Tuesday, November 1, 2011

November is Family Blogging Month!


Mrs. Yollis and her students to share what they are
learning and experiencing.


In an effort to include more family members in our online community, we are proclaiming:



November is Family Blogging Month!
Each student made a list of their family members. After looking through the archive, students selected specific posts tailored to the interest of a particular relative. 

We're inviting everyone to comment: moms, dads, brothers, sisters, grandmothers, grandfathers, uncles, aunts, and cousins. We welcome friends, too!




Students will be inviting their family and friends to participate in a conversation! 
Maybe we'll get some 2-point comments!



Just in case you don't know what to say, here is a video made by Mrs. Yollis' third graders. They have FIVE tips for writing a quality comment! 




 
Here is the key we will use for  Family Blogging Month~




What do you think of our idea?
Who are you inviting to be a part of our online community?

Please leave a comment and introduce yourself! 

69 comments:

  1. Dear Mrs.Yollis,
    I really liked your idea on having everybodys familys participate!

    I'm Acacia's brother. These are some facts about me.
    -I'm 5 years old
    -I like playing X-box and WII.
    -I like drawing.
    -My favorite food is meat
    -My favorite ice cream flavor is Wild and Reckles.


    I thought it was a great post!

    Sincerely,
    Owen

    P.S:(Acacia typed for me.)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Dear Mrs Yollis,

    I have been blogging with you and your past students for about two years now. I really enjoy everything about blogging.
    However the best aspect that I love about blogging is the friendships which I have formed.

    I have made such wonderful connections/friendships around the globe and for me blogging is a way of learning and making friends.

    Like you often say Mrs Yollis the world really doesen't seem such a big place when we can connect like this. I thank you for taking me on board the blogging train with you and your students each year. :)

    From your friend down under,
    AA.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Dear Mrs. Yollis and class,

    Since I was one of the winners last year for family blogging month, I thought maybe I can do a quality comment on your blog. I will leave many more quality comments on your blog. Family blogging month allowed many of my family members to see what we were learning.

    I remember helping make the How to Leave a Quality Comment video. Making the video was a lot of fun and so was family blogging month.

    Your former student,
    Miriam (Sarah's sister)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Dear Mrs. Yollis,

    My name is Josh and I am Aidan's Dad. I am currently traveling for business in New York. I called home to say goodnight to Aidan, his Mom, and his brothers when I heard about Family Blogging Month and I couldn't wait to comment. Since this school year started, I have really enjoyed reading all of your posts and your student's replies. I've especially loved reading the posts from your previous students and other students from around the world. It is so great to see the community that you have built, and I think that this community will grow even more this month. I know that I am going to invite a lot of family members to participate.

    Since New York is 3 hours ahead of California, it is very late here and I need to go to bed. Thanks again for everything and I look forward to reading all the posts that are to come this month!

    Sincerely,
    Josh

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hi Mrs Yollis's class. I want to tell you how much I enjoyed meeting everyone at the Halloween party last Monday. I certainly thought all of you did a great job making the marshmellow spiders and the spider webs. I can see why my granddaughter, Logan loves this class so much. I hope I get to see you all again in March.

    Mama

    ReplyDelete
  6. Dear Mrs. Yollis,
    I think that it is a great idea to have my family blog. My immediate family is small, but my extended family is very big. I have 29 first cousins on my mom's side of the family. My mom is the youngest of seven children and each of her siblings has lots of children. I will invite my family to write on our blog. Do any of you have lots of cousins?

    Your friend,
    Matthew

    ReplyDelete
  7. Ω ∆ Ω ∆ Ω ∆ Ω ∆ Ω ∆ Ω ∆ Ω ∆ Ω ∆ Ω

    Dear Mrs. Yollis,

    I will try my best to participate in family blogging month.

    I am luckily having a sleepover with one of my friends who is like family. I can teach him how to comment then.

    My nana already knows how to comment so she can teach my papa and my cousins.

    My great-grandma does not have a computer in her apartment and you did not make a sticker for her.

    I will try to teach my grandma and my grandpa how to comment. They said that they would post a comment every day! My cousins on my grandpa and my grandma's side are too young to comment.

    I will try to post A LOT of comments.

    When is the next family blogging month?

    Sincerely,
    ♕♔Royce♔♕

    Ω ∆ Ω ∆ Ω ∆ Ω ∆ Ω ∆ Ω ∆ Ω ∆ Ω ∆ Ω ∆ Ω ∆ Ω ∆ Ω ∆ Ω

    ReplyDelete
  8. Dear Mrs Yollis,
    My name is Tanya and I am Sarah's grandmother.
    You are doing such a wonderful job as a teacher and you inspire your students to have different interests. Blogging is a great tool to make students read, write and make new friends from all over the world.
    My grandchildren Miriam and Sarah love to blog and all our family leave comments and it's makes them very happy. It's a great idea to have a family blog month so parents get involved.
    Sincerely,
    Tanya

    ReplyDelete
  9. Dear Mrs. Yollis and class,

    It looks like you all had a great Halloween. I remember when I made the spider web last year. I also loved the music you had for your slideshow.

    I swim everyday, and there are usually sixteen of us in my group. Since it was Halloween, there was only 3 of us in my group and we all had our own lanes. After we swam we had fun pumpkin relays, and we had to balance the pumpkin on our heads while swimming to the other side of the pool.

    Since my cousins birthday is on Halloween, we went to his house after swimming, and had pizza and cake. I took some pizza and cake for Sarah since she couldn't come.

    Your former student,
    ♕♔Miriam♕♔

    ReplyDelete
  10. Hi Mrs. Yollis,

    My name is Elana and I am Sarah's aunt. I am already familiar with family blogging month because I contributed to your classroom's blog for a former student of yours, Sarah's older sister, Miriam. Now it's time for round II! Let's see if we can keep the family blogging month winners in the family! The whole family is very excited to see what Sarah is learning this month. Thanks for keeping us in the loop,

    Elana (Sarah's Aunt)

    ReplyDelete
  11. Dear Mrs. Yollis' class and Jake,

    I think your idea for family blogging is great. I already subscribe to Mrs. Yollis' classroom blog and have enjoyed learning about your Skype sessions with other classrooms in Australia and in the United States.

    I live in Oregon. If you look at a map of the United States, Oregon is the state just North of California. In the winter, it rains a lot and sometimes it snows. Right now it is about 48 degrees outside. Jake and his brothers visit in the summer and the winter. In fact, Jake is coming to Oregon for the Thanksgiving holiday. It takes about 15 hours to drive from Jake's house to my house in Oregon and the distance to my house is about 900 miles.

    Ask Jake why he saves money when he buys toys in Oregon.

    Happy Thanksgiving to everyone.

    Sincerely,
    Noni (Jake's Grandmother)

    ReplyDelete
  12. Dear Mrs. Yollis and her class of excellent bloggers,

    I teach grade 2 and 3 in a small town in British Columbia, Canada, and we have a class blog, too. November is family blogging month for us, too! We agree that it is an awesome idea for encouraging families to get involved in the world of blogging.

    This is our very first year blogging, and we are excited about all the comment conversations we are getting started. Having our family and friends (both near and far) comment on our blog makes us feel more connected to this big world! Responding to comments is still our favourite part of blogging.

    I want all of the bloggers in your class to know that you are inspiring other kids around the world to become bloggers! You are great role models for others. :)

    Sincerely,

    Miss. OC

    ReplyDelete
  13. Dear Mrs. Yollis,

    It is so wonderful to see how all of your students are so enthusiastic and involved when blogging about their families. I love seeing that family members can participate as well. As a former student of your school, it is amazing to see how technology has grown in the classroom.

    -Sharon (Etai's aunt)

    ReplyDelete
  14. Hello everyone in Mrs. Yollis' class,

    Family blogging month is such a great idea. I live all the way across the U.S. in Atlanta, Georgia and do not get to see my awesome neice Logan as much as I would like. Looking at this blog helps me keep up with her and see pictures of everyone in the class. Keep up the good work and I look forward to reading lots of quality comments.

    All best,
    Auntie Kristie

    ReplyDelete
  15. Dear Mr. Yolli's Class,

    I am Ellie Walter's grandmother and I live far away in Boston, Massachusetts. I have been a teacher, counselor, and principal. I have never seen anything as exciting as your classroom blog! You are very lucky students to have a teacher who has worked very hard to create a classroom blogging site for you and your families. You are all going to learn so much TOGETHER. I am very interested in what you write and what you are learning. I will read your comments and learn from you and Ellie and I can talk about what you are learning and doing Happy Blogging! Ellie's Grandmother

    ReplyDelete
  16. Aloha Mrs. Yollis,
    I have been blogging with you and your former students for almost a year now and have enjoyed every minute of it. It is a wonderful way to make new friends and learn about another part of the world.

    I cannot tell you how much I look forward to reading, responding, and sharing with you and your class. There is always someting new to learn and I say "Mahalo" for that.

    A hui hou my friends,
    Mrs. Jacobs

    ReplyDelete
  17. Dear Mrs. Yollis and class,

    I am Sean from your first blogging class.This is post is one of best your posts on the .I am so happy see that you and your class is still bloging.

    From,
    Sean

    ReplyDelete
  18. Dear Mrs. Yollis and class,

    Hooray! :-) Finally, I'm commenting on Mrs. Yollis' class blog. I don't know why it took me so long to try this, but I'm glad I'm doing it now!

    My name is Lance and my son is Sammy. This blog is so cool and has so much neat stuff in it, but the best part about it for me is that it gives me a small portal (does anyone know what a portal is?) into Sammy's classroom.

    As a parent being able to go on a computer and see what my son is doing and learning about in 3rd grade is really something special. A long time ago when I was in 3rd grade there were no blogs or internet. The only way for my parents to get information about my class was when a teacher would send a note home saying that Lance was talking too much, or not listening. :) Or, maybe if I got an occasional good grade.

    Keep up the good work 3rd grade, and I'm looking forward to doing this more often.

    Sincerely,

    Lance

    ReplyDelete
  19. My name is Susie. I am Rexon's aunt. I am fascinated with your class being able to communicate with classes in other countries. When I was a little girl, I had a pen pal I wrote letters to in Kathmandu, Nepal. It would take weeks to get a letter back. What is it like to hear back from other children in countries so far away so quickly.?

    ReplyDelete
  20. Hi Mrs. Yollis' Class,

    Great tips. I am a student-teacher, and I am so amazed of all the projects and post students work on, that I am hoping to use them in a future as a teacher. I want you to know that these tips work for everyone. I am going to keep them in mind every time I comment on other people's work.
    Also, I think it is a great idea of having family involve in blogging.
    How is that going?
    I am working on a presentation about family involvement in students' work. This project gave me a brilliant idea of how to involve family in students' school work.

    Thank you

    Miss Paola
    Miss B's Blog

    ReplyDelete
  21. Dear Mrs.Yollis,

    I'm really happy that it's family blog month! All of your posts are amazing!

    We haven't met yet but I am Alyssa's cat Bolt. Alyssa has told me a lot of interesting stuff about your blogs, like that you swam with turtles and also that your class is doing family blog month. When I heard family blog month, I thought "Hey! I want to try!" And since a lot of animals have been on here, I was really jealous so I wanted to post.

    You haven't heard a lot of things about me so here are some intersting facts about me!

    -I'm 3 years old
    -My parents abandoned me but then Alyssa's family adopted me!
    -I have 2 beds
    -My favorite flower is a water lily
    -My favorite painting is the Mona Lisa
    -When I am older I want to be a chef, just like Alyssa!
    -I am scared of going outside

    Sincerely,
    Bolt (Alyssa's cat)

    ReplyDelete
  22. Dear Mrs. Yollis and Class, As a fellow blogger myself, I was excited to learn of your blog and the opportunity to participate in Family Blogging Month. I am a parent of 2nd graders at your school and a family friend of Jake's. It is so much fun to meet new people from around the world, and blogging is a great way to do that. Kudos to you and your class! I'll continue to check in and follow your posts.

    All the best,
    Kim

    ReplyDelete
  23. Dear Mrs. Yollis,

    I think it's so wonderful that you and your third grade class blog. They didn't have anything like this when I was in third grade growing up in New York City. I look forward to checking in to your blog and follow your class adventures.

    Sincerely,
    Joan (Sammy's Grammy)

    ReplyDelete
  24. Dear Mrs.Yollis Hi my name is Daniel,Etai's older brother. Every day Etai comes home and tell me about this website and the comments, so I told him, this time it's my turn to write on this blog. I think it's great. Since I did not experienced that in my school, it a good of learning writing skills. I feel that my brother is using the computer alot more now then ever before, it's another way of getting better on the computer. Thank you and hope to see you guys soon. Daniel - Etai's brother

    ReplyDelete
  25. Dear Mrs. Yollis and class,
    We are Royce's grandparents, Donald and Regina from Long Island, New York. It was enjoyable reading all the Halloween stories. Halloween is celebrated differently in our neighborhood. The children here "Trick or Treat" during the daytime after school and are home before sunset. But candy is still candy and is enjoyed at any time. With Halloween over, we are looking forward to your blogs about Thanksgiving.
    Sincerely,
    Donald and Regina

    ReplyDelete
  26. Dear Elana,

    I really like your comment on our blog! We have learned many tips about blogging, like never put more than one exclamation mark, and use longer sentences. I also learned that to end a comment with a question is always better. I hope you leave more comments on our blog.

    What will you comment on next?

    From,
    Sarah

    ReplyDelete
  27. Dear Mrs. Yollis,
    My name is Jamie and I am Ellie's dad. I love reading your blog and I am excited to participate in Family Blogging Month. Right now I am at work. I work for the Fire Dept., and my shifts are 24 hours long, so I really like reading your posts when I'm here at work because it makes me feel like I'm still connected to what you and the class are up to. We here at the fire station are glad that the winds we had yesterday have decreased, because when it's windy fires are even more dangerous. Fire and wind are a bad combination. Thanks to you and your class for making
    this blog so interesting!
    Happy Blogging,
    Jamie

    ReplyDelete
  28. Dear Mrs. Yollis and class,

    I am Brenden's mom and I am still learning about blogging. We have forwarded the family blogging e-mail to some relatives.I hope they will be excited to participate with Brenden's class and comment on all the interesting things you do with technology.

    Sincerely,
    Julie

    ReplyDelete
  29. ♥ ★ ♥ ★ ♥ ★ ♥ ★ ♥ ★ ♥ ★ ♥ ★ ♥ ★

    @ family and friends,

    Wow! I am so amazed at the enthusiasm and support that is being demonstrated during our first week of Family Blogging Month!

    We have tremendous comments coming in from an Australian parent (AA), students, former students, siblings, parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and teachers from all over the world (Mrs. Jacobs from Hawaii)!

    You all have helped to make this global learning community a wonderful place to learn and share.

    A million thanks for your support! My students and I appreciate you!

    Sincerely,
    Mrs. Y♥llis
    California


    ♥ ★ ♥ ★ ♥ ★ ♥ ★ ♥ ★ ♥ ★ ♥ ★ ♥ ★

    ReplyDelete
  30. Dear Mrs. Yollis' Class,

    My name is Elie and I am Madison’s cousin from New York. Madison, I miss you very much and am looking forward to seeing you again soon. I am flying to California later this month as my brother is going to have another baby. Does anyone in your class know why the flight from New York to California takes longer than the flight back to New York? It is an interesting question because we all know that the distance stays the same.

    It has been cold in New York and we had a big snowstorm last weekend. It was very bad. Many trees fell and we lost electricity. We were not able to use lights, computers, or have heat at the house for four days. It was scary and cold. We often take things like electricity for granted, but some people around the world live without electricity. How would your life be different if you had to live without electricity?

    I hope that everyone enjoys Family Blogging Month,

    Elie (Madison's cousin)

    ReplyDelete
  31. Dear Grandma and Grandpa,

    I really liked your comment! I am really happy that you finally got one in! It is also a really good one! How do you like family blogging month?

    I have some questions:

    • Do you get more candy or less candy trick-or-treating during the day?

    • Do you have to put out lots of candy or a little bit of candy?

    • Did it ever rain on Halloween?

    • What were some of the kid's costumes?

    • Did you ever run out of candy?

    • Do the kids start trick-or-treating right when they get home from school?

    Sincerely,
    ♛♛♛♛♛Royce♛♛♛♛♛

    ReplyDelete
  32. @ Dad,

    Thank you for leaving a comment on Mrs. Yollis' blog. I'm glad that you feel like you are at my classroom when you are at work. I miss you when you are at work.

    What are the clues that there will be a fire? What was the worst fire that you have ever fought? Where was it and why was it so difficult?

    Sincerely,
    ♥Ell♥e♥

    ReplyDelete
  33. Alyssa (Yollis student)November 4, 2011 at 9:23 AM

    @ Miriam, (Sarah's sister)

    Wow! It sounds like you had a fun Halloween! Swimming with a pumpkin on your head sounds very funny! Was it difficult to do? Did it weigh you down?

    Thanks for writing a funny comment!

    Your friend,
    Alyssa
    (Mrs. Yollis' student)

    ReplyDelete
  34. Sammy (Yollis student)November 4, 2011 at 9:33 AM

    @ Dad,

    Thank you for leaving a fantastic comment on
    Mrs. on Mrs. Yollis' blog.

    I do know what a portal is. It is a window that you can see through. I once saw a portal on a t.v. show. They were looking out the window, or portal. Is that what a portal means?

    Thank you for leaving a comment for Family Blogging Month!

    Your son,
    Sammy

    ReplyDelete
  35. Jordan (Madison's cousin)November 4, 2011 at 12:01 PM

    Dear Mrs. Yollis,

    My name is Jordan , I am Madison cousin. We went on holiday together in July,to Italy, we had a great time. We hardly get to see each other as I live in England, yet that doesn't stop us communicating.

    I have 4 horses, called Rocky, Harvey, Coda, and Tyvy (Welsh name) 2 dog's called Skye and Jessie, and I also have a cat called Kiska, and I am barmy about animals will spend nearly all day learning and playing with them!

    This is the first time I have blogged and it seems quite fun, and hope I enjoy it in the future,

    Yours sincerely,

    Jordan

    ReplyDelete
  36. Dear Mrs. Yollis' 3rd graders,

    I love how your blog shows that you are learning a lot and having fun, too! I am Ellie's aunt, Elizabeth, but Ellie calls me Bizzy. We have the same name, but different nicknames! I am so proud of Ellie and all of your excitement about learning.

    When I was reading your blog, I saw that you were skyping with classes in Connecticut and New York. This summer after my wedding (in which Ellie was a beautiful flower girl) I drove from California all the way across the country to New York. When I got here, I spent a lot of time visiting a lake in Connecticut called Candlewood Lake and I even tried water skiing. What lakes or bodies of water have the students in your class visited?

    I have been a 2nd grade teacher for a long time and I learned a lot of interesting facts from reading your blog that now I can share! Thank you to all of you and to Mrs. Yollis for creating and sharing your blog with all of us!

    Your friend,
    Bizzy

    ReplyDelete
  37. @ N♥ni

    Thank you for the tremendous comment. I will call you at ♥home♥.
    :-)

    I ♥ you.

    Sincerely,
    ∆∆∆∆∆∆ Jake ∆∆∆∆∆∆

    :-)

    ReplyDelete
  38. Dear Mrs. Yollis,

    What a great way to teach the kids grammar, spelling and respectful communication. I am so excited to read all the blogs from the class and their friends and family!

    I know Jake is always so eager to comment on the current blog topic; he becomes more creative and focused each time he creates a comment for a blog.

    Have a great weekend!

    Regards,

    Lisa (Jake's mum)

    ReplyDelete
  39. Dear Mrs. Yollis,
    I think this is a great post because everybody can participate!

    I'm Ellie's sister here are some facts about me:
    ∆ I'm 4 years old.
    ∆ I like playing Wii.
    ∆ I am creative.
    ∆ I like rice and pizza.
    ∆ My favorite animal is a dog.


    I love your post.

    Sincerely,
    Ana

    P.S.(Ellie typed for me.)

    ReplyDelete
  40. Dear Mrs. Yollis and class,
    We are Royce's grandparents and we are responding to Royce's questions about celebrating Halloween on Long Island.
    Many children come to our door so we give out a lot of candy. Two years ago, it rained very hard on Halloween so not that many children went out that day.
    In our neighborhood, all the chidren wear their costumes to school, have a costume parade outside so when they get home they are ready to go "Trick or Treating". This year's costumes included pirates, ghosts, princesses, superheros, and a lot of older children wearing regular clothes and just masks.
    We are lucky in that we never ran out of candy on Halloween.
    School children go "Trick or Treating" after school, but sometimes young children come in the early afternoon with their mothers.
    Blogging is a new experience for us so thank you for inviting us to participate.

    Sincerely,
    Donald and Regina

    ReplyDelete
  41. Dear Mrs. Yollis,

    I think your idea on everyone in the family participating in your blog is great.

    I am Sarah's cousin, and my name is Lorena but everyone calls me Luba.I am 13 years old and Sarah and I have a lot in common because we both do gymnastics.

    Do you have any family members that share the same hobbies as you?

    Sincerely,
    Luba (Sarah's Cousin)

    ReplyDelete
  42. @Luba

    Thank you for leaving a comment on our blog. I love to play piano with my three siblings, Miriam, Michael, and Hannah. My older sister, Miriam, and I also enjoy playing tennis together.

    I can't wait until the next time I see you, Luba. We will have so much fun together.

    ReplyDelete
  43. Ian (Jake's Grandpa)November 6, 2011 at 8:29 PM

    Hi Mrs. Yollis, my name is Ian and I am Jake’s Grandpa. Jake’s Grandma, Wendy, is in England right now. That’s 11 hour’s in an airplane from LAX. His Grandma is visiting a distant relative, Auntie Marge. It is Jake’s Great Grandmother’s aunt. Auntie Marge will be 100 years old on Monday November 7th 2011. Jake, can you believe that this great lady was born in 1911?
    Reading the blogs is great. Thank you.
    Jake, I will look forward to seeing you soon. Much love from Grandpa (your Mum’s Dad…:-)

    ReplyDelete
  44. Hi Mrs. Yollis and Students,
    This is Ellie's dad, Jamie, and I have been at the fire station working all weekend and will be here until Tuesday morning. I am really looking forward to being able to go home on Tuesday and see my family. Ellie had posted some questions about fires and I wanted to try and answer them. She asked, "what are the clues that there will be a fire?". Well, for brush fires the clues are high winds, usually over 25mph, combined with low humidity. Humidity is the amount of moisture in the air. When those conditions exist we call it a "red flag" day and we have to be extra careful. The clues for structure fires or building fires are different. When it is cold or rainy out, like it was this weekend, lots of people turn on their heaters or light fires in fire places. Sometimes these small fires that we use for heat can get
    out of control and cause much bigger fires. Smoke and the smell that it makes is a big clue that there is a fire. When we go into a building that is on fire there is usually so much smoke that we can't see anything, so we have to follow the heat to find the fire. We wear "breathers" so that we can breath in the smokey conditions and special clothes called "turn-outs" that protect our bodies from getting burned. If the class is interested I will bring in my firefighting gear so that you can check it out. I can tell you about some big fires that I've fought and the different challenges that they presented.
    Have a great week at school and I hope to see you soon.
    Sincerely,
    Ellie's dad Jamie

    ReplyDelete
  45. from Jake's Grandmother (Noni)

    Hello again Mrs. Yollis and Jake and class,
    It looks like family blogging month is a very successful and fun project.

    Jake, I read your sweet comment in response to my post and I also received your text. I know how exciting it is for you to learn about technology. You and your classmates are very lucky to have a teacher who is willing to invest so much of her time and energy so you can learn about blogging, and how to use the internet.

    I really loved the movie you made about a typical day in your California classroom. You have a great classroom!

    Can you believe that in 1949, when I was in 3rd grade, there were no computers, no calculators, no internet, no cell phones and certainly no blogging in my classroom? We had a blackboard, books and paper and pencil - that's about it.

    Do you think I could visit your classroom and meet your teacher and some of the students when I come to your house for Christmas?

    Sincerely,
    Noni (Jake's father's mom)

    ReplyDelete
  46. @ Dad
    Thanks for participating in the Family Bogging Month. That was an interesting paragraph about humidity.

    Do you have any facts about fires? For example, how hot is fire? How often is there a fire that your station goes and puts out? Daily? Weekly? Do you ever drive the fire truck? If so, is it difficult to drive it?

    Speaking of fires I am going to have a fire tonight. I think it would rain tonight and be cold and wet.

    Yes, Mrs. Yollis would like for you to come in and share!

    Sincerely,
    ♥Ell♥e♥

    ReplyDelete
  47. Dear Mrs. Yollis,

    My name is Katherine and I am Alexandra's "Tia." Alexandra's mother and I have been close friends for 23 years and were college roommates as well. I live in the Chicago area. (Northbrook, IL to be exact)

    I wish that I could see Alexandra and her family more often and love your idea for a family blog. What a wonderful method in which to enhance learning and at the same time share this with families.

    Sincerely,
    Katherine

    ReplyDelete
  48. Dear Mrs. Yollis,

    I am Adam Schwartz's Uncle from New York City. I really enjoyed the video. I have never blogged before so this was educational for me.

    Thanks,
    Dave Schwartz

    ReplyDelete
  49. Hello Mrs. Yollis and class,

    This is Ellie's mom, Patty. I am very amazed to see all the family members who have participated in Family Blogging Month thus so far. It's been quite awhile since I've left a comment, so I guess now is a perfect time to comment again.

    I don't know if you all know, but I am a chef. I love to cook and bake. Some chefs prefer to specialize in one or the other but I enjoy both. This past week, I had worked on a 3-D pirate ship cake for a boy who had a birthday party over the weekend. It was a challenging task because I had to use my imagination and photos off the internet to "sculpt" the cake into a ship. For the majority of the cake, I covered it in rolled fondant. Rolled fondant is dough made up of gelatin, corn syrup and powered sugar. To me, it tastes like a very sweet and dense marshmallow. Has anyone tried rolled fondant before? I finished the rest of the cake with colored buttercream frosting.

    →What are all your favorite types of desserts?

    →What are all your favorite things to eat?

    →Do you help your parents cook any meals?

    →If you could be any ingredient, what would it be and why?

    Looking forward to posting again!

    Your friend,
    Patty

    ReplyDelete
  50. Dear ♥Ell♥e♥,

    This is Charlie, your other dog. How are you doing? Well I hope. I wanted to say "woof, woof" which translates to "Hi ♥Ell♥e♥". I can't wait for you to come home from soccer practice and give me a treat and a belly run for being a good boy. Sorry I am so crazy, I am just SUPER excited to see you all the time! Captain and I have been chasing each other around outside. He is a very interesting "brother" but I love him. I hope you comment back!

    Your furry friend,
    Charlie

    ReplyDelete
  51. Dear Mrs. Yollis and class,
    My name is Olivia (I am Sarah's cousin). I am ten years old, and I am in fifth grade. My family and I live in San Jose, California. We are going to visit Sarah and her family during Thanksgiving. I really like the idea of the blog so everyone can see what you guys are doing. I hope I can follow along and see what fun projects you do.

    Sincerely,
    Olivia

    ReplyDelete
  52. Dear Mrs. Yollis and Class,
    I am a good friend of Jake's and I think I might want to be in your class when I get to third grade. I am in second grade now.
    Nikolas

    ReplyDelete
  53. Dear Mrs. Yollis,
    Your blog is cool. I'm a really good friend with Jake. Last year I had my own blog in Mrs. Levy's class. It was very fun. I enjoyed it.
    Sincerely,
    Jakob

    ReplyDelete
  54. Dear Mrs. Yollis and class,

    My name is Rina and I am Sarah’ grand aunt. My family and I live in San Francisco, CA. I am very impressed about your idea and ability to teach your students how to create their own blogs and involve their parents, relatives and friends in this process. Your students do an amazing job! They are able to express their concerns and feelings and communicate with others very well. I wish one of my granddaughters (a 3rd grader as well) had a teacher likes you.

    I wish you and your students the best for coming Holidays!

    Sincerely,
    Rina (Sarah’s grand aunt)

    ReplyDelete
  55. Dear Mrs. Yollis and class,

    What a wonderful idea. You of all people should get the prize this month. Your class can express themselves not only verbally, but they can comment and learn how to type.

    I am Elijah's Grandpa. My wife and I usually get items to enhance his education but I see that you have implemented a great learning tool starting the process.

    Thanks for your personal attention that you give our kids.

    Sincerely,

    Wayne

    ReplyDelete
  56. Dear Mrs. Yollis' class,
    My name is Kevin Hutchinson, and I am a student in Dr. Strange's EDM310 class at the University of South Alabama. I think it is wonderful that you are involving family members with your blogging. I have found blogging as a great way to enhance writing skills and creativity. By involving your family members, they are able to see how hard you are working. Having parents tell you how proud they are of your hard work is the warmest feedback anyone can receive. As a veteran of the United States Navy, I really appreciated the Veterans Day post. It is great to know that our young people are learning about respect and dedication. It was a touching post, and you should be proud of it. I look forward to seeing future posts. Keep up the hard work.

    Sincerely,
    Kevin Hutchinson

    ReplyDelete
  57. Dear Mrs. Yollis,

    It is so much fun to read all the comments from everyone's family all over the place. You really learn a lot about lots of people.

    Right now, Jordyn's Dad is in New York City. I am going to ask him to post a comment from all the way over there on the east coast.

    Thanks for all the fun and learning. Lauren (Jordyn's mom)

    ReplyDelete
  58. Dear Mrs. Yollis,

    I am very excited with all the blogging that is going on. I think that it is a very exciting way to keep in touch with others and to practice your writing skills.

    There sure is a lot of information on your blogging site. I really enjoy the classroom updates, especially the pictures and videos.

    I will try to get Alexandra's family to leave more comments. However, that will be an interesting challenge for her grandparents who have not really kept up with all the new ways to network on the computer. I will make sure to refer them to your instructional video on blogging. I wonder if they will be able to figure it out? Maybe I am underestimating the prior generation.

    Sincerely,

    Lysandra (Alexandra's mom)

    ReplyDelete
  59. Dear Mrs. Yollis and Class,

    I am one of Alyssa's Tias. She has many and we love her so! I live in San Francisco and will be traveling soon to see Alyssa.

    As I am an active blogger myself, I was thrilled to get the notice from Alyssa. What a great skill it is to be able to express yourself through writing.

    I look forward to reading more posts.

    Sincerely,

    Alicia

    ReplyDelete
  60. Dear Tia Alicia,
    Thank you for writing a comment. You are the first one in my family to post a comment for me. Everyone else in the family hasn't done a post yet including my mom. I hope you have a great day,and I hope you have a great weekend.
    Your Niece,
    Alyssa

    ReplyDelete
  61. Hello Mrs. Yollis and all of Matthew's classmates,

    This is Matthew's Grandma Chris. I am writing to let you know how much I enjoyed helping you with your Thanksgiving turkey project. It was fun to see how creative all of you are, and I loved how different each turkey turned out to be. Your turkeys made me smile.

    Good job,
    Grandma Chris

    ReplyDelete
  62. Dear Mrs.Yollis and class,
    . I am Royce's Nana and I live in Paramus, New Jersey. Royce's dad and aunt grew up in this house. I have been living here for 41 years with my husband, Royce's Papa. I love all the excitement and fun that comes with the Thanksgiving Holiday.
    When I was a young girl, I lived in the Bronx. It is one of the five boroughs of New York City. We went into New York City all the time and Thanksgiving meant the start of the Holiday Season. The city was always the most beautiful at that time of year. All of the stores were decorated and sparkled with extra lights. The street vendors had their roasted chestmuts and pretzels ready for purchase. It was freezing cold by then and you welcomed the hot bag of food as you strolled along and tried to keep up with the crowds of people, all in such a good spirit.
    My family hosted Thanksgiving each year. My cousins and grandparents would come over in the afternoon. My sister,Caroll and I would sit for hours early in the week making potatoes into small turkeys and place them around the table. We would stick toothpicks in the potato for legs and slit an opening in the front for a cardboard head and a long slit in the back for the cardboard turkey feathers. We would put these turkeys on the table by everyone's place setting.
    There were no computers or video games in the 1950's, so we would play cards and board games or color with our cousins. If the weather was nice, we would go outside for a game of stoop ball or punch ball. I can remember the best thing about Thanksgiving was feeling cozy and warm. I am so grateful for that wonderful time. I wish everyone a happy Thanksgiving!

    Sincerely, Gregg's Nana

    ReplyDelete
  63. Dear Mrs Yollis and class,
    I want to share with you with my
    story. I was born in Ukraine in a jewish family. There were three children in the family and it was a happy family until WWII came.
    My parents understood they must go somewhere to remain alive. Ukraine was the first land in former USSR occupied by German troops. With the last train my family was evacuated to Middle Asia.
    It was a wise decision because
    Jews who didn*t have this chance to
    leave Ukraine are all in one big grave called Babi Yar.
    I*m sure you*ve heard about this place. Life was difficult especially for my parents but we
    survived. I was one year old when we came to city Tashkent - capital
    of Uzbekistan. Here I got education and worked as a teacher for 30 years. In 1996 my husband two
    sons and I came to USA.
    Now I have 5 grandchildren four of them were born in Los Angeles and we are happy here.
    I wish my big family never knew
    war. I think people all over the world must live in peace.

    Sara*s grandmother Mila

    ReplyDelete
  64. Dear Lisa {Jake’s mom},
    I like playing on yollis website.
    My favorite game to play on the website is Grammar Ninja.
    Thank you for participating on Family Blogging Month.
    Love,
    Jake

    ReplyDelete
  65. Dear Nikolas,
    When you get to third grade , I hope you can be in my classroom too. It is a very amazing place. It has a lot of decorations.

    Sincerely,
    Jake

    ReplyDelete
  66. Dear Jakob,
    I think our blog is cool too. I learned about many things from blogging:
    grammar, typing, capitalization, punctuation, and proofreading.

    Can you tell me what you learned from blogging?

    Sincerely,
    Jake

    ReplyDelete
  67. Dear Jake,
    Uncle Carlton and I are really impressed with your school and your blogging project! Thank you so much for sharing this with us.
    I hope you had a great Thanksgiving with your family. We went to NYC to visit your cousin Dan and we walked through Central Park. It was beautiful weather and many people were out strolling along the paths.
    Lots of love, Aunt Joan

    ReplyDelete
  68. Dear Mrs. Yollis,
    My name is Lynne and I am Jake Taylor's great aunt and this is my second blog ever! I really enjoyed learning something new to me. Thank you for the opportunity. I love animals and adore Jake's dog Scooter. I rescue senior dogs from shelters and give them a loving home to live out their lives in peace. It is very rewarding as the animals seem so grateful. Do you know any rescued dogs or cats? Sincerely, Lynne

    ReplyDelete
  69. Hello again Mrs. Yollis and class,
    I am Jake's great aunt Lynne. This is my second blog ever! Thank you for this opportunity! It is exciting to learn something new to me.
    I love animals and adore Jake's dog Scooter who they adopted from a shelter. I rescue senior dogs from shelters and provide a loving home for them to live out their lives in peace. It is very rewarding because, like Scooter, they are grateful and happy. Do you know any rescued dogs or cats?
    Sincerely, Lynne

    ReplyDelete

* * *
Getting feedback is important to our writers. Let us know what you liked or what you learned.

Steps to Comment:

1. Write your comment in the box below. Be sure that you have proofread it for spelling, grammar, punctuation, and capitalization. Students should have a parent check it!

2. Choose an identity. (If you have a gmail account, use it. If not, choose name/url. You can leave the url blank if you do not have a blog.)

3. Click "Publish your Comment". You may preview your comment before publishing if you'd like.


Important: All comments MUST be approved by me.
:-) Mrs. Yollis