VPE Open House

Tonight in between a baseball game and a Relief Society enrichment activity and just before Rich's parents flew in from Utah for the Ryder Cup, we attended Veterans Park Elementary Open House. The boys were so excited for us to see their work and visit with their teachers. The boys all have the same teachers as last year and are in the exact classrooms as last year so there wasn't as many as surprises as last year, but it is always great to see where they sit, what they have been working on and give a big thank you to the teachers that work so hard with them every day.Josh and Mrs. CoralesJosh's seat and journal. His questions to us were: Dear Mom, How old were you when you learned how to swim? Dear Dad, How old were you when you first went on an airplane? I wasn't quite sure how to answer mine. I guess it was around seven when my brother Greg and I had lessons from one of my dad's patients who just happened to have been an Olympic swimmer for Spain. Not bad right? If she couldn't teach us how to float, I think we would have been doomed in the swimming department. Rich's answer was two. He flew to San Diego when his family moved there so his dad could begin his residency intern year in general surgery. Josh was selected to be Patriot of the Week. We made a poster and he will present it in class on Friday. This allows each child to be spotlighted and lets the other children get to know him better.Josh's art work looks a lot like the book.The girls loved exploring the loft in Josh's classroom.Matt and Mrs. BelcherMatt's seat and journal His handwriting and picture were beautiful and I loved his inventive spelling.I should have guessed Matt's Wild Thing would have a sword. Trey and Mrs. NewtonTrey's seat and two journals. He has a writing journal and Brain Breakfast log.His cubby and supplies.This is a picture of the contents of his Smile Bag. Each child had to bring in five items that made them happy. They presented it to the class during the first week of school.Brynn found her brother's page on the wall all by herself. They asked each child to send in a photo of them and their pet. They were hung on the walls outside the library. This is the exact reason we have Hermit Crabs. I'm not too big on pets, but you need something to write about.All the children in kindergarten through third grade drew self portraits in art class. They were on display on the walls throughout the school. It took a few minutes, but we located each one. I loved the detail in Matt's picture. Matt said a girl in his class gave him the idea to draw our house in the back ground. He said making the windows was a big tricky. There also was a bird and the sun in the corners. He told me that the #1 on his shirt could either be the green Hole in One golf shirt or the green First Place shirt he often wears. Josh's self portrait. He said he couldn't decide which of his favorite colors, red or blue, to use on the background so he used both. His was on display right when you walked in.I loved Trey's drawing, but was SHOCKED he made his shirt green. I would have bet money he would have made it orange.

It was a great night and I loved the excitement on the boys faces as they proudly showed off their classroom and work. We feel blessed to have such an amazing school, with dedicated caring teachers, specialists and hardworking students. It truly deserves the Blue Ribbon Award they were given last week. Great job boys!