1. Blogger is slow...it takes a day to send out to its subscribers (solution: I will email you when it is updated so you can see it immediately)
2. First graders are active and therefore hungry all day (solution: Please bring a nut-free afternoon snack instead of finishing leftovers from lunch...there are no leftovers ;)
3. Your children are the kindest group of kiddos. You have done a wonderful job raising them. A sincere thank you, parents!
Looking forward:
- Tuesday, Sept. 10th: Constitution Day & Wealthy Family Back-to-School picnic, 5:30pm
- Thursday, Sept. 12th: School Pictures and Kevin Kammeraad in the same day!
- Fridays, beginning Sept 13th: Reading Buddies with Mrs. Eggert's 3rd grade class (we will begin library time (and checkout) with our buddies *most likely* the following week)
- Tuesday, Sept. 17th: Parent Information Night, 6 pm
- Wednesdays beginning Sept. 18th: Computer Lab time
News for you...
- The first two weeks of school
- What are TRC Cards?
- Scholastic Book Order
- Take Home Folders
- Parent Information Night Questions
The first two weeks of school
Behavior expectations: Our first two weeks of school are about getting to know each other, getting know our classroom and school and getting to know the procedures and expectations of being a 1st grader. Our school as adopted TEAM goals (see TRC cards below). Our classroom has adopted 3 important rules to follow that compliment these goals: Be nice to yourself, be nice to others and be nice to property (school, personal, etc). We signed our promises into action on Friday and will continue to discuss what "being nice" looks like and sounds like.
TRC Cards
Behavior expectations: Our first two weeks of school are about getting to know each other, getting know our classroom and school and getting to know the procedures and expectations of being a 1st grader. Our school as adopted TEAM goals (see TRC cards below). Our classroom has adopted 3 important rules to follow that compliment these goals: Be nice to yourself, be nice to others and be nice to property (school, personal, etc). We signed our promises into action on Friday and will continue to discuss what "being nice" looks like and sounds like.
Math Letter & Game: Coming home today is a letter about the first unit of our Harcourt Math series with a game to play on the back. This is for your information. Feel free to play the game at home (no need to return to school) and make it challenging at your child's level in a positive manner. We will not be sending "official" homework until after our informational meeting. Another avenue to explore to keep your 1st grader's math mind engaged is to play Harcourt or other online math games linked on my website.
TRC Cards
We began TRC cards on Thursday in our classroom. Your child may be familiar with these from kindergarten. These "caught you being good" cards acknowledge students for doing the right thing. Should they do the right thing without having to be acknowledged for it? Of course. Does research show that positive feedback promotes positive results? Definitely.
Our school family has adopted a TEAM approach (Take responsibility, Everyone safe, Always respectful, and Make a difference). When a student demonstrates one of these goals, a staff member at school can award this student a TRC card (at recess, in the classroom, lunchroom, etc). Each Friday, one TRC card will be chosen from the many in our collection bucket and that friend will get to decide a game, movement song or short activity to do together as a TEAM. There are many, many weeks in the school year and I'm positive that each one of our 1st grade friends will have a chance to decide what our Fun Friday will look like.
Scholastic Book Order
The September book order is coming home today. You will find many great deals in these pages! For future reference, if you would like to order as a gift, please let me know and I will contact you when the books arrive instead of sending them home with your child. Please return this book order by next FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 13th. You can send in your order to me in paper form (please make checks out to Scholastic Book Clubs) or you can order online. Our class activation code is MDRPH.
Scholastic Book Order
The September book order is coming home today. You will find many great deals in these pages! For future reference, if you would like to order as a gift, please let me know and I will contact you when the books arrive instead of sending them home with your child. Please return this book order by next FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 13th. You can send in your order to me in paper form (please make checks out to Scholastic Book Clubs) or you can order online. Our class activation code is MDRPH.
Take Home Folders
You will notice that there are many times during the week that no work will come home in your child's folder. The consistency of taking their folders home and bringing it back allows our first graders to develop a great routine for future grades AND if you have any notes to send my way, this keeps our communication open. Thank you for helping your 1st grader remember to return the folder each and every day!
Parent Information Night Questions
If you have any questions regarding your child's daily schedule, curriculum, or classroom climate, please feel free to email me BEFORE parent night. If there are consistent questions, I will be able to address them the night we meet. If it's an individual question, I will respond to you personally. I hope to address our curriculum, volunteer opportunities, communication and goals for our upcoming year together.
