Fantastic Monday

NATIONAL FRUIT COMPOTE DAY

Each year on March 1st, National Fruit Compote Day presents a celebration filled with sweet berries, citrus and stone fruits to delight the senses.

The word compote is French for “mixture.”

A compote is a dessert originating in 17th century France. It is made up of whole or pieces of fruit (a mixture) in sugar syrup. The whole fruits are cooked in water with added sugar and spices. A variety of seasonings may be added to the mixture depending on the type of fruit being used. They may include

• vanilla
• lemon peel
• orange peel
• cinnamon sticks
• cinnamon powder
• cloves
• ground almonds
• grated coconut
• candied fruit or raisins

The French belief that fruit cooked in sugar syrup balanced the effects of humidity on the body led to the invention of compotes. Fruit compote may be served either warm. It was initially served in the afternoon as a snack with sour cream and biscuits. During the Renaissance, compotes began to be served chilled at the end of dinner.

Because of its simplicity, inexpensive ingredients and containing no dairy products, the compote became a staple of Jewish households throughout Europe and was considered part of Jewish cuisine. 

Fruit compote is often topped with whipped cream, cinnamon or vanilla sugar.  It is also sometimes prepared using dried fruits soaked in water with added alcohol. Kirsch, rum or Frontignan are a few examples.

HOW TO OBSERVE #NationalFruitCompoteDay

Make a fruit compote to enjoy with biscuits, oatmeal or yogurt. You can even try it with a parfait or experiment on your own. If you need some recipes, try one these:

Contest-Winning Hot Fruit CompoteFruit CompoteChef Lee Anne Wong’s Pancakes with Summer Berry CompoteAnne Burrell’s Angel Food Cake with Tropical Fruit Compote

Use #NationalFruitCompoteDay to post on social media.

NATIONAL FRUIT COMPOTE DAY HISTORY

National Day Calendar continues to research the origins of the fruity celebration. 

There are over 1,500 national days. Don’t miss a single one. Celebrate Every Day® with National Day Calendar®!

Kindergarten CogAt testing

We are finally finished with testing all of the kindergarten students. Thank you to teachers, students and parents for being flexible during this super busy time. In kindergarten, we gather the data from the CogAt test as well as the end of the year NWEA tests to identify for high ability in first grade. 

Each is a pathway into HA; both are not required. Students are given time to grow and get the most out of their time in kindergarten before starting HA services. The results of the CogAt test will go home before Spring Break along with a link to help you better understand the results. We will also send letters home at the end of the school year, to those who will be in our HA program in the first grade.

Second Grade Cogat testing

In Duneland, students take the CogAt in kindergarten and second grade. The window for second grade will open up on April 6^th. I will test them during a time that works well for the teachers, so they are not missing anything important.

1^st Grade:

This week the children continued working on their anagram puzzlers. When the children were finished with each page, they brought their packet up to me to go over. A couple of children got done early so I had them help those who were struggling. All and all, they did a good job trying to figure out their puzzles. 

I then introduced them to a new cipher puzzle called a lipogram. A lipogram is a piece of writing in which a particular letter (or letters) of the alphabet is deliberately left out. Writers throughout history have written poems, short stories, and even, long novels as lipograms. It was a way for writers who love language to play with words and see what they can make them do. We will continue this lesson next week.

2^nd Grade:

We finished up our lesson on Freytag’s Pyramid. The children did a great job with the putting story, My Fathers Dragon into a story structure. I introduced the children to connections generalizations. I explained to them that connections show relationships among objects, feelings, people, and places. Connections can be intellectual, physical, social or emotional. 

Connections may also change or stay the same over time. I put the children into groups and asked them to write 20 connections. We then met back up and discussed them. We then did a fun activity. Groups were formed, then I gave them a baggie of connections to group as they see fit. I encouraged them to begin with an end in mind and have a plan before gluing everything down. We will discuss the results next week.

3^rd Grade:

The children were assigned to read chapters 6-10 and answer the questions on Tuesday, February 18. This was due Monday, February 24.  When we met on Monday only one of my students completed their assignments. This puts the class behind and makes it impossible to discuss the book since the other children are trying to play catch-up. 

We then discussed what an appropriate amount of reading/journal questions were. I explained to them that they could read in class or on the weekends if they have a busy schedule. This is a great skill for them to work through. They are beginning with the end in mind and planning what will work for their schedule. On Tuesday I assigned chapters 11-15 plus answer a couple of questions. When we return will discuss our questions.

4^th Grade:

We started the week off on a bumpy start. The children were assigned one chapter and they were required to answer the questions before class. Only two of my students came to class prepared. If we continue on this path we will not be able to complete the novel. 

I explained to them that they have reading time in class and if their schedule is too busy, they have the weekend. I explained to them that if they get behind, it puts everyone behind. This week I gave them some leeway, but starting next week they will hold the class behind.

1^st Grade:

We finished up measuring using six 1-inch plastic straw pieces. The children needed to measure different things around the room and record them. I then asked them if it was easy to measure with their six 1-inch straw pieces. Most of the children said it was difficult because the plastic straw pieces moved all over the place.

 I then showed them an inch ruler. I explained to them that the inch ruler had 12 inches on it. I let them know that they were going to make their own rulers. I passed out pipe cleaners and twelve 1-inch plastic straw pieces. I showed the children how to make their rulers and told them to alternate the straw colors. I then showed them different ways to use their rulers. They then got to work with a partner measuring different things around the room. We will continue this lesson next week.

2^nd Grade:

This week I read a fax from Dru and Teller. The children learned that the Detective Duo want to include playground equipment in the Shape Gallery. They will be using polyhedrons (3-D shapes) to design their playground.  The children watched a video on polyhedrons. 

We then discussed the faces, edges, and vertices of a polyhedron. I gave them a baggie of 3-D tangram blocks, this is what they will be using to make scale models of the playground equipment. Then they had to count the faces, edges, and vertices of each block and record the data. We met back up and discussed our results. Most were spot on, but a few needed some clarification. We will continue this lesson next week.

3^rd Grade:

Due to their field trip and having a two-hour delay on Thursday, I didn’t get a chance to meet with the third graders. Looking forward to seeing them next week.

4^th Grade:

Last week the children played a game with partners called Flip-sliding Around. They used the transformations: translation, reflection, and rotation along with  the angles 90 degrees, 180 degrees, 270 degrees and 360 degrees to move different shapes around the board. 

I asked them how they felt about the game and if they were comfortable with the rotations. Most said they weren’t ready to move on yet. We decided on the whole class forming into two teams to play the game. That way they would become more comfortable using the terms and moves.

 I broke the children into two teams to play the game. They had a blast!!! Overall, they rocked the game and we are ready to move on next week to a more in-depth lesson dealing with transformations. 

Have a great week!