Last week was Red Ribbon Week at CPE (and I think nationwide). In Room 15, kids had the chance to sign my “Drug Free” banner. By doing so they’re pledging to try their best to stay away from illegal substances. The next time you’re in the building, stop by the room and check out the Red Ribbon, which hangs near the backdoor of my classroom. It is one of my most precious possessions because it bears the signatures of nearly every student I’ve ever taught–all the way back to 1994! Even better, now it includes the signatures of nearly all my current students! I’m proud of them for pledging to stay drug-free. After the new year, we’ll be starting our DARE (drug resistance) classes in which the kids will learn how to deal with peer pressure, how to make good choices, and how to avoid illegal substances.

In other news, The Sams Valley Mini Marathon is this Friday. Nearly every 4th and 5th graders in District 6–all 800 of ’em–will be busting through the starting gate and running the 5,000 meter course along local roads. There’s also a mascot dance-off, a medals ceremony, and lots of bling from Dr. West Orthodontics, our sponsor. The starting gun fires at 9:30 a.m., but arrive early to find parking. Late comers will need to park on the corner of Table Rock and Highway 238.

Thanks to all of you who made it to parent-teacher conferences. These are really helpful in making sure your kiddo has a great 5th grade year. Additional thanks to Luke’s dad, Maryfer’s dad, Logan’s grandpa, and Ethan’s mom for joining us on the Crater Lake trip. The weather was great; it was the first time in three years that the trip to the rim wasn’t cancelled for my class due to weather or smoke!

Upcoming events include the Sams Valley Mini-Marathon on Friday, Nov. 2nd. This wonderful event is being sponsored by West Orthodontics. It’s one of the oldest running events in the state, and with nearly 800 participants (all D6 4th and 5th graders), it’s among the largest!

We’re also heading to Lava Beds National Monument on Thursday, Nov. 8th, for our annual caves exploration. In class, kids are learning about geology and bats in preparation for the trip. We desperately need chaperones for this outing! It’s a bit of exercise, but it’s well worth the effort. Let me know via note or email if you can join us.

Congrats to Room 15 Students-of-the-Month for April: Emilee B. for being constantly enthusiastic and creative. Her classmates love her for her commitment to creating and directing plays; Lydia T. for being a class leader and for being consistently good-natured. Rare is the moment when Lydia doesn’t have a smile on her face and a twinkle in her eye’ and Trevor R. for being a true gentleman. Every adult who meets Trevor is impressed by the way he carries himself, his mature manner, and the way he looks you directly in the eyes. His classmate appreciate him for being consistently kind and empathetic. Although we’re not having an awards assembly during April (due to Exhibition), we are immensely proud of these three students.

Additional congrats to our new Room1 5 employees. While there were numerous excellent candidates, we’ve decided to offer the positions to the following individuals: Zoie M.–lead custodian; Victoria T.–attendance monitor; Lydia T. — distributor; Emma H.–lap count manager; and Ella H. and Taylor R.–teacher’s assistants. Candidates who weren’t selected are encouraged to re-apply for one of the remaining openings: assistant custodian and distributor #2.

Exhibition is this Friday at 5:30. Room 15 film makers are encouraged to dress up and arrive early. More info will be shared over the course of the week.

Congratulations to our Students-of-the-Month for November/December: Jaqueline B. and Zoie M. Both have demonstrated great character, behavior, and academic performance all year.

Kudos to the Magical Piggy Overlords, Sylas K., Hannah H., Eliza C., and Braydee C., for winning our 12-day Mathketball Tourney. Mathektball is a game in which we use completed math homework to earn opportunities to score points for our team on the Nerf hoop. It’s a lot of fun and intensely competitive.

Three cheers for our History Jeopardy winners: Dakota M., Daisy R., Eliza C., Carl F., Hannah H., and Jordan C.! History Jeopardy is a team competition designed to help kids study for their trimester history exam.  On the exam itself, this year’s class had one of the highest class averages ever. Nice job, Roadrunners!

Congrats to Emilee B. for successfully staging her adaptation of her Christmas Carol play. Emilee is an aspiring playwright and actress with an uncommon enthusiasm. We look forward to more of Emilee’s performances.

And finally, kudos to our entire class for whopping Mr. Hadley’s class in our first ever time-telling competition. Students were required to successfully read analog clocks, read faceless-analog clocks, and calculate elapsed time. It was a lot of fun and proved that CPE 5th graders can at last accurately tell time without a cell phone to guide them.

There’s a lot going on this week at CPE.

School pictures are Tuesday. Whether you’re purchasing or not, please note that this will be your child’s yearbook photo.

Jog-a-Thon is Thursday. This is the PTO’s most significant fundraiser of the year. CPE has stayed at the forefront of technology thanks to past jog-a-thons.

There’s no school on Friday. This is “Statewide Inservice Day.” a day when teachers have the opportunity to take continuing education classes at various locations around the state. It replaces what used to be Columbus Day.

Conferences are fast approaching. At last check I had 20 of my 34 students scheduled. Please click on the Conference tab to verify your time. Some are slightly different than requested.

Finally, our Lava Beds trip is Oct. 20th. We need a few more chaperones for this all day trip. Permission slips go home tomorrow (Monday).

Thanks to all of you who attended Back-to-School Night. If you weren’t able to attend, be sure to explore the tabs above and at right for lots of information about how our classroom operates.

As long as the weather or the air quality don’t derail our plans, we’ll be heading off to our first field trip on Tuesday (Sept. 19th). We need several chaperones for this trip. If you’re planning on attending, please let me know. You’ll need to have an approved volunteer application on file with the office as well.

The Crater Lake trip snuck up on us a bit…after all, we’re only two weeks into the school year. To assist families in their planning, here’s some of what we have on tap for the rest of the year:

Awards Assembly: Sept. 29
Walk & Bike to School Day: Oct. 4
Jog-a-Thon: Oct. 12
No School: Oct. 13
Lava Beds: Oct. 20
Harvest Fair: Oct. 21
Mini-Marathon: Oct. 31
ScienceWorks: Dec. 15 (I think)
Planetarium: Dec. 7
Tree Plant: Feb. 8
Crater Lake (spring snowshoeing and sledding): TBD
Exhibition Night: April 27th
Table Rock hike (with 1st grade book buddies): TBD
Overnight Oregon Coast trip May 31-June 1
Adopt-a-Street clean-ups: TBD

Also note that Fall Conferences are scheduled for October 25-27. You can schedule yours by clicking on the Conferences tab.

Finally, for those willing and able to contribute a little extra to the classroom, we are always in need of snacks such as pretzels, Goldfish, and Cheezits. If you happen to work in a bank, you can help us out by supplying us with checkbook registers for the Checkbook Project we do each spring. If you work in a medical or dental office, we ‘re always on the lookout for boxes of nitrile gloves for use with our Adopt-a-Street clean-ups. Thanks in advance for your help with these items.

Room 15 kids are getting healthier while supporting malnourished kids in third world countries. Through UNICEF‘s Kid Power program, our students are earning “fitness points” which unlock nutrition packs for kids in poor African and Asian countries. UNICEF (the United Nations Children’s Fund) provided fitness bands–similar to Fitbits–for every student. Each 2500 steps earns a “point” and each 10 points earns a food packet. So far, the kids seem highly motivated to maximize their steps. To keep them going, they’re also competing against other classrooms, including Mrs. Quall’s and Mrs. Torrey’s at our school. It’s a great way to help starving kids while promoting exercise here at home. At the end of the year, students get to keep their fitness bands and charging cord. They be able to continue participating on their own via an online app. There is no cost to for the program, as our class and school was selected to participate for free through an application process. For more information on the KidPower and UNICEF, visit the KidPower website.

Congrats to Maya and Kaden for being selected to be the hosts of CPETV Episode 8. Several other students showed promise during tryouts and will be considered for future episodes. Congrats also to Alexis and Kim for being selected by their classmates to serve on the CPE Student Council. Should either of them be unable to fulfill the requirements of the position, including maintaining good grades, excellent citizenship, and consistently good attendance, Abby S. will serve as alternate. Kudos to all the students who tried out for CPETV, and to all the students who ran for Student Council. It takes a strong person to try!