Dear Families,
We had a terrific first week together. It was a fun-filled but exhausting week for all. I hope your child will relax and get some rest this weekend. Remember, we have Monday off (Labor Day). I will see the students back on Tuesday again.
I normally send these newsletters on Fridays. I will also post the newsletters on our classroom blog page for continued access. The blog also contains helpful links to our weekly schedule and other classes at ABS. Check it out here (It is also linked at the bottom of my emails along with my online/at home resources)
Here is our week in review:
Social-Emotional Learning:
We had a wonderful first week together as a new first grade class! We prioritized getting to know each other and the students participated in many learning activities and games to build new friendships. They discovered that they have many things in common with classmates. We sang songs together in our classroom and with Ms. Crowley’s class too. Here is a link to the classroom song links in case you want to sing at home too.
We spent a lot of time outside with the other first grade classes this week. We played on the field/hill behind our school and went to Tree Island. Additionally, we played with brain flakes, dominoes, legos and playdough but I think our balloon game is already a class favorite! Ask your child to explain.
This week, we created our new classroom norms and expectations. For our classroom to feel fully inclusive, we decided that our school motto, “Be Safe, Be Kind, and Be Responsible” would be a great framework for our own classroom rules. We created a classroom contract and all the students signed it by decorating a bee, which we will hang around the contract itself. The students did an outstanding job contributing their own interpretations and understandings.
The students filled our classroom buzzy jar for being safe, kind and responsible already! They are amazing! They show such patience and kindness to each other already. I am so lucky to have them in my class. We celebrated with some extra outdoor play time and a balloon game. What a fun way to end our first week together!
You Can:
At home, you can create expectations and around being safe, kind and responsible too. Talk to your child about how these norms apply at home as well. How can your child be safe, kind and responsible at home? Encourage your child to be specific. What does it look like to be kind at home? What does it sound like? Keep the language positive. For example, if your child says “no hitting”, rephrase that to “hands to self”, for example.
Literacy:
We had library class this week and the students started reading some books on their own in our classroom. They were so excited to pack new library books to take home. We hope the handy library bags will help your child manage their library books. Please return the bag and the books next Wednesday so your child can get new ones.
Our Allen Brook School library also has fantastic online resources for you and your child. Please check out this link for further reading exploration at home. I also have additional online reading resources on my own website, but nothing beats reading real books together! In a few weeks, your child will bring home classroom decodable books for reading at home. More information about this soon.
The students participated in many teacher-led read alouds this week. Most books read reflected some of the mixed feelings we all experience when school starts again (or any time we find ourselves in new, unfamiliar surroundings). For example, we read the book “First Day Jitters” by Julie Danneburg. This story has an unexpected ending. Ask your child to explain.
Our first graders also had the opportunity to self-select books for their classroom book bins. When the students read independently in first grade, it is important that they are exposed to a variety of books. At this early stage in the school year, as we are establishing our new classroom community, it is important for the students to learn to navigate their new classroom setting and sustain attention for longer periods of time. As the school year unfolds, I will share more information about our reading routines and expectations, but this week, the students learned to pick interesting books for them and they practiced exchanging books for new ones.
Ms. Filion visited our classroom for a special read aloud too. She read two new books and she followed up with a special movement activity. It was great to welcome her into our classroom. Thank you, Ms. Filion for taking the time to read with us!
You can:
You can support your child’s literacy development and love of reading at home too. Engage in an honest conversation with your child about what types of books and magazines they can read and what types of books and magazines you can enjoy together. Remember that reading books at this stage in first grade also means looking at print and pictures. It also entails listening to adults read books to them. Ask your child to explain what type of books interest him/her. Perhaps your child prefers books about a specific character, or books in a series? Perhaps your child likes to learn about interesting animals?. Read the library books together and talk to your child about making a plan for which new books to get next week. Most of the books that your child will bring home from the library are not “decodable”/”just right” books for your child to read independently but they are meant to spark interest and a love of learning together. We hope you will enjoy your child’s books. Please bring them back next Wednesday so we can exchange them for new ones.
Math:
This week, first grade mathematicians learned many new routines as they explored our math tools and materials. We focused on creating norms and expectations around what it means to be an active participant in math class and how mathematicians collaborate with each other. We talked about the importance of having a positive attitude and a growth mindset and that everyone is a mathematician.
The students had the opportunity to count different collections to practice one-on-one correspondence and number writing. They also learned some new games which encouraged them to use counting strategies to solve math problems.
We ended the week with some outside math time. Our first grade mathematicians counted objects from nature and showed their understanding by writing and drawing pictures and numbers to match.
You Can:
You can support your child’s emerging number sense by encouraging counting at home too. Math should be a social activity so consider bringing numbers into your daily conversations and activities. Perhaps your child is helping you with laundry or setting the table? Consider asking your child to count how many socks they folded, or how many towels they put away? Instead of counting by ones, can your child group the items more efficiently? How about pairing up the socks (which also helps you with organization!)? Be creative and have fun doing math at home too!
News and Reminders:
Here is a link to the September Lunch Menu. Please take the time to discuss the options daily with your child. Not knowing what is being served for lunch every day can cause anxiety and many times the choices are unfamiliar as well. Thank you for helping your child be successful at school.
ABS Open House is scheduled for Tuesday, 10/1 between 6-7pm. More information will follow shortly.
Our fabulous parent-run science program 4 Winds is looking for volunteers. Please view this link and consider volunteering for 4 Winds to provide monthly hands-on scientific learning sessions in first grade.
Doors of the school should be open by 7:25. If arriving early, children can wait in the cafeteria until buses arrive around 7:35. If children arrive after 7:50, they can check in with the front office for a pass before heading down to join us.
If your child is planning to have school breakfast, the earlier the arrival time, the better. This will help to ensure they still have time to be outside with the group after eating. If they do opt for school breakfast, please ask your child to pick it up in the cafeteria before heading down to the room. We will remind them too.
Please also check in with your child each day about their plan for after school, especially if it varies from day to day. I think I have connected with everyone about daily plans, if not, please let me know.
Boots or some sort of waterproof shoes will be really helpful each day. We will sometimes be outside in the rain, so adequate footwear and clothing is a big plus. Please let me know if you need help with any of these items, we have some extras and I can find alternatives.
I apologize for this very long newsletter but the beginning of the school year is always packed with new information. Thank you for taking the time to read it all.
Have a great long weekend,
Maria
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