Halloween Visit!

A few special guests stopped by our classroom on Friday, my niece Pearce, my brother, and my sister in law! Pearce is 21 months going on 11 years old! She had a great time checking out what the "big kids" were doing, gave out some hugs, and of course did the Gator chomp for all! It was so good to have family in town, and it is always a treat to have them come visit Gilchrist. My brother and I are both Gilchrist Grizzlies, and his 5th grade classroom is our classroom! Thank you Witters Family for the Halloween treat!

The Moon Isn't Made of Cheese...It's Made of Oreos!

Last week we joined together with our 3rd grade science buddies to review the eight phases of the moon. We used our SMART Board to complete an interactive simulation of the moon's phases, and then we got down to the good stuff. Students were able to recreate the different phases by using Oreo cookies. We had a great time, and also learned something! Make sure you are keeping up with your moon journal each night! Extra Credit for any students that can tell me the diameter of our moon in kilometers.

A Trip to the Capitol

Students headed to the Florida Capitol on Monday for Florida Missing Children's Day. Our fifth grade students were special guests of FDLE. Looks like they had a lot of fun!

It's No Mystery

There is no mystery when it comes to who is reading each day and making strides to make their AR goal! I'm so proud of the following AR goal makers for the 1st nine weeks: Joshua, Jillian, Chyna, E.J., Maggie H., Jack, Will, Maggie T., Michael, Greg, Liam, Carson, Cassie, Nikhita, Andrew, JaJa, Noime, and Michelle! Congrats superstar readers! Keep up the good work!

While The Cat's Away...The Mice Will Play!

So it looks like little Miss Nuzzo was in charge while I was in Los Angeles. She is not even six months old and she is already running a classroom! Actually her mommy, Mrs. Nuzzo was a fabulous substitute while I was gone! We miss Mrs. Nuzzo in fifth grade, but hope that when Lucianna is a bit older, her mommy will come back to work! Thanks for your help Mrs. and Miss Nuzzo!

Comparing Planetary Distances...with toilet paper???

They say teachers will go to any length to create an image that their students can hold on to in order to grasp a concept. Did they have in mind the length of 305 squares of toilet paper? Today we headed outside to compare the distances between each of the planets in our solar system (we included Pluto because we just feel sorry for it). Students represented the sun and all the other rocky midgets and gas giants. As we slowly unrolled the toilet paper and counted each square, we quickly realized why some planets are so hot, some are just right, and some are way too cold (does that sound like a familiar fairy tale?). Today starts the beginning of our space science unit and we are already going to "great lengths" to learn more about not only our lovely planet, but the universe around us!

Our Trip to the Challenger Learning Center

Many moons ago we had a teacher planning day while I was a student at Gilchrist, and that was the day the Challenger space shuttle exploded 73 seconds after lift off. I remember it well, and I'm sure that most of you reading this do too. The thing I remember the most is that a teacher was on board, and I remember telling my parents who are teachers that she must be the best teacher ever to risk her life for her kids. The legacy of the Challenger astronauts surrounded us today while on our field trip. We gazed at the sky in the planetarium, watched as the Apollo Missions courageously explored our moon, and took on the challenge of mission control and running a spacecraft. The kids had a great time and really rose to the occasion. A big thank you to all of the parents that joined us on our day downtown.