We have a pen pal. Her name is Carol and she lives in Australia. Carol has always had a special place in her heart for Maine, and she happened to catch the Oprah episode about Frenchboro, so she decided to write a letter to us. Around Christmas time, she sent us a couple packages with special gifts like an Australian flag, stickers, even a calendar. When she writes to us, she always includes interesting details about her country, and since we are practicing our mapping skills in Social Studies, all the information is very helpful. It just so happens that I have a special place in my heart for Australia as well since I lived there for six months as an exchange student. I hope the kids in Frenchboro School take advantage of any opportunites they have to travel the world as it's incredible experience to learn about different places and cultures. Hi Carol! Thanks!
Friday, January 8, 2010
Pen Pal
We have a pen pal. Her name is Carol and she lives in Australia. Carol has always had a special place in her heart for Maine, and she happened to catch the Oprah episode about Frenchboro, so she decided to write a letter to us. Around Christmas time, she sent us a couple packages with special gifts like an Australian flag, stickers, even a calendar. When she writes to us, she always includes interesting details about her country, and since we are practicing our mapping skills in Social Studies, all the information is very helpful. It just so happens that I have a special place in my heart for Australia as well since I lived there for six months as an exchange student. I hope the kids in Frenchboro School take advantage of any opportunites they have to travel the world as it's incredible experience to learn about different places and cultures. Hi Carol! Thanks!
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ReplyDeleteHello Children, I thought I'd "visit" you today because a short while has passed since I wrote to you all. Well, over here in South Australia, it has been so very hot with temperatures reaching over 105degF most of the time. I know you say your temperatures in Farenheit, whereas over here we use the Celsius conversion (metric). Sometimes, when it's so hot here, my mind wanders over to Frenchboro and I instantly feel refreshed and cool because I know you're all having fun with all that snow. I wish I could build a snowman. I check the school blog too that Mr or Mrs Finn write out and enjoy browsing through those great photos of you all outside rugged up and warm and having a great time. I hope everyone is well and happy and that you're enjoying your school lessons. I wonder if anything exciting has happened lately? Also, is it very cold over there? Best wishes to everybody from your friend, Carol.
ReplyDeleteGood morning everyone, well it is over here and you know what, I'm guessing that you're all fast asleep, snug and warm right now as I write to you. So much has been happening in your classroom from the photos I've seen and looks like everyone is having a lot of fun in March. I really think Pyjama Day (see that it's spelt differently over here?), rocks!! Wouldn't it be great if you were allowed to go to school in your pj's every day?? I wonder how you coloured your hair for Crazy Hair Day too?? Back-To-Front Day is so funny, especially if you had to wear your clothes the other way around. Did you get to eat breakfast at the end of the day then?
ReplyDeleteI was happy to learn that you have been reading The Call Of The Wild and saw White Fang. I like both of these too and White Fang is beautiful. Hey, I hope you like the picture I'm going to send through of my doggy Oscar and I wonder if you think he and White Fang would be friends?
By the way, how is it going with the garden you're fixing up? I see from the photos that there's no more snow around.
It will soon be nicer weather in Frenchboro because it's almost spring time. Over here it's cooler now because fall season (we call it autumn) is approaching but I like the cooler weather.
I've enjoyed visiting you today but will say goodbye for now. I still hope little Koala is being good over there. Bye for now from Carol and Oscar, my very own "White Fang" .
I am going to try sending you all a photo of Oscar as it didn't work last time so here goes everyone. . .
ReplyDeleteHey everyone, Easter is almost here and I hope you're all as excited as what I am. I just thought of something you may like to read . . .
ReplyDelete"Easter ducks and Easter chicks,
Easter eggs with chocolate thick,
Easter hats for one and all,
Easter bunny makes a call!
A happy Easter always brings,
Such a lot of pleasant things!"
Did you like that verse?
It's also your Spring season and all the more reason to be happy! Your vegetable garden is going to love the sunshine. Did you know over here in Oz, it's Autumn, but you call it Fall.
Soooo.... I say happy Easter, happy Spring and a lot of Happiness may this wish from me bring!
I hope everybody in Frenchboro has a lovely holiday.
Bye for now, your friend, Carol.
A very good morning from a cool and raining South Oz! I hope it rains all day because in South Australia where I'm living, there's never much rain about. Did you all have a lovely Easter Holiday and who was lucky enough to spot Easter Bunny?? He's very clever you know and equally as fast with his hop, hop, hopping! Anyway I hope everyone had a lovely time and I wonder what the weather was like over there in Frenchboro?
ReplyDeleteI love the new photo of you all standing together at the schoolhouse and guess what? You're growing sooo much!
Bye for now everybody, have a lovely week.
From Carol :-)
Hello to my special friends over there in Maine. You have made me such a happy lady today because I found in my post box an envelope with 'Frenchboro School'and a Ferry stamped on the front. I opened it up to find 9 beautiful hand made thank-you cards. I love them all and think they're so special because they are from each of you. I enjoyed reading them. THANK YOU SO MUCH Teressa, Cadin, Bradley, Jayde, Saylor, Johnny, Dylan, Brody and Cody. I know there are 13 classmates so for those who weren't able to do a card, it's okay because you may have been away from school that day or off the island. Mrs Finn did tell me some of you have been sick and hope you're all better now.
ReplyDeleteI can't wait to show my family your cards and tell them most of you liked the Vegemite.
Thank you, again everyone for the lovely surprise.
From your friend, Carol :-)
Gidday Everyone - that's Aussie talk that means hello!
ReplyDeleteIt feels like such a long time since I visited you all, do you think the same as me? Even though I haven't written you messages, I have visited the school blog often that Mr. and Mrs. Finn have on the internet. It's amazing what you have all been up to lately. The clay lesson with the video was sooo nice to see. I got to see and hear a lot of you. Then there's the Camp Beechcliff day with the rock climbing. Wow, how awesome that you got to rock climb! The photos were terrific showing you wearing the safety gear and helmets. Real professionals if you ask me! Even the little kids were there joining in. What a great day. Did anyone else reach the top like Cody did?
The charcoal art is so detailed and another great photo of you all displaying the artwork.
I thought the nature study with the nightlife camera filming the otters and little whet owls was fantastic too. I would sure love to hold an owl. Wow! For those of you who have seen Harry Potter, do you like his beautiful white owl? Speaking of owls, have any of you seen the owls who have upright ears, sort of like some dogs have? They're called great horned owls and the ears are really feathers.
I hope everyone is enjoying the lovely spring weather over there in Frenchboro and that your garden is coming along well, too. Oh, before I close I want to tell you I'm going to post away a little something in the post again, real soon. I'll get Mrs. Finn to tell you when I've posted it, okay? We can then work out how long it takes to fly over to Maine and then catch the ferry to Long Island and off to Frenchboro.
Goodbye from Australia everyone,
your friend, Carol :-)
Hello Everyone in Frenchboro,
ReplyDeleteYour day has just begun and it's night time over here in South Australia - almost bed time. Remember in my last message I said I'd let you know when I was going to send something to you? Well, yesterday Sunday 2nd of May, I posted a little something off. Let's count the days to see how long it takes to reach Frenchboro, okay?
Hope you all have a nice day today and hmmm, I wonder what lessons Mr. and Mrs. Finn have planned this week?
Bye for now everyone,
Your friend,Carol :-)
Hello Cody, Dylan, Brody, Austin, Myron,Teressa, Saylor, Bradley, Cadin, Johnny, Jayde, Seth, Mr. & Ms. Finn,
ReplyDeleteIt has been so long since I wrote in this blog but I wanted to write to you today.
I was so delighted to receive your lovely card. Thank you all so much. I like the picture that you drew too, Myron. The sea looks so calm!
I hope everybody in Frenchboro are staying warm and rugging up when you go into the cold outdoors.
It's always exciting to tune into Mr. & Ms. Finn's school blog because I get to see what you are all doing over there school. I like all those great photos; the outdoor ones especially where you're in the snow. By the way, I can see you're all growing so much.
As you may know, it's summer season over here in Australia and where I live, it's unbearably hot at the moment. This week, temperatures have climbed to 107 degrees F so that gives you an idea what summertime over here can be like. Sometimes if the high temperatures drag on, the heat can begin to sap your energy. When this happens to me, I simply think of Frenchboro. The very thought of icy wind and snow, and making snowmen and forts like you do, really does make me feel cooler.
Again, thank you for the lovely surprise. I am very happy that you like what I send over and you're all very welcome.
Keep warm everybody.
From your friend, Carol :-)
Good morning to everyone in Frenchboro - well it is as I write this. It's your day time right now and that means late evening over here. I just wanted to say how much I enjoyed reading Mr. & Ms. Finn's entry in the school blog about the hockey day with your school friends from Swan's Island. What a fun day and how fantastic the sun was shining too.
ReplyDeleteI see by the photos that there's still plenty of snow around. In case you're wondering, it's oh so hot here in South Australia where I live. I'd sure like it if you could post me over some of your snow...That would be so funny, do you think? Mushy melted snow!! :-)
Have a lovely day everyone.
From your friend, Carol.
Hello everyone over there in beautiful Frenchboro. It's school time again and I wanted to tell you that I made up this little poem...
ReplyDeleteYour new school year has begun and I hope you have a lot of fun.
I know you'll do your very best to get super marks with every test.
Enjoy your brand new grades now that you're one year higher.
And I, along with everyone at Frenchboro school, say welcome! To new class mate, Tyler.
**Happy New School Year Kids AND Happy Fall Season**
Bye for now everyone,
Your friend from Down Under,
Carol :-)
HAPPY HALLOWEEN over there in Frenchboro. I'm not too sure when you will get to read this, but it's Halloween night over here in Australia.
ReplyDeleteHalloween is not widely done in Australia as it is in America. Some children will dress up in costumes and celebrate it as a dance at their schools. There is no public holiday for Halloween in Australia.
Some favorite scary recipes that kids over here like to make are - spooky witches fingers, grape eyes, cupcake graveyards and ghost sugar biscuits. Biscuits is another name for cookies, but maybe most of you knew that. Oh, the most popular drink on Halloween is rasberry juice because it looks like dark vampire blood...so disgusting!
Well, I hope you enjoyed reading how we spend Halloween over here. There's just one thing I'd like to say before I close and that is... Have a SPOOK-TACULAR Halloween!!
Best wishes everyone.
Your friend, Carol :-)
HAPPY THANKSGIVING DAY to you all over there in Frenchboro. Have yourselves a lovely time as this very special autumn day is celebrated.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure you've heard it before, but I have a riddle. . .
'What kind of key do you use on Thanksgiving?'
'A Tur-key'.
I always enjoy reading the school blog that Mr. & Ms. Finn post on the internet. From all the lovely photos, I see that there isn't any snow about over there just yet.
It's warming up over here and some days are very hot. When December arrives, it will be summer. School kids over here are very excited with the holiday season approaching. Remember last year I told you that Christmas in Australia is very hot?
Happy Thanksgiving once again. I look forward to hearing all about it in the school blog.
Best wishes everyone, from the Land of Down Under.
Your friend, Carol :-)