Good Morning Room 53,

We finally met our friends this morning. They were waiting for us in our room. The Tin Man, Scarecrow and Lion were smiling at us when we walked to our seats. After reading about where they have been we decided to use the “Tracking Device” that was made to help find Dorothy.

 We left the room with the device hoping that it would beep and lead us to Dorothy. We went down to the Kindergarten classrooms, outside to the playground and looked inside many windows. We could not see Dorothy anywhere!!!

 

 

 

We decided to come back and come up with a different strategy to help our friends reunite with Dorothy. We split up into three groups to brainstorm  ideas to help with our search. One idea was to design a strong magnetic field like the ones we did when we designed our Maglev Trains.

 

• Put a magnet with a really strong magnetic pull on Dorothy and one on the Tin Man, Scarecrow and the Lion. The magnetic force will automatically bring them together. No matter where they are at Edgewood.
• Plant a magnet inside a dog biscuit so Toto will find it and eat it. Don’t worry it won’t hurt him. Dorothy does not go anywhere without Toto so once he eats it the magnetic field will be in place.

Thank goodness we learned about Magnets and the Maglev System. We hope this works for you guys.

Good Luck!!!

Dear Room 52,

When we arrived at school this morning, we were happy to see that The Tin Man, Lion, and Scarecrow were in our classroom. But we knew something was wrong. The Tin Man, Lion and Scarecrow looked extremely upset. After reading Mrs. Cucolo’s letter, we knew we had an important task ahead of us.

At 9:00, we hurried to Spanish where we found the Wicked Witch. We were so thankful that The Tin Man, Lion, and Scarecrow did not come to Spanish with us. Who knows what the Wicked Witch would have done? Luckily, we did not have to find out. When we left Spanish, we asked Señorita Houston if she could keep both of her doors locked. This would prevent  the Wicked Witch from escaping  and hurting any of our friends.

When we returned to our classroom, we began thinking like detectives and brainstormed ways to find Dorothy.

Here is what we came up with:

• Break into groups to find Dorothy.
• Use a hand lens and flashlight to help us look for clues.
• Make a tracking device to find Dorothy.

First, as a class, we decided to break into two groups. After searching high and low, Ethan, our senior option student, found a clue! He noticed a blue, red, and white ribbon outside of Mr. DelMonaco’s classroom. We quickly found the rest of the class to share our wonderful news.

We all ran into Mr. DelMonaco’s room. To our surprise, we found Dorothy!! We were so happy she was safe! Next we decided it was best if Dorothy, The Tin Man, Lion, and Scarecrow split up to find the Emerald City.

Back in the classroom, we worked very hard to create a tracking device to attach to Dorothy. The Tin Man arrived at our classroom with an iphone. We connected The Tin Man’s iphone to our tracking device. We hoped that this tracking device would allow The Tin Man, Lion, and Scarecrow to always know Dorothy’s whereabouts.

 

As the day continued, the Tin Man, Lion, and Scarecrow helped us with our math, reading and science (though the Scarecrow wasn’t much help… If he only had a brain!) Our three friends even got to check out Edgewood’s library!

Before the bell rang, we wished our new friends good luck on their adventure to find Emerald City! We hope they keep track of Dorothy!

Thursday morning we found Dorothy’s friends in our classroom! Mrs. Mangiamele’s class had written us a letter to let us know that no matter how hard they tried they could not find Dorothy.  SO, we knew our mission was to try and convince Dorothy to come to us!

As a class we wrote her the following letter:

Dear Dorothy,

Do you like dancing?  Do you like music?  Do you need to see the Wizard in Emerald City?  Then come to Room 4 and we will teach you to ease on down the road!  We think if you learn to ease on down the road you can have fun with your friends on the way to see the Wizard.  You will have fun because the music is a Hip Hop remix.  You’ll love the way it sounds and it will make you want to dance!  We also think you should learn to ease on down the road because it will get you to Emerald City to see the Wizard in a jiffy – really fast!  The faster you get to Emerald City the faster you will get to the Edgewood Fair.  Your friends the Scarecrow, the Tin man, and the Lion have learned it from us and they have become experts!  They said “it really is fun and it really is fast!”  SO if you looovveee fun and music and need to see the Wizard, come to Room 4 and learn to ease on down the road!  Hurry Dorothy! Hurry!

P.S.  Mrs. Cucolo received a mysterious gift…a pair of ruby red slippers.  So don’t worry, we will all be safe from the Wicked Witch of the West.

We waited ALL DAY, but Dorothy never came. Now it’s up to YOU to try and find Dorothy before the Wicked Witch does!

On Wednesday morning we found the scarecrow, the tin man and the lion reviewing our daily schedule.  We then found “fake” Dorothy and thought our mission was complete.  When we opened our letter, we quickly realized that “fake” Dorothy was to trick the witch.  Our mission begins….

In the morning we read on how to be a detective, which would help us find Dorothy and evade the witch.  Scaredy Squirrel books taught us that we needed an “action plan” and an “emergency kit”.  Kevin Henkes’ main character Lilly taught us about disguises.

The Plan:

1.    Dress up the characters.
2.    Have a map of our school in order to know where to go and hide if necessary.
3.    Create an anti-witch kit.
4.    Go over the plan with everyone
5.    Put plan into action.

LET’S GET DOROTHY AND HER FRIENDS TOGETHER AGAIN.

In the morning we searched the first floor.  In the afternoon we searched the second floor.  We didn’t find Dorothy.  Our mission failed.  It is now up to you to find Dorothy.  Good Luck!

The Hunt for Dorothy

Unlocking our classroom doors this dreary Monday morning, we were surprised to witness four silhouettes staring back at us through the door’s window. “How did they get in the classroom?” we all asked. The doors were locked! The Scarecrow, Tin man, and Cowardly Lion were standing in front of Mr. Reilly’s closet. The Wicked Witch of the West herself was lurking in the back of the classroom. She overheard Scarecrow and his friends discussing the disappearance of Dorothy and Toto. She knew she had to get to Dorothy first.

Our class had library scheduled for library at 11:00 am that morning. As we quickly grabbed our books and shuffled off to the library, some of our classmates noticed the witch acting mischievous. The witch knew that she had to get to the highest point in the land of Edgewood…The Cupola. She needed to summon her flying monkeys to help her find Dorothy and Toto.

When we got back from the library, we realized the Wicked Witch was missing. Before we could even start the search, the bell rang for recess!!! We descended down the stairs happily with Mr. Reilly and the class. We were too distracted to notice the ginormous puff of smoke surrounding the Cupola. However, suddenly the Wicked Witch utters a loud cry. In shock, we turned around to find the words, “Surrender Dorothy,” hanging eerily in the sky.

We got scared. And by scared, we mean absolutely petrified! Scarecrow, Cowardly Lion and the Tin Man were the most terrified out of them all! Luckily, there was a sudden downpour so the Wicked Witch had to fly away on her broomstick. Now with the help of the Scarecrow, the Cowardly Lion, and the Tin Man, it’s up to us to find Dorothy and Toto and save the day!

Dear Room 17,

After getting some much needed rest, we awoke to the noise of a churning sound.  We were quite puzzled.  “What’s that?” asked Scarecrow.  “I don’t know. Let’s take a closer look.” said Tinman.  “I’m s-c-a-r-e-d.” stammered Lion.  Holding hands, we all crept closer to see where the noise was coming from.  We thought at first that it was Toto growling, but unfortunately it wasn’t. To our amazement it was the sound of chick eggs rotating in an incubator.  As we were peering into the incubator, we heard a commotion and all the kids came bounding in. They were so excited to see us., and we were just as excited to see them!  We told the first graders that Dorothy and Toto are still missing and we need all the help we can get to find them.

A few of the kids quickly designed some missing/wanted signs.  Oh boy, do we hope someone returns Dorothy and Toto to Room 6.

  We waited and waited. Our first grade friends kept a look-out for Dorothy and Toto, but our search was interrupted when Mrs. O’Connor’s class was summoned outside for a bus drill. We didn’t know what to do!

 

Thankfully, our quick-thinking first grade friends came up with a plan: they would look outside for Dorothy and Toto while we stayed in the classroom, just in case the Wicked Witch of the West was watching through her crystal ball. If they did find Dorothy and Toto, they would sneak our friends back to Room 6 because, while the Witch knows who we are, she has never met Mrs. O’Connor’s class before!

Right after the bus drill the kids brought us outside to have a snack.  “Thank goodness!  We sure were hungry from all this wondering and searching,” Lion said.

      With our minds refreshed, we continued to search for clues and plot ways to stop the Wicked Witch from catching us.

One idea was to save a banana peel and put it somewhere the witch wouldn’t see and slip on it. They also left a trail of crumbs for Dorothy and Toto to follow back to Room 6.

We thought all was lost when suddenly a few of the first graders found a clue – a REAL CLUE!  Dorothy and Toto left this note inside of an old tennis ball:

After lunch we got word that Dorothy and Toto had been spotted in Mrs. Marceau’s room, but when Harper and Naina went to see… Dorothy had taken Toto for a walk but never returned! And we were so close, too!

“Poor Dorothy!,” sobbed Tinman, “we’ve just got to find her!” Scarecrow scratched his head. “I’m all out of ideas,” he sighed. Lion hid his face with his paws and stuttered, “W-w-what are we g-g-g-going to do n-n-n-now?”

It was nearing the end of the school day, but still no Dorothy or Toto. Mrs. O’Connor’s class had one last suggestion: ask Dr. Houseknecht to review the school cameras and see if he could spot our missing friends. Because Dorothy and Toto have been missing for so long, and there is so much footage to go through, Dr. Houseknecht sadly said that he wouldn’t be able to let us know until Monday…

We were disappointed, but we understood his dilemma. The only thing we could do is keep up our search over the weekend while waiting to hear back from Dr. Houseknecht.

First thing Monday morning, we visited the front office. Dr. Houseknecht shook his head… no luck. Now it’s up to you, Room 17, to pick up the search! Please help us find our lost friends. We’re desperate!

Sincerely,
Scarecrow, Tinman, and Lion

Dear Mrs. O’Connor’s Class,

We had so much fun in Mr. Cadalzo’s classroom yesterday, but we really miss Dorothy and Toto.  They got lost, and we still can’t find them.

In the morning, we went to P.E. with the class and did the Pacer Test.  We had to run from one side of the gym to the other as many times as possible before the beep.  We were training to run fast in case we spotted Dorothy and Toto.  Toto is very fast, so we practiced sprinting to catch him.  The Lion got 56 beeps, the Scarecrow got 39 beeps, but the Tin Man only got 4 because it’s very hard for him to run.  Maybe you could give him a little oil?

During reading, the class read to us.  It was fun and relaxing, but when we shared our stories, it reminded us of all the stories we shared with Dorothy and Toto.  We were really missing them.

We went to the window to see if we could spot them, but they were nowhere to be found.

We were cheered up celebrating Noah’s birthday.  He turned nine and brought in donuts!  But, we just wish Dorothy and Toto could one with us, too.

Suddenly, we remembered the Tin Man had an iPhone.  He charged it up and downloaded a “Find Your Dog” app.  Unfortunately, though, the Scarecrow forgot to install the necessary GPS tracking chip in Toto before they lost each other.

When that didn’t work, we tried to teach the Lion how to sniff out Dorothy’s and Toto’s scents, but his nose must have been clogged because we couldn’t find them.  We searched and searched, and got super tired.  Mr. Cadalzo’s class told us how nice their buddies are, so we decided go to your classroom.  It was super nice in here, so we thought we would spend the night.

I hope you can help us find Dorothy and Toto!

Love,

The Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Lion

Dear Room 54,

After looking for Dorothy and Toto for days, we heard the bark of a dog.We knew they were close. So we rushed through the hallways, every time we heard the bark, it sounded like it was getting closer and closer.  Soon we were at room 24, where we found Dorothy and Toto. We were so happy to see them. We met another class of students and they welcomed us to their morning meeting. We told them our story and they tried to help us think of ways to get back home. After that we watched as the class went to  P.E. We couldn’t enter the gym because Dorothy was afraid that Toto might have an accident on the gym floor.

We learned a lot in P.E. For example, we learned to work together and never give up. After P.E., we went to the classroom door. Stuck on the door were inspirational post-its. We each got one. (And we must admit it brightened our day a lot!)

After the class finished P.E. and looking at inspirational notes, we had a birthday celebration and learned how to make a cupcake sandwich!

After the delicious treat, the class gave us a couple of presents.We got an IPhone to keep in touch with each other and on it use an App called Google Maps, a book about mapping a map, Brain Quest, a book on Courage, and some dog treats for Toto.

On our way to the next classroom,  Toto had to use the bathroom. Dorothy put the wee wee pad down and waited, but Toto jumped away and ran, ran so fast down the stairs.  Dorothy ran after Toto. We didn’t know what to do! We tried to look for her in the old meeting room and then started heading for the Spanish room but we could not find her. We were so sad. It started to get dark so we went into your classroom.I hope you don’t mind us.

Thank You,

Lion, Tinman and Scarecrow

Dear Fourth Graders in Room 24,

I hope you don’t mind that my friends and I were forced to seek refuge in your classroom last night.  It all started just after midnight!  We were spending the better part of our evening the way we have been during the past few days – looking for our new friend Dorothy and her dog Toto.  We were searching near Mrs. Meyer’s kindergarten class where we found part of the Yellow Brick Road, and all of a sudden the Wicked Witch of the West appeared above my head with a ball of fire in her hand!

Well, that didn’t frighten my friend the Tin Man or my other friend, The Lion, but it could have been the end for me!  Fortunately, she left on her broom as suddenly as she came, when your custodian appeared with a bucket of water to wash something off the wall.

We stopped at your classroom because just before school began this morning, we spotted Dorothy!  We were so grateful to see her!  She’s really been through a lot.  In fact, yesterday we had a long talk with Dr. Brown to see if she could help Dorothy find her way back home.  Dr. Brown is so smart!  She didn’t know how to help, but gave us a great idea!  She suggested we take her to the Wizard of OZ.  And then she floated away inside a bubble through an open window just like Glenda, the Good Witch of the North!

I know this isn’t OZ, but we’ve seen some pretty amazing things in this place you call Edgewood School.  Please let us stay a little longer and spend the day with Dorothy!  We miss her and I think she needs us!  And, this seems like such a warm and nurturing place; the perfect place to rest and recover on our long journey!

Yours truly,

The Scarecrow