Daily Update:
It’s Christmas concert day! Many students arrived off the bus already dressed in their finest outfits. We attempted a somewhat normal routine. Today’s spelling word was “antlers,” and our Show Not Tell prompt was “It was concert day.” After Heggerty listening games and our reading maze, we jumped into a literacy rotation focusing on Read to Self. (We might need to give Read to Self a bit more love in the new year!) Our writing prompt was “If I could have one thing for Christmas…” and we continued working on our Christmas puzzle packets.

After an Indoor Recess:
We spent some time on a code breaker page and a color-by-sight-word activity from our Christmas packet. We also watched a Pink Panther Christmas short, which captured everyone’s attention! Lunch came early today—no one wants to sing on an empty stomach, after all.

After Lunch:
We carried our chairs to the gym and prepared for the big show. Our student MCs did a fantastic job, and each class performed beautifully. If you missed it, we rocked the ukuleles during “Deck the Halls” and stayed focused throughout the performance. Thanks to everyone who joined us! After the concert, families dropped by the classrooms for photos, and then we headed outside for some fresh air.

PE:
Mr. Ross was away this afternoon, so Mr. Trevors stepped in. He played a few Christmas Just Dance videos—if this class can do anything well, it’s dance! We had a blast grooving along to the music.

End of Day:
We returned to the classroom for our Book of Gratitude. Today’s prompt: “A challenge I overcame today was…” After a quick reflection, we packed our Home to School books. Some of us enjoyed a bit of free choice time, too. Don’t forget: tomorrow’s dress-up theme is “Holiday Socks / Santa Hats / Reindeer Antlers,” and we’ll be skating at 9:00 AM at the LBA.

Picture of the Day:
Before I had a chance to spill coffee on myself or ruin my shirt, I captured a photo dressed up with these awesome students!

Daily Update:
We began the day with our usual routine. Our spelling word was “Christmas,” and our Show Not Tell prompt was “It was our Christmas dinner.” After completing our Heggerty listening games and working through our reading maze, we jumped into literacy rotations. Our writing prompt today was “Over the weekend I…” After sharing our writing, we enjoyed a quick snack and then headed outside for recess.

After Recess:
The entire school headed to the gym for yet another Christmas concert rehearsal. With one more short practice tomorrow, we should be all set for Wednesday’s performance!

Lunch:
When we arrived at the gym for lunch, each seat had a wrapped gift with a student’s name on it. Miss Brown told us that while we were practicing, a box appeared at the door. We unwrapped the packages to discover brand-new Napan Cubs T-shirts for everyone! After the excitement, we sat down to a delicious Home & School Christmas meal featuring ham, turkey, potatoes, carrots, peas, dressing, cranberry sauce, and gravy—and even a little dessert! We managed to squeeze in some outdoor play afterward as well.

PE:
Because lunch and outdoor time ran slightly longer, we combined classes with K-1 for PE. We used half the gym to play a few games like Bulldozers and Builders, and a version of Four Corners (though they found a way to make it Five Corners!). Lots of running, red faces, and sweat—exactly what makes a great PE session!

End of Day:
After gym, instead of our Book of Gratitude, we tackled some Christmas fun packets. This class loves a good word search! We packed our new shirts and our Home to School books into our bags, and even enjoyed a bit of free choice time. Don’t forget: tomorrow is “Wear your favorite holiday sweater or holiday colors” day. See you in the morning!

Picture of the Day:
Christmas came early with a brand-new Napan Cubs T-shirt for every student!

Daily Update:
What unusual December weather! Yesterday we started by rolling giant snowballs, and today they’ve all melted away thanks to the wind and rain. We stayed indoors at the start and got straight to work once the bell rang. Our spelling word was “enchanted,” and our Show Not Tell prompt was “The neighborhood was ready for Christmas.” After completing our Heggerty exercises, a reading maze, and some warm-up drills, we tackled our literacy rotations. Our writing prompt was “If I could live at the North Pole for one day, I would…” We shared our writing before heading out for recess.

After Recess:
We teamed up with the K-1 class to practice our concert songs. Then, we headed down to the gym to rehearse our ukulele performance. We’re feeling more confident every day! Returning upstairs with about 15 minutes left, we revisited our snowflake-making lesson to create a few more. The classroom will look festive next week!

After Lunch:
The weather cleared up, letting us enjoy a sunny (yet damp) playground. Back inside, we shifted to science. We imagined ourselves stranded on a desert island with some eggs and a hot pan. Which materials would work best as makeshift mitts to pick up the pan without burning ourselves? We’ll test our hypotheses next time!

PE:
We played tail snatch, basketball, and had a race in the gym. Rilynn took the title of fastest today—lucky for her I didn’t join the race (and lucky for me, too!).

End of Day:
After gym, we worked on our Book of Gratitude, prompted by “Something that made me laugh today was…” We reviewed our morning work, completed our Home to School books, and some students enjoyed free choice time. Remember, wise time management pays off!

Picture of the Day:
Making snowflakes is serious business—just look at that concentration!

Daily Update:
After watching the video morning announcements, we headed straight to the library to practice our ukulele songs. Only 8 days until our big performance! Back in the classroom, we revisited our irregular spelling word, “Christmas,” and this time most of us nailed it. Our Show Not Tell prompt was “It was hot chocolate,” and we completed our Heggerty listening activities and reading maze. We also rehearsed some of our concert songs before diving into literacy rotations. In our teacher conference station, we focused on consonant digraphs, and our writing prompt was “My favorite holiday tradition is…” We shared our writing pieces, grabbed a quick snack, and went outside for recess.

After Recess:
The Grade 1s and 2s reviewed representing numbers and worked on a color-by-sum activity. Remember, sum relates to addition—so what’s difference about, again? The Grade 3s practiced skip counting and spent time on DreamBox. They also worked on reading numbers without saying “and.” Why do you think we avoid “and” in number names?

After Lunch:
We visited Mrs. Robichaud in the library, where we learned more about ways to stay calm. We colored a sheet with different hues based on our personal preferences—like loud music or quiet time. Some students find just the act of coloring relaxing!

PE:
It was Day 2 of Newcomb ball in the gym with Mr. Ross. After the games, we discussed good sportsmanship—being gracious winners and losers. I’ve had plenty of practice getting better at this myself, so we’ll keep working at it together!

End of Day:
We wrapped up the day with our Book of Gratitude, using the prompt, “The best part of my day was when…” Everyone managed their time well and earned some free choice time at the end of the day. Great job, Cubs!

Picture of the Day:
I tried to snap a secret photo from the window, but I was still spotted right away!