yesterday was my last day of school before the winter break. today was the district's last day but i had a substitute today as i got my tonsils removed!
when i arrived at school yesterday, i was greeted by my fellow teacher and friend, jodena, with food in hand. she made dinner for adam and me to eat lastnight, my last meal of eating real food for 2 weeks. wow, the meal was DELICIOUS! i don't think i have ever been given a meal before (fortunatly, i haven't had a reason to) and it meant SO much to me! for someone to take the time to prepare you a meal, it makes you feel so good and special!
yesterday was our class winter party! before it started, i decided to take a picture of one of the bulletin boards in my room. i try to decorate it simple--like a winter wonderland! i have 4 wreaths in the room (3 of which are above and 1 is on the loft), a garland hanging on the loft, and "snow" hanging from the ceiling. i love decorating the classroom during this season!
one of the parents in my room had each student write a sentence about me and draw a picture to go along with their writing! she, then, bound it together to make a book. again, the thoughtfulness of something prepared and made just for you cannot be beat!
as class gifts, the class gave me a gift card christmas tree and a t00-cute tote bag from macy's. the parents are so generous and what a cute idea the tree is! i told the parents to PLEASE NOT GET me anything because i don't teach for the gifts; i teach because i love and value what i do. however, they insisted! i REALLY appreciate their kindness and support.
along with the book and the tree, i got some precious Christmas cards, and other goodies including homemade swedish bread (SO D-lish and still warm!), homemade chocolate chip cookies, and a british novel to read while recovering from surgery. these were such thoughtful gifts! i love Christmas cards so I especially loved getting to look at the cute Christmas cards from my students--especially ones with precious, family photos on them.
one of the parents is even going to bring me food while i am recovering! again, i am so thankful.
the kids went to 4 stations during our party. 1)here is the "reindeer food" center. inside the cute bag that each student made is a poem and "reindeer food" (oatmeal and glitter) for the kids to sprinkle on their yard. you are supposed to sprinkle the "food" on their yard making a trail so that the reindeer know where to go and can have a treat along the way!
2)a tasty treat--snowy trees! each student covered an ice cream cone with icing, then added toppings (red and green sprinkles, fruit snacks, marshmellows, and skittles).
3)ornaments. painted wooden ornaments with "snow" glitter on top. a parent is going to add students' pictures on the ornament to make them personalized. 4)"pass the present" game. the students passed a present around that was wrapped probably 20 times. when the music stopped while the student was holding it, he/she got to unwrap the present by tearing it once. inside were treats for the kids!
not included in the pics of the party: a class book exchange game. a different version of a tradional santa story was read and when the parent said the words "right" or "left," the students had to pass their book in that direction. they were in a circle. i was impressed that the kids could actually do this without getting too confused! what a great idea to learn "left" and "right." the room moms did a wonderful job at planning the party! =)
adam's mom made me homemade soup so i could eat too! delish.
the precious princess and her grandparents
a happy family. such a happy baby!
us with a "U" for our apartment. got to love your initials.
what i/we got summer. it's a plate with her name on it and what she will look like when her hair grows out!
