My Big News

As you may know, my family and I are moving to Illinois this summer.  My husband has been in seminary studying to become an ordained minister in the United Methodist Church for the past two years.  He has been appointed as minister to two small churches in central Illinois.  This is a huge blessing and opportunity for our family and we are thrilled to start this new adventure.

I am very sad to leave St. Paul.  This school community has been very important to me and my family for the past five years.  I have watched my students and my daughter learn and grow here and have been blessed to be a part of your lives.  I will take many lessons and great experiences with me as I  leave St. Paul.

Here are a few pictures to illustrate where we will be headed.  We will live in a tiny town called Tiskilwa and will serve the Tiskilwa Community Church there.  We will also serve another church in a nearby town called Sheffield United Methodist Church.  Madeline and Ava will go to school five miles away from Tiskilwa in a town called Princeton.  They'll get to ride a school bus!  There are about 900 people living in Tiskilwa and Sheffield and 7,000 in Princeton.  Life for us is going to be very different than life in the Detroit suburbs, but we're confident that God has a lot of lessons He wants to teach us and blessings He wants to give us in our new home.  Please continue to pray for my family that we may be good examples of Jesus to our communities.  I will continue to keep the families of St. Paul school in my prayers as well.

You can follow my family's adventures on my family blog, Faithfully Following.  I hope that you will keep in touch!  You can also email me at christina.krost@gmail.com. 

Thank you for all your love, laughs, and support through my years at St. Paul.  I treasure my time here and wish everyone lots of learning and love in the future. 

Google Docs and Evernote

All of the junior high (6th-8th grade) students at St. Paul were recently issued email accounts through our Google Apps for Education account.  Parent permission was needed before the accounts were set up.  During class we set up our accounts, discussed password safety, changed our passwords, and learned how to use Google Docs and Evernote.  These programs will enable more collaboration over the Internet and may in the long run cut down on our paper usage.

But an email account is a great responsibility.  We have discussed all year in class how to be good digital citizens and the need to follow the St. Paul Acceptable Use Policy, found on pages 41-46 of the St. Paul handbook.  I look forward to using these exciting programs and preparing my students for a digital future!

Images taken from http://alldailyupdatesandnews.blogspot.com and evernote.com.

Where Should Waste Go?

Earth Day 2012 is on April 22. Many classes will be exploring Earth Day topics in computer class this week. Here's an interactive game called My Garbology that can help you learn more about how to properly sort your "garbage".  Check it out!  Happy Earth Day!

Reading Month Survey

March seems like so very long ago, but if you have a free moment this week could you fill out the following survey about Reading Month?

The Origins of April Fools Day

Check out this short video about the origins of April Fools Day: