Friday Flash: December 20, 2013

Knowing each other's stories is how we connect-
It's how we develop a sense of belonging.

Jody G:

My favorite holiday tradition is on Christmas Eve - eating roll pancakes and driving around to look at Christmas lights.

Book recommendation: The Present by Spencer Johnson.

Lisa J:

My favorite holiday tradition:

Custom-designed gingerbread houses/compounds/campsites, etc. Lol - for real

Book recommendations:

And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini

Unaccustomed Earth (short stories) by Jhumpa Lahiri

Noreene:

Fav holiday tradition....oyster cassarole and dim sum ( not for the same meal:)

Book: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon ( at the top of the re-read stack at the moment

Ann:

A holiday tradition would be opening one gift only on Christmas Eve

A book would be "The Glass Castle"

Lisa B:

My favorite holiday tradition is decorating my home with my family. This has changed a lot recently because my husband and I are now empty nesters. But our daughter, Kelly, was able to visit these past two weekends and lend her artistic flair. Just lugging the boxes up from our basement and opening them to search for much treasured symbols of the holidays for my family brings a smile.

One of my favorite books is The Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien. I have read it several times since high school. And now it makes a connection for me to Renaissance because one of the main themes is certainly We Are Crew.

Neil:

Favorite holiday tradition is watching Charlie Brown during tree decoration...

Book- Eat to Run... great book about a man's plant based diet and how he used this for endurance, and ultra marathon greatness

Kathy:

My favorite holiday tradition is making cards for immediate family members. We make cards and spend time together instead of buying gifts.

Book recommendation:

Clutter Busting: Letting Go of What's Holding You Back, by Brooks Palmer (I need to read it again!).

Julie:

My favorite holiday tradition is fondue on Christmas Eve

Inkheart by Cornelia Funke (Y book)

Amanda:

One of our favorite family traditions is St. Nicholas Day, which is celebrated on December 6th. St. Nicholas is based on a bishop who developed a reputation for gift-giving by putting coins in other people's shoes. So, each year our kids put their boots outside their bedroom doors and St. Nick delivers a few small presents (usually an ornament, holiday socks, gold coins, and a small toy). In the morning they open their gifts and then we make Christmas shaped pancakes.

A book recommendation is The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

Hanni:

My parents always used to host our family and friends on Christmas Eve and I loved it as a child. Now that I have small children, Chad and I host on Christmas Eve. We cook a big Italian feast with stuffed shells, minestrone soup (that my dad always helps me make while enjoying some hot toddies), and Christmas cookies. It just feels so special and magical and I love that I'm helping create these memories for my children.

I love this picture of Papa and Lochen on Christmas Eve!

Book recommendation: Punk Rock Dad by Jim Lindberg

Billie:

One of our holiday traditions is to make tamales and green chile for Christmas Eve dinner.

I think my favorite book this year was "Daring Greatly" by Brene Brown, it has been extremely inspiring to me in recent months!

Nicole:

My favorite holiday tradition is making Christmas dinner with my family.

I recommend Nicholas St. North and the Battle of the Nightmare King by William Joyce and Laura Geringer.

Cheryl:

Our favorite is singing Christmas Carols around the piano.

Just read Billy Crystal's new book "Still foolin' 'em" Very funny!

Brittany:

-Favorite holiday tradition:

One of my favorite holiday traditions that my family has is meeting at my grandma's house on Christmas morning, where we all start by opening our stockings in our pajamas -- yes, we drive over there in our pj's. What is Christmas if you're not in your pajamas all morning? Then, we sit together and exchange and open gifts. Once the flurry has died down, my mom makes homemade biscuits and gravy with eggs and hash browns. She's done this every year for as long as I can remember. We all have a nice, leisurely breakfast together. It's lovely.

-Book recommendation:

I have so many! If you're looking for something you might recommend to your kids, I am loving books in the Secret Series by Pseudonymous Bosch (the first one is The Name of this Book is Secret). They're terrific. If you're wanting something more young-adult-y, John Green and David Levithan's Will Grayson, Will Grayson is also wonderful, if you don't mind some teen angst. Really, I'd highly recommend anything by John Green. I also recently enjoyed The Cuckoo's Calling by "Robert Gailbraith" (pseudonym of JK Rowling). It was definitely a good read.

Chelsea:

Our favorite family tradition this time of year is that on Christmas Eve my dad, Papa, reads 'Twas the Night Before Christmas', we set out cookies for Santa and of course, check NORAD for his location. Then we scramble to bed :)

Book recommendation: Where the Mountain Meets the Moon (I think the author in Cindy Lee)??

Wendy

* Every year we get together with family on New Year's Eve for an evening of fondue and Raclette. We always have cheese fondue first. We then have raclette (small bite-sized pieces of meats and veggies that are cooked on table top grills.) There is always a "Mystery Meat", and in past years we have had rattlesnake, shark, ostrich, alligator…you get the picture! We then follow up with dark chocolate fondue with various fruits, sweet breads, cookies, and marshmallows.

This meal generally takes 4-5 hours to complete, so it's perfect for New Year's Eve!

* My book recommendation is Wonder, by R.J. Palacio. It is about a 5th grade boy born with facial deformities. It is told from the points of view of several different characters, and is very thought-provoking. (I used to work with a child with similar deformities, so it really hit home for me!)

Forrest:

Favorite Holiday Tradition-Reading "A Cajun Night Before Christmas" and "Boudoux the Bright Red Crawfish" as a family on Christmas eve.

Favorite Book- "The Earth is Enough" by Harry Middleton

Bill:

We always have the Christmas Story movie going on the TV non-stop, so whenever we walk by, we catch a glimpse and always exclaim, "This is my favorite part!" Funny, we say that about EVERY scene.

This is from 2 years ago. It brought tears to my eyes, as my Dad won't be there this Christmas. I hope everyone approaches this holiday valuing the time they have together. My family is drawing on our love for each other to make this a joyous day, while we deeply miss Dad. You don't have to include this in your Friday Flash, if you think it will bring people down, but for me, it shows how deeply we love and need one another.

While this may seem like a downer, I recently read the book, Now, What? by William Cope Moyers (Bill Moyers' son). It is about addiction and the road to recovery. To me, personally, it is uplifting and encouraging, as I enter this holiday season. On a fun note, I enjoyed Skipping Christmas by John Grisham (usually a very serious writer, but this book is hilarious! (much better than the movie version!)

Kristin:

My Colorado family has a" songfest" at daughter Holly's house 2 days after Christmas!

Son in law, Jim, plays the baby grand piano and we sing Christmas songs. We adorn ourselves with silly "props" from their large supply of costumes,etc.We have food and lots of "beverages as well! Kids and adults, usually 20-25 join in! It is such a wonderful time!!

Doug:

Making potato latkes.

Book: Wheat Belly and The China Study

Heidi:

Quoting movies - especially Christmas Vacation and Grumpy Old Men.

Andrea:

My favorite holiday tradition is sitting around the tree Christmas eve, after a wonderful dinner, enjoying the lit tree candles before opening gifts.

A book recommendation...hmmm...what have I read that I can share. Skinny Dip and Lucky You (or something Lucky) by Carl Haisan are both good, fun, easy reads.

Dolores:

My favorite holiday tradition is hanging and filling the stockings. Wecannot always be together on the traditional Christmas day, because ofwork schedules, kids out of state, etc. We do try to pick a day we canall get together to celebrate. Even my 26 year old son would be very disappointed if his stocking was not filled. And YES they are filled by Santa.

Tyler:

Playing guitar and drinking some holiday IPA's with my sisters.

* A book recommendation.

David Sedaris - Holiday on Ice (pretty dang funny if you need a good chuckle).

Andrea Blum:
My favorite holiday tradition is roasting chestnuts.

My book recommendations are the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo trilogy. If this is supposed to be a recommendation for kids, I would definitely say The Giving Tree (my fav!!!).

Jill:

My favorite holiday tradition is going to Kentucky to spend time with family and friends. We grew up there so it still feels like going "home". This year we get to meet our newest family member - our nephew, Barrett, who was born on the Monday before Thanksgiving.

Where Did You Go, Bernadette: a novel by Maria Semple

Endangered by Eliot Shrefer

Elisha:

Every year my family gets together to bake Christmas cookies. We have a cookie decorating contest (of which I always win :)

Lauren:
Holiday Tradition: When I was growing up, my family hosted an annual Christmas Caroling Party for our friends and neighbors. Some years, our house would be packed with fifty people, and sometimes it would be as small as ten. My Mom and I put together booklets filled with over a hundred holiday songs, so that everyone would have the words. It was a night that I would look forward to- the smell of minestrone soup and cakes, the glow of the candles on the table, the familiar melodies coming from the piano, and the warm holiday spirit of being surrounded by loved ones singing together. In recent years, with my parents moving to Southern California and with alternating locations for holiday celebrations, there have not been the big parties that we once had. However, we ALWAYS find time to sing some holidays songs together. Caroling holds a special place in my heart.

Book Recommendation: The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

Lindsey:

Holiday Tradition

My favorite holiday tradition started a few years ago when my younger brother convinced my parents to host a beer pong tournament. I was a little skeptic how my parents would embrace this new idea. I was pleasantly surprised and little shocked when my mother had T-shirts made to commemorate the event and then found our Pabst Blue Ribbon trophy! This tradition has brought many smiles, lots of laughter, and much joy to my family. This year will mark the 5^th annual beer pong tournament for my family.

Book Recommendation

Divergent Trilogy By Veronica Roth

Michelle:

For my family our favorite holiday tradition is Christmas Eve. This changes each year depending on if we are in Chicago with my family or here in Colorado with my husband's family. In Chicago the tradition means approximately 52 aunts, uncles, and cousins crowded into my mom's house enjoying each other's company. Then around 7:00 Santa flies by and drops a bag of presents for all the kids from his sleigh onto the back desk. In Colorado the evening is a little more quiet, but it is our entire Colorado Family with a traditional Christmas Eve dinner, as well as the ritual washing of hands with silver coins for luck in the new year, lighting the table candle and the youngest child (or their parent considering how young my children are right now) reading the Christmas story. The traditions trace back, in my husbands family, several hundred years and into their roots in Russia.

Zina:

Favorite Holiday Tradition- 12 course Christmas Eve Italian seafood dinner!!

Book Reccomendation- The Club Dumas- by Arturo Perez Reverte

Pam:

As a child our Christmas Eve tradition included my dad, mom, sister and I getting in our family VW Bug, going to Greeley to view the Christmas lights and afterward eating pizza at Fontas. A sacred tradition to this day is to wait until Christmas morning to open our gifts. My grandparents would arrive before dawn so my sister and I could dig in. After gifts and a hardy breakfast mom and my grandmothers prepared a huge Christmas dinner.

Because change is always a part of life our family traditions have also changed over the years, but one thing remains the same. As many of us as possible gather on Christmas morning at my mother's house to share a mighty breakfast before we pass around and open presents. After the great opening we clean up and begin preparing another meal, food seems to always be the main event when we are together. Lots of food and lots of LOVE!

Pam's Grandparents unloading car on Christmas morning

Pam's sister Kristie, her Dad, and Pam (pretty as ever!)

Book recommendation:

Stephen King's newest read, Doctor Sleep. Danny Torrance from The Shining all grown up.

Kenny:

For me, at this time in my life, my favorite tradition is my pilgrimage home - the drive across Kansas. The vast gentle curves of the great plains is an easy place for me to dream and reflect.

As for books...The Time Keeper and City of Thieves.

Calendar 2014 (!)

Week of January 6 - 10th:

Monday:

*No students - staff returns

Meet in library together at 8:30 a.m.

Michelle's Appreciation Circle at 3:30 in the library

Tuesday:

*RTI meeting 7:30 a.m.

Lunch with kids this week -

One of the questions I ask is,

"Why do we drum?"

3rd grader Will said,
"Everybody needs to belong but it also gives us
a chance to collaborate and communicate."

See Santa in his sled and his merry reindeer pulling the sled?
Some of our kindergartners were having
a wonderful time at recess!

Sixth Grade Crews

spent this Monday through Wednesday

doing fieldwork in Keystone.

Working as scientists

Higher order thinking skills

Sixth graders this week doing field work

Lisa sent me a text from the field that said, "This is how students should learn. Do you know how many math lessons I've done in the woods today? Circumference diameter, Pi, division, estimation, angles (using angles to figure out height of trees) - all while using their outdoor skills. You can hear the kids grow their vocabulary. And I'm not even talking about critical thinking and scientific method."