A Quiet Morning in Bo

It stopped raining!!!

Boylee Loves This

Maybe Papa will say this is the first step in interesting Boylee in jazz: a ragtime, stride piano interpretation of some of his favorite tunes.

Front Toothless

Or, as Boylee prefers: The Hunt for the Missing Tooth!

Attention, Students

Our principal is the Huffington Posts's Greatest Person of the Day!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/12/13/huffpost-greatest-person-karin-newlin_n_796204.html#s206624

Check it out -- there's some nice info about the school and some new pictures of the campus.

About the Pants

They grey ones are a little long, and the green and blue ones are as short as the ones he's just grown out of! What happened??? But while I was wondering, Boylee got quite offended -- he LOVES the length of the green and blue ones, DETESTS the length of the grey ones and was entirely pissed that I was even mentioning the subject. Okay, case closed! He has always been happy wearing highwater pants and in fact has about zero interest in fashion of any kind. He is more concerned that the pants are soft and comfortable and allow lots of movement. So, a success.

That Time of Year Again

Boylee has been growing non-stop, so he definitely needs some new pants. I didn't follow the fancy-pants pattern from last year. I went back to my old standby, modifying this pattern that I've been using for years. My sewing machine doesn't deal with stretchy jersey very well so my stitches are very crooked, but luckily I'm not a perfectionist and neither is Boylee.

The Best Present

Chanukah went out with a bang, and Boylee loved his last present: a kalimba.
He's been playing it pretty much non-stop ever since he got it.

Card Swap!

We signed up for a holiday card swap last year and had a grand time -- we sent out homemade cards to nine other families and got nine cute homemade cards back in return. Most of our swapees were around the US but a couple were overseas.

We decided to participate again this year, and here are the places we'll be sending cards: Germany, Ohio, Australia x2, Singapore, Tennessee, Minnesota, Florida, Montana and Indiana. Boylee doesn't love doing the cards so much, but he loves receiving cards from kid strangers from all around the world!

Chanukah!

The first night of Chanukah was a smash hit. First Boylee lit the menorah, then we feasted on latkes and applesauce. And after dinner, his present:

It's very cool to have a kid who loves to read so much. He was VERY, VERY happy with his new book.

We Loved This

It aired on PBS, so maybe it's rerunning. Check it out!

Why Bedtime Takes So Long

Photo Fundraiser

It turns out that a bunch of parents at our school are A-list professional photographers. So today we had a photo fundraiser. For our donation we got sessions with two photographers, in black & white and color. I think they shot about 200 frames in total, then we waited about ten minutes while they burned the photos onto a disk. I've just barely gone through them, but here are some of the highhlights. And wow, what a difference it makes to see photos with shot by pros with professional equipment!

Monster Writing

(I know it's hard to read; here's what it says:)
Big Monster
Bob is a bisnus monster. He works for Monster Co. He also works for the Monster show. He-lives in an underground cave. And he LOVES KIDS. One-day he won an aword for monster of the year. And every one livde happoly ever after.



On the chest it says "Face the rath of the"
And down at the bottom it says "underwear of doom."

That's my boy!

October in 2nd Grade

Here's an update from the teachers:

Math

This month in math we have a lot of new things happening. We are pleased to announce that we have started our Jiji math computer program by the Mind Institute. Here the children play computer math games that are geared to the California Second Grade Content Standards. They play many games involving mathematical concepts including but not limited to addition, subtraction, and ordering numbers. Our goal is to have children play these games for about 45 minutes two times a week. Our students are very excited about playing on Jiji, and although it is a challenging game we feel as though it is a great addition to our regular math program. In addition to Jiji math, we have been further deepening the children’s learning about numbers. We have been exploring fact families to get a better understanding of addition, subtraction and inverse observations. We are working on equations with missing numbers and solving addition equations with three numbers (3+4+2=9) The students are learning and understanding that we all have various strategies to solve problems-there’s no one right way to solve a problem, but there is only one correct answer. Our goal is to equip our students with the skills that they will need to solve any mathematical problem by honoring their thinking and asking questions to deepen their awareness and understanding of the way they solve problems.

Writer’s Workshop

As writers, all of second grade has just finished publishing their first writing piece! To reach this point, all students worked through a writing process to brainstorm ideas, create a rough draft, and edit the words they have put down on paper. Moving through each of the steps will help boost both the content and the mechanics of the students’ writing. The emphasis on the process will provide our budding writers with a platform to work from for the rest of their lives. Along with developing strategies to help during writing, our experience of publishing a piece that has been worked on extensively has helped strengthen their relationship and bond with the written word. Pride shown through each writer’s face during publishing, and it was something wonderful to behold. It is our hope that our young writers recall these feelings as they move forward to produce other stories, personal narratives, and non-fictional work.

DWOK

In DWoK, students have been exploring Native American Stories, and the amazing ways they communicate those stories to each other. We have listened to and read many legends that have been passed down through generations. These stories have helped us understand a unique world view while teaching us important lessons about effective storytelling and symbolism. Along with the traditional forms of verbal communication, we have looked at the visual storytelling of Totem Poles. Totem poles serve as a way to recall ideas or stories that are essential to the tribes who erect them. Students went through their own process of meaning-making when they chose animal totems to research and create totem poles around. The work helped each child recognize the intricate way stories, art, research, and family history interact in the world.

Reader’s Workshop

In Readers Workshop this month we focused on finding the elements in a story such as the setting (where the story takes place), characters (who the story is about), and plot (what happens in the story). The students completed a two week project using the book Where the Wild Things Are. The book was read several times to focus on the various elements of a story. At the end of the project the students made their own monster puppets and wrote a story that included all the elements of a story. The stories were very creative and the classes enjoyed hearing all the adventures that the monsters took. Please continue to work on finding the elements in a story at home because it will be an essential tool for next month in which we focus on reading comprehension skills.

Theatre

For Theatre Arts this month the students focused on using non-verbal communication to express and tell a story. This tool is one of many that the student will use at the end of the year to put on a play. We practiced using non-verbal communication through several drama games. The first one was Alphabet Charades in which each student was given a letter of the alphabet and they were to act out two things that started with this letter. The audience did a great job paying attention and guessing most of the letters. The letters “x” and “y” were a challenge. The second game was called Machines. The students were given a location such as the kitchen and as a group of four were to act out a machine in the kitchen. A favorite had to be the Xerox machine in an office. We finished the month off by introducing the art of pantomime. The students played a game called Mirror in which they had to mirror a movement with a partner. They really learned to slow down the movement in order to follow each other. Next month, we will be focusing on another important part of being a good actor which is eye contact.

Character Development

In our Character Development lessons, our second graders have been working to gain a better understanding of themselves, and in the process have made deeper connections to DWoK and Writer’s Workshop. Students have highlighted personal character traits, developing a vocabulary to express human characteristics that will help with interpersonal relationships and strengthen their abilities as storytellers. They also started the time-honored tradition of keeping a journal to record ideas, feelings and reactions to intriguing prompts. Throughout the year, we will continue journaling as we learn more about ourselves as unique individuals and as our writing skills develop and grow.

Are We Setting a Record Yet?

Boylee is still sick. He had a fever this morning, and now he also has a pretty juicy cough. So off to the doc he went. Our great pediatrician isn't too concerned, since Boylee's lungs and ears are clear. He will do further testing if the boy still has a fever on Monday.

But he said Boylee needs to be fever-free for 24 hours before returning to school, which means he still won't be back tomorrow, which means he'll have missed an entire week of school! Good grief! I don't think that's a big deal in terms of missing out on learning -- it is only second grade -- but Boylee sure misses his pals.

Unprecedented!

In Kindergarten, Boylee had perfect attendance. And it's not that I forced him to go to school while ill -- he just never got sick. At least not on a weekday.

In 1st grade, Boylee missed one day. And that was because of pinkeye. I barely even think that counts as an illness, but there you go.

Now in 2nd grade Boylee is poised to miss his third day. In a row! Poor little guy is feeling pretty awful. On Sunday he was sluggish starting in the middle of trick-or-treating -- I just thought he was tired because we'd had a very busy few days. But that night he woke up with a fever. Though he seemed really perky this morning, he sagged and dragged through the day and now he's feeling just as bad as ever, so no school tomorrow.

We already consulted cousin-in-law Dr. Babi, so we'll keep an eye on things and hopefully he'll be feeling better tomorrow. If it goes a day longer we'll go to our pediatrician.

Boo!

Scott said, "Shouldn't it be bigger?"

Boylee said, "DAD! It's my design!"

The Highlight of the Halloween Carnival

Boylee managed to dunk his beloved PE teacher (the guy who ran the summer camp) in the dunk tank! The dunk tank was definitely the highlight for most kids -- the line was long the whole time we were there as various teachers took their turns. Boylee's teacher had volunteered to participate, but yesterday she had to withdraw because she's sick. The PE teacher was a good substitute.

And these stickers made the successful students feel proud.

A Little Bit Late, But...

September Newsletter

Welcome Second Grade Families!

Wow, what a great start to the year. We are very excited to have a new group of intelligent, talented and creative students. We will be sending a newsletter home at the end of every month to recap what we have learned and explored during the month as well as give you a preview of what’s to come. Go ahead and talk to your children about the content of the newsletter and see if they can show what they know!

This year, we all walked into a new classroom space, filled with unique possibilities. For the first few weeks of school, the students and teachers in second grade have explored how to work together as one family unit under the same roof. Respect has played a large role in helping each interaction to be supportive and beneficial to the entire team. With “Cool Tools” and upcoming lessons in goals and positive self-talk, we will continue to build positive social skills and self confidence of every student.

COOL TOOLS:
Has your child come home saying that somebody gave them a put up that made them feel really good or maybe told you that they used their exit shoes to walk away from a conflict? If so, they are using the tools that we have practiced in the classroom called Cool Tools. Cool Tools vividly teaches strategies for handling different forms of conflict and promotes healthy conflict resolution from LFCSA to your home. Cool Tools was created to ensure a caring community in which all students feel safe to learn and play without threats of physical, verbal, or non-verbal harassment of any type. Our goal is to provide students with an internal “toolbox” they can choose from when conflict arises, not just now, but for the rest of their lives. Practice is essential not only for reinforcing the skills they are learning, but also for retention and transfer to new situations at school and at home.

READERS: For readers this month, the students learned what their jobs as a reader are. Each day during Reader’s Workshop they learned different elements of their jobs such as how to choose a reading spot, how to stay focused on a book, and how to read with a partner. Our overarching goal in Reader’s Workshop was to encourage readers to develop a deep love for and enjoyment of books.

WRITERS: Launching our Writer’s Workshop this first month, we have focused on our jobs as writers. Each student has entered second grade with a special toolbox of strategies from which to pull , and our writers have taken the time to remind themselves of how much they already know. Experienced writers use their skills to zoom in on “small moments,” capturing ideas and feelings with great detail. Our writers have done just that, working through the first cycle of the writing process, starting with brainstorming and progressing through drafts and editing. We are excited to be publishing our first piece very soon. In October, we will be looking at “Authors as Mentors,” just like in Reader’s Workshop. Students will gain tricks and tips by examining their favorite authors.

DWoK: DWoK stands for Different Ways of Knowing, a thematic, project-based curriculum that uses a constructivist approach to learning which serves as a framework for inquiry and lifelong learning.

Our overall theme for DWoK this year is “America’s Family Stories.” In September, our classes focused on family stories and how to turn family memories into stories. This gave the students an opportunity to tell authentic narrative stories about themselves. Telling family stories was also a great way to integrate DWoK into the other subject areas we are focusing on in second grade. For example, in Writer’s Workshop, the students were able to transfer their knowledge of their family memories into writing down their family stories. The students also had a great time telling their family stories through pictures and have created a time capsule using this information.

As we dive into the month of October, we will be exploring Native American family stories. This unit poses questions such as “What do we know about Native American family stories?” and “What questions do we have about Native American family stories?” Students will learn that the United States has been and continues to be populated by families, each of which can tell a uniquely personal story that is part of a larger story within the historical events of the time.

The unique part of the DWoK curriculum is that students will learn big ideas and concepts such as traditions, cultures and relationships that they can share with each other and with their own families. We encourage parents to have conversations throughout the year to share stories about grandparents and relatives with your children, allowing them to discover who their ancestors are, where they were from. and what unique customs and traditions they brought with them when they first came to America and/or to parts of the United States and then California. Our goal is to help our children develop a keen sense of respect and appreciation for each other so that they value what we each contribute to the story of America’s families.

MATH: Our first math unit this year is exploring strategies to understand number relationships. We have been deepening our understanding of essential big ideas such as inverse, commutative property, fact families, math vocabulary, and addition and subtraction facts. Developing these concepts about number relationships will lay the foundation for units to come. In our math program, we have a balance of using hands-on manipulatives and collaborating in small groups. Our children love exploring math further as they ask questions, learn from one another and solve problems together. The next unit we will be exploring is time and money. Ask your children to tell you the time and ask them to think about what time it will be in 5 minutes and 10 minutes. Additionally, 2nd grade is a great time for students to be filling up a piggy bank and counting up their coins.

Drama!

What happened was...Boylee was at gymnastics, and he was doing a flip into the foam pit. The foam pit is a pit filled with foam blocks, so kids can jump and flip and handspring into there without getting hurt. And somehow a foam block connected with his eye while his eye was open, and gave him a mighty scrape.

Boylee ran past me, saying, "I got foam in my eye," and I thought that two minutes later he'd be flipping into the foam pit again. But ten minutes later I still couldn't even get him to open his eye more than a tiny crack. And after a quick consultation with cousin Babi (the pediatrician) we went to the ER.

(not his eye)

Luckily the ER was almost empty. When I did the registration, the lady said, "Has he been here before?" I said, "Well, he was born here." And she looked him up in the records. She didn't find him under his current name. She found him under Baby Boy MyLastName. So sweet! (She updated his record, though, so that one's gone forever.)

They took us right in, and Boylee handled it all quite well. As soon as they got some numbing drops into his eye his spirits perked right up. And they put dye in, and looked at his eye with a special light...and the upshot is that he got a little abrasion but nothing too serious. They did give us antibiotic ointment just as a precaution.

Boylee was brave throughout, and just now when I was putting him to bed he asked what his prize would be, for all that bravery. Oy vey!

What Happens at our House When...

A new Rick Riordan book comes out:

Boylee woke up at 6:30 this morning and the first words out of his mouth were: Can I read?

LOVE IT!

Halloween Preview

Some Pictures of our School

Here's a little look at some of the areas in our very non-traditional school space. The entire space looks like a multistory office building from the outside. From the inside you can see that about 75% of the space is an open warehouse. And then there are some traditional-looking rooms and office areas.

This is pretty much the first thing you see when you exit the lobby and enter the school proper. That graphic of a school is sort of like a hanging curtain -- but it has been changed to something more abstract and beautiful. (Can't remember exactly what it is, so let's just go with abstract and beautiful.)

This is the kindergarten interior. The kinder is somewhat separate from the rest of the school.

The 4th grade area.

Two views of the art room. The sides of this space have since been walled in with hanging graphics -- sort of like big vinyl curtains. Don't know what they're actually made of, but they're semi-translucent and so they define the space without stopping the light from flowing through.

The computer room. It also now has beautiful graphic walls.

Looking towards the computer room.

Today at School

Jonas Brothers surprises elementary school

Reading. Writing. Arithmetic. And then a little Jonas Brothers.

At least that was the routine for one Los Angeles area elementary school on Tuesday.

The pop band strolled out on a stage without an introduction as 513 children ages 5-11 were experiencing their first assembly at their new school.

Some kids shrieked in disbelief. A few jaws dropped. Girls whispered to each other. And some kids just seemed confused at all the fuss -- which included several news cameras.

One little girl remarked: "I love the Jonas Brothers. They're my favorite team."

The Jonas Brothers were there on behalf of one of their concert sponsors, OfficeMax, and that company's "A Day Made Better" campaign, which will supply 1,000 teachers with $1,000 worth of free school supplies each.

The campaign kicked off Tuesday with the assembly at Los Feliz Arts Charter School, which opened its new campus in a 47,000 square-foot warehouse last week.

The Jonas Brothers made a few off-the-cuff remarks about the importance of education, then presented the school with 16 giant orange boxes containing $25,000 worth of school supplies.

OfficeMax got the idea for the promotion when it learned that teachers are spending about $1,000 of their own money each year on school supplies. On Tuesday, about a dozen OfficeMax employees were on hand to help out, each sporting a T-shirt reading: "Working to erase teacher funded classrooms."

The Jonas Brothers didn't perform, but the school's dance teacher and a colleague did, and they nearly stole the show, with the children chanting the instructor's name. Not an easy task, given his moniker: Mr. Poznanter. He wowed the kids with an acrobatic dance that involved a giant metal hoop.

Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter after their appearance, the Jonas Brothers suggested another installment of the "Camp Rock" franchise could be in store for them, despite the title of the recent one, "Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam."

"That referred to the climactic moment," said Kevin Jonas, and does not indicate that Disney or the Jonas Brothers are calling it quits for "Camp Rock."

"We'll see," said Joe Jonas.

Asked about their interest in education, the brothers said it is one of their may charitable interests:

Nick Jonas works extensively to raise awareness for diabetes, for example, and he's co-chairing along with singer Jordin Sparks the National Youth Leadership Committee of the Ronald Reagan Centennial Celebration. Joe Jonas is a celebrity spokesman for the Special Olympics, and a few months back Kevin Jonas won a record $250,000 on NBC's "Minute to Win it" and gave it to the family's charitable organization, Change for the Children Foundation.

Back to School

Check out Boylee. And his outfit!

2nd Grade!

Boylee is happy. Mostly because his best pal (Ugh!) is in the same class. I haven't been able to get too much more info out of him, except that they've already done dance, art and PE. Yay! And that the school lunch program is different this year (more flexible) and that he wants to eat it as much as possible. I'm letting him try it three days next week and then we'll see if he still likes it. Last year he begged and begged for it and then got thoroughly sick of it, but that was when you had to commit to the entire month.

And how is the new site? Well, from the outside it seems fine. Inside? I have no idea. Our open house was cancelled because we didn't have our occupancy permit yet, and parents have been thoroughly excluded from the school site. The only thing they want to see of us is our car pulling up to the carpool line in the morning, and pulling away from that line in the afternoon. I will never for the life of me understand this philosophy, the total exclusion of parents at the beginning of the school year. You can't walk your kid to class. You can't meet your kid's teacher. It's total bullshit and I have a major, major bone to pick with the principal. Allegedly she's retiring at the end of this year and that'll be just fine with me. Meanwhile, I have to wait for back to school night to meet Boylee's teacher, see his classroom, and see the rest of this new school site. That's not till the 4th week of school.

Less Than 24 Hours 'Til 2nd Grade!

This Picture Expresses my Relationship with my Son PERFECTLY.

Success!

Science Camp has ended and it was a grand success. Boylee loved it. For some reason, he felt quite shy at the beginning of the second and third weeks, but that faded and overall he loved it. He experienced all four topics they offered and tells me he wants to do all four topics (whatever they are) next year.

Another success? This:

In my continuing quest to use less plastic in Boylee's lunchbox, I tried out these mini Mason jars. They're half pint size. I wondered if he'd be able to deal with the lids -- the rim and the top separate -- but he was fine with it. They're glass, yes, but they're super sturdy. And much less expensive than other eco-friendly containers. And much easier to open and close than most other eco-friendly containers.

Boylee Begged...

...for one more week of science camp. So, this week:

BUSTING MYTHS WITH COOL SCIENCE!
Mission: to bust or affirm some science myths and uncover the cool truth! You’ll receive a new crazy myth to test each day, You will discover and dissect science oddities like air-powered cannons, crazy catapult chuckers, electric lightening you can hold in your hand and more. Things are going to get crazy, our crash test dummy is ready.. are you?


After lunch, join the Extreme Team and dig into your Pop-Sci Inventor Box, feel the power of your beating heart, make a bubble as big as you, turn your room into a lazer light rock party. In this awesome program, you’ll not just invent, but create a commercial to sell your wacky, wild, or brilliant idea to the whole camp! Who knows? You might have the best invention yet!

Science Concepts Include: magnetism, human anatomy, electric circuits, light & lenses, sound vibration, air is matter, air pressure, cardinal directions, compass and more!

The Last Week of Camp

G FORCE ROCKETS & MOON BLASTERS!

To the moon and back, Jack! In this exciting new program, you’ll assemble your very own rocket that will leave the launch pad at over 300 miles per hour on a mock mission to the moon. You can transform your room into a planetarium, experience comet cooking and journey to our power house of energy - the sun!

After lunch, you’ll discover Newton’s laws of motion with things that fly, float, rev, and race. Assemble your own electric powered UFO launcher and fly airplanes in the wildest camp air show ever! Then, the Moon Mission continues as you build and race your very own solar powered moon buggy. This is one camp experience that is truly out of this world!

Science Concepts Include: Prinicpal of flight – gravity, thrust, drag, Bernoulli’s Principal, centripital motion, anatomy of the sun, solar energy, planets and more!

Think Blue!

Science Update

This polymer concoction is supposed to look like crushed ice: success!


Growing crystals: success!