Thank You 2KM, 2KJ, and B4!

We got some fabulous Christmas presents from our blogging buddies! First, 2KM and 2KJ sent us this clever story called 

Santa's Blogging Adventure.

Not only was the story well-written, but the hand drawn illustrations were incredible. The story includes Santa stops to the classrooms of  Mr. Salsich, Mrs. Watson, Mrs. McKenzie, and Mr. Avery's. So entertaining! To hear the story, head on over to Mr. Avery's class. They did a great reading of the story!

Just as we were about to leave on vacation, we received another surprise parcel from Down Under! A holiday card and some Pineapple Lumps from Mrs. McKenzie and B4. No one had ever heard of Pineapple Lumps, but Mrs. McKenzie said they are very popular in New Zealand! They were delicious!

We want to thank our blogging buddies and wish them a very Merry Christmas! Here is a song we recorded for you!

What was your favorite part of Santa's Blogging Adventure?

Did you enjoy your Pineapple Lump? 

 

Let's Taste Vegemite!

Today Mrs. Yollis' class got a chance to taste Vegemite! This Australian favorite was a gift from their quad-blogging buddy, Jarrod! 

 

Jarrod sent the class a wonderful gift package filled with candies (lollies), an Australian souvenir,  and a tube of Vegemite.

 Jarrod is a member of the fabulous  2KM and 2KJ class. This tremendous group of bloggers lives in Victoria, Australia. He has earned his own blog!

First, the Vegemite was spread on crackers. Jarrod recommended starting with a thin layer of Vegemite.

Next, the class raised their Vegemite in a toast to the Aussies!

"Raise your hand if you like it and would try it again!" asked Mrs. Yollis.

Thank you, Jarrod, for your thoughtful gift! We will never forget you!

Jarrod is a terrific blogger who always comments back to his readers. Here is a screen shot of some comments he wrote to the class:

What did you think of the Vegemite?

What is a typical American food that the Australians might not know? 

What are some other foods that you've tried from another country?

Always Learning: Reform Symposium

Summer is a time for having fun, and that is certainly what Mrs. Yollis has been doing! 

She swam with turtles, observed Moray eels, and many other fish!

Summer, like anytime, is also a time for learning! 

At the end of July, Mrs. Yollis was an online learner at the Reform Symposium e-Conference!

This FREE online conferences had  80 presenters and 12 keynote speakers! Mrs. Yollis was thrilled to be able to learn from incredible teachers located all over the world, and she did it all  

on her laptop computer in her home!

Each online classroom was an elluminate room and looked very similar to this:

Used with permission from @ShellTerrell

Mrs. Yollis attended many session and learned about new innovations and tools that she can use in her own classroom. Because it was an international conference, some of the sessions were scheduled in the middle of the night, Los Angeles time! In addition, there were so many interesting speakers, Mrs. Yollis had to make some tough choices about which sessions to attend.  Luckily, the half hour presentations were recorded and are available for learning to anyone!

 Here is a link to all the sessions!

         

Not only is it important to learn from other people, it is also important to help others. Mrs. Yollis volunteered to be a moderator for her good friend and quad blogging buddy, Mrs. Morris!

Mrs. Morris lives in Australia and has a fantastic class blog called 2KM and 2KJ. In addition, she also has a professional blog called Integrating Technology in the Primary Classroom where she shares information for educators.

Mrs. Morris' presentation was called Connecting With Global Blogging Buddies. 

Here is a link to her presenation.

Besides being in the classroom, where are some places that you learn?

What is something you discovered this summer?

A Visit From Ryley in 2KM/2KJ Australia!

Educational blogging has many magical moments and one occurred today!

Mrs. Yollis, who lives in Los Angeles, is a friend of Mrs. Morris, who lives in Australia.

They have worked together on some some incredible projects, but the two have never met. 

Today, a student from 2KM/2KJ who is vacationing in Los Angeles, came to visit Mrs. Yollis and her students! It was a wonderful time!

Ryley and his family

Panda welcomes Ryley and Darby.

First, Ryley and his family talked about their big adventure in the United States.

Then the class connected via Skype with Mrs. and Mr. Morris! It was 7:00 A.M. on Friday in Australia.

It was 2:00 P.M. on Thursday in Los Angeles.

We talked about some of the differences between the United States and Australia.

Mrs. Ranney and her class came over to meet their friend from 2KM/2KJ!

Wonderful souvenirs were exchanged!

Some of the kids wanted  Ryley to sign their Australian souvenirs!

Panda and Mrs. Yollis love making new friends!

What did you think of the visit?

Do you have any questions for Ryley and his family?

Would you like to travel to Australia one day?

Mrs. Yollis and her class wish Ryley and his family a wonderful experience in America! We will be excited to hear the details of the thrilling American journey!

A Postcard From Geelong, Victoria, Australia!

Mrs. Yollis' class is part of the fun Post Card Project created by Mrs. Leaky and the Pirates of  Room 4.

By Hannah and Adia 

Geelong, Victoria, Australia

A few weeks ago, our class received a breathtaking postcard from our blogging buddies, 2KM and 2KJ  who live in Geelong, Australia. An amazing fact about Geelong is that it is the second largest city in Victoria. Geelong is the home of Victoria’s oldest newspaper, the Geelong Advertiser which started in 1840! It also became a city in 1910.



It was exciting to get a post card from them because they are special friends. In fact, we are Quad Blogging Buddies with them! 

We are wondering about the sculptures in the post card. Can anyone from 2KM and 2KJ tell us about them? They look like shark fins.

What is the population of Geelong?
Were there any other Geelong post cards available? 

Let's Meet Our Blogging Buddies: 2KM and 2KJ

Mrs. Yollis' class enjoys sharing and learning with other classes around the world. This year, they are QUAD buddies with three other classes!

 

*Mrs. Yollis’ Classroom Blog U.S.A.*
*Mr. Salsich Class Blog U.S.A*
*2KM and 2KJ  in Australia *

*Open the Door to B-4  in New Zealand*

Mrs. Yollis and her class became friends with these three classes through educational blogging. They started the connection through the comment section on each other's blogs. Over time, the comments developed into friendships, and now they are a global learning community.

These classes read about Quad Blogging from Mr. Mitchell. 

This week, let’s meet

Mrs. Morris, Miss Jordan, and 2KM/2KJ from Australia.

These two classes share a big learning space and altogether there are 42 Grade 2 students.

Click here to visit their post.

You will be able to visit Leo the Lion and leave him a comment, 
and check out their other great posts and pages, 
including 
Sites for Kids and Global Projects.

Head on over to the 2KM and 2KJ blog and leave a comment. 

Be sure to say that you are from Mrs. Yollis' class!