End of the Year

This will be my last post of the school year. I want to thank all of you parents for your support and help during the last nine months, and also thanks to all my fantastic students for your hard work and positive attitudes! We've had a great year, with tons of learning going on, and it's been so much fun to watch your progress, particularly in reading. You guys are AWESOME!!

Every year, I take my kids on a walk to my house for a snack, and then to Eastside Park for some playtime. We chose a beautiful morning with lots of sunshine and blue sky. My neighbors love this tradition and look forward every spring to seeing my class walk up the hill.

While I went inside to get treats, the kids played a rousing game of Duck-Duck-Gray-Duck in my front yard.

Popsicle time!

Hmmmm, good!

No drips on desk tops to wipe up this time!

Very tasty.

After finishing up and wiping sticky fingers, I let the kids peek in my front door, and then we walked through the backyard and off to the park.

All of the first grade classes were at the park when we arrived, so the kids had lots of fun playing with all of their buddies. A big group chose to make sand castles. Kind of dirty, but very fun!

Look at this one!

The equipment was a very busy place with over 80 kids there.

The kids had a great time, and everyone hated to leave.

My last message to all of you is one I've said many times this year: "The more you read, the better you read!" So... read lots this summer, and stop by my room in the fall and show me how much you've grown over the summer!

Thanks again for a fantastic year!

May Students of the Month

Congratulations to our May Students of the Month, Grant and Justin.

Good job, boys! You're both very ready to be big Second Graders!

I'm afraid the background of this picture looks pretty bad. Our room had to be totally stripped by the last day of school in preparation for remodeling this summer. What a huge job, but - woo hoo!! - new carpeting and ceiling! It's going to look so great next fall!

Class Play - The Little Red Hen

After lots pf practice during the last few weeks,
the kids did a GREAT job on our play on Friday, and we had a wonderful audience of parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, sisters and brothers, and friends.

Before show time, we relaxed in the room for a few minutes.

A few kids were complaining of butterflies in their tummies!


It's 2:00 - time to go!

Presenting: Mrs. Bracken's Class Play

"The Little Red Hen"

"We are the Cows."


"We are the Sheep."

"We are the Pigs."

"We are the Rabbits."

"We are the Cat, the Duck, the Dog, and the Little Red Hen."

"Let us set the scene for you.
By the pond there stands a mill,
And down the road a barnyard,
Where things are quiet and still.
The dog, the cat, and the duck
Are having a lovely day.
Now all three have stopped to listen -
Red Hen has something to say!"

"Look! I have found a grain of wheat.

Just think of what I could do.

I'll dig a hole and plant it.

I just need some help from you."

"Sorry, but I can't help you.

Why don't you go ask the cat?

I need to chase my ball now,

So out of my way. Please scat!"

"MEOW!

I'm over-due for my cat nap.

Why don't you go ask the duck?

I need my 9 a.m. rest,

I say no, but I still wish you luck.

"Help you dig a hole, you ask?

This time I'll have to say no.

I'm ready for a nice swim,

So off to the mill pond I go."


"They all refused to help,

They all refused to help.

She did it by herself.

She did it with no help."

"Suddenly, the dog stopped chasing, the cat rubbed her sleepy eyes, the duck waddled up from the pond. They all smelled a great surprise!"

"I want a piece from the end!"

"I'm tired from resting all day!"

"I want a piece from the end!"

"Wait! I have something to say!

You didn't help me plant the wheat,

Cut or carry the grain.

I did it all by myself.

And now you expect to eat?

I plan to eat this bread myself.

Next time maybe you'll learn

The things we want,

We have to work for and earn."

"They all refused to help,

They all refused to help,
She ate it by herself, she did it with no help!"

We then invited all of our guests to return to the classroom for some treats - breadsticks, of course!

Good job, kids! You were awesome!

And thanks to all of you who came - you were a great audience.

April Students of the Month

Congratulations to Chase and Alison, our April Students of the Month, and welcome to Mrs. Giese, our new principal!

Mrs. Giese didn't know she had to smile for my camera when she came in to present the April awards, but she is quickly learning all the responsibilities that go with being an elementary principal! We're glad she is here!

Children's Museum and Como Zoo

We went on our First Grade Class Trip to the St. Paul Children's Museum and Como Park Zoo on Wednesday, May 13th! The weather was cloudy and cool, but very comfortable!

Could these smiles be any bigger? Justin and Nick were so excited!

What a great way to spend a birthday! Will wore his crown all day long!

When will we be there? The ride got kind of long for Elizabeth, Emma, and Madison.

Finally, we made it. We listened to instructions in the Big Room at the museum. There were only three main rules - stay with your helper, walk, and have fun!

Each child was assigned to a group of 3-4 kids and an adult, so the groups were free to explore the galleries on their own. This works great, but it was hard for me to get pictures of everyone in the class since I had my own group to watch. Once we split up at the museum, I didn't see some of the kids until we ate lunch! Our volunteers were fantastic, and everyone had a really good time. Creative play is encouraged in every gallery, and the following pictures show just a few of the many activities available.

Corn, anyone?

Vienna prepared a great meal of rice and vegetables.

Hannah, Julia, Madison, and Vienna were wishing this was a real boat!

Nick tried on a hard hat in the construction area.

Sanskar started a building with giant blocks.


It ended up bigger than he is!

Jack and Nick made some recycled paper out of newspaper.

Sam, Jack, and Nick hung out in the construction zone.


Madison prepared a Chinese meal for me!


The grocery store was a popular spot.

Vienna had a lot of mail to deliver.

Chase, Will, and Julia were working on being deejays.

Vienna and Madison were quite the rockers!

Madison, Julia, Hannah, and Vienna made friends with Clifford and Emily Elizabeth.

Sanskar found a great frog puppet...

And Levi made his climb a tree!

After spending almost 2 hours exploring the galleries at the museum, we ate our lunch in the Big Room, packed up everything, and boarded the buses for Como Park, where we again split up in our groups to see all of the animals.

My group thought it would be fun if this was a real turtle.

Grant, Trenton, and Justin found a comfy bench in the rainforest.

The monkeys were "hanging out."

The mother orangatan was taking good care of her new baby.

Ali, Abby, and Kaitlin were watching the sea lions.

This giraffe was actually 15 feet tall!

The zebra looked like he would rather be outside. It was pretty smelly inside!

The lion was relaxing - on a rock?

Several groups met up in the Conservatory. The flowers were beautiful!

We posed for a group shot after our return to Cannon Falls. It started to rain as soon as we got on the bus, but other than a few sprinkles as we walked around the zoo, the weather was very pleasant! The predicted high winds held off until evening - yeah!

Thanks to our great volunteers - Peggy, Emily, Stacy, Marge, Amanda, and Lynn!

Actually, Stacy and Amanda came along on another 1st grade trip with me, but they were only 7 at the time, when they were students in my class! Funny how time flies!

The kids were great on the trip, and I'm sure they all slept well on Wednesday night - I know I did!