Wednesday, February 25, 2015

Skype Interview with World-Changer Emily Anne Rigal

Hi Room 203 families,

As you know, at Claxton we implement the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program. Through this program, students learn about bullying but more importantly how to prevent it. We begin our mornings with the Pledge of Allegience, our Class Pledge, and Claxton's four anti-bullying rules. 


Our students are excellent leaders and each day I see them setting an example for their peers. Today we had the chance to Skype with an incredible leader who saw a problem in her school and took action to make a positive difference! 


My dear friend Emily Anne Rigal is one of the most inspiring young people I know! When she was just 16 years old, she founded her non-profit organization We Stop Hate to raise self esteem and encourage young people to spread kindness. Emily Anne believes that when kids/teens feel great about themselves they won't put others down! One way she spreads anti-bullying awareness is through her WeStopHate bracelets. 



We have been participating in Bullying Prevention lessons with our amazing school counselor, Mr. Ackerman. Based on what they already knew, students came up with a list of questions for Emily Anne and today they were able to meet her and interview her via Skype! 

First, our kids shared Claxton's anti-bullying rules and then listened to EA's awesome advice for believing in yourself and setting a good example for peers! 
Emily Anne, who is now a college student in NYC, is a great example to our class, showing that you're truly never too young to make a difference! :) To learn more about how Emily Anne is changing the world, visit www.westophate.org or follow @westophate on Twitter! 



Stay warm,

Ms. W



Tuesday, February 24, 2015

Have you heard of Kid President?!

Hi Room 203 families, 

I'd like to share a little snow-day inspiration with you which comes in the form of an awesome young man named Kid President! He's become a popular YouTube sensation who spreads happiness to kids and adults around the world. His most famous video is "The World Needs a Pep Talk!" I have a Kid President pep talk poster in our classroom and the kids love him! See the video here:  

And now, Kid President is launching a new book called Kid President's Guide to Being Awesome! 
I'd love to have a copy for our classroom! It also comes with a wonderful Teacher's Manual with inspirational activities to do with the kids. If you're interested in donating a copy of this book to our class, please email me (rebecca.wertheim@asheville.k12.nc.us)

Stay warm!


Wednesday, February 11, 2015

Virtual Valentines

Hi Room 203 families! 

This year we are participating in a program called Virtual Valentines where classrooms around the world get paired up to learn about each other's towns/cities and send digital valentines to their partners. We are paired with a kindergarten class in the small town of Cushing, Maine. We had the chance to Skype with them today and learned many interesting facts about their town! It was a lot of fun! 




Have a great day,

Ms. Wertheim 

Friday, February 6, 2015

Our GeoJourneys

Hi Room 203 families,

Check out our new GeoJourneys digital map with pins of all the places we've traveled via Skype and GoogleEarth. This map will continue to be updated throughout the year. If you hover over a pin you will see a picture and description of the location.



Have a great weekend,


Wednesday, February 4, 2015

Garden Math

Hi Room 203 families,

This week our class received a special "letter" from the White House asking for us to help design new garden beds. The garden beds could be designed in many different ways but each bed had to be partitioned into four equal shares (the president just so happened to know that we are currently studying fractions.) Students finished their designs and I'm so impressed! 






Don't forget, tomorrow is an early release day and there is no school this Friday! An email will be sent out soon with a class list for Valentines. 

Thank you so much for all you do,

Ms. Wertheim 





Tuesday, February 3, 2015

100 Days Smarter

Hi Room 203 families,

Today was the 100th day of school! I can't believe how quickly this year is flying by. ALL costumes today were incredible. See the photo below of a few  of our 100-year-old second graders.



Have a great evening,

Ms. Wertheim 

Our Geo Journeys