School"s Out!

We had a beautiful last day of school.  I didn't really plan it, but everything worked out.  I need to remember what we did and do a repeat next year.  Yesterday we had a big Presidential Awards Assembly, the EFT slide show, a fiesta lunch, and watched a movie. We were together with the whole sixth grade all day, and parents, and it was crazy.  Today was relaxed, subdued, and reflective.

We started with a class discussion reflecting on the year past year.  Then we stapled together little 3 page booklets with their names on the front.  We sat in a circle and passed the booklets around so that each person in the class had a chance to write in everyone's booklet an award that they thought that person should receive.  They also could write a short message or share a memory.  It took almost an hour for them to write in everyone's booklet.  Then they spent time silently reading everything.  Everyone then had a chance to share the awards and words that meant them most to them.  It was a positive experience for all.

We took a break and went out our back door for a recess on what we call the "back yard".  There are four classrooms at our school that share a private grassy field with a little hill and plenty of shade trees.  We ended up sharing the area with all the other sixth grade students and it was fun just spending a final recess together away from the other kids.

When we came in, we watched Tiny Toons Adventures, How I Spent My Summer Vacation. This movie came out in 1992, and starts on the last day of school and follows the toons throughout the summer.  It had crazy parodies and old stuff that the kids wouldn't get, but it's pretty hilarious.  I love when the pigs pick-up the Texas chainsaw lunatic on their way to Happy World Land, and there's a girl that loves kitties and her adventures are the funniest thing I've ever seen.  I love her!



We finished in time to go to lunch, pick-up their report cards, and then count down the last 10 seconds of their elementary career.