Highlights
HTeCV Year 2: 2012 - 2013
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What's Happening In Our Classroom? Take a Peek...
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June 14, 2013
It is hard to believe the school year has come to an end already!
This has been a FANTASTIC year so the end is bitter sweet for me. Bitter because I'm not quite ready to let them go... I have enjoyed immensely getting to know them all; I love each and every one of them; and I will miss the caring community of friends and learners we created together! It's sweet, though, because I am so proud of the growth they have made this year, academically and socially; and I am honored to be a part of their development as students and citizens of the world! Luckily, they will just be across the hall next year so I will be able to see them and check up on them often!
I have also enjoyed getting to know you, parents, and look forward to seeing you around school too! Thank you for all your kindness and support this year, it has been much appreciated!
Check out these pictures from our fun last week of school together!
I hope you all have a wonderful summer! See you in August!
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June 7, 2013
What a super turn out for our final Exhibition! It was great to see you all there! Hopefully you all enjoyed seeing the time capsules the kids created and hearing about all the learning that took place during this project (geometry, measurement, letter writing, art, teamwork, and more!). I am so proud of all of them and loved seeing their excitement to share their learning as well as the growth they have made this year as 1st graders! Now all you and your child need to do is decide on a safe place to keep their time capsule until they graduate from 5th grade in June 2017! :-)
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May 24, 2013
Bright spots from the week:
* In project work, students continued working with partners to build drafts of different 3D shapes. They have completed rectangular prisms, cubes, and cylinders. Then they used what they learned about those shapes to choose and begin building their own time capsule! They also worked together to critique and edit each others letters that they have written to their 5th grade selves. Finally, they were introduced to measurement and learned that in order to be exact, they must use tools like rulers or yard sticks to measure lengths. They used this information to measure each other's height, which will be included in their time capsules.
* Many of our readers are working on reading fluently and with expression (more like natural speech). One way to practice this is with these great books introduced to us by our 4th grade buddies - each short story is written with 2 parts so that partners can read them aloud together, like a conversation. Many of our 1st graders have begun practicing some of these stories with a friend and can't wait to "perform" in front of the class! Take a look at Pablo and Matthew reading in this video! If you are interested in adding these "You Read To Me, I'll Read To You" books by Mary Ann Hoberman to your home library, one place to find them is on Amazon.
* There was lots of love and appreciation shared with me this week... a great big THANK YOU to everyone for the kind, thoughtful, and generous gifts I received each day this week! The cards, plants and flowers, tasty treats, supplies, gift cards, kind words, and hugs were all appreciated more that I can say!!! I loved them all!!!
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May 16, 2013
This week our mathematicians started exploring the world of geometry! They are learning to name and describe 2D and 3D shapes, and how to put 2D shapes together to create new shapes.
We also launched our final project for the year... we will create a time capsule to remember our 1st grade selves! Our knowledge of geometry will help us determine the shape of the capsule we will build and we will collect artifacts that will reflect our current interests and experiences. Finally, we will seal our time capsules to be opened on our 5th grade promotion from HTe to HTMCV! This important milestone will be a great time to look back and compare our younger selves with our older selves and share that fun experience with our families!
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May 3, 2013
Over the last 2 weeks, our 1st Graders have had the honor of helping two different high school classes with their projects! First, they listened to 11th Graders read books aloud that they had written. Then they critiqued the presenters' with kind, specific, and helpful feedback on their read aloud skills. They gave really good suggestions about reading with expression and changing their voices to sound like the characters, making the story more interesting. Our class also helped 9th Graders who are designing a park. Again, they gave lots of great suggestions about what they would most enjoy at a new park, giving the big kids tons of ideas for their design. It is always fun to see the little kids communicating so well with big kids and being so excited to be an important part of their projects!
Looking Ahead: Our own final project for the year will launch the week of May 13 - more info on that to follow. Our Exhibition is tentatively scheduled for Friday, June 7 from 4:00 - 5:00pm, so please mark your calendars! :-)
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April 19, 2013
This was SLC week and it was fantastic!
It was such a pleasure to see all the kids share their learning with their families
and feel so proud of themselves for the growth they have made so far this year.
I hope you all enjoyed it as much as I did.
Thank you for making the time to be a part of this important process!
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March 22, 2013
Our Festival del Sol Exhibition was a huge success! I am so proud of the kids and the hard work they have done throughout this project.... they had to work together to read, write, illustrate, create, critique, perform, communicate with each other and present their learning to many, many visitors!!! I hope you all learned something from these animal experts and enjoyed seeing their work! Now, be on the look out for our final product, our zoo guide! It will be published and available soon after Spring Break.
We ended this busy week with a fun Easter egg hunt provided by some of our lovely parents! Thank you to everyone who helped make this event happen - the kids really enjoyed it!
I will look forward to seeing everyone back at school on Monday, April 8.
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March 15, 2013
Thank you to everyone for coming out to our Performing Arts Exhibition! The kids were ADORABLE and did a great job! I hope you all enjoyed it as much as I did! If you have any pictures from the night that you are willing to share, please upload them to our classroom Shutterfly site.
Our Animal Researchers have completed their pages for our zoo guide and have been working very hard to prepare for next week's big Festival del Sol Exhibition! They are all so excited to share what they have learned and accomplished throughout this project! We are looking forward to seeing you all there Thursday night!
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March 1, 2013
We have finished exploring our zoo animals (all 11 of them!) and this week, students became research partners. Each partnership is responsible for becoming experts on one animal. They are working together to create an expert page for our zoo guide! This week they spent a lot of time gathering more information and writing their findings in complete sentences. They have specifically researched about habitats, food, and protection techniques for their animals. Ask them to share what they know...they truly are experts! I am so proud of the hard work that they are doing and can't wait to share the finished product with you all!
We also had a few special visitors to our classroom to help us with our project work... a tarantula and snake from Mr. Mac's middle school class and a tortoise from Ms. Tsai's 4th grade class! The kids were all so excited to observe and touch these cool creatures!
Performing Arts Exhibition is coming soon! I can't wait to see all of our class in this performance, it's going to be great! All the information you will need to know has been emailed to you, please make sure to read it carefully. If you have any questions let Ms. Latanya or I know.
Have a wonderful week!
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February 14, 2013
In Project news... Our animal researchers continued studying mammals this week and began to learn about two more groups of animals - reptiles and amphibians! So far, we have studied these animals - meerkats, orangutans, arctic foxes, elephants, anacondas, Galapagos tortoises, and Gila monsters! If you would like to review information about these interesting animals with your kids, be sure to check out these two sites - San Diego Zoo Kids and National Geographic Kids.
In other news... Our class had a very special opportunity to participate in a break dancing class! It was taught by a friend of Ms. Latanya's who is a professional dancer - he's worked with a very popular dance crew and several big celebrities. The kids all did a great job and had so much fun! I hope you enjoy this little video snippet!
Also... We had a small, but enjoyable, celebration for Valentines Day! The kids really enjoyed receiving and sharing treats with each other - thank you from all of us!
Happy Valentines Day!
Reminder... I sent home a Scholastic Book Clubs catalog this week - if you are interested in ordering books, make sure to do so by Friday, February 22. Don't forget, if you order online you are able to buy from any of the catalogs, not just the one sent home, AND you will earn books for our classroom library as well! Just use our classroom code G3B22.
Thank you and have a great week!
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February 8, 2013
Bright spots from the week...
* Project Work: We began learning about how the animals at the zoo can be sorted into different groups. We focused on mammals this week so make sure to ask your kids how to tell if an animal is a mammal or not (fyi: they are vertebrates who have fur or hair, their babies get milk from their mothers and are born alive not in eggs, they are warm-blooded and breathe air with lungs). Our researchers also began to study two zoo mammals - meerkats and orangutans! Their job was to read a small amount of information about each animal with a partner, identify and underline the most important information, record what they learned in their own words, then share what they found out with the class. This is really tough work for 1st graders but we will get better at it as this project progresses!
* Math: Our mathematicians learned 2 new math games this week! One is called "How Many Am I Hiding?" and the other is "How Many Counters In The Cup?". Both games are great practice for knowing number combinations by figuring out the missing parts. You can play these games at home too, so make sure to ask your kids to teach you how to play!
* 100th Day of School: Can you believe we have been in school for 100 days already? Time really flies! We were all very excited about this special day and celebrated with a few fun activities... We made necklaces with 100 Fruit Loops, we drew a picture of ourselves at 100 years old (so funny!), colored in 100 objects, and shared collections of 100 things from home! This was a really nice way to end a busy week!
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February 1, 2013
This week we launched our new project with a trip to the zoo! Everyone had a great time exploring and learning about the animals. A special THANKS to the driver/chaperones who made this day possible!
After this trip, the class discussed what they learned about the animals at the zoo and how they learned it. We discovered that most of their learning came from adults helping them
read the signs or telling them what they already knew about the animals or by just observing the animals. They had many questions that they were unable to answer because of the lack of information posted or their inability to read it on their own. They soon agreed that this is a problem for all the visitors to the zoo and that we should help to fix it! In the coming weeks we will be working hard to learn about some of our favorite animals, and figuring out how we can share that information with all the visitors to the zoo. This will be no easy task but we are all excited for the challenge! We look forward to sharing our work with you along the way!
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January 25, 2013
Engineering Week was a big success! All week our 1st Grade Engineers worked together to try to build houses that would be strong enough to keep a pig safe from the Big Bad Wolf! Each day they had access to different materials to design and create these houses in teams of 3 engineers. Then, they presented their creations to their 4th Grade Buddies. They explained what went well, what was challenging, and something important they learned about being an engineer. The main thing we were looking for throughout the week was not how successful they were at building their houses but how successful they were at collaboration and perseverance. Communicating their ideas, listening to others' ideas, compromising, and working toward a single goal were difficult for many groups on the first day. By the last day, though, all groups improved their teamwork and learned to never give up, even if the work is hard or frustrating, because mistakes or failures are opportunities to learn! These are things we will continue to focus on all year!
This week we also got to try out HTe's new parcourse designed and built by some of our 5th Graders! This fitness course takes kids around the playground with different exercises - the favorite station is the climbing wall!
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January 18, 2013
Highlights from the week:
* We introduced HTe's first "Engineering Week" with a fun assembly. All next week every class at HTe will read a piece of literature, determine a problem in the story, then work in small groups to solve that problem through engineering (more on that in next week's update!). At this assembly, students were involved in fun activities that required them to work in a small group to create machines using only their bodies! First Graders and their Fourth Grade Buddies collaborated to create washing machines and toasters! It was great to see how quickly they solved these problems through teamwork! Here are a few pictures....
* Our first field trip is coming soon! We'll be going to the San Diego Zoo as the launch to our next project which will include a study of some interesting animals. Your kids brought home permission slips and a survey for parents interested in being driver/chaperones for this trip, please return these forms by this Thursday.
Have a great week!
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December 21, 2012
This was such an important week for our scientists... we donated our fun and beautiful "Matter Activity Boxes" to Ms. Janice from the Ronald McDonald House and had our first Exhibition! Ms. Leahy and I are so very proud of the kids for the work they have produced, the information they have learned, the curiosity they have developed, and most importantly the empathy they've shown by happily giving away their hard work! Hopefully you all enjoyed seeing them share their learning at Exhibition and are equally as proud of their work!
We ended this eventful week with a lovely luncheon organized by some of our wonderful parents! Food and treats were shared, then the kids had a great time decorating their own cookies! A great big THANK YOU to everyone for donating money, food, or your time to make this special event possible!
I hope you all enjoy time spent with loved ones this holiday season and find the New Year filled with health and happiness!
I'll see you back at school on Monday, January 7, 2013! :-)
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December 14, 2012
What a busy, busy week! Our 1st grade scientists worked so hard to complete their "Matter Activity Boxes" so that they would be ready for Monday morning when a representative from the Ronald McDonald house will come to our class to receive these donations!
Each scientist created and packaged their own play dough, goo, bubbles, and chalk and marked them with labels created by some of our artists! Then they completed their box by decorating it with their label and personal note they prepared last week. These boxes are awesome!!! The best part, though, has been hearing the kids talk about how excited they are to give these away! They couldn't stop talking about how they can't wait to make other kids happy! They really warmed my heart this week!
I know the Ronald McDonald House will really appreciate these wonderful gifts made by our 1st graders! Unfortunately, the kids will not be able to show you their boxes at Exhibition (other kids may already be enjoying them by then) but, rest assured, I have taken lots of pictures that will be posted and sample boxes will be displayed.
Here are a few examples...
Our scientists, however, will have plenty to share with you at Exhibition so please be sure to be there! The kids will need to be in our room from 5:00 - 5:45 pm to present to all our visitors. After you have experienced our work, please visit other classrooms but be aware that your child will need to stay in our class the whole time. At 5:45 they will be able to leave and visit the upper grade or high school classrooms or just head home.
**Exhibition Schedule**
5:00 - 5:45 pm K, 1, 2 classrooms present
5:30 - 6:30 pm 3, 4, 5 classrooms present
6:00 - 8:00 pm HTHCV classrooms present
The kids are all so proud of their work and really want to show it off
so we will look forward to seeing you all Thursday night!
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December 7, 2012
This week kids (and adults) had fun coming to school dressed in PJs, wearing mustaches, retro clothing, crazy hair dos, and celebrity get ups.... at the same time, learning and creating together... now that's a great week!
In project news - the scientists in our class and Ms. Leahy's class were asked, "How can we share our knowledge about matter and the fun we had investigating and creating things such as play dough, bubbles, and chalk?" Both classes brainstormed ideas and decided that we should make activity kits containing some of those fun things we've created along with some written information about matter. They also all agreed that we should donate these to other kids, particularly those with a special need!
So, Ms. Leahy and I did a little research and found that the Ronald McDonald House of San Diego has activity kits on their wish list of donations! Once we explained that this wonderful charity helps families with very sick children, our scientists agreed that this was the charity for us and quickly got to work... they created a decorative label for the front of their "Matter Activity Box" (using peer critique to make their work beautiful!), wrote a personal note to be included, and began working on a brochure with key information they've learned about matter. That's not all... they also conducted a new investigation creating Goo (aka slime) - a type of matter called a polymer that acts like a liquid and a solid! They had such a great time playing with this and decided that other kids would enjoy it too... so they packaged some of it to include in their activity boxes. We are all super excited to continue preparing our "Matter Activity Boxes" for this very deserving charity and the families who benefit from it!
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November 30, 2012
This week's bright spots...
* Project Work: Our scientists investigated gases and had so much fun! We observed what happens when you drop Mentos into a bottle of Diet Coke... a bubble explosion! Then we experimented with "dancing raisins" - we put raisins in a cup of Sprite and watched as the bubbles (gas) attached to the raisins and floated them up to the top, then popped making them sink back down. This happened over and over so it looked like they were dancing :-). Finally, we mixed together three liquids to create a bubble solution. We added our own gas by blowing through the wand and made bubbles, lots of them - that was very exciting!
* Math: This week we focussed on comparing numbers, deciding which ones were more or less. We also introduced the symbols for "greater than" (>) and "less than" (<). Our mathematicians worked in pairs to choose number cards, then compare the numbers and discuss the strategies they used to make their decision.
* Buddies: We did something new with our 4th Grade Buddies this week... we wrote creative stories! The 1st graders told a story and the 4th graders wrote or typed it and helped guide the 1st graders through their story ideas. They all work so well together, it's a lot of fun for Ms. Jacobsen and I to watch them build their relationships!
* Spirit Week: Our new HTe Student Council announced that next week will be Spirit Week! This is always a treat for kids and adults! Participation is, of course, optional but we hope everyone will join in on the fun!
The schedule is:
- Monday: Pajama Day
- Tuesday: Crazy Moustache Day
- Wednesday: Retro Day
- Thursday: Crazy Hair Day
- Friday: TV/Celebrity Day
Let us know if you have any questions about this special week!
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November 16, 2012
This was SLC week and it was fantastic! It was such a pleasure to see all the kids share their learning with their families and feel so proud of themselves! I hope you all enjoyed it as much as I did! Thank you for making the time to be a part of this important process!
We also spent time discussing what we are thankful for and had a "Fall Celebration" organized by some of our wonderful parents! We enjoyed a meal together of Subway sandwiches, chips, and juice, with pumpkin pie and cupcakes for desert... yum :-) The kids also showed off some of their sweet dance moves in an impromptu dance party - always fun to watch! A big thank you to everyone for donating money, food, or your time to make this celebration possible!
Please enjoy some pictures from the past 2 weeks...
I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving and I will look forward
to seeing you back at school on Monday, November 26th.
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November 2, 2012
Highlights from the week...
* Project Work: Our scientists had a busy week. The mystery matter they created last Friday dried over the weekend so they were finally able to discover what it was... chalk! Then they had some fun testing it out on the playground and it worked great! They also investigated liquids... First, they discovered how liquids take the shape of the container they are in and that the same amount of liquid can look different depending on the size and shape of its container. Second, they observed how liquids move depending on how thin or thick they are. The scientists are really working on recording their observations by writing about their investigations in their Science Log.
* Halloween: Always an exciting day... all the kids looked great in their costumes and had a lot of fun walking in our parade! We had a small "tear-art" project (tearing and gluing paper to create candy corn) and we enjoyed the treats brought in by several families - thank you!
* 4th Grade Buddies: This week our buddies taught us a new math game to help us put numbers in order. Ms. Jacobsen and I really enjoy watching and listening to the kids interact with each other... the 4th graders are so supportive and encouraging with the little ones, and the 1st graders are always excited to be with the big kids! We all look forward to our time together each week!
* Reminders: (1) Scholastic Book Club orders are due next Friday, November 9 (don't forget, you can order from any catalog online). Books will arrive at school after Thanksgiving. (2) SLC sign ups were sent home this week - please make sure to return the form with your time/day choices by Wednesday, November 7 so I can create the schedule as soon as possible. I will send home confirmation notices with your appointment time no later than Thursday.
Thank you!
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October 26, 2012
What a fun and exciting week for our first grade scientists! Focussing on solids this week, they learned about the properties of matter (size, shape, color, texture) and used those characteristics to describe the solids they brought into class from home.
They also had a great time combining liquids and solids to create a new solid... play dough! If you are interested in making more at home click here for the recipe. Make sure to encourage your scientist to talk about what they know about solids and liquids as you have fun creating!
On Friday, the scientists explored another mystery matter. They combined a solid (plaster of paris) with two liquids (water and paint) then poured their mixture into a mold. They will have to wait until they return to school on Tuesday to find out what they have created!
What do you think it is?
Another fun experience this week had nothing to do with our project but everything to do with a 7th grade project... a group of 7th graders created and performed a puppet show just for us! Their task was to decide on a lesson that 1st graders need to learn (based on observations and interviews), then create a script and puppets to entertain and teach the lesson to our class. The 7th graders did a great job and the kids really enjoyed the show!
Other news: Scholastic Book Club orders are due by Friday, November 9. Reminder... If you order online, you can choose from any of the catalogs and you earn more books for our classroom library as well!
Have a great week!
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October 19, 2012
I am so excited to share our week with you! We launched our first project on Monday with the creation of the mysterious "ooblik"! The first grade scientists (in their lab coats and observation glasses) created ooblik and found that at times it is a liquid and at others it is a solid!
We spent the rest of the week exploring matter in the world around us! Knowing that everything is made of matter and that matter is anything that takes up space, our scientists are finding examples everywhere! We found examples of matter in our classroom and even went on a matter scavenger hunt with our 4th grade buddies on our playground. The scientists also began to learn about the 3 forms of matter (solids, liquids, and gases), identifying and sorting pictures of matter into groups.
We can't wait to continue our matter exploration!
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October 11, 2012
This was a short week, but ever so busy! Here are a few things we did:
We continued to work on publishing our writing pieces and working together on our math centers (as mentioned in last week's post). We also read with our 4th Grade Buddies, this time in their classroom (it was fun to notice how their room is different from ours), and we had "Exploration" - this is a time when the kids get to choose an activity where they are building or creating things in small groups. These activities foster creativity and important skills like problem solving, communication, and teamwork... and the kids love it!
It's finally here... sight word lists are now available! Check out the word lists on my Spelling City class page. I have added multiple lists of words, some reflect those on our class word wall and some will be new to your child. Click on a link under "Vocabulary and Spelling Lists" to view the words on that list. From there you will be able to print flashcards, hear the words spelled/used in sentences, and play spelling/vocabulary games with the words. This is a great way to support and challenge your child's word work skills at home!
* Please Note: We will not have spelling tests.... instead, the goal is that students will be able to quickly recognize these words in their reading and use them in their writing. Also, I've included a link to our Spelling City class page from the Homework link on the "For Parents" page and from the "For Kids" page for easy access in the future.
Our first big project launches this Monday and we are so excited for it! I want to send out a big "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" to everyone who has donated money towards the buying of materials for this project! Your support and generosity is much appreciated!!!
*Reminder: We could really use your old newspapers to help manage the messes that may occur during this project... please send them in on Monday, if possible. Thanks!
Have a wonderful week!
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October 5, 2012
This week we began to publish our first pieces of writing! We are focussing on re-reading to make sure it makes sense, adding an ending, and stretching out unknown words.Their finished pieces will be posted for all to enjoy!
We also started math centers this week! ST Math & other fun math games are helping us practice important skills like putting numbers in order, counting on from numbers other than one, and identifying what numbers come before, after, and between. These games will change throughout the year as we learn new skills.
Reminder: Very soon, we will be launching our first big project of the year! I can't give out any details yet (it's top secret for now) except that it is going to take a lot of materials to bring this project to life.... that's why Ms. Leahy and I sent home a letter last week asking for donations to help us purchase those materials. If you are able to donate $10 (or any amount) we would really appreciate it! We are so excited about this project and believe that the kids will learn a lot and really enjoy it too!
Thank you and have a great week!
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September 28, 2012
Highlights from the week...
* Art - This trimester, our class is exploring fine art with Ms. Amber twice a week. The kids are currently working on creating pop-up books with her and are continuing their practice of the use of critique to help them improve their work. I can't wait to see their creations!
* Math - We practiced putting numbers together (addition) through story problems. The kids loved solving these problems by acting them out and using cube counters!
* Building Community - We had a great time having PE with Ms. Leahy's class this week! We played games together and had some free-time to run, play, and climb... what a fun way to build community with other First Graders and get some exercise at the same time!
* Scholastic Book Club - Thanks to all who ordered books.... they should arrive at school within 2 weeks. Every time you buy books (with the order form or online) you help our classroom earn books too! Be on the look-out for October flyers coming home soon for another chance to build up your home library (and ours!)!
* Reminder - It's supposed to be another hot week, so feel free to send your child to school with a small water bottle to use in the classroom. That way, they can stay hydrated without having to leave the room. :-)
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September 21, 2012
This week really flew by! Here are a few things that happened...
• We had our first K-2 Community Meeting! The kids all gathered in the Commons where we participated in some activities to build teamwork and a sense of community, 5th Graders gave a presentation on trash at our school, and students brainstormed words to describe HTe and what they like about our school. We also sung a song that the kids loved so much, they ask to sing it everyday now (it was so heartwarming to hear Kinder, 1st, and 2nd graders trying to sing along!)! I promised them I would share it with you in case you'd like to sing along at home, so click on this YouTube link for the music and lyrics to Bruno Mars' "Count on Me" and enjoy!
• In reading and writing we are working on building stamina. It is important for students to learn to work for a sustained amount of time where they are all reading or writing without losing focus. This is no easy task for 22 First Graders! It takes lots of practice and reinforcement of correct behaviors - we've been charting our progress and we'll keep you posted as we improve!
• Friday's first HTe Family Picnic was a big success! Lots of families came out and enjoyed themselves. It was great to see all the kids playing together and adults mingling with each other... what a lovely way to spend an evening!
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September 14, 2012
This week we completed our self portraits after several drafts and they look great! The kids are so proud of their work and had their first experience this year sharing their work with others. They showed off their portraits to their 4th Grade Buddies and compared their first and last drafts, explaining how critique helped them improve their work. Key elements of critique that we should all be familiar with now are that our suggestions to friends need to be kind, specific, and helpful. The 4th Graders did a good job asking questions to get the 1st Graders to explain their thinking. This kind of communication is something we will work on all year!
We also learned a new math game called "Guess My Number" and the kids loved it! It's a fun way to practice deductive reasoning and number sense skills (what number comes before/after, or greater than/less than). It's an easy game to play at home, too, so after we play a few more times they should be able to teach you... make sure to ask them about it!
Back to School Night was also a success this week, thanks to you! It was so nice to see so many of you come out to meet each other, and learn a little bit about our classroom and expectations for this year. Your interest and support is always appreciated!
I hope to see you all this Friday for our HTe Family Picnic! Bring some food for your family, chairs or blankets, and get ready to enjoy an evening with our fellow HTe community members!
* Upcoming Events *
• HTe Family Picnic - Friday, September 21, 4:30 - 7:30pm (on the grass field)
• Scholastic Book Clubs - Last day to order is Wednesday, September 26
• Picture Day - Thursday, September 27
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September 7, 2012
Here's a look at what we did this week...
* 4th Grade Buddies: We are so lucky... we have been invited to be Buddies with Ms. Jacobson's 4th grade class! This week, we met with our Buddies for the first time. The kids were so excited and all did a great job greeting and then reading with their Buddy. We can't wait to see them again next week! (Enjoy the slideshow!)
* Project Work: We began working on an "All About Me" book that will be shared with classmates, other 1st graders, and our 4th grade buddies to help us get to know each other better. Each student also started creating a self portrait. We have introduced the use of "Critique" from our peers to revise and create multiple drafts to help us make our portrait better. The difference from 1st draft to last draft is exciting to see and the kids' pride in their work is fantastic! Critique will be an on-going focus in all our work throughout the year.
* Scholastic Book Clubs: A flyer was sent home this week for anyone interested in ordering books for your home library! This is, of course, optional and since new flyers will be sent home each month you can choose to order at any time this year (or not). Please email me with any questions.
* Reminder: This Wednesday is Back to School Night for parents only (5:45 - 7:15). We will meet in the Commons at 5:45, then classroom presentations will be from 6:10 - 6:40 with a repeat performance from 6:45 - 7:15 to allow families with more than one student to visit multiple classrooms. If you only have one student at HTe, then you will be heading home by 6:40! Looking forward to seeing you all Wednesday!
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August 31, 2012
Hello Families and welcome to our very first weekly update of the 2012-2013 school year...
Wow! What a fantastic first week of school! We spent the week getting to know each other, establishing routines, reading stories, and having fun together. I am so happy to spend this year with such a great group of kids! I also had a chance to meet many of you and look forward to getting to know you better too (it will take me a little while to remember names and which families belong to which kids, so bear with me!)!
Please mark your calendars for HTe's Back to School Night scheduled for Wednesday, September 12th from 5:45pm - 6:45pm. Parents are invited to attend that night to learn more about their child's classroom and what to expect this year. I hope to see you all there!
I'd like to send out a big THANK YOU to all the families who donated school supplies to our classroom - your generosity is much appreciated! If you haven't had a chance to make a donation and would like to, don't worry, there will be more opportunities to help throughout the year.
I took a few photos this week... hope you enjoy the slideshow!
Have a great 3 day weekend - see you back at school on Tuesday!