Stuffed Animal Day!

Today was "Stuffed Animal Day!" Here are just a few of my favorite stuffed animals that the kids brought in!

Remember, tomorrow is Twin Day! Don't forget to dress as your twin tomorrow!

!yaD strA larutluC

Today was Backwards/Inside-Out Day as well as Cultural Arts Day! We had a blast during Cultural Arts Day! First, we went outside to see a bunch of teachers go up on a Hot Air Balloon!

Here's J.J. preparing for his flight!

He looks nervous!

Our class with J.J.!

Then, we learned how to draw cartoon pictures from the Young Rembrants!

We saw a great performance that was a combination magic show, story, puppet show, and comedy routine all in one! But sadly, my pictures of that didn't come out too well! But after that performance, we saw a great 14-year-old juggler!

We ate lunch outside, and then listened to some wonderful music performed by the NAS Band!

We had a great day at Cultural Arts Day! Thanks to PTA for putting together all of these wonderful events! And did I mention, our class won the Most School Spirit Award for "Backwards/Inside-Out Day," with 100% participation! We rocked! Hopefully, we can win tomorrow on "Stuffed Animal Day" too!

Sports Day!

Today was the first day of Spirit Week - SPORTS DAY!! We had 15/22 students in sports clothes today, a pretty small fraction of the class! Let's try to do better for tomorrow - BACKWARDS AND INSIDE OUT DAY! This one should be easy!

Also, don't forget tomorrow is Cultural Arts Day! Parents are welcome to join us for Cultural Arts Day, especially during our lunch time!

Finally, don't forget that this Thursday is our monthly luncheon! We need volunteers to bring toppings for sub sandwiches, as well as chips and cookies. Let me know what you can bring!

Spirit Week, Cultural Arts Day, and March Luncheon!

This week we have a lot of fun things going on!

All week, it's Spirit Week! Show your school spirit by participating in each of the Spirit Week themes!

• Monday is "Sports Day" - Sports Jerseys, sports shirts, and hats!
• Tuesday is "Backwards/Inside-Out Day" - Wear your clothes backwards or inside out
• Wednesday is "Stuffed Animal Day" - Bring your favorite stuffed animal to school!
• Thursday is "Twin Day" - Come to school dressed like another student in the class

Make sure to participate! The class with the most participation each day wins Popsicles from Student Council!

This Tuesday is also Cultural Arts Day! PTA has planned a great deal of fun activities, including a Story Makers presentation, NAS 20 piece Navy Band, the Young Rembrandts hands-on art activity, and a juggler. Plus, several teachers will be get to ride around in hot air balloons!

Finally, on Thursday we're having our monthly luncheon! But instead of the usual pizza, I thought we'd change things up and have sub sandwiches! Let me know if you'd like to help by bringing or sending in chips, cookies, or sub toppings!

Play Day!

Play Day was a blast yesterday! We had a lot of fun playing all the different games, especially Tug of War! Check out some pictures from the day:

Esther hurries to bring the ball back in the soccer ball relay.

The class cheers on Jessica!

Here she comes!

Roosevelt is determined to win the Relay Race!

Can you tell how excited Federico is here?

Denis and Christian get ready to jump the hurdle!

I don't know if we won this competition, but the class didn't care cause they had a blast anyway!

The class tried as hard as they could to win at Tug of War!

But ultimately, we were defeated by Mrs. Hollaway's class! Congrats to them and to Mrs. Hayden's class for winning to the Tug-Off!!!

What a great time we had at Play Day! Thanks to both Coaches for a wonderful time! And thanks to PTA for providing the classes with Popsicles!

Science Fair Projects!

Science Fair is coming on May 14th!

Yesterday, I passed out information about our Science Fair. Each student will work either in a pair or individually on a Science Fair Project, in which they must perform a scientific experiment. There are several elements that they will need to do, all of which are outlined in the packet that I distributed yesterday.

They also received a time line and checklist of when each element of the Science Fair Project needs to be completed. Parents, please make sure to review the time line so that you know what your child is responsible for completing.

This week, all that students need to do is decide on what question they will address with their project. Next week, they will work on planning the different elements of the experiment. By next Thursday, all students should have their projects planned, including their question, purpose, variables, materials list, procedure and hypothesis. Also by next Thursday, students need to have gotten their projects approved by me.

They'll have the next two weeks, including Spring Break week, to complete the actual experiments and collect their data. Check back on the blog for pictures and examples from last year's science fair! Also, check the time line on the sidebar for important science fair dates!

The Amazing 5-Room Puzzle

Here's the Puzzle Maze that I challenged you all with today! Remember the rules for the puzzle:

• You have to draw ONE continuous line.
• The line must go through each and every door ONCE AND ONLY ONCE
• You can not go through any of the "walls" of the maze and you may not go through a door more than once.
  

Good luck!

Mad Libs and Rebus Puzzles!

Today we spent our down time after FCAT playing some fun word games! You can play the games on your own at home! Click on the links:

• Mad Libs Official Website
• Wacky Web Tales - Mad Libs style games
• Rebus Puzzles
• Logic Puzzles
  

Have fun!

FCAT Starts Tomorrow!!!!!

FCAT time is finally here! And I know you're all just as excited as I am! Actually, we have plenty of reason to be excited since our practice tests have shown that you guys are ready for the BIG TEST! Here is the schedule for the weeks of FCAT:

• Tues, March 10 - FCAT Math (1 hour)
• Wed, March 11 - FCAT Math (1 hour)
• Thurs, March 12 - FCAT Reading (2 hours)
• Friday, March 13 - Make-Ups
• Mon, March 16 - FCAT Science (1 hour)
• Tues, March 17 - FCAT Science (1 hour)

Remember these few basic tips to be ready for the FCAT:

• - Get plenty of rest the night before! Don't stay up late watching "American Idol"!
• - Eat a hearty breakfast (this would be a good time to talk your mom into taking you to Denny's for breakfast!) BTW, don't have too much to drink with your breakfast - you're not allowed any potty breaks during the test!
• - Get to school on time! This is not a good time to get into an argument with your sister over who gets to ride in the front seat!
• - Relax and don't worry! This is only a test! I repeat: This is only a test! Sure, it's kinda important, but you don't need to worry about anything. The world won't stop spinning. The oceans won't rise up and engulf the planet. You won't be kicked out of the country. Just do your best to be successful! That's all anyone expects of you.

Marine Science Center

We had a lot of fun yesterday at the Marine Science Center! We also learned a lot about ocean ecosystems! Here are some of the highlights:

First, we checked out the museum, featuring preserved ocean animals, skeletons, and shells.

Then, we did some experiments involving salt water and observed all the different kinds of minerals you can find in the sand from the beach.

Here's Mrs. Hayden leading an experiment turning salt water into fresh water!

Next, we learned about animal adaptations and looked at a few animals up close under the microscopes.

After that, we went to the wet lab and got to see and feel some ocean animals up close!

Finally, my favorite part - We went to the beach and collected shells, fossils, shark teeth, and anything else we could find!

Congrats to Jessica and Esther, winners of the best bucket decoration contest!!!