Indoor Recess

We are dying for the weather to get better so we can play with all our donated playground equipment.  We got about $600 worth of balls, frisbees, skippers, parachutes and ball bags.  Thanks to Donor's Choose and Dream Big for sponsoring us!

 http://dream-big.org/

Check out the Dream Big Foundation:

Our Mission:
Helping low-income and homeless girls achieve their dreams by providing the basic items necessary to enable them to participate in sports and physical activity, helping to lay the foundation for healthy, active lifestyles and quality learning experiences.

The Dream Big! Equipment Grants and Program Scholarships were established to provide direct equipment, uniforms, sneakers, sports attire and to help cover program fees for low-income and homeless girls who want to participate in any sports, recreation and physical activity.

2014

Maybe my resolution should have been to put more on the blog.  Unfortunately, as I told the kids it was actually to be better organized.  Teaching First Grade after being in Kindergarten for 10 years was a big switch. I feel like I am always forgetting my camera during those perfect picture moments. 

We have lots going on in the classroom.  I connected with a classroom in Missouri who was getting seat balls.  The teacher and I have been emailing quite a bit and decided to have the classrooms meet.  Through the wonders of modern technology, we had a Skype call with them.  We learned that they are a First and Second grade combination classroom with 22 students- just like us.  The kids had lots of questions to ask and Mrs. Cantrell's class had many questions for us.  We are going to pen pal with them, but first we are writing autobiographies to send them. 

Here is their blog if you want to see it.   http://cantrellsclassroom.blogspot.com/

We also did a great art/writing piece about how to catch a snowflake:

Happy New Year

Gingerbread Building

We had sooooo much stuff for our gingerbread houses this year.  The fourth grade worked in shifts with their book buddies to build the houses in the morning and then decorating was done all together in the afternoon.... Somehow we squeezed 45 kids into the room to decorate!

Donor's Choose

I have been incredibly fortunate this year in the way of donations.  We were adopted by the Coach Foundation and got to spend $500 in the classroom.  I wrote a Donor's Choose grant for our seat balls, which I now could not picture being without them.  My parents gave a donation which Donor's Choose matched so we now have lots of new technology in our classroom.

I am always looking at match offers which come up on Donor's Choose all the time.  Jamba Juice is sponsoring a match offer for any grant involving physical activity.  I thought why not?  I have a current grant written that will help ALL 140 first grade students.  It is for equipment to use during our recess on the field. So, if you have friends in the other classrooms...share this link  http://www.donorschoose.org/project/getting-active-at-recess/1156763/?verify=1952401445&rf=page_dccontent_2014_01_teacherid_1823107

We only have to cover $188 of the $350 to get equipment like balls, frisbees etc... to keep everyone active on the field!

http://www.donorschoose.org/project/getting-active-at-recess/1156763/?verify=1952401445&rf=page_dccontent_2014_01_teacherid_1823107

Christmas Concert

In case people missed it or have relatives who would like to see it... here is one of the songs we sang. 

Christmas Concert Video

December Pictures