The Best Parts of My Week....6/20/11-6/24/11

Hi everyone,

Well, it was the last week of school and there was happiness and celebration in the air along with some sadness for those who were retiring or moving on to middle school.......

.....Early in the week I gave a third grade class some activity choices during their last PE class for the year. Some of the students played kickball. On the way inside, one of the students said: "That was a lot of fun because everyone was cheering for each other!" This is a class that has been quite competitive this year so I was very happy to hear that the outcome of the game was less important than cheering for each other!

.....I had a great visit with a former student this week! We had a great chat and she filled me in on what was going on in her life, but she also was interested in what was going on at North Park! It's always fun to have visitors and catch up! We had several visitors this week as the middle school students were finished with exams. I was happy to see them all!

.....Our kindergarten students participate in a celebration of their first year of school that involves student-made sunflowers and lots of smiles! The celebration was held this week and I was able to attend and take some pictures. Every student receives an award that is carefully planned by his/her teacher. It was wonderful to reflect on how much these students have grown this year! I congratulated one of the students later on and he said that he was happy to have seen me in the audience! He thought I might be late!

.....Our 5th grade students participate in a moving up ceremony as they will move on to middle school next year. It is always a wonderful celebration filled with happiness, but also some sadness. I am always thrilled for the students as they have worked hard to accomplish many goals, but I am always sad to say goodbye. As Special Area teachers, we have the unique privilege to be a part of these students education for six years in a row and we feel connected to their education in a special way.......I guess that's why it's so great when they come back to visit!

.....Our wonderful PTA provides a special breakfast for our 5th grade students on the last day of school to celebrate their elementary school experience. It has become a tradition in the recent past to put together a slide show that students watch during the breakfast. This slide show contains pictures of these students participating in various activities during the year. I was asked if I had some pictures of Field Day to contribute to the slide show and of course I said Yes! (I take literally thousands of pictures each year for the school and PE website.) After I had contributed these pictures I decided to look for more pictures for the show. I had fun looking for pictures of these students in past years and found quite a few to add to the show. I was struck by how much they had grown in a relatively short period of time! The PTA moms who made the show were very appreciative and not only added a slide saying "Club PE Rocks! We will miss you Mrs. R!", but they also made me a copy of the slide show!

.....I am always touched by the thank you notes and gifts that students and families so generously give to me on the last day of school. I am so thankful to be thought of........it is truly the thought that counts!!!!

.....Fitness Frankie and I had great fun saying goodbye to the students during dismissal! We had music playing, streamers waving, and bubbles floating! While there were tears from some who were sad to leave, there were many smiles and cheers as well! I am proud to be a part of a school environment where students are so moved by their experience and education......

......It has been a great year! Thanks for reading about "The Best Parts of My Week!" Have a great summer and come back to read more in September!

Check out the Last Day of School pictures on our website!

Visit the North Park PE website to learn more about our program.

E-mail me with comments or questions at: northparkpe@yahoo.com