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Mr. Andy's 'Stache for Cash!

10/28/2014

Hello Family, Friends, Colleagues, Parents, and Others!

I MUSTACHE you for a favor....

It is with mixed emotions that I post this post. For the next four weeks, starting November 5th, I will be subjecting myself to public humiliation and private doubt by growing what will no-doubt be a ridiculous looking Mustache.

In order to justify this endeavor I need your support. I am asking you to sponsor my 'stache by sharing this information and/or making a contribution of any amount to DonorsChoose.org, on my giving page which features projects from the teachers of our wonderful school.

To support a classroom (and my upper lip), visit my Giving Page at http://www.donorschoose.org/mrandy . Thank you for your support of this 'stache-ly endeavor. Below is the flyer that will be around...Grab one and pass it all around town!

May My 'Stache Be Ever in Your Favor!

Mr. Andy

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Day at the Museum

10/27/2014

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This past Saturday, I had the pleasure of visiting the American museum of natural history. I spent the day with the lovely Annie. Our original plan for the weekend was to visit a haunted house. The plan was foiled when we realized that it was very far out of the way in Brooklyn.

Therefore we met up and decided where to spend our day. One of the perks of being a pre-k teacher is the ability to sign up for the cool culture pass. The cool culture pass allows the pass-holder and up to four other family or friends to get entrance into many participating New York City museums, zoos, and botanical gardens for free.

We've utilized the pass many times before. We visited the Brooklyn botanical garden, the Brooklyn Museum, the Brooklyn children's museum, the Museum of modern Art, the Guggenheim, the Queens botanical, and the MoCA. The Museum of Natural History was in the works of places to visit but we never got around to it. So we decided to visit it on Saturday.

Getting to the museum was quite the trek. Since the 7 train wasn't properly, we had to take three trains to get to our destination. When we arrived it was already noon. We decided to have lunch at Shake shack first.

The line to enter the restaurant was out the door. It looked as if the restaurant was selling the newest iPhone on launch day. We took our order to go and enjoyed our delicious burgers and fries at the park across the street.

As we were eating, I was in the state of euphoria consuming my smoke shack. The cherry peppers gives it such a wonderful taste. My euphoric trance was snapped when a little sparrow came chirping by. They must've known what he was doing and has had many pay offs before as it was begging for food. I was told by Annie not to give it anything. But the comfort food made me a generous person. I threw him a couple of fires. The greedy feathered fellow kept coming back for more.

Annie warned me that if I gave him something, he'd tell his friends and more would come. My theory was that he wouldn't tell me anyone, and that he'd keep the french fry goldmine to himself. I worry about my little winged friend. I hope he doesn't eat too many fries. An obese birdy would be a funny but sad sight.

Shake Shack!

Random Sparrow

After lunch, we entered the museum. I can't remember the last time I was at the museum of natural history, but the memories made this time will surely stick around. We waited on the very long line to get our cool culture passed tickets. We decided to enter the exhibit dedicated to our people, the Asian peoples.

One interesting section was called the Jews of Asia. Now I wasn't aware that there were any people of Jewish descent in Asia and neither did the museum since the exhibit was just a big blank wall.

These are my people!

Where are they?

The Pick

Where are his eyes?

The Georgians were the original Jedis!

We visited the different continent sections, viewing its people and wildlife. We would eventually go to the museum's main draw, the prehistoric. Like a child amazed by its sight, I was stunned by the dinosaurs. I am fascinated by the fact that these gigantic creatures once inhabited the earth.

The entire time I was in the dinosaur exhibit, I couldn't help but think about one of my students and his fascination with dinosaurs. His constant talk about T-Rex and other dinosaurs may seem obsessive, but it has really captured his interest. So, I visited the souvenir shop to pick up some dinosaur claws to share with my class.

Lovely place for a selfie....

WHAT'S THAT BEHIND US!?

I found my prehistoric ancestor...we have the same look!

Eventually, I would like to bring in more for my students to learn about and explore these fantastic creatures that once roamed the land.

Be on the look out for a donorschoose.org project requesting books and dinosaur related materials in the future!

It was a beautiful and inspirational day to visit the Museum of Natural History!

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What if I hadn't? Part 1

10/23/2014

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It's amazing how everyday decisions can make such a huge impact later on in life. You may not think about it, but the simple things you do now, may be a build up to something greater later on in life.

Think about something or someone you have that you're grateful for. Your actions in the past would eventually lead up to this moment. Like the theory of the butterfly effect. How different would your life be now if you decided against trying something new, if didn't work up the motivation to put yourself out there, or if you didn't make that trip to Target?

There are three simple life changing events that has defined my adult life. I will go into greater detail about them in chronological order.

Lillian and I at P.S. 20Q as student teachers

When I was at Queens College during my undergraduate studies to become a teacher, I was a very reserved student. I didn't make many friends during my freshman and sophomore year. The only person I socialized with was my middle school pal, Lillian Chung. Lillian and I took many general education courses together. When we entered the education program, that changed. We were put in different cohorts. This meant we would not cross paths during the rest of the program, course wise.

The fab four of QC

During the fall semester of my junior year, I remained reserved in my own bubble. It wasn't that my classmates were boring, I just never worked up the courage to make conversation with any of them. This was probably due to the age gap between us since many were much older or simply the fact that I was just socially awkward. During the spring semester, The lion received his courage from the Wizard of Oz.

On the first day of science class, I bee-lined straight to the back table where three pretty ladies claimed their throne. Since I was one of two males in the whole program, no matter where I sat, I would be outnumbered, gender wise.

The three girls were Daniela, Rita, and, Rosalia. It was one of the best and wisest decision I've ever made.Two out of three would go on to become great friends and colleagues. (Friends first over colleagues). I've made that hierarchy mistake once and they haven't let me forget it.

Believe it or not I am quite shy around those those I do not know. As soon as we started conversing, I became more comfortable around them. More of my personality would come out first. Bonding over the same sense of humor and having the same mean girl view of others, we clicked instantly. Let the shenanigans begin! Playing paper football as our professor's back was turned or making up fake discoverer of clouds during a science presentation were just a few of many silly things our group was known for

At the CAPA holiday party

We would spend the rest of our undergraduate career together. After graduating, we would work in the same after school (CAPA) together.

During this time the three of us, Daniela, Rita, and I would decide to embark on the journey of obtaining our masters degree in TESOL together. Over the course of obtaining our masters, we would begin getting our foot in the door at TALES as substitute teachers.

We kept each other sane on the long days where we would sub in the morning, work after school to the evening, and then take courses into the late night. The long 8 AM to 9 PM days were tough, but we pushed each other through it.

The hard work would eventually pay off as we are now working together as full-time teachers in a great school. All of which would never have happened if I didn't worked up the courage and sat down with them that day in spring '08.

The shenanigans would continue...

in a different place, and a new face!

Honorable mention: Hi J-Nav!

To be continued...

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Enter the Puppets of 108

10/21/2014

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After getting inspired by a certain off-Broadway show starring puppets, I have brought in many puppets through my own obsessive purchases as well as via DonorsChoose.org. During my first year of teaching, there was huge interest in monsters, therefore many of our puppets are fantastical creatures. Last year, we acquired enough puppets to make its own centers on our rug. Children are invited to select puppet center and use the puppets to put on a puppet show and interact with other pre-k puppeteers.

Last week, we introduced the puppets to this year's group of students. Puppets are great for language learning. For those who are self-conscious about making language errors, puppets can be used as a medium to practice language.

Before allowing the children to get their hands on the puppets, we went over a few rules about them and created a circle map.

Welcome Franklin!

More of the Puppet Gang

Puppet Circle Map

A closer look!

Every child was able to experience playing with the puppets during whole group time. I always like to encourage kids to use their imagination. Whether it's a new name, funny voice, or a crazy back story, the use of imagination when playing with puppets are endless. I started with an example of one of my puppets.

This is Groff. Not to be confused with Mr. Groff, our school principal. He is my first puppet I purchased shortly after watching Avenue. The back story for introducing Groff to my first year students was that he was a poor listener in Kate Monster's Monstersori school. One day, he was running in the hallway in his school (how dare he!) and he slipped, fell, and bumped his head. He forgot all he learned in school and was eventually expelled from the school for misconduct. He had to come to our Pre-K class to relearn all the basics he'd forgot because of his head trauma. Routines, schedule, calendar, manners, etc. Our students helped Groff get back to school shape. After getting comfortable, he began to invite more of his family and friends to our classroom. Our students were very welcoming of Groff and his unique characteristics.

After having a few laughs and clearing up any confusions, or kids were given puppets. There are enough puppets for every child to play with. They were given the opportunity to walk around and engage with other puppets and puppeteers.

J.W. with Groff Jr.

T.P. and this monster coordinated on matching clothes today!

J.D. and S.C. with their monsters

J.L. and his orange friend

A.H. and Bleuper

At the puppet center with Ms. Joanne

This was only one day with the puppets. I'm looking forward to seeing what else comes from the mind of our children as they grow to know and use the puppets more.

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Minter Pinter in the House!

10/20/2014

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Changes are a part of life, but when it occurs on an unnecessary and frequent basis, it can negatively impact those involved. Our school has gone through a lot of security changes. We've seem to finally settled with a permanent security agent. Since pre-k is on the first floor, I've had the opportunity to get to know our security agent, Diane Minter. We've become very close friends at P.S. 244Q.

Every morning, when I walk into TALES, agent Minter would shout "ANDY PANDY IN THE HOUSE!" It is a great way to start my day. Agent Minter and Mr. Andy are partners. We got each other's back.

Agent Minter has taught me that School Safety Agents are not guards and it's rather offensive to call them guards. I've conditioned myself to always refer to her as agent. Mr. Andy, too, is attempting to obtain the Agent title. I am going the route of apprenticeship with Agent Minter as my mentor.Whatever trouble may loom at the entrance of TALES, I know my students and I are safe with Agent Minter patrolling the front. And if she ever runs into trouble, she knows I got her back. Not only are we friends…we're partners.

Minter Pinter and Andy Pandy

Agent Minter was also the first to donate and become the first person to enter the 2014-2015 Wall of Donors. It really got the ball rolling on donations.

Agent Minter, 1st Donor to the 2014-2015 Wall of Donors

"Minter is Coming." - Ned Stark

Agent Drops D. Beat Minter also did vocals on my hit YouTube music video, Coming to a House Near You. Check it out below! If anyone would like to add some sick beats to it, please feel free!

Our friendship has sparked a great idea. Agent Minter and Mr. Andy can star in the new Rush Hour 4 movie! Agent Minter will take on the role of Jackie Chan's character because of her abilities and training to take down trouble makers. Mr. Andy will tackle the Chris Tucker role as the big mouth talker of the duo.

I know, I know. Our ethnicities do not match and the roles should be reversed. But I thought of a brilliant back story where Agent Minter received her training when she was stationed in China. (If the Karate Kid reboot can do it, so can we!) Mr. Andy's back story would be my immigrant family migrating to the US but settling in the Hood.

Be sure to look out for and support the KickStarter Campaign to bring Rush Hour 4, starring Agent Minter and Mr. Andy, to life!

The Best Agent Who Never Fails Meets the Biggest Mouth at TALES!

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Star Wars: Revan Returns Saga Continues.....

10/19/2014

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Sunday was a beautiful day. It was as if we were meant to bring Darth Revan and Darth Nihilus back to the Jacob Javitz Center. My brother came over early to resume the role of the Lord of Hunger and I would once again become Savior, conqueror, hero, villain, Darth Revan.

On this day, our Comic Con party would be larger than the previous day. With Andy as Darth Revan, Felix as Darth Nihilus, Kevin as a Jedi, Esther as the suicidal cover person of Borderlands, and Annie as Darth Vader Flower Fan Girl, we were ready to tackle the final day of New York Comic Con. We planned to meet at the convention at 10:30.

Annie met up with the Dark Lords and the trio departed for the LIRR. With the weirdoes of Flushing giving us stares, and the trio not giving any cares, we arrived at the station waited for our train. Our awesomeness caught the attention of a little girl who was intrigued by our attire. Afraid at first, she hid behind her parents, peaking to get a look. We waved at her and curiosity overcame her fear. She came closer to get a better look. We suggested to her parents to take a picture with the two Sith Lords and Nihilus allowed her to hold his lightsaber. The galaxy's most deadly weapon in the hands of a little toddler. What could go wrong?

After pictures, we gave the girl a high five and made her day. Before our train arrived, the little girl came back to me and said "I want a hug."

The old KOTOR Dark Side, Light Side selection came up.

1) Rudely Reject Her Hug Request (Dark Side Points)
2) Hug her (Light Side Points)

Darth Revan and Lady Annie

Darth Nihilus grows impatient waiting for the LIRR

Choice 2 was selected. Darth Revan has a heart after all. The train arrived (7 minutes late) and our trek to the NYCC began.

Dark Lords ready for battle.

As we got there, we waited for the members of our party. I put on my mask and the request for pictures began. We met up with Esther and Kevin at the Jacob Javitz Center. As soon as my brother put on his mask, we exchanged niceties, took pictures and went into the Con. It wasn't long until we were requested to take pictures. Just as expected, it was very difficult to move around without getting stopped. The attention was totally worth it.

TALES' Finest!

2 Sith and a Jedi walk into a building...

AnE

We enjoyed the moment as much as we could, posing for pictures and also requesting as well. At one point, we walked by a Star Wars poster. We stopped and posed for pictures. We didn't move for a solid 15 minutes. As people saw the opportunity for an awesome picture, they couldn't resist. By the time we got out of the Star Wars picture black hole, we would decide to make our way to the Artist Alley section.

Sailor Moon meets Star Wars

The light at the end of the Dark Side

Two Dark Lords vs. Two Jedi Scum

Esther meets Author, Timothy Young

At the very end of the dark side spectrum....

You'll find something even Sith Lords are afraid of...Annabelle

Do you want to build a snow man?

Last year's photo....

Recreated!

At Artist Alley, Annie found a picture of Korean Jesus she had to purchase. We decided to check out this section interruption free (we took off our masks). The masks came back on as soon as another Jedi cosplayer walked by. This Jedi looked like Old Obi-Wan Kenobi and we needed to get a group picture.

Annie and K-Jesus

Obi-Wan about to become one with the force if he doesn't turn on his light saber!

It was about time to get lunch. We were all starving and our feet needed a break from the walking. We decided to patron Café Bistro. Before leaving the convention center, we met up with two other friends, Tina and Elijah, cosplaying as Tifa Lockhart and Cloud Strife. The Final Fantasy Universe clashed with the Star Wars Universe as Darth Revan struck first at Cloud, only to be deflected by Master Kevin Kenobi.

Cloud and Tifa

Apparently our picture party capacity is 6.

You can cut the tension with a light saber!

After refueling and resting, we journeyed back to the Javitz Center! We agreed to spend some time posing for pictures and the other half enjoying the final day of #NYCC. We passed by a booth that was promoting some music. They artist and producers were huge Star Wars fans and even wrote a song about Star Wars. They called us over for pictures and asked us to be in their music video!

Who wouldn't want three wicked Sith to be in their music video.

Battle of the Purple Sabers! Windu vs. Revan

I've been waiting for you, Obi-Wan....

These are not the Force Users you are looking for!

We decided to make one final loop around the convention before heading to the lobby and eventually end the day. There were great cosplayers all around. Before exiting, we were approached by the Dark Knight himself, Batman, for a light saber picture pose.

Dark Lord vs. Dark Knight

The galaxy's most dangerous warriors all in one place!

Right before the escalator exit to the lobby, I was approached by a mother who wanted me to light saber battle her young Jedi son. I agreed and the two of us had an epic battle...to which I sadly admit defeat. :(

The force is strong with this one...

The lobby was probably the best place to enjoy it all. Next year, I think it's best to split spending time enjoying the convention and posing for pictures. The lobby is probably the best place to stay to get recognized and appreciated for your cosplay work.

Before finally leaving, we took some final pictures and found a selfie kiosk. I took two pictures. Each with the people I came with. My brother Felix, and my gal pal, Annie. We said our farewells to Kevin and Esther as they would go separate ways.

Annie showing off her Dark Side Dress

<3 :)

Mankind playing us out with a "HAVE A NICE DAY!" What does it mean to play us out?! To end the show?

Epilogue

Getting to Comic Con was very convenient. Unfortunately, getting home wasn't as simple. The LIRR going back to Flushing wasn't running properly. We had to settle with taking the E Train. As we waited for the E, we met up with Esther and Kevin again. We waited and waited...but the E never came. Neither of us noticed the notice telling us that the E wasn't running. We had to take the train the other direction and take the F from another station.

Seeing people dressed up wasn't an uncommon sight. As we took the F to Bryant Park, we transferred to the 7 train to Flushing. It was on the 7 where the number of cosplayers drastically decreased. I decided to have fun with it by having a segment called Revan on the Seven!

Ebon Hawk broke down. Had to take the 7 Hawk!

Revan takes the Seven!

Glares, stares, and gossip shares were exchanged to and about Revan on the Seven, but I decided to spare their petty lives. After arriving at our destination, we made a pit stop to Starbucks because even Dark Lords enjoy a delicious frappe.

I ordered my Venti Vanilla Bean Frappuccino with Raspberry Syrup in full costume, and waited patiently to be served. The barista asked for my name and I gave it to him..."Darth Revan."

Patiently Waiting...

They finally spelt my name right!

Yummy!

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The Mo We Read, The Mo We Know!

10/14/2014

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Today we added another map to Willems’ Wall. Pre-K 108 has been reading a lot of Mo Willems books. These awesome books has been the topic of many discussions ranging from the characters in each book, describing specific characters, and comparing them to one another.

Today’s tree map brought the attention to the students and which Mo Willems’ book is their favorite. All of the books are great, but we all have our own preference and using the Tree map is a great way to survey our class. After completing the Tree map, it can be used to ask question about the information we can obtain from the map.

Before tackling map, we read The Pigeon Wants a Puppy. I introduced the plush of each of the main character to spark more interest. Each child had a passport-sized picture they will eventually post under their favorite book.

The Pigeon Wants a Puppy! Read Aloud

Introduction of the Our Favorite Mo Books Tree Map

When we got to W.L., he was hesitant to share his preference. I went through each series and asked if it was his favorite. His hesitation was due to the fact that the Pigeon section ran out of space to cast his vote. We solved this by simply adding more paper to make room.

When the map was completed. I asked the following questions.

How many children liked The Pigeon Books?
How many children liked Elephant and Piggie Books?
How many children liked Leonardo the Terrible Monster
How many children liked Knuffle Bunny?
How many children liked Cat the Cat?
Which book do children like the most?
What book does (student) like best?

This is a great way to introduce the concept of surveys and favorites to our students in an understandable way.

T.C. posts her picture under her favorite series

A.H. reveals her favorite series...Elephant and Piggie!

S.C. shows us she likes Cat the Cat the best

Our upset friend decides to take a break from crying to contribute to our map!

While we were on the topic of Mo Willems, in our art center, we created paper Pigeons.

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Mr. An...err..Darth Revan Returns to NYCC!

10/13/2014

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This weekend was an exciting one for Mr. Andy! Every year, the Jacob Javitz Center hosts New York Comic Con. This is my 4th year attending and it gets better and better every year. A few months back, NYCC tickets went on sale on a school day. Apparently, as soon as the website launched, the Saturday tickets sold out immediately. When I got home, I purchased three Sunday passes for myself, my brother, and Annie.

Last year's Sith Lords shot

Darth Revan and his apprentice waiting for the LIRR

As the October 12th weekend approached, my anticipation and excitement grew bigger and bigger. I've only started to cosplay during Comic Con last year. My brother and I dressed as two Sith Lords from the Old Republic. Myself being Darth Revan and my brother assumed the role of the Lord of Hunger, Darth Nihilus. The two dark lords wear unique face masks that obstruct vision. It's a very difficult costume to pull off, but it was worth the attention.

Darth Revan

Darth Nihilus

Thursday and Friday kicked off the first two days of the nerd gathering. There was no way I was going to make it to the convention on those days. I had gotten spoiled the previous years, receiving Exhibitor passes from friends and other connections. This year would be the year I legitimately purchase tickets. I received a text from my brother on Friday saying that he was able to score some passes for Saturday! I was so excited. I had only planned to cosplay on Sunday. With the news of spending two days at the Javitz center, we decided we'd bust out the costumes early.

When Saturday came, my brother came over early in the morning to prepare. We dressed and began to head out. We met up with my friend, Fahad, to take the train together. It was drizzling that morning but the forecast showed clear skies by the afternoon. We received a lot of confused stares from the people of Flushing who did not know about Comic Con. Those who knew smiled and nodded. To make the commute convenient, we took the LIRR to Penn Station and walked 4 long blocks to our destination. The rain on Saturday morning wasn't going to rain on our cosplay parade. The costumes actually helped us remain dry throughout the walk. We met up with two other friends but they departed for the convention since we still had to wait for our tickets.

The purchased pass on the left and the last minute Saturday pass on the right

We picked up the tickets at the convention from our contact there. As soon as we got in, we put on our masks to complete the return of Darth Revan and Darth Nihilus. Since we were was only two of us, many pictures were taken of us, but unfortunately, not by us to have. We had a blast regardless. We met a Jedi cosplayer who drew more attention to us as we conducted action poses. By the end of the day, we were both very tired but still very excited about Sunday. We took off our masks to avoid being asked for pictures. We love the attention but it was very hard to enjoy the booths if we're being stopped every minute.

As we stopped to enjoy the moment, we walked around to observe and appreciate some creative and cool cosplaying. I bumped into a person who looked like WWE wrestler, Daniel Bryan. The person simply looked like Daniel. His appearance was not intentional. Being fans of wrestling, my brother and I had a good laugh at the coincidence. Before concluding the day, we went to the different booths to purchase a Bobafett statue. We looked for our ticket contact person from Marvel to return the pass and end the day.

Below are the pictures of the first day we went (Saturday). Another post will be made detailing the events of Sunday, where we went as a group with Ms. Esther, Kevin, Annie, my brother and me.

Light Side vs. Dark Side!

A.Y. and D-Bry!

Mr. Andy with the Macho Man!

Pikachu!

Elsa, Anna, and Mr. Andy

Megawoman!

One of the most awesome feelings about cosplaying is checking out who posted pictures. As I browsed Facebook on Monday, I came across a professional picture of me! It was taken by CS Muncy on Saturday! He did some wonderful editing to make the shot look really professional! Check it out below!

Credits to C.S. Muncy for this awesome picture!

Sneak peak of the Sunday post

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Thinking About Mo Books

10/7/2014

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Do you remember the first book you read that made you an avid reader? First impressions are very important. I want to create a great first impression of literature for my students so they are able to appreciate and love quality books with the ultimate goal of turning them into life long readers.

Our students love listening to books during read aloud time. They are particularly fond of one author, Mo Willems. His books contain many memorable and unique characters.

Dr. Seuss, Eric Carle, Kevin Henkes, and Maurice Sendak are classic authors of children's literature. Their books are present in every early childhood classroom. Mo Willems is an author, who, I truly believe, creates wonderful books that needs to be in every classroom.

Mo Willpower for Mo Willems Books!

Our kids are able to recognize the books he writes. I believe this is significant for our children since they are able to identify their favorite books by their favorite author. Together, we’ve read the Knuffle Bunny Trilogy, told the Pigeon “NO” on several occasions, listen to countless number of Elephant and Piggie books, and started learning about different animals thanks to Cat the Cat.

The point is, the kids love Mo Willems and his work, so it wasn’t surprising that we’d create a whole bulletin board full of art projects and thinking maps based on his work over the course of two weeks. Thinking Maps are a set of maps that supplement learning. As your child moves up in grade at our school, they will become more fluent in reading maps and creating them. We introduce it in pre-k and many students are able to identify them as they are created.

Our first map was the Bubble map of the Pigeon. The bubble map is used to describe a topic. It is difficult for our students to stick with one word adjectives, therefore, as they gave their input about the Pigeon, I looked for an adjective that fit what they said, gave an example of the Pigeon's actions, and introduced that vocabulary to them.

The Pigeon Bubble Map

The next map we tackled was the Double Bubble Map. This map is used to compare two things. Since Elephant and Piggie are characters in the same book, it’s only natural that we would compare the similarities and differences of the two best friends. Our students had a lot to say about Elephant and Piggie and gave a lot of details about how different the two friends are and their similarities.

Double Bubble Map featuring Gerald and Piggie

The last map we introduced for now is the Tree Map. The tree map is used to sort and categorized items. Since we’ve read a lot of Mo Willems books and was introduced to many memorable characters, we created a tree map to sort the different characters to the books they belong in. This map was a whole group effort that allowed students to contribute to the drawing of the characters. Students were allowed to contribute to the map during play centers. As they were in centers, I would call students who did not participate during our whole group time so they can make a contribution in a smaller setting. The outcome was very successful.

Willems Tree

These maps, along with art work created during centers, make up our WILLEMS’ WALL bulletin board in our classroom. The collection of work not only shows appreciation for our favorite author, but it is also a way to reflect and think on a deeper level about the books we read in our classroom. There are more maps to be made and if you’d like to learn more about these maps to give additional support to your child at home, please visit Tuesdays after school hours for our parent engagement time. I am more than happy to discuss how you can implement these maps at home with your child.

I have also put our a lending library to assist with homework reading logs. Please feel free to borrow any books, but be sure to fill out the check out paper and return them when you are done. More books will be added.