Good Afternoon,
Needless to say, this week (in our classroom) can be described with a variety of words but I think draining and emotional sum it up best. We also had a variety of fun and exciting things going on that I don't want overlook, so please take time to read this rather lengthy blog post.
Tuesday started with 4 or 5 of the students discussing the accident during snack time. The gist of the conversation centered around the fact that Waylon;s cousin died in the accident. I took time to discuss with the whole class that indeed this was true. We did not discuss the details and no details were brought up by the students. We did have a good discussion about death and what that meant. We all agreed that it meant to stop living and that seemed to meet each student's needs. Waylon also visited the class on Wednesday. He was abel to express that his need is that we don;t talk about the accident with him. He would like school to be a place where he can just be the student he was prior to the accident. At the same time, I reminded the students that if anyone needed to talk to an adult about this, that they should let Kaite, Kaiya, or I know and we will help them. Today Waylon returned to the class and you should all feel very proud of the empathy your children showed and the kind kids they truly are. On Wednesday, the class explored how and why three different types of bird beaks are shaped or adapted the way they are. The students used spoons, tweezers, and clothespins to try and grab onto different objects (that represented food). We then discussed why a pelican, a hummingbird, and a wood pecker have the beaks that they do.
Wednesday also had Kathy Haskell coming in to read during our read a loud time. Kathi chose to share the book Zachary's Ball by Matt Tavares. Zachary's father catches a foul ball at Fenway Park and gives it to him, something really amazing happens — Zachary finds himself on the pitcher's mound, wearing a Red Sox uniform and playing against New York! The students have really enjoyed our guest readers. If anyone else would like to come in and read, please let me know.
On Thursday, the students met a friend of mine from India named Ajay. Ajay is a wonderful human being who works with students in India and teaches them how to live sustainably. He is also a yoga instructor and led daily classes during my visit. I asked if he would be willing to lead a few yoga sessions with my class, via Skype. We had some technical difficulties, with his computer, and ended up doing introductions and a song this week. Our next session will involve a yoga class. Ajay was very excited to meet our wonderful class.NOTES:
*Picture retake will take place on October 19th. The pictures were sent home today. Please look for them in your child's homework bag.
*WE NEED YOUR HELP! I am working with Nora, our art teacher, on a recycled art project. The goal is for the kids to work on a project this spring. However, we need to start collecting items now. The project will involve students using plastic bottle caps. These can be from soda bottles, water bottles, ice tea bottles, orange juice bottles, or any other bottle. Please start saving them and sending them in. I will have a collection box here at school. We will need a large amount of these, so please spread the word.
*Your child has free choice reading books for the weekend as well as their Weekly News. Please take time to respond to their letter to you.
That is all for now. I hope you all have a great weekend.
Peace,
Tommy
