Big things are happening here at roomtwelve.com. First, there is a new group of third grade bloggers (on the right, under Room Twelve) who are just diving right in, setting up their blogs and already posting articles on their blogs. This is certainly a record for a fast start! I look forward to lots of great writing and conversations here during the 09-10 school year.

There is also some pretty exciting news for some of the Room Twelve Alumni (on the right, down a bit). Nine students are no longer there - but that's because their blogs have been moved to their current fifth grade teacher, Mr. Gonzalez! Best of luck to those wonderful writers as they continue on with their writing!

To visitors: all student blogs can still receive comments. They are, as they always have been, moderated by me. Thanks for stopping by. I hope you find some enjoyable reading. - Mr. A.

The New Year is a time when people start thinking about what they could do better (like read more), or about things they'd like to do less of (like eat less junk food). So students of roomtwelve.com, do you have any resolutions for 2009? Post an article on your blog for extra credit in writing, and let people know what you will be working on this year. Blog visitors, feel free to leave your resolutions in comments here or to student blogs as they appear here.

Other classrooms blogging about their resolutions are here and here.

Well, it's snowing in Seattle again, and I'm a little tired of it all. I mean, where's all the grass, anyway? Here's a picture Mr. A. just took. If you know what kind of bird this is, leave your guess as a comment to this blog post. Thanks! - Lincoln (Mr. A's cat)

Hi Room Twelve bloggers and blog readers,

While staying out here in Ithaca, NY for a few days, I took this picture of a cute little bird at a feeder. Can anybody guess what kind of a bird it is? We do not see these birds in Washington State, or the western US. If you have a guess, leave a comment here. Thanks!

Keep up the blogging, Room Twelve! - Mr. A.