Second Report Cards

I want to begin by thanking all those parents who were able to make it to our celebration of learning and book fair last week. I found it to be a very positive experience, and would love your feedback on the event. I know that the students put a tremendous amount of work and thought into the evening, and were so proud to show you what they have learned. I am proud of each of them as well.


Tomorrow our second report cards should be coming home. Please sign and return the envelope, but the report card is yours to keep. Remember that they are just one reflection of the skills and abilities your student has gained and improved. If you have any questions or comments, please ask, or arrange a time when we can meet.

As we move into spring and warmer weather, it is very important to ensure that your student as two different pairs of shoes/boots to wear at school - one to stay inside, and one to stay at the boot racks for wet/muddy recess breaks. It has become an increasing problem in our classroom that students with only one pair of shoes are tracking in dirt through the library and classroom, and trying to complete activities in gym with gumboots and sandals. Help your child be responsible for knowing which boots stay inside at school all the time, and which can be worn outside.

On Wednesday we will be doing a science activity looking at opaque vs. transparent materials. If you could send some clean empty cartons that are both solid color (can't see through) and transparent (can see through) it would give us a wide selection to look through.

Friday we will be dying Easter eggs to finish our colors unit in science. Please send your child with 2 or 3 hard boiled eggs to school. If we have any parent volunteers who would like to help out the last hour of school with this activity, please let me know.

Other important reminders for the week include pizza lunch on Friday ($4.00), and April fool's day on Wednesday.

We are going to be starting a new unit in gym this week doing belly baseball, and looking at the long O sound in phonics.

Our spelling words this week include: coat, show, note, rope, soap, and star word:

Our busy, buzzy goal this week is to 'bee' true - to do what we know is right and stand up for what we believe. It also means to be a true friend, and to show true respect for others. A very important quality that will make us all better people.

The last thing I wanted to touch on this week is in regards to a topic that I have been discussing a lot lately with parents and other teachers in the school, and that is printing skills (penmanship). Grade one curriculum requires that students develop an understanding that print moves from left to right across and page, and top to bottom down, and that words in sentences must be separated by spaces. There is no curricular connection to how a child learns to hold a pencil, or even forms their letters. However, we also believe that in order for a person to effectively communicate in writing, their needs to be an ease and skill in getting those words from mind to paper. Penmanship used to be a large part of a child's education. While we do address it as a grade one team, there are not very many resources available and just not enough time to give it the emphasis that it used to have.

If you are concerned about your child's printing skills, and are wondering what you can do to help them, I did want to pass along this resource. I attended a workshop at teacher's convention last month and liked what they had to say about it. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me about it, and I can give you more information. The resource is called Handwriting Without Tears, and the website is www.hwtears.com, and I am also adding it to the side bar under resources.

Hope you have a great week!

Happy St. Patrick's Day

We have spent most of the last two months in science working on our building things unit.  To culminate this topic the students embarked on a final class project - building the ultimate leprechaun trap.

First they studied them....

(Here's a link to our favorite one)  Clever 8 year old builds trap...

Then they planned, gathered materials, voted, discussed and debated ideas, constructed and decorated.

To lure the leprechaun to our room, we left shoes on our desks (leprechauns are known to leave money in shoes).  The students figured that this would make our little green friends a little tired, so they made a leprechaun hotel, complete with comfortable bed, table, food, artwork, and of course, a fake floor.  The trap was set with sticky duck tape, so that once the leprechaun fell in, he would not be able to get back out.  And what leprechaun could resist that 'pot of gold'?

Then we closed up the room, turned out the lights, and waited for the morning bell.

Here's what happened:  We caught ourselves a leprechaun.... and then he got away!   He did leave behind his coat however (it was good and stuck to that tape - he must have wriggled out!), and while he took off with our 'fake pot of gold' he left behind a little treat, a quarter in each shoe, and a note.  

We learned a lot from building this trap - maybe next year we'll have better luck!

Happy St. Patrick's Day.

First March Newsletter

I have to apologize for my lack of communication over the past month.  With everything going on in the past few weeks, the weekly communication has always fallen to the bottom of my to-do list, and unfortunately not been completed.

After all the excitement of spirit week, this week is going to seem very quiet.  Tuesday is drama club at lunch as well as green day, in honor of St. Patrick’s Day.  Friday is a holiday for students and a PD Day for staff.  Friday is also the first day of spring!

Coming up in the next two weeks, however, are book fair (March 25-27), our School Celebration of Learning (March 25^th for Division One), and Report Cards on April 1^st.

Grade One celebration of learning will run March 25^th, 2009 from 4:30pm – 7:30pm in four separate sessions:  

Session 1 – 4:30pm – 5:15pm

            Session 2 – 5:15pm – 6:00pm

            Session 3 – 6:00pm – 6:45pm

            Session 4 – 6:45pm – 7:30pm

My request is that you send back the bottom slip of 

this paper and return it as soon as possible so that I have an idea when families are coming.  If you have to change your time, that is fine – nothing is set in stone and the evening is meant to be flexible.  But having a general idea of parent’s preferences will help me plan for a smoother event.  Students need to be present for this evening, as they are responsible for demonstrating their learning in grade one, so pick a time that works for them as well.

This week in math we are going to be taking a really focused look at beginning subtraction and addition.  The students have been working really hard gaining an understanding and recognition of numbers and how they relate to each other.  Find opportunities in your home to use the language of math – explain how you add plates and silverware to the table, and pouring cups of milk results in less milk in the jug, how we add ingredients to cookie dough and take away the garbage and recycling.  We are also going to be looking at the seasonal changes of spring this week in science.  We will be finishing our study of long u in language arts, and continuing to work on our reading and writing skills. 

Spelling words this week are:  use, little, from, fruit, suit, and the star word *Mississippi *.

Since I have fallen so far behind in my blog posts of classroom activities, I will be posting once a day this week and next, so keep an eye out for some of the fun experiences we have had in our grade one classroom.

Book fair also runs next week (and will be open during the celebration of learning).  The theme is Beach Book Fair: Catch the Reading Wave.   To celebrate this event, the book fair is running a contest.  Students are invited to create a sea creature out of reusable and recyclable materials from home.  There is an idea sheet coming home, but students are welcome to be creative.  They must bring their creations to school by Monday, March 23, 2009, when they will be judged by a panel of book fair committee members, and one winning entry from each class will win a prize from the book fair.  All creations will then be used to decorate the library, before being returned to the students.

Have a safe and happy week!

100 Days of School!!!

How exciting that today we are celebrating our 100^th day of grade one, and all of the things we have accomplished already this year.  It has been an enlightening journey for myself, and hopefully for the students as well.  I have seen so much growth and progress in the children and can’t wait to see what the next half of the school year brings.

This week in school is going to be busy – along with the 100 day party we are hosting today, the family dance will occur tonight at 7:00 pm in the Tom Karren Gym.  Admission is $2/family, and cookies and milk will be sold following the dance for 25 cents each.  Also, the grade threes will be selling Marigold seeds for their campaign to raise money for students in Cambodia.  Students do not need to report to their classrooms prior to the event.  We will call them down to do the chicken dance from where they are sitting with their families in the stands. 

Tuesday is drama club for our students, and Wednesday (weather permitting) will be an opportunity for a walk outside to celebrate physical activity in the winter.  Friday will be our class valentine party, so please have their Valentine’s cards ready by this time to place in their classmates’ pouches (a list was sent home last week).  Book orders are due Friday.   Friday is also the last day of school until Monday, February 23^rd, 2009, due to the family day/reading week/teacher’s convention holiday.

Because of this, there will not be a newsletter coming home the last week of February, so here are the events for the week of school after the holiday:  Monday afternoon will be a special performance by the SunQuest theatre, followed by another special assembly performance by singer Bob King (with such songs as ‘Sandwiches are beautiful’).  For more information on these events, please contact the office.  Tuesday will also bring Drama club, and Friday will be the last official day of our beloved principal Ms. Brenda Beck.  We hope you will join us in paying tribute to her work and contribution to our school, in both well wishes and gratitude, but also in the continuation of striving to all be the best that we can be, and to strive to improve student learning.

On that note, our grade one class would like to offer a sincere welcome to Mr. Brad Sabey, who officially began his transition into the Principalship today.  We look forward to what he has to offer, and the growth and progress he will bring to our school.

Now that skating has officially wrapped up, we have moved onto our dance unit, and the students are enjoying such traditional dances as the bird dance, the hokey pokey, the bunny hop, the Macarena, and the Virginia Reel.  We are continuing our work in the building things unit in Science, and are working phonetically on the Long A sound.

Spelling words for the week of Feb. 9-13:  tape, gave, lake, made, maid, and ‘heart’ word: Valentine.

Spelling words for the week of Feb. 23-27: tie, pie, die, lie, bike, and star word yet to be determined.

Our busy, buzzy goal this week is to ‘bee’ loving because of Valentine’s day.

Have a good week!

Last Week of Skating - And Next Week Too!

This week is the end of our skating program for this school year.  Grade one students will again skate from 2:30 till about 3:10 on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday, and you are welcome to come help tie skates and watch their quick progress.  Wednesday is a PD day, so there will be no school for students.  Other activities this week include Tuesday Drama club and Friday Pizza lunch.  Lunch forms need to be returned by Tuesday morning, as there is no school on Wednesday.

Also, I will be attending a PD seminar dealing with the new math curriculum on February 2^nd and 3^rd (next Monday and Tuesday).  There will be a substitute teacher in the room, and I will not be sending a newsletter home.  Here are the important reminders for next week:

-       Tuesday is both Drama and Lego club for grade one students.  Send a lunch if your child is involved in either one of these.  Friday lunch is tacos. 

I am running our spelling words a little differently right now in order to prepare the students for our work in long vowels.  Our spelling lists will revolve around families with long a sounds to begin.  Last week was the ‘ay’ family, with words such as ‘say’ and ‘play’.  This week is the ‘ai’ family, with the words mail, nail, pain, said, again, and star word skate.  Next week, the spelling words will revolve around the long a sound that is created by adding and e to the end of a word, and the spelling words will be game, name, cake, page, take, and the star word will be picked by the students and written in their agendas.  Continue to encourage them to recognize the patterns, especially in words that belong to similar families.  Also, help them identify beginning and ending sounds in these different words, and other words that would rhyme.

Our busy, buzzy goal this week is to ‘bee’ cheerful.  With shorter, colder days, everyone has a tendency to grow more solemn and moody, and children are certainly not immune.  So we are making a conscious effort to find things to be cheerful about.

Our school website has been updated, and is really neat – be sure to go check it out.  There are links on there now for resources for teachers and parents, and links to the school calendar.  It is listed on our classroom website and the school division website.

Have a good week!

Skating Next Week - And Other Reminders

Some important reminders – this week is Tuesday lunch hour Lego club and drama club for our grade ones.  Thursday there will be a special farm safety presentation in our room from 10:30 – 11:15.  Friday is lunch hour tacos for $3.50.

Also a reminder that even though the temperature outside has temporarily improved, weather can turn really fast for the worse.  Please continue to ensure that your child comes to school with inside and outside shoes, proper coats, gloves and hat for winter weather.

This week in grade one we are learning about odd and even numbers, as well as counting by 5 and 10 to 100.  In Social studies, we are learning about the difference between living in an urban and rural community.  We’ve begun the unit ‘building things’ in science, and are reviewing our short vowel sounds and ‘wh’, ‘ch’, ‘ph’ and ‘th’ blends in words such as ‘phone’, ‘what’, ‘that’ and ‘chop’.

Spelling words this week are long, time, good, with, look, and the star word is heart.   The spelling try-it this week is to write the word on a scrap paper or white board and draw a picture to go with it.

Our busy, buzzy goal this week is to ‘bee’ safe.  We want to focus particularly on snow safety – both in playing and traveling and working with. 

Next week we begin our skating unit, Monday thru Thursday starting at 2:30, with the exception of Wed. Jan 28, which is a PD day (no school).  Grade one students progress more quickly when their experiences are as consecutive as possible.  We will head to the arena at 2:30 to get ready and tie skates.  We will get off the ice at approx. 3:10 or 3:15.  Your child needs skates and must have a helmet of some kind.  It is also helpful to have warm clothes like mittens, gloves, jacket and snow pants.  Sometimes two pairs of sock s can prevent blisters.  We would appreciate any help we can get for tying skates, untying skates, and parents that are willing to skate on ice with the children as they are learning to skate or skate with the hockey players.  Thank you for your help and cooperation in this matter.  If you cannot find skates, the school has a few extra pairs available to borrow.  Please let me know ahead of time.

Have a good week!

Back To School After Christmas

Welcome to a brand new year!  I hope that your Christmas was safe and refreshing.  I’m excited to be back, and I hope the students are too!

The spelling words for this week are:  three, ride, this, part, many.  The star word this week is: bells.  The try-it at home this week:  while eating your breakfast cereal, try finding the spelling words on the box – like a cereal treasure hunt.

There are notices coming home today about Friday’s comfy day – if you need any more information, please feel free to contact me.

The school phys. Ed. Skating program will be starting this month.  Grade ones will be going to the arena from January 19 – 29, except for Fridays and Jan. 28, which will be a PD day (no school for students).  Students are encouraged to bring their own pair of ice skates and warm winter wear (we do have a few pairs of skates to share).  This year students will not be permitted to participate without a helmet.  Our scheduled time is from 2:30 – 3:00, however, we will probably make our way to the arena following the afternoon recess, to allow for time to get into skates and tie laces.  If you are interested in volunteering some time to come help out, you are welcome.  Just let me know.

Friday lunch this week is pizza.  I will send the forms home tomorrow – please have them back by Wednesday morning if you want to order.

January book orders are coming home today.  If you are interested in ordering anything, please have them back to the school by January 20, 2009. 

I would like to send a quick thank you to all those parents involved in the Christmas party and the Christmas concert – they were both well done! 

Hope you have a great week!