5 Too Many: D.A.R.E to Step-Up & Eat Lobster

This has been an eventful day for Zoe, Emily, & Eleanor. Emily & Eleanor had step-up day at school. They got to meet their new teachers and their new classes for next year. Emily has Mrs. Wardell next year. I'm excited about this placement because Mrs. Wardell has the kids read A LOT (from what I hear) and Emily loves to read. Emily was a bit concerned at first about a couple of boys in her new class. She was so concerned that homeschooling sounded better to her than being in this class. That thought only lasted a day and Emily's outlook on her new class has gotten brighter and brighter each day since. After step-up day today, Emily is ready to start 4th grade NOW, so now she is dreading summer vacation. I'm so glad she has made this switch and is not dreading 4th grade anymore.

Eleanor has Mrs. Frecker, which is who Zoe had for 2nd grade as well. Eleanor is so excited because Mrs. Frecker gives out candy. Eleanor got 2 gummy worms today. I think Eleanor will have a lot of fun next year because Mrs. Frecker has the kids put on a lot of plays about what they are learning and she is big on field trips. Although, with budget cuts, I'm not sure how many of those field trips will take place next year. Mrs. Frecker is a lot different from the teacher Eleanor has this year, but I think Eleanor will do great in her new class and I know she will learn a lot.

Zoe graduated from the D.A.R.E. program this afternoon, along with all of the other 5th graders. There are 4 5th grade classes and each student in each class had to write an essay about what they learned in the D.A.R.E. program. Each class had an essay winner. A big part of Zoe didn't want to win the essay contest because the winners would then read their essays at the graduation.

Zoe had the best essay in her class! The officer standing next to Zoe picked the essay winners. Zoe was so nervous about reading her essay, but she did a great job!

Here is what she wrote:
"We have been doing D.A.R.E. every Tuesday for the last 10 weeks. D.A.R.E. is a program that teaches about harmful drugs and how to say no to them. Some of the harmful drugs are tobacco, marijuana, and alcohol. All of these drugs are very bad for you and can prevent you from doing many things, such as sports and not having enough energy to play with family.
One way to avoid them is to use the D.A.R.E. Decision-Making Model. Define, assess, respond, and evaluate. You can define the problem in your head, then think of all the choices you can make, then respond and evaluate. Hopefully, you've made the right choice. But in order to make the right choice you need to know the harmful effects of the drug.
Tobacco can be very harmful in many ways. It can cause breathing and upper respiratory problems. It can affect your body's development. Tobacco is mostly found in cigarettes. There are 200 known poisons in cigarette smoke! Smoking is the leading preventable cause of death. More then 400,000 Americans die from tobacco related causes each year. Smoking is the most common cause of lung cancer. Approximately 3,000 nonsmokers die of lung cancer each year from breathing other peoples smoke! It is illegal to sell tobacco products to anyone under the age of 18.
Marijuana is illegal in the United States. There are many reasons why it is illegal. Marijuana can cause short-term memory loss and loss of concentration. Marijuana smoke contains 50% to 70% more of some cancer causing chemicals than tobacco smoke. It slows coordination and reflexes.
Alcohol can affect the growing body of a teenager more than a body of an adult. Alcohol can only affect the person who is drinking it. Alcohol slows down the brain and central nervous system. One beer has as much alcohol as a glass of wine. Adults over the age of 21 are legally allowed to drink alcohol.
I learned a lot in D.A.R.E. that I didn't know before. You should always think about the consequences of drugs when someone offers you one.
I pledge to always think about what I learned in D.A.R.E. when someone offers me a drug."

I let the kids walk around before the graduation began to get their wiggles out, but the wiggles came back right when the essays were starting to be read. It was a bit stressful trying to keep Noah and Kate quiet through the 2 essays before Zoe's. Zoe read her essay and then I took Noah and Kate out into the hall. They were so happy to run around and be free!

Waiting for graduation to begin...

Noah really got into the clapping when the certificates were handed out. He clapped, danced, and shouted. I think he was just so excited that he didn't have to be quiet for awhile.