We love the Fishing Tournament!

A school holds so many special people. I am sure you have read time and time again, "It takes a village." Our Coaches sell popcorn and jolly pops each Friday and you might wonder where does the money go? Let me share a few things the coaches don't let many people know about their selflessness. The one day each child looks forward to each year is Field Day. All of the supplies, ribbons, prizes, trophies, and food and water for volunteers are paid for with the profits of the weekly sale. The Coaches host 2 fishing tournaments a year. They supply bait, hot dog lunch, raffle prizes, and trophies for this event.
My husband and I took our son, Carson to his first fishing tournament. We didn't even have a pole but Coach had one ready for us. It was awesome to see his face as his mom baited the hook and then his dad taught him how to cast and release the bait into the water. He was so excited and after 10 minutes he caught his first fish. Can you see him jumping on the dock? It was priceless. Many kids get to spend some quality time with mom or dad or even with the family enjoying some quiet time away from school. It was so nice to see the familiar faces and excitement as Tommy pulled up a 14 1/2 inch Hammerhead shark. WOW! TOO COOL! Another thing most don't know is that the Coaches use the $ to buy shoes for kids that need proper shoes for PE. It really does take a village and we are so blessed at Cypress Creek Elementary to have Coach Glover and Coach McLean to add a smile to a kid's face. So thank you both for your selflessness. We love you both!

Watch our Retell...

Throughout the year, we spend a lot of time retelling stories. We talk about important story elements(characters, setting, problem/solution, etc.) and the importance of summarizing events in order. We also discuss our connections to the reading we do in our classroom. First graders become experts in retelling stories. A reading group was challenged to work as a group and retell a guided reading story. One group had 3 students and the other 4. Each group was assigned beginning, middle, and end. Students wrote a retell of the assigned part to read while we compiled a Photostory. They also had to illustrate their parts. Please watch the two presentations.

Jack Hartmann 2010

Friday was a highlight for our class. That is me with our favorite singer, Jack Hartmann! We have been singing Jack Hartmann songs throughout the year. We sing about word families, skip counting, making shapes, you name it and Jack has a song for just about every literacy or math skill imaginable. A few months back we emailed Jack to request a few favorites. Our class was thrilled when we heard back from his representatives. We practiced the Hip Hop Tooty Ta, Chicken Count, and One Small Voice and knew them all by heart. He performed PowWow and we were so excited because that was our #1 request! Thank you so much Jack! Take a look at our awesome pictures of the Tooty Ta and the bus ride. One classmate summed it all up, "This is the best day in my whole life!"

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

Earth Day 2010

Isn't everyday Earth Day? We were so lucky to be able to celebrate Earth Day with Mr. Wheeler's 5th graders. We started out by watching a short part of the Lorax on the whiteboard but the magic happened when we were treated to an original production written by the students. It was quite a treat! We took a short quiz on the ActivExpressions. As if that were not enough, we were invited to make Truffula trees, made of Oreo sticks and cotton candy, with our buddies. Our monthly family project was to make a sculpture or invention out of recycable material. They have outdone themselves with these creations. I am amazed at the creativity the families put forth each month. Thank you for sharing.