Ready or not, summer is coming! It feels like it was the beginning of November just last week, but somehow there are only 5 more days of school before the end of the year.

The last few weeks have been filled to the brim with special events, field trips, and celebrations to mark the closing of this fabulous school year. Check out some photos from these events below, and make sure that you check the end of the post to get the upcoming schedule for the last week of school – which is, of course, jam packed with even more special events and celebrations!

Fourth graders tie-dye commemorative t-shirts with a group of helpful parent and community volunteers. Each student got to design their own t-shirt, and with a lot of help from their teachers, they’ve been sporting the finished product all week!

The playgrounds are certainly buzzing, but the Johnson School Garden has been busy, as well. Mr. Harden has been leading Garden Tuesdays, after-school garden gatherings, and doing LOTS of work behind the scenes to ensure that we get the best from our beautiful garden for years to come.

Checkout has come to an end for the 2014-2015 school year, but reading has definitely not. Kindergarten and first graders show off some new, summer themed Preview Glasses while they enjoy some free reading time during their library class. It has been wonderful watching these students develop as independent readers this year as our Preview Day program has grown! I love watching students try new things, learn about what they like, and become more passionate and decisive readers.

The PTO Bingo and Silent Auction night prizes just keep on comin’! This Thursday, a group of special students accompanied me and second grade teacher Ms. Machen to Kegler’s for an afternoon of bowling and fun. They may have spelled my name wrong, but it didn’t stop me from bowling well enough to tie with two seven year olds 😉

Jefferson Madison Regional Library childrens’ librarian Anne Wilson came to visit this week to share the JMRL’s new and improved Summer Reading Challenge with Johnson students. This year, students have a challenge sheet and can spend the summer choosing their reading challenges and earning prizes like tote bags, free books, and toys! Ms. Wilson works in the childrens’ department at the Central Branch of JMRL, but students can visit any branch to get in on the summer reading action. Find out more about the Summer Reading Challenge and how your family can get involved!

One of my favorite parts of the school day is when friends come to visit me for breaks or to help out around the library. Special lunches, shelving jobs, organizing, or even just a dance break – I love the opportunity to spend some one-on-one time with students. It’s also a great opportunity to show students that our library is so much more than just a place to store books – it’s an interactive, engaging, imaginative space made just for them! Above, some second grade helpers sort non-fiction books for me, take a quick Python book break, and teach me some break dancing moves.

 Wednesday evening the amazing Johnson PTO hosted this year’s Spring Picnic. Complete with food, music, and a great group of community helpers, the Johnson family had a beautiful evening to spend time together. Students had the opportunity to meet neighborhood representatives from organizations like Big Brothers Big Sisters, the Boys and Girls Club, 4H, Books on Bikes, the Jefferson Madison Regional Library, and could even sit in a police car or fire truck. Click the photo above or follow this link to check out the photos or learn more about this wonderful event. Another great event by the Johnson PTO!

Kudos to the Johnson reading team for another great event on Friday night – it’s been a busy week! Johnson’s reading specialists and teachers put together Chill Out with a Great Book, a wonderful excuse to spend some time outside eating ice cream 🙂 Students and their families enjoyed summer-themed stories, a visit from Books on Bikes, a book giveaway, a raffle, and even free ice cream sundaes! With the beautiful Forest Hills Park (and the splash park!) as a backdrop, we spent quality time together while gaining tools to help families fight the “summer slide”. Great job, Johnson teachers, and thank you to Books on Bikes for coming out to give free books to Johnson students all week! Check out even more photos from this event on the Johnson PTO blog here.

Those photos are just a small representation of all of the parties and special events going on at Johnson to celebrate the end of what has definitely been our best year yet (to be fair, I think that every year). But the party isn’t over! Don’t miss these upcoming events:

– Grade level and homeroom graduation/Moving Up ceremonies: Check your grade level newsletter or with your child’s homeroom teacher for specific time and location information

– Field Day, Monday June 1: Coming up tomorrow, this year’s Field Day celebration will be bigger and better than ever! Don’t forget, your child will need tennis shoes and sunscreen, as they will be spending a few hours outside. A BIG thank you to Mrs. Rickabaugh, Mrs. Wayland, and the whole Field Day planning team for working hard to put together what is sure to be a ridiculously fun event!

– International Day, Wednesday June 3: Johnson is home to students from all over the world. Diversity is celebrated everyday in our school, but International Day gives us an extra opportunity to share all of the special and unique things about Johnson students and their families. Put together by Mrs. Scally and lots of hard working members of Charlottesville’s international community, don’t miss this amazing opportunity to celebrate all of the cultures and countries that come together to make the Johnson family complete. This celebration includes food, music, art, and even an assembly with dancing! It’s not to be missed.

– 4th Grade Moving Up Ceremony, Thursday, June 4th, 10:30 AM: Fourth graders are preparing to move up to Walker Upper Elementary, and we need to give them a proper goodbye! This mini-graduation ceremony will be followed by a reception for students and their families. Bring tissues!

Buckle your seatbelts, Johnson family! We’ve got a big week coming up. I can’t wait to see you and to celebrate all of the great things you’ve accomplished this year!