Happy New Year!

Well, I am about to head back toward the south and Nashville to ring in 2008. Christmas was nice. No snow, but cold. I would rather have had snow, but it went north up here and snowed in the Quad Cities and Chicago. Oh, well. I trust that you all had a nice week. I have been able to spend a bit of time with Kaleb. It is amazing how different he is from Thanksgiving. I won't bore you with stories of him, but I will share one picture. (Maybe later I'll add a few more.)

Anyhow, I hope that everyone has a great time New Year's Eve. I will do my best to stay awake and see the ball drop, but I make no promises. You know I am too old to pull an all-nighter! Does anyone have a resolution they hope to keep for 2008? Share them here if you like!

As I finish up here I have to comment about tonight's NFL game. I know so many of you will be watching. Tonight may be history in the making. Even my die-hard Colts fans have to be rooting for the Patriots to make it a perfect season. And of course we are all pulling for a Titans victory on Sunday, right? Enjoy your great weekend of football and have a wonderful start to 2008!

A Season of Giving

Maybe it is because I am getting older, or maybe it is because I am learning to be content with what I have, but each year Christmas to me is more and more about giving. Yes, admittedly I am not the best at receiving, so this is rather convenient. Nevertheless, I see how excited the students get about wanting and anticipating "things." So today, on Christmas Eve, I want to challenge myself and anyone reading to think about the intangible things that can be given which are so much better and last longer than anything we can wrap and put under the tree.

That being said, I am off to spend some time with my family. My job every year is to make the yeast rolls, and so it just isn't Christmas without the smell of those rolls rising and baking. Yum! So I must be off.

May you all have a wonderful Christmas both giving and getting great things. May your New Year be full of happiness and success. Enjoy this time with your family and loved ones.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays

You are all the best! Yes, that's right. I'll say it again--

You are the BEST!

We just finished up our party and are getting ready to dismiss for the day. The class did so well during the party. They talked--without yelling--and were polite and very well mannered. A guest came in and commented on how under control they all seemed and paid very high praise to everyone! Well done!

That having been said, I do have some bad news about tomorrow. You will be getting a call-out from Ms. Greer and a note home letting you know that the SSA opt-out day for tomorrow has been cancelled. This does not dampen our spirits, however. We will still have our D.E.A.R. time and Polar Express festivities. Students can still (and are encouraged to) bring in their pillows, blankets, snacks, and tons of good books. The read-a-thon will go on! Although we are disappointed about not wearing our pajamas, we understand that the behavior of many students in the building was quite poor, and wearing fun clothes to school would only invite more trouble. I know it was a difficult decision for Ms. Greer, but our class talked about it and I think they understand her reasoning. I look forward to dropping everything and reading tomorrow! Maybe I'll finally finish one of the books I am reading!

We have a lot of goodies remaining from our party. We will snack on them tomorrow and Friday! Much thanks for your generosity. Thanks also for sharing your children with me! I don't say that enough.

Now for me to get all serious. I wish for you and your families a wonderful holiday season, no matter what holidays you choose to celebrate. I pray that your travels will be safe and wreck-free, and that you have plenty of time to spend with loved ones. I hope you get not only what you asked for from Santa, but that your heart is filled with the warmth and kindness of this blessed season. We will only have 18 weeks remaining once we get back. It will seem like a lifetime for the students, but not so much for me. After a year and a half, it is hard to believe that the end is so near. We will have to make the first half of 2008 one of the best yet! Merry Christmas and I'll see you January 8. God bless!

PS--Don't forget about your Legacy Letters! Return them to school in a sealed envelope as soon as you can. We'll need them in by April! Thanks.

One More Week

School has just let out for the day and I sit here trying to plan what the next five and a half days will hold for our class. There is much to do before we call it a year. Tomorrow (12/14) and Monday (12/17) should be fairly normal. I will conduct class as usual. Tuesday is a bit up in the air. I know that is our big "Jeopardy" show-down day, but it will also hold our after-school Holiday program at 6:30. Now, we might have a Holiday program that morning during school, but don't hold me to that. A Retirement bash for Mr. Carpenter will be held that evening at 5:30.

Wednesday (12/19) is the date of our class Christmas party! The morning will pass normally as students will go to reading, but then at 11:00, we will let our hair down and PARTY! All parents are invited to come and share. (Please be sure to send in your items for the party no later than that morning.)

Now here is the potentially upsetting news. Thursday (12/20) is scheduled to be an opt-out day so students can wear their pajamas for D.E.A.R. and Polar Express day. Because of behavior problems throughout the school, the opt-out day may be rescinded. I will update this blog and send a note home Wednesday to let you know the status of "Pajama Day." Whether or not students wear pj's, we will have D.E.A.R. day so that the students participating in the LCO read-a-thon can earn those pledges! Don't forget to bring your pledge sheets to school that day.

And then that brings us to next Friday, December 21--a half day to ring in Christmas vacation. We will probably spend most of that day with our reading buddies in Mrs. Ward's class. Dismissal will begin at 11:15. Until then, happy shopping!

All I Want For Christmas Is . . .

Fourth grade reading students have been writing persuasive letters to Santa Claus. Since he checks here a few times a week to see how we are doing, this is the perfect place for Santa to come and see exactly what we want to find under the tree on Christmas morning! Click on the comments below to see what the students are asking for this holiday season! Merry Christmas!!

The LCO is ON!!

Great things are happening at Jones Paideia in the Looper classes! Finally Mrs. Ward and I are able to formally announce that the 1st (and possibly last--I'll let you know in May) ever Looper Camp Out (LCO) has been approved! We crossed our fingers and everything has come to fruition. Mark your calendars: May 13-15, 2008, Jones Loopers will be roughing it in the wilderness--(not really roughing it or in the wilderness for that matter, but that sounds so much more exciting)! Hopefully you got the notice today about our informational meetings on Monday. Mrs. Ward and I will discuss the particulars of the trip including cost and payment options along with a simple and educational fundraiser we will offer beginning next week.

I, for one, am very excited to be able to offer our awesome students this phenomenal opportunity. As we told them today, they didn't deserve another Lock-In--they deserved more, and this is hopefully something each and every child can join in and experience. The most important thing to remember here is that the students earned this opportunity by working with our 2nd grade friends and each other so well for two years. This looping format has been an amazing experience (at least for me) and I want the students to be able to leave elementary school with unforgettable memories and the knowledge that they made a difference in each others' lives. The LCO will be a time for them to spend those last few days together, away from the bustle of daily life, with a chance to truly reflect on what their time at Jones and as Loopers mean to them.

I hope you are able to attend one of our meetings on Monday. We are holding the meetings in the library at 3:15 and again at 5:30. We will share with you what we know, answer the questions we can, and do our best to find answers for the things we don't know. If you are unable to attend, we will send home information to everyone else on Tuesday. As always you can contact me with any questions or concerns. I hope you are as excited about this as Mrs. Ward and I are. I'll see you Monday!

December? Already?

Well, needless to say the call for party suggestions in the previous post was less than a rousing success. Our only response was to invite Mrs. Cuffman, and Mrs. Cuffman was the one who suggested it.

What do you think about having a sandwich buffet? We could have chips, dip, lunch meats, cheeses, and breads along to supplement the sweet stuff. Do you think that would work? I do appreciate the list of items you are sending in on the graded paper cover sheets. I will send a confirmation home on Friday for your item so you have two weekends to get whatever you might need.

As for the specifics, Mrs. Ward (whose birthday is today--Happy "29th"!) and I decided to have our parties on Wednesday so that everyone would be able to attend. We got to thinking about how many students do not come to school on the last half day before a break. So to hopefully insure that we are all together, we will begin our party on Wednesday, December 19, at 11:00. We will have food, a movie, and possibly games and other activities. Like last year, we will not have a gift exchange--just sharing time with each other. Right now I believe we have two parents coming in, but everyone is invited. Let me know if you have any better ideas or suggestions.

Thanks and have a great week!