We continue to establish routines and norms in our classroom and at our school. Last week, the students practiced what it looks like and sounds like to be responsible on the bus and in our gym. We talked about the importance of using an inside voice, having a calm body and following the group plan. All students practiced safety on the bus even though they normally do not ride the bus to, and from, school because we will all ride the bus together on field-trips. The students continue to earn buzzies for being safe, kind and responsible. When we fill the classroom buzzy jar, we have a special celebration in our classroom. When we fill the school buzzy jar, we have a school-wide celebration. Every Friday, students on harmony have the opportunity to be nominated for a special "BeeKeeper Certificate". The teachers and staff members on Harmony nominate two students every week. These students are recognized in our kiva assembly on Friday afternoons. We are so proud of all of our students!
Reading:
Last week, I was assessing students in beginning of the year reading skills. At ABS, we administer the Fountas & Pinnell reading assessment. We do this formally three times a year (September, January and June). We assess reading accuracy, reading fluency and reading comprehension. I will share your child's reading proficiency in October at our conferences. They all did an outstanding job. They were so happy and eager to read with me and talk about the books we read together.
Your child brought home his/her first reading log on Friday. We encourage students to read every night at home. This reading time should be relaxing, enjoyable and engaging. It should not be a power-struggle between you and your child, and this time should not be viewed as a "homework time". Rather, we hope you and your child will enjoy some good books together. Take turns reading. Encourage your child to read books he/she can read independently. Take turns reading sentence by sentence. Don't forget to talk about the books too. What happened? Who are the characters? Why do you think they acted the way they did? Does this remind you of anything?
Please jot down the books read and return the reading log the following Friday.
I have linked the reading log (and many other examples/reading games on my wiki in the section "Reading Logs" and also here for your convenience.
As discussed on Curriculum Night, we do not typically send home books unless your child wishes to take books home from our classroom. We noticed that many of our books never returned, which resulted in fewer books for instructional purposes. If you want your child to take books home from the classroom to help with the reading log, please let me know. I will provide your student with a book bag and we will pack books for next week. Thank you.
Writing:
The students worked on "All About Me" posters and a special project called "Hopes & Dreams". We will hang our Hopes and Dreams above the lockers along with Ms. Fisher's class and we hope to share our posters with you at our conferences in October.
If your child did not return "The Time capsule" assignment/interview, please return it to the class as soon as possible. The students are eager to start playing our games. Thank you.
We started our spelling groups last week as well. Students are divided into smaller groups according to grade level. This way, all students can receive the instruction they need and our groups are smaller. I teach 2nd grade. We use Fundations as our curriculum. We do not send spelling homework, but I have linked 2nd grade spelling words on my wiki for parents to print, if desired. The lists online do not exactly correspond to the instructional pace at school as our schedules often change due to specials. The spelling lists are linked under Word Study and here for your convenience.
Math:
First grade mathematicians continued building a community of learners with new routines and norms this week. They also practiced their number writing. They also continued to deepen their understanding of part of a number, such as 10. We explored how numbers can be broken down into smaller parts, or groups. We used rekenreks (number racks), unifix cubes and dice. Next week, first graders will take home some work station recording sheets for you to see some of the amazing work they have done at school!
Upcoming Events & Reminders:
- We have a field-trip to Shelburne Farms on Wednesday, September 18th. The bus leaves ABS at 8:45. We will return around 2pm for regular dismissal. Please make sure your child is dressed for outdoor explorations. Layers are best. Your child must wear sneakers or boots. No open toe shoes please. Your child needs a packed lunch and snack. They must be peanut and Tree Nut free as we have allergies on house. If your child needs a bagged lunch from school, please let me know before the end of the school day Monday as our kitchen staff must get these bagged lunches ready. Thank you. For those of you who will be joining us, please let me know if you will be riding the bus with us or meet us there. Thank you.
- The ABS Picture Day is Tuesday, September 17th. Please remember the photo forms if you are ordering extra pictures of your child.
- The FAP Ice Cream Social is on Wednesday, September 18th between 5-6pm. Come and join us for some fun and ice cream. I will only be able to stay for the first 15-20 minutes because I have to drive to Underhill, where I live, to pick up my youngest son Ryan from after school care and my other son Aidan from MMU Football practice. I hope you understand and I look forward to seeing you briefly:)
Enjoy the beautiful weather today!
Maria
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