Knox's 1st Grade Art & Projects

Homeroom Teacher: Ms. Alyssa Caccavale

Sunday School Teacher: Ms. Sarah Bates

August 2, 2022 - Camp Gan Izzy

Cat Ninja

Fall Photo

Valentine's Day Class Party

Book Character Parade - Nibbles (February 24, 2023)

March 16, 2023

Spring Photo

Open House (March 30th)

Spring Camp 2023 at GFC

With Mila at Hightower Fun Run (April 2023)

Made at Sunday School

End of Year Party (May 25, 2023)

Routines & Rituals

A couple weeks ago, I wrote about traditions in our family. Routines and rituals are probably closely related to that but happen more often. These are the daily or weekly things that happen around our house.

• Sweet, sour, service - a fun way to tell about your day either at dinner or bedtime. Banner added in "stride" after camp one year. While I think it was supposed to be "strive," to tell about your goal or what you're eager to do the next day, we now say "stride" is the thing you're looking forward to. It doesn't make a whole lot of sense, but it rolls of the tongue nicely.

• Dinner speeches - once a week or so, each of us gives a one-minute speech on a random topic given to us by another person at the dinner table. The impromptu speeches are great practice for public speaking and can be quite entertaining.

• Question game - Also during dinner, we pick any topic, and come up with as many questions as you can about it. No answers, just questions. Our first one ever was "Judaism," and we came up with LOTS of questions.
  
• Waiting games - passing the time with little kids in a waiting room, an exam room, or at the restaurant table can be difficult. It's so helpful to play Heads Up (an app where the one with the phone holds it up to his/her forehead while the others try to get that person to guess the word on the phone) or the Noticing Game (where the kids close their eyes, and we ask them a very specific question about the room, and they try to remember the answer by noticing their surroundings - like "What color is the wall behind you?" or "How many blades are in the ceiling fan?").

• Slips - every Sunday, we calculate the kids' earnings for the week based on how they did on their daily jobs and following our house laws for the week.

• Clean 10 - or Clean 5, or whatever item number, the requirement is for everyone to pick up 10 (or 5 or whatever). When Mom or Dad calls out "Clean 15," everyone stops what they're doing and picks up 15 items to put them in their "homes."

• Beat the Song - another cleaning routine; this one involves putting on our family playlist and tidying up one room before a song is over. This is fun and fast, and it usually ends in family dance parties.

• Fighting Step - when two kids are fighting with each other or hurt each other, they go to the bottom step of our stairway and work it out. They may not leave the step until they admit to what THEY did wrong in the situation, what they plan to do to fix it, and make & accept apologies. 

• Nose to Nose/Toes to Toes - this is now a generational ritual. My mom was a master of making us laugh with each other rather than fight, and she came up with some awesome consequences. Nose-to-Nose, Toes-to-Toes stuck. When we would fight, we would have to stand with our toes touching and our noses touching. This usually ended in giggles and smiles. Other alternatives in our house are putting both kids in one large t-shirt and having them do a task together or having the kids hold hands while doing a job. Mom also had "punishments" that included writing a letter about what we thought the consequence would be or having the bickering siblings wash windows (one inside and one outside)... we ended up mirroring each other and laughing instead of fighting.

• Picking songs in the car - everyone gets a turn to choose a song while in the car, although sometimes my kids will pick 3 minutes of silence on their "turn." We also enjoy podcasts: But Why is our favorite, but we also like trivia podcasts.

• Fontina - we have a tooth fairy who visits our house when the boys lose their teeth. She leaves glittery notes for the boys along with a few dollars. When Banner lost his 20th tooth, she left a $20 bill! She is very generous and so thoughtful! She was also the boys' "paci fairy," giving treats at the front door when they donated their used pacis to newborn babies in the hospital. 

  
• Fridge parades - No one likes "leftovers," but call it a "parade," and everyone wants to participate! Usually once a week we clear out the fridge, lining up all the uneaten food from the week so we can see what kind of "smorgasbord" we can come up with. Each person decides what they want, we reheat, and we sit up at the tall counter (instead of at the kitchen table like other nights) while watching TV. It's a different meal, a fun one for the kids, and it resets the fridge real estate! 

What are some of the routines in your household?

End of Year Family Awards Night

Banner, this year, we're awarding you the Champion of Change Award! Think back to the end of fifth grade when you were uncertain about what was coming in middle school. Friends were going their separate ways, and a new building, a new schedule, new friends, and new teachers awaited you at Frankford. It took some time to adjust to learning how to study, how to remember test dates, how to practice percussion, how to keep up with pre-athletics clothing, and adjusting to having 7 different teachers - of which two were pretty worthless. You maintained friendships with old friends, made new ones, signed up for new things next year like AVID and debate while pushing forward with band and taking on another honors class. You were dreading cotillion but forged onward and learned to make the most of it with friends. You had your first girlfriend and your first breakup. You didn't like studying, but you persevered even while fighting with us, and you realized that studying helps. You didn't argue when I hired Daly to help you with math, and you learned that learning feels good. Success feels good. You handled change so well - a true champion of change.

(This is you while we read about your award! Haha!)

Quinn, we have awarded you the Eye of the Tiger Award - for exceptional courage and bravery this year! Remember when you found out which teachers all your 2nd grade friends had in 3rd grade? Remember how nearly none of them had Ms. Kruder? You were bummed, but true to your personality, you forged ahead and made so many new friends. That took courage. When things weren't going your way, you made lemonade out of lemons. You signed up for basketball again, after a frustrating experience on the last team you were on. You were brave enough to try out baseball when you'd never played before. You rode Splash Mountain all by yourself in the dark, in the cold. You asked for help when you needed it from Ms. Kim. You were worried about Ms. Jaco being too strict, and then you ended up loving her. You signed up for the spelling bee and studied for WordMasters. You attacked the Bluebonnet reading list. You also braved a first break up after being courageous enough to tell your friend that you had a crush on her. You made all A's (except one 89!) the first year you started getting number grades. You rose up to the challenge of your rival and showed what you are made of! Not just a Hightower Tiger, the spirit of one, too.

Knox, you are awarded the Leaping Learner Award this year! Out of the three of our sons, you made the most academic growth this year. Your MAP scores jumped the most, your reading level soared, your understanding and curiosity about math increased. You took PACE testing seriously this year, and you got in to the program you say is your favorite thing now. You improved the most this year, and you were willing to try new things. Your soccer skills grew, you were willing to ask for help with social skills - even if you don't love going to Ms. Dinah, and you even try new foods now (like hamburgers and tacos). We have seen you so happy - beaming with delight - when you know you did a good job. We love to see you love learning!  

Tova, you earned the Tame & Trustworthy Award this year! At the beginning of this school year, we were unable to leave you alone in the house without putting you in your crate. But, now, you stay out for many hours when we aren't home because we trust that you will behave. You have gotten out of the house unleashed a few times and generally come right back when we call for you. You love the dog park and will go play, but you look for us while we walk the path and come right to us when you're wanting to be near or when we need you to come back. Your routines are very predictable now, and you also trust that our routines are. You trust that when we leave you with a dogsitter, we will always come back to you! While you can be very excited when guests come over or when you see a squirrel while out on a walk, you are not as crazy as you used to be, and we've seen some growth in this this school year.

We are so proud of all of you for your growth, determination, perseverance, courage, strength, kindness, positive attitude, and learning this year.