1/2 LeBlanc

What a year it has been!

Thu, 15 May 2008 12:58:21 -1000

It is with mixed emotions that I write my last blog of this school year. All children in Room 12 have grown and progressed so much. I look forward to meeting with all of you next week to discuss individual progress when we meet for our conferences.

We have had an extremely busy past two weeks. Kite Day was a huge success. We had perfect weather and perfect wind, and the children were able to perfect the skill of actually flying their kites. The children did such a great job decorating their kites and flying them, too. Hopefully, they've had a chance to fly their kites at home as well (I know my son has!).

"Science Night was a blast! Can we have it again?" This was how I was greeted on Friday morning as the children entered the classroom. We all discussed our favorite experiments of the night; can you guess which one was the class favorite? There is so much enthusiasm among the first and second graders about experimentation and how things work. All grade 1/2 teachers have agreed that Science Night was a worthy event. Let's hope the Bishop Museum will continue to offer this to us in the future.

All second graders completed presenting their book reports to the class. The whole class has enjoyed hearing about excellent books to read over the summer. The second-grade students impressed us all with their ability to share the characters, settings, and plots of their books without revealing the endings. The visuals were equally exciting. The first graders gave lots of compliments to their older classmates.

I have heard nothing but positive comments about Kahalaopuna from everyone! I was very proud of our first and second graders; they did a fantastic job. They sang their hearts out, got in their places, played their uliulis and returned to their spots without any help from adults. Their poise, confidence, and abilities are simply amazing. My next-door neighbor viewed the opera and shared with me, "I have never seen elementary students perform in such a professional manner." I couldn't agree more.

This morning was our last assembly of the school year, and it was a tearjerker! It began with the 'Ohana recognizing each and every employee of the preschool and elementary school. The children progressively cheered louder and louder as each name was called. We then recognized our two retiring employees, Mrs. Fukumoto after 41 years of dedicated teaching and Mr. Louie after 21 years of faithful service. The children presented gifts, cards, and leis to Mrs. Fukumoto and Mr. Louie. Several students and teachers shared a funny or heartwarming story about them as well.

As I look back at just the past two weeks, all we have done and accomplished, I realize how lucky I am to be teaching at such a wonderful school. But when I leave an assembly such as the one this morning, I realize how privileged and grateful I am to be a part of such a special learning community that we have here at the elementary school. Several students from our class were teary-eyed listening to the anecdotes about Mrs. Fukumoto and Mr. Louie. One second-grade boy said to me, "I'm going to give Mr. Louie a big hug on the last day of school." A first-grade girl stated, "I'm going to miss Mrs. Fukumoto in after-school care." The children expressed so much love and caring this morning, and this is what I am most grateful for.

So, thank you, parents for all that you do! You have helped with Kite Day, Science Night, Kahalaopuna, the 'Ohana, Field Day, book reports, homework, and much, much more. I'm so appreciative of all that you do to help Room 12, but more important, all that you do to help your child. We truly have a special group of students here, and it's thanks to you, the parents, who enable your child to not only be the best student they can be, but the best child they can be! Thanks again, and see you all at the conferences and on Field Day!

Super Scientists

Thu, 24 Apr 2008 13:16:18 -1000

By now, your child has probably come home discussing our last inquiry unit of the year, physical science. The major concepts being explored are Matter, Gravity, Sound, Magnetism, and Light. We began with Matter, learning that all objects are composed of matter. Ask your child to name the three types of matter and see if they can describe some attributes of the properties of matter. The most exciting part of watching the 1st and 2nd graders explore during science time is listening to their conversations. They are all so curious as to how things work, and some of them come up with some excellent hypotheses. The entire class has the scientific process mastered. For example, today we began to explore sound. The class brainstormed what they know about sound. These are the thirteen statements they came up with together: It is something you can hear. No sound is called silence. Sounds come in waves. The air carries the sound waves. People can make sounds by hitting one object against another object. Sounds are vibrating noises. Humans and animals hear the sounds because their ear drums attract the vibrations. People and animals can hear the vibrations. An echo is a repeating sound. An echo happens when there is a noise, it vibrates in the air, it hits a wall, or a mountain, and then it vibrates back. There is something called the sound barrier. The sound barrier is invisible and keeps the sound close to Earth. Jets can break the sound barrier by creating sonic booms. Today’s experiment was titled “What’s happening to my salt?” I’ll let your child fill you in on the specific details, but each child and/or group must form a daily hypothesis of what they predict will happen. The experiment is conducted, observations are noted, we discuss what we learned, and we work together to arrive at a conclusion. Each student is keeping a science folder in which they record each experiment’s hypothesis, observation, and conclusion. The comments I hear during science time are filled with excitement and enthusiasm. My goal for our budding scientists is to have some mastery of basic scientific concepts. More importantly, my goals are to appeal to their sense of wonder and discovery, to show them how scientists work, and to help them to see their roles as scientists. Thank you for all the RSVPs for our Family Festival of Science Evening. All students in grades 1 and 2 will be attending this event in Wilcox Dining Hall on May 1 from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. Bishop Museum will set up twelve stations featuring various experiments dealing with the physical sciences, botany, astronomy, archeology, and even a form of medical mystery testing! We teachers are just as excited as the children! The form I sent home stated that our class potluck would be at 5:30, but let’s start at 5:15 instead. Please just join us whenever you finish work. However, I do need to request five helpers for the evening. Bishop Museum is requesting one dad per classroom to arrive at 4:30, help unload, and set up some of the heavy props. They ask for another dad to help from 8:00-8:30 with the breakdown and reloading (it can be the same dad). They would also like three moms or dads to be stationed at a certain experiment from 6:00-8:00. However, I’m thinking that’s a long shift; perhaps another parent could step in to relieve the first. Please e-mail me, or send a note if you are able to help us in any way that evening. However, since Bishop Museum is requesting that an adult supervise each child, our only volunteers can be from those families who have both parents in attendance.

Recent Learning & Activities

Thu, 28 Feb 2008 14:13:28 -1000

Wow, we have certainly been busy in Room 12. If you have some time, be sure to check our class photo gallery -- there are over seventy photos from the past two months showcasing all sorts of learning. You might see some photos of our 1st and 2nd graders working with the 3rd and 4th graders from Ms. Byrne’s class. Our two classes have been chosen to help design the sets for Kahalaopuna, the opera we will be performing in May. After hearing the story read by its author, James Rumford, the two classes met to begin brainstorming. As you can imagine, the children have some pretty vivid and fantastic ideas of what the background scenery should look like. Our classes will be getting together next week as well, and they’ll be working in groups to paint, draw, or sketch various scenes. These proposals will then be given to Mrs. Koshi. She hopes to choose various elements from different proposals to come up with our set designs. To help us generate ideas, we took a trip to the Blaisdell Concert Hall for a backstage tour of the Romeo & Juliet set. It was incredibly exciting for our two classes (and for Ms. Byrne and me) to see how many people it takes to design a professional set. We learned it takes sixteen carpenters to assemble the set and that it is all carefully measured and drawn out in blueprint form before assembly begins. Thanks to the lighting crew, the costume and wig masters, and the props crew who gave us an intimate tour of the backstage area of the Blaisdell. It definitely motivated us to get going on our own set designs. If you feel you’d be able to help assemble the sets for Kahalopuna, be sure to let Mrs. Koshi know; we’ll begin construction in early April. This morning we had a visit from Wilbur Wright, and tomorrow George Washington and Thomas Jefferson will be stopping by Room 12! It’s all part of our biographical research. All 2nd graders have selected a famous person in history to research and learn about. The children will be presenting their learning to our class and their parents today and tomorrow. It is truly amazing how much energy and enthusiasm the children bring to these projects. To see them presenting in front of their class in a calm and poised manner is so impressive. I know that they will forever remember details about Paul Revere or Betsy Ross’ life because it was important and meaningful for THEM as children to read about these people and to present to us what they feel is impressive about the person they researched. I’ll add those photos to our gallery next week after the rest of the children do their presentations.

Inquiry

Thu, 07 Feb 2008 13:08:36 -1000

All of the students in grades 1 and 2 are taking a different approach to inquiry this quarter. Since Mid-Pacific Institute is celebrating its 100th year in Manoa, all elementary students are conducting an inquiry with a focus on Manoa. All four grade 1 and 2 classes took a walk to a very special place on campus. Although we adults know it is an underground natural spring called Kawailele, we wanted to allow the children to sit, ponder, brainstorm,and come up with their own hypotheses of what this place was that we were visiting. I began by asking the children,”What do you think this place is?” Thoughts ranged from " a pond" to "a lake" to "some sort of a pool." One child thought it was part of the sewer, and another that it was simply a giant puddle. One quiet girl chimed in and announced that it was, in fact, an underground spring because her mother told her so! Once we all came to that conclusion, I then asked the children,”Where does the water come from?” Some of their thoughts included,“I think it comes from the ocean. It comes from the rain and it fills up! I think it’s connected to the sewer!” Finally, one observant boy stated, “I think it comes from the mountains and fills up this hole.” We have all these great quotes, observations, and wonderings on videotape. We teachers have decided to document this inquiry by utilizing technology to create an i-movie of what we’re learning as a grade level instead of in individual classes. Now that we think the water is coming to our campus from Manoa somehow, we are planning on taking a field trip to the back of Manoa Valley to do some hiking. We are waiting for Mr. Louie’s bus to return from its tune-up and paint job. As soon as that happens, I’ll let you know the date of our hike to Manoa Falls. We will be needing 3-4 parents to join us on the hike.

'Tis the season of science & giving!

Fri, 16 Nov 2007 15:48:22 -1000

By now, your young scientist should have taken home a bag of bones to show you. This week we had a wonderful hands-on lesson that demonstrated how food chains work. Since our school mascot is the owl, we’ve been doing quite a bit of reading about owls. We learned that owls swallow their prey whole and then regurgitate a pellet. These pellets contain the undigested bones and fur of their prey. Delta Education is an organization that distributes the pellets. All pellets have been dried and sanitized. I can assure you that the class had no qualms about dissecting their pellets! Just look at the photos in the gallery; you will see eager scientists, immersed in the process. Over the entire afternoon, the students made comments about the types of bones they found. I’ve also enclosed a few photos of a few complete skeletons. We determined that our owls ate mice, shrews, voles, and even other birds. The class used a bone-sorting chart to identify the bones. Also, many thanks to Mrs. Johnson for bringing our shoeboxes down to Central Union Church. We collected sixteen boxes for Operation Christmas Child! I was able to pack the boxes into a shipping box for them to be sent overseas. I know this was a heartwarming activity for you and your child. The children were so proud to bring in their boxes for those less fortunate. One second-grade boy shared that he received a thank-you letter last year from a boy in the Philippines! The boy used the stationery that was sent to him and even included a photo of himself. If any of you receive a note of thanks after the holidays, be sure to have your child bring it in to share with the class. Speaking of thanks, we all have so much to be thankful for, not only at this time of year but every day! I am so thankful for the privilege of teaching your children. They are kind, enthusiastic, caring, and simply wonderful. I’m also grateful for teaching here at MPI. I’ve been fortunate enough to teach at other schools, and I can say that MPI truly is a caring community of dedicated professionals. Lastly, I’m thankful to you, the parents, who support your young learners in so many ways. I truly feel blessed to be a part of a school that values children, parents, faculty, staff, and administration. We’re all on this learning journey together! Wishing you all a wonderful Thanksgiving next week.

October Fun

Thu, 01 Nov 2007 13:56:31 -1000

What a busy month we have had. Your children have been immersed in learning about animals. Please check the class photo gallery to see some of the learning. We have had two guest speakers this month. Our first visitors were from the Dolphin Quest Program. Our speakers showed us a slide show about humpback whales. Although our class knew that no two humans have the same fingerprints, we learned that no two whales have the same fluke markings. You may have noticed a photo of your child outside wearing a fluke. We were pretending we were whales, and we acted out how whales communicate with each other, fight off predators, and have to avoid ocean pollution. We also had a wonderful docent from the Honolulu Academy of Arts come to our classroom. As you can see, she brought many beautiful pieces of animal artwork, sculpture, and paintings from around the world. The best part of this program is that it allows the children to see, touch, and view the art at different angles. This way, when we go to the Academy of Arts tomorrow, we’ll be prepared to use only our eyes. Lastly, the photos of pumpkin carving and Spooktivity speak for themselves. Thanks to all the parents and grandparents who came for pumpkin carving, the children really enjoyed your company and carving expertise. It also allowed them practice counting by 10’s. We had a grand total of 1,946 seeds in five pumpkins! Thanks to the Ruggieri family for roasting the seeds; we’ve ben enjoying them all week long. We were glad to hear that all children had a safe and fun Halloween.

Grade 1 Math and Animal Learning

Thu, 11 Oct 2007 13:31:52 -1000

The first graders just completed Unit 1 in the Math Investigations program. I’ve been hearing many positive comments from both the students and the parents. The first graders love all the math games. I’m often greeted with the question,”What fun math game are we going to play today?” As a teacher and a parent, I know firsthand that learning through play is a valuable and meaningful way for children to learn math facts and concepts. This first unit really helped the students to focus on counting a group of objects slowly and accurately. They learned some new strategies for combining single digit numbers, and they are all approaching word problems with great enthusiasm and mathematical skill. Be sure to check your child’s homework folder next week for the next parent letter, about geometry; as well as your child’s class work from Unit 1. Continuing with Animals Today was our first field trip. We went to the Waikiki Aquarium. It was a great learning experience for the children. We were guided to certain exhibits that featured animals that had adapted to their environment in some way. As I accompanied my group, children made comments such as,”I didn’t know an octopus could change color,” and “Isn’t is cool that a sea star can grow a new arm if they lose one?” There were several exhibits that we were unable to visit, so be prepared for your son or daughter to ask permission for an upcoming weekend trip to the aquarium. As we gathered outside to view the two Hawaiian monk seals, a woman stated that there were two Hawaiian monk seals actually on the beach in Waikiki. Mrs. Bailie and I decided to take the children for a walk down the beach to see if they were still there. What an absolute rare treat for the children to see! Smack dab in the middle of Waikiki Beach were two monk seals taking a rest. I was very proud of our students; they were quietly respectful and kept their distance from these endangered animals. Since it was time for our return to school, I quietly announced to the boys and girls that it was time to line up and board the bus. One second grade girl quickly replied, ”No thank you, I’d rather stay here and watch the seals.” I certainly agreed with LC; it was a rare and precious moment. Be sure to watch the local news tonight. They may state why the seals decided to rest in crowded Waikiki. Thank you to all the moms who joined us today; it was a great field trip. In today’s packet, you will find a paper detailing directions to MPI’s online subscription databases. At our faculty meeting yesterday, the high school librarian presented these websites. As MPI parents, you are entitled to log on using the information provided on the paper. For our first and second grade students, I suggest that the parents do the logging on for them. Next week, the animal learning continues with a field trip to the Honolulu Zoo, and we’ll be having guest speakers from the Dolphin Institute on October 23 and a visit from the Honolulu Academy of Arts Museum in a Box program on October 26. More info about both as well as Spooktivity will be forthcoming. It is indeed a busy month!

Inquiry Learning

Thu, 20 Sep 2007 13:06:54 -1000

Thank you to all the parents who came today to help with note-taking: Mrs. Diamond, Mr. & Mrs. Donnelly, Mrs. Fife, and Mr. Fujii. We are making good progress with our research on animals. Parents were impressed with how diligently the students worked at reading their nonfiction books and transcribing their findings into their inquiry journals. Second graders were able to build on the geography knowledge they gained last year. We began our inquiry locating the different continents on the globe and identifying what animals live on the various continents. Students had several misconceptions. For example, a few thought both lions and tigers lived in Africa. Others thought penguins lived at both the North & South Poles. Now that we are immersed in note-taking, misconceptions are being cleared up by reading facts. One boy said, “A lion and a tiger would never meet because one lives in Africa and one lives in Asia.” A girl added that only the South Pole is home to penguins. We all know that when children have a strong desire to learn something, the learning becomes more authentic and long-lasting. That is exactly what is happening with inquiry. All students are well on their way to becoming experts about a particular animal.

We're Off to a Great Start

Thu, 06 Sep 2007 13:23:17 -1000

It is simply amazing to me how much our class has bonded over the past eighteen days. We have been working together to create a classroom community that shares and learns together. All students have quickly adapted to their "sharing day" of the week. Our morning circle time truly is a time of community and camaraderie. I have seen this sense of caring transfer over to learning time. It is not uncommon to see a 2nd grader helping a 1st grader find a word in their personal dictionary. The 1st graders are learning what types of books are "just right" for them to read. It is so wonderful to see an eager reader passing a book to a friend and saying "This is a good story; I think you should read it," as one did just this morning. We have had five children donate birthday books and inquiry books to the class. Everyone is so excited to read the newest animal books in our nonfiction bin and the Sponge Bob and Pokemon books in the fiction bin. Thank you to all children for donating books. Homework & Spelling The children are so eager for homework! Several students have asked me if there will be more homework and when the spelling words will get harder! Since we are in the fourth week of school, we will be having the same amount of homework for the next few weeks. All students have made the transition of completing homework during the week and bringing in their folders on Fridays. It is important to find a special place at home to keep all the math cards and games being sent home. Whether your child is in 1st or 2nd grade, the same games will be revisited throughout the year. It may be wise to create a math folder at home for storing such materials. Box Tops for Education Our classroom box has quite a few boxtops collected already. If you didn't get a chance to obtain the list of products participating, please go to the website boxtops4education.com to view the complete list of products. There are over 200 products with the "box top" label.

Inquiry and Ho'olaule'a

Thu, 08 Mar 2007 10:19:24 -1000

The students have done a wonderful job with their geography inquiry projects. Since we’ve spent so much time typing up our autobiographies, we’ve decided that only key information needs to be typed for this inquiry. All students will be preparing a keynote slideshow for this presentation. We have set the day of presentations to be next Wednesday, March 14. We will begin at 8:00 a.m. sharp! The students are very excited to show you these slideshows! Thanks to all the parents who volunteered to help with Ho'olaule'a. So far we have Lorna O., Lynn Y., Mark D., Lisa F., Sandi L., Kim C., Leila D., Lisa S., Lori Y., and Joan K. Between Ms. Anna, my substitute, and the ten parent volunteers, we are more than covered. See you all next Wednesday.

Welcome Back

Fri, 12 Jan 2007 15:22:32 -1000

We have all nicely settled back into our school-day routine, and are well into new learning. Second graders are very excited about learning cursive! While first graders are still fine-tuning their manuscript printing, the second graders are learning 2-3 lower case letters each day in cursive. Second graders must sign in daily with their cursive signatures. On Wednesday, January 10, all grade K-2 teachers had a morning training with our new math program, Investigations. It was an exceptional morning; I came away with several new math activities to do with our class. Just yesterday, we did the Investigations “counting activity.” All students, first and second graders, were asked to grab a collection of manipulatives. The first graders worked with bears, and the second graders worked with unifix cubes. I then broke the students up into pairs, with one student doing the counting, while the other student observed and recorded how their partner counted. Then the roles were switched. The outcomes were quite illuminating. As I walked around the room, I observed students counting by 1’s, 2’s, 5’s, and 10’s. It was also interesting to see how the students arranged their collections. Some of the comments I heard were, “I made 3 rows of 10 to equal 30,” and “I counted by 5’s; I have 6 rows of 5 to make 30.” This counting activity is quite useful for mulitplication and factoring in 3rd and 4th grades. Be sure to check the gallery for photos of this math activity. We also spent the day today at Bishop Museum. The children had a wonderful time at the planetarium. I was impressed by how many constellations they were able to identify. Next we went to the science center, which was a big hit. Again, check out the gallery for exciting photos. We saved the best for last, the dinosaur exhibit. Our class simply loved looking at the replicas up close. I can’t say the students did much time reading the explanations at each exhibit, but none the less, a good time was had!

Class Sale a Big Success

Wed, 13 Dec 2006 14:07:04 -1000

Please be sure to take a look at yesterday’s photo gallery. The smiles on the children’s faces show pure enthusiasm for our class sale. We began the morning with our spam musubi assembly line. Clearly, Cynthia and Reiko were experts in the making of musubi. Those students who never made musubi before may be asking for their own musubi mold for Christmas. Mrs. LeBlanc finally found out why her spam doesn’t taste right (according to her son); I was missing an ingredient! After the musubi were assembled, Mr. Kissida’s class joined our class and we set up our business tables. The room was abuzz with eager shopkeepers ready for their first customers. Once we opened our doors for business, we didn’t stop until we closed the store. We had a steady flow of customers for the entire hour. Your children were enthusiastic salespeople. DE was the banker at the candy cane ornament table. With the assistance of KF and MA, they sold all the ornaments. The bracelet table was also sold out. TM served as the banker with LC, KR, and AY as the assistants. CK was a devoted banker and salesperson at the musubi table. The kindergartners loved the small-size musubi, and they were completely sold out in 30 minutes. PD and ES liked working the musubi table. Second graders were bankers at all businesses because they have the skills and ability to make change. The Holiday Spa had a steady stream of customers. MN and KL took turns painting nails, while JM and ES took turns giving shoulder massages to willing customers The busiest corner of our classroom was the Shaved Ice table. Thanks to Lynn Yanagihara and Mark Donnelly for manning the machine. RR, KD, and KE were able to help serve and pour on the syrup. With $61 in their till, we are assuming they made 61 shaved ice. They were also our top seller and moneymaker of the day. Our total profit less expenses came to $120.05, which will be given to Shriner’s Hospital of Honolulu. We brainstormed as a class about the different organizations that could use some money. MN talked about how Shriner’s helps children from all over, including herself. Thanks to all the parents who helped out with many aspects of the sale. Desiree Eng, Joan Kagawa, George Leong, Lisa Sakamoto, and Naoko and Mark Donnelly for all their help with the musubi-making. Thanks again to Desiree, Joan, Naoko, Mark, Lynn, and Lisa Fife for helping with the sale, and most importantly, for helping with the clean-up. An event of this magnitude is a huge undertaking, and I so appreciate all the parental support. Students, parents and teachers working together for a common goal: yesterday was the perfect example of teamwork. For me as a teacher, it doesn’t get much better than that. Thanks to all, and Merry Christmas.

Economics Unit

Thu, 09 Nov 2006 14:02:26 -1000

Our entire first semester of math has focused on place value and addition. This week we began a new economics unit, so our focus in math has shifted to money. Our entire class will be counting different sums of money, learning how to make change, and adding the costs of various products. All this math is in conjunction with our economics unit. The focal point of our economic unit will be the starting, running, and implementing of some sort of a business. We began this week with a discussion of types of businesses we frequent. After we listed all the businesses we patronize, we categorized them. The final list showed three types of businesses: goods, service, and entertainment. The class was able to see why Jungle Fun falls into the entertainment category, while a nail salon falls into the service category. We began brainstorming of the types of businesses we might like to have in our classroom. We know that there will be some goods and services in our classroom (as well as other multiage 1/2 classes). We will actually have an assembly line in class making various goods for sale. All this hard work will culminate in a “market day” when we will sell our wares to our target market (K-2 classes). Much more information will be forthcoming; however, if any of you self-employed parents would like to talk to our class about your business or your work that would allow us to see an assembly line in action, please let me know.

Operation Christmas Child

Thu, 02 Nov 2006 13:40:32 -1000

As we approach the holiday season, all four multiage 1/2 classes will be participating in a worthwhile cause. It is Operation Christmas Child, a project of Samaritan’s Purse. This operation delivers shoebox gifts to needy children around the world, while also telling them about God’s love for them. Look for the pamphlet explaining the project in next Monday’s homework folder. To participate, each child will wrap a large shoebox or boot box with wrapping paper; the lid is wrapped unattached. Your child will then select small items to fill the box, such as small toys, school supplies, hygiene items, or even a shirt, plus $7 to cover the shipping costs. Feel free to bring in the box at any time; however the deadline is Friday, November 17. The check needs to be made out to Samaritan’s Purse, and included in the box (the organization will remove the lid). We do need one parent volunteer per class to take the boxes to Central Union Church by November 20. Personally, my family was able to participate in this cause last Christmas, thanks to Mrs. Bailie’s efforts. We all agreed that this is a worthy organization that allows children to share of themselves at the holidays. I hope you are able to participate. Thank you!

Pumpkin Math

Thu, 26 Oct 2006 14:43:33 -1000

Today was our annual pumpkin-carving activity, although the actual carving is the culmination of a math lesson. While first graders have been focused on single-digit addition with sums up to 12, second graders have been working on double-, triple-, and quadruple-digit addition. Once the second graders understand the concept of regrouping, there is no limit to the number of digits a student can add. The students began today’s math lesson by estimating the height and weight of their pumpkins. Each student recorded their estimates in their pumpkin math book. Each student then estimated the number of seeds inside their pumpkin. Comparisons were made at each table. Once all the estimates were recorded, the actual measuring began. The weighing of pumpkins proved to be quite exciting. Not only did we have a digital scale, but Dr. Yanagihara actually brought a baby-weighing scale from her office! Students were able to weigh their pumpkins to the nearest ounce! Next came the messy part, the removal and counting of seeds. Students were able to count their seeds in piles of 10, and then counted the entire table of seeds. We had a grand total of 2,164 seeds in our room. Be sure to look at your child’s pumpkin math book to see how accurate their estimates were and the specifics of their particular pumpkin. Once the math portion was complete, the classroom was all abuzz with the anticipation of the carving. Some tables chose rather elaborate designs, while others chose the traditional jack-o'-lantern. Thank you, Mrs. Eng, Mrs. Fife, Mr. Konikson, Mr. & Mrs. Ong, Mr. Siegfried, and Dr. Yanagihara for all of your assistance this morning. I could not have done this activity without you. Monday’s homework sheet will include some Spooktivity tips. Happy Halloween to all!