She's a thief!

~She stole two five dollar bills when she went over to get a book to read to Mr. Randolph! There's bound to be more money all over that dusty messy house! How will she get back in there? Will she do it by herself? How much longer will Maime put up with Gilly's attitude? Find out tomorrow!

~In the words of Keke, "Mr. Gibbons, I love this book!"

~Stacey's plan to get revenge on the White bus driver worked...or did it? Will Stacey remain friends with T.J.? Will Harlan Granger find a way to get the Logan's land? Can you believe the daily humiliations that Blacks had to put up with in Mississippi in 1933? We'll find out what happens next first thing in the morning!

Is Savanna awake?

Love that shirt Matt!

Evan gets a present of new rags!

Keke looks engaged!

I always love hearing Griffin read....what good intonation!

Just chillin' like Dylan

Dylan C. & his classmate stop by to do a survey for Investigations!

THE GIBBONS YARD
~I found this little critter under my hosE hangout. I did not hurt him...I just hypnotized him and convinced him to become part of the food chain!

New blooms in the front yard

More blooms in the front yard

Sally Locy ~ Teacher of the Year!

~The Apes send all their best wishes to Mrs. Locy our awesome first grade Teacher of the Year. We are so proud of you Mrs. Locy. What an honor, that your PEERS think you are worthy of representing them! This is an honor that you have earned and deserve! You are the best! We can't wait to see pictures of you all dressed up!

~We wish Noah a speedy recovery. Noah had surgery on Tuesday on his hand. It lasted over 4 hours! Hopefully he will be back for Friday's luncheon.

~Does anyone else sense something strange in the air in Room 71? It smells great as usual...but the air seems electric as if something is about to happen! Is it just me....or is it just the End of Year blues! I love...and hate the end of the year. I am glad that we have completed a year and are moving onto sixth grade, but I will miss all of you greatly...reading novels...... reader's workshop........ playing baseball...awesome writing....lunch in the classroom....... read alouds..... diet cokers..... that awesome new text book.... (just kidding)

Separate but Equal?

~Well, we learned a little more about Gilly today. We found out her weakness....her mother...just the thought of her mother. Did you make any connections to Maniac or Misha? Don;t you just love Maime Trotter? Mrs. Peck gets upset when I call her Maime....she reminds me of her not because she looks like Maime...it's because she has the same heart as Maime! And what is what is up with all those words? Do I need to bring a bar of soap tomorrow?

~We also learned what life was like for rural farmers in Mississippi in 1930. Tomorrow will be kind of a shocker with Cass and Little Man. Remind Mr. Gibbons to show you the text book he got from Tennessee from the 1940's...it will surprise you!

~We also learned that "colored" children went to school from October to March, and whites went from August through June. The "colored" schools got all their supplies from white schools, once they were worn out and no longer of any use to them. The "colored" schools were usually rundown. This kind of practice was supported by the United States Supreme Court. It said that schools and all other public institutions could be separate but equal. These laws would remain in effect until 1954 when the Brown family from Arkansas sued, claiming that separate could never be equal. The Brown family won their case.

~The great thing about the United States is that we can change laws!

Charley & Ghosts

~Charley was told by Jerusha he had to leave the mountain and head west. It is no longer safe for him due to the fact that the Confederate Army was retreating. We all agreed, the book was awesome but the ending was not so great. It kind of left you hanging! We will start Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry tomorrow. This is one of my favorite read-a-louds! Mildred Taylor is incredible when it comes to bringing the past to life.


~I am looking forward to getting back to Gilly on Tuesday! I'm sure she has some mischief in store for Maime and William Ernest! She is one angry little girl!

~We also learned about the Gold Rush today. That is the reason the San Francisco football team is called the 49ers. There was a huge rush of people to the area in 1848 nad 1849 due to the discovery of gold. Not many people got rich though. There are ghost towns (abandoned towns) all over the West. People were lured here thinking they would strike it rich. Most of them were just hoodwinked out of what little money they had.

REAL GHOST TOWNS:

Monday's Puzzle:

1. sdtanrceinegt

2. twogchourch
sunday

3. granitecoalclockshalepumice

~Congratulations to Jamie who got the last puzzle: peace on earth, running on empty and drop in the bucket.

4 Foster Homes in 4 Years!

~Reading the last few chapters of Bruno and Shmuel's adventure.....it was quite an incredible experience! Most of the class was in tears, including the teachers. Can you believe it? This is the second time this year that most of the Apes fell apart over a book....yes a book! It was my proudest moment as a teacher to see your child so strongly connect to "literature"! Has any text book ever done that? Has any worksheet ever done that? If anyone would like to borrow the book, just send in a note!

~We started The Great Gilly Hopkins today. This is the story of a very tough and angry girl who is entering her fourth foster home in four years. her new foster mother lives in a poor neighborhood of rundown houses. The house is not exactly clean, and the new foster mother, Maime, is not exactly beautiful. We can't wait to find out what is in store for Gilly, Maime, and William Ernest!

~Congratulations to Mrs. Whitelaw. She was nominated for a special award from the Council for Exceptional Children. The fifth grade teachers
came out in force to support her! We had a great dinner, and got to share a few laughs. Mr. Pratt-Dannals, our Superintendent even joined our group for a while!

Our Awesome Mrs. Whitelaw

The Beauclerc Crew poses with the Superintendent

Mrs. Kornblum, Mr. Sofferin & Mrs. Peck cheer Mrs. Whitelaw on

Mrs. Gay and Ms. Hollaway

Mrs. W., Mrs. Trueblood, and Mrs. Putnal

Mrs. Hayden and Mrs. Gaspard

~Congratulations to Abdul. Ms. Bev brought him by during our Writer's Workshop to share his poem on St. Patrick's Day. It was awesome! He is in Ms. Ramanan's Writing class. Great job Ms. Ramanan.

Ms. Bev and Abdul

CARNIVAL

~Thanks to the PTA for an awesome carnival! It's great to see a carnival back at Beauclerc.

Former Apes Jordan and Lauren (both Star Students at Mandarin Middle)

Maddie and Mrs. Hartless. Are those glasses big enough Mrs. H?

The Lewis Gang!

Is Andrew giving me the stink eye?

Awesome job PTA

I just missed seeing Mrs. Peck in here

Hartless Hero girls help others up

Get Your Groove On!

~Mark your calendars for May 8th! The annual Fifth Grade Dance will be that night from 6-9 pm! More information will be coming home soon! There will be plenty of adult supervision! Be there or be square!

Bruno passed away Tuesday morning.....

The best book ever?

Author John Boyne.....another Irish guy

~Sadly, our two main characters from The Boy in the Striped Pajamas got caught up in the madness of Auschwitz and were unable to escape...and perished at Auschwitz. Today the Apes realized that the book is a fable with a valuable lesson at the end. Be careful what you do to others and how you treat them, because just as surely as the sun will rise very morning, it WILL come back on you, just as it has come back on Bruno's father.

~Despite Bruno's naivety, he grew to love Shmuel as a brother.

~This was our third novel together on the Holocaust...each novel got a little more serious and tragic. I think the Apes are true scholars on World War II and the Holocaust; but I think John Boyne stated it best that we can never truly understand the Holocaust completely unless we were there and were killed or survived the terror.

~If something awful like the Holocaust was to ever happen here....which it couldn't.......could it? I hope that just 2 maybe 3 Apes out of 40, would have the courage to be, as Mrs. Peck calls them, UPSTANDERS.

~It was awesome to see the students so engaged in Mr. Sofferin's class with Milkweed (don;t tell them how it ends!). They go to Hartless & Hollaway next! If any other teacher would like to borrow them, just stop by.

~Our next novel together will be The Greay Gilly Hopkins!

Irena Sendler

Irena Sendler

To read more about the woman that was discussed today in class, click here.

Today's Puzzle:

1. running
no gas
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
2. budrockept
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
3. PpPpP
Globe

(remember that if there is a tie, the one with the closest answer wins)

HE HAS LICE!

Poor Bruno
~Bruno has been spending a lot of time with Shmuel lately. They actually reached through the fence and shook hands! I think this is a sign that Bruno truly is a good person. Despite everything he has heard about Jews from his father, sister, and other propaganda, he still believes they are just like him. Human beings. After contacting lice, his father shaves all his hair off, and Bruno is amazed how much he looks like Shmuel now. The good thing to come out of it is that Mother is going to get her way...according to the title of the next chapter. Hmmmmmm, I wonder what that means?

This is what head lice look like close up.

Interesting lice facts:
~One lice is called a louse.
~A louse can actually make a person feel sick, and that is where we get the term "feeling lousy".
~About 12 million people in the U.S. get head lice every year.
~Head lice have nothing to do with being clean or dirty.
~A louse can survive under water for 24 hours.
~Lice like dirty hair as well as clean hair. They don't care.
~Head lice cannot jump to another person.
~Dogs and cats cannot get lice.

REMEDIES
~Back in the old days when a child got head lice it was considered acceptable to pour kerosene on the child's head over a sink. DO NOT TRY THIS! It's not fun....trust me I know....and it is dangerous.
~You can spend over $20 on pricey shampoos that usually do not work.
~Many people will agree that soaking your hair in Listerine Mint Mouthwash under a shower cap, rinsing, and then soaking the hair in white vinegar for two hours under a shower cap seems to be one of the safest, cheapest, and most effective ways to kill lice.

LICE POEMS:

Just One Lice Is a Louse

I don't think lice

are very nice.
They check in with their nits

like your head is the Ritz.
They come by the dozens

and bring all their cousins.
They make your scalp itch

'til you scream like a witch.
Every hair is a slide

where they can crawl down and hide.
The nits cling to your roots

like mud clings to your boots.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Send in the Comb

set to the tune"Send in the Clowns" by Stephen Sondheim

*

Doesn't it itch?

I see a pair.

Me here at last having found Lice in my hair -

Send in the comb.
This is so strange.

I don't approve.

Even when sitting quite still,I feel something move.

I really need help.

Please send in the comb.
Just when I'd stopped

scratching my head,

Thinking that all of the vermin around me were dead,

Sitting alone in my room,

ran the comb through my hair;

Stopped in dismay...

Guess what was there?
Why do you scratch?

My fault I fear...

I think that you've got what I've got -

Sorry my dear.

Orthodox Easter & Star Student

COMPUTER LAB
~We spent Tuesday morning in the Computer Lab with Mrs. Ross working on out Power Point presentations. It appeared to be very interesting and engaging.

Josh

Mrs. Ross gives directions

THANK YOU

~Thanks to all those parents who volunteer on a regular basis in Rooms 71 and 73!

Jamie stands in for her Mom who takes real good care of the Apes

Mrs. Wood rocks!

Mrs. Zinn rocks too!
(We didn't get pictures of Mrs. Powell or Mrs. Walker....they rock too!)

RESPONSE TO LITERATURE

~The students of Rooms 71 and 73 are doing an awesome job on their rough drafts.

Matilda reads her engaging beginning

Jamie wows us with her opening paragraph

Kuku shows us how an effective response begins

Kiet rocks while he shares

Antonio reads his beginning

EASTER

~Yeah, I know Easter was last week! Today is actually Good Friday for many groups, and Sunday is actually Easter for them as well! Last week was so crazy, and seeing that there was no school last Friday, we decided to catch a visit from the Easter Bunny today instead! Thanks to the PTA for donating the buckets! We had a blast!

Lauren and Jennifer drop in their goods!

Edwin and Bryan drop in their goodies ....Is that the Easter Pickle in the background?

Octavia fills 'em to the brim!

STAR STUDENTS

~Jaliyah Jaliyah and Matilda are awesome Ape students. Thanks for coming to school everyday and being good workers, and good team players!

I love this picture of Jaliyah

Matilda rocks!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ROCTAVIA