The room is very quiet and somewhat cleaner. I miss the children already...they were such a big part of my day...and heart and it's just sad here without them! Have a fabulous summer and I look forward to hearing all about your summers. Thank you for a great year!
Y'all are so sneaky! I can't believe you accomplished such a wonderful gesture that totally escaped my radar...Maggie didn't even hint that she knew...that's amazing! I love the Wish Book and will treasure it for years to come. Thank you also for the money...it will surely be helpful on our trip! Your generosity and thoughtfulness is appreciated. 
Today we read the book The Wump World by Bill Peet. The message the book taught us was more than just about pollution (even though the story's villains are called Pollutians) but had more to do with loving nature, taking care of the precious planet we live and the hope of good overcoming evil. It was a gentle reminder to better take care of the earth! 
By now you've probably dug into your child's backpack and discovered the huge bag of notebooks and workbooks. You are probably wondering...what have they been doing all year? It looks like they've done nothing! You are right! All of those workbooks are given to us by the state but Mark Twain isn't much of a workbook kind of school. Feel free to do whatever you think is right for your child concerning the extra books. We've covered all the objectives this year so if you were to give your child summer work, it would be a review...which is not a bad option! The last option falls right in line with our last planner on ecology...recycle them all! 
We had a GREAT time at our class party at the park! The balls were a great addition. We couldn't have asked for better weather. 
The constables made sure we got there safely and we had PLENTY to eat and drink...thank you for all the contributions! FYI...the kids ate dinner at 2:30!!!
Whether they had 15 minutes or the full 30 minutes...the children LOVED Fun Friday! It was a great way to end our last full week of 1st grade. Have a great weekend!
We've read quite a few books and have learned a lot about sea turtles. Just so you know...the kids are FASCINATED in them! Do you know about the NOAA hatchery in Galveston? I found out about it last year and took Maggie over the summer. It’s an unprepossessing set up, behind the campus of Texas A&M, but fascinating. You can do a ‘tour’ with one of the scientists, and see all the turtles they have rescued/hatched and hear about the work they do, rescuing eggs, testing shrimp net escape devices etc, as well as a real Turtle Excluder Device (TED) in a fishing net in the yard. Here’s the website for NOAA: with a down loadable brochure in the bottom right corner. They offer free tours on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. The kids expressed a huge interest in going...another fun and educational way to spend your summer!
In our last Art a la Carte lesson, we learned about how different artists create landscapes, seascapes and cityscapes incorporating three elements of art: line, color and shape. Then the children painted their own "scapes" using watercolor. We discovered that we have wonderful "scape" artists in our midst - 22 of them in our classroom! 
Every class is making Mrs. Dauber a page in a scrapbook to present to her at her good-bye rally wishing her a happy retirement. The children chose 1 or 2 PYP attitudes they felt they fit. Here is what they chose: 
Just a reminder...tomorrow will be 1st grades waste-less picnic at McGovern Park! We've been learning how to substitute reusable and recyclable items for disposable ones to help create less waste and conserve natural resources. When packing your lunch for tomorrow, choose items that are recyclable in our community and substitute reusable containers for things you would throw away. If unsure, look at the note sent home in the Tuesday red folder with the picture of a picnic basket and ideas written inside. We will be discecting our lunches and reporting what can be reused and recycled! Happy recycling! 
Coach Jody handed out Marathon Kids t-shirts to all participants today...be on the lookout!
First, we put all the ingredients together in aluminum foil:
Last of all, we enjoyed them!This could be another fun summer project!
As I said at the program, thank you parents for the support you've given to me and our class this year...you made my job a lot easier! I also want to say again that I am SO PROUD of the boys and girls...they've worked so hard and grown up so much. I know everyone will shine next year! I already miss everyone! This class will be difficult to replace in my heart.
Bayliss' dad brought Paris to us by reading the book, This is Paris by Miroslav Sasek. We learned that Paris must be one of the most exciting cities in the world! There are famous buildings, beautiful gardens, cafés, and the Parisians-artists, concierges, flower girls, and even thousands of cats. Take a tour along the banks of the Seine, through the galleries of the Louvre, and to the top of the Eiffel Tower. Bayliss and his dad recently spent a week and Paris...thanks for bringing a little back with you to share!
In science today we learned where on our earth the natural resources needed to make a pencil come from. Did you know the wood comes from cedar trees in California? The graphite is mined in Mexico? The eraser comes from latex found in trees in South America? The aluminum from China? 
This experiment has been a visual one. The results have been dramatic. They get it. :-(
Sometimes it is hard to be a parent AND a teacher at the same school. The mommy in me has 2 favors to ask...these will be my last, I promise!!!
It was a long two days. Major problems with the IV. I'm VERY tired. Despite all that, our family rejoices over the news...cancer-free for 2 years in a row!! Thanks for your support while I was gone...it looks like everything went smoothly during my absence!
Thursday will be a dress rehearsal right after journal time at 8:30. It would be helpful to wear your costume to school and then put it in backpacks to go home for the program later that night. Remember...no hats! Sorry to miss the fun!
We decorated our field day t-shirts yesterday. Your child will be taking them home today...so check backpacks if you didn't already take it home this morning!! It's gonna be hot so be sure to wear shorts and plenty of sunscreen on Wednesday. Please come dressed for field day and remember to wear athletic shoes/socks. I know y'all will have a great time!! 
In class we learned that acid rain occurs when rain mixes with gases in the atmosphere and that these gases can come from factories, car exhaust, forest fires, and other resources. We also read that they can kill or damage trees, plants, and animals. We have had firsthand experience with our acid rain experiment in class. We started with 2 healthy plants (Spearmint) and will be watering one with unpolluted rain water (bottled water) and the other with acid rain (vinegar/water solution). Sadly, we'll expect the plant to die because most plants cannot survive when the acid level in the water is high. Each week we will record our results and discuss what has happened and what we predict might happen next. I am hoping to have one Spearmint plant for my garden at the end of the year!
The Millionaire Club is an effort to keep Houston ISD’s students reading over the summer months. If all students read five books this summer, HISD students will have read 1 million books!!
Some of the Art Cars came to school today. We were impressed with the amount of stuff people put on their cars that appeared to be reused and recycled items! 
Today the faculty met our new principal, Mr. John Baker. I think he was well received and let me be the first to tell you...I love him! You be the judge (and I know you will agree)... he will also be introduced to the community this evening at 6:00pm. I hope to see all of y'all there!
Today we talked a bit about what landfills are, how long everyday items take to decompose, made our own class landfill, and started a journal to record what we see in the next few weeks. We added aluminum, paper, plastic, Styrofoam, lemons, material and lettuce to our landfill in class. We will be keeping a log documenting what we see for the rest of the school year. I'm thinking about saving it (that is a horid thought) and digging through it the same time next year with my new class!
We all wanted to know how long it took Styrofoam to decompose. We looked it up...more than 1 million years! At one point someone made the connection out loud..."OMG, Chick-fil-A uses Styrofoam cups!" SK immediately said, "I will never go there again!" The kids unanimously decided that we needed to take action and write a letter showing our displeasure and concern...
We used part of my coffee cup in our class landfill...apparently, it will be around for the next million years! 
Thank you for making my day so special. I especially enjoyed the individual flowers each child contributed to the bouquet. What teamwork! I am lucky to have such a caring class. Thanks for the photos Cathie!
Today we watched a short video on our earth's natural resources and how we use them in our every day lives. Our art today reflects what we've learned and what natural resources are important to us. Enjoy!
Luckily, rain didn't come...what a wonderful way to end our week! The weather was gorgeous, the snacks were yummy and the kids had a fabulous time! I enjoyed visiting with everyone...thanks for supporting Mark Twain!!
Does anyone have any scrap buttons around the house? If so, bring them by the classroom...we could use them! :-) Please don't go out and buy some...we are looking to recycle!
Today the children were given the assignment to compare a clean environment with a polluted environment. Because they have diligently written in their journals every day all year long... they can easily write what is on their mind! Their thoughts were clearly written and well thought out. Well done! I think I see some 2nd graders in here...
