Celebrate: Five Star Things About the Week

Saturday is a day to reflect on all the good in past week. Read more at Ruth Ayres Writes.

ONE
Remember how I shared about the donation of muffins from a local church last week. Well, on Monday, they treated he staff to cookies and coffee when we arrived. And hand made cards thanking us for all we do for your students. It was such a great way to begin a week.

TWO

Some one had her first birthday in the double digits. We ate at this fabulous Italian restaurant.

THREE
Gathering with other teacher librarians to talk about technology. Each of our schools are getting Chrome Books on the journey toward 1:1 devices for all students. There’s so many changes a foot in our district and it’s happening so fast.

FOUR
Getting poetry books for review in the mail. Being on the CYBILS means that books not available from the library arrive for some publishers. It’s so exciting receiving the books and reading them. So many good choices!

FIVE

This in the library today. Fifth graders enjoying a magazine. I am working to create more reading spaces in the library.

What are you celebrating?

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Poetry Friday: Congratulations, Margaret Simon

This weekend, many of my online poet friends are gathered at the annual NCTE conference. Some year, I’m going to get there to hang out with my people.

This year one of those friends is receiving the Donald H. Graves Award. What an accomplishment. So deserved.

I love reading her blog, Reflections on the Teche. It’s rich with student poems, her poems, and celebrations.

Margaret was in Washington last summer. I love the first line of this poem. Clouds do keep you guessing in this part of the country.

Deception Pass, Whidbey Island, July, 2014

The clouds always keep us guessing,
so you have to know the tides.

Deception is easy, looking only
at the horizon line. Sometimes masked as a cloud,

the snow-topped mountain in the distance
deceives us, too.

The rocky beach becomes my foot hold,
a path of colorful stones washed smooth

by the constant lapping of the water.
I close my eyes to the salty air, listen

to the hum-swish of waves crashing the shore,
hear in them the possibility of danger.

Guided by the presence of the moon,
the sea gives and takes.

In the grit on my tongue, I can taste
the unleavened bread of sacrifice.

Be still and know is all I must do.
Marvel at the wonders of rock and air and sea.

Margaret Simon, all rights reserved

Thank you, Margaret, for all that you do for students and the poetry community.
Poetry Friday is hosted by Becky at Tapestry of Wordsa.

Happy Friday.
Happy Poetry.

Celebrate: Five Star Things About the Week

It’s Saturday. Time to celebrate the week at Ruth Ayres Writes. I love this ritual of each week reflecting on the good in my world.

ONE

Watching oldest grandgirl each week. She’s developing confidence and skills. Today she made three great serves.

TWO
The generosity of a neighboring church to donate eleven dozen muffins for our “Muffins and Moms” event at the book fair on Monday. It’s so wonderful that there’s more outreach between church’s, the police departments and other community agencies with schools. This church has given us lunch buddies, supplies, and time.

THREE
We had a two hour late start due to a little snow and freezing cold weather. This is what the kindergartners said: “Elsa did it because it was ice not snow and it’s not winter yet.” Gotta love them!

FOUR
Weather! We finally had our first frost on Tuesday morning. After a horribly warm October, I am loving the cold temps of this month. Plus the sun! And the anticipation of snow Wednesday night was the best (even though there wasn’t really any where I live but it did snow during Thursday).

FIVE
Writing Group. We met Monday evening. What I love is their honesty and suggestions. The bonus was having Tuesday to write.

What are you celebrating?

Poetry Friday: Snow

Thank you Keri for hosting today at Keri Recommends..

Temperatures drop
We wait for arrival of snow.
Temperatures drop
We bundle up in warm clothing.
We want to see how fast sleds go.
No fun sliding down the hill slow
Temperatures drop

© 2014 Jone Rush MacCulloch all rights reserved

We had our first snowy-icy storm of the season yesterday. Some districts closed and others like mine called for a two hour delay. While the television stations called the event “Snowvember”, there wasn’t much snow. But I wonder if this foreshadows what to expect this winter.

Happy Friday.
Happy Poetry.

Celebrate: Five Star Things About the Week

Welcome to Saturday. It’s time to celebrate the week at Ruth Ayres Writes.

ONE
The book fair. It supports our library and bringing an author to Silver Star. We had several events this week including “Donuts with Dads.”

TWO
Patience. With all the rapid fire technology changes in our district being patient and letting go has been a focus this week. I now am the “go to” person for technology issues in the building AND I am being trained on the job. Sometime I have to stop and breathe.

THREE
Discovery. Yesterday I read a book about a Navajo family and the Codetalkers. I discovered that one of my students is part Navajo. So I was able to share some of my books with her from when I spent time on the Navajo Resevation in 1971.

FOUR
Volunteers. In order to have a successful book fair, volunteers are needed. There have been lots of great volunteers this week.

FIVE
This:

What are you celebrating?

Poetry Friday: First Friday

It’s Saturday but I wanted to share a student’s work for “First Friday.” A fourth grade teacher teaches haiku every autumn. Now in the larger haiku community, it’s not encourage to teach the standard 5-7-5.

I am conflicted about whether to introduce haiku in this manner. It’s further complicated by the fact that most children’s poetry collections with haiku are published in this form.

There’s something however that kids get when sharing a specific form. Perhaps to learn haiku as 5-7-5 and then break the rules later is appropriate at elementary. Perhaps, too, as written below, that if a student uses a syllable or two more or less, that’s okay. To me, capturing a moment, an observation in nature is the most important thing. The day Christiana’s haiku was shared with me, reflected how the morning had unfolded.

Here’s Christiana’s haiku:

bright orange pumkin patch
tender wind pale morning sun
mist in the thin wind

What are your thoughts about teaching haiku?

Poetry Friday is with Diane at Random Noodlingthis week.

Happy Friday.
Happy Poetry.

Celebrate: Five Star Things About the Week

It’s Saturday and time to reflect on the week. Thanks to Ruth Ayres Writes for a place to share our celebration.

ONE
Listening to Laura Ingalls Wilder’s The Little House in the Big Woods.. It’s been a long while since I read the books. I am reminded why I liked her books as a child. There’s so much in the simplicity of her writing that’s yet so descriptive. As I listen, I am thinking what a way for readers to learn about prairie life.

TWO

Fall Leaves.

THREE
Kindergarteners. I was explains that I hope I don't need to use my "cranky pants" voice. A kinder said, "You don't have a cranky pants voice, you are telling us how to take care of the books."

FOUR
I’m celebrating commitment. Last May, I applied to the Darcy Pattison Retreat this coming January. It’s getting time to share our manuscripts with my critique group. I need to finish the polishing and remember it IS a revision retreat. It’s a bit scary to know that in two months we will gather to revise and dig deep. Plus I now have a query letter and synopsis to write as well.

FIVE
Yesterday. Our school had their second annual PE/Music Dash. This year we had a Superheroes theme. And for the first time in many years we were allowed to be really festive. I went with my superheroes being spiders (Grandgirls call me Grandma Spider due to my love of spiders). No pics of my cape so instead I leave you with the following:

What are you celebrating?