The End of an Era

I began my teaching carrer six years ago when my youngest son was starting kindergarten. I had been out of graduate school for 12 years. During that time, I raised two babies and cared for my father who had been incapacitated by a stroke. It was a new beginning for all of us. I was blessed to be able to take he and his older brother to school with me and we were looking forward to this new adventure together. Fast-forward six years...

Yesterday, I graduated my first class of kindergarteners - Zac included. It was truly a bittersweet moment for me. I am very excited for Zac and a little sad for me. He has been well-prepared by some of the finest teachers in the district. He has matured into a scholar, an athlete and a comedian. He has served his school as a patrol and has been a shining light for others to see. I will miss my door being flung open on a daily basis with the usual shout-out of "HI, MOM!!" For the first time in 6 years, my car will be empty except for me traveling to and from school. It is a strange and wonderful place in which I find myself.

Mr. Ruark doing the high-five thing with his scholars

Zac received a medal for making the "A" Honor Roll

Zac received a Physical Fitness award

Zac high-fiving his teachers with his diploma

I would like to take a moment to thank his teachers as they have imparted knowledge to him in a masterful way over the past six years. They have helped shape him and mold him into the young man that he is today and I would be remiss if I let this opportunity go by without a proper "thank you!"

To Mrs. Michelle Ellis and Mrs. Debby Cothern, I would like to say thank you for helping him make the transition from preschool to kindergarten and first grade. You provided him with stability and a highly structured environment which he desperately needed. You taught him to read. You loved on him when all he wanted was to be in my classroom with me. You paved the way for the others.

To Mrs. Wanda Lankford and Miss Amy Adams, I would like to say thank you for caring for my child in a way that only you could. To this day, he speaks very highly of you. Besides, he thought it was incredibly cool to be outside in a cottage! Wanda, you are still his favorite cheerleader!!

To Mrs. Toni Chant and Miss Bridget O'Connor, thank you for helping him stretch his mind and work on social skills at the same time. Both of you encouraged him and loved on him and helped him find himself in third grade. Without your help, he would not have performed at the level he did in 4th grade and we are grateful. Mrs. Chant, I love that you still have his picture on your wall two years later. To me, that speaks volumes. You promised you would attend his wedding; I will hold you to it. It may not be a "Big, Fat Greek Wedding," but we would like you in attendance nonetheless.

To Mrs. Angela Phillips and Mr. Rick Pinchot, thank you for helping him slow down when trying to do mathematical calculations. He operates in turbo-drive most of the time and both of you ingrained in him the importance of slowing down, checking your work and finishing the task before moving on to something different. We now call him the "human calculator" and he is looking forward to being on the Scholar Bowl Team in middle school like his older brother. And to Mrs. Dorry Lopez-Sinclair and Miss Meli Launey, thank you for nurturing in him a desire to read and to explore new genres of literature. Dorry, thank you for allowing him to assist you with technology and help you get ready for your day. It made him feel valued and needed.

And finally, to Mr. Tom Ruark, Mrs. Carolyn Swidorsky and Mrs. Jane Szerba - what a great way to end an era!! Thank you for making his 5th grade experience at CCE a fabulous one. He worked so hard in your classes and has learned the importance of being organized and following through. When he panicked because he didn't have what he needed to complete an assignment, you were so understanding. When he was out of line in class, you re-directed him and got him back in line. When he was sick at home, you called to check on him. There are no words to express my gratitude to each of you.

I would be remiss in not expressing a word of thanks to the resource teachers in our building who have helped him become an artist, an athlete, a young man of character and a technology guru. He is also quite the musician. You have considered him as one of your own and I will return the kindness as your children pass through the music department.

Not every parent can say "I taught my own kid in the public school system." I've had the good fortune of teaching mine and many others and consider it a privilege and an honor to have done so.

Until next time...

Flag Retirement 2010

"United States Federal Law provides that when the United States flag (Old Glory) becomes worn, torn, faded or badly soiled, it is time to replace it with a new flag, and the old flag should be "retired" with all the dignity and respect befitting our nation's flag. The traditional method of retirement is to incinerate the flag, but this does not mean that one should simply drop the flag into a fire. Today, we are not burning a flag. We are retiring a symbol of America's honor, courage, and strength."

And so began our final flag ceremony of the school year...

With the "Armed Services Medley" playing in the background, 1342 students filed out of the building and took their place around the bus loop. 100 5th graders who have served our school as Patrols were lined up and standing at attention. It was their final act of service as a Patrol this school year. 100 "Junior Patrols" were standing in formation as the honor of serving as a patrol was passed along from those who have served to those who will serve during the 2010-2011 school year.


After Mrs. Phillips completed her opening remarks, the flag team marched the new flag out to the flag pole and raised it to the top of the pole. Everyone recited the "Pledge of Allegience" and the "Star Spangled Banner" was sung by Courtney, one of my first-graders.

At the conclusion of the of the National Anthem, the flag was lowered to half-mast.

Sixteen of our 5th Grade Patrols celebrated the flag with reflective commentary while the retired flags were carried to the place where they would be incinerated. As the speakers shared their reflections, each of the 13 red and white stripes were separated from the flags and dropped into the fire.


At the conclusion of this portion of the ceremony, Andrew Bohn (a senior from Fletcher High School) played "Taps."

A moment of silence was observed in honor of the flags that were retired and for those who have served and are currently serving in our Armed Forces. The new flag was then returned to the top of the flag pole.

On a personal note, my father served in the United States Navy and saw combat during WWII in the South Pacific. My father passed away ten years ago and it is with great pride that I dedicate our flag retirement ceremony to him in my heart. I will never again be able to hear "Anchor's Away" or "Taps" without thinking about my daddy. Today, my mother was in attendance as her grandson (Zac) had a speaking part in the ceremony. She was deeply touched by the patriotism she saw in our students and our faculty today.

I am grateful to Mrs. Phillips for teaching our students what it means to be a good citizen of the United States of America. Teaching them to honor our country's flag is an important part of the process.

Until next time...

A Better You, A Better Me!

Producing a grade-level musical is no easy task when you have 200 students, 12 teachers and 8 different classrooms working together on the same project. These six songs - A Better You, A Better Me; Expect Respect; Trust is a Must Blues; Fight Fair; I Will Care For You; The CitizenSHIP - have been swimming around in my brain for many months. Next week, I will conduct this show eight times over the course of two days. The performance schedule is grueling, but in the end, this Herculean effort on the part of all of us is worth it. Creating life-long memories in the lives of our children is what it's all about!

I began teaching the music to the students back in January.

Our art teacher finished the set last week and "dressed" the stage for the performances.

My sound technician has spent hours with his meter trying to "dial us in" on the sound board.


It has been a frenetic week of working with props, practicing transitions, delivering lines and remembering lyrics.



"A Better You, A Better Me!" is up and running and we are very excited to present this program next week. The performance schedule is as follows:

Tuesday, June 1 at 6:00 p.m. Phillips, Pinchot, Lopez-Sinclair and Launey
Tuesday, June 1 at 7:30 p.m. Tillis/Smith
Thursday, June 3 at 6:00 p.m. Constande/Cole/Bass/Ciupak
Thursday, June 3 at 7:30 p.m. Evanko/Tsengas

The Chets Creek Recorder Club will perform pre-show music 30 minutes prior to each program.

Please make plans to join us!!

Until next time...

Hand, Hand, Fingers, Thumb

HAND, HAND, FINGERS, THUMB by Al Perkins is a text I use with my kindergarten classes each year. If read properly, it is filled with rhythmical patterns that can be easily transcribed into rhythmic notation.

Rhythmical books make teaching rhythmic patterns much simpler. When the cadence of the text can be translated into rhythmic notation, it can be read much easier than trying to decode the rhythmic pattern alone.

Take a look at the following picture.

On the board, I have written three patterns. Each of these patterns aligns with one page of text from the book. They are written in random order on the board.

First, I read the text from start to finish. Then I ask the students to play the patterns on the board on their "lap drums." I demonstrate the pattern; then say, "Pattern 1, ready, play" and they tap it out for me. Once they can play it fairly proficiently on their laps, I give each student a hand drum. I re-read the text. Every time I read a page that has a matching pattern on the board, I point to the notation on the board and everyone plays.



Assessment is done at the end of the class. I play the patterns on the board in random order and ask which pattern did I just play? If I have 80% accuracy on the assessment, I am very pleased.

Aural, visual and kinesthetic modalities are all used in this lesson and the students are actually reading simple rhythmic patterns which have now been tied to speech. Aligning the visual cue on the board with the aural cue from the book is good for ear-training. It is Orff instruction at its core.

"hand, hand, fingers, thumb; dum-ditty-dum-ditty dum, dum, dum - Pattern 1, Ready, Play..." Give it a try on your lap drum and see how you do!

Until next time...

Recorder Club and TPC at JIA

Today was an exciting day for The Chets Creek Recorder Club. We took a field trip to Jacksonville International Airport to perform for crowds of golf officianados passing through the airport on their way to the Tournament Players Championship in Ponte Vedra Beach. The students were very excited to see Paul Azinger (PGA Professional) autographing golf gloves and copies of his new book under the TPC tent.


We have been preparing for this musical adventure for the past eight weeks.

We've been rehearsing after school and working on the art of improvisation in one of our jazz pieces (a new and sometimes challenging musical skill). We showcased four soloists today (a first for us!) and the audience seemed to really enjoy our choreographed number. Have you ever seen "recorder digs?" :)


Waiting for our turn to perform.

Our fan following included moms, dads, grannies, grandpas and a little old lady from South Carolina that made her way over to me at the conclusion of our performance. She wanted me to know that she had driven down to Jacksonville to drop someone off at the airport and had no idea that she would get to enjoy "live" entertainment on her trip! "Marvelous Marvine" even dropped by to lend her support!




Miss Lambros returned to assist me with the trip today and conduct one of the pieces in our program. I am always very grateful when Miss Lambros can show up for the fun!

A big "Thank You!" to Ms. Debbie Jones (Community Relations Administrator at JIA) for believing in us and inviting us back for a command performance! We played there in December as part of the airport's "Holiday Fest" and she is always a most gracious host.

Many thanks to our parents who gave up their morning to help transport kids and equipment. Without their assistance, musically enriching experiences such as this would not be possible.

Until next time...

Cultural Arts Week

Cultural Arts Week showcases THE ARTS using a variety of media including visual arts, dance, performing arts, drama, story-telling, and music. All 1300+ students have a piece of artwork they created on display somewhere in the building.


There are assemblies each day for our students to experience "live" performance on our stage and the week culminates on Friday evening at "Arts Extravaganza" - a two-hour family fun event where you can come and create artwork to take home with you. Visual artists will be on-hand displaying and selling their work and musicians will be on-hand performing throughout the building.

On Monday and Tuesday evening, parents are invited back to school to view the student gallery in the lobby and purchase a framed piece of their child's artwork (Kids Art Fairs, Inc.)


On our stage, "Sugar and Spice" kicked off the week using puppets, pop music and magic tricks to engage the students.


On Tuesday, a percussion duo from the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra performed.


On Wednesday, Glenis Redmond from North Carolina shared the power of poetry with us.


On Thursday, Orisirisi African Folklore shared African drumming and song with our students. This duo performed at EPCOT for many years before taking their program into schools all over the Southeast.






On Friday, Project Listen (the educational outreach program of Riverside Fine Arts) brought Alan Dalton to us to play banjo and share his love of Bluegrass music with us. An impromptu clogging demonstration was also presented by me!!





The week closed out with Arts Extravaganza on Friday evening with Matthew Olsavsky entertaining us on the steel pan drum and a recorder quartet playing old standards and jazz favorites. It was an absolutely incredible week!!


Until next time...

Faculty Fun!!

Today, the Chets Creek Crab Shack opened for business! It is only open one day a year and it is by far, my favorite "faculty fun" thing to do! My youngest son asked me if we really ate crab and I had to tell him, "No - it's fried grouper, but it's just as good!"

The Crab Shack is southern redneck at it's core. We dine on fried fish, cheese grits, cole slaw and rolls. We drink gallons of iced tea and slop up home-made banana puddin' for dessert. We get to go fishin' for a prize. (One of our community business partners provides the gift cards). We listen to country music and cheer every time the next group walks through the door. It is hilarious!

Me and Mrs. Phillips. I gave her that crab hat years ago!

My principal hollers atcha when you walk in..."WELCOME TO THE CHETS CREEK CRAB SHACK, MRS. TAMBURRINO...COME ON IN!!" She's from South Carolina and sounds like it. She slaps that bait bucket in yer face and says, "time to go fishin'!" Today, I won a gift card from Starbucks, but could have won a gift card from WalMart, Target, Office Max, Subway, Ritas, Chick-Fil-A, an iTunes gift card, gummie worms, goldfish crackers or a real-live fish in a fish bowl. The "whale of a prize" was an iPod Nano or an iPod Shuffle!

I think a new tradition was begun today when Mrs. Phillips asked one of our born-and-bred Yankees if she had tried the cheese grits. She said, "No, no way!!" Mrs. Phillips told her that if she would eat a bowl of cheese grits, she would give her a special prize. We all watched and cheered as this poor soul gagged down a bowl of cheese grits, washing every bite down with a gulp of iced tea. (She was told she had to keep them down or she would lose her prize.)


Talk about blind faith...she endured this heckling not knowing what the special prize was going to be! Turns out, Mrs. Phillips offered to trade jobs with her for a day. She gets to be principal while Mrs. Phillips teaches her second grade class. My only regret is that her husband was not there to witness the ordeal.

Until next time...