Classroom Changes

10 hours and a headache later, the changes to my room are complete! To keep the kids (and myself) from getting bored, I changed up the scenery :)

new fabric skirt

AR incentive board

behavior management

I love this sign!

another fabric skirt

close-up detail of the fabric

great work board

close-up

WINTER BREAK!!!!

It is officially winter break (since Tuesday at 2:15). I forced myself to relax yesterday, and tried to do the same today, but instead I came home and worked out my lesson plans for the week of January 3rd. I just cannot relax when I know I have things I could be working on.

The kiddos are half way through 4th grade, so I'll be making some changes in January to help with the transition of going to 5th grade. First, I will be enforcing the "Read 20 minutes" homework by making the reading logs mandatory. Before, we were basing it on a parent signature and trust system. Next, spelling is being transformed to allow more opportunities for differentiation and choice. Last, I PROMISE to stay on top of missing work---they have tried some pretty sneaky things to get away with not turning in work. Although it will be exhausting and tiresome, I will stay on top of the missing assignments from now on. I guess all this will count as my professional New Year's Resolutions.

On another note, besides rambling on about my 4th graders which is so easy to do, tomorrow I will be spending some quality time with Annie as Bri goes to the doctor :) Then, some friends may come over to play Kinect. What a perfect Friday! I have to plan things ahead of time to do, that way I won't end up working my whole break away! I know sometimes I work TOO much, so I'm trying to focus on relaxation the next week or so.
:)

A Little Bit of Everything

I am officially an aunt!!

Welcome Annelise Laralyn Gibson <3

Since Thanksgiving, my radio has not left the station that plays non-stop Christmas music! Maybe it's Melanie Treadway getting so Christmasy on me, but I used to think Christmas songs were annoying, haha...now I'm addicted. I sing Feliz Navidad nearly every day in my car. Yes, I'm THAT person that you look over and see them singing at red lights! Anyway, my house is decorated and my presents are wrapped, just awaiting Christmas morning. Today, we had Dad's family over for a full day of family day. It was the best gathering I can remember. I feel like the older I get, the more I realize how special family time is! Tomorrow, we have Christmas dinner with Mom's side.

We finally finished Brian's Dad's flag display box with his picture and medals. It hangs on in our living room. We miss him so much especially during the holidays, but we have so many good memories to look back on.

This school year is almost half way over. Woah, it has flown by! Only two more school days, and we are on Winter Break. I am extremely excited to get my brain out of school mode for a couple of weeks. I feel like I never stop thinking about my students...it's just impossible. Teaching is just as rewarding as I imagined it would be. :)

Three Day Weekend!

I'm up past 9:00! On a normal school night, I would be kicking myself and feeling guilty if I weren't in bed by now. Not only were we out of school today, tomorrow is a Professional Learning Day. Since I won't have any students, I don't feel as pressured to get lots of sleep. (hahaha...if I don't get at least 8 hours, it is a very challenging day---management wise. It's not so easy to keep the positive climate in the classroom when the teacher is grouchy!)

I'm scoping out new ideas from blog friends. Of course, I always find a million things I want to do and use in my classroom. It's so exciting, and it makes me feel like a nerd. My favorite thing I found tonight was this...



I absolutely LOOOVVVEEE fonts, but I was a dummy at how to download and use them until I stumbled across their site. Now, I have every single font from their website on my computer. YAY...can't wait to create something with them.

News since my last post:
1. We finally found a chocolate lab. She was 1 day old, so she will coming home on December 15th. Her name is Holley :)

2. Bri, my sister-in-law, is being induced on Thursday or Friday...so I will be an aunt by the end of the week! I cannot wait to meet her and see how pretty she is.

3. I decorated my house for Christmas this weekend. I was thinking if I didn't do it now, who knows how long it would be before I had an opportunity again? I was inspired by the Christmas-themed girls night we had on Saturday. It was impossible NOT to get in the Holiday spirit with our Christmas movie watching, hot cocoa sipping, cooking baking, and holiday tunes playing! I love the holidays, Thanksgiving included. But since I was a little girl, we have never had a Thanksgiving without a Christmas tree. Some say I'm decorating too soon, I say it's part of the tradition!

I think that's all I have to share for now. Have a great week---& go vote tomorrow!

Still Here!

Hi all!  As always, things are pretty busy around here.  Last week, I started academic team practices, planned a baby shower, and prepared for my first KTIP observation.  Luckily, I survived....and all three were a success!  I love staying so busy, but it makes time go by so fast.  It's unreal to me that it's almost November.  Everything almost feels like a blur.  I want to enjoy every moment that passes, so I'm trying to really soak it all in.

Coming up: Halloween, Whiz Kids tournament begins,a long weekend, and Fall Festival!
Totally unrelated, but something I'd like to share:  (excuse some of his language)

Blog Reading

I enjoy reading blogs more than I like writing on my own.  Share Time! Here are some of my favorites:

Happy Reading!

Fall Break

Fall Break is almost over!!

We spent most of the break on the Carnival Sensation. We had a great time and enjoyed spending some alone time together, going to the shows, eating too much, and seeing The Bahamas.

In school, we are finished with 1st Quarter---time has absolutely flown by already. I'm looking forward to getting back and seeing the kids; lol...yes, that probably sounds so "new teacher", I know. I am not looking forward to getting up at 5:00 am; that is the only part I don't like, but that's life!

Not much exciting to tell right now....we are still counting down the days until Baby Annie arrives. ((7 weeks!))  Yesterday, I went to see her room---it is so adorable!  And she has sooo many clothes:  good thing that there's no such thing as TOO MANY!  Today, I bought lots of goodies for her shower that I'm giving later this month.

That's all for now---enjoy your weekend!

Where is Courtney?

Tonight, I made a list for Brian that is titled: Where is Courtney? He can barely remember his own schedule, so I can't expect him to know why I'm missing.  These next two weeks are crazy busy, but full of exciting happenings.  This week after school:  KTIP workshop (finally getting the ball rolling on that!), speaking on the panel at ECTC Education kick-off (it will be so strange not being on the "student side" of that event), decorating the RES float and riding on it in the parade the next day.  Next week, we are celebrating Colby's birthday.  Also, I am hosting academic team tryouts two days after school and then Bri's school baby shower is later in the week.  Yes, my calendar is a little bit overflowing...but you know what gets me through it all with a smile?  WE ARE SAILING THE SEAS FOR THE BAHAMAS IN 12 DAYS!

Family Time!

Today, we had a family reunion at Glendale Park for my dad's side of the family.  The weather was gorgeous, the food was delicious, and the company was priceless.  

We'll always be a kid at heart.

Annie's first time on a swing set! 

 This see-saw was strange and half-broken.

 Farmer Colby popping wheelies with his tractor.

Annie's first see-saw ride!

Colby loves to operate any type of machinery.

Cousin Bethany and her fiance, Kevin.

Shopping around Glendale

Some of the ladies (my nanny is wearing light pink)

Finishing the Basement: A Picture Story

The work on finishing the basement has officially begun...

Brian and Matt installing the hardwood flooring.  This will be Brian's hunting room.

This is some of the stuff that is awaiting its new home in the hunting room.

Soon-to-be living room

This part will remain unfinished, but with shelving to organize that heap of stuff.

Other side of the living room

hallway leading to the spare bedroom

yay!  at least one room is finished :)

Goodbye August!

The first month of school has officially ended.  We had lots of fun activities, and sadly, no pictures to show for it. Most of the pictures include their cute faces!  (1) The students learned about latitude and longitude using oranges.  (And it made my room smell very good for the rest of the day!)  (2) We did a weathering and erosion lab; that was our first hands-on activity in science and they were very excited.  (3) Last week, we had a guest speaker to demonstrate soil layers.  Each student created their own layers using different puddings and cookies.  Yumm!  WE HAVE BEEN VERY BUSY 4TH GRADERS!

The AR tracking board--  Each student designed his/her own car and we're all moving toward the finish line!  I got this idea from one of my cooperating teachers during student teaching.  Thanks, Mrs. Gibson!

Outside of school...we went to Knob Creek Gun Range for what would have been Brian's Dad's 56th birthday.  It was fun spending the day there, even though it was strange not having him there as we always do!  He knew so much about guns and was a shooting instructor when he served in the Army.  

The Newest "Howard"

Last week, we added a new addition to the Howard household...

Meet Ellie!

She is shy, calm, and loving.  (For those that know us, this is the complete opposite of our first cat, Petri!)  

Soon, we'll be adding another new family member.  Brian will be getting a chocolate lab (I think that's what he decided) after he installs the underground pet fence.  One big happy family :)

At school, I've gotten settled into my classroom and the school schedule.  Other than feeling drained of all energy from time to time, things couldn't be better.  Tomorrow, I'm kicking the week off with a weathering/erosion experiment, a lesson on latitude and longitude with oranges, and a line plot and median math lesson with raisins.  Hopefully this amount of hands-on will keep them (and me) awake and energized! Gosh...now after typing that, what was I thinking?  This could be mayhem.  Only time will tell...

Today, I bought a glue gun...finally.  How excited was I?  I came home and made something to experiment with it. :)

I still have to add a second row of crayons to the bottom of the wreath before I add wooden letters that spell "Mrs. Howard"

  

Baby Shower

It's almost that time...for Bri's baby shower :)  I am so excited about her arrival in 3 months and 9ish days!    I've been busy shopping for her---especially clothes, of course she doesn't NEED all those super cute outfits, but she will love them :)  This week I've been getting ready for her baby shower.  Yes, it is not until October, haha...but I like to be overprepared.  Here are the invites:

Not the greatest picture, but you get the idea.  The envelopes are coordinating with a pink plaid design.  The B, b, and y are 3-d.

Annie is worth anything in the world, but this invites were testing my patience.  I wasn't aware when I bought them that they were "self-assembly".  I couldn't finish them in one sitting because it drove me crazy!  But they are DONE now, so all is wonderful.  

I'm still alive!

School officially started for students last Wednesday.  I just realized that I haven't posted since before that.  I figured I would at least write to let everyone know that, yes, I am alive!  I survived and in the craziness of the first few days, fell in love with my class!  Is it weird that I am already thinking how sad I will be when they go on to 5th grade?

So, my days have been filled with planning, grading, planning, and thinking about planning and grading while spending time with family, friends, and Brian. It doesn't bother me one bit that I've been super duper busy.  Yes, my body is tired, but mentally...I knew what I was getting myself into.  haha.  Teaching isn't easy, or everyone would do it.  <---That is what keeps me sane.  I am surrounded by great students, parents, and staff...so that helps A LOT!

My Favorite Things

I keep finding myself say, "I just love that!"  From the colorful totes in the Dollar Store to  everything in the Target Dollar Spot, I just keep spotting things that I LOVE.  This week, here are my favorite things...


At School...

The 4th/5th Grade bulletin board to recognize students that finish passing facts.

The lollipop tree---used in my room for instant incentive.

At home...

"We do not remember days; we remember moments."

lighted vines in tall skinny vase!

Wedding gift from Bri and Colby: "Loved you yesterday, love you still...always have, always will"

The most relaxing spot at the house...when it isn't 100+ degrees, of course.

Open House=Complete!

Yesterday, our school had Open House.  I was excited about putting faces with all the names on my student roster.  I was nervous about meeting the parents (lucky for me, I have some amazing, already volunteering, I love communication type of parents!)  I got to my classroom about four hours before people started arriving.  I wanted to help other teachers set up and get a chance to visit with everyone.  Here is what awaited me in my mailbox...

MY OFFICIAL "MRS. HOWARD" NAME PLATE FOR ABOVE MY DOOR!  [Please ignore that I look extremely hot and sweaty...it was a sauna outside that day ;) ]

                                         

I immediately tore down my "temp tag" and replaced it!

Now, it was time to change, get ready for Open House, and stop taking silly pictures! ha.

Just when being the "new teacher" feeling was really getting old, my students made me feel much better about it. They always have a way of brightening my day :)  I hear the pitter patter of feet running up to the class list outside my door...then a voice exclaims....

"YAY!  Mom, Dad...I got the NEW teacher!"

Kid Translation:  "Yesssss!  She's going to be super nice, easy, and I can do whatever I want!"  

Awwh, it won't be long before they are disappointed.  I promise I will not be easy, I will be challenging.  I promise I won't be a push over, but I will love each of them for who they are.  And I certainly promise that they cannot do whatever they want.  Like I told each of them at open house yesterday, "Come rested.  Get excited.  We have a lot to learn this year.  Welcome to 4th grade!"  I will always remember my first open house, but I will vividly remember my first class...they will be teaching me more than any other class I will ever have. And only 5 days of school until the journey begins!