Making friends is just one of the many wonderful aspects of having a classroom blog!
2KM, our blogging friends from Australia, sent us a surprise package on March 12.
On March 31, we received another generous gift from Bianca and her mother, AA.
We wanted to send our valued friends some things from America, specifically from our state of California.
Miss McGeady and 2Km just got the air mail package and check out this thank you video they made for us!
A Surprise Gift from Kathleen McGeady on Vimeo.
Educational blogging has truly made learning more fun and so meaningful!
Posts
Dear Mrs. Yollis' Class,
ReplyDeleteWe loved watching the video from your blogging buddies in Australia. I felt so proud to share some of our state with them! We just visited the JellyBelly factory in Northern California and it is a tasty part of California history! Too bad we couldn't send Ghirardelli chocolate - it probably would have melted. Maybe we can deliver that in person some day!
Sincerely,
Jerry Scott
Mrs. Scott
Did someone say chocolate??? What a shame you couldn't send any! :-)
ReplyDeleteJerry and Mrs Scott, I bet the visit to the Jelly Belly factory was fantastic! I cannot believe how incredible the flavours are!
I loved the chocolate pudding, strawberry cheesecake and toasted marshmallow flavours!
We are very lucky to have friends like those in Mrs Yollis' class!
Hope everyone has as much fun watching the video as we had making it!
Kind regards,
Kathleen McGeady
Hi Mrs Yollis and class,
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for the gifts!!!!
I love them!
The book you sent us, C is for California,was great! I learnt lots!
The flag was so thoughtful because now people from 2KM have Australian flags and American flags! I can't believe I've got a American flag!
THANK YOU SO MUCH MRS YOLLIS' CLASS!!!
It was very kind of you!
Your blogging buddy,
Sophie [in 2KM]
P.S You are one of the best class' in a different country in the world!!
I am so happy I got Miss McGeady as a teacher because I wouldn't have of met you!
Dear Mrs Yollis and students,
ReplyDeleteI would like to say a big THANKYOU for the lovely gifts you sent us 2KM.
I am so grateful as it was a nice surprise. I really enjoyed eating the lollies (candy) but the best thing of all were the flags. My flag is sitting with mickey mouse and his got the biggest smile on his face.
I really like our friendship
from your friend Bianca.
Dear Mrs Yollis and students,
ReplyDeleteas a grateful mum I cannot thankyou enough on how kind you were in sending those lovely gifts to 2KM.
Bianca has not stopped talking about the wonderful lollies you sent over and all the different kinds of flavours which you can eat. As she has put her order in if and when we come over for a visit that is the first item she will buy to bring back home followed by a trip to Dinseyland.
However she really loves her flag you sent and never realised that the colours in your flag are the same colours as in our flag (red,white and blue) only our designs are different which she informs me of too.From what I hear 2KM really enjoyed making and singing in the video. Do you think they would make great singers in a band one day?
Many thanks from down under AA.
Dear Mrs. Yollis,
ReplyDeleteI thought it was really nice how they sent us gifts and after that we sent them gifts. In fact, just before this comment that I am leaving right now I just left a comment on Miss McGeady's blog about the gift. I thought it was really funny how in the video they used our national anthem the Star Bangled Banner.
Sincerely,
Nick
Dear Mrs. Yollis and Class,
ReplyDeleteThis video made me smile the whole way through. How amazing that you've forged such a strong bond with Mrs. McGeady's class all the way across the Pacific Ocean.
Hopefully one day some of their students will visit the United States or one of you can go to Australia and say hello (or G'Day) in person.
Great work class!
Best,
Eric (Ben's dad)
Dear Mrs. Yollis & Mrs. McGeady's classes,
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful exchange of gifts. It reminds me of how great it feels to give as well as receive. I was so excited to see Mrs. McGeady's class with our class gifts and know that they were enjoying each item that was sent. It is a terrific way to learn about each others countries.
And like Ben's dad, I hope that in-person visits will be a part of some of the students' futures.
Best,
Barbara
(Jaxon's mom)
Dear Mrs Yollis and students,
ReplyDeleteI am not sure if you got my last email so I thought I would drop you all another. Iwould really like to thankyou all for the wonderful gifts which we got this week.
I really enjoyed eating the lollies you sent us and the raisins were very tasty. I found the book very interesting and I learn`t alot about your state. It was very strange that you have orange poppies as we have red ones over here.However the best thing that I really love is the flag. Did you notice that we have the same colours(red,blue,and white)in our flag. Also I never realised just how many stars there are on your flag. My flag is sitting with mickey mouse. Once again a big thankyou from Bianca.
Dear Mrs. Yollis,
ReplyDeleteIt is very cool that 2km got our package that we sent them! I am very glad that they liked the jelly bellys and the raisins.
My mom and I were thinking about sending them a package like Bianca and AA.
Your student,
Kendall
(In Germany)
Hello there I am Tyrone from Huzzah
ReplyDeleteYou left a few comments on my blog
Since you were wondering the Program is called Logmein serch it up on Google I'm pretty sure its free but I dont know.
Thanks for commenting.
-Tyrone
Dear Mrs. Yollis and Class,
ReplyDeleteWhat a great video from your friends in Australia.
I think my favorite part was hearing their great accents!
From,
Jill (Kate's Mom)
Dear Mrs. Yollis & 2KM,
ReplyDeleteWhat a treat to watch the thank you video from 2KM. I am pleased that all of the goodies were well received.
I was thinking the same thing that Kate's Mom was thinking. I could watch the video and listen to our friends' accents all day long.
I'm sure our accents seem strong as well in Australia!
Every time I look at this blog, I think about how far we have come since my third grade class. It is a long way from pen pals!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Adler
@ Jerry and Mrs. Scott,
ReplyDeleteI loved watching the video as well! They are something special!
Charlie was telling us about your visit to the Jelly Belly Factory and Ghirardelli Square! Now that is a tasty trip! What flavors are the favorites in your family?
@ Miss McGeady,
Sorry about the mention of chocolate...but no delivery. :-(
As you can see, people are still viewing and enjoying your thoughtful movie!
@ Sophie,
Thanks so much for your wonderful comment! I read that you are the top commenter of 2KM. In our class that person is Nick! I'm glad that you are enjoying your flag and that you learned a lot from our book. We enjoy our flags and gifts too.
@ Nick,
How funny that you are the next commenter after Sophie from 2KM. SHE is the top commenter for their blog and I was mentioning that you were for our blog...and who is the next commenter? You! Funny!
I agree, I loved hearing The Star Spangled Banner at the beginning! They are great friends.
@ Mr. Cohen (Ben's dad),
I couldn't agree with you more. I smiled the whole way through...and then I watched it a few more times. Educational blogging has so many wonderful features about it, but the friendships are really special.
Thanks everyone!
Mrs. Yollis
@ Ms. Palmer (Jaxon's mom),
ReplyDeleteThe video was truly wonderful. You're right, to see them enjoying each item really warms the heart! I love it!
Wouldn't that be something is we actually met someday! I feel like I know them already! :-)
@ Bianca,
Thank you so much for another fantastic comment! You always put in such great details! That's what makes for great writing.
I'm glad you enjoyed the lollies we sent you! Do you have a favorite flavor? I love the Cotton Candy and Wild Cherry flavors the best.
It's interesting that you mentioned the poppies and how they are different in color where you live. Red poppies do sound beautiful!
What an excellent observation you made about the flag. Yes, I did notice that both of our flags use the colors red, white, and blue. There are many stars on our flag. Each star stands for a state, so there are 50 states on our flag.
What do the stars on your flag mean? I'm curious and want to learn about that.
Thanks for being a big part of our classroom blog! I also wanted to say to you... Happy Birthday! I hope you had a lovely time. How old are you now? :-)
Your friend,
Mrs. Yollis
@ Kendall,
ReplyDeleteHow nice of you to drop in and leave a comment from Germany! We looked at the map in the classroom and talked about where you are. We noticed that you are about halfway to Lyudmila and Friends in Russia!
What time zone are you in? If it is 8:00 A.M. here (school) what time is it in Germany?
We miss you, but hope you're having a great time!
@ Tyrone (from Huzzah),
Welcome to our blog! Thanks for getting back to me about the program called Logmein. I'll check that out. We have been enjoying reading your class blog and the individual blogs. You are all terrific writers!
@ Mrs. Jepson (Kate's mom),
Thanks for commenting about our video. I think it is fantastic too. I love hearing their accents as well. I wonder what they think of our accents!
@ Mrs. Adler,
I agree with you...we have come a long way since my third grade class as well. I remember having a pen pal, and it would takes such a long time between letters. Sometimes I would only hear every few months. Now, we can stay in touch and learn from each other at any time. Love it!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Yollis
Dear Mrs Yollis and grade 3 students,
ReplyDeleteit was so wonderful of you all to send out the speical gifts to 2KM. I know the lollies were a huge hit. However the flags are truly wonderful and to have one of your own and one that has come all the way from the USA that is truly SPECIAL!!! I am sure many flags will be flying in many homes down under for a very very long time. What a wonderful friendship even from my end. Take care from down under AA.
@ Mrs Yollis
ReplyDeleteMy favorite lollie of the jelly beans was cotton candy as well as toffee. I can`t get over how real the flavours tasted.
Our poppies come out once a year for ANZAC day.Yes they are a very very dark red.You can buy them at shopping stores just before ANZAC day.
About our flag I know that the stripes in the left hand corner is called Union Jack and I am not sure what the stars mean. I will try to find out what they mean.
Thankyou for the birthday wish. I had a awsome day. I am 8 years old
best regards Bianca.
@ Jill and Mrs Adler,
ReplyDeleteWe are glad you enjoy listening to our accents. The students from Mrs Levy's first grade class at your school asked 2KM some questions this week and one of the questions was "do Australians have an accent?" Everyone in 2KM said NO! They think Americans are the ones with the accent. Isn't it funny!
2KM loves hearing the American accent as well and it sounds very strong to us. We are quite used to it however because a lot of the TV shows and movies we watch here are American (I don't think you would watch too many Australian shows!)
You are excellent parent contributors and keep up your wonderful enthusiasm!
Kathleen McGeady
@ AA,
ReplyDeleteWe are so glad that you are enjoying the flags! We are too. A few students left their Australian flags and koalas here at school so 2KM is always present!
@ Bianca,
Yes, the flavors are amazingly true in taste! Thanks for the information about the poppies and your flag. Let us know when you find out more about the stars. You are not only a good blogger, but a good teachers as well! :-)
Glad you enjoyed your 8th birthday!
From,
Mrs. Yollis
@ Mrs Yollis,
ReplyDeleteMy counsin (Shaina and I) did some reseach on the Australian flag.
Firstly the seven pointed star under neath the Union Jack represents all the states which make up Australia. Now I will tell you what states make up Australia. They are Victoria, New South Wales, Tasmania,Queensland,Northern Territory,South Australia and Western Australia. Now I am going to tell you about the other stars.The stars are called the Southern cross they resent the southern cross in the night.I hope this information helps you understand about our flag
your Buddy Bianca.
@ Bianca and her cousin Shaina,
ReplyDeleteWow! You two have a fabulous comment here! I did not know what the seven pointed start meant. Now I know that it represents the seven states that make up Australia. (Kind of like the 50 stars that make up the United States.)
I have heard of the Southern Cross, but have never seen it with my own eyes.
Thanks so much for being such great teachers!
Best wishes,
Mrs. Yollis
Dear Mrs. Yollis,
ReplyDeleteI think the relationship that you and your class have with Ms. McGeady's class is so great. What better way to learn about Australia and it's people than to learn from them directly. I was so glad to be there for the last Skype call with Ms. McGeady's class. Everyone is so enthusiastic!! What a great way learn.
Sincerely,
Lisa Kopaloff
Nick's mom
Dear Mrs. Yollis,
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on winning three Digital Voice Awards! You and your students must be so proud. I have enjoyed reading and watching videos on your class blog throughout the year. Thank you!
Sincerely,
Dora (Jared's mom)
This is Alex B. from Dr. Strange's EDM 310 class in Mobile, Alabama and I have been assigned to read your blog. That is so cool you guys sent packages and that you guys got some back! Good luck with your future adventures!
ReplyDeleteDear Mrs. Yollis,
ReplyDeleteIt is fun to watch the video. It is very kind of them to send us gift. I think it is a good thing that we are making friends with kids in foreign countries.
Sincerely,
Paul
Dear Mrs. Yollis,
ReplyDeleteI believe blogging with kids in foreign countries is a good idea. That way, the kids will have chance to learn what is outside this country. It provides them the opportunities of learning other cultures and customs. After all, the world is turely getting smaller with today's technology. Thanks so much for providing them this opportunity.
Sincerely,
Matthew (Paul's dad)