Rainy Day

What a heartbreaker.

This was one of the hardest last days of school in a long time--so many emotions and so many tears. We kept it upbeat for the most part, but the inevitable end of the day came, and just about the time the kids were on the buses, down came the rain.

I hope everyone has an incredible summer, and I look forward to hearing what happens next in all your lives. 

Starmen and Starwomen

Thanks again, so much, Mr. Anderson!

Craig Anderson is a former 5-1 dad who has continued to make these videos for my class for years after his sons have passed on to Clay. It was so great to see him, Luke, and Noah a couple weeks ago when they came to make this video.

Now it's down in history!

Pretty Neat

Tomorrow is the big graduation!

Everybody remember to look nice and sharp tomorrow!

Parents: The program begins at 12:15. Lunch for the kids will follow.

Radio Days

So far today, we have wrapped up our persuasive essays! Not bad for this early in the day. The kids are actually at gym right now, but next they will be presenting their radio dramas.

The good news is that our building is finally starting to cool off a bit. It was a hot start to today!

Good Advice for Everyone

This Memorial Day, I want to share a post that I put up on Facebook, which I copied from my Nextdoor feed. As you know, my neighbors and community were directly affected by the shooting at Noblesville West on Friday. Please keep this in mind this summer, and in the future. Not only for the sake of those kids, but also for the sake of veterans all over the country.

Here it is:

In addition to the young lady who was injured in the shooting, there are at least two other children who live in Mill Grove who were in Mr. Seaman’s class and experienced the shooting first hand, including our son. We spent about three hours yesterday with the wonderful counselors and trauma team the school had available to this group of kids. They told us repeatedly that fireworks would be a major trauma trigger for these kids. Not only the sound but also the smell because kids experience trauma at a sensory level. Last night I saw this first hand in my son when 2 fireworks popped off about 9:00. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE keep these children in mind as you enjoy your summer and 4th of July. The community has been so supportive and many of you have been asking how you can help. This is a very real thing that you can do to help these kids. Please consider taking your personal fireworks to a nearby field or parking lot out of Mill Grove. Please talk to your teens and ask them to do that as well. If your neighbors are not in this group please mention this to them. Each pop takes them back to that classroom to what they saw, heard, smelled and felt.

Reality Hits

Just taking a walk around my neighborhood last night, so many people were out on their front porches. My neighborhood feeds in to Noblesville West. People were just talking, wondering what to do. Shaking their heads. I stopped and talked to a few of them, and heard their first-hand stories of their kids running across the field, into nearby businesses, and into the woods. The chaos as they waited to pick up their loved ones. 

As soon as I got home yesterday afternoon, my neighbors came to see if I was okay because a couple of them thought that I may have worked there. As recently as yesterday morning, I had played out in my mind what I would do in a school shooting. This was before anything happened.

I guess maybe it was inevitable that this would one day happen right here in our backyard. It shouldn't have been, of course, but perhaps that's just what it was.

Checkerboards

Tomorrow is Black and White Spirit Day! Everyone dress up as your favorite racing flag. 

Clean Out the Fridge Time!

Hello everyone it’s that time of year for the cafeteria to use up what we have left in the freezer. So here is the menu for next week. We will not be having salads; we will only be having hot lunch and peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

Tuesday 5/29 Chicken smackers, mashed potatoes w/gravy or PBJ

Wednesday 5/30 Pizza or PBJ

Thursday 5/31 Hot Dog or PBJ

If you have and question, please just send me an email or stop by the cafeteria.  J

Beverley Allen

Cafeteria Manager

Woodbrook Elementary

Surfing Into...Sniffle...

5th grade 2017-2018

5th Grade party - "Surfing into 6th grade"

It's time to celebrate graduating 5th grade.
The party will be at North Beach at Northview Church. Food will be provided. There will also be Basketball, Gaga ball, Table shuffle board, hanging out with friends, photo booth, and dance party.

We need to know if your child will be in attendance.  We also need an emergency contact number to be provided in the comments.

If you have any questions please reach out to Tina Fleming @ tchang@siumed.edu

Date: 05/30/2018 (Wed.) Time: 5:30pm - 8:00pm EDT Location: North Beach at Northview Church

Mr. C here: This is also on Sign-Up Genius (I copied and pasted from there). Here is a link.

Driving It Home

Well, the kids are as ready as they'll ever be for the math test tomorrow (my math class, that is--I think the other classes actually had their this morning).

Plug for the Peanut Butter and Jelly Drive! Woodbrook is trying to help stock up the Hamilton County Summer Lunch Program. If you're at the store, don't forget to buy an extra peanut butter and/or jelly. I need to do that tonight, because the drive ends on Friday! (Although it would be pretty heartless of them not to accept it later on, but you get the idea.)

Now we're gearing up to work on our essays, our radio dramas, and to learn about Lewis and Clark! Everyone have a great Wednesday!

Kiarra

Happy Birthday to Kiarra!

I've been waiting all school year to type this post, because Kiarra has a near-adult sense of what is fair and honest. She also has a deep compassion for the Lifeskills kids that is almost unequalled.

Kiarra is, in my opinion, the best ref for silent ball. Why? Because she is fair to everyone. Almost all of the other students are a little too nervous about counting anyone out, but with Kiarra, she cares only about whether or not you have broken a rule or missed the ball. The amount of "re-do"s goes down sharply when she is in charge.

Also, as I said above, I love watching her work with the Lifeskills students. She makes sure they are doing what they have to do, and she doesn't talk to them like they're babies. She speaks to them in a grown-up manner that shows them how they ought to act. I remember laughing inside to myself when I would listen to her read to Liam in the hallway about the Colts or dirt-biking or anything else that Kiarra wasn't the most interested in. I'm sure she learned a thing or two from reading those books, and Liam has always loved it.

I haven't even mentioned how accomplished she is in swimming for the Carmel Swim Team. All those smarts, her giving and fair character, and athletic ability--Kiarra is the total package.

Happy Birthday, Kiarra! You definitely deserve a great one!

Packed Like a Clown Car

We are not taking it easy and just coasting in to the end. The kids have been working hard on their persuasive essays, math, finishing up some grammar items, and practicing our radio dramas.

This afternoon, we will be looking into the "current" social studies stuff such as the Industrial Revolution, women's rights, and World War I, or at least as much as we will be able to fit in. This isn't a necessary part of the curriculum, but I do want to give the kids some context for the things we have learned throughout this school year.

Plus, we're going to try to squeeze in a look at the four spheres of the Earth--which we have talked about already, but I'm just looking to solidify it in their minds. It's an easy standard to fulfill, so it shouldn't be too hard. It's just trying to get everything packed in.

Whew!

Perfectly and Abundantly Deficient

Today, we studied up for our Math tests on Thursday, we practiced our radio dramas, we did some work on our persuasive essays, and I just may have changed my mind on the whole social studies project thing.

Still not sure about anything else on the whole end-of-year graduation/party deal. I'll try to do some more digging tomorrow and see if I can't get to the bottom of it.

Just In Case It's Still In Your Kid's Backpack

I've heard from a few parents that they didn't have any information on the end of the year party and graduation. I do apologize, because these were sent home a couple weeks ago. I tried to copy and paste it directly from the emails I had received (the only info I have), but it doesn't seem to have worked out too well. I hope this helps!

Drama, Controversy, and Government

This week, we will have a Math test on Thursday! (Study guide coming out tomorrow...)

We will have our final week of spelling.

The kids are practicing and performing radio dramas!

They will be finishing up their persuasive essays regarding the controversies of chocolate milk in schools.

Lastly, we will be doing a quickie social studies unit on the president's cabinet.

Happy week!

One Last Chance at Normal

As wonky as this last week was--between the choir show, Ruth Lilly, and track and field day--I'm glad to say it's over. Luckily, this next week we get one last chance at a normal week.

I'll be back later with an update before the week gets started, but in the meantime, I hope everyone enjoys a fantastic Sunday.

All They Do Is Watch Us

Hold your kids close tonight. No words for the time we're living in.

Sportsmanship

I am completely beat at the end of today. Not only did we have a great day of competition and fun with the rest of Woodbrook, but we also had a hearing loss scare, a choking scare, and a bloody mess scare, and none of those even happened outside.

Then we had a great afternoon in Game Club.

I took some great pictures and I have received some great pictures, but those will have to wait until tomorrow. I hope everyone has had a great evening, and thank you all for an awesome day.

Blue

Our color for tomorrow's Track and Field Day is BLUE. Do NOT forget to wear blue, bring a sack lunch, a water bottle, and I know I will bring sunglasses.

I hope everyone will be prepared to be good sports, to do their best, and to carry on the awesome 5-1 tradition of being awesome.

See you then!

Over the Top

Tomorrow is Track and Field Day! 5-1's color is BLUE. Don't forget to pack a sack lunch. And please, if any parents are willing and interested in helping out, let me know! So far, I have absolutely zero parent volunteers. I've done it on my own before, but any assistance would be hugely appreciated.

The big Choir and ORFF show is today! I'm looking forward to seeing all of the kids' hard after school and before school work paying off.

And yesterday, all of my class was very well-behaved during the Ruth Lilly presentation. They didn't laugh and very few of them had to try to stifle their giggles.

This, plus their behavior during the remainder of the day, earned 5-1 the coveted Big Triangle, which was just enough to top them off for one final movie party, most likely sometime next week.

Weeks like this are kind of fun, and very nerve-wracking. 

Senioritis

Today we had a visit from the Carmel Clay Public Library. You should have received some information about this in your child's backpack today. It's about the summer reading program. Come on, please keep your kids reading over the summer!

We also learned about the four major spheres of the earth today. It turns out there is much more than just an atmosphere--it is joined by the biosphere, the hydrosphere, and the geosphere. These are joined by many more spheres, as we found out today, but these are the only ones the kids will need to know. Hopefully our activities over the next few days will make this much easier to learn.

Your kids are tuning out! Today, I gave the students about fifteen to twenty minutes to work on a Social Studies assignment, and over 90% (seriously) sat there and stared into space and waited out the clock. You can expect this to come home tomorrow as homework.

In class today, we did some research for refuting the evidence that we are trying to prove in our argumentative essays. We don't have much time left, so expect us to fire on all cylinders on this for the next few days.

It is my quest to teach the kids as much as possible in the time we have left. They cannot afford to be tuned out any more than they can expect to during middle school.

I hope everyone has had a great Monday evening. More to come tomorrow!

Rite of Passage

Tomorrow is the Ruth Lilly program--Life Begins. This has already been over-hyped by the kids, and it's really not as big a deal as it is often made up to be. It will be from 8:30-10:30 for 5-1.

The kids all have different expectations for this one--from embarrassed to alarmingly excited. I think everyone will find that it's pretty tepid, especially compared to some of the things I've heard the kids talk about when they thought I wasn't listening.

Just keep in mind, the big day is tomorrow!

Sunny Skies

Friday was a fantastic lunch thanks to you, the PTO! Thanks so much for bringing  in the food truck so that our lunch could be custom-made for us. I must highly recommend Greiner's buffalo mac and cheese--so good and rich that I am ashamed to say that I was unable to finish it on Friday.

Then we ended our day with the yearly tradition of the Kindy 500, complete with the ceremony, the princesses, and a burnout or two. Luckily it wasn't too hot, and it gave the kids a longer chance to be outside and enjoy the weather.

I hope everyone is enjoying today's weather too, and that you are all having a great Mother's Day.

You People Are Awesome

First of all, I would like to thank everyone for their outpouring of gratitude during Teacher Appreciation Week. It felt so good to be recognized for what I do. I try my best and like to think my intentions are good.

As much as I appreciated the supplies and treats, my favorite and most rewarding day is always the day when kids bring in letters to their teacher. Those are the things that will go into my binders and will make me smile years from now. You have no idea what they mean to me. 

We did quite a bit last week, and I will update here probably this evening regarding that as well as what we have to look forward to this coming week.

I am truly blessed to have taught your kids during this school year, as well as to teach them for what little time we have remaining.

Again, thank you.

Seek First to Understand

I know it's a little late and it's the end of the day, but I did want to make sure to acknowledge Children's Mental Health Awareness Day.

It's so strange that mental health is just in the infancy of being recognized by the general public. I have to confess that I'm guilty. I used to look at people and think they were weirdos or psychos, and that they must have brains that work like mine does, and why can't they just be normal?

Let's face it. "Normal" isn't a real thing. John Ortberg wrote a book with a title that says it all: Everybody's normal until you get to know them.

We can't expect the kids to understand things the way we do, either. Throw in legitimate psychological stuff, and we have little people who struggle to get through certain days or weeks.

Be good to each other, and especially your--and other people's--kids.

In the Huddle

I am sending home a hard copy of this same message tomorrow, but I wanted to let you all know. 5-1's color this year is BLUE. 

Dear Parents,

Track and Field Day will be on Thursday, May 17th with the rain date set for Friday, May 18th.  All Kindergarten through 5th grade students will participate in track and field day.  We will be utilizing all of the green space around the building.  The morning and afternoon format will be the same as in years past with classes rotating through various activities in the a.m.  and the afternoon being comprised of relay races and tug of war competition. 

Itinerary:

9:10  Students gather in the Gym

9:30-11:50  (Morning activities)

                Hula Hoop

                50 Yd. Dash

                250 Meter Run (2^nd-5^th grade)

                Ball Toss

                Ball Kick

                Frisbee Throw

                Long Jump

11:50-1:00 (Lunch / Recess)

1:10-2:00 Relay Races and Tug of War

2:10 Popsicles in the classroom

2:35 Dismissal

Volunteers for the day will be needed to help within each classroom.   Please communicate directly to your home room teacher your willingness to help out.  Each classroom will need at least two volunteers. 

Students will also need a sack lunch for that day.  If your child needs to, they can also purchase a sack lunch from the cafeteria.

Due to the fact that grades K-5 are all participating, parking will be EXTREMELY limited.  If you plan to drop by that day, you might plan to walk, bike or carpool with someone else.

We hope you can join us!

Thanks,

John

Aka Mr. Z

Amanda

Happy Birthday, Amanda!

So glad that I am just squeaking this one in today, but hey, it counts.

I have talked about Amanda on the playground to other teachers. When I watch her hanging out with friends, I often say, "Amanda is one of those girls who is just so good and well-behaved that you sometimes forget she's even in the classroom." Her Math teacher agrees wholeheartedly.

While I'm sure I've said this of other students here on the Dojo, it's especially true of Amanda: She is the least dramatic student I have. Her face above is how she always looks. I cannot imagine her ever having ill will toward anyone without good cause. She is so kind, friendly, and wow is she ever sweet.

I hope you had an incredible birthday, Amanda! You definitely deserve it!

Outpour

This is one week where no teacher can claim that teaching is a thankless job! I really appreciate the outpouring of flowers (cactus!) and notes from students today. 

Today in Math, we talked about taking measurements and the absolute deviation from the mean. 

In Science this week, we have been taking a look under microscopes and making observations--we will continue this tomorrow with decomposition. 

In writing, we are still researching our argument-based essays. 

More tomorrow--in a hurry right now!

Hike & Bike Change-Up

Hike and Bike to School Day is Tuesday May 8^th at Woodbrook!
                **Please note** This date is different for Woodbrook than for other schools***

• As always, families choosing to participate in Hike and Bike, must be accompanied by an ADULT.
• Please be sure to fill out the School Dismissal, before 1:30pm, for your child on Tuesday.
• Watch your e-mail that morning, for a school messenger, in case of any weather related changes.

Ally

Happy belated birthday to Ally! Her birthday was on Friday, but sadly, I am just now getting around to posting her birthday entry.

I have taught Ally since last year when I had her for Math. I have always called her Ally, my ally. Ally is always chipper and positive. She is very social and has many friends, but that doesn't stop her from being a very studious young lady. She excels academically.

In addition to this, she is an accomplished ice skater! As someone who has a difficult time standing up on skates, I am extremely impressed with her abilities.

Already, she is balancing school and a busy extra-curricular schedule, so I am quite sure she is ready to head off to middle school, even if I'm not quite ready for that to be true.

Happy birthday, Ally! You deserve it.

Do Not Pass Go; Do Not Collect $200

Mrs. Haberfield and I had the best time today during Game Club. I heard so much laughter around the room throughout the meeting. I loved playing Uno with Amanda and Julianna, and then Blokus, where we talked Mrs. Loeffler into joining us. I had fun just hearing the other groups interact in a "non-educational" way. Often as teachers we see kids only as students that we have to take care of and teach. It's so great to get to sit down and compete with them--it's such a great equalizer.

This is such a fun group of kids. I love how well it's worked out.

The Devine Dancers

I sure hope this works! I took this video this morning when I showed up to pick them up from music and Mrs. Ratner said they wanted to show me this special dance they learned to go along with the kids who played the xylophones.

It was a pretty good day today, and this was a good way to start it off.

Know When To Walk Away

Sorry for the late night post. This was a long night of tutoring, and I had a day full of little meetings here and there and everywhere during the day.

I have no real news other than the fact that tomorrow we have a Science test. Other than that, we are planning health skits and presentations, we're writing persuasive essays, learning about idioms, and...it seems like a lot more than that, but I am in a kind of busy-day fog right now.

I will try to keep everyone up to speed as we slam head-first into this last few weeks of school.

Going Down in a Spiral

It's been so long since the beginning of the day, I can't quite remember everything we did today. Just being honest.

One thing I do remember is that it was May Day, a.k.a. 5-1 day, and to be honest, I couldn't quite come up with an appropriate way to celebrate it other than an ill-fated attempt at an extra silent ball game and a pre-empted wellness walk which was cut short because my students were complaining that it was "too hot" outside.

I think everyone is caught up now with their work, though, so tomorrow we will begin anew with more to do. More Social Studies, writing, and science will be at the top of the list for the rest of the week.

I hope everyone has a great night and a good tomorrow.