http://teachersites.schoolworld.com/webpages/AChastain/rss/blog_3837.xmlAutumn Chastain Blogen-usMon, 08 Feb 2010 22:46:47 GMTMon, 08 Feb 2010 22:46:47 GMTSchool WorldI am trying out this "blogging" thing. I consider myself to be pretty good with technology, but I am always trying to learn new things. I will try to post daily happenings from the classroom on here, or maybe just interesting things that happen or questions for parents. Let me know what you think. See you all on Monday.I can't believe the Colts lost! I just hope the Chargers can beat the Patriots.Monday morning math was quite stressful today. A few students are having a lot of difficulty with recognizing and counting coins. PLEASE practice at home. I will be sending notes home tomorrow about students who definitely need extra help. Thank you to parents who sent in their Highlights slips and book orders. Please get both of those to me by Friday.The class was really talkative today. We have had to stay inside for recess and I think they have cabin fever. Hopefully it will warm up tomorrow and we will be able to get some fresh air. Counting coins went better today, but there are a few kids who are still struggling. Keep practicing. Please keep turning in the book orders and the Highlights slips.Is it spring yet? The class is missing outdoor recess like you wouldn't believe! Today we worked on some difficult story problems using money. The kids did very well. Next week we are supposed to start teaching a new approach to problem solving. It is called Singapore Math. We were taught the process at a meeting the other day. I'm excited about it, but also nervous because it is a completely different way to do problem solving. I hope the class embraces the process. Tomorrow will be a busy day, and I have a large stack of papers to grade, so I will have to write more tomorrow.How did you all feel about the 10Am start time? It was kind of nice for the teachers to meet before school because I felt like we were all a little more "fresh" and open to learning ourselves. The students seemed to handle the day very well. However, it was weird to eat lunch right after they arrived! In case you were wondering what the teachers met about, we learned new ways to identify and deal with bullying in boys and in girls! This happens more often than you would think. I would like to say that I catch it every time, but I am not perfect and I am not standing right next to the students every second of every day. However, I do know now, some signs to look for and how to deal with relational aggression.I don't know about the kids, but I feel drained from our testing today. The kids are doing very well and I can see improvement in everyone! There isn't any homework tonight, but I would like for the students to use their normal homework time to practice math facts and to read. In regards to the posted comment about the bullying meeting we had, I'm not sure if any material will be sent home to the parents. We covered both boys and s, but mainly focused on s because their bullying is often overlooked. If anyone would like some of the information we were given, I would be happy to make copies for you. Have a great night everyone! Stay warm.Thank you to all the parents who helped to purchase our birthday treats for today. It was a great celebration. Have a great weekend. It is supposed to warm up.I was lucky enough to be able to go home to Mitchell this weekend and spend time with my dad on his birthday and my parents on their wedding anniv. I also spent the weekend grading the writing portion of the Indiana Reading Diagnostic Assessment. It feels good to be done and I am looking forward to a fun-filled Catholic Schools Week.Thank you to everyone who asked how I was feeling. I went to the doctor yesterday and I just have a virus, which means I just have to fight through it. I am drinking lots of fluids and treating the symptoms. I don't have a fever anymore and I am already starting to feel better. I think it is just a 24 hour kind of bug.I was not at school on Thursday because I had a fever of 102. I called my doctor and she gave me a prescription for some strong antibiotics. Today is Friday and I am not at school again today. My fever is down, but I don't want to spread my germs on to the kids. I hope 1st Reconciliation went well last night. I am so sorry I missed it. If you have sent notes in to school, or e-mails/phone calls, I will have to get back to you on Monday. Thank you for understanding.Well, it is Saturday night and I am still sick. I have had a fever for 6 days. If I am not better by Monday, I guess I will have to go back to the doctor for the third time!Sickness is upon us. We have several students out. I have heard that the flu is going around, as well as some strep. Wash your hands often!I spent the weekend in Terre Haute because my sister had a scholarship interview there. We have to go back next weekend for a second interview. I am spending today trying to get caught up on housework and grading papers. Have a beautiful First Sunday of Lent.Today in math we worked on telling time to 15 minutes. We worked on it for one solid hour, but I still had some students who were struggling. Tonight's homework reviews what we did today. Please work with your child on telling time to 15 minutes. At our last 10Am professional development day we talked about bullying. Today we started our first lesson, which consisted of a story and a survey about bullying. You may hear your child talk about this topic a lot since we are covering it at school. Please discuss what it means to be a bully with your child. Thank you!Today we read an amazing book called "Have You Filled a Bucket Today?" It was about how we all carry an invisible bucket around with us. When positive things are said or done to us, it fills our bucket. When negative things happen, our bucket becomes empty. Tomorrow I am bringing in an actual bucket, and we are going to fill it up with nice things we do for each other all day. If someone says or does something hurtful, we will take something out of the bucket. Our class goal is to have a full bucket at the end of each day. We will see how tomorrow goes.I hope everyone had a great day off. I spent my day cleaning house and hanging out with my dog. I hope the 10 AM start doesn't throw anyone off tomorrow. Book orders were due Friday, but I only got one order. I will wait till Wednesday if anyone changes their mind. Don't forget to send in some tissues. We are almost out.Today was an awesome day of teaching. I introduced a new journaling system to the class. The students write a letter in their journal to me about anything they want, and then I respond. The journals are kept in the classroom and are private. They are not graded in any way. I just require that each student writes me at least once a week. The response I got back from the class was amazing. They were so excited to be able to get their own personal thoughts and voices heard. I can't wait to see who writes me tomorrow!A letter was attached to the Friday Newsletter about the Dinosaur project. Please choose a dinosaur and find at least two articles about it before Monday. If you need another copy of the letter, please e-mail me or leave me a message on this blog. Thanks!Our big dinosaur unit starts tomorrow. I am so excited, and I think the kids are too. I'm spending the day relaxing and resting because I watched my two-year old neice all weekend. I wish I had her energy!I was the MC for the Math Bowl tonight. I am worn out! I hope everyone is careful on their way to school tomorrow. It is getting icy out there!In this week's newsletter, I address the use of inappropriate language. This is directed towards the whole class and not to any one person. I felt the need to address this problem before it spreads. I am asking for the support of parents at home. The world we live in is making our children grow up faster and faster. Foul language is used on television, movies, and even some video games. It is our job as s, to have conversations with our children about what is appropriate and what is not. I thank you ahead of time for your support in this. You have my deepest gratitude.I think we are all ready for Spring Break. It will be great to come back refreshed and ready to begin the fourth quarter of school. Is anyone going anywhere interesting? I'm not going anywhere on Spring Break, but this Easter weekend, I am traveling to Tennessee. My husband and I are going to the Grand Ole Opry and visiting a college friend. Happy St. Patrick's Day!Happy Easter to everyone. My husband and I just got back from a weekend in Nashville. We went to the Grand Ole Opry to see Loretta Lynn. Nashville is a beautiful, clean, and friendly city. I hope everyone is enjoying the weekend. I will see all students on Tuesday.Today was our first day back from break. Several students have new tans and freckles from their trips. Everyone had lots of things to talk about and share. It was a great first day back. I can't believe we only have a month and a half of school left. I love this class so much. It will be hard to watch them go to third grade next year.We have been taking the Roar test every day this week. The students are doing very well. It is amazing to see how much they have grown since the first time we took it. I'm excited to compare the results.We finished the last portion of the ROAR test today. The writing prompt went very well. I haven't graded them yet, but as I was walking around the room, the students seemed to be doing a great job!May Crowning is Wednesday at 9:15am. Please send in flowers before then. Our flower bearer is Brian Hendricks. I also look forward to seeing everyone at the mini-musical next week.Happy Mother's Day to all of you great ladies! I took my own mother out to Church Hill Downs for the horse races today and then to King Fish for dinner. I hope you all enjoyed the Mother poems the kids wrote and their mom surveys.I hope everyone is having a great summer. I start back to work in 20 days! I can't believe it. Summer goes by so fast.Well, the classroom is up and running. I am looking forward to meeting all of the new second grade parents at Back to school Night. See you then.I always get excited and nervous about the first day. I want everything to go smoothly. Thank you for all of the support you have already given me thus far. It will be a great year.Day one is down. 179 more to go. The class did great! I'm really excited about this year. Thank you for raising such wonderful children.Today was a crazy day! We had a gas leak in the cafeteria area. The kids had to sit in the gym for about an hour this morning. The class seems to be settling into the routine of second grade. It is a great bunch of students. I feel so blessed to be their teacher this year.Well, it has finally happened. This new second grade class is getting very comfortable in the classroom. Which means, they are becoming more talkative. Don't be surprised if some card flips start occuring. I have to "nip this in the bud" before we start having a loud classroom. Thanks for your support.Be sure to fill out seven address labels tonight and return it to school tomorrow. If you do, you can have free dress tomorrow! Let's sell some magazines!Happy Labor Day Weekend! I am visiting my in-laws and then going to the U.S. Nationals Drag Races. Enjoy the three day weekend. Library books are due Tuesday along with Scholastic Book Order forms.All students in our class currently have an "O" in conduct. Each child may choose to dress down on either Friday or Monday.Last weekend was a bit stressful for me and it has carried over into this week. My grandfather was in the hospital over the weekend. He is having some neuro. problems. Keep him in your prayers.Today was the magazine rally. It was so much fun. Our pig won Best Dressed because he looked so patriotic and it was 9/11. We get to have an ice cream party now! My throat hurts from screaming. Imagine a gym filled with 600 students grades K-8 all cheering for their pig to win the race!I was disappointed to learn today that some of the students in my reading class are "fibbing" on their Read Across America log sheets. I have put so much time, effort, and my own money into starting this program. I have no idea what to do to change the program. The only thing I have thought of is to require a mini-book report on each completed book. However, this would produce more student work and paper work for me. Let me know if anyone has any ideas or comments on the subject.Please be practicing math facts at home. We start addition soon and I can tell that some students are behind are memorizing their facts.So, I have been sick since Thursday. The whole weekend was ruined. I am still not feeling better, but I am hoping a full night of rest will help. I am planning on being at school tomorrow.So, I have been sick since Thursday. The whole weekend was ruined. I am still not feeling better, but I am hoping a full night of rest will help. I am planning on being at school tomorrow.Please do me a big favor and keep Briannah Herzog, a new student in our class, in your prayers. Her grandmother passed away over the weekend unexpectedly. It is always hard on young children to lose someone close to them. Please pray for Briannah and her family as they go through this difficult time. Let me know if you have any ideas about something we could do for her as a class.Please contact me if you would like to help with sending a meal over to the Herzog family. They are going through a rough time with the death of Briannah's grandmother.Please keep the Latimer family in your prayers.Dear students and parents, My grandmother is currently in the hospital. Please pray for her recovery. Thank you. -Mrs. ChastainThank you all for your prayers for my grandmother. She is home from the hospital and still recovering. Please continue to pray for her and her recovery. God Bless you all.We took the phonics and reading comprehension tests on the computer today. The students seemed to really enjoy taking it on the computer rather than paper and pencil. I just hope their scores reflect what I KNOW they can do.We have already had several kids out sick this past week. Please be sure to remind your child to wash their hands whenever they have a chance and to use hand sanitizer. I, myself, had a low fever and sore throat this past weekend. 'Tis the season!I hope everyone has a wonderful break and a Happy Thanksgiving. We have many blessings to be thankful for this year. God bless you all. Thank you for being such supportive parents and thank you to the students for being the best class ever!I haven't posted for a long time, because I don't think anyone ever reads this blog or even gets on our classroom website. Anyways, if you do read this or check the website often, leave a message on here. The class is doing great. They were so sweet today because I had a tooth pulled last night and I was in major pain today! I'm so lucky to have such an awesome class.Tonight's 1st Reconciliation went very well.&nbsp; The students all looked so precious as they went up to the priests.&nbsp; They have grown up so much since August.&nbsp; It was also nice to see the parents.&nbsp; I rarely get a chance to meet with parents since all of the students are so good.&nbsp; It seems teachers only meet with parents when there are problems.&nbsp; Wouldn't it be nice to meet and talk about all the amazing and great things the kids are doing?&nbsp; Just a thought. :)&nbsp;I am currently in Mitchell, Indiana at my parents' house.&nbsp; My husband and I came down here to do some sledding on some Southern Indiana hills.&nbsp; There is a foot of snow and in between the&nbsp; snow is an inch&nbsp; of ice!&nbsp; I will be lucky if I come back with no broken bones!&nbsp; Have a great weekend.The class was great all week until today.&nbsp; They were very talkative and easily distracted.&nbsp; After several warnings I took away five minutes of recess.&nbsp; Five minutes is like an eternity to a 2nd grader.&nbsp; Things didn't change after recess.&nbsp; I'm thinking it is just some Valentine's day excitement.&nbsp; Tomorrow is sure to be a little crazy with the party and Twin Day.&nbsp; I better get to bed early so that I will have the energy to deal with 23 sugared-up students.&nbsp;&nbsp; :)&nbsp;It was really nice to have a three-day weekend.&nbsp; I went to Mitchell to see my family.&nbsp; This week is only a four-day school week, but it will be very busy and very full.&nbsp; See everyone on Tuesday!&nbsp; :)<P>Lots of card flips today, ranging from no homework, to no materials for class, to messing around in the cafe. and in the restroom.&nbsp; I hope tomorrow is a better day for everyone.&nbsp; I think the kids ( and myself) are all ready for winter to be over and for spring to arrive soon.&nbsp; </P> <P>Alex Barrett has been sick recently, please keep him in your prayers.&nbsp; </P>I had a great opportunity to go watch my first class of 5th graders (who are now 8th graders) play in a championship basketball game here in Indy today.&nbsp; They won by a landslide and then I got to go eat dinner with all of them.&nbsp; They were so much more grown up than I remember them, but still very sweet and very fond of me.&nbsp; It made me feel great to know that I possibly had somewhat of an influence on their lives.&nbsp;We had a surprise visitor today.&nbsp; Mrs. Latimer came in and brought us a thank you card and some homemade chocolate chip cookies.&nbsp; We made a giant Valentine card for her and she wanted to thank us.&nbsp; The cookies were so good!&nbsp; The kids felt good to know that something they did made someone else so happy.&nbsp; Mrs. Latimer is such an amazing person.&nbsp; She is always thinking of others, even in her own time of need.&nbsp;Well, if you haven't heard yet, my husband Ben will be doing his ER residency here in Indy.&nbsp; We also bought a house on Saturday!&nbsp; Too many changes in just a few days for me, but they are all good changes.&nbsp; Thank you for your support and prayers.&nbsp; Everything has worked out so well.&nbsp; I am so glad I still get to teach here at St. Barnabas.&nbsp;<P>I hope everyone is having a great Spring Break.&nbsp; I am a little stressed because my mom&nbsp; was supposed to have surgery, but then it was called off at the last minute because they thought her EKG showed a possible blockage in her heart.&nbsp; Needless to say, my whole family was upset and scared because heart disease runs in our family.&nbsp; My life has been an emotional roller coaster lately.&nbsp; I've had a lot of ups like buying the house, and finding out Ben's residency was here in Indy.&nbsp; And I've had a lot of downs like my father-in-law's heart problem, my mother's heart problem, and the new education requirement of 180 full days and how that will mess up next year's schedule, and the pay freeze the teacher's are on, and the upsetting comments people have left on the&nbsp; indystar.com about teachers.&nbsp; </P> <P>I&nbsp; know God has a plan for all of us and everything happens for a reason.&nbsp; I thank God for the many blessings he has given me, and I will pray and work as hard as I can in hopes that the unresolved issues in my life turn out the way God wants them to.&nbsp; </P> <P>"Life isn't measured by the amount of breaths you take, but by the moments that take your breath away."&nbsp; </P> <P>"If&nbsp; you can read this...thank a teacher."</P> <P>"Bloom where you are planted."</P><P>Spring Break has been great so far.&nbsp; I have been busy packing up our apartment so when the first week of May gets here, we can move into our new house.&nbsp; I have also gone into the classroom and done some work.&nbsp; </P> <P>I hope everyone is having a great break and that everyone comes back safe and ready to end the year strongly.&nbsp; Only a couple of months, until our second graders will be big, smart, third graders.&nbsp; We have a lot to do in 7 weeks!&nbsp; Be prepared to work hard.&nbsp; </P><P>Chick-Fil-A was fun tonight.&nbsp; I saw a lot of students and parents there.&nbsp; Hopefully we will win the nugget party this time!&nbsp; :)&nbsp; I hope everyone had a great Easter.&nbsp; I went to Mitchell and celebrated my Grandma's 74th birthday.&nbsp; She was so happy to have all her family all together that she was glowing. It was very special for me as well.&nbsp; My grandma and I are very close and I love her very much.&nbsp; </P> <P>Happy Easter!&nbsp; </P>Congrats to all of the students on their 1st Communion.&nbsp; They all looked like little angels as they walked up to the altar.&nbsp; I even got a&nbsp; little misty-eyed watching them.&nbsp;I feel like I am always asking you to pray for me on this blog, but what can I say?!&nbsp; It has been a long year.&nbsp; Now something new has been added to my plate.&nbsp; I just found out that my mom has breast cancer.&nbsp; She was going in to have an elective surgery on something else, and one of her pre-op tests was a mammogram.&nbsp; Without the mammogram, she wouldn't have found the cancer.&nbsp; I am thankful to God for that.&nbsp; I pray that they caught it in time.&nbsp; She remains positive, as do I.&nbsp; My mom is pretty young to me.&nbsp; She is going to be 49 in July.&nbsp; I can't stress how important early detection is.&nbsp; Please tell every woman in your life or family to get yearly tests and to do self-exams.&nbsp;<P>My husband and I just got back from closing on our first house.&nbsp; My mom's breast cancer surgery was also today.&nbsp; Both big events went very well.&nbsp; Thank you for your prayers.</P>AHHH!&nbsp; My throat was me today.&nbsp; I could barely swallow.&nbsp; Out of all the weeks for my throat and voice to go out...it had to be this week!&nbsp;<P>I just checked my Visitor stats for the website, and saw that 193 people have visited my blog page during the month of June.&nbsp; I haven't been writing or updating the website because I didn't think anyone looked at it over the summer.&nbsp; I guess I was proven wrong!&nbsp; :)&nbsp; </P> <P>So far this summer, I have been working on my new house, I went on a trip to Gatlinburg, and I have been sleeping in.&nbsp; I really want to get several books read, that I am behind on, and I would like to start working out again.&nbsp; </P> <P>I hope everyone is having a great summer.&nbsp; I am looking forward to next year.&nbsp; It will be my third year teaching second grade and my fifth year of teaching altogether.&nbsp; I can't believe it has already been five years.&nbsp; Time flies after college.&nbsp; </P><P>I felt so lazy today.&nbsp;&nbsp; :)&nbsp; I slept in and then took care of some phone calls and e-mails that I needed to return.&nbsp; After that I went to get my hair trimmed.&nbsp; I'm trying to grow it out really long, but it is taking forever!&nbsp; </P> <P>I've been working on adding new things to the classroom website and updating the calendar.&nbsp; Don't forget, that if you read my blog, you can write back to me on it or post a comment.&nbsp; After you post it, it won't show up right away.&nbsp; It will wait for me to read it and confirm that it is appropriate to post. You may also contact me at my summer e-mail address which is:&nbsp; <A href="mailto:frogoli@hotmail.com">frogoli@hotmail.com</A>&nbsp; </P>I can't believe that summer is coming to a close so quickly.&nbsp; This week several teachers are going to training for a new kind of math called "Singapore Math".&nbsp; We will all be back at school working in our classrooms after July 31st.&nbsp; You can start using my school e-mail address after that date.&nbsp; Looking forward to a great year!I have been in the classroom all week, working on getting things ready for the first day of school.&nbsp; We will have 18 students, 10 boys and 8 girls.&nbsp; I am excited about having a smaller number.&nbsp; A small class size, means more individual attention for every student.&nbsp; I will see all parents on Monday for Back to School Night.<P>Back to School Night was great.&nbsp; It was very touching to get a standing ovation in the church before we left to go to our classrooms.&nbsp; Thank you so much.&nbsp; I really enjoyed meeting all of the parents.&nbsp; It seems like a very supportive group.&nbsp; I was so nervous when I spoke to the first group.&nbsp; I was talking fast, sweating, and my voice was shaking!&nbsp; Then, I spoke very calmly to the other groups.&nbsp; It is funny how I can be so nervous in front of parents, and so calm with a group of second graders.&nbsp; It is going to be a great year.&nbsp; I am very excited to meet the students on Thursday.</P> <P>&nbsp;</P> <P>I forgot to mention that I also have two part-time jobs.&nbsp; I am an Avon sales representative and a Lia Sophia Jewelry Advisor.&nbsp; So, let me know if you want to place an order or have a party for Lia Sophia.&nbsp; Even if no one buys anything or shows up, you get two half-price items, and four items at 70 % off!&nbsp; Call me up!&nbsp; :) </P><P>Today's meetings at school were all about Singapore math.&nbsp; It was amazing.&nbsp; I was doing difficult math problems, and it seemed so simple!&nbsp; It was amazing!&nbsp; If any parents ever want to stop by after school, I would be happy to do a few sample problems for you.&nbsp; Mrs. Perkins hasn't given us a date yet for parent training, but I will let you know as soon as I know.&nbsp; </P> <P>&nbsp;</P> <P>Thank you to the Looney family for donating two new basketballs and two new ink cartridges.&nbsp; :) </P><P>There is a really cute children's book called "The 1st Day Jitters."&nbsp; It is about a teacher who is nervous about the first day of school, but all through the book you think you are reading about a child who is nervous.&nbsp; I always read this book on the first day of school because it shows the students that it is okay to be nervous.&nbsp; </P> <P>I have spent all day and I will spend most of the evening working on last-minute things for school tomorrow.&nbsp; Whenever you think teachers are at home doing nothing, we are actually at home working on things for school.&nbsp; Don't let the hours of 7-3 fool you!&nbsp; Work doesn't stop at 3!&nbsp; </P> <P>I hope our day goes smoothly tomorrow.&nbsp; I have a doctor's appointment after school, so I will try to post something tomorrow evening.&nbsp; Best Wishes and God Bless our new school year.&nbsp; </P>I just had an amazing first day of school!&nbsp; I love my class already!&nbsp; They followed directions very well today and were quiet all day.&nbsp; It was kind of scary!&nbsp; I hope this is not the calm before the storm!&nbsp; Ha ha!&nbsp; We wrote a story about our summer vacations and I was amazed at the great writing I was seeing.&nbsp; I saw good use of adjectives, good catchy introductions, and good endings.&nbsp; Hopefully tomorrow, and the rest of the year will be just as good.<P>The best way to contact me is by my school e-mail.&nbsp; If it is an emergency, you may use my home e-mail address or my cell phone number.&nbsp; My school e-mail address is <A href="mailto:achastain@saintbarnabasparish.org">achastain@saintbarnabasparish.org</A>&nbsp; My home e-mail address is <A href="mailto:frogoli@hotmail.com">frogoli@hotmail.com</A> </P> <P>School has been great this week.&nbsp; The students are "testing their boundaries" as far as talking goes, but I am nipping it in the bud.&nbsp; :)&nbsp; They are still a really great class.&nbsp; </P>I hope everyone has a great weekend.&nbsp; I am going to Mitchell to visit my family, and then to Terre Haute to do a Lia Sophia Jewelry party.&nbsp; I will be back in town on Sunday!&nbsp; See all students back in class on Monday.&nbsp; Sell those magazines!&nbsp;<P>Just now headed to bed after a very busy weekend.&nbsp; I spent Friday night and the day during Saturday in Mitchell visiting my parents and grandparents.&nbsp; Saturday night and all day Sunday I was in Terre Haute visiting a friend and doing my very first Lia Sophia jewelry party.&nbsp; It went very well.&nbsp; Let me know if any of you would like to host a party.&nbsp; I do all of the work, and you get free, beautiful jewelry.&nbsp; If you don't want to host an actual party, you could do a "silent party", where you take up orders on your own.&nbsp; You would still qualify for the free items too!&nbsp; :)&nbsp; </P> <P>Back to school tomorrow for the second full week.&nbsp; I think we are going to the library for the first time this Tuesday.&nbsp; Students are allowed to check out two books.&nbsp; Be sure to ask them to bring them home and read them to you.&nbsp; They may also start taking Accelerated Reader tests at home or at school.&nbsp; More information will be coming home in this week's classroom newsletter.&nbsp; </P>Magazine sales were awesome today.&nbsp; The school sold 12,000 dollars worth!&nbsp; Our class had several orders today, so I am hoping that we will win the pig!&nbsp; I'm selling the magazines too, so stay motivated and keep pushing them.&nbsp;My husband and I went to the Indians game on Friday night.&nbsp; It lasted 16 innings!&nbsp; I couldn't believe it.&nbsp; On Monday, we are going to the U.S. Nationals NHRA Drag Races.&nbsp; I am a huge drag racing fan.&nbsp; My favorite drivers are John Force and Ashly Force Hood.&nbsp; I hope everyone is having a great Labor Day weekend.&nbsp; See you on Tuesday.&nbsp;<P>Yesterday my husband and I went to the U.S. Nationals NHRA drag racing finals.&nbsp; I was so worn out when I got home.&nbsp; My face is burned from sitting in the sun all day.&nbsp; It was so awesome.&nbsp; I met and got autographs from my favorite racing team.&nbsp; </P> <P>I'd love to hear about your Labor Day Weekend.&nbsp; Please leave a comment on this blog and share what you did.&nbsp; Have a great week!&nbsp; It is already Tuesday!&nbsp; </P><P>On Tuesday, we watched the speech for children given by President Obama.&nbsp; Mrs. Perkins mentioned it in the school newsletter, and we only had a handful of students who had written notes from home about not watching it.&nbsp; Before the speech I talked to the class about how it is perfectly fine to have different opinions and ideas.&nbsp; I told them that our great country was founded by people who disagreed with the ideas of others.&nbsp; We discussed that our President deserves some level of respect, but that as individuals, we should think for ourselves.&nbsp; </P> <P>After the speech, we talked about what he meant and what the main idea of his speech was.&nbsp; The students pretty much thought that the President was just trying to tell them to work hard in school.&nbsp; Overall, it was a good discussion and a good teaching moment.&nbsp; </P><P>Bad day today!&nbsp; Ran into a curb this morning with my car.&nbsp; I had to leave work to get a test done at the hospital.&nbsp; When I went out to my car, my tire was flat!&nbsp; Then, I had to have someone drive me to the hospital for the test.&nbsp; The test was like a bad nightmare.&nbsp; I had 10 needles in each leg.&nbsp; Then an electrical current was sent schocking my muscles.&nbsp; It was insanely painful!&nbsp; Meanwhile, my husband was putting my spare tire on the car.&nbsp; He picked me up and we went to get the tire fixed.&nbsp; Come to find out, the tire was beyond being fixed and there was another tire on the car that was poor.&nbsp; So, we spent $200 that we had not budgeted on two new tires!&nbsp; </P> <P>I drove my car home and walked into my house with my arms full.&nbsp; The house alarm started going off, so I dropped everything, shut the alarm off, and realized that my dog had an "accident" in the floor, which I stepped in!&nbsp; It was number two not number one!&nbsp; </P> <P>This just goes to show that some days you are the bug and some days you are the windshield!&nbsp; Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day.&nbsp; </P> <P>On a good note, the kids were great today.&nbsp; They did an amazing job during our discussion in writing class today.&nbsp; :)&nbsp; </P>I have been having back problems lately.&nbsp; I want to thank the parents who are helping out with the Walk-a-thon on Thursday.&nbsp; I can't walk with the class that day.&nbsp; I am going to see a specialist Thursday afternoon.&nbsp; Thanks again.&nbsp;<P>I am in Mitchell this weekend for the kick-off of the Persimmon Festival, which is the Candlelight Tour.&nbsp; This occurs at Spring Mill State Park, which is set up as a pioneer village in the 1800's.&nbsp; People act out life as a pioneer as you tour the village by candlelight and lantern.&nbsp; It is a sight to see!&nbsp; My family and I go every year.&nbsp; I wish I could take the class there on a field trip, but it is 2 hours from Indy, and field trips are a lot more expensive than they used to be.&nbsp; If you ever get a chance, you should go visit the park.&nbsp; They have great camping and an awesome Inn, which is very rustic and "country".&nbsp; :) </P> <P>The Persimmon Festival is also a great time.&nbsp; I was actually a Persimmon Festival Queen!&nbsp; (I used to be a lot skinnier in those days).&nbsp; I will be coming back next weekend for the parade and other events in "downtown" Mitchell.&nbsp; LOL </P><P>We finished up the ROAR test today.&nbsp; I will be interested to see the results.&nbsp; The results will be discussed at parent-teacher conferences.&nbsp; The class has been working very hard this week and doing a great job.&nbsp; I am so proud of them.&nbsp; Accelerated Reader has really become popular among the students.&nbsp; I have never seen them so excited about reading.&nbsp; Next week we will also be starting the Book-It program sponsored by Pizza Hut.&nbsp; I am sure that AR and Book-It put together will really light the "reading fire" in each student.&nbsp; Thank you for your support at home.&nbsp; </P> <P>During the month of October, we will be doing two service projects.&nbsp; The first one involves collecting underwear for St. Vincent de Paul of Brown County.&nbsp; The class that collects the most wins a pizza party.&nbsp; The other project is collecting bags of paper to be recycled here at school.&nbsp; I know there is a prize for this one, but I am not sure what it is.&nbsp; It might be a pizza party as well.&nbsp; Please send in at least one bag of paper and one pair of underwear per student.&nbsp; </P><P>I got my results back from my MRI.&nbsp; I have some osteo problem with my L4 and L5 vertebrae.&nbsp; I will be doing physical therapy and injections.&nbsp; Thank you to everyone who was asking about my well-being.&nbsp; </P> <P>&nbsp;</P>Sorry about not posting anything for a long time.&nbsp; My computer at home was infected with a billion viruses and my husband has been waging war with it each night.&nbsp; Hopefully it will be up and running again soon.&nbsp; I did want to take the time to thank everyone for the great birthday celebration that was thrown for me on October 8th.&nbsp; Thank you so very much for all of the lovely gifts.&nbsp; I hope everyone is doing well and I will see you all at conferences.&nbsp;The past two days have been awesome teaching and learning days!&nbsp; The kids are really focused on school right now.&nbsp; They are loving cursive, they are really interested in the religion chapter, and they are staying positive about the new two-digit addition in math class.&nbsp; I don't know if it was the Fall Break, or talks at home with parents after parent-teacher conferences, but something is really working.&nbsp; I hope they all keep up the good work.&nbsp;Thank you for the prayers you have sent my mom's way.&nbsp; She just had surgery and is now home from the hospital.&nbsp;<P>Well, it is Saturday night, oops, make that early Sunday a.m.&nbsp; Can't sleep, so I am working on updating the website and on lesson plans for December.&nbsp; </P> <P>Ben was on call all weekend, so I helped my mom who just had surgery.&nbsp; I also helped my grandma with her housework because her hip is really hurting her.&nbsp; </P> <P>I am really looking forward to tonight because Ben and I are finally going to get to see "New Moon".&nbsp; In case you have been living in a cave this weekend, it is the #1 movie at the box office.&nbsp; It is based on a set of books called "The Twilight Saga."&nbsp; I have read all 4 books and I loved them.&nbsp; It was one of those books, where I could not put it down.&nbsp; My favorite book from the set was "Breaking Dawn", the final installment.&nbsp; </P><P>I am in Mitchell for Thanksgiving this year.&nbsp; Ben is on call, so he is going to eat with the Chastain family in Indy.&nbsp; I have an uncle driving in from Mississippi, so I am with my side of the family this year.&nbsp; </P> <P>I hope everyone has a safe and happy Thanksgiving.&nbsp; </P><P>I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving Break.&nbsp; It was great to see everyone back this morning.&nbsp; I haven't seen my husband since last Tuesday morning, so I was excited to get home after school today.&nbsp; However, he just worked 30 hours straight in the ICU at Methodist with NO sleep...so needless to say, he is sleeping upstairs and I am working on school stuff downstairs. I don't know how he does it.&nbsp; I can't imagine doing any job for 30 hours straight!&nbsp; </P> <P>Don't forget to turn in November Book-It calendars and the Math Fact Calendars tomorrow.&nbsp; A new Book-It form will come home tomorrow.&nbsp; I am asking my reading class to read from Dec. 1st-Dec. 18th and to turn the December calendars in on the 18th.&nbsp; </P> <P>I am still noticing some problems on 2-digit addition.&nbsp; The students are doing very well on the concept of regrouping, but several students are still getting the wrong answer because of basic math fact errors.&nbsp; Please keep practicing at home when it comes to math facts.&nbsp; It will greatly benefit your child in all areas of math.&nbsp; </P> <P>Only 3 school weeks left till Christmas Break.&nbsp; There is a lot to get done before then, so keep your child motivated and on track.&nbsp; Thanks for all that you do at home to support your child's education.&nbsp; </P><P>It feels so good to be back in my hometown for Christmas Break.&nbsp; I wanted to thank everyone for the thoughtful Christmas presents.&nbsp; The gift cards were very generous and they will help out a lot!&nbsp; The other presents were also amazing!&nbsp; I appreciate all of the thought that went in to picking them out.&nbsp; </P> <P>Ben is still in Indy working, but he will be coming to my parent's house soon.&nbsp; Then we will head to West Lafayette for a few days to spend time with his family.&nbsp; </P> <P>I hope everyone has a very merry Christmas and a blessed New Year.&nbsp; Thank you all for an awesome first semester.&nbsp; It is hard to believe that the school year is half over already!&nbsp; Only one semester left to change these 2nd graders into 3rd graders.&nbsp; With your help, love, and support we will accomplish this goal together.&nbsp; Thanks again for everything.&nbsp; </P>Going to Mitchell this weekend for my Dad's birthday.&nbsp; Should be fun.&nbsp; Go Colts!&nbsp;Well today is a Blue Monday, but blue as in sad.&nbsp; I really wish the Colts would have won.&nbsp;