Lucky for Us, There Are Dads

"This is my beautiful little girl."

"My dad worked really hard to be the 

best father he could be.  I miss him so."  

"My dad is the boss, a great one too."   

"We cannot say enough good things
about him, and I feel so thankful. 
I love you very much daddy!"  

"My dad is fair and he
makes us feel safe all the time." 

"My dad sacrificed much to

support his kids.  We always

wanted to make him proud of us."

"My husband is a new father

and I love hearing him
sing our son to sleep!"

"Tough and tender at the same
time is how I describe my father."



"Going to the father-daughter
dance together was  wonderful!"

"He's gone now and in a better 
place, my father.  I'll miss him forever
but his gifts are mine every day."



"You asked about my father?
He's is one-of-a-kind.
Yes, the very the best kind!"  



Lazy day watching TV with dad...... 
"She's knows who Dora is but
does not show much interest yet. 
She's really into Elmo."

  

Papa gets an early Fathers Day
present from his best little buddy, Leo!

What Makes a Mother Special?

"What makes a mother special?  She's

there when you need a smile.  When my

mother is near her smile is like gold,

shining brighter than the sun."  ~Sydni 

 
 

 "A good mother would make cookies. 
She'd take her family all around the country 

so they could see all kinds of things."  ~Ethan
 

 "What makes my mom great is that she
loves me so, so much.  So much, to the moon and
back!  She cooks for us, she cares for me.  She buys
me clothes.  Oh my mom is very special!   ~Aubrey

 "Moms are special.  Our mom takes us out
to eat sometimes.  What is great is that she does
things with me all the time!  My mom lets us 

go camping.  She is really wonderful to me."  ~Steven

 "My mom makes me feel safe and special. 
She feeds me.  The best thing is that my mom
always tries to help me with problems."  ~Kahlia

"What makes mothers special?  My mother

treats me like I am her number one son.
  I love it that she does that.  ~Roman

"Our mom helps us and comforts us."  ~Aaron

"What makes a mother someone special?  

A good mother is always there when we need them.

They make you food and somewhere to live.
Mothers will take you to the
doctor when you don't feel well."  ~Trace

 "I am so thankful for my mother!
She feeds me and puts a roof over my head.
My mother would do anything for me!  ~Lane

 

  
"My mother is special, yes she's just
great!  She protects me and loves me.  
I love her but she loves me back even more.
My mother is perfect."   ~Cara
 

 

"My mother makes me feel special because
she helps me with my homework.  My mom
is the best mom you could ever have.  She
listens to what I have to say.  She's very nice and
best of all she loves me and our family more
than anything in the world!"    ~Damon      

Friends are Like an Umbrella

Friends are like an umbrella.
Some are colorful, and they
protect us when things are stormy.

The Ducks Just Love This

"I helped mom make breakfast
for men at levee camp."  ~Ella

"Good, we're having baseball practice!"  ~Eli

"Opening day of our season is Saturday.
It can't rain then, can it?"   ~Brycen

 

 "Look at my pretty new rain boots!"  ~Hailey

  

"The grass is so green and
             it is full of worms for the robins!"  ~Tanner

 "Well the weather is perfect if you like

to swim.  The ducks just love this."  ~Ryan

"Hooray, it's my birthday
      and the sun came out!"  ~Caleb

An Apple A Day.........

We can spot bullying but Tuesday was different.

  
Today our class sat in a circle, passing around an apple.  Each of us was given the chance to hold the fruit and tell about a time when we remembered being picked on by another person.  We described to our classmates how that felt.  When each speaker was done talking, they stood up and with his or her arms raised---and dropped that apple onto the floor.  

What happened was a surprise. 
After each of us spoke we noticed how the skin on our apple changed.
  It looked like "tears" were coming out of the fruit. 

 

 Next our teacher Mrs. Wells took and cut the fruit in half . 
This is what we saw and this is what we decided.

Being "picked on" by others may not change how you look on the outside a whole lot. 
But our third grade class agreed today that being treated poorly does harm.
It's treatment that bruises you.   

We Love Our Dogs

"My dog is better than anything.  Besides, he likes to eat oranges."  ~Justice
"We have too many dogs but mom says she can't say no to a cute face."  ~Aaron
"When we lost our dog I cried for days."  ~Annie
"My dad had all the dog tags from his pets in a jewellery box."  ~William
"Our dog gives sloppy kisses."  ~Alexis
"Moving and giving up my dog was hard."  ~Chaelon
"Best friends, that's what dogs they are."  ~Austin
"Our dog was a good mother to all her puppies."  ~Jared
Our boxer barks real loud.  Dad says he is a great guard dog!"  ~Jeremy

Our Friend, Making a Difference

We appreciate officer Seitzinger who visits school, makes time
to answer questions, and helps keep Parkside safe for everyone. 

Direct and to the Point

Ask our students to describe our wintry weather and they'll tell you like it is:

     "Oh it's freezing out there."
     "I can't feel my face."
     "Cold, cold, cold."
     "Do we have to go out for recess?"
     "Numb, my body is numb!"
     "Tell Mr. Baum to turn up the furnace."
     "Ahh, I lost my glove!"
     "Had to wear long underwear today...."
     "The temperature feels like the North Pole."
     "Water in my dog's bowl is an ice cube."

Dance, Dance, Dance!

What do you get when you have a school-wide P.B.I.S. celebration?

"Whew, I got so hot in the gym following the steps.  But it was fun!"  ~Jade
"Cool music and balloons everywhere."  ~Grayson
"I needed that bottle of water after all the moving around."  ~Henry
"When are we going to do this again?"  ~Lexi
"I wore something special for today.  How do I look?"  ~Cindel
"We had lots of helpers teaching us the steps."  ~Rachel
"Just one surprise after another."  ~Dawson

MLK

Learning about Dr. Martin Luther King yields thoughtful conversations.

"It was unfair to have blacks
have to give up seats on a bus or ride in the back."  ~Joseph

"In his day there were two kinds of schools. 
The ones for white kids were clean, had better books, and were nicer. 
African American kids were not as lucky.  That was really wrong."  ~Matthew

"He was a minister but traveled around, making speeches.
 Lots of people both black and white agreed with Martin Luther King.  ~Abigail

"His children lost a dad when he was shot."  ~Cody

"Why would someone kill him?  That's not right.  ~Xavier

"Some white people agreed with him and some did not.  It's the same today."  ~Diego



Back in School

How was your break?

"Great!  It's cold out but I love the snow."  ~Josh
"Wonderful!"  ~Madison
"Guess what?  Santa got me a bow-and-arrow because I'm responsible."  ~Gregory
"Good; now it's a new year!"  ~Emily
"It was quiet because we were snowed in.  I am glad we're here."  ~Emily
"It was very noisy with lots of family at my house."  ~Jerry
"Nice but when are we going to have our reading group?"  ~Christopher
"Good because guess why?  I have a new baby brother!"  ~Matthew
"Kind of different because Santa brought me lots of clothes."  ~Haley
"I had fun.  By the way did you notice anything different?  Like my new hair?"  ~Justice
"Busy!"  ~Sydney
"Too long; I am happy to be back."  ~Ryan
"Neat because we got new books from Santa."  ~Paige
"Full of fun!"  ~Roman
"So good; thanks for asking."  ~Tessa
"Nice because Christmas was special."  ~Katelyn

Last Friday Before Christmas & Break

"I have a special gift for my teacher!"   ~Annastyn
"Today we get to play games and have a Christmas party."  ~Evan
"Oh....it's COLD outside.  Maybe we will get some snow now."  ~Kristen
"Can't wait for my mom's wedding & Christmas.  ~Henry
"I hope the Christmas carols don't go away......."   ~Christopher
"I have special treats for our party today!"  ~Amy
"The decorations in school are so pretty."  ~Madi
"My mom brought goodies for my sister and I to give the teachers."  ~Josh
"Hooray, we get out early today!"  ~Thomas
"Glad 5th graders collected food for the Humane Society."  ~Colton
"On a scale of one-to-five, I'm a five today.~"  ~Lathan
"I can't wait for my teacher to open up her gift."  ~Dakota

It's Important to Help the Kids at Sandy Hook

"I am glad we're making these handprints for the school."   ~Skylar
"The green and white are their school colors, right?"  ~Rachel
"A colorful border around the page will make them smile."  ~Tanner
"I invited the janitors to make one too!"  ~Xavier
"Can we make another one?"  ~Andew
"My mom gave Mrs. Mack this idea!"  ~Drew
"I invited Mr. Mikeworth & Mrs. Petty to make one too."  ~Cody
"Mrs. Hayes took a picture while we were drawing."  ~Harley
"I hope our messages helps them feel hope and love." ~Megan
"It was sad.  It's important to help."  ~Tanner

We Can't Wait

"Did you see the lights, reindeer, and the snowman on our stage?  Santa & Mrs. Claus are coming to Parkside Saturday.  We can't wait!"  ~Hailey and Jenna

Santa on Vacation

Morgan:  "I bet Santa is busy making all those toys this time of the year."
Joseph:  "Yes, Santa works all night long!"
Simon:  "I think he needs a vacation.  Do you think he goes on The Polar Express?"
Joseph:  No, I I think he goes to bed and sleeps for two weeks after Christmas."
Morgan:  "I think he goes to the beach."
Simon:  "Santa on the beach, in a swimming suit?  Oh no!"   
 
                                                                             ~lots of giggling at this point

POLL: Best Part of Thankgiving

~Celebrating with family
~Traveling to see relatives
~Helping make Thanksgiving dinner
~Playing with my cousins
~Sleeping over at a friend's house
~Going to basketball games
~Seeing my grandparents
~Playing basketball
~Watching my favorite TV shows
~Getting a new puppy
~Going Christmas shopping
~Eating favorite foods
~Getting a Christmas tree
~Saved for and got an iPad
~Making noodles with mom
~Seeing my Aunt and Uncle
~Playing video games
~Getting to see the school my dad went to
~Playing outside
~Having seconds on pie
~Picking up visitors at the airport
~Seeing Christmas lights
~Shopping with my dad
~Spending time with my family
~Christmas songs on the radio
~Riding my bike
~Taking lots of pictures
~Going to the movies
~Playing in the park
~Getting to stay up late
~Getting to sleep in
~Being with the people I love  
                                                    
                     It's the little things that make Thanksgiving break memorable!

Chicken Pox

During reading, 1st graders were spelling the word pox.  Two students commented that it was part of "chicken pox."  Worried, one quickly questioned:  "If we eat chicken, does that cause chicken pox?"

"If I Were President"

The 2012 Presidential election is "in the books."  Mrs. Emily Wells' third graders wrote their thoughts about serving others, if given the chance.  Mr. Obama, here's what our younger generation dreams about:  "I would......"

~treat the world fairly
~help world hunger and homelessness
~deal with pollution
~bring about world peace
~not allow people to smoke
~teach
~give some of the money from rich people to the poor
~make laws that prevent bullying everywhere
~keep endangered animals safe
~give money to hospitals
~give poor people homes
~get poor children toys
~not take money from people's banks
~stop costly policies
~give money to those who need it
~lower the cost of health insurance
~help kids learn
~include people that are poor
~help the churches
~give money to Medicare
~find jobs for everyone                           Maybe we should get this input to Washington D.C.

Thinking Ahead

What do you want to be when you grow up?
     a lawyer          Jade
     a pet sitter       Harley
     a professional singer     Yzabella
     a marine          Thomas
     a teacher          Kristen
     a vet                Haley
     a policeman    Joseph
    
    
    

The Votes Are In

If Parkside's NIGHT OWLS were voting for President, Mr. Obama would defeat Mitt Romney and return to the Oval Office.  Thanks Joseph and Megan for tabulating the results!

"I think adults should look carefully at the candidates, listen,
 and make a choice responsibily because it's a big decision.  ~Roman