Even our Firsties voted!

     Hi Firsty Families!  I hope everyone is enjoying their day off!  Has your Firsty talked to you about Veterans' Day yet?  While we didn't get a chance to delve too deeply into the history of Veterans' Day, our class learned that Veterans are special people who have fought for the wonderful rights of our country (like voting).  It turns out that a lot of our Firsties know a Veteran somewhere in their lives, and we learned that we should say thank you to those heroes!  I for one am very thankful for my cousin.  He is a retired sergeant of the 101st Airborne, and he has served several terms in Iraq, Afghanistan, and other war-torn areas.  He signed up shortly after 9/11, feeling like he needed to contribute to our country.  Our whole family is so proud of him, as well as all of the veterans out there, and we say a heartfelt THANK YOU! 
     Speaking of rights, our Firsties had the chance to experience what it was like to vote on Tuesday!  Rather than have our class vote on the real presidential candidates, we decided to take a lighter approach and have them vote on... Muppets! The Firsties were able to vote for either the Grover/Cookie Monster Party, or the Gonzo/Rizzo Party: 

 

    We barely touched on the pro's and con's of each party, including if Cookie Monster could really provide excellent healthcare since he himself eats far too many sweet's.  And, do we really want a "rat" as our vice president?  Well, no surprise here, the Grover/Cookie Monster Party won the votes of our Firsties.  No, there was no electoral college here (I'm not even about to attempt to explain that to our class!), but about 2/3 of the popular votes went to those loveable blue monsters.   Here are some photos of the voting booths and a few responsible citizens voting:

 The kids had a blast, and hopefully, when they turn 18, they will be just as excited to get out there and vote, too!  
     This week is a week filled with half days! Yes, there will be daycare available.  The reason we are having half days is so that you, the parents, can sit down and chat with me about your fabulous little student!  Please take the time to think of any concerns or questions you might have to ask me about your Firsty and their time in First Grade.  Please remember that this is a parents only meeting.  Please also remember to try your best to be on time.  I can't extend our meeting times if you are late, so it just means we will have less time during our meeting = (  If you know you won't be able to make our meeting time, please call the school and let Ms. Charlotte know!  These meetings are mandatory at the primary level.  I still have a few slots open, so if you need to move your meeting time, call Ms. Charlotte and see when you can switch your meeting.   If you have forgotten when your meeting time was scheduled, please don't hesitate to email me and ask.  I will have our meeting times posted on our classroom doors each morning, so you can double check before school and after school.  Please remember that every time we have a half-day, it is automatically rainy day pick up.
    Finally, our wonderful Christian Service Room Mom's are putting together a bake sale this Wednesday, November 14th, at noon.  Volunteers are needed to bake items for the bake sale!  If every family donates a dozen items, then we will have 400 items to sell!  And, if we sold those 400 items at a dollar a piece, then we would make $400 for our Christian Service project!  Items can be dropped off that morning with your child.  The other option would be to drop them off around 11:30 when our Room Mom's will be setting up our bake sale table outside.  Please contact Mrs. Vona or Mrs. Schultz with any questions!  Thank you for your help everyone! 
    Well, that's going to be it for me on this Veterans' Day!  Don't forget that our school is collecting used clothing until Grandparents Day (Wednesday, November 21st).  

Take care!
~Ms. Hudson