I have a story to tell you.

A young boy entered Calvert last year: quiet, shy and very reserved. His initial transition into school was tough. During morning carpool twice weekly, I would open the car door with a beaming smile and warm greeting. He would look back at me, then grab his bag without a single word back. His parents begged him to say hello, to say thank you for the greeting, or to say anything! I knew it would take him time, and I persisted. Time passed.

Mid-year arrived. He was still quiet and reserved with teachers, but had begun to open up to a group of friends in his class. Every morning we would pass, I'd say, "Good morning!" Still nothing. The boy looked away, shy and intimidated. He was still finding his voice.

I mentioned to some colleagues that I wondered when the day would come that this little boy would find his voice and would say hello. They wondered, too.

The year ended.

A new year began, with high hopes and expectations. I learned I would be teaching this boy in one of my classes- I was very excited!! Maybe now we would open up! The holidays have come and gone, and now we are in the month of January.

Last week, during afternoon dismissal, I opened up the car door for this boy (just like many other days before). I had begun to think that maybe he was just shy and he would never open up to me. His backpack was on and he jumped in the car. "Have a good afternoon!" I yelled , masking myself from the cold. I had just begun to push the door shut, when his hand stopped me. Just then, the boy turned around.

"Have a great afternoon, Mrs. Armstrong!"

To others, this may have seemed like a normal salutation- but to me, it was everything.

Isn't this what it's all about?

Hop! Hop! HOP! The Pilots and I hopped out the AT family, changing the beginning sound with carpet squares! We had a good time!

Last week the 7's and I talked about the story Where the Wild Things Are (It's one of my favorite books!). We read the story aloud, then received a script of the play and were each given a character. We practiced reading our lines within the group, and then with a friend. This group was the first to perform! The video cuts off abruptly near the middle (my memory card was full!!)- I apologize!! In any case, they did a terrific job. Enjoy the show!

This week the Pilots used ABC chips to sequence their alphabet. Some friends had upppercase letters, and some friends had lowercase letters. This friend finished sequencing in record time! Nice job!

Today the mathematicians estimated cotton balls. Can you guess how many? The number is greater than 13 but less than 49.









The correct estimate is 29!!

Friday's estimation were gems. The mathematicians were given 2 opportunities to estimate: once, before we began counting, and second, mid-way through our count. The boy on the left estimated closest on his first try with 79, and the girl on the right estimated closest on her second try with 104. Actual number of gems??











109.

See you soon with more estimation!

Today 7-B was visited by Dr. Donner, an endocrinologist who works with patients with diabetes. He told us about the tools he uses when he is at work, and even wore his lab coat. One of the best parts was when he allowed us to ask questions to the Calvert bear, in hopes we could diagnose her illness. It seemed she'd been eating too many blueberries and honey! We diagnosed her with a stomachache, and sent her home in hopes she'd eat different foods.

Thank you, Dr. Donner, for your wonderful visit!

Today the Pilots practiced their upper and lowercase Hh's on the chalkboard with paintbrushes and water.

Here is the official language (in case you'd like to reinforce this at home):

H- Top start, straight down. Top start to the right, straight down. Make a bridge in the middle.

h- Top start, straigh down, up over the hill.

The 7's Reading students put their new popcorn words into sentences on Monday. Here goes:

I have a FUZZY cat.
I saw a BABY screaming.
I play TOGETHER with my friend.
I SAW and saw and saw, and cut the wood.
I cut myself with a SHARP paper.
I see a HAWK.
I am a bird that's FLUFFY.
I WATCHED TV.
I ONLY have one stuffed animal.
My teacher TAUGHT me how to write Calvert script.

Nice job!

Would you rather:

jump off of the Empire State Building (and land safely, I'm assuming)

or...

eat a Kit Kat Bar??

This is a question I heard a group of 7's asking each other today while walking the hallways...Ahh, the joys of youth! And you guessed correct- they chose the Kit Kat bar! I remember when eating candy seemed like a real treat! Now it's a gluttony (haha).

Speaking of 7's, my Science classes and I have had fun on GoogleEarth this week, learning about the continents, oceans, countries, and terrain of the world. In one such class we visited San Francisco and viewed recent satellite images, and were even able to see the architecture (buildings, schools, landscape) in 3D! It is the coolest thing EVER. We pretended we were in a rocketship landing on different parts of the world- and we even saw Calvert School.

I think this made the world seem a little smaller- and yes, I'll admit- I am definitely using GoogleEarth to scope out my next destination of choice before visiting!

Have a good one!