Monday

     Welcome back! I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday weekend with your children. Thank you to everyone who came to our Thanksgiving Luncheon and Art Show. I hope you had a great time and left with a full belly. Aprons that were left at Hollins will be sent home with your child today. Weren't they wonderful?!

     When the children came in this morning, they immediately discovered our tree lit up in our room. After morning meeting, we read The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein. This is a wonderful book that talks about all of the things a tree gives to a little boy who throughout the book grows into an old man. The tree gives him apples to sell and make money, branches to build a house, it's trunk to build a boat, and it's stump becomes the old man's resting seat. We then discussed the importance of giving things to others in need. We decided to call our tree "The Mitten Tree". You'll get more details about it this week, so be on the lookout! 

     We then had fruit break and started our Tastes of South America journey. We're wrapping up our South America study over the next couple of days and this was a wonderful way to begin our conclusion. We began in Costa Rica and traveled to Uruguay, Argentina, Honduras, Bolivia, Ecuador, Mexico, Guatemala, Chile, Paraguay, Cuba, Colombia, and lastly Panama. Each of these countries were hosted by a Middle School student and a Bolivian Exchange student who taught us the types of clothes they wear, what the weather is like, what their country's flag looked like, and what kinds of food they eat. We got to taste test food in each room. The children seemed to like all of them except for two. Some of the foods we ate were - Dulce de leche, empanadas, nachos, arroz con leche (rice with milk), mangoes, chicharrónes, tuna and rice, pineapple, and chips with salsa. 

     After eating so much food, we took a few minutes for a quick recess. We had lunch today, but most of the children were honestly not hungry after the food-filled morning we had. Don't be surprised if your child did not finish their lunch today. I promise they didn't go hungry! ;)

Tuesday

     This morning's morning meeting was lead by Tallulah. We then took some time to read Good-bye Tonsils! by Craig and Juliana Hatkoff. This story talks about the steps taken when having your tonsils removed. Our friend Henry is having his removed tomorrow, so we discussed things we think are scary and things that can be exciting - like eating ice cream and mashed potatoes (not together, of course!) until we're healed. Henry handled it like a pro and we can't wait to see him again in a couple weeks!
     Afterwards, we read The Night Before Thanksgiving by Natasha Wing and Tammie Lyon and discussed what foods we eat at our house for Thanksgiving. Come to find out, we ALL have turkey! We then did a journal page on how to cook a turkey. I must say, they're quite entertaining. These types of journals are my favorite ones because the children are so straight-faced and serious when telling me to cook it in the refrigerator for about 3 minutes and sprinkle it with cinnamon when it comes out.

Tomorrow is the big day! I've attached information/reminders about tomorrow to your children's folders. Please take a minute and read it. As always, if you have ANY questions (What type of food? How much? Where do I go? etc.) please don't hesitate to email me. I try to check my email at home in the evening.


See you all tomorrow and remember to come hungry! ;)

Monday

     Our morning meeting was lead today by Lindsay. We then immediately finished up our art projects for the Thanksgiving Art show. They look awesome. I'm so excited for you all to see them on display!! Later this morning we had music class and reading buddies with Katie's class.

     I'm glad to see everyone is feeling better! The children missed each other as well - we had a group hug this morning. Thank you so much for calling the school or emailing me when you know your child is going to be out. It helps out a lot and allows me to plan accordingly. Your thoughtfulness is much appreciated.

     Please refer to previous posts regarding the Thanksgiving Luncheon and Art Show. You may also refer to Quick Notes from last week and tomorrow. The big day is Wednesday!

Thursday

     What an exciting day we had! Tallulah quickly lead us through morning meeting so we could get started with Oma. Oma is Sylvia's grandmother and she's here for a visit with her family. Oma is from Germany, so we took a quick day trip to Germany with Oma to learn all about their version of Santa (he comes on Dec. 6th!), the foods they eat, the land there, and castles up on top of the mountains. She brought in two wonderful books about Germany for the kids to look at as well. She also brought us cookies they eat in Germany. They're comparable to gingerbread cookies, but, in my opinion, much better! Out of both our class and Katie's, only 2 children didn't like the taste of them. They're made with lots of spices, honey, and molasses. Yum! Thanks so much for coming in and sharing your morning with us!
     After fruit break this morning, we didn't have our usual music class. We instead stuffed stockings for soldiers overseas and made Christmas cards for them with our Buddies in Betsy's class.
     Later this morning we completed another step of our Thanksgiving art piece. They're looking awesome and I can't wait for you to see them next week at the luncheon.

Tuesday & Wednesday

     Yesterday, our morning meeting was lead by Jenna. We then went straight into working on our Thanksgiving art piece. This piece will be on display at the Thanksgiving Potluck and Art Show. We will most likely be working on this project up until next Tuesday, for it has several steps. We had Drama and Spanish class afterwards.
     Today, we began our morning with Ashlynn leading us through morning meeting. We then continued our work on our Thanksgiving art piece. They're really coming together and looking wonderful! I can't wait for you all to see them next week. We had Early Learner music class this morning as well.

Couple reminders:

• If you haven't taken a look at this week's Quick Notes, please do.
• The Thanksgiving Potluck and Art Show is quickly approaching. Join us for this time-honored, Community School tradition. Close to three hundred people attend this annual event, and the students have been working very hard on their pieces for the art show. Good food, good fellowship, and incredible student art…what a wonderful way to begin the Thanksgiving Holiday! 
• Please note, dismissal is at 1pm from Hollins University, NOT  Community School. 
• Early Learner families are asked to bring 1 entrée and 1 side dish to feel 10-12 hungry people. (Disposable serving dishes are recommended)
• You will bring your child to school as usual, but with no bag or lunch box. I will provide fruit break and we will walk over to HU around 11:15am. You will meet us at Hollins in the Moody Center lobby after we walk through the art show on the upper floor of the Moody Center. You will then trickle into the dining hall with your child and find a table to sit at and enjoy your feast!

As always, PLEASE let me know if you have any questions or concerns. 

Email Errors

It has come to my attention that in some cases, the entire post isn't coming through in email. Please be sure to check the actual blog address (http://katlyn1011.blogspot.com) occasionally to ensure you've read the entire post.


Thanks!

Friday

     This morning, Dawson lead morning meeting followed by our early fruit break. We then marched off to Spanish class with Elena. After Spanish, we worked a little more on our Thanksgiving art piece. Afterwards, we continued our focus on Thanksgiving and made Thanksgiving cards for the troops with our buddies from Betsy's class. We made handprints with ink and transformed them into turkeys. We drew pictures for them on the inside of their cards and made sure to sign our names. Betsy will mail these cards to soldiers currently serving overseas. We will make several cards to send to them throughout the year. What a wonderful way to say thanks to our heroes.

     My husband and I's wedding anniversary is Monday and I will be out of town. Lynn will be here and will be doing a fun turkey project with the kids. I hope you all have a great weekend and I'll see you Tuesday.

Thursday

     This morning, morning meeting was lead by Sylvia. Afterwards, we traveled 2000 miles west of Chile and discovered Easter Island with our math buddies in Katie's class. We talked about how the Easter Bunny does not live on Easter Island, that the name "Easter Island" was given by the island's first recorded European visitor, the Dutch explorer Jacob Roggeveen, who encountered it on Easter Sunday 1722. We then took a minute to look at some pictures of moai (the 887 mysterious statues on the Island). We then talked about different features of our faces and the faces on the statues. We helped our big buddies make a paper rendition of a moai by tracing shapes on bags and putting them together to stand tall. 

They did an awesome job, don't you think?!

     We later had music class with Kim. Later we worked on a special project for the Thanksgiving Art Show coming up in a couple weeks. Please be sure to check quick notes for more details.

See you all tomorrow!

Conferences

Today our morning was filled with last minute preparations for conferences tomorrow. Please double check your scheduled time by looking below.

A couple things to keep in mind for tomorrow:

• Your child's conference is their chance to show off all of the hard work they've been doing for the last nine weeks. Your child will lead the conference. 
• Please be aware of your conference time and be respectful of others' conference times. I am certainly willing to meet you another time to discuss any other concerns that don't fit into your assigned half hour. 
• It is a quick day for us all and I greatly appreciate you taking the time to come in. Half of an hour doesn't seem like much, but it means so much to your child to be in that spotlight.
• Please call the school (540-563-5036) if you are unable to attend or are running late. If you're more than 10 minutes late, please consider rescheduling your child's conference time.

I can't wait to adore your children with you! They're all doing many wonderful things. See you tomorrow.

As always, email me with any questions : katlync@communityschool.net

Diwali

     Today's morning meeting was lead by Tallulah. Afterwards, we had fruit break and Spanish class. After Spanish, we had a special activity.  Jahanvi & Yutika, Kris, and Deven's moms came in to teach us about Diwali, the Hindu Festival of Lights. We got to see some of the traditional clothes, bangles and bracelets, statues of some of the Hindu gods and goddesses, and even some comic books. They made different types of food for us to try. After trying the food, we went out to see the Rangoli designs that they had painted on our blacktop. Some of the students even got to help paint the design. We got to see some clay diyas that had been decorated and painted; Deven's mom let us hold onto the diyas so that when our clay drys, we can use them as a model for how we want to decorate our own diyas. A special thank you to Rita, Pitu, and Benetta for all of their hard work and a fabulous presentation!




     Tomorrow, Saturday, is our Community School YARD SALE! It's from 9-1 and has lots of great things for everyone to check out. Come further support our wonderful school! :)

Learning about Diwali

     This morning our morning meeting was lead by Jenna. We then went to Tulie's class and listened to a story called Lighting a Lamp - A Diwali Story by Johnny Zucker. The Diwali Festival begins Friday, November 5th this year. What is Diwali? Diwali is a festival which is celebrated in India and Nepal. While it is particularly sacred to Hindus, practitioners of other Indian religions also celebrate Diwali, and Jainist, Hindu, and Sikh communities all over the world commemorate Diwali with smaller festivals of their own. The timing of this holiday varies, since it is based on the Hindu lunar calendar but it is generally celebrated in the fall. Diwali festivities in India involve everyone, not just the religious faithful, and the holiday is a major event in the Indian year. We will celebrate and learn about Diwali more on Friday when we have our own Diwali celebration. We are fortunate to have several families from India here at Community School and they are gracious enough to come in and teach our children about their culture. Our kids will be learning about dancing that goes on during the festival, paint their own diya (a clay pot for holding a candle),make a rangoli design out on the blacktop, and possibly get to taste some of the traditional foods from India. 

     

     Our story told us about diyas(pronounced dee-yah) and why they're important. We then came back to the classroom and made our own pots out of clay. Our diyas will air dry for the next couple days and we will paint them on Friday. Traditionally, diyas have oil and a wick in them and are used for temporary lighting, but we're going to put a flameless tealight candle inside.

     Later this morning we had our early learner music class with all of the other SeaDogs.

Just a heads up - I will not be here tomorrow. Tulie and I are going to Greensboro, NC dark and early for a teacher's conference. I'm excited to learn lots of new things to bring back to the classroom! AnnaBeebe is my substitute and all of the children are familiar with her. I've told the class that I won't be here tomorrow. See you all Friday!