Slice-of-Life Day Six Entries: One Teacher…One Student

Fire
by Dan Taylor

What is it about fire?
The radiant, orange and yellow flames that seem to dance uncontrollably.
The mesmerizing effect which makes me lose track of time,
transporting me to some distant place only to be drawn back to full consciousness
by the crackle and pop of an exploding piece of log.
What is it about fire?
The heat, which overpowers the chill of a cool October night,
and can transform a marshmallow from white and spongy to golden brown and gooey,
oozing down the prongs of  the skewer, its shape continuously mutating.
What is it about fire?
An invitation to gather around and stare, one that can’t be refused.
Bringing friends together for casual conversation…….
Talking, listening, laughing.
What is it about fire?
Dark to light, light to dark.
Starting with something, and seemingly ending with nothing.
Ready to be born again out of the ashes.

Cars
by Spencer P, 5th Grade Heritage

What is it about a car?
The way it converts gasoline into adrenaline.
The rev saying it’s good to go.
The way it drives like a bull, charging to 200mph.
The smell of oil, the wind pushing on your face.
The cars flying on the British Autobahn
The way it pushes your head back into the seat.
The exhaust cracking when you rev it.
The sound of the other cars, it’s almost like their talking to me.

Slice-of-Life Day Five Entries: One Teacher…One Student

TEACHER MOM
By Mrs. Sberna

Since October of 2013, I’ve been a TeacherMom
to more than seventy children,
one of whom (Miss Gabriella) I gave birth to.
Most are ten, some are eleven,
one is nearing three.
As a TeacherMom, I know that Mondays are hard for Student A.
Student B needs encouragement before a test,
Student C is tired from the musical,
and Daughter G needs new sunscreen.
As a TeacherMom, there is overlap in my words:
“Be kind.”
“Make good choices.”
“Show me your eyes.”
“I’m so proud of you!”
As a TeacherMom, I write to do lists for school,
grocery lists for home,
and wish lists for summer.
I cry in June (sometimes a few weeks in)
for the students who shared the year with me,
and I cry in August when I leave my not-so-tiny baby
and welcome a brand new class for
another year as TeacherMom.

My Fish
By Genise G, 3rd Grade Heritage

Since two years ago I had my shark fish…
The fish tank is big, about a couple of feet.
They really don’t do anything besides swim
Every time we walk past them they are always afraid.
Even when we gently touch the tank they get scared
There used to be more than three fish, but the rest died.
So we only have three now.
It’s a little fun watching them swim, I guess.
Whenever I feed them they all grab it right away.
Like they never ate, like EVER.
Sometimes they bite each other, but I think they
Are just playing tag.
My fish will always be my fish.

Slice-of-Life Day Four Entries: One Teacher…One Student

The Writer in Me

by Mrs. Piccini

What is it about 4 AM?

The silent, stillness of dark before light.

Nothing but the sounds of the people in the house

soaking up the precious few hours before dawn. 

And the clarity of the crickets.

And me.

Me in the same spot each morning.

Me with my coffee, the pages of my notebook

and the familiar grip of my favorite mechanical pencil.

Me with my thoughts, frustrations, dreams and reflections.

What is it about 4 AM?

The words on stark white lines flow more freely in this hour.

The marriage and harmony of the rhythm and rhyme. 

A symphony and celebration of a seamless stringing

of theory, speculation, articulation and thinking.

What is it about 5 AM?

Robbing my intellect and creativity of its momentum. 

Shaking my utopia into the reality of the work day.

Showers, lunches, clothes, buses, jobs.

The repeated pattern of Mother Nature.

Morning into night, 

night into morning.

Over and over with a fresh start.

Starting anew each day

with the gift of 4 AM.

The Athlete in Me

by Ethan G, 5^th Grade Heritage

What is it about sports?

The tapping of sticks on ice.

The sound of the ball hitting the webbing

in your glove.

The scream of victory.

The cry of defeat.

The sweat dripping down your face.

The championship game.

The sound of  water splashing in your mouth.

The sound the bat makes when you hit the ball.

The walk-off hit.

The game winning goal.

What is it about sports?

The bit of pain coming through your body.

Slice-of-Life Day Three Entries: Big Sister…Little Brother

One of the Eleven

By Tait R., 5^th Grade Heritage

Since September 2015 I have been one of eleven softball players. (HCHeat)

Sarah, Lilly, Marin, Melanie, Olivia, Ashley, Tiffany, Carli,  Kaitlyn, Emily, and me.

One of eleven cheering for my other teammates.

Making funny nicknames for each other in the dug-out.

One of the eleven teammates who work their hearts out on the field,

turning double plays and catching fly balls in the outfield.

On party days we all hang out with each other.

Having Nerf gun battles and playing ghost in the grave yard. 

One of eleven having fun eating yogurt, sitting on army tanks, and braiding each other’s hair.

I am very lucky to be one of eleven on an amazing team!

Earning trophies and medals for our hard work on the field and in the box.

Hitting the other teams hands and congratulating us on 1^st place. Sometimes 2^nd,

But that’s ok too.

One of four

By NJR, 3^rd Grade Heritage

I am one of four

I am the crazy one

One of them is athletic,

One of them is fun,

And all four of four are awesome.

The last one is always helping me.

Three of four have been with me since my first day.

One of four is my big sister

One of four always makes three of four laugh and

Four of four always shows me

LOVE!

Slice-of-Life Day Two Entries: One Teacher…One Student

Two at a Time

By Mrs. Davis

Every morning

Without fail

My alarm rings

(for the fourth time)

I sigh, roll out of bed,

and I trip over Moses, my poodle,

wound tightly in his worn oval bed just beside mine.

He doesn’t even flinch.

No sooner do my two feet hit the floor

than Jasper, my Schnauzer, is already on my bed

tunneled beneath the just-evacuated covers,

Hoping my husband Ben won’t notice

The switcheroo.

They stay put

Moses and Jasper do

(slightly annoyed by the turning on of lights

And the buzz of the hair dryer)

Until the inevitable moment

When I walk down the hallway,

Turn the corner,

Take that first creaky step downstairs.

And then, because nature calls,

They rise reluctantly

With simultaneous yawns and stretches

and hobble down the stairs,

through the kitchen,

out the back door

To a wake-up call of cool breezes blowing through the backyard

Everyday

Without fail

Moses and Jasper do

One of Two

By Ryleigh J, 5^th Grade Heritage

Ever since I remember, I’ve been one of two.

Thomas and me.

One of two who LOVE mom’s zucchini bread.

One of the two who like homemade lemonade.

One of the two who like the pool on hot summer days

And eating ice cream.

I’m the only one with long light brown hair and has

My mom’s hazel eyes.

I’m one of the two who likes riding bikes

around the neighborhood on summer days.

When Thomas isn’t around I become one of three.

My dad, mom, and me.

And that’s ok too.

Slice-of-Life Day One Entries: One Teacher…One Student

My Napkin

By Mrs. Melucci

When I was a little girl my school didn’t have a cafeteria
so my dad had to pack my lunch each day.
The most important thing was my napkin.
I wouldn’t eat a sandwich.
A hot dog in a thermos with chips and brownies was our solution.
Daddy would wrap the hot dog buns in shiny aluminum foil
so tightly that the intricacies of the bun could be seen
as indentations in the foil.
But the most important thing was my napkin.
Yes, my napkin.
Every day Daddy would write me a love note.
A note to say, “I love you”, or “Have a great day”, or “Good luck on that test”.
Every single day.
That napkin meant everything to me.
I read it and cherished it and never threw it away.
Never.
Not ever.
That note had way too much love in it and on it to end up in the trash.
I would fold it
and place it back in my bright yellow Snoopy lunch box
so that Daddy would know how much he and that napkin meant to me.

One of the Two

By Sienna V, 3rd Grade Heritage

Ever since I can
Remember I’ve been
One of the two
Andrew and I
One of the two
Who beg for lollipops
From the big jar in the cabinet.
One of the two
Who hate doing chores.
I’m one of the two
Moving to Florida
Flying on a plane with
No adults
Brown hair, rainbow eyes
I feel bad for my parents
Who are driving
But it is okay I will
Have company and
So will my parents.

Mrs. McCreary’s Young Author Celebration

Students in Mrs. McCreary’s Kindergarten class hosted an amazing author celebration.  For the past four weeks, these young writers have been working to storyboard, craft, and illustrate narrative stories including elements of want, problem, and solution.  Family and friends helped culminate their work with a read-around publishing praise of these amazing stories.

Slice-of-Life Publishing Opportunity for 3rd, 4th and 5th Grade Writers

Students are visiting the Writing Lab this month to explore writing about everyday life topics in personal ways.  Slice-of-Life writing takes on a first-person narrative stance and examines the truth of everyday life on paper. Students are learning first-hand how to pair words with topics that invite others to experience the daily events and situations that make up their ordinary lives.

Beginning Monday, May 9th and continuing throughout the month of May, student writers may submit Slice-of-Life stories to Mrs. Piccini for a chance to publish on the Heritage Blog. To submit Slice-of-Life entries for possible publication, students should email pieces in a typed attachment to vpiccini@franklinregional.k12.pa.us.  Samples of student work will be selected and posted each day during the month of May. As all work submitted can not be posted, Slice-of-Life writing that is not posted will be displayed in a designated Slice-of-Life hallway gallery where students and staff can view, read and enjoy throughout the month!

Please take a moment to ask your child about the Slice-of-Life topic he/she is currently working on. Be sure to visit the Heritage Blog beginning May 9th and throughout the month of May to read a few Slice-of-Life entries from our resident authors.

Heritage Students Engage in Author Visit Follow-Up Learning

Students at Heritage are taking advantage of continuing learning opportunities that are inspired by our recent visiting author, Peter Catalanotto.  During his PTO sponsored visit, Peter Catalanotto worked with both teachers and students to model and demonstrate varied approaches to writing stories.  One of his approaches offered an alternative to drafting with Beginning, Middle, and End in mind.  Mr. Catalanotto, author and illustrator of over 45 award-winning children’s books, suggests both student and teacher writers focus on Want, Problem, Solution, rather than Beginning, Middle, End when working to find their ideas for stories.  Students and teachers at varying grade levels K-5 have been testing out this new strategy when masterminding stories in their writer’s notebooks.  Kindergarten students are carefully work-shopping Want, Problem, Solution stories in their KidWriting classes through story-boarding.  In addition, students and teachers in 3^rd grade, explored Want, Problem Solution options for crafting narratives in the Writing Lab.

Stay tuned for more exciting learning updates that emerge from this unique and inspiring visit.

Excela Health visits 2nd grade

This week Ms Kimberly Hayes and Ms Dawn Devola visited Heritage 2nd grade. Their presentation called Rethink Your Drink focused on healthy choices using a go! Slow! Whoa! Illustration. 

Students were each given a refillable water bottle to help them make good choices.