patriot (noun): a person who loves and strongly supports or fights for his or her country.

armed forces: (We discussed these in November during our tribute to Veterans and have talked about them in the weeks after our donation to the Veterans of Foreign Wars. Can you name the 5 branches of the United States Armed Forces? If you can, come by the library for a bookmark or beach treasure.)

Just in time for Memorial Day, on Friday, May 23rd, our 5th graders were visited by three World War II Veterans: Army Security Agency Intelligence Ed Moreno (also on NACP's Board of Directors), Army Air Corps Pilot and 1st Lieutenant Mike LaVere and Navy Machinist Mate Barney Leone. They shared their stories, maps, books, photographs and other WWII memorabilia. Students wanted their autograph, so we had them sign a sheet to be copied and sent home with them. What an absolute honor and privilege to host these gentleman for the day, learn from them and to be able to personally thank them for their service. Thank you to all those who have served and are currently serving our country. Thank you for our freedom. Be sure to scroll down below the pictures for a very special veteran's story featuring Mr. Barney Leone.

Special thanks to Mr. Ed Moreno for helping to bring these special guests to our school. It was a day we will never forget.

These three men are part of a group called "Wings over Wendy's" (WOW). This group consists of over 100 veterans of all services. Every Monday morning at 9 a.m. — before the restaurant is open to the public — Ron Ross, who runs the Wendy’s in West Hills, lets the veterans ome in early to grab a coffee/pastry and have their meetings. To learn more, click here for an article posted on the Operation Gratitude Blog celebrating WOW's ten year anniversary in 2012.

The flag in the pictures, which has 48 stars, was the actual flag flown in Iwo Jima on the USS Nemasket A0G10. Leone even brought in a model of this ship to share.

On May, 22, we had our first Mystery Skype! 5th grade students came to Camp Read Smore to meet some new friends in Ohio as we narrowed down and guessed each other's location through the use of printed maps, online Google maps and a lot of teamwork. It was a lot of fun! Big thanks to Big Walnut Elementary in Sunbury, Ohio for playing with us!

We learned so much about Yellowstone National Park from Park Ranger Mel! She taught us about geology (geysers, hot springs, volcanoes), ecology (fire, wildlife such as bears, bison, elk, wolves, etc.) and cultural history (Native American, the fact that Yellowstone is the world's 1st national park, tourism, etc.). The students loved the pictures she shared with us and enjoyed the opportunity to speak directly to her. Soon, there will be a video of our Skype and you'll be able to hear the fantastic questions our students asked.

Be sure to visit this link for webcams, including one of the Old Faithful Geyser, photographs of the park and so much more.

Each August 25th, visitors to Yellowstone National Park can drive by Christmas Tree Rock (approximately 13 miles north of Old Faithful). Visitors can even go to the Old Faithful Inn to partake in other Christmas celebrations like tree decorating, cookies, punch, music and a even a visit from Santa Claus. To learn more about the history and how a Yellowstone August Christmas came to be, click here.