Hello From Afghanistan!

Hello Pandas --

How are all of you doing?  I've made it to Afghanistan and I just wanted to say hello.

It was a long journey to Afghanistan.  We flew our plane from Minnesota to St. Johns, Newfoundland, CN, then to near London, England.  The next day we flew to Bucharest, Romania and finally to Bagram, Afghanistan.

Afghanistan is very mountainous and dry.  Some of the mountains that we fly over are 24,000' tall.  That's 10'000 feet taller than the highest mountains of Colorado.  We have been very busy flying almost everyday here.  Our plane has carried many passengers and their cargo to many different locations in Afghanistan.  The roads are in very poor shape here and often the only way to reach villages is by airplane.

Thank you again for the very special blanket.  I have it hanging on my wall and it reminds me of the Pandas and everyone back in the US every day.  I've thought of your class and the special presentation many times since I've been here.

Enjoy your last week of Kindergarten and have a great summer.

Thank you,

Major Jason Ceminsky

Scientists in the Making...

In Science we have been learning a lot about animals - insects, pets, birds, fish, etc. We know that in our own neighborhood there are a lot of these animals, sometimes, we just need to take a closer look. This week we grabbed our clipboards, our pencils, and focused on our eyes, ears, and touch to see what we could discover at Hoover on a Nature walk. Within our 15 minute exploration we discovered 37 birds, 12 caterpillars, 2 inchworms, 6 spiders, 5 butterflies, several insects and 1 dog across the street! Take a look at the our future scientists at work!

A Sweet Send Off

Breaking a Sweat & Breaking a Board!

We had a great time today with our Friday Friend Master Winkler. He taught us about respect, focus, and self-control. He was a wonderful speaker and Aiden - one of Master Winkler's students - actually demonstrated how to break a board! He was very respectful, saying "Yes Sir!" and focusing on his Master's commands and directions. I even got in on the action! After listening carefully to Master Winkler's directions, focusing, and getting support from the students, I broke a board! It was quite a great time!

As a group we all practiced our listening skills, our focus skills, and our self-control. We are hoping that this discussion will help us remember to remain respectful of the rules, be a first-time listener, and give our best for the remainder of the school year! 

Just for Jason

Olivia's dad, Jason Ceminsky, is returning to Afghanistan on the morning of Thursday, May 12th. As a class we wanted him to know how much we appreciate his service, his courage, and bravery.
We wish him, and his fellow troop members, safety throughout their tour of duty. May he return home soon to a true hero's welcome.
Hope you take the time to enjoy the video and remember those who are serving our country!

Make a free digital slideshow

Just for Jason

Olivia's dad, Jason Ceminsky, is returning to Afghanistan on the morning of Thursday, May 12th. As a class we wanted him to know how much we appreciate his service, his courage, and bravery.
We wish him, and his fellow troop members, safety throughout their tour of duty. May he return home soon to a true hero's welcome.
Hope you take the time to enjoy the video and remember those who are serving our country!

Make a free digital slideshow