Newsletters

June 3-5, 2024

Teacher's Notes

This past week, we had a lot of fun visiting the 6th grade business simulations.  Just like our own marketplace simulation, the 6th graders designed businesses and we had the opportunity to be the consumers and purchase their different products.  We also finished the week with Field Day... From bubbles and face-painting, to the much anticipated three legged race, it was definitely a day to remember!  This upcoming week, we will be reflecting on our favorite first grade memories with our memory books, as well as making the most of our last three days together!

Reading Workshop

Writing Workshop

Math

Social Studies

Character Strong

Theme

Important Dates

Reminders


Thank you,

Miss Gibo

May 28-31, 2024

Teacher's Notes

This past week, we celebrated the culmination of our Social Studies unit with our American Symbols on Parade performance, as well as our second annual "Our America" potluck.  Thank you all so much for helping our students celebrate the diversity of our community and what truly makes our country special!  This upcoming week, we will be finishing our fairy tales.  Make sure to ask your student about the characters, setting, problem, magical elements, and moral of his or her fairy tale!  And of course, we're excited to wear our tie dye shirts for Field Day!

Reading Workshop

Writing Workshop

Math

Social Studies

Character Strong

Theme

Important Dates

Reminders


Thank you,

Miss Gibo

May 20-24, 2024

Teacher's Notes

This past week, we enjoyed our very last Art Docent lesson of the year!  Inspired by Eric Carle's The Very Hungry Caterpillar, we made different textures with paint and created beautiful butterflies.  This upcoming week, we are extremely excited to sing our favorite patriotic songs for all of you at our American Symbols on Parade and celebrate together with our second annual "Our America" Potluck!

Reading Workshop

Phonics

Writing Workshop

Math

Social Studies

Character Strong

Theme

Important Dates

Reminders


Thank you,

Miss Gibo

May 13-17, 2024

Teacher's Notes

This past week, we connected our previous science unit to our Living Classroom lesson all about tea!  In addition to sampling different kinds of tea, we also compared water, tea, and tea with milk.  Make sure to ask your first grader about the difference between transparent, translucent, and opaque!  This upcoming week, we will be learning more about different American symbols and reflecting on which one we feel like best represents our country.  

Reading Workshop

Phonics

Writing Workshop

Math

Social Studies

Character Strong

Art

Theme

Important Dates

Reminders


Thank you,

Miss Gibo

May 6-10, 2024

Teacher's Notes

This past week, we published our realistic fiction books.  This upcoming week, we will be starting our new Reading and Writing Workshop units about fairy tales, where we will definitely get to use our imagination and creativity!

Reading Workshop

Phonics

Writing Workshop

Math

Social Studies

Character Strong

Art

Theme

Important Dates

Reminders


Thank you,

Miss Gibo

April 29- May 3, 2024

Teacher's Notes

This upcoming week, we will be starting our new Social Studies unit about American symbols.  We'll begin by taking a closer look at the Statue of Liberty and ultimately determine which symbol best represents our country!

Reading Workshop

Phonics

Writing Workshop

Math

Social Studies

Character Strong

Art

Theme

Important Dates

Reminders


Thank you,

Miss Gibo

April 22-26, 2024

Teacher's Notes

Although we celebrated Earth Day this past week, we discussed how we can take care of our Earth every day!  We read books about the Earth, recycling, and nature, helped collect trash around our campus, and planted pea seeds with our big buddies.   We also had a lot of fun on our field trip to the De Anza Planetarium.  This upcoming week, we will be continuing our science unit and learning even more about the moon and sun!

Reading Workshop

Phonics

Writing Workshop

Math

Social Studies

Science

Character Strong

Art

Theme

Important Dates

Reminders


Thank you,

Miss Gibo

April 15-19, 2024

Teacher's Notes

This upcoming week, we will be celebrating Earth Day.  Along with writing about how we can take care of our earth, we will also be planting pea seeds with our big buddies.  We can't wait to take care of our plants with lots of water, sunshine, and love!

Reading Workshop

Phonics

Writing Workshop

Math

Social Studies

Science

Character Strong

Art

Theme

Important Dates

Reminders


Thank you,

Miss Gibo

April 1-5, 2024

Teacher's Notes

We are so excited to see all of you at Open House this week!   Our first graders will be your "tour guides" and show you all around our classroom.  From our published poems, to our inspirational women portraits, to our Passion Projects... we can't wait for you to see all of the learning that's been happening in first grade!

Reading Workshop

Phonics

Writing Workshop

Math

Social Studies

Science

Character Strong

Art

Theme

Important Dates

Reminders


Thank you,

Miss Gibo

March 25-29, 2024

Teacher's Notes

This past week, we had so much fun presenting our "Water and Color" project at the STEM Expo.  Thank you all so much for leaving comment cards for our class project!  It made our first graders so excited and proud to read all the notes.  This upcoming week, we will be starting our new science unit all about space patterns.

Reading Workshop

Phonics

Writing Workshop

Math

Social Studies

Science

Character Strong

Art

Theme

Important Dates

Reminders


Thank you,

Miss Gibo

March 18-22, 2024

Teacher's Notes

This past week, we did our class STEM expo project all about mixing color and water.  Make sure to stop by the STEM Expo to see it!  We also published our favorite poems and will have them on display for Open House!  This upcoming week, we will be starting our new Reading and Writing Workshop units.  But most importantly, we can't wait to see you at our Starting Arts concert on Friday!

Reading Workshop

Phonics

Writing Workshop

Math

Social Studies

Character Strong

Art

Theme

Important Dates

Reminders


Thank you,

Miss Gibo

March 11-15, 2024

Teacher's Notes

This past week, we had a lot of fun celebrating our 120th Day of School!  From discovering different things we could do in 120 seconds to dressing up as "120 year olds," we definitely had a memorable day!  During our Living Classroom lesson, we also learned about the different kinds of nests that birds build and even made our own.  This upcoming week, we will be recognizing inspirational women in honor of Women's History Month.

Reading Workshop

Phonics

Writing Workshop

Math

Social Studies

Character Strong

Art

Theme

Important Dates

Reminders


Thank you,

Miss Gibo

March 4-8, 2024

Teacher's Notes

This upcoming week, we will be starting a mini Writing Workshop unit all about poetry.  In addition to learning about different kinds of poems, we'll also get to write some of our own.  And most importantly, we will also be celebrating our 120th Day of School with a lot of fun activities!

Reading Workshop

Phonics

Writing Workshop

Math

Social Studies

Character Strong

Art

Theme

Important Dates

Reminders


Thank you,

Miss Gibo

FEbruary 26- March 1, 2024

Teacher's Notes

I hope all of you had a wonderful and restful break!  This upcoming week, we will be publishing our most convincing reviews.  We will also be finishing our science unit by recreating our very own version of Rjukan, also known as "Shadow Town."

Reading Workshop

Phonics

Writing Workshop

Math

Social Studies

Science

Character Strong

Art

Theme

Important Dates

Reminders


Thank you,

Miss Gibo

FEbruary 12-16, 2024

Teacher's Notes

Thank you all so much for coming to our Poetry Celebration and showing your support for our class.  I am so proud of how hard our first graders worked and they were beyond excited to finally recite their poems for all of you!   This upcoming week, we will be celebrating Valentine's Day and learning about two of our presidents... George Washington and Abraham Lincoln!

Reading Workshop

Phonics

Writing Workshop

Math

Social Studies

Science

Character Strong

Art

Theme

Important Dates

Reminders


Thank you,

Miss Gibo

FEbruary 5-9, 2024

Teacher's Notes

This past week, we explored our shadows outside and even created our own shadow puppet stories!  We also had a lot of fun making clay fish with our Art Docent lesson.  This upcoming week, we will be getting ready for Valentine's Day by "delivering" our valentines and most importantly, seeing all of you at our Poetry Celebration!

Reading Workshop

Phonics

Writing Workshop

Math

Social Studies

Science

Character Strong

Art

Theme

Important Dates

Reminders


Thank you,

Miss Gibo

January 29- February 2, 2024

Teacher's Notes

This past week, we participated in our marketplace simulation, where our first graders had the opportunity to create business proposals, marketing posters, and their very own products.  Our principal even stopped by to purchase some of our products (paper airplanes, bracelets, pictures, etc.).  This upcoming week, we will be starting our new science unit all about shadows!

Reading Workshop

Phonics

Writing Workshop

Math

Social Studies

Science

Character Strong

Art

Theme

Important Dates

Reminders


Thank you,

Miss Gibo

January 22-26, 2024

Teacher's Notes

This past week, we had a fun Art Docent lesson inspired by Andy Warhol.  In addition to creating our own self portrait prints, we also learned about complementary colors!  This upcoming week, we will be transforming our classroom into our own marketplace.  In teams, we will design a product and "sell" them to each other using class dollars.  

Reading Workshop

Phonics

Writing Workshop

Math

Social Studies

Character Strong

Art

Theme

Important Dates

Reminders


Thank you,

Miss Gibo

January 17-19, 2024

Teacher's Notes

Last week, we learned all about Martin Luther King Jr.  This upcoming week, we will be learning about brave children who helped advocate for equality during the Civil Rights Movement, including Ruby Bridges, Audrey Faye Hendricks, and Ron McNair. 

Reading Workshop

Phonics

Writing Workshop

Math

Social Studies

Character Strong

Art

Theme

Important Dates

Reminders


Thank you,

Miss Gibo

January 8-12, 2024

Teacher's Notes

I hope all of you had a wonderful winter break!  To celebrate the new year, we will be starting new units for Reading Workshop and Writing Workshop.  We will also be learning about Martin Luther King Jr. in honor of our upcoming holiday.

Reading Workshop

Phonics

Writing Workshop

Math

Social Studies

Character Strong

Art

Theme

Important Dates

Reminders


Thank you,

Miss Gibo

December 18-22, 2023

Teacher's Notes

This past week, we continued celebrating different winter holidays with some extra festive art!  This upcoming week, we will be hosting our publishing party, making gingerbread houses with our big buddies, and having fun with our holiday party!

Reading Workshop

Phonics

Writing Workshop

Math

Social Studies

Science

Character Strong

Art

Theme

Important Dates

Reminders


Thank you,

Miss Gibo

December 11-15, 2023

Teacher's Notes

This past week, we learned about different winter holidays.  Did you know that many winter holidays celebrate the season with lights?  This upcoming week, we will be publishing our favorite nonfiction chapter books and continuing with our "15 Days of Giving" kindness challenge.

Reading Workshop

Phonics

Writing Workshop

Math

Social Studies

Science

Character Strong

Art

Theme

Important Dates

Reminders


Thank you,

Miss Gibo

December 4-8, 2023

Teacher's Notes

This past week, we kicked off our "15 Days of Giving" kindness challenge.  We love spreading holiday cheer!  It's amazing how happy our first graders have been by simply doing something for someone else.  This upcoming week, we will be learning about different winter holidays from around the world!

Reading Workshop

Phonics

Writing Workshop

Math

Social Studies

Science

Character Strong

Art

Theme

Important Dates

Reminders


Thank you,

Miss Gibo

November 27- December 1, 2023

Teacher's Notes

I hope all of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving break!  This upcoming week, we will be getting into the holiday spirit by comparing and contrasting different versions of The Gingerbread Man, as well as starting our "15 Days of Giving" kindness challenge.  Starting on December 1, we will reveal our kindness challenge each morning to help spread joy.  

Reading Workshop

Phonics

Writing Workshop

Math

Social Studies

Science

Character Strong

Art

Theme

Important Dates

Reminders


Thank you,

Miss Gibo

November 13-17, 2023

Teacher's Notes

This past week, we had a lot of fun on our field trip to the Youth Science Institute!  Along with exploring on a nature hike, we learned about animal adaptations and got to meet a hissing cockroach, tarantula, newt, and snake.  This upcoming week, we will be reflecting on what we're thankful and grateful for.

Reading Workshop

Phonics

Writing Workshop

Math

Social Studies

Science

Character Strong

Art

Theme

Important Dates

Reminders


Thank you,

Miss Gibo

November 6-9, 2023

Teacher's Notes

This past week, we kicked off our new Reading and Writing Workshop units all about nonfiction books, sharing our expert knowledge with each other.  This upcoming week, we will be starting our new science unit all about animal adaptations, as well as going on our first field trip of the year to Vasona Lake!  

Reading Workshop

Phonics

Writing Workshop

Math

Social Studies

Science

Character Strong

Art

Theme

Important Dates

Reminders


Thank you,

Miss Gibo

October 30- November 1, 2023

Teacher's Notes

This past week, we selected our favorite how-to books to edit, publish, and share.   We had so much fun celebrating our published how-to books with Mrs. Crew's kindergarten class!  This upcoming week, we will be starting our new Reading and Writing Workshop units where we will be reading and writing our own nonfiction books.  Make sure to ask your student what he or she knows a lot about to help brainstorm possible topics.

Reading Workshop

Phonics

Writing Workshop

Math

Social Studies

Character Strong

Art

Theme

Important Dates

Reminders


Thank you,

Miss Gibo

October 23-27, 2023

Teacher's Notes

It was so much fun seeing all of you at the Walkathon today!  This upcoming week, we will be editing our favorite how-to books to get ready for our publishing party.  Make sure to ask your student which book he or she wants to publish!

Reading Workshop

Phonics

Writing Workshop

Math

Social Studies

Character Strong

Art

Theme

Important Dates

Reminders


Thank you,

Miss Gibo

October 16-20, 2023

Teacher's Notes

This upcoming week, we will be starting our new Social Studies unit all about geography.  We'll be learning about different kinds of maps, as well as all the different continents and oceans in our world!  We will also be connecting this to our "My Family Map" sharing activity, where each student will get to present his or her family story.

Reading Workshop

Phonics

Writing Workshop

Math

Social Studies

Character Strong

Art

Theme

Important Dates

Reminders


Thank you,

Miss Gibo

October 9-13, 2023

Teacher's Notes

This upcoming week, we will be starting our new Math unit about strategies to solve larger addition problems within 20.  We will also be continuing our How-To Writing Workshop unit by teaching others how to do different things.  Make sure to ask your student about what he or she can teach others about (ex: how to set the table, how to ride a bike, etc.).   

Reading Workshop

Phonics

Writing Workshop

Math

Social Studies

Science

Character Strong

Art

Theme

Important Dates

Reminders


Thank you,

Miss Gibo

October 2-6, 2023

Teacher's Notes

This past week, we started our new Reading Workshop unit, where we are learning all about becoming Word Detectives.  Each day, we receive a secret "mission" from the S.S.D.A. (Super Secret Detective Agency), where we practice certain skills.  We also published our favorite small moment stories and celebrated with our Publishing Party!  Make sure to have your first grader share his or her published story with you!  We also had our first Living Classroom lesson, where we learned about plants and even planted some vegetables in our garden.  This upcoming week, we will be starting our new Writing Workshop unit about how-to books.

Reading Workshop

Phonics

Writing Workshop

Handwriting

Math

Social Studies

Science

Character Strong

Art

Theme

Important Dates

Reminders


Thank you,

Miss Gibo

September 25-29, 2023

Teacher's Notes

This past week, we had a lot of fun celebrating the fall season with Apple Fun Centers.  From applesauce, to apple "salad," to lots of books about apples, we definitely had a tasty time!  We also noticed that some of our seeds have started to sprout.  Make sure to ask your scientist about the different parts of a plant.  This upcoming week, we will be publishing our favorite small moment stories and having our first publishing party of the year!

Reading Workshop

Phonics

Writing Workshop

Handwriting

Math

Social Studies

Science

Character Strong

Art

Theme

Important Dates

Reminders


Thank you,

Miss Gibo

September 18-22, 2023

Teacher's Notes

This past week, we started our science unit all about plants.  We went on a nature walk, learned about the parts of a plant, and even planted three different kinds of seeds.  We can't wait to watch them grow!  This upcoming week, we will be kicking off the fall season with Apple Fun Centers!

Reading Workshop

Phonics

Writing Workshop

Handwriting

Math

Social Studies

Science

Character Strong

Art

Theme

Important Dates

Reminders


Thank you,

Miss Gibo

September 11-15, 2023

Teacher's Notes

This upcoming week, we will be starting our new science unit all about plants.  Along with learning about plants, we'll be planting our very own seeds and observing them as they grow!

Reading Workshop

Phonics

Writing Workshop

Handwriting

Math

Social Studies

Science

Character Strong

Art

Theme

Important Dates

Reminders


Thank you,

Miss Gibo

September 5-8, 2023

Teacher's Notes

Thank you all so much for coming to our Back to School Night!  It was so nice seeing all of you and I really appreciate your support and involvement.  We had a fun week with our stuffies!  Not only did they join us for Morning Meeting and Closing Circle each day, but they also helped us with partner reading during Reading Workshop, and even had a dedicated math station where we got to measure, compare, and analyze them!  This upcoming week, we will be working on adding our thoughts and feelings to our small moment stories during Writing Workshop.

Reading Workshop

Phonics

Writing Workshop

Handwriting

Math

Social Studies

Character Strong

Art

Theme

Important Dates

Reminders


Thank you,

Miss Gibo

August 28- September 1, 2023

Teacher's Notes

This past week, we continued learning more about what it's like to be in first grade by building our classroom community.   We are working on being responsible, celebrating others, and learning from our mistakes.  We also discovered many connections that we have with our new friends... Our "Getting to Know You" sharing activity was a lot of fun!  I also can't wait to see all of you at Back to School Night!

Reading Workshop

Phonics

Writing Workshop

Handwriting

Math

Social Studies

Character Strong

Art

Theme

Important Dates

Reminders


Thank you,

Miss Gibo

August 21-25, 2023

Teacher's Notes

After a summer filled with much eagerness and excitement over meeting our first grade class, I was thrilled to see everyone on the first day of school.   In order to get to know each other, we learned how to work together with a puzzle activity and started the day with a Morning Meeting (which we will do every day).   To emphasize the importance of the "Coyote Way," we collaborated in teams to create posters on how to make good choices.  To build our classroom community, we also painted a class mural with the saying "We are Better Together."  This was a great start to the school year and I can't wait for the upcoming week!

Reading Workshop

Phonics

Writing Workshop

Handwriting

Math

Social Studies

Character Strong

Art

Theme

Important Dates

Reminders


Thank you,

Miss Gibo

Welcome to First Grade

To My Students

I cannot wait to meet all of you on the first day of school!  Along with getting to know your classmates, you will also get to explore your new classroom.  I know that all of you are going to love your special book bins, flexible seating options, and our classroom library, where you will discover so many great books to read.  I am also excited for all of you to try out our Design Station, where you will use your imagination and creativity to build fun objects!

To The Parents

I am really looking forward to meeting all of you and having the opportunity to work with you throughout this school year.  I know that you are probably just as excited as your first grader for the first day of school, so it is my goal to make this a welcoming and memorable experience for everyone.  In order to ensure that all of you are updated on the happenings of our class, I will post a weekly newsletter on this website.  So, each week, you will find our classroom newsletter posted on this page.

Important Dates

June 5-9, 2023

Teacher's Notes

This past week, we had a lot of fun visiting our first 6th grade business simulation.  Just like our own marketplace simulation, the 6th graders designed businesses and we had the opportunity to be the consumers and purchase their different products.  We also finished the week with Field Day... From bubbles and face-painting, to the much anticipated three legged race, it was definitely a day to remember!  This upcoming week, we will be reflecting on our favorite first grade memories with our memory books, as well as making the most of our last four days together!

Reading Workshop

Writing Workshop

Math

Social Studies

Art

Theme

Weekly Intention

Important Dates

Reminders


Thank you,

Miss Gibo

May 29- June 2, 2023

Teacher's Notes

This past week, we celebrated the culmination of our Social Studies unit with our American Symbols on Parade performance, as well as our first "Our America" potluck.  Thank you all so much for helping our students celebrate the diversity of our community and what truly makes our country special!  This upcoming week, we will be finishing our fairy tales.  Make sure to ask your student about the characters, setting, problem, magical elements, and moral of his or her fairy tale!  And of course, we're excited to wear our tie dye shirts for Field Day!

Reading Workshop

Phonics

Writing Workshop

Math

Social Studies

Art

Theme

Weekly Intention

Important Dates

Reminders


Thank you,

Miss Gibo

May 22-26, 2023

Teacher's Notes

This past week, we enjoyed our very last Art Docent lesson of the year!  Inspired by Eric Carle's The Very Hungry Caterpillar, we made different textures with paint and created beautiful butterflies.  This upcoming week, we are extremely excited to sing our favorite patriotic songs for all of you at our American Symbols on Parade and celebrate together with our first annual "Our America" Potluck!

Reading Workshop

Phonics

Writing Workshop

Math

Social Studies

Art

Theme

Weekly Intention

Important Dates

Reminders


Thank you,

Miss Gibo

May 15-19, 2023

Teacher's Notes

This past week, we connected our previous science unit to our Living Classroom lesson all about tea!  In addition to sampling different kinds of tea, we also compared water, tea, and tea with milk.  Make sure to ask your first grader about the difference between transparent, translucent, and opaque!  This upcoming week, we will be learning more about different American symbols and reflecting on which one we feel like best represents our country.  

Reading Workshop

Phonics

Writing Workshop

Math

Social Studies

Art

Theme

Weekly Intention

Important Dates

Reminders


Thank you,

Miss Gibo

May 8-12, 2023

Teacher's Notes

This past week, we published our realistic fiction books and invited second graders to stop by our Publishing Party!  This upcoming week, we will be starting our new Reading and Writing Workshop units about fairy tales, where we will definitely get to use our imagination and creativity!

Reading Workshop

Phonics

Writing Workshop

Math

Social Studies

Art

Theme

Weekly Intention

Important Dates

Reminders


Thank you,

Miss Gibo

May 1-5, 2023

Teacher's Notes

This upcoming week, we will be starting our new Social Studies unit about American symbols.  We'll begin by taking a closer look at the Statue of Liberty and ultimately determine which symbol best represents our country!

Reading Workshop

Phonics

Writing Workshop

Math

Social Studies

Art

Theme

Weekly Intention

Important Dates

Reminders


Thank you,

Miss Gibo

April 24-28, 2023

Teacher's Notes

Although we celebrated Earth Day this past week, we discussed how we can take care of our Earth every day!  We read books about the Earth, recycling, and nature, helped collect trash around our campus, and planted pea seeds with our big buddies.  This upcoming week, we will be finishing our Social Studies unit, and using our knowledge of what schools were like in the past to help us determine how we can make our school better in the future... and right now, too!

Reading Workshop

Phonics

Writing Workshop

Math

Social Studies

Art

Theme

Weekly Intention

Important Dates

Reminders


Thank you,

Miss Gibo

April 17-21, 2023

Teacher's Notes

This upcoming week, we will be celebrating Earth Day.  Along with writing about how we can take care of our earth, we will also be planting pea seeds with our big buddies.  We can't wait to take care of our plants with lots of water, sunshine, and love!

Reading Workshop

Phonics

Writing Workshop

Math

Social Studies

Art

Theme

Weekly Intention

Important Dates

Reminders


Thank you,

Miss Gibo

April 3-7, 2023

Teacher's Notes

Thank you all for coming to our Starting Arts Performance and Open House.  Our first graders had so much fun celebrating everything they've learned with all of you!  This upcoming week, we will be starting our new Social Studies unit, comparing life today and long ago.

Reading Workshop

Phonics

Writing Workshop

Math

Social Studies

Art

Theme

Weekly Intention

Important Dates

Reminders


Thank you,

Miss Gibo

March 27-31, 2023

Teacher's Notes

This past week, we had a lot of fun learning about the sun, moon, and stars... And even continued our learning at the De Anza Planetarium!  We also collaborated in teams to solve our school-wide Problem of the Month.  While it may have been challenging, we learned about the importance of working together, problem solving, and persevering!  This upcoming week, we will be presenting our Passion Projects to our classmates, as well as being "tour guides" to all of you for Open House!

Reading Workshop

Phonics

Writing Workshop

Math

Social Studies

Science

Art

Theme

Weekly Intention

Important Dates

Reminders


Thank you,

Miss Gibo

March 20-24, 2023

Teacher's Notes

This past week was definitely eventful!  But despite losing power, our first graders worked hard, stayed positive, and had fun!  We even made the most of the situation and had our very own "campfire" with s'mores!  We also published our favorite poems and are excited for you to see them at Open House!  This upcoming week, we will be starting our new Reading and Writing Workshop units, along with going on our last field trip of the year to the De Anza Planetarium.

Reading Workshop

Phonics

Writing Workshop

Math

Social Studies

Science

Art

Theme

Weekly Intention

Important Dates

Reminders


Thank you,

Miss Gibo

March 13-17, 2023

Teacher's Notes

This past week, we had a lot of fun celebrating our 120th Day of School!  From discovering different things we could do in 120 seconds to dressing up as "120 year olds," we definitely had a memorable day!  During our Living Classroom lesson, we also learned about the different kinds of nests that birds build and even made our own.  This upcoming week, we will be recognizing inspirational women in honor of Women's History Month, as well as celebrating St. Patrick's Day!

Reading Workshop

Phonics

Writing Workshop

Math

Social Studies

Science

Art

Theme

Weekly Intention

Important Dates

Reminders


Thank you,

Miss Gibo

March 6-10, 2023

Teacher's Notes

This past week, we conducted an experiment for our STEM Expo class project called "Making Mindful Jars."  Make sure to stop by the STEM Expo to find out more about what we observed and learned.  This upcoming week, we will be starting a mini Writing Workshop unit all about poetry.  In addition to learning about different kinds of poems, we'll also get to write some of our own!

Reading Workshop

Phonics

Writing Workshop

Math

Social Studies

Science

Art

Theme

Weekly Intention

Important Dates

Reminders


Thank you,

Miss Gibo

February 27- March 3, 2023

Teacher's Notes

I hope all of you had a wonderful and restful break!  This upcoming week, we will be publishing our most convincing reviews, while also recording our very own audio books.  We will also be finishing our science unit by recreating our very own version of Rjukan, also known as "Shadow Town."

Reading Workshop

Phonics

Writing Workshop

Math

Social Studies

Science

Art

Theme

Weekly Intention

Important Dates

Reminders


Thank you,

Miss Gibo

February 13-17, 2023

Teacher's Notes

Thank you all so much for coming to our Poetry Celebration and showing your support for our class.  I am so proud of how hard our first graders worked and they were beyond excited to finally recite their poems for all of you!  This upcoming week, we will be celebrating Valentine's Day and learning about two of our presidents... George Washington and Abraham Lincoln!

Reading Workshop

Phonics

Writing Workshop

Math

Social Studies

Science

Art

Theme

Weekly Intention

Important Dates

Reminders


Thank you,

Miss Gibo

February 6-10, 2023

Teacher's Notes

This past week, we explored our shadows outside and even created our own shadow puppet stories!  We also had a lot of fun making clay fish with our Art Docent lesson.  This upcoming week, we will be getting ready for Valentine's Day by "delivering" our valentines and most importantly, seeing all of you at our Poetry Celebration!

Reading Workshop

Phonics

Writing Workshop

Math

Social Studies

Science

Art

Theme

Weekly Intention

Important Dates

Reminders


Thank you,

Miss Gibo

January 30- February 3, 2023

Teacher's Notes

This past week, we had a lot of fun on our field trip to the Youth Science Institute!  Along with exploring on a nature hike, we learned about animal adaptations and got to meet a Madagascar hissing cockroach, tarantula, rough skin newt, and gopher snake.  We also participated in our marketplace simulation, where our first graders had the opportunity to create business proposals, marketing posters, and their very own products.  Our big buddies even stopped by to purchase some of our products (key chains, bookmarks, origami, etc.).  This upcoming week, we will be starting our new science unit all about shadows!

Reading Workshop

Phonics

Writing Workshop

Math

Social Studies

Science

Art

Theme

Weekly Intention

Important Dates

Reminders


Thank you,

Miss Gibo

January 23-27, 2023

Teacher's Notes

This past week, we had a fun Art Docent lesson inspired by Andy Warhol.  In addition to creating our own self portrait prints, we also learned about complementary colors!  This upcoming week, we will be transforming our classroom into our own marketplace.  In teams, we will design a product and "sell" them to each other using class dollars.  We are also excited to go on our Youth Science Institute Field Trip.  Together, we will go on a nature walk, as well as learn more about animal adaptations.

Reading Workshop

Phonics

Writing Workshop

Math

Social Studies

Art

Theme

Weekly Intention

Important Dates

Reminders


Thank you,

Miss Gibo

January 18-20, 2023

Teacher's Notes

Last week, we learned all about Martin Luther King Jr.  This upcoming week, we will be learning about brave children who helped advocate for equality during the Civil Rights Movement, including Ruby Bridges, Audrey Faye Hendricks, and Ron McNair.  

Reading Workshop

Phonics

Writing Workshop

Math

Social Studies

Art

Theme

Weekly Intention

Important Dates

Reminders


Thank you,

Miss Gibo

January 9-13, 2023

Teacher's Notes

I hope all of you had a wonderful winter break!  To celebrate the new year, we will be starting new units for Reading Workshop and Writing Workshop.  We will also be learning about Martin Luther King Jr. in honor of our upcoming holiday.

Reading Workshop

Phonics

Writing Workshop

Math

Social Studies

Art

Theme

Weekly Intention

Important Dates

Reminders


Thank you,

Miss Gibo

December 19-22 2022

Teacher's Notes

This past week, we continued celebrating different winter holidays with some extra festive art!  This upcoming week, we will be publishing our favorite nonfiction chapter books, making gingerbread houses with our big buddies, and having fun with our holiday party!

Reading Workshop

Phonics

Writing Workshop

Math

Social Studies

Science

Art

Theme

Weekly Intention

Important Dates

Reminders


Thank you,

Miss Gibo

December 12-16, 2022

Teacher's Notes

This past week, we learned about different winter holidays including Hanukkah and Christmas.  Did you know that many winter holidays celebrate the season with lights?  This upcoming week, we will be publishing our favorite nonfiction chapter books and continuing with our "15 Days of Giving" kindness challenge.

Reading Workshop

Phonics

Writing Workshop

Math

Social Studies

Science

Art

Theme

Weekly Intention

Important Dates

Reminders


Thank you,

Miss Gibo

December 5-9, 2022

Teacher's Notes

This past week, we kicked off our "15 Days of Giving" kindness challenge.  From showing our appreciation for others, we have absolutely loved spreading holiday cheer!  It's amazing how happy our first graders have been by simply doing something for someone else.  We also started Computer Science with Mr. Marquis!  Inspired by Hello Ruby: Adventures in Coding, we learned about algorithms and created step by step directions to help Ruby reach the other animals.  This upcoming week, we will be learning about different winter holidays from around the world!

Reading Workshop

Phonics

Writing Workshop

Math

Social Studies

Science

Art

Theme

Weekly Intention

Important Dates

Reminders


Thank you,

Miss Gibo

November 28- December 2, 2022

Teacher's Notes

I hope all of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving break!  This upcoming week, we will be getting into the holiday spirit by comparing and contrasting different versions of The Gingerbread Man, as well as starting our "15 Days of Giving" kindness challenge.  Starting on December 1, we will reveal our kindness challenge each morning to help spread joy.  We are also excited be starting our 10 week Computer Science rotation!

Reading Workshop

Phonics

Writing Workshop

Math

Social Studies

Science

Art

Theme

Weekly Intention

Important Dates

Reminders


Thank you,

Miss Gibo

November 14-18, 2022

Teacher's Notes

This past week, we worked in teams to create our own communication devices.  Make sure to ask your student about what he or she learned about sound and vibration!  This upcoming week, we will be starting our new science unit all about plants, as well as attending our first field trip to the Mountain View Center for Performing Arts.

Reading Workshop

Phonics

Writing Workshop

Math

Social Studies

Science

Art

Theme

Weekly Intention

Important Dates

Reminders


Thank you,

Miss Gibo

November 7-10, 2022

Teacher's Notes

This past week, we kicked off our new Reading and Writing Workshop units all about nonfiction books, sharing our expert knowledge with each other.  We also investigated sound waves and vibrations to get a better understanding of how animals make sounds to communicate.  This upcoming week, we will be starting our new math unit all about subtraction and working in teams to build our own communication devices.  

Reading Workshop

Phonics

Writing Workshop

Math

Social Studies

Science

Art

Theme

Weekly Intention

Important Dates

Reminders


Thank you,

Miss Gibo

October 31 - November 4, 2022

Teacher's Notes

This past week, we selected our favorite how-to books to edit, publish, and share.  We had so much fun celebrating our published how-to books with Miss Chen's first grade class for a "double" publishing party!  This upcoming week, we will be starting our new Reading and Writing Workshop units where we will be reading and writing our own nonfiction books.  Make sure to ask your student what he or she knows a lot about to help brainstorm possible topics.

Reading Workshop

Phonics

Writing Workshop

Math

Social Studies

Science

Art

Theme

Weekly Intention

Important Dates

Reminders


Thank you,

Miss Gibo

October 24-28, 2022

Teacher's Notes

From painting pumpkins to making LED ghosties with our big buddies, we definitely had a spooktacular week!  This upcoming week, we will be editing our favorite how-to books to get ready for our publishing party.  We are also excited to meet Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen for our special author visit!

Reading Workshop

Phonics

Writing Workshop

Math

Social Studies

Science

Art

Theme

Weekly Intention

Important Dates

Reminders


Thank you,

Miss Gibo

October 17-21, 2022

Teacher's Notes

This past week, we had a lot of fun learning about how seeds travel during our Living Classroom lesson, as well as celebrating our Language of the Month with some Dutch games and treats!  This upcoming week, we will be continuing our Animal Reporters Science unit, exploring how animals take care of their young.  We will also celebrate the fall season with our big buddies!

Reading Workshop

Phonics

Writing Workshop

Math

Social Studies

Science

Art

Theme

Weekly Intention

Important Dates

Reminders


Thank you,

Miss Gibo

October 10-14, 2022

Teacher's Notes

It was so much fun seeing all of you at the Walkathon yesterday!  This upcoming week, we will be starting our new Math unit about strategies to solve larger addition problems within 20.  We will also be continuing our How-To Writing Workshop unit by teaching others how to do different things.  Make sure to ask your student about what he or she can teach others about (ex: how to set the table, how to ride a bike, etc.   

Reading Workshop

Phonics

Writing Workshop

Math

Social Studies

Science

Art

Theme

Weekly Intention

Important Dates

Reminders


Thank you,

Miss Gibo

October 3-7, 2022

Teacher's Notes

This past week, we started our new Reading Workshop and Phonics units, where we are learning all about becoming Word Detectives.  Each day, we receive a secret "mission" from the S.S.D.A. (Super Secret Detective Agency), where we practice certain skills.  We published our favorite small moment stories and celebrated with our Publishing Party!  Make sure to have your first grader share his or her published story with you!  We also had our first Living Classroom lesson, where we learned about plants and even planted some vegetables in our garden.  This upcoming week, we will be starting our new Writing Workshop unit about how-to books, as well as our new Science unit about animal adaptations.

Reading Workshop

Phonics

Writing Workshop

Handwriting

Math

Social Studies

Science

Art

Theme

Weekly Intention

Important Dates

Reminders


Thank you,

Miss Gibo

September 26-30, 2022

Teacher's Notes

This past week, we had a lot of fun celebrating the fall season with Apple Fun Centers, as well as "graduating" from our very first phonics unit!  Make sure to ask your student about what we've learned about letters, sounds, and syllables!  This upcoming week, we will be publishing our favorite small moment stories and having our first publishing party of the year!

Reading Workshop

Phonics

Writing Workshop

Handwriting

Math

Social Studies

Art

Theme

Weekly Intention

Important Dates

Reminders


Thank you,

Miss Gibo

September 19-23, 2022

Teacher's Notes

This past week, we celebrated International Dot Day with our big buddies by making a chalk mural from the Multi to the Library!  Make sure to check it out the next time you're on campus... It will definitely bring a smile to your face!  This upcoming week, we will be kicking off the fall season with Apple Fun Centers!

Reading Workshop

Phonics

Writing Workshop

Handwriting

Math

Social Studies

Art

Theme

Weekly Intention

Important Dates

Reminders


Thank you,

Miss Gibo

September 12-16, 2022

Teacher's Notes

Inspired by The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds, we're excited to participate in International Dot Day.  Together we are working on ways we can make our mark on the world... And creating a school-wide chalk mural with our big buddies!  We will also be starting our new Social Studies unit about geography.

Reading Workshop

Phonics

Writing Workshop

Handwriting

Math

Social Studies

Art

Theme

Weekly Intention

Important Dates

Reminders


Thank you,

Miss Gibo

September 6-9, 2022

Teacher's Notes

Thank you all so much for coming to our Back to School Night!  It was so nice seeing all of you and I really appreciate your support and involvement.  We had a fun week with our stuffies!  Not only did they join us for Morning Meeting and Closing Circle each day, but they also helped us with partner reading during Reading Workshop, and even had a dedicated math station where we got to measure, compare, and analyze them!  This upcoming week, we will be learning about the importance of revision during Writing Workshop... As we always say, "when we're done, we've just begun!"

Reading Workshop

Phonics

Writing Workshop

Handwriting

Math

Social Studies

Art

Theme

Weekly Intention

Important Dates

Reminders


Thank you,

Miss Gibo

August 29- September 2, 2022

Teacher's Notes

This past week, we continued learning more about what it's like to be in first grade by building our classroom community.  We are working on being responsible, celebrating others, and learning from our mistakes.  We also discovered many connections that we have with our new friends... Our "Getting to Know You" sharing activity was a lot of fun!  After reading with all of our students one-on-one to gain a better understanding of their strengths and areas for growth, I am excited that we will be adding two more routines to Reading Workshop this week... reading groups and shopping for our "just right" books!  I also can't wait to see all of you at Back to School Night!

Reading Workshop

Phonics

Writing Workshop

Handwriting

Math

Social Studies

Art

Theme

Weekly Intention

Important Dates

Reminders


Thank you,

Miss Gibo

August 22-26, 2022

Teacher's Notes

After a summer filled with much eagerness and excitement over meeting our first grade class, I was thrilled to see everyone on the first day of school.  In order to get to know each other, we learned how to work together with a puzzle activity and started the day with a Morning Meeting (which we will do every day).  To emphasize the importance of the "Coyote Way," we collaborated in teams to create posters on how to make good choices.  To build our classroom community, we also painted a class mural with the saying "We are Better Together."  This was a great start to the school year and I can't wait for the upcoming week!

Reading Workshop

Phonics

Writing Workshop

Handwriting

Math

Social Studies

Art

Theme

Weekly Intention

Important Dates

Reminders


Thank you,

Miss Gibo

Welcome to FIrst Grade

To My Students

I cannot wait to meet all of you on the first day of school!  Along with getting to know your classmates, you will also get to explore your new classroom.  I know that all of you are going to love your special book bins, flexible seating options, and our classroom library, where you will discover so many great books to read.  I am also excited for all of you to try out our Design Station, where you will use your imagination and creativity to build fun objects!

To The Parents

I am really looking forward to meeting all of you and having the opportunity to work with you throughout this school year.  I know that you are probably just as excited as your first grader for the first day of school, so it is my goal to make this a welcoming and memorable experience for everyone.  In order to ensure that all of you are updated on the happenings of our class, I will post a weekly newsletter on this website.  So, each week, you will find our classroom newsletter posted on this page.

Important Dates