I had been locked out somehow...

Sorry for not posting for awhile.  Somehow my blog thought there were more than one administrators and so I did not have access to the page...   I think I have things fixed so stay tuned for more regular updates again.  I will try and update the newslsetters, too.

We loved having Ms. Grenoble with us for the past 2 weeks.  It was hard to say goodbye on Friday but she is going to do great things!

The funniest connections were found, too.  

Newsletter

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1YbdJ00_eqxq6FF5HS8PvknWw3lUFK2dK/view?usp=sharing

Newsletter

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1rVNi8kMGXzqthMLnBRYvdDa0pH0gLBad/view?usp=sharing

Newsletter for nex week

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1rVNi8kMGXzqthMLnBRYvdDa0pH0gLBad/view?usp=sharing

Getting Into the Groove

The school year is feeling a little more natural now that we have 2 weeks complete.  We've done a few assessments to start things off.

Switching classes is going pretty well, too.

Each week you can find our newsletter here.  It includes spelling words and a summary of things that are happening. 

We also use many different websites to practice our skills.  Students can use the sites at home, too.
Spelling City is a great one.  Students just log in using their google account.
XtraMath is another favorite.

Any time that you'd like to know more about classroom happenings, feel free to message us or give us a call.

The New School Year has STARTED!!!

All of the things about new school years have happened this week.  I had a night of little sleep because I was SO SO excited for the first day.  I had a night later in the week of little sleep because I was worried that everything wouldn't get done.  I went a whole school day without eating because the first day was so busy ---- please know that doesn't happen after the first day.   I like to eat too much ;-)  I cried.  I laughed.  I learned about my new students and I already know that I can't wait to learn along with them this year.

Along with all these new things this school year, I have focused on #classroombookaday and I am LOVING it!  We have 4 school days in and 8 shared stories completed.  Our focus today was a book trilogy that focused on names:  Chrysanthemum, The Name Jar, and Alma.  We talked about the meanings of names and we did a little research about names.  It was so interesting to me.  I truly love learning about names and I have to share a little bit about names from my family.

My first name is Margaret.  I was given this name in honor of my dad's mom who was the oldest daughter in her family just like me.  I have an Aunt Peggy (whose name was Margaret) and a grandmother named Margaret.  My dad's cousin was Margaret but we always called her Marge.  On my dad's side of the family it was a tradition to name the oldest daughter Margaret.  If you can imagine that, then you can picture how many Margaret's that would really be so many of the oldest daughter's went by nicknames or used their middle name.  I always loved my name and part of what made it special to me was that it was given to be my dad. 

My middle name is just as important - Katherine.  It is the same name as my mother's mother.  While I don't remember too many people calling her Katherine, my grandmother signed her name in a way that I idolized.  Most people called my grandma Kay.  The name went through generations in our family.  My cousin Kathy was named for my grandmother and I just knew I wanted my own daughter to share their beauty and grace and CONFIDENCE.   

Names are important.  As a teacher I always hope that I spell and pronounce my students' names correctly.   Because I was a teacher, I really struggled with deciding on my son's name.  When I first found out I was having a boy I thought I was going to name him Kyle because I would have "all" (hahah I only had 2) the kids' names begin with the same letter.  As it got closer and closer to my due date, I knew that Kyle just didn't seem like the right name.  We went with William instead.  It's a family name and held great meaning.  I often tease Will that his name is Kwill and that the k is silent like in knife....

 So much thought and planning goes into a name.  I have loved learning about names this week with the 5th graders and I hope you will take some time to talk with others you come in contact with about their name. 

Feeling Tired at the Same Time as Energized

Today I had the amazing opportunity of attending the Scholastic Reading Summit in Rosemont, IL (near Chicago).  It was everything I had hoped it would be!  I woke to a 3 am alarm and was out the door and headed to Illinois by 4 am.  The drive was uneventful for the most part....rain on and off but that was about it.

I parked easily in the parking garage and took a picture of where I was so that I would be able to find the little black beauty at the end of the day.  Would you believe that as I was snapping the pic of 1B, so was another person who I quickly learned was also a 5th grade teacher heading to the reading summit (Katie).  We immediately started talking and walking as we made our way to the convention center.  By the time we'd made it inside, registration was open.  Check in went smoothly and it was super exciting to get a heavy bag filled with all different books including Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (released 20 years ago!!!  YEP.   J.K. Rowling's world of wizardry entered the world of print the same year that I started teaching.) 

The convention center was buzzing but I knew that I wanted to be front and center to see it all so Katie and I found a table near the stage.  Moments later I was able to greet Donalyn Miller and snap a quick selfie with her before the breakfast session kicked off the day. 

The Breakfast Session featured Donalyn Miller and Mr. Schu along with Colby Sharp (whose birthday was today!).  They were sharing snippets and details from The Creativity Project.  Katie was able to get her copy of the book autographed.  

The energy and excitement for reading was A M A Z I N G!  Part of the excitement was because they were giving away some amazing new books but also because they were sharing pieces of The Creativity Project in a way that we could return to our classrooms and add pieces of it to our practices. 

During that short amount of time I had added 5 books to my wishlist:

The Way to Bea

Orphan Island (which I already have)

Me, Frida, and the Secret of the Peacock Ring

Drawn Together (which I got to read today---I'll be using it early in September)

The Itchy Book

There was a little time before the main morning session so I headed out to check out the book fair.  I was able to say hello to a teacher idol of mine:  Pernille Ripp.

  

The morning session keynote was Malcolm Mitchell.  While many know him for his career with the New England Patriots, his message was about the magical experience of reading.  

The realization that Malcolm Mitchell had that his success on the football field wasn't matching up with his success in the classroom pushed him to WORK on his reading.

My favorite thing he said today was, "In order for us to be the best person we can possibly be, to grow and succeed, we have to read."

Share the Magic.

Donalyn Miller returned to the stage and shared her family's first experiences with Harry Potter in 1998. 

--Good Can Conquer Evil

--Loyalty Matters

It's not just the magic in Harry Potter.  It's the messages --- how to be a better human.

Entertaining us next was the fashionable and motivational Byron Garrett.

His words were about being wired for success.  

Preparing Young People for a world that does not yet exist.

My takeaway quote from this compelling speaker was, "You nurture the creative spirit even when young people don't know they have it."

I would encourage you to check out his ABC book:

I had gleaned so much from the start of the day.  It was only 10:30 at this point!   I have so much more that I want to share and reflect on but for now I am headed to bed.  

A Time for Reflection

As the school year and the month of May end, I'm reflecting on some things---mostly running related ;-)

I am leaving this school year with 20 years of experience under my belt.  This school year has provided me with knowledge that I will definitely take with me into the fall.  My lessons in running often help me with my work as a teacher, too.  I learn that not every day can be a great day but I show up again and again.  I'll be back in the fall with new excitement and energy the same way that I return each morning for my runs.  With the school year over and wrapped up neatly, my attention will turn to my family, my personal goals, and my running adventures.

So far in my quest to run 2018 miles in 2018 I am not quite where I should be....

I am over 600 miles and I'm averaging about 125 miles per month.  I am hoping that I can boost miles over the summer.  Goal for June --200 miles.

My favorite run happened near the end of May (May 30).  It was a HER Madison training run.  If you are interested in a June race, register for HER and use coupon code MARGARET for a discount.  Have you seen all the great things that are planned for the weekend experience?  Check it out HERE

It was a hope of mine that I could run a sub 2 half at the HER event.  It's going to take some serious work on my miles and my food plan to make it happen but I am putting it out there and pushing for it.

I've finished up my work at school and closed out the 2017-2018 school year.  Great things will be happening in the fall including a grade change for me.  I'm moving up to 5th grade....  In the meantime when you have a few minutes (or 42), please watch my little video memory book from the year:

Running Through 4th Grade 2017-2018 Video

And now let the streaking begin!  I'm joining up with Pink Cupcake Girl for a month of streaking.  #streakingwiththecoolkids

Wrapping Up Another Great Week

So many wonderful things have been happening.  Please check out this week's newsletter to stay up to date!

1/3 of the way through 2018

It's the 3rd day of May and I cannot believe it.  Today I had to write the date in numerical form and it just seemed surreal to write 5/3/18.  The year is flying by at a speed that I just cannot keep up with.

Let's do a quick recap of how things are going with some of my goals, shall we?

With 3 half marathons in April and the running miles I was able to end the first third of the year with 500 miles.   I'm happy with that number and confident that I can up my mileage game in the months to come. 

I ran 3 half marathons this month:
Parkinson's Half (April 7)
Naperville Women's Half (April 22)
St. Jude Rock n Roll Nashville (April 28)

My St. Jude Nashville race was my biggie.  It was my fundraising debut.

I am pleased with how it went and hope to run as a St. Jude Hero again next year for the DC race.

I have tons of pictures from the event but will just share a few of my favorites.

 It was great to get away for a couple of days of running and fun but now I'm ready to finish the school year strong.  With just 20 school days to go, we are working hard and having tons of fun!

Tomorrow is tree planting day at Baus Park!

Wrapping up the Week

Here is the newsletter that will be in folders on Friday.

This week's Newsletter

You can read it HERE!

Online versions of the newsletter

Did you know that you can view our classroom newsletter online ANY TIME?

Click HERE for this week's news.

Conference Schedule

Please see our conference schedule to check your time HERE

We are 1/4 of the way through 2018!!!

March Wrap Up/ April Planning

This is my, "How can March be over?" face.  

This is my, "YAY, It's APRIL!" face.

Can you believe that?  1/4 of 2018 is DONE!

Let's check in on those goals, shall we?  Mileage check--
March running miles - 160  (most in a month so far this year...)
Miles Year to Date - 376   (averaging about 4.15 miles per day)

March was a big fail with the ab workouts...Back at it in April.  In fact, we've already done 8 Minute Abs today!  I got outside for many of my runs but it seemed like the double digit runs were always on the treadmill.  This crazy Wisconsin weather has not been ideal for anything outside (IMO).

March had a fun 5k on St. Patrick's Day but April has 3 half marathons!!!   It could become challenging but I am super excited to see what will happen.

April 7 - Parkinson's Half in Cottage Grove
April 22 - Naperville Women's Half
and my BIG RACE of the month
***  April 28 - St. Jude Rock n Roll Nashiville Half Marathon  ***

I'm super excited to be running in Nashville as a St. Jude Hero.  You can help me with my fundraising efforts, if you'd like, by donating HERE!

As I was planning out the month ahead I realized that each of my races this month are in a different state!   That's pretty exciting to me!  Stay tuned for how things go.

FORWARD testing is complete in our classroom.  #sothankful

In the meantime I am also looking forward to welcoming our student teacher on Tuesday and talking to families at conferences on Thursday and Friday!

It's birthday week for these 2 kiddos---14 and 12....where has the time gone?

Last thing---If you are interested in signing up for HER Madison 5k of Half, (June 22 - 24), use coupon code MARGARET for a discounted rate.  The discount is BIG through the end of April 1 (15% off).  It goes back to $5 off tomorrow.  Sign up TODAY!

Halfway Finished with FORWARD!

We've had a busy week and it feels good to know that we only have 4 more days of FORWARD testing.  We've been writing poems, learning about agriculture, and mastering fractions during the non-testing parts of our school day.

Check out the NEWSLETTER Here!

Wrapping up the Week

As you may know if you follow our blog, I set a couple of big running goals this year.  One is to run 2018 miles.  A second one is to train, fundraise, and run as a St. Jude Hero in Nashville. The other is to PR at the half marathon distance (which means beating a 1:51).

Since January 1, I have run over 290 miles.  It was time to get some new shoes for all the miles so I asked the kids to help me decide on a pair.  We voted on Wednesday morning and my new shoes should be at my doorstep when I arrive home tonight!

The race is also on for FORWARD testing.  We start Monday and finish on March 29.

Check out all the details of what's been happening by reading our NEWSLETTER!

Marching In....Lion or Lamb?

It's a week into March...We are currently on spring break but I wanted to make sure you could access the newsletter from Friday, March 2.

I'll check in again soon!

HERE is the newsletter.

February 16 - Weekly wrap up and Newsletter Link

It was a wonderful week in 4th grade.  We enjoyed our Valentines celebration along with Fabulous Friday time with Mrs. Whitford.   Check out the Newsletter HERE!

Run Report for February 4

When you want things to get better you have to make a change.  I'm working hard on that.  I am using the fellow flowers "Get Gutsy" saying to help me make the changes to make things better.  I'm definitely going gutsy!

 With my running I am focusing on the 13.1 distance (which I always do).  This year is about setting a personal record.  No more finish lines with energy left in the tank.  I need one of my 7 finishes to be under 1:51 and I am hoping for at least 3 of them to be sub 2 hours.  It's doable.  Training and smart fueling is all that needs to happen.

I was lucky enough to celebrate Declare it Day with these fabulous ladies in Madison on Saturday.  We all have big goals and a great support system to make the goals a reality!

 We started out our goal setting with some fun, snowy, social miles.  I loved running and chatting with strong and determined friends.

 Sundays have bee

When I say that I am going to be BRAVE and listen to my heart.  I mean it.  It has been one stressful month and the final week of January was the WORST yet.  I'm tired and yet I can't sleep at night.  These runs and this goal are about getting back to the healthiest me for my family.

I'm so excited to train for the HER Madison half in June.  It's been giving me something to look forward to on these stress-filled days.   If you are interested in running the half or 5k in June (June 22 -24), please use coupon code MARGARET for a discounted rate.

I am so thankful for the awesome organization and leadership that Steena and Melissa put into Saturday's DID event.  It was just what I needed to remind myself that I CAN do big things.

The best part about spending Declare it Day in Madison was catching up with these awesome friends. 

Love the team of Wildflowers that I get to be a part of this year, too

Mile check in - 110/ 2018---getting there 1 mile at a time.
Putting in 100 pushups a day, too.
8 minute abs workout a few days a week.

I'll be running as a St. Jude Hero at the end of April.  Learn more about that HERE.