Jitter Juice!

     With our first comprehension test of the year looming in the very near future, some of our friends were overcome by a case of "the jitters."  Desperate times call for desperate measures, so Mrs. Z and I hopped a plane to Argentina, where we combed the mountainside for the mysterious witch who was rumored to have a cure for test taking jitters.
     The hike was long and arduous; at times we felt like giving up, but we knew we could not let our students down.  Suddenly, we heard the cackle-like call of a bird and followed it as we pushed through thick clumps of vines and dense underbrush.
     Finally, we stumbled upon a clearing in the dense forest.  There was a small, wooden house with smoke rising from the chimney.  We realized the "bird" we had been following was actually the cackling of the witch.  We knew this must be the place.
      After a high-five and victory dance, Mrs. Z and I raced to the door where we knocked feverishly.  The door flew open and Mrs. Z and I gasped as we gazed upon the little old witch.  She was a small, plump woman with stringy grey hair and a black robe covered in patches.  Her teeth were yellow and broken and a spider dangled from each ear.  On the tip of her nose was a hairy wart, that Mrs. Z and I could not take our eyes off of!  It was hypnotizing.
      We explained to the witch the situation at school and she had just the solution.  For a fee of $3,000, she would supply us with a bottle of "Jitter Juice," promising to calm any and all jitters.  We forked over the cash and she dashed to her pot, where she threw in a variety of ingredients and whipped together a fantastic concoction.  We were nervous her glass bottles would break on the hike back, so she pulled an empty can of soda from her recycling bin and poured in the potion.  Mrs. Z and I thanked the little witch profusely and headed back through the jungle to catch our flight home.
     Yesterday, we served our "Jitter Juice" to the class!  We can happily report that it was worth every penny!  Not only did we go in to the test jitter-free, we were also armed with our first test taking strategy, the BAM! strategy!  Look out comprehension tests!  We're here and we have no fear...or jitters!!!

Our Recipe for Success!

Welcome one, welcome all

This year we're going to have a ball

Before we start the fun and games

We've got to learn more than names

We need to know the special thing

That makes your heart soar and sing

Each student introduced themselves to the class by creating a "Recipe for me" that could be put on display.  Reading the recipes gave us an opportunity to get to know one another better so we could begin to build friendships with one another.  As we prepared to write our recipes, we had the opportunity to look through some cookbooks.  We observed that recipes contain very precise measurements, which serves as a great reminder for us.  This year, we will grow in our independence, as we gain the ability to do more and more on our own.  We will need to be very precise and careful in our work this year.  We also observed the variety of verbs (action words) that are in recipes.  We made a long list of our favorites (ex. chop, stir, blend, mix, dice, scoop, toss, and so on).  All the recipes are now completed and on display, so be sure to stop by and take a look.  Here's an example:

The Bug Buffet!

It's time to begin the new school year,
And we wanted to start it off right!
So we pulled out the batter, threw in some bugs,
A deep fried, crunchy delight!

Here is one of our classmates,
Cooking up a scorpion treat.
Watch out for the stinger!  Watch out for the claws!
This snack, I'd refuse to eat!

Meet the Chefs!

We are Miss Hoffmann and Mrs. Zollinger, and we are excited to cook up a love for reading and writing with all of you this year.  We cannot wait to get this year started.  Welcome to our class!  Before we start our journey together, take a moment to see what we've been up to this summer.

Mrs. Zollinger's summer of traveling: I went all over the country this summer and had a great time trying new foods and having adventures.  My first trip took me to Seattle, Washington.  My husband, Mr. Z, and I went on a food tour of a famous marketplace called Pike's Place.  There were so many sights, sounds, and people.  We tasted juicy peaches, smoked salmon, fresh donuts, German sausages, curried rice, mocha smoothies, clam chowder, and much more.  Our stomachs were bulging!  The next few days, we walked A LOT to burn off all those tasty treats.  On one of our walks, we discovered this giant troll under a bridge. Legend has it that he eats car parts and children! Yikes!!!  I'm not sure about that, but I didn't stay long enough to find out.

Our next trip took us to Michigan to see my family and take a trip to my favorite vacation spot:  Mackinac Island.  It is the best place on the planet!  It is an island in between the lower and upper peninsulas of Michigan.  The coolest thing about it is that cars are not allowed.  You ride a ferry boat over and then ride bikes or horses around and eat their specialty:  fudge.  It comes in every flavor you can imagine and they let you watch them make it.  If you compliment their technique, they even scoop you a little sample.  This trip was especially exciting because my mom and dad came with Mr. Z and I, and at the last second my sister decided to join us with my nephew, Murphy, who was celebrating his first birthday.  Here he is enjoying the beach by our cabin.  He was so happy to find a baby beach chair that was just the right size!

I also traveled around Florida to explore some of the beaches on the Gulf, and I even went up to Charlotte, North Carolina with Miss Hoffmann to visit her sister.  It was quite a summer, and the best part came just a few days ago:  my birthday.  Mr. Z had a surprise party for me and Mr. Montisano, Ms. Symons, and Miss Hoffmann all came.  Here's a picture of Mr. Z and I enjoying the party.  We all had a great time celebrating, and we talked a lot about how wonderful this school year was going to be once we met all of you.



Miss Hoffmann's summer:  This summer was all about relaxation!  I read a lot of great books and began learning French!  It's still a work in progress, but hopefully by the end of the year I will be able to dazzle you with my fluent French speaking skills!  I also spent a lot of quality time with my precious little puppy, Hobbs.  Here he is looking simply adorable!

A road trip is always enjoyable, so I took a last minute trip to the Greenbrier in West Virginia.  It's a beautiful hotel with a lot of history.  It has served as a military hospital, housing for foreign diplomats, and even has a bunker underneath that was meant to house the U.S. Congress in times of war.  Now, it's just a lovely place to mosey about, eating delicious food and admiring the beautiful surroundings.

As the summer came to a close, I took a quick visit to Charlotte to see my sister.  Mrs. Z was nice enough to come along and we had a wonderful time. I'd never been to Charlotte before, so it was nice to see a new city and have some fun exploring.  Before we knew it, it was time to come back to Jacksonville and get ready for the new school year.  We are so excited to meet you all and can't wait to get cookin'!