May 25

Restaurant Math

We pretended to be in a restaurant today during math. I acted as hostess and seated each group of children. They reviewed a menu, wrote an order, and then calculated their bills. They brought me their bill and I checked it with a cash register.

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May 18

Letting Go

My daughter leaves today to study abroad in Spain. I would appreciate if you would include her in your prayers. She will live in a host home, take public transportation to the university, and participate in weekend excursions. She leaves knowing no one else on the trip.

As I have reflected on her departure, I’ve thought about our role as parents. Someone told me a long time ago that our job as parents is to prepare our children to leave us. From the minute they leave the womb, this role begins. There are their first steps, first day at school, and then the first sleepover. Later comes the first overnight class trip, the first date, and the first time they drive the car alone. Before you know it, you are leaving them at college. Our greatest challenge is to equip our children with the knowledge and skills necessary to be successful and then to sense when they are ready for the next step on their journey. If they proceed with independence and confidence, you have been successful. Prayer and faith are your constant companions because as much as you love them, their heavenly father loves them even more.

I have invested in your children this year and they each hold a special place in my heart. They too are prepared for the next step in their journey as they move upstairs to third grade. As the years go by, I will still be here to offer encouragement and to celebrate their accomplishments with you! Please don’t hesitate to stop by my room.

May 16

Reflections

Currently in fifth grade, the students are periodically presented with questions from their teachers and they are asked to respond to those questions by posting comments on the blog. My class looked at their blogs last week and they wanted to know how they could post comments on our class blog. I wanted to give them an opportunity to post a comment as well as provide them with a chance to give me some feedback about this year.

We discussed the importance of not sharing personal information, such as last names on the blog.  Be sure a parent looks at the comment before it is submitted. I will review and approve the comment before it is posted.  If a child chooses an avatar, please don’t choose a personal photo.

Here is your question:
Which day(s) or event(s) were your favorite this year?

For example, it may be a class party, a field trip, or a special event, such as the Talent Show or one of our fun dress-down days. You may have had a favorite unit (Living Things, Simple Machines, China, Space, Native Americans, or States). We’ve also had many special days, like Sleeping Bag Day, Field Day, Hero Day, The Book Parade, Movie Day, Grandparents’ Day, Donuts with Dad, Muffins with Mom, or the 100th Day. Your favorite may have been our Bugz performance, our chapel, or the Nashville mission project with the High School. Learning multiplication or cursive might be what you’ll remember most about second grade. Maybe you enjoyed memorizing a poem or doing your biography book report.  Some of you also shared your gifts and talents during the Parent Spots.  Possibly, you’re most excited about one of your many accomplishments this year or when you were the Star Student.  I am anxious to hear what is the most memorable to each of you.

May 12

Graduation

This weekend is graduation. Five of the six senior girls were on the varsity cheerleading squad that I helped coach this fall. It’s a gift to teach at a school where we can watch our students grow into amazing young adults.
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May 9

Skip Counting

One of our morning routines is to practice skip counting. I’ve found that learning multiplication facts and identifying patterns is much easier if you master this skill. I challenged my students to learn to skip count with a promise of an out-of-uniform day if they met that challenge. Congratulations to the first two students who were successful!

Skip Counting from Pattye Bright on Vimeo.