It's not true!

I like my name like Chrysanthemum.  I like it because I am named after a store. The name of the store is Ethan Allen.

Memorial Day

The following essay by SKGP earned her a second place award and a $50 $75 savings bond:

What does Memorial Day mean to you? Memorial Day is an important day to me for many reasons.

Memorial Day is an important holiday to me. To me it means a special day when we celebrate people who sacrificed their lives to protect us. It is a time to love and be thankful for what we have. I think it is a time to show respect, courtesy, and honor to everyone. I am very thankful for all of the soldiers and everything they have done for us. Memorial Day is a day when you celebrate and remember the soldiers who have fought and died to save our country. I hope that lots of people honor all soldiers who are alive today. Memorial Day reminds me of the flag of the USA because it makes me remember what it was like before we were a free county, and I'm glad we are now. I am so glad many soldiers have gone into the Navy, Army, and the Airforce to help all of the people who live in countries where conflicts are going on. I wish that more people were thankful for people who sacrifice their lives for us. I would like to do something to help when I am old enough to show that I really do care. This is a time to be a respectful and a courteous person.

As you can see Memorial day is important to me for many reasons. I hope that lots more people appreciate how brave all of the soldiers are who have risked their lives for us.

Principal Prompt #17 - February 27, 2009

Parents are our first and most important teachers. Describe a time when you learned a valuable lesson from one of your parents or another relative who is important to you.

Have you ever learned a lesson from a important person who is relatied to you? Some people learned writing, reading, or sience. I learned how to do math.  When I was four my dad taught me how to do math.  When I asked what math was he said, "Math is when you use numbers to find the total."  When he printed out math problums on a piece of papper the printer went "ch. ch. ch."  The first kind of math he taught me was adition.  It was hard at first, but as I did more and more I got alot better.  Now math is my favorite and best subject. As you can see your parents teach yo important things.  Now you know about what my dad taught me.

Papa Murphy / Rucker Fundraiser

This Thursday (3/26), Papa Murphy's Take-N-Bake Pizza, located near Nob Hill on 1st Street, is hosting a fundraiser for Rucker Elementary School (which is Sloane's school). 

IF YOU MENTION RUCKER, the Rucker Parent Club will get a portion of your purchase price.

The Rucker Parent Club recently had to make dramatic budget cuts, so now the teachers are getting less money (down 40%!) to help out with classroom expenses.  Now, your oven can make a difference!

If you've never had a Papa Murphy's, try it.  They make the pizza while you wait, then you take it home and bake it.  The menu is available at http://www.papamurphys.com/public/menu_papasPizzas.cfm , or just go in and order the kind of pizza you like.

Please pass this on to any other Gilroyans who like to eat pizza and help out kids.

A Letter to Mom and Dad

September 16, 2008

Dear Mom and Dad,

I love my new school and I like it so much that I'm going to tell you about what we have done in school so far.  We have been doing a lot of cool stuff in math and writing.  The cool things that we have been doing in math are story problums and just a little moltiplacation time tables.  And the cool things that we have been doing in writing are trying to make your writing intrasting so that people will want to listen to your letter.  Well, now you know all of the exciting stuff we have done in school so far.

Love,

SKGP

First Day of School

Yesterday was the first day of school.  I took SKGP to her school out in the country, and RCP took EJP to his shiny new school near the house.  She's in the third grade GATE program, and he's in the Kindergarten Dual Immersion program.

They both seemed to have fine days.  SKGP knew several people in her class and at the school, and she seems to have enjoyed it.  She took a math test, and was taken down a peg by the speed of some of the other kids.  I think this will be good for her; it took me to my first calculus in college to realize that there were people much, much smarter than me around.

EJP says he likes his teacher.  I don't think he met anyone, but he seemed to know a couple kids.  He told RCP that he didn't finish his lunch because someone sat down at the table with him.  By the end of the day, he'd lost his lunch box, and missed the bus.  I believe the latter was the teacher's fault.

We took them out to dinner to celebrate their accomplishments.

Today is his first day in Spanish.

PS. We locked him out of the house for about 45 minutes last evening, because he consistently acts like a monster.  He still acted like a beast this morning.  He did get to ride the bus this morning, which he was disappointed about missing yesterday.

GATE

Gilroy Unified School District has a couple programs to be proud of. One is the Dual Immersion program at Las Animas Elementary, which over the course of 5 years, teaches both English and Spanish. We are very excited that EJP will be one of the participants in the fall as a kindergartener.

Another program is the GATE program at Rucker Elementary. This is a 3 year program that focuses on challenging the best students to learn more depth and better study skills than the traditional education. We had hoped that SKGP would be a part of the program, but she was denied. However, we have a chance to appeal the decision. Basically, they want to know why they should re-look at their decision.

It occurred to me that with the help of my very smart, well spoken readers, we could write the best darn appeal they've ever seen. If you'd like to help, I've created a Google Doc, and spent 3 minutes writing some thoughts. You should be able to edit it by clicking on:

http://docs.google.com/a/pacehouse.com/Doc?id=ddbqfpjj_329583xjngj&invite=f8psv6g

(Let me know if that doesn't work!)

Hola!

We got the letter from the school district yesterday. EJP has made it into the Dual Immersion program. Hooray! So, for the next 5+ years, half of everything he does will be in Spanish. Reading, math, social studies, PE (a joke, I think.). The program has teachers that only speak each language to the kids (and parents).

Luckily for him, RCP has picked up some conversational Spanish in her career. If he just relied on me for help, he'd be in deep trouble.

SKGP In the Newspaper

Superstar

SKGP was awarded the Peace Builder of the Month this month. She's also the star student of the week in her class this week.

We are very proud of her.

Hot Dog

EJP read his first book today. It is Hot Dog by Molly Coxe.

Dog is hot. Mom is not.
Go play, Dog.

Dog is hot. Cat is not.
No way, Dog!

Dog is hot. Pig is not.
Oh, no, Dog!

Dog is hot. Boy is not.
Too slow, Dog!

Dog is hot. Sheep are not.
Shoo, shoo, Dog.

Dog is hot. Skunk is not.
P. U., Dog!

Dog is hot. Girl is not.
Silly Dog!

Dog is cool. In the pool.
Chilly dog.

Last Day of School

Today was the last day of school. That means SKGP is a second grader, and EJP is only a year away from going to kindergarten.

I am flabbergasted at how fast time has passed for them.

SKGP got some awards, such as homework and reading and citizenship. She's a good kid, especially when we're not around.

SKGP Frees The Fish

(I went on this field trip, too! -JEP)

GilroyDispatch.com of Gilroy California

Classes Go Swimmingly for Students at Rod Kelley

2:04 PM
By Christopher Quirk

		Rod Kelley teacher Eric Martin explains to a first-grade class how to release salmon fry into the San Lorenzo River in Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park recently.

Gilroy - When future hikers glimpse a steelhead trout darting upstream, it might be hard to imagine the threatened fish could have been wiggling around in a corner of a Rod Kelley classroom this past spring.

The first-grade class at Rod Kelley Elementary School released more than a hundred baby steelhead trout - a species in the same family as salmon - last week into the San Lorenzo River. The release, done on a field trip to Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park in the Santa Cruz Mountains, ended a year-long study of water and marine life that featured more than a month of rearing the trout from eggs.

"They looked like eyed eggs,," said 7-year-old Jose Laneros, describing the steelhead fry when his class first received them. "Like they have one eye on them."

The eggs were primarily clear with one black spot in the middle where the growing fish floated. They became a treasured part of the classroom soon after the Salmon and Trout Education Program - a regional organization that encourages hands-on lessons on the importance of healthy watersheds - delivered them in mid-April. Needing darkness to grow properly, the eggs were kept in fish tanks covered by heavy towels or cloths - students were only allowed the occasional peek.

"They're all excited when they can see all the eggs," teacher Meghan Osborne said. "I'd have to hold them back some days."

When the eggs hatched, the class took fry out to the river to let them go. It was a bittersweet activity for the students, who had grown attached to the fish.

"We had them in our class for a long time," 6-year-old Lanai Garcia said.

Still, almost all students said the river was the best place for the fish.

"That's where they live and that's their home," said 7-year-old Gabby Avila.

"They want to see their friends and their family," Laneros added.

Personifying the animals does not trivialize the learning process, said Christel Morley a literary facilitator who brought the program to Rod Kelley 10 years ago.

"Six-year-olds have a great capacity for learning and they learn well when its concrete," she said.

Rearing and releasing the fish helps the students build a connection with local rivers and parks, and adds an emotional dimension tolessons about the effects of pollution.

It's "more than just the life cycle of fish," Morley said. "They learn about ... being stewards of their environment."

The release also brings the lessons out of the classroom, showing the applications of the year's education to not only the students, but also their parents and the community.

"Along with what (students) learn, they teach their families," Morley said. "And many of their parents don't know what they're learning. I just now talked to a parent and she said, 'We can no longer eat salmon.'"

---

Christopher Quirk
Christopher Quirk covers education for the Dispatch. Contact him at 427-7240 or cquirk@gilroydispatch.com.

SKGP: My Brother

I like to bug my borther. My borther is mene to me that is why I bug him. He is not nios to me. I do not now how to stop buging my little brother. But eventhowe he is mene to me I oways will love him.

Teacher's comment: I understand how you feel!

Student of the Month

For your unfailing willingness to regularly go above and beyond for others, we hereby recognize SKGP as an example of citizenship worthy of emulation by us all.

Congratulations.

Rod Kelley School
February 27, 2007

Signed: Luis Carillo, Principal and Ms. Johnston, Teacher

Knights in Shining Armor

Congratulations SKGP, you are hereby recognized by Rod Kelley School for your overall academic improvement or exemplary academic performance. We applaud you for what you have accomplished and look forward to hearing even more great things about you in the future.

Incidentally, with this honor, the child gets a pizza lunch with the principal. However, since we found the award and letter tonight (after the pizza) on the floor, she still doesn't know what she missed. When RCP was picking S from school, the principal helped load her in the car and he said "Hey, weren't you on the pizza list for today?" to which she replied "No!".

When We Soa A Tiger

I saw a tiger... as fers as can be. I was so skard I theroo my hands in the air and I sartid to screem. Me and my fierend Jazzlyn whent on a hont on are way there was a tiger we war so scard we ran away and started to screem. The next daye thot we soa a nother tiger but it was the same tiger.

(There are also pictures to go along with the story.)

The Sloane Manuever

SKGP invented a technique for getting onto the swings at recess and starting to swing. She grabs the chains, and then jumps and gets into the swing, which starts swinging becuase of the jump. Now all the other kids are doing it too. She's quite proud of this.

Student of the Month

She's done it again.

For the month of October, 2006, SKGP is one of the Students of the Month at Rod Kelley School.

For your unfailing willingness to regularly go above and beyond for others, we hereby recognize SKGP as an example of citizenship worth of emulation by us all. Congratulations.

Yay for her! We are very proud and lucky.

Sad Day

One of SKGP's classmates, Julio, was killed walking to school yesterday. He was walking across the street with his brother, and a pickup hit him. It happened at the same time I was driving her to school -- just a block away.