Learning Today and Understanding the Past

Oh my word!! Can the weather be anymore perfect!?! I love it! :) These are the days you just want to spend a little extra time outside.

Things are also looking pretty good in our classroom. My firsties have been working very hard and are getting into the routine of being a 'big first grader'. I know I've had some pretty tired kiddos by the end of the day. It is a change from kindergarten to first grade. Even though they go to all day kindergarten, the expectations are a little higher and things start moving a little quicker, which can be a big change. It is neat to already see the growth we are making!

This year our Parents For Education group has decided that many of our activities will be based around science. To kick off the year and get the students excited, we had a egg drop. First grade was split into groups of four. They were then given the task of creating some kind of contraption that would save their raw egg when it was dropped off the bleachers! Holy cows....so much fun!!! The kids had an absolute blast. Here are some pictures of our EGGcellent contraption.

A big thanks to the PFE for this experience. This helped us work on our team work, helped us build communication to obtain a goal, and develop our problem solving skills. LOVE IT!!! :)

Today, also marks the 10th anniversary of 9/11. It is hard to believe that 10 years have gone by since that tragic day. Each year that goes by I look at my class list and my new babies birth dates. As I scroll down the list it amazes me that they were born after this event. For one, it makes me feel kind of old, but really it amazes me because most of them have no clue about this event that took place. For all of us, it was one of those days that stands out in our mind, and is a day that you will never forget. You can recall exactly where you were and what you were doing as you watched the events unfold.

On this day, I hope you take a moment to reflect on the events that occurred, and have the opportunity to thank someone that serves our community and helps keep us safe. In first grade, we very lightly talked about the event. We discussed that 10 years ago, some people made a very bad decision. They were being 'peacebrakers' (a word in which we refer to people that aren't making peace in our classroom), and were trying to hurt others. We talked about how planes were flown into buildings and many people were hurt and died on this day. We spent more time focusing on the brave people that went in to help others. How there are people out there that want to help others, even in scary situations, and were heroes on this day. 

To all of those people that this effected, we remember you today.  




~ Mrs. Christensen  

Empathy – Adaptability – Communication – Arranger – Developer