Halloween Party

Mrs. Riley, Mrs. Dobyns, Mrs. Johnson,  and Mrs. Tillman

Yes, I know, the Halloween party was several weeks ago and I am just now posting new pictures....what can I say??  Anyhow, the Halloween Party was a lot of fun, if I do say so myself.  The day started with a several teachers dressing up like we were from the 80's.  This picture is one of me and some of the 4th grade teachers.  I had several students at school saying I looked really cool (you know the 80's are in again) and pretty.  WOW!  I had blue eyeshadow on and my hair in a side ponytail!  While I definitely did not feel very fashionable, I must admit, there was an eerie feeling of comfort that engulfed me that morning as I was putting on my "costume".

Bo Duke and the General Lee (Keegan)

The party was organized by Alex's father and donations were sent in by many parents.  I must say that this party was wonderfully done!  We had so much food that the kids couldn't eat it all!  Besides the normal candy, there were 3 different types of cookies, "ants on a log", cheese sticks, cheese popcorn, and Jello Jigglers!  In addition to the food, there were several great Halloween themed goodies in the goodie bags.  The parents in my classroom outdid themselves!  It was really nice to be able to take pictures and interact with the parents and not have to take care of the party details!

Diving into the great party food!

Albert Einstein (Logan)

The day started out like any other Friday, we took our normal tests and participated in our Kindergarten Reading Buddies.  Once lunch was over though, it was all she wrote!  The kids were so pumped to get dressed and party, I knew that we would not get any lessons accomplished, so we watched the very first episode of Little House on the Prairie.  I had just finished reading Little House in the Big Woods and   the kids absolutely loved it so much that it was an unanimous vote to read the second book in the series.  Because they really liked the books, I thought they might like the TV show, too.  Since I am a HUGE Laura Ingalls Wilder fan, I decided to bring in the first season on DVD.  Let's put it this way, since showing the first episode, I am asked fairly regularly when we are going to watch the next episode!

Once the clock struck 1:00 and parents began arriving, my lovely class of 23 was transformed into a bunch of strangers!  We had two werewolves, a bride, Alice, Bo Duke driving the General Lee, several ninjas, Albert Einstein, a couple cowgirls, a slice of pizza, Slash, two army men, a zombie/skeleton, and a sixties rocker (who looked a bit like John Lennon!).  I loved the costumes and watching the kids get so excited!  It was a great start to the Halloween weekend!

Macy putting Alexis' veil on her head--isn't she a beautiful bride? 

A scary Ninja, a.k.a Kaelan

Abbey L. and Drew as werewolves

Alice (Macy) and Hannah the Cowgirl

Friday Fun

What do you get when you take one Third Grade class and teacher and add to it 24 five and six year olds???   Why you get Kindergarten Reading Buddies!!!

Kaelan and his Buddy

This opportunity is so full of learning opportunities for my class, it gives me goosebumps just thinking about it!  While reading, we are working on fluency (reading smoothly and with expression), quick word attack skills, appropriate speaking volume, choosing books for various purposes, choosing just-right books, reading for pleasure, communication, and displaying appropriate behavior.  Later this year, we will take our reading buddies to the computer lab with us and help them as they work on RAZ-kids, an online reading program.

Logan and his  Buddy

Some of my students who struggle reading are able to read aloud books written on a much lower level and experience success!  It is amazing and encouraging to watch as students who have low self-esteem in reading proudly select and read to their Kindergarten Buddy.  There are students who hate reading that are willing to pick up a book and read to their Buddy.  Creating opportunities for students to feel successful and enjoy reading is but one step towards my goal of making life-long readers!

I am so appreciative to Mrs. Dugan for opening up her class to us and allowing us to build positive relationships with younger students.  My kids LOVE going and ask several times throughout the week if we will go meet our Buddies!  It is not unusual to see my kids and Mrs. Dugan's kids hug before they leave or wave "hello" as our classes pass each other in the hall!  Below are some more pictures of our class and our Buddies.  Enjoy!

Macy and her Buddy

Abbey and her Buddies

Alex and his Buddy 

Hannah and her Buddy

Keegan and his Buddy 

Piercen and his Buddy picking out another book.

JJ and his Buddy 

Classroom Economy

I have updated the section on our classroom economy!  Click on the tab above to learn more about this amazing learning activity that your child is involved in weekly!

Leave a comment....you'll be glad you did!

If you are new to the blogging world, and even if you are not, I'd like to take some time to introduce you to the features of my blog.  First, you'll notice the tabs labeled, "home", "discipline plan", "homework policy", etc.  If you click on each of those tabs, you'll be taken to a different part of the blog that is specific to that section.  Some of the sections I am still working on, so please be patient!  Second, you are able to leave a comment on any post I write.  To do so (and please do!), you only need to follow these easy instructions! 

1. Look at the bottom of a post.  You'll see, written in maroon, a number followed by the word "comment".

2. Click on the word comment (your mouse pointer should turn into a finger when over this word). 

3. A box will pop up.  Type your comment in the box. 

4. Then you will need to "choose your identity".  Unless you have a Blogger account, Google account, or some other OpenID, you will need to choose "name/URL".

5. When you click on the circle next to "name/URL" a small box will show up under "name/URL".  Simply type in your name and click "Publish your Comment".

6. At the top, you will see a message in a yellow section that says, "Your comment has been saved and will be visible after blog owner approval.".  I will then get a message that informs me that someone has left a comment.  I will read the comment and approve it to be shown on the blog.  I have set it up this way in order to keep people who are not part of our class from leaving inappropriate comments as this blog is available to be seen by anyone.  Please be aware that anything you put on this blog (your comment, name, child's name) will be able to be seen by ANYONE.  

Yup!  It is that simple!  So, please comment often...I love to get them!

Finally, one last word about leaving a comment.  Please don't use it to ask questions.  I am going to try to update the blog 2-3 times a week.  However, there may be weeks that I don't get to it.  If you have a question or concern, you should email me at sarahriley@nelsd.org instead.  

Have a great Monday!!!

Meet the Teacher

As 7:40 approached on Monday the 23rd, I found the nervousness in my stomach intensifying.  This is my 9th year of teaching and I still get nervous and have nightmares as the first day of school approaches.  This year was no different.  I always wonder how this year will be different from last year and what changes I will need to make.  I wonder what kind of students will darken my doorway and look to me to lead them.  I wonder how parents will feel about my style of teaching.  I wonder, I wonder, I wonder.  As usual, we all got through the day just fine and NONE of my first day nightmares came true!  Now, if I could just remember this feeling next year.......

My name is Sarah Riley and I am in my 9th year of teaching.  I started my teaching career teaching 2nd and 3rd grades at Simon Kenton Elementary in 2001.  Soon thereafter, the Springfield City Schools cut 70+ teachers.  I, being so new, was teacher #4 to lose her job.  Since it was next to impossible for me to be rehired in that district, I interviewed at South Vienna Middle School for a 7th grade writing position. I was blessed to become part of that family as many of them have been such an encouragement to me both professionally and personally.  After one year of teaching writing, I had the opportunity to teach science instead, and being a self proclaimed "science-nerd", jumped at that chance.  But, teaching science never filled the void left when I lost my position in the city.  I loved having my own class of 20-some students (not 120+ like in the middle schools) for whom I could individualize education.  In August of 2009, a 3rd grade position at Rolling Hills opened up.  It was the mother ship calling me home.  I applied, interviewed and offered the position about 2 weeks before school started.  I have never regretted my decision to leave the middle school.  Don't get me wrong, I LOVED that age (really, I did!), but really wanted to return to the elementary level.  So, here I am, your child's teacher, dedicated to teaching your child.

Every year, regardless of the students that are in my class, my teaching philosophy remains the same: 

Each child is uniquely gifted.  Each child comes to me with his or her own strengths and weaknesses.  One type of teaching does not reach all and if a child struggles to learn when I teach, I have to change my teaching so that child can learn.  I commit to each of my students to individualize his or her education to the best of my ability.  

Personally, I have been married for 9 years to a wonderful and supportive husband!  I have two kids, Jackson (3 years) and Isabel (11 months) who are my world.  I never knew how deeply I could love until I had my kids.  I graduated from Shawnee High School and received my Bachelor's of Education from Wright State University.  In 2005, I received my Master's Degree from Marygrove College.  Currently, I am taking classes to obtain my Principal's License from the University of Dayton.  In my spare time, if I have any, I enjoy reading, scrapbooking, playing golf and watching football.  I follow, hard-core, the Cleveland Browns football team and root (as a good Browns fan does) them on, despite all the poor past seasons.  Finally and most importantly, I am a Christian and spend much of my time serving at my church.  

I am so thankful for each of my students and look forward to a wonderful year that is full of learning!  Please feel free to contact me via phone, note, or email at any time.  I also welcome each of you into our room to volunteer your time helping out in our class or simply observing what we do on a daily basis.  I know that I can't do all I do without your assistance!  You know your child better than I ever will and I welcome the chance to talk with each other about how we can support your child's education!