Our Christmas Projects

On Friday we used the Speed Stacks to make some Christmas creations. These ideas were great! Below you will see the pictures of the projects and descriptions from their creators. To the right there is a poll and you can vote for your favorite! Have a great Christmas!

(Coming soon...pictures of the creators with their creations.)

CREATION #1: We built a Christian fish (look sideways) with a cross in the middle. Mr. W accidentally knocked down our first creation, so he gave us the Super Stacks to use to make up for it. We used them for the cross.
CREATION #2: We built the inn. The green mini-cups are the boys and the pink are girls. The front two mini-stacks are Mary and Joseph. There are people all over the place. That's how full the inn was.

CREATION #3: We built an angel, a wreath, and mistletoe. We had some colors left over so we tried to make a unique angel with purple wings. It was going to be a sugar cookie, but that plan didn't work.
CREATION #4: We built a fireplace with a mantle and trophies on top, two small ones and a big one. We tried to show red and orange embers and flames on top.


CREATION #5: We built Mrs. Claus in her younger years, before she went gray. She is wearing new pink earrings she got from Santa for Christmas.

Midterms and More

Midterms
Second quarter midterms are coming home today in sealed envelopes. I try hard to emphasize that grades are for the student, his/her parents, and the teacher. That's why the sealed envelopes. Please sign the form and return it tomorrow.

Christmas CD
Merry Christmas! I asked on Tuesday who drove their parents crazy with the Christmas CD and was greeted with a chorus of "I did!" Hopefully they were exaggerating. Again, I tried to get a variety - old/new, loud/soft, fast/slow, normal/not-so-normal. Anyway, I hope it brings more joy and smiles than annoyance this Christmas season.

Christmas Program
Tomorrow is the Christmas program we have been practicing. Listening today makes me think the practice has paid off. Performances are at 1:00 and 6:00 tomorrow. Students were asked to wear Sunday morning clothes, and Christmas colors would be an added bonus. I did tell them that if they wanted to save the special Christmas outfit for the evening performance it would be fine.

Okay, Let Me Explain...

I need to aplogize for the GOOFY picture I sent from the Packer game last weekend. Ugh! Let me explain! Mrs. Wilhorn tried taking pictures, but all we got were pictures of her fingers covering the camera. After trying to get a picture during the commercial breaks (and probably annoying the people around us) Mrs. Wilhorn's sister tried. What we got was a picture of Jason not ready for the picture and me trying explain what to do. Eye-yi-yi! I'd have given up if I hadn't promised a picture to the class. It didn't look that bad on my 1 inch screen!

So here are a couple good ones: Jason with his inflatable Motorola headset (He said he could talk to Al Davis with them. I wonder why he and I get along so well...) and the two of us with our matching hats - gifts from Mrs. Wilhorn, Megan, and Ethan before the game.

Friday, 12/14 Newsletter Updates

It's been a relatively quiet week, what with it being the Christmas season and all. All that is about to change next week...

Christmas Program
Rehearsals - We will be having all school rehearsals each day next week.
Program - Performances are on Thursday at 1:00 and 6:00.

Christmas Party and Gift Exchange
The class Christmas party is next week on Friday, and it will be in the afternoon. Yes, there will be a gift exchange as in past years. Please keep gifts under $5. It's not meant to be I-got-the-greatest-gift-in-history. More like What-can-I-get-to-spread-a-little-joy-to-my-classmates.

THE LIST
I have done this in past years, and we are doing it again next week. THE LIST! I have randomly selected names for the gift exchange as to whom the gifts are delivered (boys to boys, girls to girls) and hidden the list somewhere in the room. Each day the class will get clues. A bunch of them! The clues will lead them toward the list.

The Upcoming Week
Memory - Last of the Christmas program.
Religion - Christmas Program practice.
Reading - Christmas stories.
English - Complex Sentences
Math - Decimals, subtracting across zeros (regrouping)
Science - Finish Chapter 2.
Social Studies - Finish Chapter 6.
Spelling - Unit 13: boiled, annoyed, choices, poison, employer, joining, spoiled, voices, destroyed, pointing, avoided, enjoying Additional words: noisy, choir, employee, voyage Bonus words: appointed, poisonous

Be Transformed! T-Shirts

Don't forget! Mr. Betts asked that we all wear our "Be Transformed!" school theme t-shirts tomorrow for chapel. Sorry I forgot to tell everyone today...honestly, if another teacher hadn't just mentioned it, I'd have forgotten altogether! See you in the morning!

I'm at the game!

Go Packers!

Friday, 12/7 Newsletter Updates

The Upcoming Week
Memory - At Home: Q2W4 Slips At School: Christmas Program Songs

Religion - Christmas Program

Reading - How to Babysit an Orangutan, outlines. Too many students are waiting until late in the week to start on Reading Journals. Students write one letter, read my response, and then write their second letter. If the first letter is detailed and well written, then no second letter is required. Today there were about 10 students who gave me their first letter. This gives them no chance to write a second letter, which gives them an incomplete in the gradebook.

English - Compound sentences, clauses.

Math - More multiplication facts, inches to the nearest fourth, capacity (fluid ounces, cups, pints, quarts, gallons), decimals.

Science - The Earth (geology - rocks, volcanoes, earthquakes, erosion, etc.)

Social Studies - Begin the Southeast States - Chapter 6.

Spelling - No spelling list. Lesson 12 is a short review lesson.

Recommended Reading

Parents, if you haven't heard, Brett Favre was named Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year for 2007. Yes, of course I'm a Packer fan, so this thrills me. But if you don't get Sports Illustrated and haven't read the article or if you thought, "Good for him...I got dishes to do," or "Just what I need, another sports story," then I want to encourage you to take 20 minutes and read the article. It is about 10% football and 90% heart. I learned things I never knew.

There are some references to his wilder days, and some things that just aren't for the kids, but I would read it aloud to the class (selectively edited as I read) if I felt I could do it without choking up. Seriously. A great article. Here's the link: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/magazine/specials/sportsman/2007/12/03/sportsman.2007/index.html?eref=T1. I also have a print version if you'd like. Let me know if you'd like a copy.

Lots of Wednesday Updates...I'll Try To Be Brief

Butter Braid orders are due this Friday, 12/7. Deliveries will be next Friday, 12/14.

Speed Stacks orders are also due this Friday, 12/7. Deliveries should be here by Christmas.

Remember the non-perishable food items for chapel offerings. Mr. Betts challenged us for next week to see if everyone could bring ONE item.

Mr. Betts also asked that we all wear our "Be Transformed" theme t-shirts next Wednesday.

Mr. Betts ALSO challenged us to try and answer the WFHR kids' animal trivia question on the radio each morning. WFHR keeps track of the schools where the winners attend. There's a contest going that the class with the most winners gets Tropical Smoothies for their whole class! (Apparently St. Paul's has won the past two months.) And what a great opportunity to show the community how smart we are!!! The question is at 7:40 AM on 1320 AM.

It's winter. (Is your back sore from shoveling too?) Please help your child remember to have their boots, snowpants, hats, mittens, and all that stuff for recess. The snow piles have been awesome! Kids are expected to go outside. Please help make sure it will be an enjoyable - warm - time for them.

And that's all, folks! (Do I still need to write a newsletter on Friday?)

Advent Chapel Offering

I forgot to mention this in class today. Starting tomorrow students can begin bringing food offering for the food pantry. This is your standard non-perishable items, of course. We will be bringing them up front to the tree tomorrow during chapel and the following 2 weeks as well. In the past, Immanuel students have been extremely generous, often filling pickups with donations at Christmastime. Thanks!

Friday, 11/30 Newsletter Updates

Welcome to Jordan
On Monday Jordan joined our class. No, not that Jordan, but a new student. So far we are trying to figure out what to call both of them now. Jordan S. and Jordan C.? New Jordan and Old Jordan? Maybe just use middle names? I guess we'll wait and see on that, but we certainly welcome him to Immanuel nevertheless! (And today is his birthday! Happy 10th, Jordan!)

Basketball Teams
Congratulations to the girls for winning their game last night! The boys, however, lost a squeaker. I was able to watch some of both games and it was exciting. When I left I thought both teams were on their way to W's. If both teams play like I say, I'm sure there will be more W's than L's in the future!

Next Week
It is shaping up to be a pretty normal week. No jury duty, no schedule quirks, no extras. Who knows what twists and turns the Lord has in store for us, but right now none of them are on my calendar. Enjoy the weekend!

The Upcoming Week
Memory - At Home: Quarter 2 Week 3 Slips At School: Christmas Program lyrics. We are practicing at school, and I'll assign them as we go.

Religion - We are moving up in the book to study the works on Jesus during his ministry on earth.

Reading - Charlotte's Web, theme, How to Babysit and Orangutan.

English - Compound sentences, clauses.

Math - Fractions of a dollar, fractions and mixed numbers on a number line, more multiplication facts.

Science - Finish chapter 1 on weather.

Social Studies - Finish Chapter 2 on the Atlantic Coast and Appalachian states.

Spelling - Unit 11: ground, frown, downtown, bounced, council, about, scout, counter, background, amount, bound, shower Additional words: mountain, county, cloud, south Bonus words: thousand, allowance

Choir Update and November Book Order

Choir Update
The 3rd and 4th grade choir is singing at Advent worship this Wednesday. Students are bringing home a pink note from Mr. Altis today as well. Church is at 6:30. Students should meet at 6:10 for a brief rehearsal. Check the pink note for more details.

November Book Order Recommendations
Books I've Read and Recommend
The Family Under the Bridge
Newbery Favorites Pack - I've read many of these. Some may be tough for 4th graders.
The Wright 3 - Sequel to Chasing Vermeer...but I don't see the first one in the order!
Room One - From the author or Frindle.
The Sign of the Beaver
Tuck Everlasting - A great book full of difficult choices.
Esperanza Rising
Princess Pack - Ella Enchanted is great, but I haven't read the other book.
Boys Vs. Girls Pack - the first 3 books and the fourth (Girls Rule) is right next to it in the order.

The November book order will be due on Thursday, November 29. That's only 4 days away. Parents, feel free to contact me if you wish to make purchases "quietly" due to the Christmas season.

Wednesday, 11/21 Newsletter Updates

Field Trip - Wow! and Thanks!
Again, what a great trip. The website has been cleaned up, and all the pictures should be clear and the gibberish cleared out. Thanks to the drivers for taking time to transport the kids. Thanks especially to Mrs. McDonald who volunteered to stay over night and be our second chaperone. Hopefully next week I'll have a slide show ready of all the photographs I took.

After School Speed Stacks Starts Next Week
A note is coming home tonight for the Speed Stackers. All of the year's dates are included as well as some other information.

Memory
We are starting our Christmas program practices more and more. Starting next week we will be working on songs from the program. Students now have a song sheet, and we will take care of individual songs as they come. Watch your child's planner for specific assignments.

The Upcoming Week - Sort Of...
It's been a crazy week as far as our normal schedule is concerned, and I haven't had a chance to look too far ahead yet. We'll continue in our reading journals and with our next reading story, begin compound subjects and predicates in English, lesson 31 in math, and will be starting new chapters in social studies and science. The spelling list is coming home today.

And that's it for today. I'm racing to get this done, posted, printed, copied, and distributed before the end of the day.

C.W.E.S. Field Trip and Pictures

The trip was great! Hopefully you have heard the same at home. I will be working on a slide show of all the pictures I took, and they will be available on CD or (possibly) on the website. I also have to take a look at the website and see why some pictures are showing up and why some are nothing but blank spots.

And this should be the last post from me today. Your inbox should stop beeping.

Lumberjack Olympics

Students participated in activities that lumberjacks would have done to pass the time on Sunday, their one day off. Lumberjacks would have races to cut logs, log tossing contests, "one-hit" nail driving contests, and light-the-match-with-the-ax contests.

Archeologists at work.

I'm updating the website after having sent all the pictures and wanted to share some information about this picture and activity. This house was built by New Hope Lutheran Church as their parsonage in 1857. It burned down in 1945 after a lightening strike. UWSP purchased the land recently and has been allowing students to dig up the area. We found many nails and pieces of melted glass, bricks upon bricks, forks, knives, and pieces of plates. One piece of ceramic looked like a decorative wall-hanging plate. The piece we found had a calendar from January of 1910. Around the outside we were able to see holly leaves and berries painted on. We found the shower head, part of an oven grill, and a table leg (?) with a wheel/caster at the bottom. Over time the forest had grown over the house. A tree stump was dug/whacked/pulled out from the middle of the house. Our most amazing discoveries were an unbroken light bulb and a plastic or vinyl table cloth under the tree stump that amazingly survived the fire. The tree roots were wrapped around the table cloth so we were unable to pull it all out. All of the "important" finds were cataloged in the logbook with the discoverer's name. The kids were asking to skip lunch to keep searching.

Good Morning, Girls!

Does this bright-eyed bunch look like they just woke up?

Good Morning, Boys!

Do they look like they just woke up?

Sing-Along Time

Before we went on our night hike we spent some time with our teachers from UW-SP learning some new songs. The swaying made some of the kids blurry.

Class Time

We spent some time inside learning lessons to use in the woods. This lesson was on tree identification.