"Cool Beans!"

This week in our classroom we have been learning about apples. Students brought apples and we graphed them by color. One day we tasted them and then we graphed our favorite kind of apple (Golden delicious were the favorite). We have more apple activities planned for this next week, culminating with homemade applesauce at the end of the week.

This week we earned a “Cool Beans” party! Each person in our classroom has a chart on their desk to fill with stickers for good behavior. If I “catch” a student being good, or following directions, or being a good citizen, I tell them to get a sticker for their chart. When the students have 20 stickers, their charts are full. Then they leave the charts in a basket and we do a celebration for them as a class at the beginning of the next day. Every time this happens, we get to put a bean up on our “Cool Beans” bulletin board. We also have a “Cool Beans” can in our room for whole class rewards.  If the class gets caught being good, or another teacher compliments us in the hallway, we put a bean in the can. When we have 20 beans in the can, we put another bean up on our bulletin board. When we reach 20 beans on the bulletin board, we get a “Cool Beans” party! Our class chose to have a popcorn and movie party. Friday after lunch, instead of putting their heads down, the students sat on the carpet and watched Looney Tunes videos on the board. In a nutshell, some classes collect marbles for good behavior, but we collect "Cool Beans!" and each student has a sticker chart to earn rewards for good behavior.

I wanted to remind families that we are still saving Trash-4-cash. This includes chip bags, capri sun pouches, best choice labels, and campbell’s soup labels, as well as coke lids and box tops for education.

Scholastic book orders are due this coming Friday, October 12.  Book orders will go home on Monday after school. You can send the order with cash (in an envelope), or send the order with a check written to Scholastic Book Clubs. Parents can order books online and our class gets $3 off another book purchase! Book orders are wonderful! You are not obligated to buy Scholastic books, but they ARE an inexpensive way to get books for your child to read, and a way to increase their desire to learn to read. Remember that anytime you send money to school with your child it should be in an envelope marked with your students name and what the money is for.

I continue to be amazed by these students. They are truly becoming a community that cares about and for each other. They help each other, they want success for all students in our room, they seek each other out on the playground and play together. They show compassion when another student is hurt. I am amazed at their response to me as their teacher as well. If I ask them to do something difficult for them (like sitting still on the rug) or if I ask them to do an academic process that is difficult for them (one example from this week was to write their numbers 1-5), they never fail to rise to my expectation.

Parents, you should be proud.  You have amazing learners living with you!