Grace’s father, David Luther, visited the ranch as our Mystery Reader Tuesday morning. He read to us the book entitled Duck for President by Doreen Cronin. Duck begins his chores on Farmer Brown’s farm only to find himself running for governor and then for president. We combined this book with a math lesson as we learned to read numbers in the thousands and later the millions. Duck shows us that all things are possible if we dare to dream. Thanks David for being our mystery reader!
You were incredible at our Africa Bridge Celebration on Friday! The singing and the dancing, the drumming and the smiles were so inspirational. Your mission to make a difference was really a success. Congratulations! So many of the people who attended, parents, teachers, 3rd graders and special guests shared their amazement at your achievements.
As a second grade community you raised an incredible donation total so far of $3,900 and we know we have donations still coming in. Even more impressive was the realization that you have the power to change the world and give hope to children just like you. Enjoy watching the our video Just One World.
Robert Dougherty surprised us this morning with one of Kailey’s favorite books entitled How Robin Saved Spring by Debbie Ouellett. It’s a story about Lady Winter trying to keep spring from blossoming. As hard as she tries, the animals in this story try to awaken Sister Spring. Kailey loves this book because of the beautiful word choice and the enchanting story. Robert shared with us how much he loves reading and it is such a satisfying and calming experience to enjoy a good book every day. Thank you Robert for sharing part of your day with us!
Anne brought in her childhood book entitled When We Were Very Young by A.A. Milne. This famous book of poems was a childhood memory for Anne and one that she is passing on to her children. Anne read 3 fun poems for the ranchers. This poetry collection is described by Amazon as “verses full of bubbling nonsense and rhythm, written for the author’s son, Christopher Robin.” Thanks Anne for sharing one of your favorite books with us. We enjoyed every poem you read!
Second graders welcome Okaidja to Stafford next week! Okaidja will be presenting his Dancing Feet and Talking Drums residency to our second grade classes in support of our African study. You can read more about Okaidja on his website and watch some of his videos. We have the link on the blog roll under “Artist in Residence”.
Next Friday is our celebration assembly for the Africa Bridge Read to Feed/Read to Build Read-a-thon. Ranch families are invited to join us Friday morning, May 11th, from 8:15 – 9:35 in the MPR to help us celebrate! Second graders will be performing the dancing and drumming learned from Okaidja during this assembly and we will present Barry Childs our donation for Katusyo Primary School.
Thank you for your participation in our April World Outreach. Read-a-thon checks can be made out to Africa Bridge for tax credit. If your family is making a cash donation, include your name and address on the envelope so Africa Bridge can send you a tax donation as well. We encourage you to have your donations to school by Thursday, May 10th.
Nicolle Deering surprised Owen and the ranchers with a birthday book entitled Mystery Mansion by Michael Garland. In this book, Tommy arrives at Aunt Jeanne’s Victorian mansion and finds mysterious rhyming clues as he is led from room to room on a magical search with hidden letters and pictures. The excitement at the end is a surprise birthday party. It was the perfect book to help celebrate Owen’s birthday!
It’s time to explore the Study of the Earth in second grade. Enjoy researching geology as a family! Look at the links under the geology heading to discover new information about our “Home Sweet Home”. Last week we had 3 science labs teaching us about rocks and minerals. To celebrate and reinforce our Geology study, second graders will be going on a field trip to the Rice Northwest Museum of Rocks and Minerals on April 30th. Second graders rock!
Last week at our Africa Bridge Assembly, we saw pictures of Katusyo School. We are excited to help support Africa Bridge‘s efforts to complete classrooms at Katusyo. Expanding our friendships across the world is a powerful lesson for ranchers to experience making a difference in the world! Here is the Powerpoint from the assembly. Read through it as a family!
http://blogs.stafps.wlwv.k12.or.us/staff/AmriJ/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Katusyo-Stafford-2012-School_EKP-edits2.pdf
Second graders will have the opportunity to participate in a special literacy program throughout the month of April. We call it the Read to Feed/Read to Build Reading Challenge Project. This program is designed to raise money to help support the students from our buddy school, Katusyo Primary, in Tanzania.
We read a great book called Beatrice’s Goat that tells the story of a little girl whose family receives the gift of a goat. The goat helps them earn enough money to feed her family and to send Beatrice to school. She ends up winning a scholarship to a college in America.
The non-profit organization, Africa Bridge, supplies this type of sustainable help in Tanzania to support needy and orphaned children through their pig and cow co-ops.
This reading challenge project is an extension of our Great People in History unit. We are very excited to know that we can make a difference in people’s lives by making a difference in the life of just one child. We know that through our donations to Africa Bridge:
In second grade we decided we would use our reading skills to help support our friends at Katusyo School. We challenged ourselves to read more and looked for sponsors for our reading. Together with the efforts of our 4th graders through their school-wide fundraiser, The Market Place, Stafford students have done great things. Thanks to their efforts:
We had a special assembly on Monday to begin our program this year. Barry Childs, the founder of Africa Bridge, talked to us about the great things that are happening for the students at Pakati School, thanks to the continuing support of the students at Stafford School. We are excited to see what we do this year at a second school called Katusyo! We will be looking for sponsors for our reading challenge program starting today.
Hi Ranchers! I miss you already! I hope you are enjoying your spring break whether you are at home or on a trip. It will be fun sharing Flat Stanley diaries when you return to school. I’d like to encourage you to notice acts of kindness and “people doing great things making a difference in the world” over spring break. Include these things in Flat Stanley’s diary. Don’t forget to be thankful for this week of rest and play. It will renew us as we continue our second grade learning in April, May and June!
“Where there’s hope, there’s life. It fills us with fresh courage and makes us strong again.” Anne Frank
What a wonderful way to end our inspiring presentations with the story of Anne Frank. Aspen gave the finale speech around the difficult life of Anne Frank whose diary became a glimpse of her journey. Anne imparted such words of wisdom at a young age and Aspen challenged us to think about our own lives and how we treat each other with respect and fairness. In such a creative presentation, Aspen and her mother Jocie told the amazing story of this very talkative girl who was hidden away for 2 years. Thank you Aspen and family for this beautiful lesson of courage, patience and bravery.
“Everyone has inside of him a piece of good news. The good news is that you don’t know how great you can be! How much you can love! What you can accomplish! And what your potential is!” Anne Frank
Amelia Earhart flew in to see us today. Kailey introduced her as a woman who proved that women could do anything that men could do. At age 14, Amelia got her first job as a nurse during World War I. After the war, some of the pilots showed Amelia the planes they flew. Her father took her to an air show and it was there that Amelia knew she wanted to be a pilot. Inspired by Charles Lindbergh, the first person to fly across the Atlantic Ocean, Amelia joined George Putnam to fly across the Atlantic Ocean. She then attempted to fly around the world and her fate remains a mystery. Thanks Kailey and family for your presentation that showed us to dare to dream and to live our lives with adventure, courage and compassion. Thank you for your gifts that will remind us of Amelia Earhart!
“My ambition is to have this wonderful gift produce practical results for the future of commercial flying and for the women who may want to fly tomorrow’s planes.”
Meet former rancher James who was our Mystery Reader today! James read the story Verdi by Janell Cannon to us this afternoon. This is a wonderful story that encourages readers to be happy with who they are and reinforces the idea that no matter what you look like or what you can do…just be the best you! James also read an original piece of writing entitled A Day of Joy. His exceptional word choice and narrative told the story of Christmas morning with his family. Can you smell the cinnamon rolls? Let’s take a peek at James’ opening paragraph:
“Come on! Let’s go!” I bellowed at my brother and sister who were running at top snail speed. I bolted like a cheetah down the stairs and waited for the signal to go.
All we can say is a big thank you to James for adding so much joy to the ranch today!
What a beautiful morning with three inspiring presentations! Matea began our morning by introducing Florence Nightingale. Florence was a lady of compassion and had a gentle but firm spirit. She worked hard against obstacles to provide a clean environment for soldiers to recover. Florence was known as “The Lady with the Lamp” as she checked on her patients throughout the night. ”Nursing ought to signify the proper use of fresh air, light, warmth, cleanliness, quiet, and the proper selection and administration of diet—all at the least expense of vital power to the patient.” Thank you Matea and family for your presentation of this incredible woman pioneer who stood up for womens’ rights and helped to change the course of hospital sanitation.
Peyton was our second presentation. We met Sacagawea who was born in 1788 in Salmon, Idaho to a Shoshone tribe. When she was only 12, she was sold to a trapper named Charbonneau who made her his wife. In 1804, she met Meriwether Lewis and William Clark as they were traveling through the upper Missouri River. Sacagawea and Charbonneau accompanied Lewis and Clark on their expedition to serve as a Shoshone interpreter. She also served as a symbol of peace because a group traveling with a woman and a child were not as scary as a group of men alone. Sacagawea was also able to help by finding nuts and berries to eat. Thank you Peyton and family for inspiring us to be peace-makers and to use our talents to serve others.
The final presentation of the morning was meeting Ruby Bridges. Ruby did such an amazing speech about integration into public schools. Ruby was born in 1954 and went to kindergarten at a segregated school. When the Federal Court forced two white schools to integrate, Ruby found herself being escorted by federal marshalls to the William Frantz Elementary School after her parents were persuaded to allow her to attend. Many people opposed this decision and Ruby had to be brave and full of courage. Ruby now travels the world to talk to children about equal rights and how important it is to read. Thank you Ruby and family for inspiring us to be happy with who we are and to stand up for the rights of every person to be treated with equality.
“I now know that experience comes to us for a purpose, and if we follow the guidance of the spirit within us, we will probably find that the purpose is a good one.”
If you are looking for a queen known as the Grandmother of Europe, your search has come to an end. Victoria brought Queen Victoria to the ranch today. Queen Victoria was a warmhearted and lively girl who was a talented artist. She was taught 5 languages and married at age 18. Many of her 9 children and 42 grandchildren became emperors, empresses, kings, queens or married royal members across the continents. In 1837, Queen Victoria began her 63 year reign as Queen of the United Kingdom. She was the longest reigning woman monarch in history. This period of time was known as the “Victorian Era”. Thank you Victoria and family for this presentation that reinforced honesty and fairness involving important issues like education and charity work.
Annie Sullivan was best known as Helen Keller’s teacher but Chloe presented Annie as a teacher who made a difference in the world! Annie, the oldest of 5 children, had a rough childhood. She begged a state official to go to school and began her education at a blind school learning braille and sign language. (Annie began to lose her eyesight at age 7.) She met Helen when she was 21 and began what was to be the most important work of her life. Annie helped shape the way blind people were taught, helped women to see that it was possible to go to college and that it doesn’t matter what your background is for you to do things that really do make a difference in the world. Thanks Chloe and family for encouraging us to dream and achieve great things as we serve others.
You’ll never believe who visited the ranch this morning… Owen introduced us to the Father of our Country, George Washington! Did you know that George had nine brothers and sisters and he didn’t go to a formal school? Imagine overcoming no formal education and being voted Commander in Chief of the Continental Army and the first President of the United States of America. After his presidency, George moved back to his plantation and began growing corn and wheat and eventually built a mill to create flour for the colonies to purchase. Thank you Owen and your home research team for inspiring us to become all that we are meant to be! Believe in your dreams!
Did you know that if anyone tries and works hard, they can reach their highest goals? That was the message Michael brought to the ranch as he presented Charles Yeager to us. As a child, Charles had to pitch in and help around the farm. Even though he was raised in a poor family, Charles decided he wanted to fly airplanes. He fought for our country in World War II and became a test pilot. He is best known for being the first pilot to break the sound barrier and survive. Thank you Michael and family for making us believe that our dreams are possible if we believe and work hard to achieve them!
Would you like to meet Queen Elizabeth I? Katarina introduced her as a very courageous and brave woman. Queen Elizabeth I was born in 1533 and became the Queen of England in 1558. She was a strong leader who led her country through tough financial times during the Golden Age. Queen Elizabeth made England her top priority. At the end of her reign, England was the most powerful and richest country in Europe. Thank you Katarina and family for researching this very famous queen and encouraging us to be strong and full of courage.
Tim Tebow was introduced to us by Kade. He told us that Tim was the Florida High School Player of the Year in football twice and won two national championships and the Heisman Trophy for National College Player of the Year at the University of Florida. Tim started a program called “First and 15″ that helped raise money for an orphanage in the Philipines. He also raised money for local kids hospitals and has helped to send disadvantaged kids to DisneyWorld. He started the Tim Tebow foundation and continues to raise money to build hospitals and to support orphanages. Thanks Kade and family for inspiring us with Tim’s message to treat people with kindness, generosity, compassion and to stay positive.
You are invited to our Great Person Hall of Fame on Thursday, March 22nd at 8:30 in the MPR. The entire second grade community will gather to celebrate this amazing research project about people who have made a difference in the world. We do hope you can join us for this very special event. Bring your cameras!
Today we met Neil Armstrong! Jacob delighted us with his fabulous presentation about the first man to step on the moon. Jacob told us that Neil was brave, strong, smart and had trust in everyone. We learned that Neil went to the Cleveland air races when he was only 2 years old and became interested in flying at an early age. Did you know that he got his pilot license at age 16? Being a navy fighter pilot prepared him for being an astronaut. Thank you Jacob and your family research team for showing us that with hard work and determination, the moon is the limit!
Next we met Helen Keller brought to us by Grace. Helen overcame her handicaps and showed the world that that there are no boundaries with enough courage and faith. Helen inspired the world with her message of hope and determination. Did you know that Helen visited 39 countries around the world? She was also a good writer and tried to live as normal of a life as she could. Thank you Grace and your family for inspiring us with Helen’s story.
Cooper did an amazing job telling us about the life of Jesus and his impact on the world. We were inspired by the message of love that Jesus brought to earth. Cooper taught us about the 3 1/2 years that Jesus healed the sick, was baptized in the Jordan River and brought hope for the world. We also learned that Jesus was a carpenter before he began his ministry. Thank you Cooper and your family for this beautiful presentation.
Before Abraham Lincoln entered the ranch, he was spotted walking down the hall of Stafford. He was recognized immediately for being the president that made a stand to end slavery and encourage equal rights for every person. Braylon told us about the life of this man who changed the course of history. We learned that Abraham had to make decisions that required bravery and courage. Thank you Braylon and family for taking the time and effort to bring us this amazing lesson in history.
Madeleine Albright was brought to us by Emily. We learned that Madeleine knew seven languages and had a pin collection that she used to support her work with world peace. It was inspiring to learn that Madeline was the first woman to hold the position of the United States Secretary of State. She used her dedication to education to support her career. Thank you Emily and family for this inspiring presentation and the gift of a pin to remind us of Madeleine.
Braxton introduced us to Frank Gehry this morning. Did you know that Frank is known for pushing the limits of architectural design? We saw amazing pictures of the Guggenheim Museum located in Bilbao, Spain. He also designed the Art and Space Gallery in California. We also admired Frank’s design of cardboard furniture. The sky is the limit for this great person! Thank you Braxton and family for inspiring us to use our creativity to become designers for the world!
Devri was our second presentation today and brought to us Harriet Tubman. Devri demonstrated her acting skills as she taught us about the life of this brave and courageous woman. Harriet actually brought 300 people to freedom through the Underground Railroad. Did you know that Harriet also worked with Susan B. Anthony on the rights of women to vote? Thank you Devri and family for making us believe that Harriet Tubman really came to our classroom to speak to us today!
Our next presentation was Jacques Cousteau brought to us by Jake and his family. We learned that Jacque was encouraged at a young age to swim when he was recovering from a childhood illness. One of Jacques’ famous quotes was, “What is a scientist after all? It is a curious man looking through a keyhole, the keyhole of nature, trying to know what’s going on.” Thank you to Jake and his family for inspiring us to never give up on our hopes and dreams.
Our first Great Person Presentation was amazing. We found out that Orville and Wilbur Wright were two brothers who were credited with inventing and building the world’s first successful airplane. This required perseverance and hard work. Many risks were involved before they were successful with this world-changing invention. Thank you to Steven and his family for this incredible research!
Thank you for taking the time to come to your child’s Spring Conference! It was such a joy to talk with you about your child’s progress. We have had such an incredible year together.
Hold on…Ranchers are now ready to present their great person research! It’s going to be an amazing three weeks being introduced to 22 people who have made a difference in the world. Thank you for all your support during this home research project!
The World Education Games is an exciting event for schools and students around the world. It runs from 6-8 March, involving 5.5 million students from over 200 countries and territories. This is a global challenge to get students (4-18 years of age) excited about learning.
We will be preparing ourselves this week to compete in the World Math Games on March 7th. We were encouraged to compete by Mrs. Amri’s class who was inspired by the Insel School in Germany. How exciting to be united with other students around the world to improve our math skills in this way.
We are also planning on competing in World Spelling Day on March 6th and World Science Day, March 8th. We look forward to competing with students all around the world and to challenge ourselves to be the best we can be. I will send home students’ sign in cards that have their username and password so they can show you the site and practice at home this week for homework. We are practicing at school this week in preparation as well. Let the Games and Learning Begin!
Dear Second Grade Parents,
Please email me by February 27th with three Great Person presentation times that would work for your second grader. Parents are invited to be a part of our audience. We hope you can all attend.
Monday 5th & 12th – 8:30 9:00 10:00 12:00
Tuesday 6th & 13th- 8:30 10:00 12:00
Wednesday 7th & 14th- 8:30 9:00 10:00
Thursday 8th & 15th- 8:30 9:00 10:00
Friday 9th & 16th- 8:30 9:00 10:00
Mark your calendars: Our Great Person Hall of Fame will be the morning of March 22nd from 8:30 – 9:30. This is an Open House for all second grade parents and Stafford students to meet all the Great People across the second grade.
Senora Boyce visited the ranch and gave us our first Spanish lesson today. We will enjoy learning Spanish throughout the next few months. We are so grateful for her ability to challenge us with learning a new language. Thank you Senora Boyce for sharing your gifts and talents with us!
Mrs. Kriesel joined the mystery readers and read The Quiltmakers Gift to the ranchers. This book has such a beautiful message of the joy of giving. Mrs. Kriesel’s grandmother was a quiltmaker so Mrs. Kriesel has so many connections to this story. Thank you for reading to us and spreading your joy of storytelling Mrs. Kriesel!
Shelly Ellet surprised Devri on her birthday and brought the book The Gruffalo to the ranch. This award winning picture book is the story of a very clever little mouse who outsmarts her natural predators. We all agreed that Shelly read this story with amazing flair and expression. Thank you Shelly!
Lalit Rodich, Matea’s mother, was our next Mystery Reader. She read Ordinary Mary’s Extraordinary Deed. This book teaches the beauty of kindness that spreads around the world when one person makes a difference. Mary does a simple deed that spreads when others begin to do random acts of kindness as well. Thank you Lalit for making a difference in our lives.
Just a reminder that our online conference sign-ups will begin on Tuesday, February 14th. Please go to our blog and click on Spring Conference Sign-ups (on our sidebar under Pages) to get to the link. If you need help, just email me and I’d be happy to assist you.
Please notice that the passwords for the links on our blog are listed on the side bar under Pages. This should make it possible for you to get into our research links for Great People. I hope your research is going well with your child. If you’d like to visit the ranch and help your child make his/her great person, we’d love to have your help. Please email me if you’re interested.
Important Dates:
February 8th- Early Release
February 14th- Dad’s Valentine’s Day Breakfast from 7:50 – 9:00
February 17th- Staff Development-no school
February 20th- Holiday
February 28th, 29th and March 1st - Conferences (Sign-ups will be posted soon)
It’s never too early to start our journey to make a difference in the world. We have a young mentor who not only gives her time to the ranchers but is such a shining example of what it means to serve others. Thank you Priya Kadel for making such a difference in our classroom every week!
To the ranchers great surprise, Steve Strobeck visited our classroom and brought one of Kelly’s favorite books entitled Jolly Mon by Jimmy Buffett. This beautifully illustrated book taught us about kindness, friendship and adventure. The illustrations displayed a love for the ocean and the beauty of the Caribbean islands. Thanks Steve!
It’s our second grade tradition! Our Valentine’s Day Breakfast is on Tuesday, February 14th, from 7:50-9:00 am. We want to invite our dads (grandfathers, uncles or friends can step in to be “dad” if you can’t make it) to help us celebrate this special day. Dads will be serving breakfast and our wonderful party crew will be taking care of the food details. Our breakfast will include waffles with strawberries and whipped cream, milk and juice. We’ll play a Valentine bingo game and have one of our dads read us a story after the breakfast! (Any volunteers?)
A class list of sweethearts will be coming home soon so ranchers can begin making their valentines or our class photo can be used. If you are interested in helping with the food planning of this party, please send me an email.
We can’t wait to celebrate our reading achievements at our Evening of Poetry and Song on Thursday, January 26th from 6:30-8:00 PM. We will be singing songs together as a second grade community in the MPR and then going to our classrooms for poetry readings. On January 26th, ranchers are invited to dress in their finest and meet in our classroom at 6:15 before the performance.
We are thrilled to share with our families the joy of reading and writing poetry. It will be an amazing evening!
In this week before we celebrate the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. we will be looking at the idea of beauty in diversity and the power of our words. Dr. King’s message was about the importance and the beauty of diversity in our world. His words remind us to look at a person on the inside. He encourages us to judge a friend based on their character and not by how they look on the outside. He reminds us to look at the things we have in common: a belief in the good in all people, a hope for a bright future and a love for all.
His words also inspire us to work hard to bring about positive changes in the world through peaceful ways through our words. Words can make people happy, they express our feelings, they can change lives and they can inspire us. However, words also have the power to make people sad and to hurt feelings. We will invite Ms. Barbour to talk about the power of our thoughts and our words in helping us to have a positive attitude in our daily life.
We will also talk about friendships and how to be a good friend. We have talked about how each of us is unique and special. We have different tastes, different interests and different opinions. We are learning to see the good in others and compliment them. We are learning how to discuss our differences in a calm way. We are learning to listen well and respectfully to each other so we can expand our friendships. We are learning to admit mistakes to our friends and say, “I’m sorry” when we have hurt their feelings. We are learning strategies to help us stop unkind actions.
These are not easy goals, but Stafford is a place where students are kind and caring and they work on their friendship skills. Let’s commit ourselves to these goals in the new year. It’s a beautiful world and we have the power both to see this beauty around us each day and to help create it.
Hello Ranchers,
My name is Erne. I’m a North American Bald Eagle from Montana. I was orphaned when I was just a small chick. Lucky for me, I was found and raised by a wonderful family who taught me to fly and soar high in the sky like the other birds. I learned other things too. I learned that if you are kind, gentle and helpful to the people you know and meet, good things will happen to you.
When I heard of your ranch, I knew I found my new home. I can help watch the ranchers and I can be a friend when someone needs one. I can also fly to the desk of anyone who needs help.
Please let me live at the ranch and I promise, (even though I LOVE salmon), I won’t eat any at the ranch because I ate before I left Montana and quite frankly….I’m stuffed!
Now let’s get busy and learn something. I’m ready to spread my wings and soar into the knowledge clouds with you. Whoo Hoo! Here we go!
Soar high ranchers,
Erne
Becky Luther visited the ranch last week and read Auntie Claus to Grace and the Room 26 Ranchers. We learned that giving a gift with love is the most precious gift of all and that it is far better to give than receive.
Matea’s father, Bryan Goode read the book Read All About It! This book had many messages but one of the most important ideas was that books can open up whole new worlds and ideas for all of us to enjoy if we only will look in a book!
I wanted to thank all of you for the very thoughtful script, cards and gifts along with the many hugs, smiles and words of support and encouragement. I truly am overwhelmed by your thoughtfulness and generosity. A heart-felt thanks goes out to you all. Of course, the best gifts of all are your precious children. They are such a blessing to me!
Our Polar Express Party was so much fun! Thanks to all of our parents who came to celebrate and help make our party such a success.
Enjoy this precious holiday time with your families. See you in the New Year!
Joann~
In January we will be reading poetry and creating our own poems. We are looking forward to presenting our poetry to you at our Evening of Poetry and Song, Thursday, January 26th from 6:30-8:00. It will be a great night where we celebrate both our reading skills and our incredible second grade community. Please mark your calendars for this memorable evening.
Last Friday, Marcus Jones read The Lorax by Dr. Seuss. Chloe was thrilled along with all the ranchers to hear this story. A vibrant discussion followed about the lessons learned and the author’s message to all of us.
Mike Zoormajian surprised Michael and read Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel to us this morning. Mike brought one of his favorite books to share with the ranchers and we talked about the connections and lessons we could learn from this book as well.
Our second grade holiday tradition is to conduct a Polar Express Party. It will be held on Friday, December 16th from 8:00- 9:00 in our classroom. Students are invited to wear their pajamas, robes and slippers to school. We will enjoy apple strudel toast and hot chocolate as we begin our party. We will enjoy a few activities from 8:00 – 9:00 before we watch the holiday movie, The Polar Express. All Aboard!
During this season of giving we have been given an opportunity as a school to make a difference in the life of a student at Pakati School. We have been challenged by a service learning group (an enrichment class) here at Stafford to help send at least one student to school for a year by raising $25.00 before the holiday break.
They are asking each Stafford student to bring in pennies and put them in their classroom’s Pennies for Pakati box. What a great way for us to help make a difference in the life of others–one child at a time. Let’s do what we can to support their efforts.
We had a wonderful Africa Bridge assembly on Friday, November 19th. We met Barry, Jennifer, Rebecca and Emily and listened to their stories about our friends at Pakati School. They presented us with 7 beautifully hand-woven baskets as a gift to Stafford School students, as well as thank you letters written by the students. We will display them in the library next to the Pakati Primary picture and mat we received last year.
The Africa Bridge Team made a video thank you card from our friends at Pakati School and from Barry Childs of Africa Bridge. It is precious to see their faces as they watched the video gift we sent them (A Simple Gift) for their celebration of their new classrooms in October. We can’t help but feel more and more connected to our friends in Tanzania! We are grateful for our friendship and look forward to learning more about each other. Enjoy this precious video thank you card!
It’s hard to believe it is November and Thanksgiving Break is here. I would like to express my gratitude to all of you who so graciously support our classroom at school and at home. I sincerely appreciate you and your amazing children and enjoy working with them each day. Have a happy and relaxing time with your family.
Ranchers will begin sharing their tradition reports the week beginning November 28th. Please email me a day and time that works for your family. If you volunteer at the ranch, it’s easy to schedule your child’s presentation during your scheduled time. If not, we can be flexible around your schedule. We look forward to hearing the stories about your family’s special traditions.
As a continuing part of our study of “Communities” we will start to document life stories of our families and relatives. Throughout November and the Thanksgiving Holiday, we want to interview family members to gain a better understanding of the importance of the family unit as the foundation of a strong community. Spending time with family members and listening carefully to stories they tell about their lives is an important way we learn about family values and traditions. This is the perfect time of year to look to our families and listen to their stories. Enjoy this time over the next four weeks documenting the life stories of your family and relatives. Second graders will also be thinking of special traditions that their families cherish. Between Thanksgiving and the Winter Break, we will be presenting family traditions to our classmates. Look for detailed instructions in a blue folder in your child’s homework envelope.
Click on this link to download more Interview forms: Interview 2010-11
Katie, a former rancher, volunteered in our classroom today. She donated her day off to mentor students in first, second and fourth grade. It was so nice to have Katie model how students can make a difference in our lives. Congratulations Katie! Thank you from the new classroom of ranchers!
I’d like to thank our first three mystery readers who arrived and stirred up the love of reading and excitement at the ranch!
It all started with Tara Brown, Jacob’s mom, who surprised Jacob on his birthday with an Amelia Bedelia book.
The second Mystery Reader was Lane Kadel who read to us Skippy jon Jones.
Our third Mystery Reader was Shelly Ellett who read the 3 Little Dassies.
What is a mystery reader? Mystery Readers are special guests who come to our classroom to read a story to students. A mystery reader can be a parent, grandparent, relative, friend, sibling or educator.
When do mystery readers come to read? A Mystery Reader emails me and we set up a flexible time that works for both of our schedules.
Why should I be a Mystery Reader? This is a great way to model your love for reading and enjoyment for books.
How does the Mystery Reading Program work? The first step is to email me and we will confirm a time and date for you to visit. Start thinking about the book you would like to read to us. A few days before you come to our classroom, please email 5 clues about yourself so we can try to guess who you are. Clues should be somewhat general and at the end be a bit more specific.
I’ll be anxiously awaiting your emails!
Where: At the ranch
When: Friday, October 28th
What time: 12:30 – 1:45
Ranchers will be celebrating this Friday, October 28th for our first official class party! Simple costumes are optional and can be worn for the party. We will have game and craft stations along with cookie decorating. If you’d like to help with the party, please email me and I’ll connect you with the planning crew. What a fun way to end our week together…no tricks about it!
You won’t want to miss this exciting and informative PowerPoint slide show that was presented to the entire second grade community today. Thank you Scott for allowing us to share your presentation with our parent community. We are thrilled to add this PowerPoint to our resources for salmon research.
Click on the link below to view the presentation.
Stafford_Salmon_Presentation(102110)_NOTES
October 12, 2011
We are happy to announce the arrival of approximately 500 salmon eggs. They are happily nestled into the rocky gravel of our second grade aquarium. We will observe these eggs as they develop into alevin and then fry. As young wildlife biologists, we will be tracking their growth over time and will keep a log filled with our observations. Thanks to a PTSA grant we have an underwater camera, so we can watch them “live” on our projector from the classroom. Let the salmon study begin!
In our study of communities we learned that “a community is a group of people who live together and care for each other”. We may not live so close to our friends in the village of Ntandabala. In fact, Tanzania is 9536 miles (19 hours and 48 minutes) away from Oregon. We know that “friends can be friends wherever they are”. We speak the same language, the universal language: MDLL which stands for Music, Dance, Laughter and Love.
The video we are sending to our sister school in Ntandabala, Tanzania is called A Simple Gift. It was made for our friends at Pakati School. The idea for this project came from a group called The Africa Bridge Kids Team, who have been working together with Jody Amri and the second grade classes over the past 3 years to build our relationship with the students at Pakati School. Thanks to the current 5th graders Hannah, Katie, Sheridan and Courtney for their creativity and dedication to making a difference in the lives of others! They are role models for us on how to think globally and take action to reach out to help others all around the world.
Watch our movie! It is a simple gift for our friends but it has a big message.
One Night in Frogtown is a Pacific Northwest Musical Storybook written and composed by Philip Pelletier. Phillip wrote this book with the intention of teaching children the value of cultural diversity through innovative musical storybooks. Stafford students were thrilled with the amazing assembly last week meeting Phillip and two of the performing musicians working with him. Get ready to jump into the pond as you listen to Tad shout, “Listen to you – it’s a start! You’re playing together instead of apart!”
What a great community we have at Stafford Primary School! I really enjoyed being able to talk to our new rancher parents at our Curriculum Night! We will have anothr opportunity to talk at our Parent Conferences next week.
The city of West Linn is such a great place to live. This week we will begin to look at the people in our community and the important roles they play in our lives. Tuesday we will have the police department here to talk to our classes. Later this month the fire department will come and talk about their jobs. On Wednesday we will visit a bank, the library, the grocery store and an orthodontist to hear about the important goods and services they provide us. One of our learning goals is to be thinking about our own set of skills and talents and exploring the different types of jobs we might want to do when we grow up.
We will continue to learn more about the power of community and how we can make a difference in the lives of the students at our sister school, Pakati Primary, in Tanzania. It is a week packed full of activities and learning around our understanding of what a community is. That is exciting!
