Yesterday in advisory we celebrated Gracie's birthday as well as the October, November and December birthdays we were unable to recognize.  While we were enjoying good snacks and drinks, the students also wrapped their presents for the students from James Monroe Elementary School.  

Thanks to the generosity of the Lab School many children will be able to celebrate Christmas this year.  In the letter from James Monroe the principal, Jack Rocklin, share the following sentiments - "Christmas morning for many children will be filled with enthusiasm and eagerness to open their gifts.  Unfortunately, not all children are blessed with this opportunity. Here at Monroe Elementary School, 98% of our students are below poverty level.  Many of our children come from single-family homes or live with relatives that can only provide basic needs.  This is where you, as a Santa Helper, can make a difference this Christmas season.  Let's hope that this Christmas Day will be one to remember for these children!"

I want to share my thanks to those families that contributed this holiday season.  Sometimes we forget that there are people out there that are not as fortunate as we are.  Together we are making a difference.

Here are some photos from our celebration.  Enjoy!

Computer Science Education Week (CSEdWeek), designated by the U.S. House of Representatives as the week of computing pioneer Grace Hopper's birthday, recognizes the transformative role of computing and the need to bolster computer science at all educational levels.

The Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) and its partners promote CSEdWeek in order to:

• Raise awareness of the critical role of computing for our global information society
• Promote efforts to expose students—particularly in grades K-12—to robust computer science education
• Highlight the challenges facing computer science education
• Engage supporters to prepare students with the knowledge and skills they need for the twenty-first century

To that end, we watched an entertaining video of Grace Hopper's interview with David Letterman. I encourage everyone to watch the video.  Grace Hopper was an amazing woman.   She who would have turned 107 on December 9, 2013. Hopper created COBOL (Common Business-Oriented Language) a programming language that allowed computers to communicate through language in addition to numbers. She also is credited with coining the term “bug in the system," after a very literal encounter with an insect! Hopper joined the Navy Reserve in 1943, while still a faculty member, eventually reaching the rank of rear admiral.

Additional activities for Computer Science Education Week are available.  Anyone can learn to code!  Now is your time to try.