I've Been Published!! May the Tweets Be Ever In Your Favor

Good morning!

    I've shared the good news with my school and family/friend community, so I thought it would be fun to share it with you all!

I was asked to write an article about Twitter for the Virginia Journal of Education back in March, and it has been published in the June issue! It is currently up on their website for everyone to see! Click the picture below to access the article!

I am very proud of not only my accomplishments on Twitter this year, but the accomplishments of my Hoffman Boston staff and other APS educators who drive me to continue to use this platform as a professional resource.

I would like to thank:

• My principal, Kimberley Graves, for allowing me to open this up as a communication resource to our staff
• Our APS Communications Director, Jennifer Harris, for being encouraging and excited through the whole process
• The APS superintendent, Dr. Patrick Murphy, for being supportive of a growing presence on social media
• The co-founders of #APSChats- Katherine Hale and Josh McLaughlin, for being constant reminders that we can continue to do amazing things
• And @VEA4Kids Journal editor, Tom Allen, for contacting me and making this possible!

I hope you enjoy the article and that you are able to share it with some educators who are not yet convinced about the powers of Twitter!

~Ms. Patrician (@mspatricianhfb)

Spring Concert- America!

Good morning!

    I am about 10 hours away from leaving to go to the Outer Banks for a wedding this weekend, and I'm sure you can all relate to the panic I'm feeling as I set out 3 days worth of sub plans! Once I'm gone this afternoon, however, I will put all that behind me for some beach relaxation and a celebration of two great friends!

As I mentioned last week, we had our Spring Concert on Cinco De Mayo and the theme was America! I have wanted to do a concert full of all patriotic songs for awhile, but I never got around to planning it until this year. Though we were in a huge time crunch after the All School Show, I think we pulled off a pretty great Spring Concert!

Here is the program:

Faculty Choir

Star Spangled Banner…………………………...Jennings

America Pop Mash-Up…………………….Various Artists

                                               Arranged by M. Patrician

Faculty Choir rocked it, especially the challenging 2-part Star Spangled Banner!

All Star Chorus (Gr. 3-5)

Mighty United……………………………….……….….Jennings

Sing, America, Sing!………………………Crocker/Jacobson

The kids loved the songs they were singing, and they will get to reprise them on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. during our last week of school in June!

4^th Grade Chorus

Fifty Nifty United States……………………….…..Charles

Battle Hymn of Gettysburg……………………..Jennings

As I'm sure most of your kids do, these kids LOVED Fifty Nifty- they would not stop singing it! 

We also had a great reaction to the Battle Hymn of Gettysburg. Since 4th Grade is when the students take their VA Studies SOL (Standardized Test), they really bought into the topic and the excitement of it all!

5^th Grade Chorus

You’re a Grand Old Flag…………….……………Cohen

One Nation………………………………………….Jennings

You're a Grand Old Flag was performed with a melody, countermelody, and then the two combined. 

Combined Choirs

American Every Day………………………………Jennings

Everyone in the whole school had this song stuck in their heads for the whole week, but it was a great way to end our choral season here at Hoffman Boston!

Have you done another concert with the patriotic/American theme? Do you have suggestions for songs that we might use when we do this next time?? Comment and let me know!

~Ms. Patrician

May Breeze brings...88 degrees!?

Whew! It is Cinco de Mayo and it sure does feel like we're in Mexico...after a beautiful weekend of perfect 70 degree weather, we have jumped up to 88 degrees in just two days! I don't know about you, but I had a lot of sweaty, red-faced kids in my room today!

It is Spring Concert day here at Hoffman Boston and I am sitting here reflecting on the daytime performance while preparing for the nighttime performance in just an hour and a half! I will post more about our concert and our theme (America!), but today I'm more interested in talking about student focus now that we're getting towards the end of the school year.

I've been ruminating on this subject ever since my Montessori students left my classroom this afternoon. The timing of Montessori Specials is a little rough, at least in music, since it is directly after recess and right before their naptime. Since I have 3-5 year old Montessori students, it is an especially rough time for the younger ones. Don't get me wrong- these kids LOVE music- but actually getting them to commit joint attention when they are tired from recess and ready for a nap is almost impossible!

I do a ton of different activities to keep them focused on singing, moving, and making music for 35 minutes, but is really rough, especially on hot days like this one. I'm sure that you all have had, or are having, similar experiences. I'd love to know if you all have a calming or focusing activity that has really worked for you in this situation. Please leave your suggestion in the comments section! If I get several, I will compile them into one post and give you your credit!! :)

I appreciate all you readers, especially teachers this week! #TeacherAppreciationWeek

Stay cool!

~Ms. Patrician