Field Trips and other Observations

I had the pleasure of attending two outstanding field trip opportunities for our students this week.

Our 5th graders attended Junior Achievement's Biztown, where they operate all aspects of a fictional town. The students spend the first nine weeks learning how to keep track of accounts, write checks, repay a loan, and perform basic governmental duties, and then they apply those skills to real store fronts and offices at Biztown. Most of their businesses were able to repay their loans and begin to earn a profit (without any government bailouts). The students did a tremendous job in their roles and behavior.

The 4th grades spent the night at the Phoenix Zoo, where they had the opportunity to explore many of the nocturnal animals that may not be out during a daytime visit. The camp instructors taught our students about specific animals (like the Koala), as well as about general classifications of animals that they saw. It was an exciting--and exhausting--night for the students, teachers, and parent volunteers.

Observations from the Classrooms
Mrs. Cochell's first grade students wrote wonderful notes of appreciation for Boss' Day. Not only are they cherishable thoughts, they are making tremendous progress with their writing! (If they only knew that Mrs. Pfeifer is the real boss of the school!)

Mrs. Underdown's 2nd grade students have begun their reader's workshop, where students are given specific strategies to improve their reading, and then they use sticky notes to track their thoughts while while reading. This approach helps readers of all abilities focus their efforts so they can take their reading to a higher level.

Our teachers have completed their first experience with data chats, where we look at the performance data of their students to help direct instruction. In this process, we are able to see where the class strengths and weaknesses are as a whole, and which individual students may need additional attention or challenges to help them reach their potential. We will continue these conversations throughout the year as we complete district quarterly SAMS tests, which measures student acheivement in math and reading.

I am often asked if I enjoy my job. How can I not when I get to experience the wonderful uniqueness of each student and grade level on a daily basis. Last week, I was checking on a group of 1st grade boys who had been in the restroom for an extended period of time. When I entered, there were four boys lined up at the mirror, each one running his wet hands through his hair to get the perfect look. It reminded me of a group of teenagers at a school dance trying to look their best. What's not to love about this job!