Friday, November 21, 2008

Fall Break Trip

For the extended Fall Break weekend, eight of us headed to Carinthia, in the south of Austria near the Austria-Italy border. We stayed in a guest house with beautiful mountain views. We hiked, read books, played games and watched movies.

This was one of the picturesque views around the guest house. The weather was gorgeous all weekend long and the fall colors were brilliant.

We enjoyed cooking meals together at the guest house and eating around the big dining table. It was great to have plenty of time to sit and talk after eating, to enjoy the leisurely pace of vacation.

We ventured into Italy, to Venice, one day. What a fabulous city! Around each corner we'd stumble across another quaint view. Here Sandi and I pose by one of the main canals. Our whole group had fun exploring the city. We ended the day with dinner together at an authentic Italian restaurant. What a wonderful weekend with good friends!

Indoor Recess

It's been a beautiful fall here, but we finally had a rainy day and were forced to stay indoors for recess. These two girls enjoyed a break from their studies over a game of checkers. The girl on the left came to VCS in third grade and the girl on the right is new this year. They have become very good friends and love to spend time together.

Fall Festival Fun

Students and families filled the school for Fall Festival, an evening of carnival games capped off with a choir concert. Here a second grader prepares to go fishing at the fish pond booth. What will she catch on her hook? A good sized...piece of candy!

These girls were former students of mine last year. The girl in the middle is Austrian and has transitioned into an Austrian middle school this year. She came back to visit her VCS friends and teachers and was proud to report that she is doing very well in her new school.

These are some of my current fifth grade students. They are full of energy and love being together and fun events like this!