Today we read this book because we love all the Knuffle Bunny stories. The original story of Knuffle Bunny is on bookflix.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Congratulations to Mr. McArdle for winning the canned food drive!

Trees in the Fall

The Power of Belief

As you reflect on all for which you are grateful this Thanksgiving holiday, we invite you to consider a submission for the school division’s upcoming book, tentatively entitled The Power of Belief. It is a project modeled on the National Public Radio (NPR) series, This I Believe, and prospective authors may write about any subject – nature, sports, children, parents, music, books, pets – virtually anything that has impacted their lives.

We have already received submissions from a wide array of authors – first graders to twelfth graders, VBCPS staff and alumni, parents and community members. As you can see from the list below, beliefs are as wide-ranging and unique as the contributors who wrote them. These authors believe….

…in common courtesy.
…in the power of words.
…in perspective.
…in kismet.
…in turning corners.
…in respect.
…that you can never have too much sky.
…in just being myself.
…in frosting.
…in higher education.
…in handwritten notes.
…in self control and integrity.
…in art and creativity.
…that we all have a purpose.
…in people.
…in the transformative power of dance.
…that life always looks better through the eyes of a four-year-old.
We hope that you will join this group by contributing your own brief essay about the beliefs and values that fuel your daily life. There is no template, but essays should be written in the first person and should range in length from 250 to 400 words. For our very youngest authors in kindergarten and first and second grades, essays of 150 to 200 words would be more than acceptable. Essays should be submitted to the school division via email – believe@vbschools.com – by January 14, 2011. Note that the deadline has been extended from the original date of December 1 so that prospective authors can make use of the winter holiday period.

Submissions should include the author’s name, address and affiliation to VBCPS (student, parent, teacher, alumnae, etc.). Alumni should identify the Virginia Beach school from which they graduated as well as the year in which they graduated. All submissions will be reviewed for possible inclusion in The Power of Belief which is slated for publication in late spring 2011.

Thank you for considering sharing your thoughts through your own Power of Belief submission. Listed below are links to a few sample NPR essays for inspiration, and you may contact the Department of Media and Communications Development at 263-1075 with any questions.

Best wishes for a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday with your families and friends.
Bonnie Fischer

Bonnie Fischer
Public Relations Coordinator
Department of Media and Communications Development
(757) 263-1949

Thanksgiving Cooking

Many thanks to our volunteers for helping our class make cornbread, a sweet potato dish, mashed potatoes, and pumpkin pie! We had so much fun and can't wait to sample the food tomorrow.

Unique Monique

Today we watched the book Unique Monique on reading rainbow and discussed how everyone is unique, even if they are a twin.

Money Poems

We are working hard on our money poems and also making change each day to match the date- today we made 19 cents for the 19th day. Please continue to work with your children on coin values and making change over the Thanksgiving holiday.

Happy Assistant Day!

Happy assistant day to all of our wonderful assistants especially Mrs. Greene!

School Spirit- Twin Day

Tomorrow is twin day- show your school spirit and dress like your friend or Mrs. Rose (I will be wearing jeans and a black shirt). Below are pics from last year.

Want More Information?

Do you like our kindergarten website? Don't forget to check out www.vbschools.com - our school system website for more information, updates, goals, and school news!

Teacher Note:
Do you like the picture above? I just downloaded a new program "jing" that will take a screenshot of whatever is on your computer and put it on a website. Love it! It is in my top five most useful website/blog tools. Below are the other things I use each year on my blog:

1.Voicethread
incorporate pictures and voice for free www.voicethread.com
2. Zamzar
convert any file to another type of file for free www.zamzar.com
3. Google Docs
upload documents and have other edit them (no more email!) www.google.com
4. Picasso
organizes all of my school pictures, creates slideshows instantly www.google.com