Service Learning Opportunities
As fifth graders, my students have several opportunities to do service learning projects. These projects include Make A Difference Day, Adopt a Family, Kindergarten Buddies, and Downtown Planting. Our Downtown Planting required students to plant seedlings in the B.E.L.L. in early April. Our class will also be adopting two servicemen. Look for information about how you can help.
We are excited about any additional opportunities for service learning and citizenship. If you know of a project that would be a good fit for our class, the fifth grade or Blissfield Elementary School, please contact me at school.
I give extra credit for service projects done outside of school that are not associated with school, scouts or similar group. The credit will be based on work done WITHOUT reward. Ideas include raking leaves for elderly, volunteering for Meals on Wheels, wrapping gifts at the mall in December, and any other worthwhile activities. A note from the supervising adult or the parent.
Make-a-Difference Day
Students at Blissfield Elementary School once again participated in a Make-a-Difference Day project. This year’s project was to collect money to fund Honor Flights for WW II veterans. The students hoped to raise enough money to send at least two veterans from the Blissfield area to Washington, D.C. to see the WW II monument. During the week of October 17th, fifth graders took buckets to classrooms to collect change for the flights. On Friday, students and staff members paid a dollar for the privilege of wearing a hat. The hat day helped push the total money raised over the $850 mark. The students will now decide how the money should be distributed. They suggested students nominate relatives or friends for the honor. If you would like to donate to this worthy cause, money is still being accepted. The Honor Flights will occur during 2012, since the last flight for this year took place in late September. If you know of an area WW II veteran that would like to be considered, please send a letter to nominate them. Letters may be sent to Mrs. Hojnacki at Blissfield Elementary School.
It’s an Honor to be a Fifth Grader at Blissfield Elementary!
Fifth grade students are learning that it really is an honor to be a fifth grader. The students have several opportunities this year that are unique to fifth grade. This year’s “Honor” theme will have them doing service projects to honor past and present servicemen, Alzheimer’s patients, and the community.
For one of the projects, students will be adopting Specialist Jason Ross, the step-father of a fifth grader, who is being deployed to Afghanistan. Specialist Ross recently paid students a visit before heading to his final training in California. He was able to share information about the Army and the National Guard. He left a “Challenge Coin” for the students, as a token of appreciation for their support of our troops. Students look forward to talking with him again in person, and over the internet with Skype.
Fifth graders also participate in the “Zoo keeper” program that allows them to care for the animals in the B.E.L.L. Students are trained to feed groups of animals, and to care for them. Sometimes, they even get to instruct other students.
Students will adopt a memory care unit to honor Alzheimer’s patients, as it relates to a language arts unit. Students will visit the patients in the spring. Finally, students will grow and plant flowers to honor the Blissfield Community.
Make-A-Difference Day 2010 - Change is Good!Blissfield Elementary participated in our annual Make-A-Difference Day activity. During the week, students donated change. Fifth graders were responsible for getting buckets for the grade levels to put the change in every morning. On Friday, October 22 they sorted through the buckets of change, removing all non-monetary items including the baggies that held the change. The fifth graders, following the service learning model choose the Lenawee Mission Homeless Awareness project and food bank to be the recipients of the change. A small donation will also be given to the Memory Care Units adopted by each fifth grade classroom to purchase activities for the care unit residents. Downtown Planting Fifth graders grew flowers in our B.E.L.L. to transplant to planters throughout the downtown business area. The yellow and red flowers will help show our pride in the community. Make sure you check out the planters downtown and at the Ellis Park island entrance during the Memorial Day parade and throughout the summer. We are grateful to Mr. and Mrs. Koppelman, Mr. Sessions, the parent volunteers and Blissfield Downtown Development Authority for their help and support with this annual project. Smile box link. Alzheimer Memory Care Unit The fifth grade adopted the Tecumseh Place Alzheimer Unit as one of our service learning projects. We read the story, “Memory Box.” Miss Maria Crane taught us about the causes and symptoms of Alzheimer Disease. We collected money to purchase some videos for them. We visited the unit on May 18, where we sang songs, played the recorder, colored pictures, and visited with the patients. We learned that they were just like our own great-grandparents and grandparents, only they have short term memory loss with some other symptoms. It was a valuable learning activity.
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