School Holiday Concert

Today was the big day that the elementary school kids had been practicing for, for months - the holiday concert.

Ramsey isn't so enthused about wearing bowties anymore (not since some kid told him he looked like an old man in them - argh!).  But, for me... he wore won.  Also, for $5.  🤣

The 4th Graders performed three songs; "look What Old Man Winter Has Done!", "Decorate the Christmas Tree", and "Oy Chanuke" (a Jewish folk song).

Bingo & Pie Day!

 Ramsey's school always has something fun going on, to incorporate interactive time with parents, students, and the faculty.

Today was BINGO & PIE day!   Bingo... FUN!  And free pie?  Time with The Little?  Count me in!

This event drew in quite the crowd!  

We didn't win BINGO, but we sure had a good time.  :-)

Veteran's Day Celebration at School

 Veteran's Day is always celebrated on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month to remember the end of The Great War ("the war to end all wars") in 1918.   Since then, the holiday is the day set aside to thank and honor all of the great men and women who served honorably in the military - wartime or peacetime. 

Ramsey's school celebrated veterans and their service during a school assembly on Monday, November 13th.   Students were given the opportunity to invite special veterans that they knew.  They could write letters to them.   Ramsey wrote a letter to a Korean war veteran that we know (the kind older gentleman that we purchasing fishing bait from).  He invited him to the school's program and thanked him for his service.

Prior to the assembly, every student had written a thesis on "What Veteran's Day Means to Me".  Of all of the children in the school, Ramsey's was of the few chosen to be read on the Veterans' Day Remembrance Video.  The video was played during the school's celebration.  The link was shared with everyone so it could be forwarded on to veterans that the children new.  

Ramsey's words can be seen starting at around the 4:40 mark here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&feature=shared&fbclid=IwAR1ZzBB6bCaOOFyf2MpIcDekqQFbmApyEhuSGdWJ5Tdr1eHIZNfJnh_xQVQ&v=tmZzRLccKEM

Ramsey's words:

What Veterans' Day means to me is a symbol of courage, liberty, and sacrifice.  As a young World War I soldier said, "I will fight, I will die, I will endure, I will sacrifice.  I will do my utmost as if the entire struggle depended on me alone."

That information comes from one of Ronald Reagan's speeches from the 1980's (one of our favorites).  

The principal, Mrs. G, presented Ramsey with a SOAR slip for his excellent part in the Veterans' Day assembly and video.

In this household, we are patriots.  Ramsey is a patriot.  We celebrate and honor our military and country, with all of the sacrifices countless Americans have made to keep our country strong and GREAT.   God bless America!

Summer Reading Awards

 Today, the school celebrated the elementary students who had completed the [optional] summer reading program.   Kids had to turn in their summer reading logs in order to receive prizes... and ice cream sundaes!

In addition to the ice cream, Ramsey read enough to earn a new book from the book vending machine.

Open House Day - Class of 2032

 Oh Ramsey.... 4th Grade, here we come!  Totally unbelievable that our baby is this old and growing up so quickly!  

We've been trying to cram a LOT in the last few weeks before school starts.  The Open House at his elementary school was planned for this evening.   We had all of his school supplies bagged up and we headed out.

The theme this year for school is "Under the Sea", so fun pictures were taken in a photo op area of the ocean.

I completely FORGOT to take a picture of Ramsey and his new teacher, Mrs. Phillips.  Gah!

When we returned hom, we had to make sure we took a picture of him in his Class of 2032 shirt!  In a few years, this shirt will fit like a glove.  

Last Day of School

 Last Day of 3rd Grade.  The last day of school was supposed to be Friday, May 19th (half day), but with all of the snow days, it was pushed back an entire week!

That said, this year has flown by!  My baby is another year older and will be a 4th Grader this Fall.  WOW.   Mind. Blown.

Ramsey had been chomping at the bit for this day to arrive.  But, the first thing he said to me this morning was, "Mom, I'm sad today".  He said he'd be giving LOTS of hugs today.   I witnessed the first of those when he got onto the bus.  Bill, our amazing bus driving, received the first "see ya later" hug.

He's changed a bit this year and has grown a lot, both physically, emotionally, and mentally.

I give thanks to all of his teachers, aids, school staff, bus drivers, and every other special person who have helped shape his life and been so kind to him these last nine months.  

3rd Grade Day

 It was official "Third Grade Day" at school.  The kiddos had an extra special day, full of games and extra play time, celebrating their awesome grade! 

In the pics, both third grade classes are together for the celebration.

Fun School Days in May

For the month of May (at school), there were many dress-up days (wear certain colors, favorites of this or that) and special themed days (Star Wars for the May the 4th be With You, Harry Potter Day, etc).

I couldn't help but let Ramsey wear his "Reagan/Bush '84" shirt for "Favorite Team Day". hehe

Graduating seniors from the high school that had attended Lincoln went to hang out with the kiddos one of the days.  They played with them for recess, playing games and talking to them about school and their future.

There were more special snack days too, for earning rewards together as a class ("Mystery Motivators").  Ramsey isn't a popcorn-eater, so uh...  

They got to watch the movie "Sing 2" this afternoon as well. 

So fun!

Arbor Day

 Arbor Day was at the end of April.  In school, the kiddos learned about the importance of trees by reading stories and watching videos.  Some of the class hugged trees to show how much they appreciate them!

They were supposed to get to plant a tree at Frontier Park on Arbor Day.  But, because the weather had been so inclement this year and the ground was not quite ready, the tree-planting had to wait until May!

Ramsey's Spring Concert

 SPRING Concert day is finally here!   The day the music teacher and grades K-5 have been practicing for has arrived.   

Ramsey can finally wear shorts to school! Wahoo! 

While Grandpa Orin and Grandma Judi planned to watch via the live stream, Nana Vicki and Bumpa drove down to watch the concert in person.

Video: "A Day Without Music"

The 3rd Graders also performed songs using handbells and "Boom Whackers", whereas they pounded on the floor in rhythm and beats to some songs.  They were on the floor, so we couldn't get much of a glimpse of him!

Nice work, buddy!

Family Math Day

As part of a school-wide "celebration", kids were excited to be able to invite their parents, grandparents, and siblings to the gym for "Family Math Day".  For about a half an hour, kids and families gathered to play various games that made math fun.  The third graders and their familes played the card game GOLF.   

Momma won the first game, Ramsey won the second.  By the time Eric was about to win the third game, time was UP! 

I hadn't played GOLF since I was his age!  We'll have to keep playing this together at home.  So fun!

Museum Day!

 Ramsey LOVES the local museum.  Because our area is so small, we only have one "true" museum that is open to the public and staffed year-round.    The kids got to take a field trip today.   Ramsey was so excited!

Here, the kids were churning their own butter.  He got to bring some home and eat it!  

They learned how make candles too.  They made some very small candles.  By the time they were removed from his backpack, they were kind of smushed, so we didn't light them.

They learned how to use a loom.  The kids really had a lot of interactive fun!

And, they learned about bees and honey.  

Each child got a little "bee pack" to bring home.  Ramsey loved the honey.  And, this actually helped him get over his MAJOR phobia of bees!!  Hallelujah!!  Yet another reason to love the museum.

His [brave] teacher brought the entire class today.   Way to go, Ms. H! 

April Testing

 To say that April was a grueling month at school is a bit of an understatment.  (Actually, mid April through early May.)   There were three weeks of daily testing (for the state).   Kiddos were instructed to "get their sleep", have a good breakfast, yada yada yada.  

Family was asked to write encouraging little notes to the students; one for each day of testing.  We had a dozen notes for Ramsey.  Some had quotes by Winston Churchill, Obi Wan Kenobi, and even Sebastian J Cricket from the Pinnochio remake movie.  Other notes were happy notes from us and grandparents.  Note:  After testing, Ramsey would not let us throw those notes away; they are in his bedroom for safe-keeping.

Here's a picture of Ramsey after testing.  

HA!  (looking a little rough)

Ms. H awarded them with treats and a movie for their hard work and dedication to the grueling time focusing on their online exams.

When we received his test scores back, they were INCREDIBLE.   Even with focus issues, Ramsey was able to rock out the tests, with scores at the very top.  Nice job, buddy!!

Winter Carnival

 We always look forward to the school's winter carnival.  It's always a great time for family to have fun and spend special time together.  This year was no exception.

As the carnival was scheduled to start at 5PM, I picked Ramsey up from school.  We ran a few errands, but then went to the play set at the mall to burn off some energy.

Then, we met Eric at the school.   We chowed some pizza and cookies first (nom nom nom), then purchased some tickets to play all sorts of games.

Spin the Wheel, Fishing....

Basketball and bag-tossing....

Some golf and Bingo... LOTS and LOTS of Bingo!

We won a few times and Ramsey picked out some fun little prizes.

And... can't forget the photo opps!