With Joy, We Thank You For Your Support

In the words of the Kindergarten team...

 

Dear Nettie & Friends,

Thank you so much for providing the materials for our kindergarten classes to host a gingerbread party.  We had a HUGE parent turnout!  We had parents come that we haven't seen yet this year (not even at parent/teacher conferences).  All 3 classrooms combined had over 30 parents attend.  The students had a blast creating their gingerbread masterpieces.  Many memories were made!

Thank you again,

Your Maxfield Kindergarten Teachers,

Jenelle, Caitlin, & Danielle

 

 Children and parents from across many grade levels gathered to build their own gingerbread house.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  In the words of the 2nd grade student "Best. Day. Ever."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In 1st grade, an Auntie joined her nephew and created this masterpiece.

 

 

 

Thank you for the warm winter wear.  Belwin Outdoor Science is operated by Saint Paul Public Schools and offers outdoor experiences for students in St. Paul.  Our day was planned on a lovely 9 degree day in December (remember that week of subzero weather?  We lucked out and went on a windless above zero day.)  Thank you for supporting Winter Wear that made a hike through the snowy forest and kick-sledding possible in warm snowpants, boots, hats and mittens.  You see this joy?  You are, in part, responsible for it!  We were toasty warm all day.

First snow angel ever...

Hiking through the forest to discover animal tracks.

 Mastering the art of the kicksled.

If you hike to the top of a hill, and you want to slide down but you don't have a sled, what do you use?


Snow pants,  of course!  We were outfitted for this event by YOU.  What fun.

Sorry, no action shots, I was too busy sliding.  :-)

Happy New Year with our thanks and gratitude.

Thank You for Your Support

In case you missed the Opening Reception, you can still come on down to the Egg & I for a little shopping, a pancake, and know you are doing a lot of good.  Sale of items continues through December...
 

 

 Here are a couple of reasons why:

We are OPEN for business at the Egg & I! Come on by to support Maxfield School.

Stop by the Egg & I East Restaurant for breakfast or lunch, then, do a little shopping and do a lot of good! Directions to the Egg & I are here (just make sure you look for Egg & I EAST.)  Maybe I'll see you there... I would get a pancake if I were you!

Thank you to everyone who braved the cold, lousy driving conditions and snow to join us at the Opening Reception.  If you weren't able to make the reception, know there are still many lovely and unique items available for purchase. . . stop by and check them out!

2013 Nettie & Friends Show and Sale at the Egg & !

Sale continues through December 2013.  

Egg & I is open daily for breakfast and lunch.

Thank you from Maxfield Students and Staff

When the school year closed in June and I took a moment to review everything Nettie & Friends has helped support at Maxfield, the list went on and on.  These are activities large and small that enrich the lives of students at Maxfield, they are listed in random order, but their impact on the lives of students is not random. Yes, there are photos at the bottom of this list, be sure to see all of the smiles you helped create this year!

Thank you for making all of this happen:

·      Fresh school supplies to start the year – markers, crayons, pencils, scissors, gluesticks, bulletin board boards, desk tags, nametags,and other materials as needed

·      Daily snacks for Learning Center classrooms

·      Apples for the ‘Let’s Learn about the Orchard’ unit for LC students

·      Large classroom rug for new K-3 Acceleration classroom

·      Mimeo Teach Bar for science classroom (makes any white board an interactive Smart Board)

·      Gingerbread house building supplies for three Kindergarten classrooms, two  2^nd grade classrooms and two- Learning Center classrooms

·      Snacks for inclusion classroom celebrations, Writer's Workshop publishing parties

·      Uniforms, underwear and socks

·      Warm winter wear (mittens, snowpants, hats, boots)

·      Laundry partnership with E & J Cleaners to clean uniforms from the uniform lending closet

·      Children’s Theater “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” tickets and field trip bus for Learning Center students

·      100 days of school celebration supplies and treats for three Kindergarten classes and two Learning Center classes

·      Classroom incentives – Bucket Filler celebrations for Learning Center classes, school store

·      Sensory Room supplies

·      Spelling Bee awards

·      6^th grade celebration – field trip bus and roller rink rental; DVD for each student of the school year slide show

·      5^th grade celebration – light lunch for students and their families

·      PreK field trip busses to Children’s Museum

·      Steppingstone Theater tickets for three Kindergarten classes

·      Earth day celebration supplies for three Kindergarten classes

·      Positive Punch incentives for grades PreK – 6 (15 classes)

·      School Patrol Shirts for annual School Patrol parade and picnic

·      Library books to complete collections and provide more copies of high interest books

·      Nook account set up funds to purchase educational apps and books for “handheld” technology for 40 Nooks at Maxfield

·      MN Horse Expo Field trip bus and Cowboy hats and snacks for Learning Center students (this year we invited two classes from other Learning Center sites)

·      Pump It Up trip for Learning Center students to celebrate growth in social skills

·      Laminator film, color printer toner for all of the staff Maxfield School to use to create materials for classroom use

·      Supplies for the school nurse (paper cups for students who need a cool drink and a little tender loving care, other personal supplies for students, nebulizer set-ups for students with asthma so they could receive their medication at school)

·      Nutrition fund in the cafeteria to ensure every child has a hot lunch every day

·      Enrichment supplies for classroom teachers such as the sewing project in the Learning Center where every student made a travel pillowcase to cover a small pillow to take home for the summer

·      Gently used tennis shoes for the gym for students to “borrow” so they can participate everyday in Physical Education

·      Game controllers for Physical Education so more students have access to the WiiFit activities during gym

·      Read Across America Day Dr. Seuss teacher recognition boxes stuffed with stickers, certificates, awards, notes and other good stuff for all teachers PreK – 3^rd grade

·      3^rd and 6^th grade “Pi Day” celebrations

·      Family game night – dice and decks of cards for "home game bags" for families

Some highlights:

 Picking your own sweet, juicy apple.

 Taking a hayride on a cool October day to find just the right apple.

Building your own gingerbread house.

Practicing math skills the gingerbread way.

Enjoying the winter weather, no matter what it brings our way...

Making snow angels, zipping down the slide to land in a soft pile of snow...

Climbing, running, playing outside everyday.

Celebrating 100 Days of School. That includes counting to 100 many times to make a tasty treat to share.

Learning a card game to teach to my family and in the meantime, beating Mr. Lucas, round after round!

Sewing your own pillowcase for your very own pillow.

Celebrating success with your friends.  Taking your very own pillow home for the summer.









Thank you for making all of this possible.  We've had a wonderful school year at Maxfield and are looking forward to September.

MN Horse Expo 2013 Field Trip!

Finally, spring arrived just in time for our annual trip to the MN Horse Expo at the State Fairgrounds.  What a beautiful day.  ALL of Maxfield Learning Center's students were in attendance, and this year, we invited one classroom from Rondo Learning Center and one classroom from Obama Learning Center to join us for this wonderful experience.

As we approached this trip, the excitement was literally palpable in our classroom, students were inviting random adults and classmate's parents to join us with an enthusiastic "You should come to the horse show!  It is the best day ever at school." 

This year, the MN Horse Expo treated us to a special showing of Ma'Ceo.   It was like watching Cirque de Soleil with horses.  Let me say, our students were in awe of the horses, the riding, the physical strength of the acrobats and teamwork between the people and the horses. 

Then, there was this:

 

And this:

 Ah, do you see those cool cowpoke hats?  You made that possible.

Victor (the horse) crunched an apple and slimed all of us with squirting juice and slobber.  We loved it and laughed a lot.

And this:

Yes, that is a Clydesdale's hoof.  That is ONE big horse!  Whew.  One of my students wanted to see if there really was a frog on the bottom of the horse's hoof and his owner gladly lifted up the horse's hoof to show us.  This guy also was sporting a mustache that made all of us giggle.  (Someone got a little too close and got smooched.)

It was a fantastic day made possible by friends like you and the generous support of the MN Horse Expo staff.

Now, back to school to write an informational report about horses and thank you letters to the MN Horse Council and Nettie & Friends for this amazing opportunity to get up close and personal with  horses.

Thank you.

When your pants are too tight, you might have trouble learning.

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Have you ever worn pants so tight they leave red marks on your waist?  Or so tight that you can’t get the button undone?

Now imagine trying to concentrate on learning when your pants are that tight. 

Then imagine when you have to go to the bathroom and can’t get the button undone because your pants are so tight?  Panic time, right?

I have a student like that.  She’s six and going through a growth spurt.  On top of that, even though her parents know she needs pants a size larger, they don’t have the money to buy new ones.

But you helped her out today. 

Because you support Nettie & Friends, I was able to take her to the uniform closet.  We chose a pair that looked about right with a little elastic in the back.  She slipped them on for a perfect fit, with a little room left for growth.  We found another pair of “just right” pants to put in her backpack in case she needed them.  We put her too small uniform pants in the laundry basket to be cleaned for another student who might need them.

When I called her mom to explain the wardrobe change, she was so appreciative.  “I know she is growing, but we just don’t have the money for new clothes.  This cold weather is taking a bite out of our money, and we’ve had some car trouble.”

So when you think of Nettie & Friends, think of what you did today for both that student and her parents.  Thank you so much.

Happy New Year and Thank You

Thank you to everyone who helped support Nettie & Friends this past year.  We've done so many wonderful things, here are a few from just the past month... 

 

Remember the mosaic project? It looks so beautiful in the winter snow in our courtyard at Maxfield.

And that big snowfall?  You made is possible for us to go out and play... and play... and play and stay warm.  Thank you.

We enjoyed our annual gingerbread house building celebration.  There was a lot of licking and sticking... Look at this inspired design.

You also made it possible for three Kindergarten classes (about 80 students) and two Second grade classes (about 56 students) to join in the fun.

In addition, other classes at Maxfield were engaged in some fun activities to encourage building community just before winter break.

You provided materials for us to learn about sorting and graphing during math.

We've got some plans for the New Year, so stay tuned, and from the students and staff at Maxfield, thank you.