All-Kindergarten Rooms...

by Alexa and Chanelle
5th Grade

Do you want to know what's happening in Kindergarten?  Well, they are making gingerbread houses and they are putting colorful decorations and lots of candy on them.  They even got to eat the candy too.  It was cool.  That's what's happening in Kindergarten.

Schick Music Rocks!!!

What wonderful time of the year here.  Our musician

were able to showcase their talents to their entire school and then

to their parent during an evening presentation.

Well done, Mrs. Leidhecker and Miss Kilmer.

Charley on Major

Over Thanksgiving we reached another milestone...Char "rode" Major.

Although a little scared, she toughed through it and had a great time.

Me?  Not being a total horse person, my milestone was feeding the

horse carrots out of my hand...(boy, that sounds wimpy!!!).

Thankful for....

My daughter brought home a sheet from nursery school yesterday that had what each child in the school was thankful for.  Kids had the mom's and dad's and brother and sisters as some of the things which they are thankful for, and Charley did too, but.......

Let me just share the list from my three year old:
I AM THANKFUL FOR MOM AND DAD, MY DOG, BRODY, MY DOLL, SAMMY, CHICKEN NUGGETS, HOTDOGS WITH KETCHUP, AND GREEN GRASS.

Thanksgiving is a time to celebrate family and good health and reflect about what is important.  Although, Hotdogs with Ketchup is not high on many of our lists, Hotdogs with Ketchup has made an impact on my child, at somepoint.  Maybe for her, it is time spent together around the pool in the middle of a hot summer night or a birthday party with balloons, friends and Barney or hugs and kisses or friends and fireworks or just a simple trip to Sheetz (yes, I've taught her to use that ordering machine at the food counter--but only one...or twice) to order a 'dog' with her father.

Hotdogs with Ketchup, yeah, I can accept that.  Because sometimes even the smallest things are cause for celebration and reflection.  Have a happy, safe, restful and reflective Thanksgiving.

Enjoy those Moments...

In every difficult time, comes something positive.  This has been a trying few weeks.  I've lost close friends and have had friends who have lost those close to them.  My wife and I witnessed our first home together torn down by the hospital two days ago and last night we 'thankfully' found our dog eating 'rat' poison which the exterminators had precautionarily put down earlier that morning in a garage at my wife's work.  

I say 'thankfully' because we were able to get him to the Vet safely ended up with Brody the Puppy at the doctor last night.  Here's some quick background. One year ago this week, my wife and I learned that our first dog, Rugby, had liver cancer from which he passed a few weeks later right before Christmas.   My daughter equates going to the Vet as a place where dogs go to die...and, that brings a tear to my eye.  At one point, Heaven (according to my daughter) was 'down by the ice cream store' (Carvel on the Golden Strip).  She explained to me once that that is where Nana and Rugby were in 'Heaven' (on the Golden Strip).  Animal and Avian Hospital was that place for Charley.  So, you can see where I am going with this...last night when we took Brody to see Dr. Winton, Charley felt we were taking Brody to Heaven...again, tears down my cheeks.

Well, we had one of those moments as we sat in the waiting room (by the way Brody is fine and he had a Huge belly full of the poison!!!).  Dr. Winton explained to us that he would be keeping Brody over night, but he had something to show Charley.  That is when he created one of those life-lasting memories.  As Charley continued to be sad, Dr. Winton brought out a small cardboard box and in that box will be a memory which my daughter, wife and I will never forget-- three 30-minute old puppies.   Immediately, Charley learned that life, not always death, blooms at the Vet.  As Charley held one of those puppies, her tears left her eyes and memories poured in.  And, as that moment continued, I felt the need to share it with you and to record it forever with these photos.

 

Enjoy moments like these... 

Not Frost on the Pumpkin, but......

a squirrel.  This little guy has been making a meal of this pumpkin which we have on our front stoop.  The pumbkin was never carved, so this liitle guy burrowed a hole in the other side and has been eating the seeds.  What a fun afternoon we had watching and checking in on our bushy-tailed friend.

The last picture??? He is inside the pumpkin...hilarious.

Mr. Greevy...a Kindergarten Teacher

I had a blast this morning teaching Kid Writing in Mrs. Kuntz's classroom. Mrs. Kuntz is Miss Schrei's mentor and was spending 1/2 hour working in that Kindergarten classroom, so I volunteered to teach the writing assignment, "I like to visit...." Students talked about Knobels, McDonalds, Hershey Park, my grammy's and other fun places. I even learned that I must use 'Space Man' in order to make sure that I have spaces between my words.

After writing, the students had snack and one student set up her fish snack in an A-B-A-B pattern. Wow! I can not wait to be invited back.

Nittany Nation.

What a rough weekend for the Nittany Nation.  Nice day to watch football, but not enought creativity in the play calling.  Very vanilla.

I'm wearing my pinstripes today!!!!

Way to go YANKEES!!!

With only 3 days rest....

Andy Pettitte versus Pedro Martinez Tonight! 


Here's hoping for a Yankee Victory.

The Lee & Utley Show

Okay, I will first admit that I didn't get to see the entire game last night as I fell asleep on the recliner and missed the last 4 innings.  I did, upon waking up at 1 a.m., look to see who won and found the Sports Center guys proclaiming a Philadelphia win.  Boy, Chase Utley had two more dingers!!!  How do we get him to come to play for the Yankees. 

I really am enjoying the baseball on TV, but the grief I am getting here at school today is rough.  Mr. Rhoads has hung Phillies posters and newspaper clippings in my office and even the school secretary couldn't wait to give me a hard time this morning.  

Come on NY, we need a win!

Go YANKS!

Yanks 3-1...let's start sizing rings....

This goes out to my sister--a Phily Phanatic.  Meg, last night's 7-4 win proved that although Philly may be the better team, they run hot and cold and November World Series is not the time to run cold.  Tonight could be it, Meggie.  Better luck next year.

My YANKS 0-1 in W.S.....

Okay, today I'm still in National League Shock! Not only did the Philadelphia Phillies stun my New York Yankees last night, but they marched into the new Yankee Stadium and dismantled the Yankee Bullpen ending the night with a 6-1 win.

Cliff Lee's complete six hit game was one to admire and his striking out 10?! It might as well have been a shut out. Rollins won't let an error like that happen again.

C.C. Sabathia played well, but boy, didn't Chase Utley ring his bell--twice. Then, I heard something about how he was the "first left-handed batter since Babe Ruth to hit two homeruns in one World Series game off a left-handed pitcher." Great...what a stat. Not only did those Yanks lose at home, but now they are matching feats of the Great Babe!!! I bet my sister had something to do with coming up with that stat!

Come on, Yanks! Do it to it tonight!

Mr. Greevy's Feeling Green.

TODAY, I FEEL HOW CHARLEY LOOKS.

Unwanted House Guest

Last evening my family and I arrived home to find a bat flying around our family room. Now, if there is one thing in the world that I am terrified of it is bats. I am so bad that I have a 'bat man', someone who knows that at anytime, I may call and ask him to remove said creatures from my home. Well, Batman got the call last night and we went and picked him up. While, he and Mrs. Greevy went in the house to get the bat, I stayed in the car to make sure that the dog and my daughter (not in that order) were remaining calm and safe. Well, thanks the keen eyes of Mrs. G, the bat was located and Batman picked up the bat with his gloved-hands and set the creature free outside of the house. Thanks, Batman.

Greevy Greevy Greevy Greevy Greevy Greevy
Greevy Greevy Greevy Greevy Greevy Greevy Greevy Greevy Greevy Greevy Greevy Greevy Greevy Greevy Greevy Greevy Greevy Greevy Greevy Greevy Greevy Greevy Greevy Greevy Greevy Greevy Greevy Greevy Greevy Greevy

Look at our Lobby...

As part of our Rocket Star Readers program, some of the PTO parents have transformed our lobby into the Galaxy. They are illustrating the stars and constellations and the planets. It looks soooooo cool. Come on in and check it out!!!

LOOK AT THESE COOL SHIRTS!!!

Catch a falling snowflake, put it in your pocket....

Look at my friends in Mrs. Morehart's Room during yesterday's snow.

Check out what my friends in Mrs. Morehart's room did yesterday on their way to gym class...they were catching snowflakes in their mouths. It looks like Mrs. Morehart is having the most fun of all!!!

Oh, No, SNOW...

Have you seen the weather report for tomorrow and friday?
Snow, Snow, Snow.....

Check out this site:
http://www.weather.com/weather/hourbyhour/17701
It is one of the sites which I use to decide if recess is in or if it is out for the day.
Or Check out the bottom of this Blog page; the weather is there.

And, I'm not ready for snow.....

Owl Pellet Exploration.

I saw some pretty cool things this week in Mrs. Mitstifer's 4th grade class. They were dissecting owl pellets. Yes, owl 'pellets.' The students explained their findings and what types of animals that owls hunt. They described that they are predators and told me that one way to understand the hunting habits of the owls was to look at their 'pellets.' Mrs. Mitstifer's class did a great job. Check out the student with the animal skull which he found.

Dedication of Old Huffman Office Supply Building (and the rest of the story)

I usually don't have the opportunity to have a lunch break, let alone eat a balanced lunch, but todayI did get to take a lunch break.

My daughter and her friend Ella were given a unique opportunity. As three year olds they helped lay a piece of history--a sidewalk marker from 1897 that ancestors of ours laid. Ancestors of my family were concrete layers. Sidewalks throughout the city were designated with this marker below.

Recently, friends of ours, Pat and Trisha Gibbons Marty renovated the old Huffman Office Supply Building and new sidewalks were poured. The marker from the old sidewalks was set back in place today by my daughter and her friend Ella. Now, Ella's ancestors are Gehrons. Gehrons constructed the building that is newly renovated, so the girls together were part of celebrating the history of the site, while we embrace the future of the new use of the building. Thanks to the Marty's for allowing us to be part of history.

*********************************************************************************
Now, the rest of the story.....

What I held off telling you for a few weeks was this part of the story. Our friend, Mr. Wilson, did not realize that the cement was fresh when he walked into the back door and came out the front to join us. The footsteps below were caused by his first, second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth steps!!! Wow. The bad news was that he got his dress shoes dirty. The good news?! The men were still there pouring cement and were able to fix it, although they were not too happy with Mr. Wilson. There's a lesson here...is it 1. Always look before you step; 2. Once you've taken the first step, keep going; 3. Put up a WET CEMENT sign; or 4. When pouring cement, don't invite Mr. Wilson..... :)-

SOCK WALK WOW!!!

A.M. Set Up.The Lap Recording Line.

Go to the Little Lancer Blog if you would like to see more pictures from today's Sock Walk, but I just wanted to say thank you to the PTO and the students for such an awesome event. They have been so busy setting up this event and then to see it in action was incredible!!!

Congrats and thanks, PTO.

Thanks, Miss Roush's Class!!!

I want to thanks Miss Roush's class for including me in their class's release of their Monarch butterfly, Skittles. They also sent me a letter and then read it in front of me and they were able to tell me all of the important parts of a friendly letter. Good Luck on your trip to Mexico, Skittles!

Thanks to Mr. Bragalone....

As many of you may or may not know, my first two weekends into this school year, I've been sick. The first weekend (Labor Day Weekend) I ended up with Pink Eye.

Last weekend I ended up leaving the PSU game early in the 3rd quarter because I had a cough, cold, fever and was extremely achy. I ended up sleeping most of Saturday and most of Sunday. I now have medicine and an inhailer, but I still sound crumby.

That's where the thanks to Mr. Bragalone comes in....I find on my desk this morning this packet of Chai to clear my sinuses. How thoughtful and appreciated. Mr. B checked up on me today and I've reported that I'm on the road to recovery.

Thanks, Mr. B. Hopefully, I'll have a healthy weekend......

The Greevy Week-of-Firsts in Pictures....

Char's first week of School

Charley began her first week of nursery school and loves wearing her Dora backpack. We have been practicing cutting and have had some homework, which her parents have had as much doing as she has....(probably more)...


Char Began first Balliet class at LWK.

Charley began dance class this week at Lauri Welteroth's. Charley is in class with her best bud, but together they are ready to tear up the dance floor. I think that Char's eyes look like she's ready to fire lazers from them....dance, dance tap, tap, ZZZZAAAAAAAAAAPPPPPPPPPP!

Char's first encounter with MAJOR

This was Char's first week with mommy's old horse MAJOR. MAJOR and Char's mommy use to do many competitions when they were younger. MAJOR has been retired for years and still lives locally, but lives with another family now. Recently, Char and her mommy have begun to take an interest in MAJOR and Char is getting horse crazy (just like her mom used to be)....

My First post-graduate Graduation

This past weekend I received my M.Ed. from Wilkes University. Over the past 17 months I was involved in the Loyalsock Cohort of Wilkes' Principalship Cohort. Dr. Mextorf, Dr. Reitz, Mr. Mato and Dr. Bianco were the professors for some of my courses. I took most of my classes here at LTSD and last fall I crammed FOUR graduate courses into my weekly schedule. That was a tough sememster for my family and I, but man, was it worth it. Here I am with my father, my mother (a 5th grade teacher in Wmspt.), my sister (a teacher in S. Philly), and my daughter and wife, Alysha. What a nice afternoon for a graduation. Best of all, we had celebration milkshakes at Red Robin in Wilkes-Barre.

And, my first.....Beautiful Afternoon at Penn State wearing a jacket...I know that's a reach, but I love a good PSU football saturday...

A Visitor on Monday Morning

Monday morning my daughter announced perched from the bed, "Daddy, look a deer!" And, from the backyard window, there it was--a visitor. Now, we both jumped out of the bed from where we had been watching Dora the Explorer to watch our visitor eating the vegetation in our backyard. After it moved out of sight, we ran to the bathroom window, and I took this picture. Here is Charley watching her deer, which she proudly announced was a "white-tailed deer." I guess Diego, my 3 year old's hero, had rescued a white-tailed deer, at some point, and Char had identified hers as one from that show. Funny to hear that accurate of a description from my little baby.

After a while, I turned a light on in the bathroom, the deer saw Char and she thought it was so cool that they had made eye contact. What a great Monday Morning Memory.

PSU Victory 1: In Pictures

This weekend was victory #1 for the PSU Nittany Lions. My buddy Steve and I got into the stadium early, found our seats, and watched practice before the game.


We were quite amazed that JoePa ran out with his team. He's standing on the 37 yard line. And I may say that he had good form running out of the tunnel. I hope when I'm 82, I'll be able to move that well.



The Blue Band at half time performed a tribute to Michael Jackson. You should have seen their Thriller dance.


The best part of the day though was seeing Loyalsock's own, Jamie VanFleet get some playing time. His number is 54, just like my favorite football player's number of all time, Randy White of the Dallas Cowboys. (Yes, Steelers Fans, there is a Cowboys fan amongst you.....)