Serving Others

The Unlucky Twin

Photo Credit: ReSurge International via Compfight cc

Part of our mission statement as a school states that we are “building a caring community that serves others”.  We try to live up to that standard by helping people in our local, national, and global communities.  Every year we send our accumulated 25 cent “lost and found” fines, as well as any other donations, to the Smile Train.  The Smile Train funds operations to fix cleft lip and cleft palate in developing nations.  The surgery costs $250 and takes as little as 45 minutes.  Every year for the last six years we’ve sent our money to The Smile Train.   We began this fundraising because the 7th graders read the novel Crispin: At the Edge of the World  by Avi; one of the characters in the story suffers from an untreated cleft lip.  Last year one of our students donated over $200 herself; it was money she had been saving for new clothes.

On the 10th anniversary of 9/11, we held a fundraising baseball game at our school,     “9 Innings for 9/11.”  Families donated a few dollars to play baseball; we sold hot dogs and popcorn, held a bake sale, and ran a raffle.  We raised a little over $800 that afternoon and donated the proceeds to The Smile Train, St. Jude’s Hospital, Share our Strength, and Our Mother’s House.

This year after reading the book, A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park, we visited the website Water for South Sudan.  We talked about ways to help the people in South Sudan dig and maintain wells for drinking water, but we haven’t yet put any plans into action.  We are glad for this week’s Student Blogging Challenge to remind us about our resolve and brainstorm some ideas so that the children and families in South Sudan can have safe drinking water, something we in America take for granted.

What are some ideas that we can do as a middle school to raise money for Water for South Sudan?

Watch this video from Disney’s Bridget Mendler called We Can Change the World and be inspired to take one step at a time…

Welcome to Venice!

As part of the Student Blogging Challenge, we’d like to take you on a brief tour of our beautiful city of Venice.

Welcome to Venice on PhotoPeach

Venice is located about midway down the west coast of Florida.  We are on the Gulf of Mexico.  As far as cities go, Venice is a baby, founded in 1926, although early pioneers began arriving in the area in the 1870’s.   Venice has had other names aside from its present day moniker.  One of the oddest is Horse and Chaise, so given because a small grouping of trees resembled a horse and carriage.  Eventually, one of the early founders, Frank Higel, submitted the name of Venice for consideration as the many canals in the area reminded him of Venice, Italy.  Aside from our beautiful beaches, our claim to fame is as winter home for the Ringling Brothers Barnum and Baily Circus from 1960 until 1992.  The railroad brought the circus train into town each winter, and some of the circus stars and their descendants still make Venice their home.

You can learn a lot more about our town and state by visiting our Teddy blog.  Teddy is a little dog who escapes his family, often while they are on vacation with him.  He has traveled numerous places and shares his adventures on his own blog.  He was the first “Dog with a Blog”.  Teddy has 16 posts about places in Florida.   He’d love you to visit him!  He loves getting fan mail and will happily write back.

When most people think of Florida, they think of Disney World.  Disney is wonderful, but we are so much more than Disney.  What else do you know about Florida?

Week 9: Student Blogging Challenge

Hey Kids!

The goal of this week’s Student Blogging Challenge is to visit new blogs thereby increasing your global connections.   How fun!   Please follow the directions for game one or game two.  If time permits, feel free to work on any student blogging challenges you have not yet completed.  Enjoy!

Photo Credit: Norman B. Leventhal Map Center at the BPL via Compfight cc
Imperial Federation, map of the world showing the extent of the British Empire in 1886

Student Blogging Challenge 7

Hey, Kids! We are nearing the end of our blogging challenges. Visit the Challenge Site and write a new post.  You have freedom in Challenge 7 and lots of choices in Challenge 6.   Here’s another idea for a post as we near the end of our school year.

What has been the best part about blogging for you this year? 

Blogging ReadinessPhoto Credit: cambodia4kidsorg via Compfight cc

Student Blogging Challenge Week 5

Hey, Kids! 

I hope everyone is having a great Easter break!  Did any of you watch The Bible miniseries on The History Channel over the last 10 weeks?  It ended last night.  Very moving and inspiring.  If you watched it, what did you think?

almost may
Photo Credit: paul bica via Compfight cc

Miss W. has decided to give everyone a week off from challenges due to Easter vacation, however, she did post LOTS of your names on her challenge site this week.   See if you can find your name, and then visit the blogs of kids you have not met before.   It’s great to see you getting noticed in the blogosphere!

What are you doing for vacation?  Extra credit for anyone who writes a post about their Easter break!   You could also write another Teddy post and email it to me so I can put it on Teddy’s blog. 

See you next week!

Student Blogging Challenge Week 4

Welcome to Week 4 of the Student Blogging Challenge!  This week you have a “freebie” and can write about anything you’d like.  Photos with attribution are encouraged.  

Perhaps some of you will write about Guys and Dolls.  GREAT JOB by everyone in the cast!  I am so proud of you!  I wish I could post a photo, but I don’t want to break the copyright law.Be seeing you

Here’s the link to Challenge #3. Previous posts on our class blog have links to Challenges 1 and 2. Please make sure you have completed at least one challenge. Check out the blogs of your schoolmates who have been noticed in the challenges! Check out your friends’ blogs. Read the list of kids around the globe who are participating in the challenge and visit one of their blogs. Leave a grammatically correct, thoughtful comment with a question and a link to your blog so that you can continue the conversation. Add a Student Blogging Challenge Widget to your sidebar.

Let me know when you have 100 visitors.  That is our third blogging goal this year.  When we reach our goal, we’ll plan our third blogging party!

Photo Credit: Olivander via Compfight cc

Blogging Challenges

Winners of First Annual Family Blogging Month Challenge

We instituted Family Blogging Month in February here at Hey, Kids!  Each week we entered the names of everyone whose family member or friend commented on his/her blog.  On Fridays in February, we drew the name of one lucky winner who received a few tasty treats and a No Homework Pass for language arts as well.  At the end of the month, we gave prizes to the students with the:

  •  Most Visitors (567)
  • Most Comments (200)
  • Farthest Visitor (Australia- multiple winners in this category.  We had to draw a name again.)

These lucky winners received the No Homework Pass, some treats, AND a No Uniform Pass to use at their discretion.

Right on the heels of February’s Family Blogging Month is the Student Blogging Challenge in March.  All my Kids should click on the link and write about this month’s challenge on their blogs.  We hope to make some stellar connections with new friends around the globe. 

What contests have you entered?  What prizes have you won?