Today was our last day of school in 2009! We started out the day by delivering gifts. Each year, I have my students wrap and deliver small gifts to the custodians, cafeteria workers, office staff, bus drivers and aides, nurse, counselor, and specials teachers (art/music/comp lab/media center/PE/speech). We do this after reading about how good it makes us feel to give presents to others. We learn that giving someone else a gift is just as fun and an just as important of a part of the holidays as receiving gifts.

After doing some work (just a little, I’m not a grinch), we read the Gingerbread Man story one last time (we’ve had lots of fun with this story this week!) then we made our very own gingerbread men (don’t worry, we held on to them so they wouldn’t run away!)

Later, we made hot chocolate (only a few of us actually drank it though LOL) – thank goodness making it was fun anyway!

Finally, after lunch, we had our party! We ate yummy cupcakes, our gingerbread men, and other treats. Then we had present time! The kids got the pig from “If You Give a Pig a Pancake” from Mrs. Pfefferle, either a mouse (from “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie”) or a moose (“If You Give a Moose a Muffin”) from Mr. Anglin and a stocking with goodies (including – a gingerbread man!) from Mrs. Mays. The kids gave us some awesome gifts as well! Also the students whose parents came to the party got to give their parents the presents we bought on our CBI trip and the ones we made for them (the others got to take theirs home to give, of course).

After school, Mr. Anglin, Mrs. Pfefferle and I took Ryan his goodies since he was home sick today. He immediately hung his button-wreath ornament on the tree and was excited about the hot chocolate mix and gingerbread-decorating kit that we included since he didn’t get to do it in class with us.

It was a busy but wonderful day! I hope everyone has a fantastic holiday, a relaxing break, and I will see you next year!!