Reports, and Some Fun

~71 Apes, don't forget your gloves tomorrow!

~Mrs. Peck finally has her own desk in Room 71. It's a little big so I am not sure how we are going to get around it...but we will work it out! Where are her pickles?

~Almost all of the Ape Reports on World War I are finished. Four students are still finishing up. Over the next four weeks they will be rotated on the bulletin board and cork strip outside Room 71.

~Have you ever noticed that many of us no longer look like the person in our baby pictures? I was shcoked to see Ms. Harris in a baby picture outside Room 10. She still looks the same!

Her hair was shorter in 1970.

~We learned a little history about the American Revolution today. We learned that the majority of people in the Thirteen Colonies were not actually in support of independence. The colonists were actually split pretty evenly among the Rebels (wanted independence, the Tories (loyal to England), and those who were undecided.

~New puzzle below!

~We also learned that there were good and bad people on both sides. We learned that the Boston Massacre was not a massacre at all but a response to a mob of people who were manipulated by the rebels (revolutionaries). The local newspapers were operated by those wanted the English to leave, and reported that the English soldiers fired on an innocent mob of honest hardworking people. The story took on a life of its own and spread throughout the colonies and brought money, guns, and support from all over the Thirteen Colonies. This was the picture that was drawn for the newspapers.

Who looks guilty in this picture?

~Yahoo for Patty Neslon, our awesome fourth grade teacher. Mrs. Neslon battled cancer this past year and WON! She showed up today to show off her awesome new hairdo!


~Thanks to Mrs. Runyon who had some fun today with the fourth graders at Extended Day!

Pickle Herring, Dirty Potatoes, and Tories

~Misha has begun stealing outside of the ghetto wall. On his first trip, the only thing he could find was a jar of pickled herring. We samples some pickled herring....and I couldn't believe that most students liked it! Some even said it tasted like candy! Mrs. Peck and Mr. Gibbons did not like it. Most of Janina's potatoes came out pretty good. The starch did not caramelize in a few and turned to soil.

~Thanks to those who came out to Skate Station on short notice!

~Did you know that almost 40%, that's 4 out of every 10, of colonial citizens did not want independence from England. They were called Tories, and were loyal to the king. During the American Revolution, most Tories fled to Canada to escape persecution from those who wanted independence. We will be reading a pretty cool story this week together about a young girl who lived in a Tory family.

Jasmine can't believe this came from a potato

What is this?

I like buried caramelized potatoes!

Chessa is not sure

Dylan's potato turned to soil

Evan loved the fish!

Dylan and Gary are busted at Skate Station

I read my 22 books (14 on your own) and got to make a sundae!

Potatoes and Gray Jon and Flops

~Room 73 had their first day of baseball today! They did awesome. The main thing they learned was how NOT to catch a ball so they don't get hurt.

~Gray Jon (from Milkweed) died today. Misha decides that he is a Jew today when Mr. Milgrom said that he is family, and he got his armband. Shortly after, he experiences what it is to be a Jew when they are forced to stand at attention for through the night in the courtyard while the Flops and the Jackboots beat them. Misha is confused!

~About 60% of the Apes have turned in their FINAL drafts, we can't wait to see them on the board outside! All Final Drafts must be turned in by Monday!

~Mr. Gibbons rewrapped all the potatoes from his back yard. It took six months, but they are finally ready, and they are delicious! See picture below.

I was tempted to eat some, but I didn't!

Noah's WWI report made the principal's board!

Calendar Math with the Lewis girls

Why the green Mrs. Whitelaw?

FLOPS

The Jewish ghetto police gather in formation, not knowing they would all be shot by the Nazis within minutes. Many of these men joined the ghetto police thinking they were saving the lives of their families and themselves.

The Flops help the Nazis round up Jews for deportaion to Treblinika.

The Warsaw Ghetto Police (Flops)

Flag Raising and Misha

~Today we had our January Flag Raising. This month's character trait is COURAGE. Having courage means you do not go with the crowd. You do what your inner voice tells you is right! We are learning how few people had the courage to do what was right during the Holocaust.

~New Puzzle below!

~Today Misha discovered a bit of what living in the ghetto REALLY means. He is seeing those around him starving, and dying of typhus while still being dehumanized daily by the Nazis and the Flops. Misha escapes the ghetto in search of food! Will he come back? Who will be his family if he leaves? Will Mrs. Milgrom find hope? Will Uncle Schepsel become even more desperate? Find out tomorrow!

This is an actual photo taken in the Warsaw ghetto of a child dying on the sidewalk. This is very much like the scene that Misha saw on the sidewalk while walking with Uri today.

These are the undertakers that Misha saw.

Mrs. Peck poses with some of the Apes

Lauren and Octavia get ready for the pledge

Why the strange look Keke?

Fifth grade smiles!

Spelling Bee and Report Writing

~Congratulations to Monica from Mrs. Hayden's class. Monica is the Spelling Bee Winner from Beauclerc Elementary School for 2008. Savanna from Room 71 came in 3rd place, and we are very proud of her. Thanks for setting it up Mrs. Hayden!

~Spelling Lists went home today.

~Today was our first day of baseball. We practiced how to field a ground ball and a pop-up, as well as getting the ball into second base. The Apes did real well, and 14 of the 20 Apes have chosen to play. Remember we will be playing every Tuesday, bring your glove. The 73 Apes will be playing every Thursday. Bring your glove if you have one, if not, we have plenty! PLAY BALL!

~Mr. Gibbons finally harvested the potatoes he buried in the ground over six months ago (just like Janina) and they should be ready by Thursday....and they are delicious!

The winner!

Room 73 Winners!

Room 71 Winners!

Trenton and Jamie were the first ones to have their reports published on the bulletin board, and their reports are GOOD!

Karson finally got her stocking! (Now if we could get Savanna to take hers home!)

Karson is glad she didn't get toilet paper or potatoes.

This is Dr. Katherine DiPietro from Germany. She is the lady I told you about today with all the cool facts about Germany.

Welcome Back

~We worked on finishing our rough drafts of our World War I reports today. All rough drafts should be finished by the end of the day Tuesday. The reports look awesome so far. Final drafts should be finished by Friday. Look for the finished products on the bulletin board by the end of the week.

~We are seeing the second phase of the Nazi plan to annihilate the Jews of Europe in our novel, ISOLATION. The Milgroms have been forced into the Warsaw ghetto, and we finally met Janina's family. Life is still bearable but becoming increasingly difficult. The wall is going up as we read.

Connection: This is an actual section of the ghetto wall still standing in Warsaw today.

Connection: This is a picture similar to what Misha saw. These are actual Polish Jews being marched to the ghetto.

~Welcome back Karson, we missed you!

Baseball

We will begin baseball recess this week for all those that want to play...this is strictly voluntary. Mr. Gibbons's class will be playing on Tuesdays and Mrs. Whitelaw's class will be playing on Thursdays. Bring your glove! If you do not have a glove, one will be provided. I only have one left handed glove. If anyone has any old gloves they would like to donate (especially lefty gloves), it would be greatly appreciated. Do not bring bats or balls to school, we've got plenty. We will be learning the basics of the game, and eventually playing games. Baseball is the ultimate team sport and teaches players to rely on those around them. It's America's past time, and it is amazing how many of today's kids don't know how to play.

Disney, New Years, and Wild Adventures

~Happy New Year Apes!
~Mr. Gibbons had a great time. I finished reading The Breadwinner and will tell you about it when we come back on Monday.~We set off for Disney World in Orlando on Monday and stayed at the Embassy Suites right outside the park. The hotel was awesome! The pool was indoor and outdoor.

~Disney was crowded. We made the best of it, even though Disney is probably one of the last places on Earth I would spend a vacation. The kids wanted to see it, so we went! Even the kids had to admit, there were just too many people, too many strollers, and too many lines! We had a great time in the 3D cartoon attraction, and on Thunder Mountain. They all admitted they liked Jacksonville much more than Orlando. I agreed!

~When we returned on Thursday, we cooked out, and lit some fireworks off in the yard. The firework displays around Lake Gibbo were incredible. We had the best seats in the house just sitting around the shore of the lake.

~On Friday we decided to head to Valdosta to Wild Adventures, seeing that Disney was not altogether fun. We had a BLAST! We had almost the whole park to ourselves. We rode the coasters for hours. The Christmas light displays were incredible, and the Live Nativity and Reindeer displays were awesome! Everyone agreed we probably should have avoided Disney altogether.




Megan and Bridey climbed the tree while Mr. G cooked.

Patrick and Francie (the dog)

The Embassy Suites....very nice hotel!

The Castle upclose (it's actually a gift shop inside)

Our favorite Disney ride.

The Magic Kingdom at night....the light display was awesome!

Glad to be out of Orlando and getting ready for fireworks along Lake Gibbo

The stinky firework pictures all came out! The big ones did not.

WILD ADVENTURES

The Boomerang

Cool Ecosystem stuff too!

Megan was impressed with the alligators.

Bridey couldn't wait to get out of the Snake House

Megan and Bridey's first upside down roller coaster.

Bridey, Frank, Patrick, Kathy, and Megan Gibbons

Patrick (we calls him Earl) finally got up the courage to go on an upside down roller coaster.