Birthday Breakfast

We will be hosting our first birthday breakfast, tomorrow, (Friday) September 30th. We will be celebrating students who had a birthday in September. We will meet for morning meeting, sing happy birthday, and enjoy a light birthday snack. It will all happen before 9:00 so we can continue on with our learning plans for the day. Arrival will be at the same time your child comes to the classroom. Please email me if you plan to attend - all immediate family members are invited - whether you have a birthday child or not! You are welcome to bring younger siblings to these monthly birthday breakfasts (during other parts of our day, we ask that you leave younger siblings at home). If you've signed up for September to help with food donations, I've sent you an email - please respond with what you plan to bring. Drop me an email if you think that you'll make it for all or part of the breakfast/morning meeting! Each month we will have one, so don't feel obligated to attend all - do what works for your family. These breakfasts/morning meeting are informal and a chance to stop by!

4 winds

Each month a parent/grandparent volunteers will be coming into our classroom to lead an interactive science lesson. 4 Winds is a state wide hands on nature program. This year's theme is Cycles:Changes Through the Seasons.   Last week, we had Grandma Jan and Aaron join us to help stregthen our understanding of the life cycle of insects. We enjoyed an informative puppet show about a butterfly and grasshopper and then explored insects close up.  Students also learned new vocabulary words, which they were encouraged to use in their writing about what they learned.  

Our volunteers are looking for help throughout the year.  The months in bold are dates where it will be only Grandma Jan, who is interested in working with YOU! If you'd like to join her, or see a topic that interests you specifically and have a plethora of knowledge about it, please let me know and I will put you in contact with her.  Thanks for considering joining this hands on interactive lesson taught by parents and family!

Oct 18:       Traveling Seeds

Nov 15:      Bird on the Wing

Jan 24:       Winter Ways

Feb 21:       Trees in Winter

March 28:   Galls Galore

April 25:     Songbird Songs

May 16:      Flowers to Fruit

Home Connection

Buggy About Insects

Optional Independent Project

In science, we are studying insects. Our learning focus on how the structure and function of insects help it to survive, i.e. the beetle’s “hard shell” is actually a set of wings called elytra that protect its soft flying wings hidden underneath.  Students are so excited about this topic and are enjoying studying different insects each week at school.  Now is their opportunity to explore an insect that interests them the most.  

This project is optional and can be done as a family or individual at home and brought into school to share.  

Here is what we would like to have included in the final project.  Your child can present it any way they would like, but we would like to see students demonstrate these components:

1.) Choose an insect.

2.) Make a model of the insect (clay, playdough, legos, construction paper, etc.).

3.) Label the model (bug name and body parts).

4.) Have at least one real photograph of the insect (magazine, internet, own photograph).

5.) Where does it live?

6.) What does it eat?

7.) How does it protect itself from predators?

8.) Include some interesting facts about your insect.  

9.) Use your imagination and have fun!

If you have any questions about this project, please send us an email!  

Have Fun!

The First Grade Team

**Please note that projects are due by October 11th, but if they finish it sooner, please send it in.

Open House - THIS WEDNESDAY

Please join us on Wednesday at 6:00 to visit your child's classroom.

Fall ECO Schedule

Our outdoor learning dates are listed below. We will be joining other classes along with a naturalist from the North Branch Nature Center on the AFTERNOONS listed below.  Please let me know if you can attend any of the dates.  The last date listed is an ALL classes day, where all first graders will be out together as a group. For this fall, first graders will travel to Harrison Field.

Thursday, October 6th
Thursday, October 27th
Thursday, November 10th
Thursday, December 1st
Thursday, December 15th

Sing-a-long

Each month, students from all first grade classrooms join together for a sing-a-long. In each of the five classrooms, children study and learn similar content and are exposed to shared songs, poems, and chants. This past week, friends got together to share their learning of insects thus far while singing "Big Bugs, Small Bugs," "Head, Thorax, Abdomen." "Flea Fly," and a favorite of all our teachers, "The More We Get Together." INQUIRE with your child about any one of these songs.  Each day, children READ and sing these titles as a class and independently from their poem folders stored in their book boxes.  

Friendships

New and old friends continue to join together at our end of the day choice time.  The positive energy, warm smiles, and thoughtful encounters I witness each day make me certain that our class will continue to learn and grow from one another throughout the school year.  

Building "Habits" in Reading Workshop

First graders have dived into reading workshop already this year. Readers start the year by building "habits" and practicing them each day. We stress the importance of building independence and learning some tricks to help with management of this time. Confidence, attitude, and a love of reading is highlighted during these first few weeks. Already, readers are using a variety of tools to build stamina, manage their independent reading time, and increase motivation. As students build management habits (getting started right away, not wasting time, keeping track of reading, making a plan for their reading, using quiet voices, staying in their spots) they are also beginning to learn a variety of strategies that will eventually become habits as well. Using new book boxes and exploring new titles, first grade readers have been practicing taking a "sneak peak" of new titles, "checking their sneak peak" and always doing something at the end of reading ( retell, find favorite part, think across pages, or reread.) All these beginning of the year strategies your child is working on will help them have a successful year as a first grade reader!

Handwriting

In addition to learning how to hold a pencil and practice handwriting on paper, children have opportunities for more kinesthetic way. Students will be working on proper letter formation through sky writing, floor writing, white boards, and gel boards. Most students have developed a habit of starting their letters from the bottom. During our handwriting time, we are trying to break this habit and learn the proper way of writing each letter - top to bottom. This fluid motion helps children in 2nd and 3rd grade to develop writing fluency. We spent some time working on our handwriting using the sky, plane, grass, and worm lines as guides to letter placement on the lines.

If you'd like materials on how to form each letter and to help your child at home, please inquire with me and I can send these home.

Movement

We love to get up and moving! Between learning times in our classroom, students move, sing, and dance to a variety of beats.  INQUIRE with your child what their favorite movement break has been!

Blanchard Park

This past Thursday, our class went on our first outdoor excursion.  While some of these adventures will be focused on learning at Harrison Field, there will be some days we venture out for a short outing. This past week, our class joined Mrs. Koch's first graders to explore Blanchard Park.  INQUIRE with your child what they discovered at this space. 

Birthday Celebrations

Everybody likes to celebrate their birthday...even parents, right? Birthdays are a time for celebration and something we would like to all honor at school. In first grade, we’d like to continue the tradition of having ‘birthday breakfast’ once a month in your child’s classroom. We welcome families to join us for this celebration each month - regardless of whether your child’s birthday falls on that month! We encourage all families to join us in a morning meeting and participate in a whole class greeting. We then will sing a birthday song, and enjoy a special breakfast as a whole group.

Each month, we will need your help to make the birthday breakfast a success. We encourage you to sign up ahead of time to supply a special healthy breakfast treat (1-2 months in advance would be helpful). Breakfast ideas range from juice, muffins, bread, cheese and crackers, fruit salad, veggie and dip, fruit kabobs, yogurt parfait, granola, etc. All breakfast items need to be peanut-free so please read the labels carefully. Even if you are not able to attend, you can contribute to the breakfast. If you are not bringing a birthday treat, we welcome you to join as well! Remember, we need to honor our school policy of healthy snacks.

This is a great chance for you to join your child’s class and celebrate with the whole class community. Please look for a sign up during open house at the end of the month for a date that works for you and your family to bring a breakfast item to school.  Closer to the date that you sign up for, I’ll remind those that signed up and help to coordinate on who will be bringing what. If you have any questions, feel free to ask!

**IN THE MEANTIME, I'D LIKE TO GET A HEADS START ON THE FIRST BIRTHDAY BREAKFAST - FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 30th.  IF YOU CAN HELP SUPPLY ANYTHING, LET ME KNOW (jillc@mpsvt..org). REMEMBER, THIS MONTHLY EVENT CAN ONLY HAPPEN WITH YOUR HELP.  THANKS!

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If you are having a birthday or holiday celebration outside of school time, please send invitations on your own, not through school, unless all students from our class are invited. This pertains to "secretly" dropping an invitation in their folder or handing it to them during school hours. Please also discuss the potential conversations that could come about from having out of school gatherings with only select classmates and the feelings that those left out may have. I will be doing the same at school, but believe a follow up discussion can only benefit! Thanks so much for understanding and helping all children feel good.  (I'll try and get a contact list out for all students soon!)

Math Games

Our math block incorporates multiple components of early numeracy learning. One component of the block is a game approach to working on skills. INQUIRE with your child what math games they have played this year.  Students explore different strategies for solving problems and share their experiential learning with their peers.  

Just right books

 Choice is important to develop a love for reading. Although first graders are guided through the process of finding "just right" books, students have choice.  It is important for people of all ages to be reading books they are interested in.  Students are developing their stamina and can read and practice their learning when provided more choice.  During our reading time, students practice books that are at a just right level, books that they can comprehend and read the words.  There are other times of the day where students get to read "look books" - books that may be too easy or too hard.  INQUIRE with your child how they go about choosing just right books! 

Buddies

This year our class will have fourth grade buddies from Mrs. Pierce's class.  Students have either 1 or 2 big buddies whom they'll work with on a variety of activities throughout the year. This first week, students interviewed one another and got to know all about each other.  INQUIRE with your child who their buddy is.  What did they learn about them? 

Working Together

Choice time at the end of the day is an important part of our day. Social skills are practiced and reinforced as students make their own choices. INQUIRE with your child what they have done at choice time. Who have they worked with? 

Making a Plan

Before getting started with their "read to self" students take a minute to make a plan for their reading.  What books will they read today? How many do they think they can read thoroughly?  Students use a mat to organize their books and after each book read, record it in their folder.  Students are building their stamina for reading and developing life-long habits.  INQUIRE with them what habits they have been developing in first grade reading workshop? 

Weekly Newspaper

Reading is everywhere in our classroom - from poems, songs, books, and even newspapers! Children spend time each week reading a newsletter made just for kids. This week, conversations were had about classroom rules. As we read, we made connections to our own learning in first grade! Enjoying having conversations each week with your child about the topics in these newsletters. Read it together, or have your child read to you! 

First Assembly

Once a month, the entire school, faculty, staff, and students gather together for a whole school morning meeting, sometimes referred to as an assembly. The structure of this morning meeting replicates that of what we do in our own classroom. As an entire school, we celebrate together, sing songs, and learn about what's happening around the building. Our students are not only creating community in their respective classrooms, but as a whole school. We had our first assembly Thursday morning. I was incredibly impressed with your child's respectful behavior and active participation. We were great role models for all the new Kindergartners at UES!

Super Student

You might have heard your child talking about the "Super Student."  Each day, a child is randomly selected to be this student.  As one way to learn about each other and to build community, the child is highlighted for the day. The class interviews them, asking them questions about their interests, favorites, about their home, etc.  We also learn about their name and do a special name chant.  Each student then writes and draws all about this "super student." Each page gets put into a special book all about that child.  You can look forward to reading these at open house at the end of the month.  Throughout this whole process, students practice what it looks and sounds like to be a "super first grader" as we've been referring to them as in the classroom. INQUIRE with your child what it looks like and sounds like to be a superstudent.  What magical powers do they have/show?!  

"The First Grade Way"

In the first few weeks, students are learning the "first grade way" of doing many things.  For example, throughout the year, students play a variety of math games that include dice.  Students work together to come up with the expected ways of doing such a thing, "the first grade way."  These rules are then kept and reviewed throughout the year.  Students come up with these rules, practice them, and then amend them as they see fit.  The class decides as a group the most cooperative and respectful way to use all materials in the classroom.  We have been exploring the rules around many different materials used routinely- pencils, crayons, folders, scissors, playing cards, etc. 

Picture day

A sneak peak into a few picture day photos...let's hope that the photographer didn't catch the silly picture like this one as a real class photo!