HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Happy, HAPPY NEW YEAR 2011 to all of you, my fantastic students...and very MOST favorite 8 and 9 year olds!!!  I love you all so much, feel incredibly blessed everyday to have each of you as my student, and am grateful that you are YOU!  I cannot wait to see what the rest of the year has in store for us!

See you Monday!

Love, love, LOVE you!!!

xoxo,

Mrs. Thomas

I MISS YOU!!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS, everyone!!!  I hope you had an amazing holiday and shared quality time with family, friends, and loved ones.  I miss you very much and cannot wait to see you on January 3rd at the start of 2011!  Weren't we lucky to have a WHITE Christmas?!?  We are in a 'Winter Wonderland'!

Ho Ho Ho!

xoxo,

Mrs. Thomas

Winter came early!!!

Well, apparently the weather did not want to cooperate with our plans for our party :( and here we are starting our Winter Break early!  I'm sad that I did not get to see all of your beautiful, smiling, sweet faces to wish you a Merry Christmas and tell you in person that I love you one more time in 2010!  I hope everyone has a safe and happy holiday and you ring in the new year with hope, love, and the promise of a fantastic and fulfilling year to come.  I absolutely cannot wait to see you in 2011 and hear all of your stories of how you spent your break!


You are all my favorite things about 2010!  There is not a day that goes by that I do not feel more than blessed to have you in my life.  I am so lucky that you are my students...you're so wonderful!  I love you so much!
xoxo,
Mrs. Thomas

P.S., We will discuss our plans to make-up our winter party upon our return from break.  See you January 3rd, 2011!

P.P.S, DON'T FORGET...your Brazilian animal projects are due by January 10th!  Work on those over break AS WELL as your multiplication facts!!!

12.15.10

Hola estudiantes y familias!

I hope your Wednesday is finding you warm and comfortable.  The weather forecast again calls for snow.  Please continue to watch our local news stations (WLEX 18, WKYT 27, WTVQ 36, or FOX 56) to stay updated and in tune to what is going on with closings, cancellations, and the weather in general.  If school happens to be closed tomorrow, our party will be rescheduled for Friday.  If we happen to not have school on Friday either, then we will not have a Winter party.  I did tell the students, though, that we may have a Welcome Back/ Happy New Year party upon our return.  As with anything, we will wait to see how things pan out over the next couple of days and cross those bridges when we get to them (metaphorically speaking).

In reading, we completed our Cause and Effect assessment by finishing our ORQ.  Most students scored a '4' with their first try or after some minor alterations.  I am so proud of all the progress that the students are making...they really are some hardcore workers/ serious 3rd graders that make me smile everyday!  We are learning and growing so much!

In math, we took some time to practice, practice, practice our multiplication facts!  As I continue to say and we've all heard millions of times in over the course of our lives, practice makes perfect...so we are really putting that theory to test.  We got in partners and practiced our 2s, 3s, 5s, and 10s, and then we got the laptop minis to play games on the internet. 

Visit the site at home to continue practicing in really, REALLY fun ways: http://www.gamequarium.multiplication.html/ 

Don't forget...your 2s, 3s, 5s, and 10s multiplication flashcards are due by Friday for me to look over!

We had to go to Explorium for specials today..BRRRRRRR!!!

Finally, in Science, we used the laptop 'minis' to complete some research on our animals for our projects that are due after break on January 10th.  I cannot wait to see everyone's completed designs!!!  I know you all will absolutely WOW me as you always do!  You are all so smart and so creative, and I love how excited and enthusiastic you get about learning!!

Loving you endlessly and unconditionally,
Mrs. Thomas

PS...10 days until Christmas!!!  AND...only 2 more school days in 2010!!!

12.14.10

Happy Tuesday all-

...and welcome back from an extended weekend!  The day sure went by fast with us starting 2 hours late!  We had a short schedule today - only 45 minutes of reading and 45 minutes of math.  In reading, I passed back our spelling tests from last week and gave out new packets for this week.  These packets are due on Friday as usual. 

Our WOW words this week are:

Hanukkah

Kwanzaa

misteltoe

thoughtfulness

poinsettia

In math, we worked on building arrays for our 6s.  Don't forget: your multiplication cards for your 2s, 3s, 5s, and 10s are due for me to look over by Friday!  Some students have already brought them in for me to check and they look fantastic!

Soon, it was time for lunch and then specials and before we knew it, the day was O-V-E-R!  Continue checking the news every morning to see if we have delays or a change in schedule. 

Only 3 more school days left in 2010...ahhhh!!!!

xoxo,

Mrs. Thomas

PS, 11 DAYS UNTIL CHRISTMAS!!!!

Monday, December 13th, 2010

Snow makes me giddy...how about YOU?!?

HAPPY FIRST SNOW DAY of this school year, EVERYONE!!!


I hope all of you enjoyed your first day off of the 2010-2011 school year and stayed warm during the extremely cold temperatures!!!  Brrrrr.......


I'll be seeing you tomorrow though...REMEMBER, we are on a 2-hour delay which means the bell will ring at 9:30 and you MUST be in our classroom BY 9:45 to not be marked tardy!  See you then, and enjoy your extra 2 hours of snooooooze time!


I love you!
xoxo,
Mrs. T

PS, I got a message from Elise and her mom...so far, Bob is having a GREAT time!  He met Santa, has been on a plane, and has enjoyed so much!  They may go ahead and start a blog from him so we don't have to wait too long to hear all about his journeys!  What fun!!!! We miss you, Elise and Bob!!!

This is from a snow storm in Louisville a couple of years ago.  Do YOU have pictures from the snow?!?

GUESS WHAT?!?  We ONLY have 4 more school days left in 2010!!!  Also, Christmas is only 12 days away!!!  YAY!!!

12.9.10

Hi friends-
Sorry about yesterday...it was a CRAZY busy day and I actually forgot...whoops!  I'm very sorry!  Today, we celebrated our GREEN paws in the cafeteria by having extra free time after lunch and watching Aladdin.  Homework for reading is completing the Lesson 7 packet and preparing for the Spelling AND definitions tests tomorrow.



What do you think...do we look alike?!? 



In math, we continued working on multiplication.  Please work on getting your patterned flashcard projects completed as soon as possible and PLEASE work on your facts EVERY night!!!  Practice makes perfect and you HAVE to know them before moving on to 4th grade!  Homework is pages 97-98 in workbooks.  Don't forget, flashcards for your 2s, 3s, 5s, and 10s are due by next Friday, 12.17.10!

After lunch, we watched a Bill Nye the Science Guy video on Food Webs.  He is so much fun and we learn so much!  Be working on those animal projects!!!  Remember, they are due 1.10.11!

Sorry to be so short...I must get off to celebrating my niece's (Cathryn...my twin!) 16th birthday!  Ahhhh!! 

I love you all and can't wait until tomorrow to see you again!
Only one more week with you in 2010 :(
xoxo,
Mrs. Thomas

16 days until Christmas!!!
8 days until Winter Break...and 6 school days left in 2010!

12.7.10

Hello all-

 I hope you have been staying warm during this extreme cold front we've been in!

Today, we had a special visitor!  My very good friend since elementary school, Lucy (Ms. Pumphrey to the students) was here to observe our classroom.  She graduated from Samford University in Alabama several years ago, but is now earning her masters in education.  We were so happy to have her and look forward to her spending more time with us in the future!

Yesterday, our sub began working with the students on creating "funny poems" where we exaggerated our thoughts, feelings, and details.  This concept in poetry is hyperboles, and is so much fun.  To really get some 'oomph' behind them, we created them about a food we absolutely despise, or with one we absolutely adore.  We will be continuing them tomorrow. 

In reading, we began studying the skill of 'cause and effect'.  We read a nonfiction passage about 4th graders helping to save sand dunes on a local beach by using old Christmas trees.  Cause has to do with an event that takes place while the effect are what happens as a result of that event.  For example, the effects of not doing your homework could be a lower grade, walking at recess, or punishment at home and school.  Homework tonight is working on our 'Wordly Wise: Lesson 7' spelling packet that is due Friday. 

Our WOW words this week are:

ecosystem

environment

preserve

communities

population

In math, we are working on...MULTIPLICATION!!!  YAY!!!  TONIGHT, students MUST work on their 2s and 3s and be able to recite them to me tomorrow.  Also tomorrow, a very important packet will be coming home about our multiplication project.  Students are given templates to follow to create specialized flashcards for each set of numbers (2s, 3s, 4s, 5s, 6s, 7s, 8s, 9s, 10s, 11s, and 12s).  These templates can be cut out and traced onto posterboard or construction paper and need to be kept together with metal rings or brad fasteners (NO STAPLES OR YARN as they fall apart too easily) If you are unable to obtain any of these materials, please let me know as soon as possible.  The sets of 2s, 3s, 5s, and 10s are due to me to be checked NO LATER THAN FRIDAY, DECEMBER 17TH.  Please join us in our effort to ensure your student memorizes his/her multiplication facts.  These can be done in the car on the way to the grocery or other destination, at the store, while taking a shower/bath, etc. (anywhere that there is some downtime...squeeze 'em in!!!). 

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENTS:

• ANIMAL PROJECTS: Students were given a packet today containing the instructions and outline for a project on an animal from a Brazilian ecosystem.  The selection of animals is listed on the back page and only animals from that page can be chosen.  Students will be required to create a presentation on a poster giving facts, details, and trivia about their animal as well as its Life Cycle and a Food Chain with the animal in it to show where it obtains energy; write a research paper demonstrating their findings from research; and create a model of the animal.  Models (obviously) cannot be actual life size, but need to be at least 8-10 inches and created to look a much like to animal as possible.  Some ideas for creating one can be: paper mache (make a base out of aluminum foil), painted clay, painted playdough, plaster of paris, etc.  TONIGHT, students MUST decide on which animal they will be researching.  These will be due after Winter Break.
• CONFERENCE LETTERS: I sent home a letter requesting a conference to discuss your child's progress and academic successes this semester. Please write a 1, 2, or 3 next to your preference I will try to get your scheduled for a time that is most convenient for you.  I will schedule these on a first come, first serve basis so return them as soon as possible!  Hopefully, I should be able to get some in before the conclusion of next week, but most will be scheduled for immediately after the break.  The only days in which I cannot meet in the afternoons are Wednesdays due to my coaching commitments to our Governor's Cup Academic Team. 
• WINTER PARTY: A notice was sent home in your child's planner about our Winter Party scheduled for NEXT Thursday, December 16th, at 1:30PM.  We would absolutely LOVE to see you here to volunteer!  Mrs. Lyons (Alyssa's mom) is our homeroom parent in charge of this party.  We will be decorating cookies/cupcakes, playing games, creating a snow globe craft, enjoying delicious treats, AND playing "White Elephant (a.k.a., Yankee Swap, Dirty Santa).  Please get a gift (no more than $4 please!) that must be gender neutral as students will be swapping and going through rounds selecting fun.  This game is strictly meant to have fun...not worrying about which present we get...just to enjoy the company of a fun Christmas game with our peers.  Please wrap your gift (you can trick that up if you want, Barbie wrapping paper, or sports, etc...to throw someone off!), and if you are unable to purchase a gift, please let me know and we can get this taken care of. Or, if you would rather Mrs. Lyons or myself purchase the gift, you may send in monetary donations and we can get that done.  As with any party, many supplies are needed so please see the sheet sent home today to see how you can help us out!  Please contact me via email (abby.thomas@fayette.kyschools.us) if you have any questions.
• MULTIPLICATION FACTS: Study, study, study these!!!  I'm just going to throw this out there, but there might be a special reward in store for the first student in MY math class to memorize all of his/her times tables. 

I'm looking forward to all of our exciting things coming up over the next 8 days of school before the end of 2010!

Let's have a great (and far less talkative) day tomorrow!

xoxo,

Mrs. Thomas

18 days until Christmas!!!
10 days until Winter Break and 8 school days left in 2010!!!

12.6.10

Were we living with these guys today?!?

BRRRRRRR....WAS IT COLD TODAY or WHAT?!!!? Yowza!


Because of "Release Day" (a day where teachers are at school to work on projects or tasks with other teachers, but are not in the classroom), I was at school...but not at school; therefore, we had a sub.  We are so lucky we were able to have Ms. French again; she is really on it with things!

In reading, we took our Spelling test that was postponed from Friday due to our Mystery game and turned in our packets.  We also took our definitions test.  New 'Wordly Wise' packets were administered (Lesson 7) and will be due Friday.  If the entire class earns an 'A' on this Spelling test (like I am 100% certain you all can, if you study and prepare), then there will be a special treat in store for you!  I just want you to all give yourself the credit you deserve and realize your capabilities.  We are ALL capable of nothing less than the best and I'm ready for us ALL to see it as I see it! 

I BELIEVE IN YOU!

Next, it was time for us to have some reading skills practice.  There were 3 activities that all groups rotated to participate in: BINGO with our spelling words and group; Reader's Theater; and a Scavenger Hunt for our group's chapter books.  Homework is working on your 'Wordly Wise: Lesson 7' packet.  Get yourself prepared!!!
In math, we began...MULTIPLICATION!!!  Multiplication is basically, repeated addition.  It is the grouping together of numbers and adding those groups.  We will be diving into the concept of Multiplication over the remaining days of 2010 and will be engaging in activities to help us understand the process so it is IMPERATIVE (so, so, soooooooo....IMPORTANT) that you practice, practice, practice your multiplication facts (times tables) as much as you can.  Go through your 2s, 3s, 4s, etc... while you are in the car going somewhere, at the grocery with your parents, while you're cheering on your sibling at his/her soccer/ basketball game, or basically anywhere you have some down time.  These MUST be memorized ASAP!!!  You HAVE to go 4th grade with this skill MASTERED!  I KNOW you/ WE can do it!!!

Finally, our class is back to having SCIENCE with ME!!!  YAY...I LOVE us!!!  We have some catching up to do and will be moving through Life Cycles, Energy Transformations (Food Chains) and ecosystem life process rather quickly.  We will even have an individual animal project/ report that will be coming home tomorrow (more details to follow).  Today, we began looking at Food Chains and creating some of our own.  To study and interact with these at home, there are literally THOUSANDS of sites to visit (check out some at the bottom of our blog under links) but some that I really like are: 

http://www.ecokids.ca/pub/eco_info/topics/frogs/chain_reaction/index.cfm
http://www.harcourtschool.com/activity/food/food_menu.html
http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/content/animals/kidscorner/games/foodchaingame.htm
http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/content/animals/kidscorner/foodchain/foodchain.htm
http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/gamesactivities/foodchains.html

I can't wait to spend time with you tomorrow!!!
xoxo,
Mrs. Thomas

19 days until Christmas!!!
11 days until Winter Break AND 9 school days left in 2010!

Forensic Friday!

The students came in to find that a certain someone had stolen my "Carrie Owl" AND note left by the thief on OUR classroom whiteboard stating, "I took the owl..."!!!  Ohhhhh noooo!!!  Suddenly, they had to put their inferencing skills to work!  Now, they became special detective on the Mystery Case 101: the Case of the Owl that got Carried Away!  Students were first told that my "Carrie" owl had been stolen from my desk and there was several evidence left behind...but could they link it to the thief??!?  First, we brainstormed a list of suspects based on the fact that the owl had to of been stolen on Thursday late afternoon, evening/ or early Friday morning.  There are only so many people who have access to the school after or before hours.  Therefore, we developed our suspect list based on our clues...or inferences as we call them in reading and then were given their Case Files and Reading Detective Badges.  They were now OFFICIAL reading detectives...how exciting!  

Students got into groups and read through the suspect i.d. cards and picked up on several clues that made each suspect seem "suspicious".  They were then given their interrogation report sheets complete with in-depth interview questions to get down to the "nitty gritty" as to where these suspects were at the alleged time of the crime, why they might take part, and what they might have to do with it.  There even was a crime scene complete with fingerprints, footprints, and a note left on the board!  Immediately, the students got to solving this horrible crime.  A student from each group was sent to interview a suspect and then report back to their group.  They soon got specific clues straight from the thief and delivered to Mrs. Thomas that she read and helped narrow down the culprit.  Fingerprints were also discovered that led us to a certain someone who knew who did the crime and gave us our final clue that had us using a blacklight to discover hidden evidence!  When we turned on the blacklight, glowing fingerprints and footprints were revealed.  We then knew that the guilty person would have glowing shoes and hands and were led to Mrs. Ingold!!!  She took our owl!!!  Ahhhhh!!!  It was all fun and we know that she did it because Mrs. Thomas asked her to help us in not only having fun, but making inferences and practicing reading skills along the way without even knowing it!  It really was a blast and I am glad everyone had so much fun!  I am having difficulty getting the pictures uploaded correctly so I will post them as soon as I can get that figured out.  Stay tuned!

Because of this game, we were unable to take our spelling test.  This will be done Monday so use your weekend to have some extra time to study...hopefully we will ALL get As on our test on Monday!!!  How exciting that would be!  If that happens, we might all get an extra treat!  Packets are due Monday as well.

Once our game was over, it was time to get back into routine, so we switched for math.  Our math class continued working on our test and then were able to play a few games for those of us who were finished.  It was too cold to go outside so we enjoyed recess indoors.


We were unable to go to book buddies because Mrs. Hubers's class was finishing a project.  We had some free-write/ free draw time and then had some fun vising www.jibjab.com and "elfing" some friends in class.  It was hilarious!  Try it yourself at home...we had a blast!


Hope everyone has a FANTASTIC weekend...Go out and PLAY in the SNOW!!!

I love you!
xoxo,
Mrs. Thomas


PS, Good LUCK to AbbyLou, Caroline, and Tabitha on your SCAPA auditions tomorrow!  We LOVE you all and are rooting for you!  You'll ALL be AMAZING...and remember us when you're FAMOUS!!!

Weekly Happenings: 12.6.10 - 12.10.10

This Week at Garden Springs

Dec. 6—Day 3 
2nd MAP Testing Window Begins  (12/6/10-2/18/11)

2:45-3:30p: 3rd  Grade Lego Club

2:45-3:45p: Performing Arts Club Rehearsal

3:00p: SBDM

6:30p: PTA

FRC Angel Tree Ends

Dec. 7—Day 4  
7:50-8:10a: Beta Club

Dec. 8—Day 5 
 Spirit Day (wear your GSE t-shirt or sweatshirt)

7:30-8:00a: K-Kids

1:30p: Fire Drill

2:45-4:00p: Governor's Cup Academic Team Practice

2:45-4:00p: Girls on the Run

Midterm Reports go home

Dec. 9—Day 6
 2:35-3:45p: 2nd & 3rd Grade Spanish Club

2:45-4:00p: STLP

2:45-4:00p: Girls on the Run

Dec. 10—Day 1

Dec. 11
8:30a: Girls on the Run — Reindeer Ramble @ Keeneland

BMS PTSA Holiday Gift Fair on Friday, December 10^th from 5-8 pm.  We will have over 20 vendors in attendance,plus group performances from several of our organizations within BMS.  All of this in conjunction with the FINAL night of our Joseph Beth Book Fair!  Call 859-368-7611 or e-mail:  PC4Jenn@yahoo.com for more information. 

SCHOOL STORE WILL BE OPEN ONLY ON WEDNESDAYS FROM NOW ON.  PLEASE COME VISIT THE STORE IN THE CAFETERIA FROM 7:15 - 7:45.  MANY OF THE GOODIES FOR SALE INCLUDE:  MECHANICAL PENCILS, CRAZY SHAPE ERASERS, LEAD AND TOTALLY COOL PENCIL SHARPENERS!!!
 

Looking for volunteers for the Science Fair.  Judges needed on January 13th.  They will be paired with a judge from Dunbar's Science Program.  Judges needed from 7:30 am to 11:30 am. and breakfast and snacks provided. 

If interested, contact: mj.jacobson@insightbb.com or 859.523.2667

These are the dates for the Science Fair Schedule:

Data, Results, and Conclusion Wednesday Dec. 8

Student Questionnaire Wednesday Dec. 12

Completed Science Fair Project Due  Wednesday Jan. 12

VOLUNTEERS:  We are in need of someone to help with the monthly PTA newsletter.  If you are interested, please contact Andrea Wiley at andreawiley@gmail.com

New program from Campbell 's Labels for Education.  Garden Springs can earn potentially a TON of points if everyone would sign up. Read blog post  http://bulldogbargains.blogspot.com/ about the new program.  Please share it everyone because we earn points for just signing up.  No purchase and they don't even have to leave their house.  


You can view the Garden Spring Calendar anytime.

If you need an event listed on Bulldog Bites just email information by Fri. at noon. 

12.2.10

Be sure and check the previous posts... Bob has been blogging away about all of his adventures.
Recently, he went to Buffalo, New York with Caroline over the Thanksgiving Break!

Happy Thursday everyone!  Can you believe we only have 11 school days left in 2010?  WOWee!!

We began our day by completing ORQs for Government from Mrs. Ingold.  Then, we began working on our Metaphor poems that will be going with us in our working folders onto 4th grade so we fully intend on them being magnificent!

In reading, we kept with our theme of mysteries and riddles.  We actually got to work in our groups today as well.  Students worked on their own mystery story, word work dealing with mystery related words and their definitions, and in groups...reading mystery stories and using special magnifying decoders to solve the questions at the end.  Homework tonight is completing BOTH spelling packets, but studying the Lesson 6 'Wordly Wise' words because that is what our test will be over tomorrow. 

In math, we continued working on completing our Chapter 5 assessment over word problems.  I cannot wait to start multiplication next week!!!

Since it was so cold today, we did not get to go outside or recess or wellness walk, but enjoyed some free time in both classrooms.  For exercise, both classes did "the Dougie"...it was SO fun!

Finally, we worked in Mrs. Ingold's room with me on our December On-Demand due to Ms. Sharp by the 15th.

Tomorrow is FRIDAY!
xoxo,
Mrs. Thomas


23 days until Christmas!
(15 days until Winter Break AND 11 school days left in 2010!)



In a NEW YORK state of mind...

 My adventures in New York with Caroline D.

Day One-
After school, Caroline and I got off the bus and went to Caroline's house. We got in and had a snack.  Caroline found a dead mouse on her trashcan and let me munch it up for a snack. For me, it was delicious- it tasted like a big chicken... it was yummy!  We finished snack and went up the street and picked berries and put them in an empty water bottle. We mixed them together and went back to her house. We watched some T.V. and then we went to Caroline's children's theater thing for S.C.A.P.A and she practiced pantomimimg, her monolougue, and advertisements. Then, we went to Oasis (Caroline's neighbor's restaurant) to eat dinner. Caroline and I got beef suromma which is steak and fries. I had steak, some fries, and  water. Then, we went back to Caroline's house and watched, "Dancing with the Stars: the Finale".  You people really can move in mysterious ways!  After that, Caroline and I brushed our teeth and went to bed.  What a busy day!

Day 2-
Today Caroline and I rode to Buffalo, New York.  Boy...was it a loooong trip!  It took a whole day to get there!  Here's how the trip went: first, we got in the car. Then, it took us about 4 hours to get to the Ohio State Mall.  We went in Justise and Claire's which were cool stores for young girls.  If I wore people clothes, I think I'd like some things from there...but don't go putting it on your Christmas list for me, yet!  Then, we got back in the car for more driving and watched a lot of movies. A little after 2:30, Caroline, her family, and I ate lunch.  We went to this place called Subway where Caroline and I shared a meatball sub.  It was yummy!  I mean, I was STARVING and so was Caroline...who eats lunch at 2:30 anyway?!?  We did lots of things in the car like watching lots of things like Toy Story 3 and SpongeBob, drawing, playing games, and we slept.  It reeaallly was a loooonnng ride!  We also had lots of snacks - on they way there, we even got to have hot chocolate from McDonald's...it tasted like a big chocolate bar which was so good!  Actually, here is a list of the things we did specifically: we drew on whiteboards (just like in my home- Mrs. Thomas's room!), drew on paper, watched TV, played on DS, and made our own connect the dots.  Caroline even made one to look like me and drew it in my journal for me.  "It sure was a long day!" she exclaimed to me.  We FINALLY got to the house and ate hot dogs for dinner.  Last but not least, we brushed our teeth and went to bed.  Tomorrow should be an exciting day!


Day Three- THANKSGIVING DAY!
First on Thanksgiving Day, we woke up and wenty downstairs and ate breakfast.  We had waffles with strawberries on them, "yum, yum!" I said.  Then, we put our bowls in the sink and went the living room.  Then, we turned on the TV and watched the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade and "Wizards of Waverly Palace". 
"I am bored," I told her. 
"I know, this IS boring," she agreed.  So, we went in the kitchen and played sticks with Savannah and Lilly (her sisters).Then after the game of sticks Savannah and Lilly played a checkers and me and Caroline,keeped playing sticks. After we all finished playing games, we went in the living room with Jacob and Lilly. Then we played legos, even though Caroline and I don't like them.  Caroline and I played legos until 3:00 and then we went to Caroline's cousin's house and played until the food was ready. We ate a lot of stuff like: mashed patatoes, corn, jello, sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, stuffing, and of course.. turkey. After we ate, we played a game until it was time for dessert called, "Mad Gab" which is a game where you figure out what the words are it is kind of like rhyming words with Rachel (Caroline's cousin) and Savannah.  Dessert was so yummy!  We had chocolate cake, apple pie, and pumpkin pie.  Once we were finished with dessert, we played some more Mad Gab with everyone.  Then, we watched the movie, "Elf" with everyone else and played some more Mad Gab and then went home and went to bed.


Day 4 - Black Friday!
Today, Caroline and I got up and went downstairs and ate plotsic (it is a bread with sugar and it is hard sugar and it is very good).  After that, we watched TV and played blocks.  Soon, it was time to go to the mall and we ate hot dogs.  We went to a bunch of places, but first, we went to Pottery Barn Kids and Caroline bought a nightlight that is a changing color owl.  Then, we went to a bunch of other places and I got something for Mrs. Thomas...it is her Christmas present so don't tell!  She also bought a pug piggy bank...it's really cute!  The bad part of things though, was that Caroline's mom bought a $50 gift card to Sephora and lost it :( but then we left the mall and she tried figuring it out! Once we left the mall, we went to Olive Garden and had dinner and Caroline's cousins went there with us.  After we finished dinner, we all went to Caroline's grandparents' house and watched "Home Alone" and went to bed and fell asleep. While we were all asleep, Caroline's mom was at Sephora trying to figure out...but we will never know what happened until the next day.


Day 5 - Last Day in Buffalo
Today, we went downstairs after we woke up and ate some more plotsic with water to drink.  After we were done, Caroline and I played.  After Playhouse Disney was done, we watched TV.  We watched TV until we left to go to a guy named Jack's house.  He is Caroline's dad's friend.  While there, we washed card and afterwards, we went into their basement.  They made a big bar and I played this old game and beat everyone!  I also played fuseball and ping-pong...it was awesome!  I sat on the barstools until we left.  Then, we watched "Bolt" on the way to a pizza place where we had pizza and wings.  After we finished, we went to Caroline's cousin's house and opened Christmas presents.  Caroline and her sisters all got a dance game for the Wii, Pictionary game, and as vDraw game tablet. We played the dance game until we left...it was a slow day!


Day 6 - Our Way Back to KY!
Mine and Caroline's way back to Kentucky was full of adventures.  First, we woke up at 4:45 a.m.  We were so tired, so we got in the car about 5:00a.m. and we drove off.  We slept for about 3 hours until well...about 8ish.  Then, we had brunch (breakfast/lunch) at Bob Evans and Caroline and I shared kid's sliders with fries.  We ate with Caroline's aunt Randa, so we talked and all that stuff.  After we were done, we got back in the car and drove off again.  After a while of driving, we got to a different mall...it was the Ohio Mall from before and Caroline got a mood ring as we went around looking for more cool stuff.  We didn't buy anything else, but I wish I could have!  After we were done at the mall, we went to Wendy's and got extra spicy chipotle chicken.  It really was extra spicy!  The rest of the way, we slepy and watched TV.  When we got home, we had a little snack, watched the new episodes of TV shows we had saved, and then we finally went to bed.  Back to school!


I hope Mrs. Thomas is feeling better.  It's been fun with Caroline!
Hoot, Hoot!
-Bob

12.1.10

RABBITS, RABBITS, RABBITS EVERYONE...HAPPY DECEMBER!!!   Can you believe the last month of the year is here?  WOW!  ...and, HAPPY HANUKKAH all!!!  



Didn't you LOVE the snow today?!?  It REALLY put me in this season's spirit!!!


Today was our FIELD TRIP day and WOW...I have NEVER been more proud of our class.  We were seriously the BEST behaved class there and I am just in awe of how very wonderful we behaved.  Way to go, all my friends!Also, Junie B. Jones was so awesome...it really was GREAT and we had a wonderful time!

This morning, we wanted to squeeze in Reading and Math so we switched right at 8:15 to start reading.  In reading, our class is writing our own mysteries and were given a template to follow in creating our setting, suspects, clues, events, and other aspects of our own mystery.  We even made a biography of our detective and his/her sidekick.  Once finished, we will put all stories together in a Thomas Class Mystery book!

In math, we continued working on our Chapter 5 assessment.  We are doing great with solving addition or subtraction, but are not reading all parts of the word problems completely and carefully and are missing important components.

We had an early lunch at 10:15 and then headed out to Junie B.  By the time we got back, we had enough time for Science and Social Studies and our class finally got to take their end of the unit test in Social Studies with Mrs. Ingold.  My Science class took their adaptations quiz and will finish their ORQs for morning work tomorrow.

I have never been more proud of all of you!
xoxo,
Mrs. Thomas

24 days until Christmas!!!
16 days until Winter Break (12 school days left in 2010)

11.30.10

...aaaaannnd, I'M BACK!!!  Whew!  I am so happy to be able to be back and with my wonderful students!!!  I really have missed everyone so much...it's been lonely being sick!

We began the day by having spring...errr... FALL cleaning!  With so many absences recently, I decided we needed a thorough clean down from top to bottom over the entire room.  We cleaned every last inch of this classroom so germs don't stand a chance against us any longer!

Next, during reading, the students got back their spelling tests from last week and their lesson 4 packets.  I know that a spelling packet was sent home yesterday...BUT...unfortunately, that was the wrong packet.  Therefore, the students can get some easy credit for that packet (the easy one, as we call it) as it is due by this Friday but also MUST complete the normal (and more challenging) 'Wordly Wise' packet.  The test will be over the 'Wordly Wise' packet and the definitions.  We spent reading class time getting caught up on some things and began our new story.  This week, we will again be studying making inferences and using clues to determine answers that the author may not state directly for us.  We have no become "Reading Dectectives" and even came up with code names for ourselves.  I am Ybba Masmoht.  Ask your student what his/her code name is!  My favorite was Liagiba, Repooc, and Notyep.  We had so much fun...and a special activity is planned for the end of the week :)

In math, we began our assessment over Chapter 5: word problems and will continue working on it tomorrow.

Finally, we did not have Social Studies or Science because of the chorus concert.

I am so happy to be back!
xoxo,
Mrs. Thomas

Christmas is 25 days away!!!
(Winter Break is in 17 days!!!)

Hanukkah begins tomorrow!

Bob's Adventures with AbbyLou

Day One-
To start the day with Abby, we got on the daycare van...I swiched seats 3 times!!! Finally, when we got seated we read what I did last week.  A few minutes after that there were speed bumps...Abby and I loved them on the van!  After that, we had snack at daycare. I loved the goldfish! Then, Abby`s dad picked us up. When we got home, Abby made me a hammock to rest in. It is so cool!!!!!! Abby got her old see through hat, tied silly bands to it, then tied the other side to her bed.  I absolutely loved it.

Then, we picked up Abby`s little brother`s babysitter and dropped her off at Abby`s house. We went to the movie theater to see Harry Potter...I've heard it's the newest and best movie out!  When we got seated in the movie theater, I got scared but Abby calmed me down. The movie was AWESOME!  I'll have to read the books.  When we got home, no one was hungry so we went to bed.

Day Two-
Today, Abby asnd I went to singing lessons.  Micah really got my music big itching so I loved it...they were a blast!  Before I know it, I will be able to run a one man band!  :)  Then, we went shopping and I especially loved seeing all the people!  There are so many of you humans!  And what an interesting concept, buying things you need instead of hunting for them...whoa!  For lunch, I had something called a doughnut...it was sweet and oh so very delicious.  I want one everyday, but apparently, they're kinda bad for me.  After a few hours, we had dinner.  I begged Abby for some more of those Goldfishy cracker thingys I had yesterday and she gave me some!  yum...yum!  Afterwards, we watched Toy Story3.  I have to say, I was NOT a fan of the way the kids treated the toys...I mean, can YOU imagine?!?  Terrible.  Finally, Abby's dad made popcorn and cookies for the movie, "A Christmas Carole" which was awesome too!  After as busy day, I was beat and it was time for bed.  Talk to you tomorrow!

Day Three-
I had the BEST time today...but I did mostly sleep!  I played with Abby's little brother, Jacob so that's why I was sound asleep...little booger wore me out!  What energy!  I got to go to Abby's grandparents' house (Mama and Papa) and played with Caleb and Jacob.  That wore me out too!  Next up: a visit with Caroline...apparently, we are going to NEW YORK!!! 

Can't wait to report back soon!
Hoot!  Hoot!
-Bob