First Visits

As April turns to May, splashes of color seem to be everywhere.  Trees, shrubs, and flowers are all in bloom; spring is most definitely here.

This time of year is one of anticipation and excitement.  All of the fun activities the warm weather affords us come rushing back to our minds.  Baseball, softball, swimming, fishing, and intense games of tag with our friends are remembered fondly. After the long, dreary winter we are ready to get outside and enjoy the world again. The freedom that summer represents will be here soon.

The warm weather also makes me reminisce about family trips.  My family would always go on some type of trip - to visit relatives, see a new place, or take a vacation.  I'm not sure about your family trips, but as a kid I loved going and relished the sense of adventure they brought into my life.

Some time around 5th grade, we took a trip to visit my aunt in Arizona.  My aunt had recently moved out there and this was our first visit to see her.  If you have never been to Arizona is looks quite different from New Jersey.  Where New Jersey is crowded with people, houses, and trees, Arizona is immensely open with majestic mountains dotted with cacti.

On this trip, my family only stayed for a short time but I was able to spend almost a month in The Grand Canyon State. It was wonderful.  The state is so beautiful and there are so many interesting places to visit - Old Tuscon, Monument Valley, Sedona, Petrified Forest, and of course the Grand Canyon. It was all so new and so much fun.  I even remember learning how to play the game of Spades on this trip.

As I look back now as an adult, I think a lot of my fond memories of this trip stem from the fact this was first visit to Arizona.  Something about experiencing new vistas, people, and culture leave an edible imprint.

In the comment section below, I would like to hear about places you visited for the first time.  Perhaps, like me, you visited a family member in another state?  Maybe your family took a road trip somewhere that was particularly memorable for you? Perhaps you went on a vacation some place that you really enjoyed? Tell me all about it.  Where did you go?  What do you remember about the place?  Why did you enjoy it?  What is one thing you can share that would entice other people to visit?

I can't wait to read all of your comments!

The Four 4s

Today, I am pleased to present you with a guest post from our Academic Coach for Mathematics - Mrs. Realley:

The Four 4s

As the Math Coach, I love challenging myself with cool problems to solve.  One of my favorites is The Four 4s.  This problem asks “Can you find each number 0 through 10 using only four 4s and any operation?”  For example, I can find 0 by doing 4-4+4-4.  How many of the numbers can you find?

If you enjoyed this challenge, you can find more like it at

http://nrich.maths.org/primary-lower  (for K-2 students)

or http://nrich.maths.org/primary-upper (for 3-5 students). 

In the comments, let me know how many of the numbers 0-10 you were able to find.  Or tell me about an interesting math problem or game that challenged you. 

Mrs. Realley

Do you have P.R.I.D.E?

Posters with a green and white rectangle adorn numerous walls in Evergreen Avenue Elementary School.  Inside classrooms, affixed to hallway walls, hung in the cafeteria, and inserted within student agenda books, these posters represent the core of what we believe at Evergreen.  These beliefs span social, emotional, and academic tenets. These are posters of P.R.I.D.E.

P.R.I.D.E stands for being positive, being respectful, having integrity, being dependable, and showing effort.

Specific definitions and examples are included after each character trait along with our school motto, keep love present.

Students are recognized by staff members for showing the characteristics of P.R.I.D.E and their names are placed on our Good Deed Tree and a positive note is sent to their parents.  Some students are even selected by their teachers to become a P.R.I.D.E Leader.  These leaders receive a coveted bracelet:

...and get to participate in super fun celebrations each month.  A group of staff members affectionately known as the POPS (People of PRIDE) have documented these parties through video:

 https://vimeo.com/user33416701/videos

Our school is even formulating a P.R.I.D.E Council which will be comprised of 4th and 5th grade P.R.I.D.E Leaders whose job will be to advise myself, as principal, on school affairs.  While only P.R.I.D.E Leaders are eligible to serve on the P.R.I.D.E Council, all 4th and 5th grade students will have the opportunity to vote for their representative. Look for more details about this in the coming days.

Evergreen students - I would like to hear from you in the comment section below about how having P.R.I.D.E has affected you in a positive way this year.  Could you give me one example of someone you've seen demonstrating P.R.I.D.E?  What were they doing?  Tell me all about it!

Frozen with Fear

Toward the end of the 2014-2015 school year, a group of adults - Teachers, Instructional Assistants, Aides, Administrators - will be subjected to a chilly humiliation as students dump ice cold water on their heads!

Evergreen Avenue Elementary School is participating in an Ice Bucket Reading Challenge.  You may be wondering - what does this entail?

Throughout the year, students are challenged to read as many books as they can.  For each book that they complete, they are given a voting ticket.  Students then write down the name of the adult at Evergreen they most wish to see with glacier water dropped on their noggins. The tickets are tallied over the months and the top vote recipients are drafted into watery discomfiture. Moreover, the students who have read the most books on their level, will be honored by hoisting the bucket over the adult of their choosing!

Take a look at the video that introduced our students to this challenge: https://vimeo.com/109048733

Our school nurse, Mrs. Mills, and 2nd Grade Teacher, Ms. Frazier, are particularly frightened:

Who will be chosen by the students? Which adult will be submerged in painfully cold water?  Which students will put forth the effort and commitment to read enough books to win?

Only time will tell.

As we move into the first week of April, it is extremely important that all students, redouble their efforts toward reading.  Your teachers have preached all year, that the more you read, the more you will learn.  The more you learn, the more doors that are opened for you in life.

In the comment section below, I want to hear about all of those books you are reading.  Tell me your favorite book. Tell me about the funniest book you've ever read.  Make a recommendation of a good book to your fellow students.  Tell me about the book you are proudest to have finished and done well on an Accelerated Reader test.  Share with me the place in school you most enjoy reading.

I want to hear about it all.

Finally, please share who you're most eager to vote for in the challenge. The adults at Evergreen are frozen with fear!