Christmas Nativtiy

I am so proud of my 2nd graders! They preformed for a full house, or in our case a full classroom, that included parents, grandparents, and members of our staff. In all the years I have been doing this production, this year was truly the best! Unfortunately, since I was playing the piano for the kids I was unable to take pictures or video during the actual performance. Here's a little sneak peek of one of our practices. Parents, if you have any video or pictures of our presentation please share!



Two photo shares of our shepherds and wise guys, the last one courtesy of Ms. Cherie one of our 2nd grade parents and HAA's communications coordinator.

Christmas Goat Project Update

After a lengthy discussion about wants and needs during this holiday season, my 2nd graders decided not to have a traditional classroom gift-exchange. Instead, they opted to raise money to help others in need. Our goal this Christmas was to raise $70 for a dairy goat to help provide nourishment and income for a family in another country. I am so happy to report that the 2nd graders exceeded this goal with the help of generous parents, faculty, and students in other grades. We were able to raise more than $280 (!!!) and we purchased TWO goats in addition to a sheep, honeybees, and two sets of chickens for six different families around the world.

I must mention that the 7th graders and their teacher, Mr. Meharry, were so moved by goat project that they collected money ( almost $77!) without our knowledge. Last Thursday they came into our classroom, surprised us with the money, and then prayed for us and our project. What a blessing that was! I was so moved, I couldn't help but cry.


7th grade treasurer puts the classroom's contribution into our collection box.

7th grade class pastor prays for our project.


I'm so proud of my 2nd graders!


The 2nd graders prayed for the money, the animals to be purchased so they remain healthy (one of the students really did request that we pray for this specifically!), and for the families who will receive the livestock.

I can't begin to tell you how moved I was by this whole experience, and I know that the 2nd graders were blessed as well. I hope that this lesson in giving is one that they will keep with them for years and years to come. Thank you to those who contributed both monitarily and in prayer. We appreciate you!

In the Spirit of Giving

This year instead of a the traditional classroom gift exchange, the 2nd graders have decided to do things a little differently. We have chosen to raise money to buy a goat for an impoverished family in another part of the world. Please watch the following video from Samaritan's Purse. They are the same organization that does Operation Christmas Child.



Our goal is to raise SEVENTY DOLLARS by next week Thursday. If we don't make our goal, we will purchase chickens and/or honeybees instead. If we surpass our goal, we will purchase as many gifts as we can.

Here is a picture of our collection box. So far we have already raised more than three dollars!

If you and your family are interested in purchasing a gift for those in need around the world this Christmas through Samaritan's Purse, please check out their gift giving catalog HERE.

And now a fun picture of our friend, Flat Wrigley, hanging out on our classroom decor. (Please don't try this trick at home.) :o)

Meet Our First 100 Club Gold Member!

Congrats to our very first Gold Member of the 100 Club! He reached (and surpassed!) the goal of reading 100 books outside of school. We are so very proud of him. He not only earned his name on the 100 Club! banner, he received a nifty Presidents 100 piece Puzzle for being the first to reach the goal. We have a couple classmates who are also very close to reaching Gold Member status. Keep on reading, 2nd graders!
 

Anti-Bulling Awareness Campaign

HAA's very first Anti-Bullying Awareness Campaign began yesterday with a special presentation given by Sarah Migas, Internet Safety Officer from the Office of Illinois Attorney General. Kinder, 1st, and 2nd grade learned and discussed how Internet safety and enjoyed video bytes by Clippy. His videos along with activities can be found here - http://www.netsmartzkids.org/.

For more information about Internet Safety and Cyber-Bullying, please check out the resources available at http://www.netsmartz.org/.

The Adventures of Flat Wrigley

The book series Flat Stanley has been entertaining kids for many years now. Not too long ago I got an iPhone (my first one!), and I delightfully stumbled upon a Flat Stanley app. The photographer in me was utterly excited.
I'd like you to meet Flat Wrigley. I chose his name in honor of Wrigley Field and some very die-hard Chicago Cubs fans that live in my house.

I introduced the 2nd graders to Flat Wrigley earlier this afternoon. They're very excited to follow his adventures!

Here's Flat Wrigley hanging out with Principal Jackson! The 2nd graders loved this photo.

Stay tuned for the next set of adventures with Flat Wrigley.

Please note: turn-in date correction for Operation Christmas Child!!!

My apologies. Yesterday I gave the wrong date as to when the Operation Christmas Child boxes are due. They are due this Friday, NOVEMBER 18th. My apologies for any confusion. Thanks so much.

Operation Christmas Child

This is the twelfth year that HAA will be participating in Operation Christmas Child thanks to our wonderful 1st grade teacher, Ms. Datil. Last year we collected over 100 boxes for children around the world, and we hope to surpass that goal again this year. Please note that boxes are due this Friday, November 18. Please turn in your boxes to Ms. Datil. She and the 1st grade class will go through all the boxes to ensure that they are ready to be shipped. For directions on packing boxes as well as printing out labels please watch the videos below.One very cool feature is that you can now track your box to see what country it goes to if you print out the label!

Here are explicit directions for what to pack and how to pack your box.







Here is a heartwarming video of a child in the Philippines (my parents' home country, so it is dear to me) who had received an Operation Christmas Child box.

Fall Into Reading

I wanted to share the current theme of our bulletin board before I take it down and switch it out. For the theme "Fall Into Reading", the 2nd graders made book recommendations on books that they had in their book bins. The kids were really excited to read each others' book recommendations, but what was even more exciting for them was that students from other grades would stop and read what they wrote! I personally enjoyed hearing comments such as, "I remember that book!" and "That's one of my favorite books!"

 Another bulletin board we have outside our classroom door features our Superstar of the Week and our weekly newsletter. The Superstar of the Week poster attracts quite a bit of attention from students who are passing by our classroom.

One last share - a printable mini-poster that I happened to find on a teacher's blog. Sorry I am unable to give credit to that teacher as I cannot remember which blog it was from. At any rate, I love the quote and wanted to share.

Superstar of the Week Talent

Each week we have a different Superstar of the Week to learn more about each student in the class. Every Thursday, the Superstar shares a talent his/her friends. I wanted to share this very beautiful solo sung by this week's Superstar. The children and I are so proud of him!

Jog-A-Thon

What a great time we had during HAA's very first Jog-A-Thon! The weather couldn't have been more perfect considering that it is the end of October. We ran with the 1st grade class and Principal Jackson. Coco, our class mascot, ran with us too. One of our 2nd graders logged a total of 39 laps! I am so proud of each and every one of our students. Thanks to the parents who were able to volunteer, and thanks to those who came to cheer for the kids. We appreciate it!

Visit From an Old Friend

One of our former classmates came for a visit today! She had knee surgery several weeks ago to repair an injury. The 2nd graders asked her many questions about her surgery, her recovery, and even about her pet rat! We're so glad she stopped by to say hello.

Lining Up Poem

In an effort to encourage orderliness while walking down the hallway, we recite a poem to help remind us how we are to behave while in line.

My

My hands are are still, my lips are zipped
I'm standing straight and tall
My eyes are looking straight ahead
I'm ready for the hall.

Happy Fall!

We have been extremely blessed with gorgeous weather that we've really been trying our best to take advantage of it! Since rain and colder weather are supposed to arrive tomorrow, the teachers and I decided to let the students spend some of their recess time playing in the leaves. First video is of our class, and the second is with our Kinder and 1st grade friends. One of theses days I will learn how to stitch videos together and add background music!

All Things Bright & Beautiful | Memory Text Videos

For part of our Creation week Unit we learned two verses and the chorus of one of my favorite hymns. We added hand motions to help us remember the words.

I-PICK | Selecting "Good Fit" Books

Part of our Daily 5 (reading workshop) program is learning how to select "good fit" books. I-PICK is the acronym we use to help us remember how to choose a book that is just right for us.

I choose a book
Purpose - Why am I reading the book?
Interest - Does it interest me?
Comprehend - Do I understand what I'm reading?
Know - Do I know most of the words?

This is a video that we recorded of a song to help us remember how to choose "good fit" books (inspired by Mrs. Saccoccio's blog). Sorry for the focusing problems. At any rate, the video is great entertainment!



And finally, a fun video still of the class!

Creation Week Review

We are wrapping up our unit on Creation Week. Today each student orally recited in front of their peers what God created on each day. Here is some video footage of the kids. Enjoy!







On a side note, we've been practicing our public speaking skills as well as our listening skills. These are things that we will be working hard on all year long.

Photos from our First Field Trip!

We had a fabulous time at the local public library last week. Miss Tiffany and Miss Alice were wonderful hosts. They not only showed us all the wonderful children's books available for us to borrow, they even took us behind the scenes through the "secret" doors and passages of the library. We were even allowed to go into the circulation office and watch books being returned through the book drops! Before we headed back to school, Miss Alice read us a hilarious story about a book-eating boy as well a book about a girl imagining herself as a librarian. We can't wait until our next field trip!

Here are some pictures we took with some books we saw at the library that are on our "To Read" booklist! 

Fun with Fly Swatters!

Last week we reviewed nouns, and the 2nd graders participated in a fun "Read the Room" activity using fly swatters. Number one rule was, no swatting allowed! The students used their fly swatters to touch various nouns inside the classroom and hallway before writing them down on their graphic organizers. It was great fun, and I'm happy to report that everyone refrained from swatting during the entire activity!

Week of Prayer

Did I already mention that last week was a very busy one? We had our annual Fall Week of Prayer. Our speaker was Jennifer Courtney who is originally from Australia, and her theme of the week was to remind children that the best book of all to read is the Bible. She even taught the kids some native Australian words! Here are some photos for you to enjoy.

Miss Fawn, our Kinder teacher also has a blog. She shared an audio of K-2 singing during worship two weeks ago. I wanted to share it here with you. Click HERE and click play on the video with the HAA logo.

Remembering 9-11

Last week was quite busy! On Monday we had a very special assembly with Kindergarten and 1st grade to pay tribute to the victims and hero of 9-11. It's hard to believe that ten years has passed since then. I remember that day so clearly. It was my third year of teaching. The kids in that class are now Seniors in high school. We spent a lot of that day in prayer.

Here is Miss Fawn leading out in our special worship of rememberance. She read Fireboat:The Heroic Adventures of John J. Harvey.

After our worship, we went out to the front of the school where Principal Jackson offered a special prayer. Following that prayer, we said the "Pledge of Allegiance" to the American flag.

 

Later in the day, we made books to thank our local fire and police departements for the work that they do to help keep our commmunity safe. Here are some of the kids' drawings: