Field Day

It was so much fun to watch you all compete at Field Day today -- and it looked like you were having lots of fun too! I saw a lot of good sportsmanship, and people cheering each other on. It made me miss you guys even more! Have a great last week of school....and good luck next year, whether you are going to middle school or just becoming a big fifth grader. Keep reading over the summer!

I took LOTS of pictures today. Check out the Field Day album!

Our visit

It was so great to see everyone today! Don't worry, we'll be back to visit again. I was so glad to hear that everyone is doing so well -- congratulations to those of you accepted to special programs for middle school (Lety, Alex, Haley, Kory, McKinley...did I forget anyone?) and to Juaquin for being a Mile High Scholar. Keep up the good work with CSAP, and good luck with Shakespeare auditions and Young Authors and DI. Have a wonderful Spring Break!

I added the pictures from today to our album! You all look great. Thanks for being so welcoming. I really enjoyed seeing you!

Three weeks? Already?

It's hard to believe that Noah will be three weeks old tomorrow -- and that I haven't been your teacher for three weeks! The time has gone by really fast! Sometimes it feels like only a few days ago that I saw you all, and sometimes it feels like forever. It was good to read all of your positive comments and notes. It makes me feel happy to know that most of you are enjoying your new teacher and busy learning! Congratulations on getting five stars.

I wish I could have stayed one more week to really say goodbye, like Tajané said, but I guess Noah was just ready to be born. He is growing fast -- he already weighs a pound more than he did when he was born. He mostly sleeps a lot and eats a lot right now -- I have to feed him every two hours or so because he has such a tiny stomach! Everything about him, in fact, is pretty tiny. It's amazing to think we all started off this small.....

I have put some new pictures into the Noah album for you, and hopefully you will get to meet him very soon. I'll talk to Ms. Smith about a good time to visit! In the meantime, good luck on CSAP next week! Do your best and make me proud.

Noah Henry Tarr

Well, he's arrived, about ten days ahead of schedule! I'm sorry I couldn't spend one more week with the class, as planned -- I'll miss Haley's birthday, for one thing, as well as the Valentine's Day party and dance.....but that's just how things turned out. People keep telling me that once you have a baby, he will rule your life, and I guess this was no exception!

Here are a few pictures for you -- click here for the rest! Be good for Ms. Smith, and I'll come visit when Noah is a little older. Lots of love,
Ms. LaVenture

Welcome Ms. Smith!

We have hired a wonderful new teacher to finish the year in Room 204. Her name is Annie Smith, and she has been a teacher for four years in Illinois before moving to Denver to get married this summer. She has been subbing in Denver Public Schools since August, and has even substituted at Palmer a few times! The fourth graders got to know her when she took over for me when the fifth graders were at Balarat in December. I am very excited to leave the classroom in Ms. Smith's hands -- I know she will do a fantastic job. I only hope my students remember to miss me! Ms. Smith will be coming to our classroom a few times in February before her official start day of February 18th (my due date!) and you can also get the chance to meet her on February 5th, at Palmer's Open House Night.

Other exciting news: Don't forget to come to the Variety Show on January 29th! The students will perform twice, at 9:45 am and 6:00 pm. There are lots of great acts, everything from singing and dancing to magic and juggling. Come check out all of Palmer's talented students.

The 29th is also class picture day, and a chance for some special individual pictures as well. Bring in your money ($9 for a class pic) and dress your best!

Winter break

It's hard to believe the year is almost half over, but here we are in the middle of December already! We've finished our second round of benchmark testing (expect results in January), are about to wind up our study of weather, and will take chapter five math tests on Thursday. We'll be all ready for a fresh start when we come back from break on January 7th. To celebrate the end of school in 2008, we have a party planned for December 18th, from 12:30 to 1:30. Please come join us! If you would like to bring food for the party, healthy treats would be much appreciated. After the party, students will be watching a movie in the auditorium, sponsored by the Student Council.

My due date (February 18th) still seems far away to me, but it is beginning to approach ever more quickly. I have five interviews scheduled this week with potential replacement teachers. I really look forward to meeting them all, and to hopefully finding someone who will lead the class for the remainder of the year. When we do hire someone, I will let you know -- and invite everyone to meet the new teacher before he or she starts work. Thanks for all of your support through this process!

Balarat!

From Balarat

Well, we all survived our Balarat adventure, and I think everyone had a wonderful time overall. Sure, there was some moaning and groaning, especially when we had to get up at 6:30 for a sunrise hike, or make it to the top of the hill before we could eat lunch, but I was really impressed with how well all the students followed directions, paid attention, and learned new things, including four types of trees, how to bake biscuits in a wood stove, and how to assay ore samples! Highlights of the trip have to be the solo night walk, the low ropes course, and the Big Swing. To find out more about our trip, read the articles below, all written by fifth graders, and visit our photo album!

History of Homesteaders, by Kory
My favorite part of the [homesteading] activity was making biscuits and cleaning the house. The reason why I like the biscuits is because you get to actually make it step by step. The biscuits tasted really good. The reason why I liked the cleaning is because you get to wash the dishes old-school style. You also get to wash, sweep, and wipe off the tables.

CSI Balarat: Microscope Station, by McKinley
At CSI, we had to solve a "crime". There was a person who built a fort and we had to find out who did it and what animal the person killed. At the microscope station, we looked at the samples they collected from the sleeping bag and collected four different hairs from people. You had to match the hair they found in the sleeping bag to the hair from the other people. And they found some fiber from the sleeping bag the person slept in, and you had to match the fiber from the sleeping bag to fiber from the shirts of the four suspects.

Solo Night Walk, by Monique
The solo night walk was the scariest walk ever because you would have to walk by yourself in the dark. There were five landmarks to follow so you wouldn't get lost. Also, you can just follow the road and you won't have to look at turns because the road will turn you.

Ropes Course, by Lety
The ropes course needed us to work together a lot! We all needed to support each other just in case one of us fell and they needed to get us back in place. The ropes course was really fun. The best part was working together and getting to know people!

Native Americans, by Angelica
When we went to Balarat, we learned about how the Indians made their tipis. Then we learned that the Indians had to make sure that the door to their tipi faced the same way as the others [to the east]. We had to work together to make it right! Lany (our highschool counselor) helped us too.

Giving thanks and going to the mountains

It was such a short week that time really flew by -- we managed to fit in some writing ("easy essays" about our favorite time of year), some science (ask about our smoke box, which models how wind travels toward heat), some math, and some reading. The big excitement, after Thanksgiving break, of course, is the upcoming fifth grade trip to Balarat. Balarat is Denver Public Schools' outdoor environmental program, located up in the foothills above Boulder. It's been open for almost forty years, and provides every fifth grader in DPS with the unique opportunity to spend some quality time up "in the mountains". This year we are lucky enough to be able to spend two nights and three days up at Balarat. Both fifth grade classes will be going up together, and we will mix up students and teachers so everyone will have a chance to get to know new people and see friends in the other class. My fourth graders will stay at school with a sub, but they are already looking forward to going to Balarat next year (and having three whole days without those annoying fifth graders around....)!

Enjoy your break, and if you are (or have) a fifth grader, remember to pack warm clothes and a sack lunch for Monday. The Balarat bus will leave at 9:15, so don't be late! We will return around 3:30 on Wednesday.

Molecular what?

Molecular gastronomy, that's what Chef Ian showed us today, with his amazing concoctions using liquid nitrogen and carbon dioxide. Everyone was amazed by the flavor of the super-smooth ice cream he mixed up, and making your own soda by adding CO2 to water (and lots of sugar) was pretty neat, too. Frozen popcorn or marshmellows, anyone? I only wish I'd had my camera, to capture the waves of smoke pouring out over our desks! It's wonderful what you can do with science these days....it was a great kick-off to a week that includes the Science Fair on Wednesday night. Here is a link to Chef Ian's blog, where he mentions visiting our class.

For anyone who wants more, more, more.......Chef Ian works at O's Restaurant, in the Westin Westminster. The address is 10600 Westminster Boulevard, and here is a map. If he sends me any recipes, I will be sure to post them!

Election Results

Results from Palmer's voting: 89% of students cast a vote for Obama, with 8% voting for McCain and 1% of votes for third party candidates. In DPS overall, almost 16,000 students voted. The vote percentages were very similar to Palmer. To take a closer look at the national results, both state-by-state and within individual counties, check out this map!