Saturday, December 13, 2014

Celebration Saturday

 
I love linking up to a wonderful celebratory community, inspired by Ruth Ayres, every Saturday!
 
Great things to celebrate this week:
 
- My 5th graders had a blast putting on plays that they adapted from their small group books.  They worked hard collaborating on scripts on Google Docs.  They had to choose and adapt 4 scenes.  The scenes had to show how their main character changed over time, how the main character faced fear with courage, and had to make the story line clear to those students who hadn't read it.  Their scenes had to be major plot points.  We kept it simple because of time - just simple costumes and props, but I was impressed with how they pulled everything together in just a week.  They performed Glory Be, The Lions of Little Rock, Number the Stars, Chains, Fever 1793, The Liberation of Gabriel King, and Paperboy.  I loved overhearing this conversation between two girls at the end of class:
"I wish we could stay in Language Arts class all day."
"I know.  If someone asked if we'd like to stay in Language Arts class all day, it would be like a rhetorical question."
Love it!
 


 
 - One of my 6th graders invited me to his LEGO robotics tournament this morning, so I went.  What a cool and amazing activity for these kids!  His team of 4 created a robot out of LEGOS.  They program it with the things they want it to do in an obstacle course.  They compete with another team's robot and get points according to the "tricks" it performs.  They compete several times throughout the day to try to get one of the top scores so they can advance to another tournament.  Sam's father is one of the coaches, and his mom was videotaping the tournament.  They both explained how much collaboration and good sportsmanship are at the heart of the organization. They called it "coopertition."  Other core values included "discoveries," "integration," and "inclusion." I loved seeing the enthusiasm of these kids!!
 

 
- As you might have read in this week's Slice of Life, Libby's wedding dress came in, and the bridesmaids' dresses have been chosen!!
 
- Speaking of Libby, she accepted a job offer with Nationwide Insurance Company in Columbus for an August 4th start date.  Here was her joyful Facebook post about it:
 
SO EXCITED to have accepted my offer at Nationwide as an associate within the Marketing Leadership Rotation Program! Feeling undeservedly blessed. Columbus, here we come!— with Jamie Stagnaro

We're so excited for her and proud of all her accomplishments.  We're also glad that she and Jamie won't be too far away. :-)

- Exam week is over for Libby.  She will be coming home tonight, and Katie finishes up on Tuesday.  It will be fun to have them home for the holidays!!  Both of them are traveling right after Christmas, but at least they'll be here for a bit beforehand.

- I was so excited to receive an ARC of Augusta Scattergood's forthcoming book from Cynthia Lord!! 

                  This was tucked inside from Cynthia!                    Isn't it a beautiful cover?!

- We enjoyed watching a Google + Hangout with Aaron Becker on Thursday.  I had shared Quest with my kids just days before for a mini Mock Caldecott unit we're doing, so it was fresh in their minds.


Off to read other celebrations!
 
 

10 comments:

  1. WOW!!! Holly, Every time I read about your classroom, I WANT to be there too. Those plays sound amazing! Congrats to Libby on her job! That's so exciting!! Enjoy the rest of your weekend!!

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  2. Lovely to hear about all these celebrations, Holly. Blessed you are with those energetic fifth graders! Love that you have that ARC from Augusta Scattergood. I've already seen some exciting words about it. Have fun with your daughters!

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  3. What an amazing week for you and your students and family! I would love to hear what you think about A Handful of Stars. I love Cynthia Lord! Have a great rest of your weekend!

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  4. A whole lot of celebrating going on! I LOVE your idea for guidelines for helping your students with their plays. I am absolutely sharing this with my sixth grade teachers on Mibdat morning!

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  5. Great and lively celebrations! I love seeing the kids' enthusiasm!

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  6. How wonderful your week sounded, Holly. I am spreading the news of Spiritual Journey Thursday as I find faith-based writers. I hope the community grows in numbers. Thank you for your positivity.

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  7. You have totally MADE my weekend, Holly. I'll be smiling all day long. What a joyful post! Your kids are so lucky.

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  8. Holly, just skimming all this makes me joyfully exhausted. Thanks for sharing all the glimpses!

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  9. I really want to read Glory Be! Sounds like the students had a wonderful time with their skits. Loved that comment about how asking if you want to stay in Language Arts all day would be a rhetorical question. LOL!

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  10. WOW! This post made me smile! Great photos of your students - they look so HAPPY! Other celebrations - a wedding dress, a new job, an ARC, Lego robotics - what a wonderful collection of celebrations! Thanks for sharing, Holly!

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