September 22 - Mrs. Miller's Fourth Grade

What a huge blessing it is to rub shoulders with my 4^th grade angels each day!  In our morning meetings, we talk a lot about what it means to be a “good” person.  We talk about manners, kindness, respect, and all those other things that we know are qualities of a good person. However, the proof is in our actions.  I tear up almost daily as I listen to the kind words that are shared between class members.  It warms my heart when I see another student stop what they are doing to help a classmate who appears to be struggling. No one asks them to do it. They just see the need and take action. 

In our class, every Thursday is “Thoughtful Thursday.”  That is when we take a few minutes to write a note of appreciation or kindness and give it to someone.   My angels, however, have taken this day to heart and have decided we should be thoughtful EVERY day.  We decided as a class to “choose KIND” in all we do.  That means, we leave things better than we find them, we greet others with a smile and eye contact, we choose to not take offense, we look for the good in others, and we look for opportunities to help and include others. We have taken the challenge to be our best and to bring out the best in others.

When it comes to academic learning, my Scientists and Mathematicians are ready and willing to take on any challenge I give them.  They love discovering how their world works and how addicting learning is when you make connections.  This morning, I couldn’t contain my joy when I heard some of my students on their way to class saying, “I wonder what we’re going to be learning in science today? Science is so much fun! I can’t wait to do another experiment.”  Be still my heart!  We, of course, had a blast testing what happens when you add heat to matter (chocolate chips, gummy bears, marshmallows, glue sticks, ice…)  

As if that wasn’t enough, my heart leapt again during math work shop when another group of students silently took the hand of a classmate who was obviously struggling with the activity. They went to a corner of the room and sang our Decimal Place Value song complete with the movements!  Again, they saw a friend in need and took action. Awesome!

So, yeah, you can say it was another amazing day mingling with some really special people.  I often wonder who is teaching who! I sure love my job!

Mrs. Julie Miller

September 11 - Mrs. Vasquez's Third Grade

What comes first the chicken or the egg? That may also be asked when thinking about our classroom environment and developing a sense of being a team. This year I decided to explore my classroom environment by gathering ideas from fellow educators. Prior to setting up our classroom, I asked some friends where they purchased their carpets, balls, wiggly seats, and alternative seating.

The journey began by submitting my Donor’s Choose application two weeks prior to the first day of school. I sent texts to my family and friends asking to help fund this adventure. I couldn’t believe it when I received my email from Donor’s Choose that my project was funded in THREE days. I was beyond excited! Step two, bins and stability balls submitted to Donor’s Choose one week prior to August 24^th. Project was funded in FOUR days. The students were beyond ecstatic when our materials arrived. 

We received ten stability balls and the students quickly brainstormed that our “class number” system would work for alternative seating, too! Student number 10 has access to the ball on even calendar dates. Student number 11 has access to that same ball on odd calendar dates. This idea was born from a class discussion…even better!

The students quickly suggested that we needed to enhance our room by adding wiggle seats. I was familiar with this because of the classrooms I visited. I decided that I would order these myself.  What an investment! The wiggle seats are amazing. One final touch was recently added - tractor seat chairs. 

The classroom environment truly has become a team now. This is evident on a daily basis. The students have flexible seating daily.  Every day the students are sitting at a different table and collaborating with different students. Our team developed a way to allow everyone the opportunity for each student to sit on a stability ball, wiggly seat, and tractor chair on a weekly basis.

The icing on the cake was demonstrated on Friday. We had a runt (smaller) stability ball that was defective. Two students decided to use it to lean on while working on FASTT Math. Next, I witnessed a third student wanting to lean on it and then there was the fourth student who joined them.  No words were said, the students just moved to allow the other students to join. Finally, two other students gathered, looked at each other, and the students moved to let the final two students join. Words cannot express how proud I was of our team. Simply amazing. What started as an adventure to allow more seating options has quickly enabled our classroom to truly function as a collaborative team! 

Mrs. Linda Vasquez

September 10 - Ms. Mitchell's Kindergarten

Family is a word that often comes to mind when I think about Morton Ranch Elementary. Whether it is about the amazing staff we have at our school or the students, it truly is a family at the ranch. Nothing makes my heart more full than seeing my students reflecting that same attitude just three weeks into the school year.

At the end of our second week of school, we found out that one of our classmates was moving to another school. When it was time for him to leave us, the kids began saying goodbye and hugging our friend L. What was originally individual hugs, turned into one big group hug without hesitation! These little Mavericks acted as if they were one large family of siblings.

During week three, we welcomed a new friend to our class and this same attitude carried through as he got settled into a new routine. Every child wanted to share their crayons, show him around, and assist him in any way possible. We also welcomed some friends from Mrs. Luna’s class into our room to learn how to comment on a KidBlog post. Not only did we teach our new friends, but our new friends taught us.

I think that Lilo said it best, “’Ohana’ means family. Family means no one gets left behind.” Five and six year olds exemplify the meaning of family. I can’t wait to see what adventures are in store for our family this year!

Ms. Katie Mitchell

September 9 - Mrs. Casillas in our Library

The Magic of Checkers

My goal this year is to provide new experiences in the library. I sent out a plea to the MRE staff for a variety of items. Mrs. Spiares donated a checkers game to the library and little did I realize the magic this game contained. The game board sat quietly the first week of school even though intermediate grades came in for a quick check outs (the books outshined the game). It did attract the interest from a few students who asked about it, but due to the quick schedule students were not able to experience its magic. That is until the second week of school.

At first a student quietly asked about the game, could he play? Could he play now? Could he play when he came to the library? At that moment I know this game was going to be something special! Oh the conversation that has taken place around this table. Its talk of rules, strategy, suggestions, teaching, sharing stories about playing with family, collaboration, oh I could go on and on.

Yes, I have had to approach the table when needed but mostly as the “official” to decide if a particular move can be done. The version played in the library is what I labeled “Classic Checkers” no solders, no bomb movements, no bounce or swing across moves only Classic Checkers moves. Once we discussed good sportsmanship but overall what I have witnesses is teamwork, sharing and learning. For instance, after a highly competitive game one group shook hands and said well done all without being reminded or told to do that! That’s the magic of this game!

Some students have never played checkers and in these instances a classmate quickly comes forward saying “I’ll teach them!” We have a Watch Dog Grandpa who has really enjoyed sitting/standing around this table to play, listen, observe and pass along guidance. I suggested helping to monitor the game table to another volunteer Dad who quickly looked up rules to our classic game. He enjoyed learning & teaching kids that day!

Sometimes it’s a quiet game sometimes it louder. One teacher asked what my rules at this table were: only 4 students at a time? What was the expected voice level? I glanced over to the lively conversation at the game table. I looked back to her and responded “Let’s just see what happens”. The magic of checkers; it’s in the MRE library.

Mrs. Nidia Casillas

September 4, 2015 - Mrs. Dismuke's Second Grade

No matter what grade I have taught, I have always placed upmost importance in developing a school family. As part of any "family" there are various roles - the bottom line being that everyone contributes to make it all work. That's why I have always made classroom jobs an integral part of our classroom. 

Frequently when introducing new activities, my littles and I talk about their job and my job. I cannot do my job if they aren't doing theirs. They cannot do their job of becoming the best learners they can be if I'm not doing my job. We need each other. We make each other better. We make life even more rich by doing it with each other.

I shared the various jobs the first week of school, but when I announced on Monday that we were beginning our own jobs the excitement was unreal. Immediately students were calling dibs on the job of their choice, knowing that they would eventually rotate through them all. For me, it makes the classroom run much more smoothly, taking the "little things" off my plate. For them, it gives them the buy-in to take their part in the school family.

For them, they love assuming the role of an electrician, SmartBoard manager, door holder, calendar helper, horticulturist, office manager, meteorologist, photographer, Twitter manager, veterinarian, personal assistant, lunch helper, among many others. They never see it as a chore, joyfully doing all of these things, perhaps never genuinely knowing how much they really are helping.

For me, I never have to turn off the lights, hold a door, check the weather, water the plant, feed Alvin the fish, answer a telephone call, pick up red folders, keep up with our Go Bag, worry about the lunches making it down, or sharpening pencils. 

For us, we might have only spent ten days together, but this group of 22 individuals has quickly become a family.

Mrs. Christina Dismuke

September 1, 2015 - Mrs. Flores' Bilingual Kindergarten

The new school year is back in full swing, and my new students are excited as can be. Their eagerness to learn makes the long and grueling hours I spend working at the beginning of each new school year worth it. Their positive attitudes are contagious; from the second I wake up I feel energized and ready for a full day of teaching! This group of kids are as special as each and every single student that has been in my classrooms through my teaching career. From the first time they enter our classroom, we become a Kindergarten family. We all give and receive love, care, respect, and support.

I always tell my students that they can learn so much from the simplest things in life. Today I experienced how a Kindergarten student can channel his creativity and make a difference in the world. One of my students approached me while I was drinking a bottle of water and asked “Mrs. Flores, please do not throw away the cap when your finish the water. I would like to collect as many as I can so that my grandmother can take them to Monterrey, Mexico to help children like us, but who suffer from cancer”. I was speechless when I heard him asking all of his classmates to do the same. He came back to talk to me and asked if I could tell my family and friends because he wants to collect a 100 or 1,000!

The day went on and I was still awestruck by his selflessness, not to mention his initiative to present and implement a project that can have a positive impact on the lives of many. Sometimes, we adults underestimate the abilities of our youngsters. Witnessing this initiative from my Kinder student this year has given us the drive to help those who are less fortunate than us in our community. We have decided that this year, our class will participate in a couple of projects that will benefit the members of our community. I am so lucky to have such bright young minds in my class this year. I just love my students!

Mrs. Marjorie Flores