Enlighten me.

Please complete and elaborate on the following sentence.

I’ve learned that…

The fourth, fifth and sixth graders recently participated in an annual poster contest sponsored by the Kansas Council for Economic Education. All of the entries were amazing and showcased the students’ growing understanding of economics. Click here to view all of EL student entries.

Two sixth graders received special recognition for their posters! Ellie won in the 6th-8th grade bracket for her poster on Opportunity Cost while Yashi won in the 6th-8th grade bracket for her poster on Producers and Consumers! Congratulations girls!

Click here to see the complete list of winning entries posted on the KCEE website. Winning poster images will be added to the website soon.

Hello my wonderful students! I know many of you are eagerly awaiting to hear the results of the Economics Poster contest. I received an email from the Kansas Economic Council stating that judging is taking longer than expected due to an increased number of entries. They said results may not be ready until early next week. As soon as they know they will send me an email…and as soon as I know I will post the results and winning posters here on iCubed.

In the meantime, we all get to practice our waiting patiently muscles, which are very important muscles to develop!

While you’re waiting, and since you’re on here already, check out my post on happiness and leave a comment. I’m interested to hear what you have to say. Hope you enjoy this beautiful spring weekend! And don’t forget to do something extra special for your mom tomorrow on Mother’s Day.

A student recently asked me,
“Ms. Schmidt, what is the secret to happiness?”

This is such a good question!

I definitely have an opinion that I’d like to share with all of you…
but first I want to know what you think.

What IS the secret to happiness?

What makes YOU happy and why?

How do you create happiness in your life?

How do you share your happiness?

In case you didn’t know…YOU make me happy. Every. Single. Day.

The parents of the Highland’s EL Center would like the parents of the WWV EL Center to take a quick survey regarding next year’s new, combined learning center.  A letter from one of our WWV parents is being sent home with each EL student explaining more about the survey.

Follow the link to the survey:  SURVEY LINK

What does the word “perfectionism” mean to you? Do you consider yourself a perfectionist? Do you think there is a relationship between perfectionism and giftedness? In the coming weeks I plan to teach you more about the topic of perfectionism and how to deal with some of the more difficult aspects of being a perfectionist. For now I just want to know what you know about the topic. Consider this your “pretest.” You may use the following quotations as a source of inspiration.

“When you aim for perfection, you discover it’s a moving target.”  ~George Fisher

“Have no fear of perfection – you’ll never reach it.”  ~Salvador Dali

“They say that nobody is perfect.  Then they tell you practice makes perfect.  I wish they’d make up their minds.”  ~Wilt Chamberlain

“No one is perfect… that’s why pencils have erasers.”  ~Author Unknown

Change is powerful.

Throughout your life you will be asked to change, forced to change, expected to change…There may be times when you even desire change or hope for it to happen.

The sooner you learn to embrace change and look at it in a positive light, the better off you’ll be in the long run.

For those of you who follow iCubed, our gifted center recently received word that at the end of the school year it will be closed. The students who attend this center will be bused to a different gifted center in the district. I, however, will no longer have the privilege and honor of being their teacher. Instead, I am up for reassignment for a general classroom teaching position elsewhere in the district. As a class, we are heartbroken and working together to find ways to deal with this change.

The following are some of my favorite quotations related to change:

“If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude.”  ~Maya Angelou

“All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy; for what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves; we must die to one life before we can enter another.”  ~Anatole France

“Be the change you want to see in the world.” ~Gandhi

“When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.”  ~Victor Frankl

“Life is change. Growth is optional. Choose wisely.” 

“Change brings opportunity.”

“If there is no struggle, there is no progress.” ~Frederick Douglass

“The mind has exactly the same power as the hands; not merely to grasp the world, but to change it.” ~Colin Wilson

“The only way to make sense of change is to plunge in to it, move with it, and join the dance.” ~Alan Watts

So talk to me about change. Use your most articulate words to tell me how you feel about this change. Then tell me how you are chosing to respond to it.

What do you think about snow days? Do they somehow seem extra special or magical? Are they an extraordinary gift from Mother Nature? How do YOU enjoy an unexpected day off from school? As you consider these questions, read this delightful opening from Cynthia Rylant’s book all about snow!

From “Snow” by Cynthia Rylant

The best snow
is the snow that
comes softly in the night,
like a shy friend
afraid to knock,
so she thinks she’ll
just wait in the yard
until you see her.
This is the snow
that brings you peace.

And then there is the snow
that begins to fall
in fat, cheerful flakes
while you are somewhere
you’d rather not be.
Maybe school.
Maybe work.

And this snow
tells you, as it falls, that
it will send you home early,
don’t worry.
Home is where you
need to be,
and this snow
will take you there.

It’s hard to believe that winter break is already here! Time for two weeks of rest and relaxation! To help students get in the mood for the holiday season, Ms. Schmidt challenged them to rewrite the lyrics to a favorite holiday tune and create their own song about EL.

This was an engaging way for the students to reflect and celebrate all that they have accomplished in EL this year! Students generated these amazing songs in a short amount of time and had a blast performing them for their class. It was such a joyful way to end what has been a fabulous first-half of the school year.

Now, for your enjoyment and viewing pleasure, we have posted every song written and performed by EL students in all the grade levels! After viewing all of the songs, please vote for your favorite in the poll found at the end of this post. Voting is open to any and everyone, but limited to only one vote per computer…So spread the joy! Happy Holidays!!! 

To celebrate Thanksgiving the sixth grade E.L. students created a thanks-filled special edition of The Creative Thinker. Click here to see their latest amazing creation. Remember, you can always visit The Creative Thinker link above to view past editions of our class newspaper. As always, we hope you enjoy! Happy Thanksgiving!