice- use facts and gather information
E- evaluate and review your decisions- did you make the correct choice?

After learning the model we worked through a few different scenarios and the students were asked to use the decision-making model to work through the situations.

Our next D.A.R.E. gathering is next week Friday, February 4, 2010. Wear your D.A.R.E. shirt!

WHMS Parent Information Night!!!

Attention all 5th Grade Parents!

Mark your calendars for Wisconsin Hills Parent/Student Information Night. Wisconsin Hills Middle School will be having Parent/Student Information Night on Wednesday, January 27, 2010.

Swanson Elementary and private/parochial schools, parents and students are invited to attend from 7:00-8:00 pm in the Wisconsin Hills Gymnasium. The administrative and guidance team will share information at both sessions about Wisconsin Hills and the 6th grade program. In addition, there will be a brief tour following each session. We hope parents and their 5th graders will be able to join us for this informative evening.

Please remember to turn in your course planning form to Mrs. Sommerville by February 12, 2010!!