Our Stories

Conlee's library reaps top honor

A school's library is the heart of any educational facility. So it is with great pride that Conlee staff learned yesterday that our library has been named the best elementary school library in the state of New Mexico.

The continuing hard work and dedication to staff and students by Conlee associate librarian Diana Youngren and library assistant Chris Savold has resulted in our school's library being named the 2007 Outstanding Elementary Library in New Mexico. For the full story, click here. For information on our library's activities and resources, click here.

Hi ho Silver, away!

Continuing our look at Italian composer Gioacchino Rossini, Mrs. James's class yesterday traveled to The Baldwin Project where I read William Tell and his Great Shot to the class. What a grand tale it is! (I had forgotten the reason Tell sheathed the first arrow in his belt before loading a second arrow onto his crossbow. Do you remember?) Terrific drama - the kids sucked it all in. Now the fires were stoked for them to listen to the musical underpinnings of Rossini's William Tell Overture. (The Classics for Kids website is simply outstanding in every way.)

Here's a good site which illuminates the origin of Christmas traditions. Perfect for our class - I can project it on the big screen and let students take turns reading.

Our kids scored an overall 82.6 percent on last week's Mars/Jupiter SpaceQuest test. That means we owe them a pizza party (for scoring 80 percent or above). I think we're going to have it today.

Best kid books

Children's author Daniel Pinkwater rips it up with NPR host Scott Simon as they present the best kid books for giving and receiving this holiday season. Mrs. James's class will listen in on Monday. (I'm already searching the bookstores for a couple of books on Pinkwater's list.)

And, in a somewhat related note, our class is starting to groove on opera. So much so that I've ordered a filmed version of The Barber of Seville, which should help dispel the mid-January blahs by way of some welcome comic buffoonery. Of course, we'll make sure we throw in some standards and benchmarks along with the popcorn and crackerjack.

Author visits Conlee

Conlee students shared an hour with author Cristina Ortega last Friday.

"Cristina Ortega is the granddaughter of Juan Melquiades Ortega, a master weaver of northern New Mexico's Chimayó Valley. Chimayó's roots are in early Spanish Colonial times and has long been famous for its unique weavings.  Juan M. Ortega was taught to weave by his father in the early days when weavers sheared their own sheep and spun and dyed the wool for their blankets. El Tejedor (The Weaver) continued weaving until he was one hundred years old, when his eyesight failed him. In The Eyes of the Weaver, Cristina shares her memories of visits when she was ten years old with Grandpa in the village of Chimayó, where he taught her how to weave. She also recalls how Grandma helped her husband choose color combinations for his Chimayó blankets. It was during these visits that Cristina learned how important it is for a child to listen to and learn from his or her relatives. Some of Juan M. Ortega's weavings and tools of the trade have been included in the exhibit, "American Encounters," at the National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution, in Washington, D.C. Reading level: 10 years and up"

A Lulu of a read

Remember Lulu? Here she is.

Lulu helps author Daniel Pinkwater read Three Stories You Can Read to Your Dog. Give a listen. Then tell us how you liked it by leaving a comment.

(Click here for the full story of Lulu and her owners, Jill and Daniel Pinkwater.)

"How to Eat Fried Worms" sweepstakes

Yummy!

Mrs. James and I began reading the book Friday to our students. The movie will be released August 25.

Barbara Feldman, creator of Surfing the Net with Kids, is hosting a sweepstakes.

"When I was approached by the movie promotion people and asked if I was interested in hosting a sweepstakes, I said yes for two reasons. First, because I liked the message of an underdog middle-school student beating a bully. And second, because I haven't done a sweepstakes or a contest in a really, really long time, and it sounded like fun!"

Make sure you read Barbara's column on bullying. Tell Barbara how you feel about bullying by posting a comment on her blog.

Barbara's Surfnet site is hosting two games, Worm Slinger and Worm Out.

As for Mr. Field, he enjoys barbequed bat wings topped with a delicate red beet sauce.

What's your favorite wacky food? Leave a comment that makes our mouths water.