We were very excited to see everyone's smiling faces today, and thankful to hear that our families were safe and sound during Hurricane Sandy. Students shared stories of how they weathered the storm - sleepovers, birthday parties, and movies - and also things they saw on the news as well as in their own communities. We also discussed that while we were all very fortunate, some of our fellow New Yorkers were not. We brainstormed ways that we can help people in our community who were not as lucky. We an idea about adopting another first grade class who was displaced during the storm (perhaps donating books) or helping families who are in need of food, clothing, and resources. One idea that Gabriel's mom, Deborah, is working on is helping Added Value, the Red Hook Farm where we hope to visit this Spring during our Plant Habitats unit. The farm was devastated during during the storm and they are currently raising money to get the farm up and running again. We felt this could be a great opportunity for kids to connect with the community in a tangible way.
If anyone has a personal connection to an organization, school, or family, please reach out to us via email. We welcome all ideas of how we can help and connect the students to our larger New York City community.
If anyone has a personal connection to an organization, school, or family, please reach out to us via email. We welcome all ideas of how we can help and connect the students to our larger New York City community.
We were happy to hear that students spent the week relaxing and enjoying time with friends and family. This picture of Lucas made us smile! We were told that he recreated our classroom in his living room, complete with a Morning Message on his easel, and he took his mom through our day's agenda! There was even a number bond included as part of his problem of the day!
Way to go, Lucas!