L.A.I.R.

Last Thursday night I went up to visit our 8th graders who were at Sierra Outdoor School for their three-day excursion called L.A.I.R. I am proud to say that after three years of visiting our 8th grade classes, I've finally figured out what L.A.I.R. stands for (Life's Activities Involving Risk)! This is a fantastic experience for our "big kids" to go out and push themselves individually, and come together as a group. There is a host of activities that the kids do, including leadership and problem-solving games, orienteering, star gazing, night hikes, kayaking across Pinecrest Lake, and a high ropes course with a zip line. Additionally, Mrs. Bickley and Mrs. Reed challenge the kids to look at each other differently. When I was there, we did an activity called "If you really knew me..." that can become very emotional as everyone who wants to lowers their defenses and shares something that no one else knows about them. It is a powerful bonding experience for the kids (and the adults) to be able to see each other with hopes, fears and struggles, and how alike we all really are. Kudos to Mrs. Bickley and Mrs. Ballard and our parent chaperones who really put themselves out there for the students.

Fun with Kindergartners

The other day I was walking across the blacktop, and the kindergartners in Mrs. Gold's class had their tricycles out, and were racing about. I started talking to Jack, a very bright boy who had been pretty nervous the first few days of kindergarten, as he was zipping around on his trike. I told him he needed to get a leather jacket and some chains to complete his outfit, and he told me, very seriously, that when he grows up, he wants to be a biker. He's got to start somewhere, I guess.

Back to School Night

Thank you to everyone who came to our Back to School Night last Thursday. It is crucial to a child's success in school to have a good line of communication between home and school, and by coming last week, you strengthened that bond.

New year!

Well, after several pokes and prods from a couple of parents (and my mom), I've decided to restart this blog for the new school year. For those of you who are new to this blog, this is a chance for me to chat about what is going on around campus in an informal way, and to share some of the goings on at Twain Harte Schools.

We've gotten off to a great start this year, and if you haven't seen it yet, the new blacktop looks great. We now have a fence that divides the play area from the bus turn around area.

I'll update more later, but just wanted to dust off this blog for this year!

We're back!

Well, after a relaxing two week break, I'm glad to be back at it. It was great to see everyone this morning with some recharged batteries. A lot of the kids (and teachers) are showing off their new clothes, and when I did my quick walk through the classrooms today, everyone was working hard right off the bat. It's good to be back!

Readers

Wendie Roberts, our librarian, is currently holding a "Read a thon" for our Black Oak students. When students fill up their record sheet, they turn them into Wendie, and she then gives them a dog tag that says something about them being great readers. New this year is the "I read to the Principal" dog tag. In addition to filling up their record sheets students can read to me and I will sign off on their sheets and they then get the principal dog tag. Yesterday morning the office was full of kindergartners and first graders sitting in the seats in the front office, swinging their legs (as their feet don't touch the ground), holding their books, and waiting for me. I really enjoy these days, as oftentimes I only see kids in the office when they are misbehaving. Having kids read to me about Mrs. Wishy Washy and Biscuit the dog helps offset the times I have to growl at students!

"Smarter"

Last night we had our "Are you Smarter than a Fifth Grader?" fundraiser for the Give Every Child a Chance after school tutoring program that will begin in January. We had four adult contestants (including yours truly)who were assisted by several fifth grade students in Mr. Dunlap's class. I was contestant number 2, and watch as our first contestant fought valiantly, but had to finally succumb and admit that he was not smarter than a fifth grader. When my turn came up I was feeling pretty confident as I had been able to answer all the first contestant's questions. My swagger was quickly subdued when my first question, "Who founded the American Red Cross?" threw my confidence. It was a multiple choice question, and I quickly eliminated Mary Lincoln, which left Clara Barton, and Susan B. Anthony. I knew Susan B. Anthony was in the woman's suffrage movement, but wasn't sure if she was also involved in the Red Cross. I suspected Clara was the correct answer, but had to use one of my lifelines to make sure I didn't blow up on the first answer. The audience confirmed my hunch, and I was on my way. It wasn't a flawless run (I confused pistil and stamen in a flower), but I am happy to report that I can proudly look the fifth graders in the eye, and tell them that I am smarter than them!

We also had our Christmas tree auction for the trees that the students decorated. the trees looked great, and they all sold and are now happily sitting in living rooms throughout our community. It was a fun night, and I look forward to getting this tutoring program rolling to help our students.