Reports from the Field: Persuasive Speeches

By now you've no doubt rushed out to the library or bookstore to pick up a copy of Peak, the subject of Drew's final book project of the year (see previous report from the field). Now, prepare to be persuaded.... here are copies of Jake's and Emily's final 4th grade writing project: persuasive speeches.

Why Kids Should Have More PE..... by Jake

I think kids should have fun and run around with their hearts pulsing at higher rates more than once a week. They can have this kind of fun in PE. Kids shouldn’t have to sit around in class and only play at recess. I mean, if you were a kid, would you want to sit around listening to your teach drag on about how Lewis & Clark crossed the ocean in 1692? I think not! That is why I’m going to give you three good reasons why we need more PE.

First of all, PE teaches life long skills. You can use REAL sports that you learn in PE later in life. For example, basketball, kickball, baseball, volleyball and even 4-square. Maybe some kids think baseball is a bad sport because a fast ball could hurt you. Then they learn in PE, wow, all you need is a good pitcher!

In my PE class we talk about sports facts, too. So if you don’t know all the Blazer players, you can learn them in PE. Let’s say it’s play-off week but it’s also NO TV week. Your PE teacher probably broke the rules and watched the game, so if you have PE class, you can find out who won.

Another important reason for having more PE is that we can learn NEW sports. I thought I knew a lot of sports, but who knew there was such a thing as “4-Square Volleyball”?
You can tell your mom and dad what you’re learning, too. Say your PE teacher says in a loud voice, “Friday, 6:30, we’ll be playing 4-square volleyball in the Gym. Hope you can make it!” Then you can ask your parents and they say in their minds, “Hey, we should go. We can learn important stuff that our kids are learning!”

Finally, some people may say there’s not enough time for other subjects, but its just not true. On Monday, we don’t have a special class like music, PE or Library, so we could have PE that day. Then the time we lost for working we can make up later in the week. After PE, kids will be calmed down, so they can work better on class work. The reason we’d be calmed down is because we be tired from running or whatever we were doing in PE, if we didn’t have PE at the end of the day.

Healthy bodies are better. More knowledge is better. Life long skills are better. And those things combined are the best reasons for having more PE! I hope you agree with my opinion.


Why We Should Start School Later.... by Emily

"Bring, bring!!" The bell rings that shows another day of school has come. Everyone sits down at their desk moaning about how they didn't get enough sleep. That is how mostly every kid in our school is after they sit down. Dark purple under their eyes and them hunched over at their desks with heads down. This is why I think we should start school later.

I believe school should start later because kids would get more sleep and be nice and rested for school. When you are rested, it’s easier to concentrate and pay attention. When kids get more rest, they learn more.

Also, there’s a lot to do in the morning before school. Some kids get up at 6:30 am to get ready. Breakfast takes about 15 minutes; same as getting your teeth brushed and dressing. Then you pack your bag which takes 5 to 10 minutes. After that, walk to school or ride the bus which takes 15 to 20 minutes - or even longer depending where you live.

Starting school later would be safer, too. In the winter it is still dark when kids are getting on the bus or walking to school. Plus it’s hard to wake up in the morning if it’s dark outside.

I know the buses would get messed up and it costs more money for more buses. East and West Sylvan might get out at 5 pm which would be bad. However, we could have more fundraising for the school to get more buses.

I think kids at Bridlemile would not mind starting school at 8:50 am and ending at 2:45 pm or even 3:00 pm. They might have things right after school, but they could bring a bag to school and they could change in the car or bathroom.

I hope that you are more convinced that we should start school later because kids rested and ready to learn!

Parade Day & Pat's New Project

One thing you can always count one for Rose Parade Day is that it's not going to be sunny! For weeks it's been warm and wonderful around here, but parade day was a bit on the wet and gloomy side. It could have been worse - some years we've sat under umbrellas wrapped in blankets. This year only light rain jackets were necessary! Here are some parade highlights.
As for the rest of our weekend, Pat and Drew came home on Sunday with a Ranger 20. It's on the "cozy" side and needs a bit of work, but everyone is very excited at the prospect of being on the water this summer. We'll be selecting a name soon; ideas welcome!

REPORTS FROM THE FIELD: DREW MAKES A MOVIE!!!

Okay, it doesn't get better than this...Drew made a movie. Not some Power Point deal this is Focal Point and it is basically going to Sundance asap!!! Yes, it is that good. Here is the link so check it out and see for yourself. The scoop on this short film is that Drew was assigned in his computer class to address a book that he had read and the movie was designed to encourage others to read the book. Watch the movie and you'll be logging on to Amazon to get your own copy. Did I hear someone say Oscar?

Variety Show

This year's 4th grade Variety Show definitely lived up to it's name. Emily and Jake and some friends showed off all they learned this year about the Oregon Trail by performing a very cute skit to the song, "Sweet Betsy From Pike." (The bar was set pretty high, given that people still talk about Drew dancing the tango when he was in 4th grade!)

Here's a quick photo album from the past week, which included the Variety Show, a Writers' Cafe, and some water-based fun.

Coming soon... it's Rose Parade weekend!

Field Day

Our Memorial Day Weekend was a memorable one - incredible weather; lots of swimming; hanging out with friends; Drew successfully completing a 25-mile bike ride with Dad. Too bad I dropped the camera on the way to the pool on Saturday, putting it out of commission for the long weekend!

Fortunately, the damage was surprisingly minor and repaired in time to catch Jake and Emily at "Field Day" this week. Here's a photo album from that event.

Emily has been volunteering this year as a PE Helper for the Life Skills class, and as such was invited to their Field Day too. Since she needed a ride across town to participate, I got a chance to take some photos of her and her fellow volunteers at work.

Drew's big news of the week is that he was officially inducted as a youth member of the Willamette Sailing Club. (He requested no photography at the swearing-in ceremony.)

He'll be sailing 2 days a week as part of WSC's youth sailing club starting in late June and also plans to do some rowing this summer.

When we talked with Jake about summer camp opportunities, he suggested he'd rather get some stuff from SCRAP (recycled materials store) and entertain himself... that is when he isn't doing his favorite thing -swimming!

All 3 kids are training to be Library Volunteers and we're going to host a 14 year old exchange student from Spain for a month, so we're looking forward to a fun summer. Just 10 more days of school left and according to the most recent weather forecast, all 10 will be filled with sun, sun and more sun!

Books, Birthdays and Beautiful Weather

It was our favorite weekend of the school year... Battle of the Books. Both Jake and Emily competed, as Drew did when he was in 4th grade. You get to read a bunch of great books, compete with your friends AND use real buzzers... what could be better.

It was also Emily's turn to celebrate her birthday. She opted for swimming and a sleepover, and got the added bonus of being "star of the week" at school.

Here's a photo album from the past week.

It's been warm and sunny and wonderful here all weekend... we're hoping the great weather continues, so we can spend more time on the deck. It's the closest we can come to boat living for now!

Happy ___ Day!

Mothers' Day Weekend began with Jake celebrating the "Big 1-0" with friends. (It is his year to go first, so Emily will be celebrating next week.) He opted for bowling, followed by a magic show at a local brewpub, the Raccoon Lodge.

As for Mothers Day, Emily and Dad were up very early preparing a lovely breakfast in bed, and the boys (who slept through the breakfast prep) helped me plant our new vegetable garden.


Jake has selected watermelon, rhubarb, and pumpkin as his crops of choice. For him, it's all about pie! Drew is taking on lettuce, onions and strawberries; and Emily tomatoes, cucumbers and more tomatoes. We're hoping their enthusiasm continues when it's time to weed!


Here are some photos from the past week. We've had lots of rain, but the sun breaks have been fabulous! Emily and friends even managed to squeeze in a lemonaide stand. The countdown is on - in 30 days, school will be out for the summer.