FIRST WEEK

It is DAY SIX and all systems are GO!

It is tempting to say "it's as though we never left"…but truth be told, this first week of school atmosphere is a different kind of feeling. There is nothing like snazzy shoes, a sharp pencil, great attitudes, a fresh start in the next grade level, and the faces of 81 brand new student friends to get those brain cells firing in a back-to-school kind of rhythm. 

I was privileged to catch up with second grader Rebekah Hillman this week.  Her response to my well-worn first-week-of-school question, “So…how do you like second grade so far?”gave me a small heart failure before it made me smile.  She was thoughtful and matter-of-fact. “I don’t like it.”  Uh oh…. There was pause enough to make my eyebrows raise before she finished her thought aloud.  “I LOVE it!” Her convincing grin followed.

Mrs. Hadden’s four-year-old class happily shared their favorite parts of the school day.  While Makenzie loves the playground, Caleb (still sporting his awesome summer haircut) says nap-time is great because he can play quietly by himself instead of sleep!  

(This aversion to naps will surely change in the second half of your personal century, my young friend….)

With no coaxing or inducement from our school librarian, Avelynn energetically reported that her very favorite school activity is reading books! 

Kate and Sam (both kindergartners in Ms. Price’s homeroom) voiced how much they love to sing with Mrs. Litzenberger during music class. I did not ask for a recital but had the feeling they were willing to start crooning if the opportunity arose.

Young Naomi is a fan of physical education!  On Wednesday afternoon, Mrs. Longacre taught the kindergarten children to safely maneuver through space by driving their hula hoop cars around the small gymnasium.  Making things even more realistic, I was told that some of the cars were making "burning out" sounds as they jockeyed for position.  Perhaps we should send our energetic PE teacher to our high school campus to help direct newly licensed drivers.  Navigating actual cars into parking spots during the early morning hours is no small feat. Especially for novice drivers who have not yet fully extracted themselves from summertime sleep schedules.

Kindergarten Friends! Ms. Price's class. 

Five year-old Khloe described fun with the color purple during her art class this week with Mrs. Bergey.  The students listened to the story of Harold and his purple crayon as they tested different forms of coloring media during their introductory class period.

Bravely representing the middle school end of our building, Madelyn Lewis, grade 7 admits she may not have been QUITE ready to return to school when the calendar page turned to August 25th....  But now that she is back, she is glad to be with her friends again. 

Watch for blog entries at the beginning of each month during this school year.  A small square PEEK icon is accessible on our school website and with each edition of the weekly Penn's View newsletter. The icon is a speedy way to access the school blog. The PEEK allows parents and friends a small window into the school day.  

Every single minute, there are wonderful opportunities for learning and growth on the Penn View campus of Dock Mennonite Academy. 

The Big Yellow Bus

 One of my fondest school memories includes the scratchy baritone stylings of my elementary driver, singing catchy songs behind the wheel of our big yellow school bus.  My driver was a grizzly old fellow, hairs sprouting from his ears, eyes twinkling, and a bolstering greeting for me and all of the new student arrivals.  I have always been sensitive to motion, so latching onto the refrains of many of my bus driver’s tunes was a form of survival for me as I focused straight ahead striving to keep my stomach contents where they belonged.

“Old Dan Tucker was a fine old man…washed his face in a frying pan…combed his hair with a wagon wheel, and died with a toothache in his heel….”  Exactly why these lyrics were comforting to a five year old is beyond my imagination.

Recently our four year old classes and DK students had the opportunity to get up close and personal with a school bus.  

Two drivers from Transportation Services came by to visit and brought bus number 66 along with them.  Mr. Jim and Mr. Dave had the students shuffle into the bus where they used the vehicle as a classroom and talked about all sorts of ways to be good, safe riders. 

Emergency exits were considered.  Who knew there were six ways to get out of a bus in an emergency?  It was news to me. 

Mr. Jim and his chorus of young voices reviewed the proper way to cross the street after bus departure.  He prompted the crowd situated in the back half of the bus.  “The arm on the bus comes out.  And where do we cross the street?” Small voices joined in crescendo, “IN FRONT OF THE BUS!!”  He’d made his point. 

Many of our young students will have their first opportunity to ride the bus to school when they return in the fall for kindergarten.

There was disappointment in the ranks when it became evident that bus company insurance would prevent a quick trip around the block during the safety presentation visit.  

Our young friends will need to come back on Country Auction Weekend to enjoy the shuttle for the riding portion of the experience.  There will be strawberry pie, a large overzealous chicken, and a kid’s tent to sweeten the deal! 

Future Penn View BUS RIDERS paying close attention to the crossing instructions.

THE WINDY CLASSROOM

Go ahead, I dare you. Try to wipe the grin off your face while eagerly grasping a vibrant silk parachute handle.  Especially while flanked by classmates equally thrilled to be sharing in such a wildly appealing pastime.  Think back and admit it, friends.  When you walked into the gymnasium and realized your PE teacher had dragged out that lovely colorful apparatus, all of your accumulated dread of sit-ups left your brain and was immediately replaced with unbridled enthusiasm.

 It was the same when the PALS club got together last week for a favorite springtime activity.  Early Childhood students and Middle School students approached their shared activity with equivalent fervor.  The older students, referred to by their teachers as “Big Pals” are more than twice the age of their small accomplices (the “Little Pals”). The Big Pals took the lead and their five-year-old counterparts shadowed accordingly.  

It was positively adorable.

The first difficulty came for the Big Pals before they even reached the room for play.  They were attempting to quietly travel to the other side of the building to meet their Little Pals and let’s just say the struggle was REAL.  “PALS” is an activity for some of the Middle School students during the final period of the school-day each Monday.  It is a wildly popular option which allows the older students to make friends with some of the youngest Penn View students.  The opportunity is always scooped up quickly by 8th grade girls during signups.  Eighteen girls strong and not a single 8^th grade boy!  This gaggle of eager adolescents has so much trouble not speaking in the hushed elementary hallways, their teacher Lisa Reichley tells them to put a fictional marshmallow into their mouths.  She does the same. This leaves them all with chipmunk cheeks; the wide-eyed group sounding convincingly similar to the dull but persistent hum of a large clumsy bumblebee. The bumblebee hum is certainly preferable to the shrieking enthusiasm of agitated hyenas (which was the sound signaling their approach just moments before they pretended to be stuffed with marshmallows). 

The Little Pals were seated in a circle and wearing their jackets when their big friends arrived.  Mrs. Reichley greeted the small group.  “I brought your Big Pals!”  Fervent waving ensued and hugs soon followed. 

A second difficulty came when it was reasoned that the weather was being uncooperative.  Though the Little Pals were decked out in adequate attire for the elements, it soon became obvious that the Big Pals would freeze to an undesirable stiffness in the raw rainy chill.  As the oldest and most revered students of Penn View, most of the eighth graders arrive at school in April too suave for a jacket. Another noisy journey in the hallway to retrieve the few available coats scrunched into lockers was not an effective solution.  So in the interest of staying warm and dry, the decision was made to play with the parachute indoors.

Recall your own PE parachute experience.  You might remember that this activity can happen very effectively in a large gymnasium. A regular-sized classroom, however, was another situation entirely. Desks and cabinets were moved to the perimeter of the classroom and the colorful parachute was unrolled.  Anticipation was off the charts.  Handles were clutched and Mrs. Reichley’s instructions were clear.  “Just go up as high as the Little Pals' arms can go.”

With the first ballooning of the parachute, every lightweight item which was not firmly attached to EC teacher Mrs. Ness’ desk took flight.  A multitude of paper adornments affixed to classroom walls began flapping riotously, as if cheering on the group’s antics with zealous celebratory patronage.  It was like being inside a wind tunnel, which amplified the already unbridled enthusiasm of the students.  Adrenalin was pumping and many of the Little Pals could not keep their feet anchored to the floor.  They were hopping around like tiny rabbits as they held tight to the parachute handle.

It was time to mix things up.  At the teacher’s instruction, the Little Pals climbed beneath the parachute and huddled together on the floor in the center.  They were giggling nonstop.  

Perhaps the most amusing portion of this exercise was watching my helpful photographer (Marketing Director Kathy Gordon) as she crouched under the parachute with all of the little people. 

The woman will do anything to get a good shot!  

When the Big Pals lifted their arms, a mass of laughing, clustered children could be seen, hair standing on end with static electricity. 

“Let’s try that again with slightly less violence”, Mrs. Reichley was heard to say.  The Little Pals clearly loved it when the parachute landed on their heads.  Soon, the groups switched places, the excited Little Pals keen to drop that parachute onto their hunkering Big Pals. 

Just when I thought things couldn’t get any more stimulating, the students began to play a game called Cat and Mouse.  Three Big Pals were chosen to be mice under the parachute and three Little Pals were chosen to get into the center of the parachute on hands and knees to tag the mice.  Reminders were given.  “Tag the mouse, don’t jump on the mouse….”  

Everyone else took position to lift and lower their portion of the parachute to make waves.  

The wave-makers took their job very seriously, working up a serious sweat and causing an imposing storm upon that silk sea.  

While Makenna, Delaney and Cedar scrambled under the parachute accumulating an imbalance of electrical charges on their skin, little cats Ben, Micah and Ainsley scampered about attempting to flatten the mice. 

Delaney admitted it was a little bit scary to be crawling furtively under the parachute with tiny cats in hot pursuit!  

I am sure the second graders were wondering what on earth was going on across the hall as the raucous group's thunderous amusement and squealing was barely muffled by the classroom walls and door. 

Click link here to enjoy some of the excitement for yourself:  

In retrospect, I should have offered to help Mrs. Ness reattach her classroom decorations after those impressive wind gusts subsided.

I suspect the PALS will be smiling over their wonderful blustery memory for years to come.