Week of August 30, 2021 | TK & Kindergarten | Welcome to School!
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 |  |  Mrs. Snively without a mask :-) |
Head and Shoulders Knees and Toes
We sing and move to settle the wiggles.
Look Out Kindergarten, Here I Come! by Nancy Carlson
Henry the mouse faces his first day of Kindergarten, and despite his fears about not being ready for a busy day he soon discovers how fun it will be.
If You're Happy and You Know It
A chance to sing and move.
Teachers Rock! by Todd Parr
A celebration of the ways in which teachers change the world, from encouraging creativity, to making students laugh, to helping them form friendships, always wanting everyone to succeed and making the classroom a great place to be.
Itsy Bitsy Spider
A playful song to say goodbye until next time...
We sing and move to settle the wiggles.
Look Out Kindergarten, Here I Come! by Nancy Carlson
Henry the mouse faces his first day of Kindergarten, and despite his fears about not being ready for a busy day he soon discovers how fun it will be.
If You're Happy and You Know It
A chance to sing and move.
Teachers Rock! by Todd Parr
A celebration of the ways in which teachers change the world, from encouraging creativity, to making students laugh, to helping them form friendships, always wanting everyone to succeed and making the classroom a great place to be.
Itsy Bitsy Spider
A playful song to say goodbye until next time...
Week of August 30, 2021 | First Grade | Welcome to School!
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School's First Day of School, by Adam Rex
It's the first day of school and everyone's just a little bit nervous, especially the school itself.
If You're Happy and You Know It
A chance to sing and move.
The Pigeon HAS to Go to School! by Mo Willems
Why does the Pigeon have to go to school? He already knows everything! What if he doesn't like it? What if the teacher doesn't like him? What if he learns too much?
It's the first day of school and everyone's just a little bit nervous, especially the school itself.
If You're Happy and You Know It
A chance to sing and move.
The Pigeon HAS to Go to School! by Mo Willems
Why does the Pigeon have to go to school? He already knows everything! What if he doesn't like it? What if the teacher doesn't like him? What if he learns too much?
Week of August 30, 2021 | Second Grade | Welcome to School!
 |  | Mrs. Snively without a mask :-) |
Excellent Ed, by Stacy McAnulty
Ed, the Ellis family dog, has many talents, but none of them matches the excellence of the five Ellis children's in this story that reminds us everyone is excellent at something.
Ragweed's Farm Dog Handbook, by Anne Vittur Kennedy
Ragweed blithely breaks all his own farm dog rules, collecting biscuits as he goes.
Discussion What are you good at, what is your job, what is your special treat?
Ed, the Ellis family dog, has many talents, but none of them matches the excellence of the five Ellis children's in this story that reminds us everyone is excellent at something.
Ragweed's Farm Dog Handbook, by Anne Vittur Kennedy
Ragweed blithely breaks all his own farm dog rules, collecting biscuits as he goes.
Discussion What are you good at, what is your job, what is your special treat?
Week of August 30, 2021 | Third Grade | Welcome to School!
 |  | Mrs. Snively without a mask :-) |
Judy Moody, by Megan McDonald
Third grader Judy Moody is in a first day of school bad mood until she gets an assignment she enjoys.
Pete the Cat and His Magic Sunglasses, by Kimberly and James Dean
Pete the Cat wakes up feeling grumpy--nothing seems to be going his way. But with the help of some magic sunglasses, Pete learns that a good mood has been inside him all along.
Discussion What might be your mood lifter? Tell about a small, medium, or large thing that can lift you.
Third grader Judy Moody is in a first day of school bad mood until she gets an assignment she enjoys.
Pete the Cat and His Magic Sunglasses, by Kimberly and James Dean
Pete the Cat wakes up feeling grumpy--nothing seems to be going his way. But with the help of some magic sunglasses, Pete learns that a good mood has been inside him all along.
Discussion What might be your mood lifter? Tell about a small, medium, or large thing that can lift you.
Week of August 30, 2021 | Fourth Grade | Welcome to School!
 |  | Mrs. Snively without a mask :-) |
The Best School Year Ever, by Barbara Robinson
The teacher's assignment is for each student to write a compliment for each classmate and Beth must think of one for awful Imogene, a member of the notoriously rotten Herdman family, the worst family in the history of the world.
We Don't Eat Our Classmates, by Ryan T. Higgins
It's the first day of school and Penelope is not having much success at making new friends until the class pet steps in to save the day.
The teacher's assignment is for each student to write a compliment for each classmate and Beth must think of one for awful Imogene, a member of the notoriously rotten Herdman family, the worst family in the history of the world.
We Don't Eat Our Classmates, by Ryan T. Higgins
It's the first day of school and Penelope is not having much success at making new friends until the class pet steps in to save the day.
Week of August 30, 2021 | Fifth Grade | Welcome to School!
 Tomas Rivera, age 10 |  |  Dr. Rivera, circa 1980 |
This is a unique year, with a unique learning environment. It won't be money that will make the biggest difference, although it has sadly been further evidenced by learning during a pandemic that financial resources have a profound impact on learning success.
But a case can be made that a part of school success comes from within each student: personal determination and a love of learning. And for those of us lucky enough, if there is an educator who can open up the world of books to us.
Consider the example of Tomas Rivera. He was born in Texas in 1935. A migrant worker who valued education, he became a writer, a professor, and a national education leader. When Dr. Rivera died in 1984, he was the chancellor of the University of California at Riverside. The campus library now bears the name of the boy who was once encouraged to read by a librarian in Iowa.
Video An interview with author Pat Mora.
Tomas and the Library Lady, by Pat Mora
While helping his family in their work as migrant laborers far from their home, Tomás finds an entire world to explore in the books at the local public library.
But a case can be made that a part of school success comes from within each student: personal determination and a love of learning. And for those of us lucky enough, if there is an educator who can open up the world of books to us.
Consider the example of Tomas Rivera. He was born in Texas in 1935. A migrant worker who valued education, he became a writer, a professor, and a national education leader. When Dr. Rivera died in 1984, he was the chancellor of the University of California at Riverside. The campus library now bears the name of the boy who was once encouraged to read by a librarian in Iowa.
Video An interview with author Pat Mora.
Tomas and the Library Lady, by Pat Mora
While helping his family in their work as migrant laborers far from their home, Tomás finds an entire world to explore in the books at the local public library.
 Explore For those interested in reading more about social justice and the migrant farm worker experience in California, I recommend The Circuit, by Francisco Jimenez. It is an honest and powerful account of a family's journey to the fields of California. Once an undocumented immigrant, Dr. Jimenez is now a professor at Santa Clara University. |  Explore For those interested in reading more about social justice and living as an undocumented immigrant, I recommend Dear America: the Story of an Undocumented Citizen, by Jose Antonio Vargas. Brought to the US from the Philippines as a child, he didn't learn of his undocumented status until he applied for a learners' permit and spent the next 20 years hiding in plain sight, writing for prestigious news organizations. |
Explore For those interested in reading about an alternate school experience I recommend The Library Bus, by Bahram Rahman. Five-year-old Pari accompanies her mother on her library bus rounds for the first time, stopping at a village and a refugee camp so that girls there can exchange books and have a lesson in English. Talking with her mother as they drive, Pari learns that she is lucky that she can attend school the next year. Pari's mother had to learn in secret when it was forbidden to teach girls to read, and the young women the bus visits weekly have no other access to education. Inspired by the first library bus to operate in Kabul, Afghanistan. The afterword is an eye-opening glimpse into what childhood was like for the author, who grew up in war-torn Afghanistan.
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