Five For Friday for May 10

Happy Mother's Day Weekend to all of you!!

  I hope you find some well deserved time to relax and get LOTS of sweet hugs and kisses from your little ones.

I'm linking up with Doodle Bugs Teaching for:

 1. Division and Food

We have been wrapping up the end of the year with division.  I've tried to incorporate food into several of the activities we have worked on.  It seems to help keep my students focused with only a few days left of the school year.  

"Fishing for Remainders" Activity

2. End of Year Benchmarking

This week was spent completing our last benchmarking of the year.  Woot!  Woot!

Our school uses STAR math and STAR reading for benchmarking. 

3. Three Cheers for our Classroom I Pad

Currently we only have 1 classroom IPAD, and it had been kidnapped taken in for repairs by our tech department this past winter.  My kiddos MISSED the IPAD.  Often, I would hear them ask, " Mrs. Mehrtens when are we going to get our IPAD back?"   I think they had given up hope that our "classroom friend" would return before the end of the school year.

It was returned this week!  My generally calm students were ready to mob the tech guy when they saw what he was bringing back to our classroom.  

I added a few new apps to it as well.   My kiddos are loving the "Math vs. Zombies" app.

I also added EduCreations.  My kiddos love to use it as a whiteboard and practice their math facts or spelling words.  "Earth School" was also highly recommended.  Several of my students are hooked on this science app on the planets.

4. Teacher Appreciation Week

It was such a great week filled with delicious desserts, salads, and a luncheon provided by our PTO.  I also received many sweet cards and handmade notes from my students.  Happy Teacher Appreciation Week to all of you!!!

The picture on the left is of an iTunes gift card and a spa gift card I received from one of my students and his family.  How sweet and thoughtful!! 

5. Muffins With Moms

I am so amazingly blessed to teach in the same district my children attend school.  It makes it so nice when holiday vacations, parent teacher conferences, and special events take place such as the one that we had today because I am able to have someone cover my classroom as I attend some of these things.    The first grade classes in our district have an event called " Muffins With Moms".  The Moms are invited to come eat breakfast with their child and take a look at the sweet things their child has made for them for Mother's Day.   

I was able to attend this with my son today.  Wow! It was such a PRECIOUS event!  His AH-mazing teacher had worked so hard!  She is truly AH-mazing!!! When we walked into the classroom there were pink table cloths over the tables and at each student's area was a decorated mason jar with a flower, a cute handmade purse  craftivity, and a bound scrapbook of the year.  After I had a chance to eat breakfast with my sweetie, we looked over the things he had made.  Too precious!!!  

AND that wasn't the end of this sweet event..  My son's teacher had taken a video of each student talking about what they loved the most about their Mom.  She showed us this video presentation on the class Promethean board along with a slideshow of the year in pictures.  P-R-E-C-I-O-U-S!!!  Each Mom was also given a CD of this " melt your heart" kind of presentation.  I don't think there was a dry eye in the classroom at the end of this event.  It was SO special and his sweet teacher had put so much thought and effort into this event.   What a great way to end the work week!!!

AND fortunately each child in the class had a Mom or Grandma in attendance.

Enjoy your weekend of "spoiling"!  You deserve it!!!

I've already started mine with this: A spa pedicure

AND it was much needed!!