Happy Halloween!

Kayla from Mrs. Hawthorne's class wrote a great narrative story about a spooky house. Enjoy!

Owwooo!!!! The day I heard this sound filled my heart with fright! On Saturday afternoon, my best friend, Anna, was coming over for a sleepover. When she got there, I told her about the spooky house across the street and that legend says that the ghost of Bloody Mary wants a sacrifice on Halloween!

“We are going over there tonight! I said. I could infer that Anna did not like this idea, because her lips were trembling as if she had just been to Antarctica.

“What?!” she finally replied.

That was all she had to say. I couldn’t blame her. After all, who would have anything else to say…

After what seemed like hours of pure silence, Anna finally spoke, “Okay, I will go.”
I was so excited that she chose to come with me on my hunt for Bloody Mary. We left around ten to scope out the scene. When we arrived at our destination, we found out that we didn’t have to open the door of the house. It opened for us.

“Well, here we go,” I said slowly.

Walking in, we heard cries for help and saw lights flicker.

“Ha, ha, ha, ha!” said a voice in the deep, dark, cold house.

“Maybe we should leave?” Anna suggested.

The two of us dashed for the door like maniacs trying to break it down. We turned around and found ourselves standing eye to eye with Bloody Mary!

With her pale bloody hands, she grabbed Anna by the throat and left with a horrific laugh.
“Anna!” I screeched.

I started to put myself in high gear, dashing all around trying to find my BFF! In the fridge, no. Behind the curtains, no. She was nowhere to be found! Wait, there is one place I have not checked. The place where Bloody Mary loves to stay – her coffin!

Quickly, but easily, I opened up the coffin. There was Anna and Bloody Mary. Anna was choking half to death. I quickly pulled Anna out to save her from the monster and killed Bloody Mary by cutting off her fingers and throwing her in the dungeon. We used her fingers to unlock to door. Then we scampered home like free range chickens on the loose! After one mile of running, we were home sweet home! Anna and I both agreed never to go into a spooky house again – until one day…

Poems

After studying poems in reading, Landon and Konnor from Mrs. Hawthorne's class wrote a poem (much like "Hippos Hope") on their own during reading centers:

There once was a zebra who wanted to fly a kite
Kite-hi-dee flight-hi-dee fright-hi-dee-hoo

So he sewed him a kite with red and white stripes
Strip-hi dee bright-hi-dee light-hi-dee-hoo

The kite took off like a star racing in the night
Night-hi-dee white-hi-dee bright-hi-dee-ho

The kite fell like a baby bird falling out of the tree top
Tree-hi-dee bee-hi-dee wee-hi-dee-way

His kite broke and he ran home and cried like a baby.

St. Augustine Fundraisers

4th GRADE UPCOMING EVENTS

If your child is going on the St. Augustine Trip and you would like to participate in the next fundraiser, please read. We will sell raffle tickets for an Electric grill donated by West Florida Electric which will be given away Friday, October 23, 2009. The tickets are available now in the front office. If you are interested please go by the office and get the tickets. You will have until close of business Wednesday, October 21, 2009 to return the tickets and money to the front office. To ensure that all are accounted for please return all tickets even if not sold, to the office by that time.

We would like to thank the following people for their generous donations to our fund raisers: Sneads Fraternal Order of Police for their donation of the sausage, West Florida Electric for the Electric Grill and McDaniel’s IGA for donating the buns and their delicious Thanksgiving Dinner. We couldn’t have the success we experienced without your bighearted support!

Upcoming RAFFLES:

October: Electric Grill… tickets are available in the SES office now!
Tickets due to SES office no later than Oct 21st.

November: Thanksgiving dinner
And hopefully a Wal-Mart gift Card (we are working on that one)

December 3rd: Our second Sausage Dog fund raiser (be looking for more information and dates for this sell)

Thanks, Judy Weeks

Taylor in Mrs. Hawthorne's Class Has Hit the Ground Running!

It wasn't even an assignment! Taylor wrote this story all on her own and in her spare time. Way to go Taylor! Please enjoy and leave a comment about her story that deals with riding on an airplane!

"Airplane Adventure"

I will never forget the day our plane almost crashed and burned to the ground. It all started on a beautiful day. We were going to Colorado. Everything was so perfect because when we arrived at the airport we sat in front of the window that you could see all the airplanes take off! I was so excited because it was my first time riding an airplane. I could not wait to get on!

All of a sudden, aloud speaker came on and said “Flight38 is here.” Mom hopped up and said “Thank Goodness.” As we got on, there was a small hall that led to a doorway. Once we reached the doorway a man wearing a nice suitable suit greeted me with a handshake. I walked to my seat. Luckily, I was sitting by dad and not a stranger. About fifteen minutes later, we started to move. It startled me because it started with a big jerk. I got use to it and almost drifted off to sleep.

When I woke up something was different. I looked out the window and everything was – gloomy. I asked my dad if we were going to have bad weather ahead. He said that I was asleep when the pilot announced that we were going to have turbulence. I asked him what turbulence meant. Because it was obvious that I would not know what a big word like turbulence would mean. Dad told me that it meant “rough weather.” Right then, the plane shook. Swoosh! Everyone gasped. I even hopped out of my seat. Immediately the pilot said that the turbulence was starting. Right then, I wished that this was all a dream. Somebody pinch me, wake me up before I die! But this was for real!

As I looked around , mom and Ashlyn were sitting together and freaking out like hooligans! I wanted to go and join them but daddy was holding me back. I was curious if he was going to take it like a man or be a sissy about it. But he was taking it like a man. The only good thing good about it is that now I know who I get my braveness from. Before you knew it, the plan shook again and again and again. This storm was getting worse! All of a sudden there was a loud “pop.”’ A lady giving out food started screaming. She told me that one of the engines broke! Out of nowhere, we felt a downward force. We were going down! The pilot announced for everyone not to panic, and that he would seen a signal and maybe another plane can come and fix the engine. Hopefully we don’t land on a tower like the Twin Towers! That would be a nightmare! But just didn’t want to think about landing.

Soon enough, another plane came and fixed the engine and even gave us some gas. It was a relief that we were still alive and going again. And it was even clearing up outside. But I don’t know if I ever want to ride an airplane again!

St. Augustine Field Trip

Please note the changes in due dates for your payments.

Please be looking for your Sample Agenda and Tour Enrollment Form in your child's planner.

TOUR PRICE: $259.00 students in quadruple occupancy rooms
$269.00 adults in quadruple occupancy rooms
(based on a minimum of 35 paying students per coach)

T-SHIRT PRICES: $10.00 (2) shirts per student
$ 5.00 (1) shirt per adult (optional)


PAYMENT INFORMATION: For your convenience the cost has been broken down into 5 payments. The due dates are as follows:

9/30 $50.00 ~ 1st payment and Tour Enrollment Form due for each participant.
10/30 $50.00 ~ 2nd payment due for each participant
11/30 $50.00 ~ 3rd payment is due
1/8 $50.00 ~ 4th payment is due
2/5 Balance ~ due for each participant

Please send cash or money orders (only) payable to Sneads Elementary School.
All payments and Tour Enrollment Forms should be turned in to your child’s teacher.

Thank you for making your 4th grader's year memorable!

Welcome to the 2009-2010 school year!

We welcome fourth grade students and parents to the 2009-2010 school year. The fourth grade teachers are Mrs. Martin, Mrs. Hawthorne, Miss Howell, Ms. Martinez, and Ms. Thompson.

Wonderful Writers!

Fourth graders at Sneads Elementary blew the FCAT Writing test out of the water! Because students increased scores from the previous year, students will soon see their teachers (Mrs. Hawthorne, Miss Parish, Ms. Martinez, and Ms. Thompson) sing and dance to a song that their class picks out! Be thinking of what you want to hear!

Congratulations Seth!

Seth from Mrs. Hawthorne's class has won the district-wide Jackson County Tropicana Speech Contest. As a school and district winner, Seth had to create an original speech lasting between two and three minutes on a topic of his choice.

Puppy Surprise by Anna from Miss Parish's Class

A normal, boring day can easily transform into an exciting adventure when a surprise is included. One sunny hot, boring day I was at school asking my friends, Baylee, Crystal , Ashlyn, and Sierra, asking them what they were going to do since it was Friday. I know I was going to be at home bored to death since my T.V. was broken. We all had lunch together in the lunchroom. It was nasty Italian bread with some gross-looking sauce or a chicken patty. Yuck! Trust me, I choose the chicken patty! Then Miss Parish came to pick us up. Before I knew it, it was time to go home. I waited at the car ramp for mom to pick me up. She told me we were going to Grandma’s house. That was not out of the ordinary. Sounded like another boring Friday to me.

All of a sudden, I see my g-ma waiting for us; I guess she knew we were coming. When I zoomed to her, she yelled out, “Come see what I have for you.” I rushed inside as fast as I could. She said that I needed go look in my bedroom. When I zigzagged in there, I saw a little Dotson A.K.A. a winner dog. I zoomed down the hall gave my granny a big hug and ran back to my new dog, who I choose to name “Buttercup”. I thought her new name was just too cute. I picked her up carefully because I did not want to hurt her. She was so cute and cuddly, I would say. I think she was a miniature but I was not sure. My g-ma had one more thing up her sleeve; she had bought two bowls for water and food. She even bought a dog bed. Buttercup also came with a sweater that had “F.S.U.” on it. That is my favorite team! The cute sweater, I think could even fit my baby dolls! I thought my new friend was only about one year old, and would not get any bigger. I thanked my grandmother a thousand times! I held my dog so tight, you could tell she was nervous. We visited a little while with my granny. When my puppy and I arrived at home, I took all her new accessories, including her, into my room. I thought I would let her scope out the house a little while. Then I took her out to use the potty. Buttercup and I decided to ride my four-wheeler! There is a basket on the front so she can sit there. Buttercup and I enjoyed an afternoon of riding and getting to know each other.

In the end, I had an awesome day! It was the best surprise I have ever had! Whenever it is a normal, boring day again, I will remember that something surprising could happen. No one ever knows. After all, I got my Buttercup surprise when I least expected it!

911! by Baylee from Miss Parish's Class

“911! 911! I need you my mean brother did something I will never forget.” One foggy morning I was still sleeping on my wooden bunk bed. I get the most complements on that bed. Finally I woke up and I scrambled to get on my clothes and go to my friend’s house. My mom and dad were still asleep in the bed but my big brother was awake. I knew he was because he had the T.V. blaring as loud as it could go. Now it was time for me to go brush my teeth and do my hair. I had to go to the bathroom to fix myself up.
All of the sudden, when I looked in the mirror, I saw a reflection of someone with four arms. I zoomed to go show my mom and dad. I explained to them that I grew two extra arms over night. At first I thought it was not real. I whispered this terrible information to my mom because I did not want my brother to know. If he found out he would make fun of me for the rest of my life. That is not a good thing to happen. My mom said I needed to go to the emergency room to see what they would say. I might have to get surgery done or it would go away. My mom quickly threw on her clothes to go. She put up my hair for me in a matter of seconds. Of course my brother saw me and made fun of me. Something told me that my mean sibling was behind all of this! But I kept that to myself. We were already in the car before I knew it. Since I did not want anybody to see me, I wore my mom’s gigantic jacket. Now no one could see my strange four arms. What was a relief! As we waited in the waiting room, I kept on wanting them to call my name. All of the sudden I hear “Baylee Victoria Childs” Finally, I was next. I took off the jacket and showed the nurse. She said she did not know what it was. “That’s my luck,” I thought to myself. The lady asked if I have had any pain, I told her I didn’t. Just then the nice nurse took a closer look and exclaimed that my two extra arms were not even real. Then she pulled it right off. There was tape holding it together. I knew Trent was behind this all along. He must have put them on while I was sleeping.

In the end, the nurse pulled both fake arms off and then we rushed home. Let me just tell you, Trent got in some really bad trouble, and I don’t think he will do that crazy thing again. Now it is my turn! Pay back time! And yeah I never got to go to Sierra’s house that day. I did not tell her what happened when I called to say I could not come. That will continue to be my secret.

"Basketball Advantage" by Darius from Miss Parish's Class

You can bet that the next time I grow two extra arms, I’ll think twice before over working them. One dull morning, I awoke, hopped up out of my bed, and realized that something was wrong with my body. When I drug myself into the kitchen, I spotted my mom watching TV in the living room. As soon as I told my mom that my body felt weird, two extra arms popped out of my sides and stretched the same length as my other arms. I looked at my arms and then back at my mom and saw that my mom had passed out. I stood there for a while and kept on looking at my arms and then back at my mom. I felt like a four arm Cyclopes! Then I realized that if I have four arms and everybody else has two that must mean I am the luckiest kid in the world! As soon as I realized that was very special, I told my unconscious mom that I was going to have a little fun.

Instantly, I dashed out the door like a cheetah, grabbed my bike, and pedaled to the basketball court. When I arrived at the b-ball court, I dashed over and asked who’s team I could be on.
“Well it is two on three and my team only has two. I guess you can be on my team,” Tray announced.
“Great!” I replied.
I was like Michel Jordan out there; shooting three’s on everybody, and getting wide open shots. It was like I was the only one on the court. Every team we played would always lose to us by thirty or more points. When I got done playing, I snatched up my two-wheeler and headed home.
All of a sudden, while I was riding my bicycle back to my house my extra arms turned into ashes. I looked at my body and realized that that my extra arms had fallen off. As soon as I saw my normal two arms, I rushed to the house, dashed into my room, and started crying. When my mom and dad came into my room, I told to them what had transpired. They explained to me that if you get something special you should use it wisely. I dried my tears up and played outside a while.

In the end, my boring day had transformed into an exciting evening. For the rest of my life, I will always remember that if you get something special, use it wisely so it won’t go away.

"Wild Surprise" by Sierra from Miss Parish's Class

Ring! Ring! Ring! “Hello?”
“Hey, it’s Sierra! Can my mom, speak with you?”
“It’s Sierra’s birthday today, and I was wondering if Baylee could come over,” blurted my mama.
“Sure, why not,” replied Mrs. Keesha.
Once I finally figured out that Baylee could come, I rushed off to get ready. It takes thirty minutes to get from my house to her house. We were going to be at her house to pick her up at 12:00, so I had thirty minutes left to get ready. I brushed my teeth, combed my hair, and was headed out the door. Knock! Knock! As soon as Baylee swung the door open, I quickly explained that we could watch the Bee Movie and then head to the mall! Dothan, Alabama here we come! After we’d been driving a while, I realized that this was definitely not the way to Dothan. Mom announced that we were going to Wild Adventures! No way! I was more excited than a child on Christmas morning. Mom instructed that we fasten our seat belts and prepare for a long trip. Baylee and I fell asleep with in the first five minutes. We woke up at about 3:00 p.m. We had one hour left until we would be there so we played my Nintendo D.S. (or video game) for the rest of the drive.

Suddenly, I spotted a Ferris wheel out of the corner of my eye. We’re here! We found a place to park in the front and checked in. As quick as lightening, we were headed off to ride a roller coaster and eat some Dippin’ Dots. It was hard to decide what to ride. There were so many choices. Baylee and I decided on the Swamp Thing. Boy was that a wild ride! When that was over, we raced over to ride some more rides. Exhausted after all the excitement, we decided to drag ourselves over to the creak to see the fire woks show. It was amazing! I had never seen anything like it before. My mom decided she wanted to go to all the shops. Since it was so close to Christmas, we even met Santa and Mrs. Clause. We got to sit on their laps and take a picture. The perfect ending to a marvelous day!

In the end, we got home at 10:00pm. Baylee and I stayed up all night talking about how much fun we had and even sang a little karaoke. The night ended with a little bit of popcorn that my mama had cooked as one of my birthday presents. I will never forget my amazingly, wild surprise!

"Dogtastic" by Crystal from Miss Parish's Class

Woof!!! I wonder what could have made that noise. One regular Friday afternoon turned into the most spectacular day of my life. On this particular Friday everything was dull like always. The bus was noisy; the grass was turning brown and well, the sun barely came out. Plus, there was nothing to do. When I got off the bus from school, my parents were standing there with great big smiles on their faces. I was wondering why?

Suddenly, when I approached them, their smiles were even more suspicious. When I asked my mom why they were smiling like that, something interrupted me, the sound that cut my speech off was familiar, but when I asked my mom, she said “ Crystal, go look in the backyard” and I said “ Okay” in a wondering voice. When I looked around everything seemed the same. Then I asked my mom what she was talking about, she instructed me to go look in the shed. I did what I was told, and when I looked inside the shed I saw a small baby English bulldog. I was ecstatic!!!!!!
I thought I was going to pass-out, but thank God didn’t.
“What is her name?” I said anxiously.
“Well,” mom said, “She doesn’t have a name, so you have to name her.”
Names are easy! Right off the bat, I thought of the perfect name –Brandy Hernandez! My new pup was now officially part of the Hernandez family. My mom and dad kept on rambling about how I have to feed her, walk her, and give her baths. Parents always talk of responsibility. I was listening, well kind of, while my new dog and I were rolling on the grass. It was remarkable!!!

None the less, the day was starting to come to an end, so everyone scrambled inside, still energized. Once inside, we all said “good night” to Brandy, the new member of the Hernandez family. You never know, anything can pop-up in your backyard so be prepared. “Woof”! That was Brandy’s way of saying “Goodnight”.

Terrific Tootles by Bridgit from Miss Parish's Class

Whenever I think of the most surprising day I ever had, I still get shocked all over again. One cold rainy day, I was at school with nothing to do. The smell of stinky bathrooms invaded my nostrils. However, bathroom stench was soon erased with the aroma of pizza from the lunchroom. The cheesy treat made my taste buds so happy! I could not wait until lunch! Every time I hopped by a classroom, I could hear moans and groans from my fellow-students. As I was wondering the halls, I thought about how my days are repeated. Everyday seems like the same old routine. I was so bored, that is until I got home.

Instantly, my eyes were astonished! “Woof, Woof!” When I looked down, I saw the most beautiful sight in the world -- a brand new beagle! I was flabbergasted! We played and played until we couldn’t play any more. Then, I decided to name her. The new friend must have a name. I decided to call her “Tootles”. After thirty minutes, my dad and I skipped up to the store and bought her some toys and food. When we arrived back home, I roamed around my entire backyard with my K-9 in my arms. My dad drove us to my Mimi’s house. Mimi wanted to dress Tootles in her doll clothes. How funny is that? My beagle buddy liked to hop on my bed and watch TV with me. We almost fell asleep at suppertime from all the rough playing and getting to know each other. I had steak, and she had pizza with her Kibble. Soon after we biked back to our humble abode.

In the end, we were so exhausted. I fixed her a bed, and we fell fast asleep on the soft, cushiony, couch. My dad decided to put us both in my bed. A lot of excitement can come in dog form. My “doggie” surprise will never be forgotten! ”Woof!”

Hailey Blogs about being Principal

Have you ever been allowed to be in charge of the whole school? One boring school day, the loud intercom called me to the office. I wondered if I had done something wrong? I wracked my brain for anything that I would have done wrong – Nothing! Two minutes later, I touched down at the office. All of a sudden, Mrs. McDaniel said that I had won a special contest and I was now the principal of Sneads Elementary School for the day.

When the office staff all congratulated me, I replied thank you! I hugged Mrs. McDaniel and everyone there. Instantly, I told the old principal to go home and take a much needed break. I thought of what I could do first. I promised our fearless leader that I would take care of the school like a mama watches over her child.

Suddenly, I approached a room and told the teacher to also go home to their habitat to chill. I was the principal now. I equally did the same to each classroom. I joyfully explained to the kids that it was an order to party and have fun. I also said to have lots of recess! In the end we ordered three boxes of cheese pizza. We also laid our eyes on some movies like “Bee Movie”, “Monsters, Inc.” and for the girls “Sarah Plain and Tall". We socialized with friends and boogied to the jazz music. We all had a great time.

After a while, the kids got wild – so wild I could not control it. I called Mrs. McDaniel and begged for mercy and pleaded her to come back. I told her that kids were screaming and fighting and throwing food. All I could do was try to stop it and wait for Mrs. McDaniel. The kids got even worse. They went pure nuts. It was like an amusement park. Peeps were even destroying the playground.

When Mrs. McDaniel got to the school grounds, she said to all the kids that she was back in charge. I learned my lesson and to not party to much ever in a lifetime. I begged her not to call my parents. She said being principal is a big responsibility, and it is a lesson that I will never forget.

Madison Blogs about being Principal

Crazy Confetti

Have you ever thought that being a principal of a school is awesome? Trust me, it’s not! One usual school day, we had a vote for which student was principal for a day. I hoped I would get chosen. I couldn’t wait until they brought the voting in. The screechy intercom came on. I was wide-awake, unlike usual. I usually sleep in math class, but not today! I waited and waited for them to announce who won the principal for a day. They called out. It was me! I couldn’t believe my ears!

The next day, I called out that there was no rules and free smoothies and free confetti string. Everyone was screaming up and down the halls. Everything was out of control.

You wouldn’t believe what happened next! I walked in the lunchroom, and there was screaming and yelling. I had an ominous feeling. I was so scared. I didn’t know what to do next. Everywhere I looked there were kids running around shrieking.

Out of the blue, someone popped up around the corner. A first grader sprayed me with confetti string!

I shrieked, “AHH!”

Everything was going wrong! I couldn’t hear a thing. I think I busted my eardrums. You would think that a kid wouldn’t want the day to end. NOT ME!!!! I wanted the day to end right this second!

"Woo…. was that a relief,” I sighed.

My story wouldn’t be complete unless I told you the happy ending. The day had finally came to an end. I spent the next school day cleaning the entire school and getting over a killer headache! But the good news is that I learned what a big job being principal is. I definitely now have a new found respect for the position!

Precia Blogs about being Principal

Crazy Friday

Can you imagine how just hearing your name announced over the intercom could become the craziest day of your life? One normal Friday, as I tried to unpack, the morning announcements flooded the room. Mrs.Gilley, our school secretary, said that they had important news. The FCAT Writing scores for fourth grade had come in and only a few students made a perfect six. To my surprise, my name was called, and they wanted me to come to the office.

As I opened the office door, I could see our principal, Mrs.M. She said that because I put my heart into the writing test that I would be named principal for the day and that I would get to make one rule. I said my rule would be for kids to do what ever they wanted. She said all right and announced the new principal and the new rule. Kids were chanting my name!!! Sweet!!!

Out of the blue, teachers started attacking me with complaints. They told me kids weren’t listening to them. I told them to chill and cool off. I told them to let my peers have their fun. The educators said they were leaving.

I carelessly replied, “I do not care,” and put my feet on my powerful desk.

WOW, teachers are chatterboxes!

As I maneuvered around the school, I could see that kids were having a blast! But, I have to admit, some kids were going nuts. Suddenly, Pre-Kiers were pushing a chair that had their teacher duck taped to it with an apple tied to her mouth. This could not be good! Boy, do I wish Mrs. M would be here to fix this.

Right before my eyes was our school’s real leader, Mrs. M. Man, was it a relief to see her here. When she saw the kids, she ran to her office and said over the intercom for every single body to pack up, go home, and calm down. She also compared the students to wild chimps.

Finally, Mrs.M. sent the last kids home, and I apologized for the trouble I had caused.

I softly whispered,” Sorry for the messing every thing up.”

She said it was no problem, and thanked me for watching the school for
her. I left after that with a monstrous headache.

You know, being leader of the school is awesome, but at the same time, hard. Even though it gets boring, I’d rather be listening to my teacher teach a math lesson. Without a doubt!

Austin Blogs about being Principal

School Disaster

One beautiful Monday morning, about a minute after I arrived at school, the intercom came on, and Mrs. McDaniel called me to the office. I thought I was in trouble. As I slowly walked into her office, she said, “Take a seat Austin.” I was more frightened than a cat on a hot, tin roof. She asked me to be the principal of the week, because I have always made straight A’s on my report cards.

Suddenly, I started thinking about the things that I could do at our school to make it more fun. I told all the students to bring their video games, water guns, and footballs to school. The next day, all the students brought the items I told them to bring. The children started shooting each other with water guns, playing football, and playing video games during class time. The students were told to put away all the toys by the teachers. They were getting out of control.

Finally, the school became a disaster. Now I realized that I am not cut out to be a principal. The school is for us to get a good education and have control over ourselves. Therefore, I decided to respect my teachers and my principal, and I enforced all the normal rules. In no time, I had the school running like normal.

Ashleigh Blogs about being Principal

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be principal of the school? It all started when we were in the middle of our math lesson. The principal called me on the ancient intercom. I blasted to the office, and when I got there, Mrs. McDaniel said that she had some big news for me. She said that I was principal for the day!

Out of the blue, people started to scream UFO UFO UFO! I zoomed to the P.E field, and there was party for me. One of the kids was choking to death. Good thing Mrs. Tab was there. She had to do the Heimlich Maneruver on him. Mrs. Parish passed out. She does not like anything like that. But after all that was over, we finished our party. I strolled over to the cafeteria to get some apple and orange juice. When I got there, the kids were dancing on the tables. Once they glanced at me, they knew they were busted. I had a vicious look on my face; it also looked fire engine red. I gave them a published speech, then I told them to get to class.
Finally, my mission was accomplished, and all the kids were in their classes studying. I was in my office relaxing and enjoying the day. It was awesome and definitely a day I will never forget.

Brandon Blogs about being Principal for the Day!

“Children Chaos”

I’ll never forget the day I was principal of Sneads Elementary School. It all started one usual math class when I was about to go to sleep. After I heard the buzzing intercom, you knew I wasn’t asleep anymore. Then I heard the intercom say for me to report to the office A.S.A.P. As I strolled over to the office, Mrs. McDaniel just happened to say I was going to be the official man in charge. Well right now, as the new principal, I announced the new rules. Oh, right, there aren’t any rules! Ha!

All at once, I opened the cafeteria door, kids were swinging from chandelier to chandelier like a monkey, and one kid was swimming in spaghetti like a fish. Don’t even get me started on what I saw in Mrs. H’s classroom! Somebody must of threw a marker and hit Mrs. Hawthorne in the head. KABOOM!!! Either Mrs. H exploded or that kid swimming in the spaghetti ate too much. As I scurried over to the lunchroom, I looked through the door and then I jumped through the threshold. I don’t know how to say it but every kid in the cafeteria was covered in butter. I think I know where it came from. Of course, it came from the popcorn machine. Duh!

After Mrs. McDaniel returned from her short vacation, I begged her to be principal again. She finally agreed. All in all, I was a student once more, and everybody was back doing school work. Oh, and trying to run a school is harder than you think. Trust me!

Hailey Blogs about a Crazy Christmas

One unusual night, I received a letter from the North Pole! I told my mom, and she immediately transported me there by plane, boat, and train. When I got there, Santa said we need your help! Someone is making all the machines act up! I started pulling levers until I found the one that turned the machine off. Santa and I hung cameras up to find out who the culprit was. I relaxed in a big room and watched at the screens of the cameras. Another thing went wrong, but before that I saw Jack Frost on the eighth camera freezing the toy machine.

All at once, I thrashed down to Mr. S and told him Jack Frost was behind the crime of freezing the toy machine. Some elves thought they knew why. No one really listens to Jack, and he wanted to be as sly as a fox to get attention. Everyone agreed to treat him like everybody else.

Finally, we caught Jack and talked to him about the way he was behaving. We told Jack we would treat him better. He promised to stop messing up the machines. We thought of all the great and some of the bad times we’ve had at the North Pole. Then got back to work.

Michaela Blogs about a Cool Christmas

I will always remember the day I received the most wonderful gift in the whole wide world. It all started out at 3:00 in the morning. It was Christmas morning. I was awake because of the noise that Santa’s reindeer must have been making. It was so annoying that I couldn’t go back to sleep. But at the same time, I was glad that it was Christmas, because I wished for a little baby hamster. When I was trying to fall back asleep, I felt my warm cozy blanket, but it did not do the trick! As I squinted my eyes through the darkness, I could smell milk and cookies. I couldn’t stand tasting my disgusted, dried yucky mouth.

Suddenly, I stepped out of the bed and reached for the doorknob, but as soon as I did I heard someone say the words “Ho, Ho, Ho”. I wondered who could have said that? Santa is here! He came to me as if I called my puppy over to me. I was excited as a monkey jumping off the walls. After my reaction to Santa, I calmed down and went into the living room. As I walked in, I saw so many Christmas wrapped presents. I was about to blow. One of the Christmas gifts under the beautiful holiday tree was an unwrapped gift. It was a hamster! A real live rodent! I couldn’t believe my eyes!

In the end, my mom came in the room with a smile on her face. When she saw the box with a hamster in it, she had a crazy expression. I could tell she was shocked. She couldn’t believe it. Even I couldn’t believe it! I just couldn’t wait to name the cute fellow. When I did name it, I gave it the name Beauty. I named it that name because it was so beautiful. I will never forget that tiny little pet and my wonderful Christmas morning surprise!

Makayla Blogs about a Crazy Christmas

Do you know what would happen if the North Pole didn’t have elves? One chilly December morning, my family and I hopped on a plane to the Bahamas. When the plane landed, I was as frozen as an ice cream cone from the icy wind. Our feet were sinking rapidly in the thick snow, and I knew I wasn’t near the equator. Before I knew it, I was at the North Pole in Santa’s village. I followed the sound of hammering - tap, tap, tap, the smell of gingerbread baking, then to Santa’s workshop filled with elves.

Out of the blue, all the elves collapsed at the same time coughing and sneezing. Just then a fat huffing, puffing figure appeared - SANTA! Mr. Claus was sobbing on the stairs, so my mom went to soothe him. Dad went to picking up the elves and laying them on beds. While I went to examine the kitchen, all I could see was miniature people laying on the floor just like the others. Just then I found out why Santa was crying, because Mrs. C. was having a baby today, and there were no elves to deliver it! It was the night before Christmas and not a single toy was made! There were no elves to take care of the reindeer, so the reindeer got sick too. There was no hope for Christmas this year!

As it turned out, my dad was a nurse and proudly delivered, baby Claus. While my dad was taking care of the elves, Santa directed my mom and I to do the elves jobs. I mostly took care of the reindeer. Two hours before the delivery, one by one the elves got better and built sixty billon toys as quick as lighting in one hour. Every reindeer recovered. From that day on, every time I hear the word elves I remember that crazy Christmas trip.

Ashleigh Blogs about Flat Stanley

Last month, I sent Flat Stanley to Middleburg, Florida. When he got there, my grandpa was so excited, and he did everything that he could possibly think of with Stanley. He rode Stanley on the lawnmower, watched the space shuttle, and learned about my cousin Shane Kimbrough (who was an astronaut on the shuttle). It was so cool!

While Flat Stanley was with my grandpa, they also visited me here in Jackson County, Florida. We enjoyed our Thanksgiving dinner on Saturday. After dinner, my cousin’s enjoyed riding the go-cart, riding four-wheelers, and playing basketball. On Sunday, my grandparents returned to Middleburg, Florida with Flat Stanley.

I received Flat Stanley back from grandpa around November 21st. My teacher Mrs. Hawthorne read grandpa’s story to my class. My whole class laughed at his story. My grandpa is such a character himself. I was the first person in my class to get my story back, and my teacher was so excited. My mom came to pick me up early for an appointment on this day. Mrs. Hawthorne was so excited that she asked for my mom to come down to the room to share it with her.

Precia Blogs about a Hectic Holiday

Can you imagine how just hearing a sound on the roof could take you to the happiest place on earth? One snowy, Christmas Eve, I heard a sound on the roof. What was that? I slipped on my coat and tennis shoes and went outside. On the roof, I saw the jolliest man in the whole world. It was Santa! He motioned for me to come up there. I got a ladder and climbed up. He said I have been a good girl and would answer my Christmas wish to come to the North Pole. I climbed into the sleigh and we were off. Boy, was I cold. When we got out of the sleigh, we were greeted by the elves. I strolled into the workshop, and I saw all the toys. Holy cow, it was the most amazing site! I felt great and excited.

Out of the blue, the elves started to go crazy and screaming at the top of their lungs. What was going on? Santa looked very worried. Now I could see why. Smoke was coming out of all the toy machines - that meant they were broken. I ran to the elves to calm them down. Man, was it hard! I scrutinized the broken machines. I knew how to fix this. As I tried to fix the machines, I heard the pounding of hooves. It was the reindeer. They were getting mad. I called to the elves to calm down the reindeer.

Finally, I finished fixing the machines. I ran over to the elves to help them, and now the reindeer were under control. There was still enough time to hook up the reindeer and pack the sleigh up. Santa looked like one thousand pounds were lifted off of his shoulders. He said I saved Christmas! Wow, did he make me feel important!

In the end, Santa jumped into his sleigh. He told me to come along because of what I did for him. That was a big shocker! As we took off, I thanked him for letting me be a part of Christmas. Eventually, we got to my house. He helped me get out of the sleigh and into my house quickly and without making a peep. He told me to run off to bed, so he could put the presents under the tree. That will be a Christmas I will never forget!

Madison Blogs about a Crazy Christmas!

Picture this: you have a crazy Christmas, everything goes wrong, and when you think about it, it's all your fault! It all started with last Christmas when I couldn’t sleep because I was waiting for Santa.

All of a sudden, I heard jingle bells. I went outside, and there he was. He said to go with him. I got to meet the reindeer. I just adored Rudolph. Then, I got to Santa’s workshop. I could smell glue, because almost all of the elves were gluing. I saw Santa, and he said he is going away to pick up a present for somebody. He said that he is going to put me in charge. Santa left, and he was gone for a long time. I was standing there, and I was shocked that I was now in charge!

All of a sudden, an elf walked up to me and said that everything is going wrong. If Santa didn’t come, Christmas would be ruined. I thought that it was all my fault, because I wasn’t doing my job. Everything was messing up, such as, the machines were messing up, presents were flying everywhere, and the worst thing of all was probably that the naughty and nice lists were flying through the air like birds. I was frozen on the spot! I didn’t know what to do. I couldn’t believe what was happening. I was so shocked that I couldn’t think. It was like when I get in a bad situation, my brain just shuts down.

Finally, Santa came back. He acted as if he was used to doing it every year. He just went around to every machine and shut them down. Then he took the route again, but this time he turned them on. They just worked fine! They weren’t even acting up! Santa walked up to me and said thank you. When I got home, I told my parents all about it. I knew that I would never forget it in my entire life. It was a Christmas I will always remember!

Maykayla Blogs about her Teacher

* Makayla wrote this essay on her own time at home with her dad for the blog.

Mrs. Hawthorne is one of my favorite teachers at Sneads Elementary School. She makes everything fun, even when it’s work. Some say she’s strict, but I say different. Math is not my favorite subject, but Mrs. H. makes it interesting. For example, with times tables, she gave us sheets that have tongue twisters and the only way to figure out the tongue twister is to solve the times table. This really challenges us.

Mrs. Hawthorne doesn’t really care for football, baseball, basketball, or soccer. She’s a full-blown NASCAR fan. Her favorite driver is Dale Earnhart Jr. Even at school, she’s still crazy for car racing. Her whole classroom is covered with racecars.

Every time we read and take an AR test Mrs. H. puts our name and the book title on a racecar of every color, from red to purple. We have read over 300 books in our class so far. Every time we get another hundred, we throw a party to celebrate. We love her parties. Last time we had a party, she baked chocolate chip cookies and served us Pepsis with them. It was awesome.

Because Mrs. Hawthorne keeps things interesting, it is a lot more fun to learn. That’s what makes Mrs. Hawthorne a special teacher.

Congratulations to Mrs. Thompson!

Congratulations to fourth grade's own - Mrs. Thompson - on being chosen as Sneads Elementary School's 2008-2009 Teacher of the Year!

Michaela Blogs About Flat Stanley

* Flat Stanley is a pen pal program that fourth grade participates in each year. Stanley, from the popular book series, "Flat Stanley" by Jeff Brown, was flattened after a bulletin board fell on his head. Because he is now two-dimensional, kids across the country are mailing Flat Stanley and writing about the wonderful adventures they are having with him.

Michaela from Mrs. Hawthorne's class writes about her Flat Stanley experience...

A few weeks ago, I wrote a story about Flat Stanley and sent it to my teacher’s dad. His name is Mr. Carter. A few weeks later, I received a letter back from Mr. Carter. You wouldn’t believe what he wrote about! He wrote about a Thanksgiving trip to the mountains with Flat Stanley. They stayed in a cabin. In addition to Stanley, Mr. Carter also brought his adorable dog, Howie. Howie is only five months old. In Tennessee, they went to the Outlet Mall near Gatlinburg and to Cade’s Cove.

You wouldn’t believe how much I adored Mr. Carter’s story. It taught me so much about writing. No wonder my teacher is such a great writer - she must get it from her dad! To start off, Mr. Carter wrote excellent similes, such as “as thin as paper”. He also had great sentence variety. He wrote both statements and questions, such as do you think Stanley will ever become a boy again? My pen pal also indented and used good grammar. He used great details too, which helped me visualize the story, such as a Pac-Man game in the fishing decorated cabin. Everything you could imagine was in there. It was an awesome story! I am so thankful that he spent time to bring Flat Stanley on a Thanksgiving trip to the mountains and wrote a story about it and sent it back to me.

St. Augustine Fundraiser

The current St. Augustine field trip fundraiser is an afghan in our school colors made by Mrs. Shelfer. Raffle tickets are being sent home now. Tickets are a $1, and the raffle will be decided on January 8th. January 8th is also the day that the fourth St. Augustine payment is due.

Amazing Readers!

As of Monday, December 8, Mrs. Hawthorne's class has read 300 chapter books. That amounts to an average of 15 books per student! Amazing! Mrs. Hawthorne would also like to give special recongition to Makayla who has read 30 books on her own, and Precia who has read 25 books on her own! Way to go girls!

Raffle Ideas

If any parent is able to secure a donation for an upcoming St. Augustine raffle, please contact a fourth grade teacher. We appreciate your help!

Mrs. Thompson's Class Has Read 100 Books!

Congratulations to Mrs. Thompson's class for reading 100 books! Way to go, and keep up the good work!

Pat on the Back

Mrs. Hawthorne would like to congratulate her students on reading 100 chapter books in just 25 days of school! Keep up the good work!

St. Augustine Field Trip

The St. Augustine field trip is April 9-10 (Thursday and Friday). The overnight field trip is $255 for students and $265 for parents. The trip can be paid in increments of $50 per month starting October 3.