Savvy Spenders

On Friday we had a special visitor - Mrs Hinsdorff from Johnson Bank.  She did a WONDERFUL job teaching us all about how to be savvy with our money by saving, spending, investing, and donating.  She explained these four principles to the kiddos and then let them put them into action at the Barrie Boutique.  A few pictures from her visit are below!

These are the four ways that led to being savvy with your money!  Mrs. Hinsdorff and the bank also showed us the recommended amount (out of $10) that we should allocate to each action.

Browsing the Barrie Boutique!

One of our donating options.

Tracking where our money was spent!


We definitely learned a lot from Mrs. Hinsdorff
and were thankful for her visit!

Please?

Our newest display outside the classroom is pictured below.  It is our appeal to whoever is in charge of winter and made it so late this year!

We made these snowmen so that they are looking up to the sky--as if saying, "Let it snow!"  The kids had a GREAT time making the scarves using a soda-straw weaving technique.  I promised the kids I would put a link on the blog that explains how to do this so that they could give it a shot at home (these can be great bracelets, scarves, belts, etc - and can be good holiday gifts, too!).  So, click here if you would like to view the a tutorial on soda-straw weaving (scroll down a bit to see the video).  The hardest part of this is the assembly.  After they got the hang of the weaving pattern, that part went very quickly!

The writing component of this project was equally fun!  As we explore the 6 + 1 traits of writing I like to do some fun projects.  This one involved "word choice."  We looked at the carol, "Let it Snow," and decided that we could tweak some of the word choices to make it a little more interesting than the traditional version.  Here are a few examples of our results!

I love how they all turned out!  And I hope our appeal works!  Let it snow!

Just Say No to Bullying!

As I promised in our most recent newsletter, I want to show you what we have been working on in response to bullying at Barrie School.  We have read lots of text and had many conversations about bullying - personal experiences and ones witnessed.  The kids have been very honest and sympathetic and I have appreciated their compassionate stances against bullying.  Below are some photos that detail the conversations we have had about what bullying is and what we can do to stop or prevent it.

This poster details Barrie School's definition of bullying.

A song (to the tune of "Mary Had a Little Lamb") about bullying.

Please check back for updates - including bystander roles and responsibilities and a video of the bystander pledge!

**UPDATE**

Check out our "Bystander Pledge" below!

(: Winter Program :)

On Thursday, we had a big day - TWO performances of our winter program.  The kids did a GREAT job and I was very proud of their hard work.  Mrs. Westby often commented on their cooperation and dedication during rehearsals.  Here are some pictures from the performances:

What a fun night and what a fantastic job all the K-2 kiddos did!  Below is a quick video of my FAVORITE number from the night.

Happy holidays!!

It's Thanksgiving Time!

On the Tuesday before Thanksgiving break, we all took a little time to count the things we are thankful for in our lives.  This fun and cute project was not just fun and cute.  It also allowed us a little bit of time to reflect on the important things.  Here are just a few of the things we are thankful for:

I am thankful for my family. – Elliot

I am thankful for Mrs. Mayne. – Karlie

I am thankful for Mother Nature. – Mystica

I am thankful for sports. – Alec

I am thankful for my babysitter. – Allison

I am thankful for my dad and my mom. – Zoey

I am thankful for friends. – Jake

I am thankful for school. – Ayreal

I am thankful for the Native Americans. – Alizaya

I am thankful for Mrs. Tuten. – Claire

I am thankful for gym class. – Sarah

I am thankful for the stars. – Raven

I am thankful for my cousins. – Sammy

I am thankful for the Pilgrims that came to America. – Tommie

I am thankful for the veterans. – Noah

I am thankful for my mom. – Andrew M.

I am thankful for my house. – Gage

I am thankful for God. – Sheyla

I am thankful for my cat Purrty. - Jada

And They're Off!

Rollerblading has started in PE.  Here's a sneak peak of the kids playing the number game and cruising around the gym!

Happy Halloween!

Here is the update I promised over the weekend (Oops!  Addison got baptized this weekend and I got caught up in the excitement!).  The Halloween party and parade were both successes.  It was fantastic to see so many people show up for the parade.  Here are a few quick pictures that I snapped.  If you have any you would like to share (I can upload them onto the blog), please email them to me!

Mrs. Maine!

Lining up in the gym...

Class photo!

Silly pose!

Also, please check out this link.  Mrs. Barels recorded the Halloween parade and created a slide show of it!  Enjoy!