Despite the wet weather, we had a great time on our field trip to the fire station. A special thanks to Mrs. Ross, Mrs. Dwyer, and Mrs. Swan for accompanying us. When we arrived at the station, the truck was not there--they had gotten a call earlier. However, after being there for about 10 minutes, the truck returned. We watched a fireman put on his turnout gear, including his air mask. We got to climb inside the truck and look around. Students were encouraged to talk to their families about designating a special meeting place in case of a house fire, such as the swingset or the mailbox.

We came back to school and continued with business as usual. At center time, some students had the opportunity to use the interactive whiteboard to practice writing their name. Don't worry--everyone will get a turn! We're working on writing like big kids now--not in all uppercase letters anymore.

Mrs. Swan worked with students on creating and extending patterns and on identifying which part of the pattern repeats. The more they practiced, the better they got. The students are getting really good at sounding out words on their own. It's so fun for me and so rewarding for them when they begin to put their own thoughts onto paper.