Elementary Christmas Party - Winter Wonderland 2013

This year's elementary Christmas party (sponsored by the P.T.O.) was a Winter Wonderland theme.  It was very fitting, too, since we had a winter storm that brought snow and ice to us just a week before.  It actually stayed a whole week and melted off, for the most part, during the party!

Our daughter was home from college and dressed as "Frosty the Snowman" for pictures with the students.  Here she is with our youngest at his very last elementary party.

 The students played lots of fun games. This game (from Target) was trying to throw snowballs into a bucket for points. The buckets have points on them, so it made it really nice.

 I had bought fluffy snowballs, so we used them instead of the ping pong type balls that came with the game.

 Another games was a "Winter Relay".  Students had to dress up in a hat, gloves, and a scarf, then take it off and run down to the next player who had to do the same.  It was fun!

 There was Christmas Bingo, with shapes for the younger kids and words for the older ones.

 The ornament this year was shapes cut out of burlap.

 The students painted their stockings, snowmen, snowflakes, trees, and ornament shapes with washable tempura paint.  They turned out great!

 It will be a fun thing to remember for the "burlap craze" that is so popular now, but was also something different than the typical foam kits that we usually do.

 The older students played a fun and messy game. I bought snowball white cheese puffs.  They threw them in the air to the other teammate, who tried to catch them in their mouth.

 It was fun for the students!

 It was really fun to watch!  Thankfully it wasn't too big of a mess!

 Older students of the Life Skills class helped during the party by cleaning up, loading up supplies, and making these cute pages that the elementary students will place their party pictures on for a keepsake.

 The Life Skills classes also made and decorate the sugar cookies for the elementary party.

 After lunch the students ate their cookie and drank hot chocolate. it was lots of fun!

 During the party, one of the stations is the reading station. A parent volunteer read lots of wintery themed books.

 You might think the students wouldn't like sitting and listening, but they really do.  I think it's nice for them to have to sit and listen to a few stories.  It's probably relaxing to them.

 I had to take several pictures of our youngest, since it is the last party :).

 The students had a great time, and I'm thankful for all of the parents and older students, and teachers, who helped with this memorable event!

 It's so fun to hear the older students come in and talk about the memories they have of their own Christmas parties.

That's what it's all about: Making special memories for the students!

The Chronicles of Biscuit - A Special Thank You

The Chronicles of Biscuit: Stories about our youngest son, Tyler, whose nickname is Biscuit.

While I was in Oklahoma City last week, I called Biscuit to see how his day went.  He said that his class made something special for me that I would get when I got home.  I asked why and he said, "For everything you do."

Because I'm the PTO President - and have been for 13 years, the students think of me as the "party lady".  I enjoy the title and enjoy "treating" the students throughout the year, but I didn't and don't expect anything in return.  I get joy in doing that "job"so that's all I need - to make them feel special!

(Sweet and simple :).

But Biscuit said it was his idea that his class do something for me because of the pizza party they were having for winning a Box Top contest.  (Note:  I actually had helpers that day because I was out of town, but did have it organized before I left).  I was a little embarrassed that he - being my own son - suggested they make me something, but thought he was really sweet for saying that and getting something organized (showing leadership skills is something I enjoy seeing in my children - especially when it is doing something for someone else!)

(How creative!)

Yesterday Biscuit's teacher gave me the special thank you gift.  It was filled with sweet messages from each of the students.  I love it!!  What a sweet group of 4th graders!!

(Nice Pac Man reference!! Favorite childhood video game!)

Thank you, Mrs. Wolfe, Biscuit, and the rest of the 4th grade class for my special "Thank You"!!  You are each a blessing in my life!

(Thank you, Biscuit, for your sweet message and for organizing this whole thing! I found out this morning - after this post was written - that Biscuit "hired" someone to make his note!!!  I asked if he paid them.  Thankfully he didn't!  Later he said he only hired them to make the heart.  Ha ha!!)

Inside the Proverbs 31 Woman's Kitchen? Maybe so!

Maybe it is....maybe it isn't, but I like to think it is.  I like to think that in order for the famous passage about the Proverbs 31 woman to be written, her kitchen often looked like this:  All messey and looking like a tornado might have hit!

Each year, during the first part of May, the Tipton PTO celebrates Teacher Appreciation Week by providing meals, snacks, and treats for our school's teachers and faculty.  Because we're a small school, we treat not only the elementary school teachers, but the junior high and high school teachers and faculty, as well.

I realize some of this mess could be dealt with more efficiently by taking care of it while I work on things, but for some reason, I don't think in those terms.  I just make the mess....then later clean it up. But it occured to me last week, in the midst of the mess, that this would drive many people crazy!  So crazy that they might not take the opportunity to cook for others or help with PTO or other events, because it might mess up their kitchens.  It seems a little far-fetched to me, but maybe it's not.

So I began thinking about the Proverbs 31 women, and the good she did.  Don't you think that at times she made messes?  Her hands got dirty?  She got of off her own schedule to help others in need?  I believe she did!  You see, a Proverbs 31 women musn't be perfect and always have everything perfect in her life,  but she must use what God has given her and serve others as best as she can.  Don't you agree?  Me, too! 

So, on this GRATITUESDAY,  I'm grateful for the messy kitchen, but I'm also grateful when it is all cleaned up.  But I believe I should be more grateful about making those messes because it means I'm doing something - often for someone else.  Perhaps it means that I'm being a servant to others - just like the woman of Proverbs 31.

To see what others are grateful for on this GRATITUESDAY, visit Heavenly Homemakers!

(Note:  I had some "clean kitchen" photos to share when it was all cleaned up, but I can't download them at the time.  You'll just have to use your imagination! :) Lori)

Elementary Christmas Party - 2011

Thursday was the elementary Christmas party for grades PK - 5th.  The event is sponsored by our Parent-Teacher Organization.  This year's party was a snowman theme.

During the party, students decorate homemade theme-shaped sugar cookies at one of the stations.  I had bought mini chocolate chips for the snowman's eyes and mouth, but my daughter accidentally forgot about then while she was helping in that center.  Oh, well, the students didn't seem to mind!

Santa stopped by the school during the party.  Children had their picture taken with him and were given their pictures after the party.  This is my youngest child on Santa's lap.

Of course, we couldn't forget class pictures with Mr. Claus.  This is the 3rd grade class.  Each class rotates through four party stations, staying at each station for 25 minutes.  Pictures with Santa were one of the stations.

Each year after Christmas, I buy a lot of the supplies we will need for the next year's party.  I store the boxes for the whole next year.  It cuts the costs of party supplies by quite a bit.  I usually wait and buy the party plates and napkins right before the party.  I could buy them in advance, but it's always fun seeing the new designs for the season.  These plates and napkins were from Hobby Lobby.  The little snowman mug, snowman gift bags for the centerpieces, and marshmallow packs (they had the saying "Snowmen Come Unassembled") are all from Oriental Trading, as is the big snowman in the first picture.

This was one of the funnest activities we've ever had at the game station.  The classes were divided in half, then the snowman making group were divided into teams.  The teams selected one person to become the snowman and the others to create the snowman.  Students were given two rolls of toilet paper to wrap around the person, plus they were given construction paper noses, hats, mouth and bones. *Note: Be sure to leave a space at the mouth and nose for the child to breathe.

The other group of students played a "snowball" game with cotton balls.  After both groups of each class were done, they switched games.  They seemed to be having a great time!

My daughter and a friend read for the book station of the party.  They chose to read two or three stories from several different snowman books.

The children enjoyed hearing stories about the snowmen.

Each year the students make a homemade Christmas ornament.  This year they made paint stick snowmen.  I ordered plain paint sticks from an online company, that were actually a little shorter than regular paint sticks, then painted the top parts of them black and the bottom of them white.

The brim of the hat are front short tongue-depressor shaped sticks painted black.  The students used glue dots to secure the brim, finishing off the snowman with Sharpie marker drawn-on eyes, mouth, nose, and buttons (Several years ago they did this same ornament, but used foam pieces for those parts.  Both ways look great!).  Finally, add a fleece strip of cloth around the snowman's "neck" for a scarf.

The Christmas party is one of my very favorite events of the whole school year.  It's so much fun to "treat" the students to fun activities and special memory-making times.  

After the party was over, a small group of junior high students came to the cafeteria to eat lunch.  I had some marshmallows left over, as well as some hot chocolate.  I asked them if they wanted some and they certainly did!  They were really excited about it!  One of them commented how he remembered those Christmas parties and how much fun they were.  I thanked him for sharing his thoughts with me.  That is why it's important to me for the students to have a special Christmas party each year. I want them to have those special memories, and I want them to have some special keepsakes from their childhood that they can look back at when they grow up.  I want them to know that I, and all of the others who take the time to help at the party, care about them.  

So.....all that's left from the party are the memories.....and a few sugar cookies :).  Now.....on to thinking about next year's party theme:  Gingerbread Men!

Fall Festival - 2011

Our annual PTO Fall Festival was held last Thursday night.  It was a great success, raising enough money to be able to provide for our elementary school in many ways during the next year.  Because of it's success, this is typically the only fund raiser our PTO has during each school year.

The concession stand, basket auction, and silent auction is in our school cafeteria.  The high school games, preschool Bouncy House, and gift/craft vendors set up in our gym.  The gym fills up in a hurry with all of the activities!

The Kindergarten room had a duck pond.  Students enjoyed picking ducks to find out of they were a winner or not!

In conjunction with the Fall Festival is the Scholastic Book Fair.  It's a great time to get parents to visit the book fair and students to make their book selections.

This year the PTO sold elementary t-shirts during the Fall Festival.  There is also a silent auction going on during the event.

Most of the silent auction items are tiger-themed, since the tiger is our school mascot.

Each elementary class has a basket for an auction.  The Kindergarten had an art-themed basket.  How cute is that!??

The third grade had a Christmas themed basket.  It was a popular basket, as well.  Actually, this year, they were all really popular!

This scarecrow scene is outside the Kindergarten room.  Isn't it cute? 

The Fall Festival couldn't be a success without the help of others.  I organize the event, but if it weren't for my husband, Joe, I couldn't do it.  He helps so much!  So do our children.  They clean, carry, move, etc.....just whatever we need done.  And of course, without the teachers having their games and baskets, the event wouldn't be as much fun at all.  It takes everyone working together.

So, thank you to everyone - from those who attended to those who brought items or served in any way.  We appreciate YOU!