Berlage's and Griffith's Busy Bunch

A GREAT SUMMER FIELD TRIP

If you have a free afternoon and want to cool off, Fernbank Museum of Natural History is the place to go.  Mr. Berlage and I visited the museum this past week and particularly enjoyed the newest exhibit, "Ends of the Earth: From Polar Bears to Penguins."  It is FILLED with interactive areas that will entertain and educate children and adults.  Combine your trip with viewing the latest IMAX movie, "Antarctica," and you have a fun-filled field trip that your child will love!

Enjoy the photo album!

Here is Fernbank's web site: www.fernbankmuseum.org

Relay For Life

There are several Relay For Life events coming up in the near future.

1.  This week we are collecting "COINS FOR A CURE" to raise money to fight cancer.  Please bring your coins to school and donate them to support the American Cancer Society.

2. Friday, April 18, at 7:00 PM at Dodgen Middle School is the RELAY FOR LIFE TALENT SHOW.  Come see your friends (and maybe some teachers) perform.  Tickets are $5.00 at the door.

3.  Tuesday, April 22, is the STAFF KICK BALL GAME from 2:30-3:30.  Come see your favorite teachers play kick ball, lead cheers, sell snacks, and direct traffic!  Tickets are $3.00 and all children must be accompanied by an adult.

Help the Mt. Bethel Staff raise money for the American Cancer Society by supporting one or more of these activities.

March Events

Please enjoy the new photo album showing some of our March activities.

February Events

Please enjoy the new photo album showing some of our special events in February.

New Photo Albums

January was a busy month.  Please enjoy the new photo albums detailing our activities.

2nd Nine Weeks REPORT CARDS

Report Cards for the second nine weeks of school will be given out during parent conferences during Conference Week, January 22-25 and January 28.

Rain Forest Storyline Project

Our class is fortunate to be working with Mrs. Claire Ritzler and Mrs. Carol Jones from the Alliance Theater in a Storyline residency project to extend our study of habitats.   This will be a ten lesson residency during which the children will take on the roles of various scientists studying the Amazon rain forest in an effort to help people learn about the importance of this habitat and its affects on the world around us.   As the children research plants and animals native to this part of the world, they will also be caught up in dramatizing their roles as scientists and protectors of the environment.   This promises to be an exciting unit of study!

October Fun

October was a very busy month.  We have started cursive and multiplication along with our study of the Cherokee and Creek Indians.  The class celebrated their Reflections entries by sharing their projects and having treats after turning them in.  Our trip to the Wright Environmental Center was a huge learning opportunity and we wrapped up the month by celebrating Halloween with treats and our Carole Marsh haunted house book reports.

September Activities

September has been a busy month.  Our class has

• Finished studying rocks and minerals.
• Enjoyed working with our Book Buddies.
• Been working on Reflections projects at home.
• Been reading Carole Marsh books and entering a contest to be featured in her next book.
• Learned new math strategies.
• Learned about African music through a cultural arts performance - thank you PTA!
• Had our first Frog Mart.
• Studied the Boston Tea Party and watched "Johnny Tremain."

Please enjoy the new photo albums!

The Decatur Book Festival

If there is a chance of meeting an author, I will be sure to show up!  I was very excited to attend the The Decatur Book Festival during the Labor Day Weekend (I'm not too sure Mr. Berlage was as excited as I was).  There were hundreds of authors to talk to and thousands of books to browse through.  The perfect place for a "book-a-holic." 

I had the opportunity to meet two Georgia children's authors and talk with them at length. Pamela Mueller lives on St. Simon Island and has written books from her cat's point of view, a book about a guide dog (which is the one I bought), and two children's historical novels set in Georgia.  She is a fascinating speaker and I would love to have her visit Mt. Bethel.  Since I am especially interested in historical fiction and history in general, I was amazed at the amount of research that goes into a book - even a children's book. 

Mary Cunningham is the other author I spent some time with.  She writes mystery novels for children.  They have a time-travel theme and are have been described as "Nancy Drew meets Harry Potter."  Now that J.K. Rowling is finished with the Harry Potter series, this may be a series of books to investigate if your child was "hooked" on those books and movies.  Not only did I have an opportunity to talk to Mary, but I had a chance to speak with her publisher.  I think it is interesting to find out what goes on behind the scenes of getting a book to the book store.

Judy Berlage