Walk-A-Thon 2010

Yesterday, we had the second annual PBIS Walk-A-Thon. PBIS is positive behavior intervention system and is basically the rewards program we have to promote good behavior. It's pretty effective and the money that the kids raise is used for referral free parties, the PowerStore, and other incentives. We raised over $4,000 which I guess is good. I think they raised a little more last year but for the second year they thought it was still very successful.

We had a noon dismissal and it was the best day ever since we watched a movie, walked, had a popsicle, watched the end of the movie, and went home. The actual Walk-A-Thon was a blast. They had a DJ come in and set up speakers in the commons for music and the entire school lined the hallways and walked, danced, and partied through the entire building. We walked for 30 minutes and it was actually a good workout. I was sweating and the kids were just starting to wear out. They had someone there taping it to put together a promotional video and it was fun just spending some time having fun with the kids instead of working. After the 30 minutes, we all went to the gym and the top money raising kids got to turn our principal into a banana split. Actually, it was just dumping as much chocolate sauce, sprinkles, cherries, cool whip, and marshmallows on him as possible, but the kids thought it was just about the best thing ever. He's a really good sport about it and even might have enjoyed it a little too much. As you can see, he was a bit of mess.




At least this year he remembered to bring a change of clothes. Last year, he forgot extra clothes and had to spend the rest of the day like this and then drive 30 minutes home. Luckily someone thought to take his IPhone off of him so I think only the clothes were ruined and not expensive technology. Can't wait to see what they add next year. : )

Is "Pimp" a word?

On Tuesday, I was being observed by the district literacy coach just so that she could see how far my kids have come and what we are doing at the end of the year. It's very informal and she's been in my classroom almost twice a month all year so even the kids don't question her presence. She was the only one I was expecting but after she sits down, in walks the principal from the other K-2 building. I know who he is despite never having been introduced to him, and he wasn't there to watch me perse but see the lesson. He used to be a kindergarten teacher and sometimes follows the literacy coach around to see our reading program in action without having formally observing his own teachers. This explanation might not make sense but it does in practice. Surprisingly, I wasn't more nervous but that's probably just because I didn't have time to be. He walked in as we were starting so I didn't have a chance to think about it. All by design I'm sure.

All of that to say this: We were doing "Making Words" lesson where the kids were using 5 square cut out letters to make a variety of 2, 3, 4, and 5 letters words. Letters being p, t, n, i, r. Started with it, in, tin, pin, etc. We got up to 4 and 5 letter words when someone shouts out "PIMP!?!?" Is "pimp" a word Ms. Lock? Someone else replies, "Yes! It's a guy." And suddenly half the class is arguing over whether or not "pimp" is a word and what it means. I'm just standing there in the middle of the room saying nothing. I look over at my two observers who are DYING laughing. The principal has to turn around and stare at the color words on my wall to keep from losing it and the lit coach has her head hiding behind her arm. There is suddenly silence as everyone waits for me to give the definitive answer to which I reply, "No. It's not." When someone shouts out in response, "But pimple is!" And I didn't hear it because I was retreating back to the front and moving on as quickly as possible but the lit. coach told me later that someone started talking about how he used to have a pimple on his butt and it was huge and on and on about it. Oh the joys of vocabulary building. Overall, it was good lesson and I guess both said they were impressed by the kids ability to even be able to do the lesson, but all I could do was laugh. You just never know what might happen next. And who can't laugh at that?

My Competition

Is there really anything else to say?? How wants to compete with that? Come on, Ms. Lock or giant back hoe?? I know which one I would choose. And, it doesn't talk or yell or make us listen or take away recess.

Oh yeah and that happened too

Despite the appearance of the mouse last Friday, last week was actually a pretty good week. We had a carnival on Thursday night and had a great turnout! We weren't really sure how many families would come out since it was thrown together a little last minute and I don't have previous year's experience to go by but I would say it was a success. I stood at a table behind the "Wheel of Fun" and let kids win prizes purely by the luck of the spin. It was definitely a good game to be at since I didn't have pick things up, chase a ball, or set things back up. It was probably the cheapest carnival you've ever heard of with tickets only .25 cents a piece and only 1 ticket required to play each game. I think we could have worked the system a little better on that one but no one seemed to mind. Our goal was to break even not actually make money and with the help of selling 30 pizzas we were able to do that. Maybe next year we'll work towards a profit.

We also had an SIP day where we were handed next year's schedules. It's has some interesting changes with many "required" time subjects and time allotments. We are going to test this schedule the last two weeks of school to see if it will work and I'll let you know more then. I'm not worried as much as dubious. Things never go as planned. Especially when large numbers of children are involved. However, since everyone is aware of that fact we are just planning on being flexible and working it out the best we can. Good luck to us!

An Unwanted Guest

At 3:30, I was sitting in my room trying to get all ready for next week when I heard rustling. I tried to pass it off as the rain but quickly determined that there was no way rain could sound distinctly like nibbling. It had happened. My room had acquired a mouse. They've been all over the school and everyone knows to make sure all food is left in the fridge tightly sealed away, but I thought with the coming of spring and having a room without a closet would leave me rodent free. I was wrong. BOOOOOO.

Even though I had a pet gerbil and hamster as a kid, I have to admit that I'm not a big fan of mice. It's the darting. Jumping too. I don't have a problem if they are just hanging out looking at you but when they jump out and dart across the room, it's just a little too much. I chose not to investigate but find someone a little braver out in the hallway. The technology guy came in and started pulling out tubs to find him and sure enough-out he darted. I may or may not have yelped a little and retreated out into the hallway to find the janitor and a trap. I was given a sticky trap and put a little peanut butter and a cheerios on it for him. The janitor then promised to send down Jerry (head janitor at another bldg who is helping with our building while our head janitor is out with back surgery). Jerry is an exceedingly friendly and helpful guy. He's been working in the district for 20 years and loves sweeping halls and talking to teachers. He promised to take of the problem. He set the trap in the bin with the most poop and left to sweep. I turned up the volume on my radio and hoped it would be distracting enough for me to get the rest of my work done. 20 minutes later, Jerry returns to vacuum and checks the trap. Sure enough, there it was. Stuck but very much alive. It was then placed in a garbage bag and sent to the dumpster. YEAH for Jerry the janitor extraordinaire. He even offered to clean up the mess, but I did it anyway. Thankfully, nothing of any value was ruined and we caught him before he discovered anything too tasty. I was done in 5 minutes. Yuck. Go away tiny brown mice! My kids would probably be disappointed that we couldn't keep it for a pet. I'm just hoping he doesn't have friends.

Little of This; Little of That

I had a boy poop his pants today. Don't you wish you were a teacher?

Why did we skip spring? I hate being hot. 80=hot. Too hot. Not for me.

It may surprise you that I do not know how many days of school are left. I think I'll wait until May to figure it out.

We are going to the zoo!! May 27th. Zoo and Children's Museum. BIG day. LOADS of fun.

I do not have a summer job. It is completely because of a lack of trying. I haven't tried. At all.

I do not have a living situation for next fall. I'm at least thinking about trying that. Soon. Very soon.

I won a raffle! Last night at the Illini basketball banquet, I won a reading basket. It had a blanket, 8 different newspapers, a polo, flag, umbrella, $50 in giftcards, 4 weeks free subscriptions to the News Gazette, a thermal mug, and couple of Illini books. And to top it all off, it came in a News-Gazette Newspaper Bag. Quite a haul I know! Thanks GRANDPA for buying the tickets!!!!!!

John Lock=8 letters-Jessica Lock=11 letters; therefore, I wrote John's name on 18 of the 24 raffle tickets that I filled out. But I still won. : P

I have next week planned and most of my copies made already. And it's only Wednesday! Remember when I didn't even do anything for the next week until Saturday and Sunday?!!? I do.

My kids attention is completely and totally linked to my level of energy and excitement for whatever we are doing. I've let myself be a little boring the last few days and found that I am actually more tired because I have to spend more energy keeping them in line during and after the fact. Huh.

My kids are art deprived. I don't have much of a creative flair. They want to make more stuff. I don't know what to have them make.

I need a good Mother's Day craft project idea. Any suggestions? What do you remember from your childhood? Good ideas and bad will be accepted. If you are a mother, what did you like/dislike? I'm up for almost anything.

Time for productiveness. Later gators.

There's a Hole in My Roof

Err, ceiling. It's the truth! I wouldn't spoof. It was knocked there for a man with diseases and they lowered him down to Jesus . . . Oh wait, that's not quite right. Maybe it was an electrician and the only thing they did was lower down non-working electrical outlets. : ) (This was an old puppets song from high school. Great memories but completely confusing if you weren't there.)




This is what I found upon getting to school on Monday. Large holes, some dust, and 2 outlet boxes that don't work. Not too bad and they didn't move that much of my stuff so I was lucky. Others weren't so fortunate. This is only the beginning of our construction adventure but I think there will be a reprieve before anything else happens inside. I don't really know much about geothermal but this week and last they dug 16 wells outside and one of the students announced that it was a new water park! Everyone is very excited. I'll let you know how that turns out. The other funny thing about the holes in the ceiling is that now the sound travels from classroom to classroom better. So, when I'm sitting in my room alone during plan time, I can here the teacher and class across the hall like they are IN my room. Took me 4 days to figure out why they were suddenly so much louder but it's definitely because the sound is traveling up through ceiling and down into my room. Makes me wonder about what others are hearing coming from my room . . .

Everyone came back from break healthy and raring to go. It's was a good week getting back in the saddle and settled down for the home stretch. Not much exciting or eventful but that is probably a good thing. One crazy thing was said to me though. Are you ready? Probably not. Let's all for a minute remember that I am a kindergarten teacher and my students are 5-6-7. Okay? Go.

Student: I'm going to go to my baby daddy's house tonight.
Me: Do I even want to know if you know who that is?
Student: It's my boyfriend. My baby daddy. Hehehe.

And then on and on about her baby daddy. She thought it was a pretty funny thing to say so I'm not so sure that there was truth in it as much as there was silliness for her, but still. Take advantage of the innocent children in your lives. You are fortunate to know them .