Happy Halloween!

We had a great day on Halloween (actually, the 29th)! We started the day by getting into costumes and showing off for everyone in the class. Then, we had some visitors from the high school who talked to us about Halloween safety. Next, we began our 1/2 hour pumpkin activity sessions by working on pumpkin math and reading with Mrs. Bracken. We estimated the circumference of a giant pumpkin, and then read a mini-book about costumes and added a picture of ourselves on the last page. Then, we headed to Mrs. Hjellming's class to play some pumpkin games. After that, we went to Mrs. Winchell's room to hear a pumpkin story and play pumpkin bingo. Our next session was with Mrs. LaPan, who taught us some Halloween songs. Our last session was with Miss Goodman (student teacher), who helped us with an Art project to go with the song "Five Little Pumpkins." We ended the morning by relaxing and watching a Halloween video. It was really fun to go to all of the classrooms for a special activity!

Kerrian and Megan (both former students of mine) reminded us about wearing safe costumes, eating only wrapped candy, and staying with an adult while trick-or-treating.

They passed out suckers, which we ate while listening to the rules.

We asked some questions, too.



Here we are in our costumes - don't we look great?

No one was too scary.

It's fun to pretend to be someone (or something) else!

We got into our regular clothes before playtime, and then continued with our normal routine in the afternoon.

Thanks to everyone for being on your best behavior on a very busy day!!

Red Ribbon Week

As a reminder to make healthy choices concerning drugs, tobacco, and alcohol, the whole school celebrated Red Ribbon Week during the last week of October. Wednesday was our official "red day," and we all dressed in red, and we even had a red lunch (spaghetti).

All of the kids pledged to "just say no" to drugs and alcohol! Hopefully, they will remember that pledge when it comes time to make their own decisions. Parents, please keep your at-home discussions going as your children grow older!

September Students of the Month

Every month, several students are chosen as Students of the Month, and Mrs. Giese comes in and presents the awards. It could be for a variety of reasons (good listeners, hard workers, great readers, polite manners, good spelling, friend to everyone, etc.). For September, Isabella and Beth, our two students who are new to our school, earned the award for the great job they have done adjusting to a new school and making new friends.

Good job, girls, and welcome to Cannon Falls Elementary School!

Halloween is in the air!

OOOOPS! The kids made jack-o-lanterns the other day, and I totally forgot to take pictures during the process. They did such a great job of following directions, and the results are lined up in a row under our coat hooks.

The jack-o-lanterns are kind of like the kids - each one is different and unique!

Some are tall, and some are short,

some have teeth and some are toothless, but they are all special!
Stop in and see our pumpkin patch!
We have another art project planned for this week - I'll try to remember to get my camera out and start snapping. :-)

The second week in October is Fire Prevention Week, and for as long as I can remember, the Cannon Falls firefighters have been coming to school to teach our students about fire safety. On Thursday, we had a lyceum in the gym, and then the kids went outside to see the firetrucks.

The fire fighters came dressed in their gear.

Students from the HS put on a skit about a family that was learning about fire safety. They discussed safety rules like having a family meeting place, calling 911, crawling low under smoke, feeling for a hot door, checking smoke detectors, etc. They did a great job!

After the skit, Mrs. Giese introduced the firefighters.
Then, we went outside.

The kids were great listeners!

Firefighter Kevin showed us the pumper truck.

Morgan knows Firefighter Kevin really well - he's her grandpa!

The kids got to go inside the ambulance.

Firefighter Ron showed us some of the equipment in the fire rescue truck.

Some of the kids had questions, too.

We are so fortunate to have brave firefighters in our community to help protect us and teach us how to be safe. Thanks to all the volunteers!

Trip to the Sheldon

We are so lucky to have the Sheldon Theater in Red Wing so close by! Every year, our first graders get to go to a live theater production especially geared for children, and this year was no exception.
Excitement was in the air as the kids came in on the big day. We were all set to go on our field trip to see "The Berensatain Bears, Family Matters." We loaded the buses and headed out by 9:15 for a 10:00 show.

As soon as we were seated, we could see the Berenstain Bear's treehouse onstage. Unfortunately, I couldn't take pictures during the show, but the characters were very cute, with curly brown wigs, ear headbands, bear feet and hands, and LOTS of energy.

We had read lots of Berenstain Bear stories during the last week, so the kids were well-prepared for what was to come.

It was hard to wait for the show to begin!

All of the stories have a message for kids, and the play did, too. Healthy eating, being honest, and working hard at school were some of the themes. However, the kid's favorite part was when Papa Bear ripped his pants due to getting a bit "fluffy in the tummy" from eating too much junk food!

The show was GREAT and the kids were very well-behaved. With Red Wing being so close, we were back to school in time for lunch. What a fun way to spend a morning!
Thanks, too, to Mrs. Sjoquist for coming along to help keep track of the end of the line!

4th Grade Buddies

The main job of first graders is to learn to read, and I tell them almost every day, "The more you read, the better you read." To give them more practice reading to an audience, we get together several times a month with our 4th grade buddies. We do writing projects, listen to stories, and read, read, read!

First, the kids get to share their anthology stories with the 4th graders.

Then they can choose other books from around the room to read together.

Since we're going to see the play "The Berenstain Bears" at the Sheldon Theater next week, we read a lot of bear stories on Friday.

It gets pretty crowded in the room, so some students head to the Commons where there's more room and it's a lot quieter!

It helps to point at the words.

Thanks, 4th graders, for helping us read!