The Den

Last week, the 4th graders had the privilege of leading our school chapel. Our theme for chapel was “Heatprints”. We used a wonderful book called Heartprints written by P.K. Hallinan. The author defines heartprints as: The impression left behind by a deliberate act of kindness. We challenged ourselves and others to look for ways to do something kind for someone that would then leave heartprints of kindness behind.

How many heartprints will you leave today?

The 4th graders have been very busy this week working on their 21st Century skills.   They’ve created avatars for their own blog, working on blog design, competing with schools at an online math site, and learning about other schools through our quadblogging partnership.  Our schools are listed on our front blog page.  When we visit other blogs, we learn how to write comments that are interesting and supportive.

If you don’t know what QuadBlogging is, here’s a short video produced by pupils in Mrs. Yollis’ class in Los Angeles, Mr. Salsich’s Class in Connecticut, Class B4 in New Zealand and Class 2KM and 2KJ Leopold School, Australia that explains what it is all about:

Quadblogging

Lessons often come dressed up as detours and roadblocks.  This is an Oprah Winfrey quote which has really resonated with me.   Believe it or not this is the 7^th draft of this particular blog post!  Every time I sit down to write…my writer’s block kicks in and all I get are a bunch of disconnected ideas!   It seems my writer’s block can be similar to this school year.  At times we seem to be cruising long accomplishing so much and suddenly something will happen that brings us right back to the beginning of our journey.   However, we are richer because of the lessons learned along the way.

My students will soon be designing and working on their own blogs.  This challenges me to stay focused with my blog entries and move past any writer’s block issues.  Our class’ blog will also take part in a blogging challenge beginning in March.  The challenge allows us to connect with students from around the world and interact with each other.

I pray that any detours or roadblocks you have or are experiencing may bring you lessons that are invaluable.  I know mine continue to enrich and enhance my life in many ways.

4th grade is a HUGE transition year as it’s a stepping stone to middle school. Students work on their ability to focus, stay organized, prioritize, and work more independently.  In addition to being more responsible for their own learning. After our first week of school, I am so proud of our fourth graders!  They have been doing an awesome job in embracing their new grade level and are eager to learn new things! I want to thank all the parents for encouraging their 4th grader during this new beginning. Darling 4th graders need to be told that they can do “hard things.” Even the smallest step towards meeting a challenge brings such a huge boost to a child’s self esteem. We are their encouragers!  Rock on Parents, as you continue to encourage and guide your child through their year of learning!

God Bless your week!

I’ve always been somewhat fascinated with bubbles. I loved seeing a myriad of colors in the bubbles and watching them float away. I admit I was also somewhat jealous of Glinda, from the Wizard of Oz, as she got to float in a bubble that never burst!  What lessons can we actually learn from bubbles?  Here are a few examples:

• Sometimes bubbles float a long way. ~ Good things that last a long time.
• Sometimes bubbles stick together.  ~ Someone you can count on to stay with you.
• Some bubbles float low where you can catch them. ~ Helping yourself.
• Some bubbles float too high to catch. ~ Accepting limitations and asking for help.
• Some bubbles are a little high, but you can jump up to get them. ~ Perseverance, extra effort, courage, adaptability, and problem solving
• Some bubbles hit the ground before you can catch them or they burst right away.  ~ Disappointments in life.
• When there are several bubbles, you have to choose which one to chase. ~ Choices in life.

As you see, the simple bubble can teach us many things!  May this  school year bring new challenges, learning, growth, and the ability to deal with things in life that don’t always go the way one may hope!  Knowing our Lord is beside us through it all is the best part of each new day.  I wonder now, are there bubbles in heaven?

Our blog is a glimpse and sometimes humorous look into what is happening in our classroom. 

Please be patient with us as we get our footing in the blogging world.  Our blog is a work in progress and will certainly experience many growing pains, however, I am sure you will enjoy this journey with us throughout our school year!  Our blog will be updated every Wednesday. The first update will occur on Wednesday, Sept. 7th.  Be sure to stop by every week to catch-up with all of our happenings!

 Feel free to explore and we welcome any constructive comments!