It's Friday!

We finished our book, Flat Stanley yesterday. It's about a boy who is flattened by a bulletin board and goes on lots of adventures. The students colored and cut out their own Stanleys today.

They will take them home and have some amazing adventures of their own.

Some of the Stanleys visited reading centers.

Emaleigh and Angline show Stanley the writing center while Josh reads to his Stanley.Zane and Brayden show their Stanleys the Word Work center.

Wilson and Chase work in the Spelling center with their Stanleys.

Stanley hangs out with Hannah as she writes a compliment to a friend.

We have a compliment bucket and each day during centers students can write nice things about other students. I read the compliments to the class and then they take their nice notes home. The kids love it and always thank and sometimes hug the person who wrote something nice about them. They are so sweet!

This group of kids are so sweet to each other. They help each other when they're sad or hurt. They compliment each other and give high fives when they are proud of one another.

Some of the kids have been been bringing me some of their favorite books from home for me to read to the class. Today Taigan brought a book and when I started to take it she said, "Actually, I can read it." I was impressed by the way she read it to the class, just like a teacher. I was even more impressed with the way the other kids sat so wonderfully and listened to the story.
After she finished several of them told her how great she read and some even gave her a high five!We had Rise and Shine this morning. It's a short assembly where we sing our school song, learn the word of the week, and at the end a student from each class gets a hug from Hug-A-Bear.

Zane got a hug from Hug-A-Bear this week.

Last time Hannah got a hug.Kennedy and Tanner were our Students of the Month for September. They asked me what it was and I told them they earned it because they were responsible and kind to others. Then I told them they got their picture in the Seneca newspaper. They started jumping up and down and hugging each other like I had told them they just won a million dollars! We had Show and Tell today which is more like a Talent Show!

This group of students doesn't lack self-confidence. They show me cheers, dance routines, sing songs, and do football plays. I look forward to it all week! Emma showed her tooth that she lost last night.

A couple of things your kids said today....

I came up behind Emma and hugged her and she said "Oh, you scared me! I thought you were a human!"

No, just your teacher!

Tristen came back to my desk and asked, "Mrs. Ward, what does streak mean?"

I told him it was kind of like lines. Then I asked, "Why?"

He said, "Because someone was streaking out in the hallway."

After some more questions I figured out they were dragging their hands on the walls and making lines.

In class this morning I overheard Tanner ask Mallorie, "Do you want to help me teach Kennedy to run fast at recess?"

After recess Kennedy was really sweaty and Mallorie and Tanner were saying encouraging things to her like "You're getting faster and stronger than my sister."

I caught Kennedy looking down her shirt in the hallway saying, "I'm getting a lot more bones from all that running!"

I had the students write a sentence about their moms. Wilson said, "My mom lovs my be cus i hper wif hre chors." Pretty good for the beginning of first grade!

Taigan said, "My mom is prite (pretty)."
I think the crayons add ten pounds. What do you think Heather?

Alexis said, "My mom is awesome because she is having a baby."
That's more than awesome, that's like some sort of superpower!

We've been playing games on the Smartboard. The kids love it!

Chase got a new wrap on his arm. He says it now smells like his Nana's house, which apparently smells really good because he's been sniffing it all day. He's asked several people if they want to smell it. As a rule of thumb I usually don't sniff anything a kid asks me to, but I've got to admit I was curious about the smell of his Nana's house. When Tanner was asked he said, "I'll pass".

Funny Things Your Kids Say...

These are comments I've heard in the past couple of days. I will keep their identity a secret to save you, as parents, some embarrassment!

After looking at the picture of animals dancing on the front of a book a child says, "I can tell this book isn't nonfriction".

One little girl said, "When I walk this part of my hell hurts and I didn't even do a cartwheel or nothin'".

I overheard one little guy in our class, who has a cast on his wrist, say to the little girl behind him in the lunch line, "It really stinks inside here (his cast)...wanna smell?" The girl said no.

At lunch the other day the cafeteria ladies were serving baked beans and one of our students told them in great detail what beans does to his dad. Then he asked if he had to eat them?

I made the mistake one day of asking a little girl what took her so long in the bathroom and she said, "I had to go poo and sometimes that takes awhile". I guess I shouldn't ask if I don't want to know!

I asked the students to write a sentence about their dad. One boy said, "My dad is a turd, but he's still nice".

I love my job!

Athletes...Well, Kind Of

At the request of two of our students, Coach King and Coach Townsend came to read to our class today. It took the students a little while to figure out "what team they played for".

We finally established the fact that they coached the high school football and basketball teams in Seneca and that their colors are red and white.

They were good sports and read a book called "Hooway for Wodney Wat". It's a story about a little rat named Rodney who has a hard time pronouncing his Rs. It was pretty comical listening to these two grown men read the words as Wodney would say them! To top it off Mrs. Barnes came in to listen. They signed autograph books, took hugs, and answered questions.

We all loved these coaches, but their two biggest fans were their daughters Kennedy and Mallorie.

Thank you Coach Townsend and Coach King for reading to us today. We had a blast!

Happy Birthday Sydney

We celebrated Sydney's 7th birthday today. The boys bowed down to her 7 times then we sang the birthday song.

We ate her yummy cake and gave her compliments and good wishes.

Tristen hopes Sydney has a "rockin' birthday".

Tanner hopes Sydney gets a monster truck for her birthday.

Brayden says Sydney rocks!

Kennedy said Sydney is a good friend because she is nice.

Wilson wishes Sydney a happy birthday!

Chase hopes Sydney gets a Barbie.

Hannah wishes Sydney will get glass dolls for her birthday so they can play together.

Emma said the cake tasted good!

Happy Birthday Sydney!!

Football Friday

Jacob Rhoades and Eric Esposito came to our class today. They are senior football players. They read "If You Give a Moose a Muffin" to the class. The kids laughed and had a good time listening to the story.

After the story they posed for a few pictures and signed autographs in each child's autograph book.

The students asked them questions and some gave them hugs and pictures.

The students will soon be able to read books and take Accelerated Reader tests on the computer to earn points. The top two point earners at the end of each quarter will be able to eat pizza with their favorite athlete.

When Jacob was in my third grade class several years ago he was a top reader and ate lunch with football star, Dusty Webb, Taigan's dad!!

We loved having the boys come to our class and wish them luck at their game tonight!