This is my idea of a perfect day.

Thursday, our class participated in the 2013 JAM World Record Day, taking “just a minute” for fitness. We helped beat the world record, with 1,353.232 JAMmers JAMmin’ (and still counting). Vermont was 9th in the state rankings for percent of students participating.

We love JAMmin’ every day as we transition from one activity to another, boosting our brain oxygen and fitness. JAM! JAM! We are jumping JAMmers!

With my grandfather’s stroke right after April vacation, my schedule became a bit more overwhelming than usual, and blogging had to be put aside for a time.  It was difficult not to post, for our dear students have said and done many remarkable blog-worthy things over these weeks.  Hopefully, you will still enjoy catching up with these spring happenings over the summer as I post some of them now.  Enjoy!

 

 

On the day before vacation, we drew our praises to the Lord as we listened to the Christmas story from the Jesus Storybook Bible.

Every Christmas my niece Gloriana reminds me what it is to worship with the heart of a child. We have a collection of manger scenes, and the adults always set them up so neatly.

Ever since Gloriana was old enough to toddle about on her own, every time we turned around, all the manger scenes would be rearranged.

She still does it at eleven, and I hope she always does.  Every time I see these adoring circles, I pray that I will single-mindedly focus on my Savior with every breath I take for every day of my life.

As Lloyd-Jones says in the Jesus Storybook Bible, “They gazed in wonder at God’s Great Gift, wrapped in swaddling clothes, and lying in a manger.

Mary and Joseph named him Jesus, ‘Emmanuel’–which means ‘God has come to live with us.’

Because, of course, he had.”

David F. Warlick, the author of Classroom Blogging: a Teacher’s Guide to the Blogosphere, writes, “In the same way that the web might be thought of as a global library, the blogosphere is a global conversation.” This year, we are joining that global conversation! The fourth grade students will be blogging with another fourth grade class to share and improve their writing. Our class also will be blogging with you, our DES families and community, to share our learning journey this year.

Families are such an important part of children’s education, and we want to communicate with you in many ways. Hopefully, this blog will be a useful tool for you to use to find out current information about what is going on in our class. It will not replace the paper newsletters you are used to receiving, but it will be a newsletter you can converse with.

Some of the things we hope to write about in our family blog include highlights of our day, answers to questions the children have asked about homework that would benefit other families, quick comments from students about the day, clarification of directions, field trip previews, and more. Feel free to make suggestions, especially since this is our first time family blogging. We hope to post at least several times each week, so check back often.

You can also comment as you read our posts. Click on the “comments” button next to the post you just read, type in your comment, and then click “say it”. Your comment will then be added to our blog. Your comments should be general statements rather than specific information about your child, because all of us will be enjoying what you have written. We emphasize with the students that our internet use needs to be positive, respectful, and safe. Our family blog would follow those same guidelines. If you have a concern that needs to be addressed or a question specific to your own child, please see me privately or use my e-mail address.

Come blog with us!