Visiting Mrs. Morrone's Classroom

April 17, 2015, Location: Plainville, CT  Room 74, Mrs. Morrone’s Classroom

I have been to Mrs. Morrone’s classroom (Room 74) upstairs and let me tell you that I have quite the stuff that you will want to hear!The teacher Mrs.Morrone is really nice. She has a mohawk, and wears stylish clothes. She also wears a lot of jingly jewelry, and always wears pretty stuff on her face that the kids call “makeup.” Which I don’t understand because it’s not like her face is making up a test that they didn’t do?

Oh well, anyway when I came to visit them for a couple of days, people came straight to me like I was famous or something and they rattled my cage. And I am talking directly to you So-Much-Curiosity Rachel who was moving my cage around like CRAZY-CRAZY-CRAZY!! Also don’t get me started when Wake-Up-Andy (I bet he’s nocturnal too) hit my cage and knocked me straight off my tiny paws. He said he was SO-SO-SO sorry and he cheered me up by playing Yu-gi-oh with me!

Mrs. Morrone always plays music and sometime the kids dance to it when she is not looking. Sometimes when I’m trying to sleep, this annoying bell goes off and my head starts to ring. So, I take a sun breath and squeak Namaste, and I feel calm again. I wish that she would turn that annoying thing off, sometimes though, it’s hard for me to get my rest! Mrs. M. asks her students to use it to check themselves (whatever that means?) They mark tallies and trade them in for treats and to do special activities! I think Mrs. M. uses it to keep them under control, because her students are always TALKING TALKING TALKING! I WANT TO TALK TOO! But all that comes out are squeaks! I love hearing Maniac Michael who tells me all of his crazy adventures when he gets hyper on sugar! Speaking of which, did you know that sugar is not very good for you? The students in Mrs. Morrone’s class are researching all about sugar in Chocolate Milk. Most of them think that it shouldn’t be served in the cafeteria anymore, but I’m not sure, yet. I’ll have to do more research tonight. Maybe I can get Good-Work- Katelyn to leave her Chromebook open for me so I can weigh the pros and cons???

Mostly, room 74 is very cozy. There are beautiful posters hanging all over the walls that Mrs. Morrone wrote herself! I’m so impressed! Her hand must get pretty tired!  Lucky the students get their very own Chromebooks to type most of their work on so their fingers don’t get too sore! Also, every student has their very own pillow to help make them more relaxed while they work (and boy do they need it with ALL those tests they have been taking! Yikes!) If only I had my own pillow to CUDDLE-CUDDLE-CUDDLE up with! Speaking of my nocturnal nature, I get pretty tired during the day. When I am tired, Mr. Smarty-Pants David reads me so many stories and I picture that I am on so many adventures in so many different worlds all at the same time as I am learning. By the way if you ever look up at the “Where are you board?” in Mrs. Morrone’s class, you can see Alex is always on the “absent” section, I mean do you know how annoying that is! Especially when he put it on there himself,  for the whole day! I mean, he’s not absent, I can see him right now! Mrs. Morrone gets really annoyed, but most of the time she talks in a nice and sweet tone. And let me tell you she is super nice, I mean she could be like my old teacher Ms. Mac who is just like her in so many ways (good ways, by the way).

Well the class here in room 74 at Toffolon School is just a good mix of talkative, funny, and SMART, HARD WORKING people. They are a great class, and I think I’d like to stay here a while, but I hear there are SO MANY-MANY-MANY great classrooms to visit, so I’ll be on my way. Stay tuned for my next adventure! So long!

Humphrey’s Hijinx Adventures with Grade 5 in Room 64

When I woke up in this strange new classroom, I spied many children rushing in and getting ready for their day.  In my wonderful day and half experience in room 64 that students decked out my cage with thoughtful gifts: a bowl of colorful food, a functional tinfoil mirror, a nametag, bedding, and even a New Journal created by their master origami artist, Gabe. They did all this during their free time. I was surprised by their generosity so much that I began journaling immediately about my new adventure.  

Time moved forward and before I could blink, many of the kids began typing fast and furiously on their new fangled Chromebooks.  While l listened to their lessons, I overheard strange new names such as Ponce De Leon, Henry Hudson, even Christopher Columbus: apparently he claimed or discovered America for these kids.  Now, that’s news to me!

After watching their complicated math lesson on mixed numbers and improper fractions.The students started playing this crazy card game and BOY, am I thankful I am a hamster so I didn’t have to take that test.  But I noticed how hard they are working and how determined they were to do well on their math test: heads down, pencils moving and figuring out all those mixed up numbers.  I mean really I can add and subtract, what else do I really need as a hamster.

Suddenly everyone jumped up and left the classroom. I wondered if they would ever come back, like how I wish for Ms. Mac to come back to see me.  Next thing I knew, different kids came back in the room with trays of food and while they were eating they were talking about me and having a discussion of having a fundraiser for pets called Pennies for Pets!  Now I know that these are thoughtful students.

Even though  I longed to go outside and get some fresh air, this was one conversation I did not want to miss. Although playing outside would be fun too with all the 5th graders.  I could hear their voices rising as they played games and were swinging on the the playscape.  Later, I heard they were on the grassy field. How I long to feel grass under my paws too.  Perhaps, just maybe I can escape for a bit to join them.  You know, It’s a lock that doesn’t lock on my cage…

That evening, the custodian, Mrs. Martin, came into the room with her loud vacuum cleaner.  I hid in my house as the noisy machine pushed closer and closer towards me. She noticed me, turned off the machine and approached my cage softly and gently, with a soft hand she reached in cage to pet me. She is so nice. I wondered if she would be my friend just like my friend Aldo Amato.  I am sure she will. I like her a lot.

Suddenly, during the course of the next day, someone whisked me away to another strange room and onto a new adventure.  I looked up and saw that Matt was carrying my cage away.  I squeaked a big thank you to let him know I had a great time in Room 64.  

However, before the day was over, I was lucky enough to witness their DARE graduation as well and to see how all their decision making skills and respectfulness really paid off. It was a very informative experience as I listened to all the DARE essays and learned about the dangers of what bad choices can lead to in our lives.  The pride I felt for the 5th graders as their faces were glowing with bright smiles for their accomplishments. And did they make a good choice eating that delicious, tasty cake.  They even sneaked me a piece, YUM.

Thanks for the adventure Room 64! It was amazing, although you could have taken my picture with me awake and not sleeping in my cage!

Humphrey Visits Room 72

Fifth graders do a lot of demanding work!  On Tuesday, I saw them thinking very hard doing their CFAs.  They wrote so much on their papers!  For nearly an hour all I could hear were pencils scratching.  Scratch - Scratch-Scratch….   It made me want to write in my own notebook!  They were hoping to take an extra recess, but they worked so hard they ran out of time.  Maybe later this week….   

    After school I was hoping to get in a little nap, but to my surprise, there were 10 kids still in the classroom!  They were working on math problems - I know!  It was Math Club!  I helped these students work on finding volumes of figures.  Then they used their Chromebooks to put in their math tests.  I wish I could have helped them.  We also prepared for the Benchmark Assessment.  We all worked so hard it made my little head hurt - OUCH-OUCH-OUCH!  Here are two photos of my new Math Club friends!  

    Boy, it is hard to get any sleep around here.  I was just nodding off when Miss L. picked me up and carried me downstairs.  I was in for a big surprise!  I couldn’t hold my excitement when I saw my new fifth grade friends!  SQUEAK SQUEAK SQUEAK!  There was so much noise in the cafeteria because the fifth graders were having their DARE Graduation, and I was invited!  Wow, those fifth graders sure do know how to dress to impress!  They looked Nice - Nice- Nice!  After receiving certificates and lots of DARE trinkets, we had cake!  Soon after, I returned to the classroom to finally get some sleep.  It was a fun day!

Busy with Mrs. Logoyke

Geeze, things in the office are hopping on the day after Easter.  Phone calls, emails, parent meetings, discussions with teachers, meetings at other schools, a new rental car dropped off (don't ask), papers flying on and off the desk, someone wants to bring a dog (A DOG!) to school, after school program problems, calls from the bus company, and more-more-more!  I just don't know how Mrs. Logoyke does it all!

Getting Ready

Hi, I'm Humphrey. I'm getting ready to go visit the students at Toffolon. Right now I'm visiting Mrs. Fournier's house, and then she'll bring me to school. Today is Easter. What strange customs! Bunnies and eggs?? Easter with Mrs. Fournier is quite an experience!