Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone! 

We have the opportunity to spend some time relaxing and sharing family memories.  Thank you so much for touching my holiday with your kindness.  Your thoughtfulness is appreciated!

 

I am hoping students find time to read over the holidays.  Not many of us have reached our December reading goal and can use the time to complete reports. 

 

 Here are some pictures showing the students sharing some Christmas cheer around town.

 



Great concert by the elementary students! 

 

 

 

   Last week of 2012!  It will be a very busy week with many out of the ordinary activities.  It is hard to think about school work but we have a few things to wrap up before we call it a year.
   President reports have been given.  We have about half of the class that has read their reports.  Interesting details and facts are shared.  I should have grades posted by Friday evening.
   Monday is our Christmas concert.   Remember that items for the food pantry can be brought to the concert and items for the mission will be accepted. 
    Friday morning the 5th and 6th graders will go caroling .  We are hoping to be able to spend time at the nursing home but the flu will help make that decision.  The elementary is planning to watch a movie in the afternoon to finish the week. 
    

The Elementary School will continue the tradition of helping the food pantry during the holiday season.  Your child may bring food items that will be donated. These items may be brought from now until after the Christmas concert.  The food will be loaded and taken to the pantry to make everyone's holiday season a happy one.

Our students were also approached by a mission group.  We have been asked to donate items for the group to take with them to Lafiteau which is about 9 miles north of Port au Prince.  A detailed letter from our school principal is in our mail today.  Please note the items that are being accepted.

Our schedule and plans are subject to change at anytime!  We do have a Social Studies test planned for Thursday.  As we get closer to Christmas, activities come up and plans get changed to accommodate activities.  This "out of routine" makes it harder to stay focused on school work.  As the days quickly pass, we hope to maintain the productive level this group has reached.

The fifth grade elves are busy putting together things to make the season bright!

 

 

 





    We have closed the door on November and are excited to see what December has in store.  The students are practicing for the December 17th Christmas concert and are planning to go caroling on Friday the 21st before we break for Christmas. 
     If you have any regular lightbulbs that have burned out or are not using, we would like to use them for an art project.  If we don't get enough we will find another project to do:-)
     On December 6 and 7, the McIntosh county health unit will screen the K, 1, 3 and 5th grade students for vision and hearing.  Will have a flexible schedule to accommodate the nurse's needs to make sure the health screen can be done for the students.  If you have something special that you would like addressed, please let me know.
     Dr. Eric was the quest speaker for Health this week.  We began our chapter on body systems and how they are interdependent.  I am grateful that Dr. Eric was willing to share his knowledge with the class! 



     Thanks for the graham crackers!  We were sent a new supply this morning so we are very thankful for the snack!
      Students were issued school emails.  I invited the students to send the Presidents' reports to me through email.  This will allow me to print them and have a chance to read the report whenever they have finished.  I can also highlight areas that the students can choose to improve on before giving me a final copy. 
      It looks like we will be ready for a Science test on Thursday!  Small review sessions on Tuesday and Wednesday will produce large benefits on Thursday! 
      Have a great weekend!

David Salwei gives a tour of the bee plant in Wishek. 

 









     The fifth graders had an opportunity on Wednesday before Thanksgiving to learn more about the industry of honey.  David Salwei gave us an interesting tour about what is involved with taking care of the bees and the process to produce  the honey.

 

   

Our cookbooks are ready to be ordered!  We are asking for prepaid orders for the Wishek Elementary cookbooks.  We are excited to say that for $12 you get over 450 recipes.  Order for family and friends!  This is a great buy!  I have included a link for order forms. https://docs.google.com/open?id=0BwTFLlEJIq7ia0cydTVtTHdCOE0
  You can also find a link on the Wishek School website in the announcements if this one does not work.

The students were given the opportunity to be part of a lyceum dealing with positive choices and dealing with peer pressure.  We were able to reflect on how our decisions help us meet our goals in a personal reflection paper.  Some students have taken these home while other placed their reflections in their binders.  It was a great message for these young people to hear.

We have had a short week.  Our spelling unit and Reading story will carry over into next week.  We will also have our Reading Unit assessment before the long break.  The Assessments that we would normally take on Fridays will be spread between Tuesday and Wednesday of next week.

Our Social Studies lessons introduced us to technology and industry.  I have been able to arrange a tour of the bee industry in our community.  The class will walk to the bee plant on Wednesday morning and get insight on the industry of honey processing.  I am looking forward to this!