Weekly Update

Hi Everyone!  Happy Friday!

It's about to be my favorite week of the entire school year!  The anticipation for the upcoming Holiday is palpable, everyone is in a festive mood, and everyone is even kinder than normal.  We have some fun events planned this week to mark the Holiday, and will be finishing up some of our academic units too.  

Here's a quick weekly update...

Next Week's Homework:
There is no written homework next week, and we will not have new sight words. Please read!

Winter Break Reading Log:
I sent home a Winter Break Reading Log in your child's Thursday folder yesterday. If you have any questions about this reading incentive, please email me.

Holiday Travel:

If you are traveling over the Holidays, and your child will be absent from school, please kindly notify the school in advance.  You can send a message or note to me, which I will forward to the office.  You may also submit your notification to the office directly by using the "online absence excuse", which is found on the Pinebrook home page.  The link to the Pinebrook home page is here.

Reflex Math:

We are coming to a close on our addition and subtraction unit.  Now that the kids have learned the strategies for solving addition and subtraction facts, it's time to practice fact fluency!  Fact fluency is the "fancy way" to describe the ability to quickly recall addition and subtraction facts.  I cannot teach fact fluency.  You cannot teach fact fluency.  As with reading, it's about practice, practice, practice.  To promote practice, our school subscribes to an on-line program called Reflex Math. The program's aim is to help kids build fact fluency.  Your child can now begin to log in to practice fact fluency via fun, arcade style games.  The log on information is in the "online resources" section of this blog.

Focus Areas for the Upcoming Short Week:

• Reading:  We will read the Holiday Classic The Polar Express, and review many of the good reader strategies we have learned this year, such as predicting, retelling, making connections, and story mapping.  
• Math:  We will review addition and subtraction strategies.  We will begin our place value unit in January.
• Writing:  We will complete some Holiday writing projects.
• Science / Social Studies:  We will talk about Holiday traditions around the world with our annual Holidays Around the World on Tuesday morning. During this time, the 1st grade teachers take turns rotating through each other's classrooms teaching the students about a holiday tradition from a particular country or culture.

I CAN'T WAIT!!!!!  The Mercer Band and Chorus (my Savey sings in the 8th grade chorus!) will come Tuesday afternoon for a Holiday concert, and on Wednesday, the entire school will pile into the gym for our annual Holiday Sing Along.  We sing Holiday songs from the many faith and cultural traditions represented at Pinebrook while the teachers and staff all take turns leading the songs.  Seriously....I CAN'T EVEN CONTAIN MYSELF.  I am 42 years old, but at this time of year, I am a 6 year old.  It's one reason why YOUR children are "MY PEOPLE"!  (It's also the reason I am typing in so many CAPITAL letters.)

Have a great weekend!  I am looking forward to baking more cookies, wrapping gifts, watching "It's a Wonderful Life" with my boys, and attending a Holiday concert at our Church.  

3 days....3 days....3 days.....

Weekly Update

                                           
Hi Everyone,

I hope you had an easy week.  The kids are sharing stories of elves, decorations, and holiday wish lists.  It certainly is the most wonderful time of the year!

Holiday Shop:
We previewed the items for sale at the Pinebrook Holiday Shop yesterday.  Students may purchase items next Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday.  If your child is purchasing Holiday Shop items, please kindly use the envelope I sent home yesterday to send his/her list and money next Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday. Students who bring money may shop during our recess time.  Please remember there is no obligation to buy.

Interim Progress Reports:
Interim progress reports (commonly called "interims") will go home Wednesday, December 14th.  LCPS introduced a new format for interims this year.  You'll see your child's grades for the current quarter (thus far), along with my "teacher comments".  Please pay particular attention to the comments.  You'll find an update on your child's academic progress, work habits, and/or behavior, along with my specific suggestions for helping your child continue to progress.  A friendly reminder that I do not send an interim home for every child.  If I send one for your student, you'll find it in the front clear pocket of his/her homework folder on Wednesday afternoon.

Hour of Code:
In celebration of Computer Science Eduaction Week, our school participated in Hour of Code this week.  The goal of Hour of Code Week is to introduce students to computer science and computer programming through fun, self-paced, computer based games.  The kids particularly loved a game called "Tynker".  You can find it on our 1st Grade Symbaloo page by clicking HERE.  Look in the middle of the page to the left of the Symbaloo logo.  You'll see "Hour of Code Tynker".  While you're there, check out the other fun online learning resources!

Focus Areas for the Coming Week:

• Reading:  We will work on summarizing stories as we enjoy Holiday themed books.
• Writing:  We will complete some seasonal writing projects.
• Math:  We will finish our subtraction unit.
• Science:  We will continue our study of how humans, plants, and animals adapt to winter.

I hope you have a wonderful weekend.  I will be at the Pancake Breakfast and Holiday Shop Event tomorrow morning.  I'm stuffing myself silly with pancakes to support the 5th graders' fundraising efforts, and I'm helping to sell candy grams for our Teachers Makin' Tracks Relay for Life Team.  If you're there, stop by the table to say hello!

Questions, comments, and feedback welcomed!  :)

A Short Weekly Update!

Hi Parents,

We had a fairly quiet week.  It's the calm before the storm of Holiday excitement and activity!  As a result, my update is fairly short this week!

Make Up Pictures December 6th:
The Lifetouch Photographer will be here Tuesday for school picture make-ups.  Retake pictures are only for those students who were absent on picture day or who purchased a picture packet on picture day and would like their pictures retaken.  If you purchased a picture packet on picture day and  would like your child's school picture retaken, please send me an email for more details.

Timeline Projects Due December 9th:
Your child's "Look At Me Now" timeline project is due next Friday, December 9th.  (I sent this assignment home in your child's Thursday folder on Thursday, November 16th.)  If your child has his/her project done early, feel free too send it in.

Candy Grams on Sale:
I am proud to be a member of Our Teachers Makin' Tracks Relay for Life Team!  We participate in Relay for Life to raise money in the fight against cancer.  We walk both in honor and in memory of loved ones and co-workers who have waged a battle with cancer.  This Holiday season, we are selling candy grams as a fundraiser.   If you'd like to order a candy gram for your child, you can fill out the order form, and send it to school in a sealed envelope along with the $2 payment.  One of our Teachers Makin' Tracks "elves" (we team members!) will deliver the candy gram to your child. Here's a photo of the Candy Grams, and the order form.  

 

Candy Gram Order Form

I would like to order_______ candy grams.

To: _______________________________________________________________________________________

Message: _______________________________________________________________________________________

To: _______________________________________________________________________________________

Message: _______________________________________________________________________________________

To: _______________________________________________________________________________________

Message: _______________________________________________________________________________________

_____candy grams X $2.00 each =________________________ (checks can be made payable to The American Cancer Society) or 6 for $10.00

Focus Areas for the Coming Week:

• Reading:  We will discuss the questions good readers ask when they read a story.  We sometimes call this "wondering".
• Writing:  We will respond to writing prompts and self-chosen topics as we continue to practice capitalization, punctuation, spacing, and letter formation. 
• Math:  We will continue learning strategies for quickly solving subtraction facts.
• Science:  We will continue to learn about the adaptations humans, plans, and animals make during Winter.

Enjoy the weekend, Everyone!  It's Cookie Time in our house!!!!

Weekly Update

Hi Everyone,

Many thanks to those of you able to attend our ABC's of Thanksgiving yesterday. The kids love having you visit the classroom, and I appreciate the time you take from your busy schedule to validate their efforts by attending our programs.  

Thank you also for your support in helping the kids vote for me for Turkey of the Year! Yesterday was the last vote!  I will be on pins and needles as I wait for Monday, when The Turkey is revealed!!

We have a short week coming up, and then 5 wonderful days to spend with family and food! Here's what you need to know for next week and the week after....

Report Card Signature Slips and Envelopes:
If you haven't done so, please return your child's report card envelope.  Please also return the signed report card acknowledgement.  This is the slip at the bottom of the last page of the report card.  I  only need the small slip at the bottom; you should keep the rest of the report card.

Read-a-Thon Update:
Please be sure to log your child's at-home reading on his/her Read-a-Thon page! The Read-a-Thon ends Tuesday, and we are looking forward to a big finish as we raise money to purchase materials for our Guided Reading Library!

Thanksgiving Travel:
If your child will be absent next week, and / or leaving early on Tuesday, please kindly notify both the office and me in advance.  For absences, you may use the online absence excuse found on the Pinebrook homepage, or by clicking HERE.  For early dismissal, you may use the early dismissal form found on the Pinebrook homepage, or by clicking HERE.

No Written Homework Next Week:
There will be no written homework next week due to our short week.  PLEASE READ!  Remember...reading isn't homework...reading is LIFE.  :)

Thanksgiving Reading Incentive:
I sent home a Thanksgiving reading incentive in yesterday's Thursday folder.  The kids can earn lunch in the classroom and Puma Paws for completing this reading challenge, and returning their signed form on Monday, November 28th.  If everyone completes the challenge and returns the form, we'll have extra recess on the 28th too!  Please let me know if you have any questions about this reading incentive.

Timeline Project:
I sent home your child's "Look At Me Now" Timeline Project in yesterday's Thursday folder.  Please review the information in the letter and let me know if you have any questions.  Timeline projects are due no later than Friday, December 9th. If your child has his/her Timeline project completed before that date, feel free to send it in early.

Focus Areas for the Coming Short Week (11/21-11/22) AND the Week of 11/28 - 12/2:

• Reading:  We will summarize stories using the summary frame known as "Somebody-Wanted-But-So".  You can use this summary frame with your child at home too!  After your child reads a book, ask:  "Who is the Somebody in the story?"  (it's usually the main character);  "What did he/she want?";  "But what happened?" (this is the problem);  "So what did he/she do?"  (this is the solution).  We will also talk about the Author's Message in stories we read...what life lesson does the author want us to learn from this story?
• Math:  We will review our addition strategies as we finish our addition unit. We will begin our subtraction unit, in which we explore subtraction as the reverse of addition, and learn strategies for quickly solving subtraction facts.
• Social Studies:  We will finish our Long Ago and Today unit.
• Science:  We will begin talking about how people, plants, and animals prepare for winter, and how they adapt to winter.

As always, I welcome your questions, comments, and feedback.

Happy Thanksgiving!  As I count my blessings, your sweet kiddos, you, and the support you offer each day are surely at the top of the list.  

Weekly Update and Turkey of the Year Update!

Hi Everyone,

We celebrated Veteran's Day at school today.  Please ask your child about it! Veterans came to speak with us about their time in the service, and we celebrated them with our own Pinebrook Veteran's Day parade.  My husband, Leo, served for 22 years.  As a teacher and as the wife of a veteran, I am so thankful to our Pinebrook community for honoring Leo and the other veterans.  Please take a moment today to be thankful for the veterans who keep our country the Land of the Free.  

Turkey of the Year Update:
Next week is the last week to vote for Turkey of the Year.  Please, please, please help me become the 2016 Turkey of the Year by encouraging your child to read for crazy amounts of hours between now and next Thursday!  Please note:  Next week's final vote will take place on Thursday (not Friday!).  I will send a reminder next week for you to send reading slips on Thursday, instead of Friday.  Thank you so much for all you've done to support me in my dream to be "The Turkey"!

Report Cards:
Quarter 1 report cards will go home next Wednesday, November 16th.  I will put your child's report card in the front clear pocket of his/her homework folder.  After you review your child's report card, please sign the bottom of the last page, detach the signature slip, and return it in the original envelope.  You keep the report card; I keep the signature slip and envelope. I do reuse your child's report card envelope all year, so please be sure to return it.

American Education Week:
I hope you will join us in our classroom next Thursday, November 17th from 9:45 - 10:30 am to celebrate American Education Week.  Students will present the ABC's of Thanksgiving.  Our lunch is immediately following the ABC's of Thanksgiving, and you may stay to have lunch with your child.  Our lunch is from 10:34 - 11:04.  If you're staying for lunch, please plan to say goodbye to your child in the cafeteria at the end of our lunch period.  Our regular instructional day will resume right after lunch.  I sent home specific information about American Education Week, including a copy of your child's speaking part(s), in yesterday's Thursday folder.  Please review this information.  Please send back the form to let me know if you're staying for lunch, and please help your child practice reading his/her speaking part with a clear, confident voice.

Focus Areas for the Coming Week:

• Reading:  We will talk about visualizing.  When good readers read and/or listen to stories, they must sometimes visualize.  When we visualize, we make a picture in our brains to accompany the words in the story.
• Writing:  We will respond to writing prompts and self-chosen topics as we continue to practice capitalization, punctuation, spacing, and letter formation. We will complete a Thanksgiving writing project.
• Math:  We will begin to close our addition unit.  We will finish learning strategies for quickly solving addition facts.
• Social Studies:  We will continue our Long Ago and Today unit as we make our final preparations for American Education Week, and the ABC's of Thanksgiving.

Our first quarter is in the books!  Thank you for all you've done to help your child adjust to 1st grade.  I am blessed by their sweet presence each day.  Please remember...your feedback is welcomed and appreciated.  

Enjoy the weekend!  I'm going to start our family's Thanksgiving preparations!  I should probably start with a 10 mile run, and by ensuring all my elastic waist pants are ready to go!  *gobble*

A Little More Information About Family Reading Night!

Hi Parents,

A friendly reminder that tomorrow night is our first ever Pinebrook Family Reading Night.  It's from 6:30-7:45 here at school, and the theme is "Reading Takes You Places!"  The first session will be from 6:30 - 6:55 and the second session will be from 7:00-7:25.  During each session, you may visit the room of your child's choice to listen to a teacher read a book and complete a fun activity.  We'll gather in the library from 7:30 - 7:45 to listen to a final story together.  Many of us teachers will be reading at Family Reading Night, including ME!  :)  I will be sharing one of my favorite stories -- The Hello, Goodbye Window.  Please come listen to me read as I transport you to Nanna and Poppy's house where you will discover the magic of The Hello, Goodbye Window!  I could seriously read to kids, adults, pets, stuffed animals...anyone or anything that will listen...all day long.  (Ask the kids...I tell them all the time.)  I am excited for Family Reading Night.  It's a strong demonstration of Pinebrook's complete commitment to growing a generation of readers!  Speaking of reading.....

TURKEY OF THE YEAR VOTING CONTINUES FRIDAY!!!  PLEASE KEEP READING!!!  PLEASE KEEP TRACK OF THOSE READING HOURS TO SUBMIT THEM ON FRIDAY!!!   HOURS COUNT IF YOUR STUDENT READS, OR IF YOU READ TO YOUR STUDENT!!!  I AM SO CLOSE!!!!!!   

Thank you!

Hi Everyone,

I messed up!  I told the kids anyone who brought back their pink form could eat lunch in the classroom today, and I wasn't even thinking that it's Friday!  #teacherfail  The cafeteria lines are really long on Fridays, which means our in-class lunch would be cut short.  I talked to the involved kiddos and we decided to move lunch in the classroom to Wednesday, since we can have a bit more time to enjoy our food and movie.  I also gave those students 3 paws and let them put 3 marbles in our marble jar.  Lunch in the classroom on Wednesday will be a reward reserved only for those students who brought their pink form back today.

Turkey of the Year:
Turkey of the Year voting began today, and will continue for the next few Fridays! Your child must read to vote for the staff member he/she would like to see come to school dressed in a turkey suit.  One hour of reading equals one vote.  Each Friday, please sign and return that week's voting slip, which came home in last week's Thursday folder.  If you lost the voting slips, please write a note to indicate how many hours your child read during the previous week, sign it, and send it to school on Friday. 

Conferences:
Thank you for attending your parent teacher conference!  I enjoy visiting with you during this time to discuss your child's progress and behavior, and I learn so much about your student through your eyes. 

Pinebrook Read-a-Thon:
Monday, November 7th will mark the start of our Pinebrook Read-a-Thon.  All money raised will be used to purchase materials for our new Guided Reading Library.  This is the library we teachers access for resources and materials when we plan our reading instruction. Please refer to the flyer I sent home in last week's Thursday folder for more information.  

Family Reading Night:
Our Family Reading Night will be Thursday, November 10th at 6:30 at school. Jonah and I will be there, and we hope to see you too!

American Education Week:
Please mark your calendar for our American Education Week celebration on Thursday, November 17th from 9:45 - 10:30 am in our classroom.  Students will present the ABC's of Thanksgiving.  Our lunch is immediately following the ABC's of Thanksgiving, and you may stay to have lunch with your child after our event.  For your planning purposes, our lunch is from 10:34 - 11:04.  If you're staying for lunch, please plan to say goodbye to your child in the cafeteria at the end of our lunch period.  Our regular instructional day will resume right after lunch.  Please watch next week's Thursday folder for the specific details you'll need about this event.

Sound of the Week Update:
You may notice we didn't have a Sound of the Week this week.  Our instructional week was shortened due to our Fall Party and field trip, so I didn't introduce a new Sound of the Week.  Because next week is also a short week, we will not have a new Sound of the Week next week either.  Instead, we'll continue to review short vowel spelling patterns.  I will introduce a new Sound of the Week on November 14th, when we begin our long vowel spelling patterns.

Next Week's Sight Words:
Due to our short week next week, we will not have new sight words.  We will review previously learned sight words.

Focus Areas for the Coming Week:

• Reading:  We will talk about the reasons authors write books:  to persuade, to inform, and to entertain.  This is called the "author's purpose".  
• Writing:  We will respond to writing prompts and self-chosen topics as we continue to practice capitalization, punctuation, spacing, and letter formation.
• Math:  We will continue our addition unit.  We will learn strategies for quickly solving addition facts.
• Social Studies:  We will finish learning about Veteran's Day.  We will begin our Long Ago and Today unit, in which we compare and contrast life long ago and today.

Don't forget...the kids don't have school Monday or Tuesday due to Parent Teacher Conferences and Teacher Work Days.  Enjoy the long weekend!

Please Read: 2 Important Reminders for Friday!

Hi Parents,

2 quick reminders for tomorrow:

1.  Your child has a pink Federal Aid Impact Survey in his/her Thursday folder today.  LCPS is eligible to receive Impact Aid Funds from the federal government if either of a student's parents is on active duty in the uniformed services, or if either parent is working on federally owned property located in Virginia.  Regardless of where you work, I must have a completed form for every single child in my class.  You must sign and date this form.  If you do not sign and date it, I will return it to you to ask you to do so.  Please complete this form, sign it, date it, and return it tomorrow.  This is an important form.  I am offering lunch in the classroom with a short movie to any student who returns his/her form tomorrow.  I told this kids about this incentive, and even told them to bring you a pen to ask you to complete the form!  :)

2.  Round 2 of Turkey of the Year voting is tomorrow!  Please use the slips I sent home in last week's Thursday folder to indicate how many hours your child read independently or with you this week (remember, weekend reading counts too!).  If you don't have the slip, just write a note to tell me how many hours your child read. Please help me get to the next round of voting!  I want to be the next Turkey of the Year!  :)

Please let me know if you have any questions about either of these reminders. Regular update will come tomorrow!

Thank you!

Weekly Update and Many Upcoming Events

Hi Parents,

It's the time of year when the calendar begins to fill up quickly, both at home and at school!  I have many upcoming events to tell you about.  

Fall Party:
I hope to see some of you at our Fall Party on Monday.  It begins at 1:00 in our classroom.  Please sign in at the office and get a visitor pass before coming to our classroom.  Since no costumes are allowed that day, please help your child contribute to our festive atmosphere by dressing in something orange or Halloween themed (a Halloween shirt, hair ribbon, etc.).  

Field Trip:
Our field trip to  Claude Moore Park and the Heritage Farm Museum will be next Wednesday, November 2nd.  We'll enjoy a nature walk through the park while we observe seasonal changes and learn how animals prepare for winter.  We'll attend the apples program at the Museum to learn about different types of apples, play some apple games, and press some apple cider.  Your child should bring a disposable lunch on the field trip.  Watch the weather to decide what to wear; layers are best as the temperature fluctuates while we move in and out of the sun in the park.  I'll send home a few more reminders next week.

Turkey of the Year:
Turkey of the Year voting began today, and will continue for the next few Fridays! Your child must read to vote for the staff member he/she would like to see come to school dressed in a turkey suit.  One hour of reading equals one vote.  Each Friday, please sign and return that week's voting slip, which came home in last week's Thursday folder.  If you lost the voting slips, please write a note to indicate how many hours your child read during the previous week, sign it, and send it to school on Friday. 

Parent Teacher Conferences:
Conferences have begun!  If your conference is in the morning before school, I will meet you at the front door of the school to let you in since our office staff may not yet be here.  You will not need to sign in.  If your conference is after school, please ring the school visitor bell, be prepared to show your photo id to our office staff, and sign in at the office.  You may walk to our classroom after you sign in.  If your conference is on Monday, November 7th, the same procedure applies -- you will need to show your photo id and sign in before coming to our classroom.  

Pinebrook Read-a-Thon:
Monday, November 7th will mark the start of our Pinebrook Read-a-Thon.  All money raised will be used to purchase materials for our new Guided Reading Library.  This is the library we teachers access for resources and materials when we plan our reading instruction. Please refer to the flyer I sent home in yesterday's Thursday folder for more information.  At this point, please concentrate on helping your child create his/her personal fundraising page, which he/she will use to track both reading time and donations.  I will give 5 Puma Paws to any student who creates his/her personal page.

Family Reading Night:
Our Family Reading Night will be Thursday, November 10th at 6:30 at school. Come listen to some stories and to complete some fun family activities!

American Education Week:
Please mark your calendar for our American Education Week celebration on Thursday, November 17th from 9:45 - 10:30 am in our classroom.  Students will present the ABC's of Thanksgiving.  Our lunch is immediately following the ABC's of Thanksgiving; you may stay to have lunch with your child after our event.  More details to follow!

Pink Writing Journal:
I sent each of the kids home with a pink writing journal in last week's Thursday folder.  This is for them to keep at home and use for free writing, word practice, story practice, etc.  It's a great journal to keep in the car as an alternative to screen time, or as a "must do" before screen time.  For example, ask your child to write for 10 minutes in the car before having screen time...you can call out words for him/her to write, you can ask your child to make a pattern, to show a number in various ways, or to simply write 3-5 sentences about a chosen topic.

Focus Areas for the Coming Week:

• Reading:  We will explore cause and effect, prediction, problem and solution, and story retelling with one of my Halloween favorites...Room on the Broom.
• Writing:  We will respond to various writing prompts and self-chosen topics. We will continue to work on letter formation, capital letters, punctuation, and spacing.
• Math:  We will begin our addition unit.  We will learn strategies for quickly solving addition facts.
• Social Studies:  We will learn about Veteran's Day, and make a banner to thank all veterans during our annual Veteran's Day event.

It's our weekend to head to Williamsburg!  The weather looks beautiful, so we're going to visit Busch Gardens and colonial Williamsburg too.  I hope you have a wonderful weekend too.  See you Monday at the party!

It's Turkey Time!

Hi Parents,

Turkey of the Year is back, and better than ever!  Last Thursday, your child received a letter regarding our annual "Turkey of the Year" reading incentive.  Each year, the students vote for the Pinebrook staff member they would like to see dressed in a turkey suit for a day...this person is the "Turkey of the Year."  Students must read to vote...one hour of reading equals one vote.  Voting takes place over a 4 week period, and each week, the field of candidates is narrowed until one staff member is named our Pinebrook Turkey of the Year.

Last year, I made it all the way to the final round of voting!!!!  I was this close to being Turkey of the Year, but lost to my friend, Mrs. Danish (who looked fabulous in the turkey suit!).

People--this is my year!!!  Please help me become the Turkey of the Year by encouraging your child to read, read, and read some more over the next 4 weeks!  At the bottom of the paper your child received last Thursday, there are some slips which you must sign and return each Friday for your child to be eligible to vote.  On the slip, please indicate how many hours your child read that week and sign the slip. When your child brings it to school on Friday, he/she will receive the number of votes equal to the number of hours read.  If you lose the preprinted slips, write a note to state how many hours your child read, and send that instead.  Voting starts this Friday, October 28th.

Please let me know if you have any questions about this super fun reading incentive!

*gobble, gobble*

Weekly Update

Hi Everyone,

Can I tell you a story?  This week, we were doing our pumpkin investigations.  We came to the page that required us to weigh our pumpkins.  I didn't have a small scale, so I brought my bathroom scale from home.  I figured we could set our pumpkins (even the small ones) on that scale and weigh them since the scale displays both pounds and ounces.  #teacherfail  It didn't work.  I had to quickly adjust the plan, which meant, much to my HORROR, using the method where I stood on the scale by myself, then stood on the scale with my pumpkin, then subtracted the two numbers to get the pumpkin's weight.  (No, this is NOT a first grade measurement technique; sometimes you have to be flexible! :) )  Anyway, the point of the story is that this method also required me to weigh myself.  In front of 22 1st graders.  And to say my number.  Out loud.  To the entire class.  Have you done this?  The mere fact that I weigh over 100 pounds (gasp!) just bowled them over.  They looked horrified.  "YOU WEIGH HOW MUCH?"  "MRS. LOMBARDO WEIGHS A HUNDRED POUNDS!"  *GIGGLE, GIGGLE, GIGGLE*  But it was funny too.  Really funny.  Laugh-out-loud-at-the-end-of-a-ridiculously-long-day funny. Have-a-piece-of-chocolate-since-you-already-weigh-over-100-pounds funny.  I love your kids.  

Check Out Our 1st Grade Symbaloo Page:
Our Technology Resource Teacher, Mrs. Clark, compiled a Symbaloo page for us! Symbaloo is a visual bookmarking tool that makes it simple and fun to organize multiple websites.  Our 1st Grade Symbaloo has links to a variety of sites that cover multiple disciplines...everything from Mouse Skills (check out "Bees and Honey"...I played it last night!), to science, to math, and holidays.  Our Symbaloo sites are a perfect "something more" to supplement your child's weekly homework.  You can access the Symbaloo by clicking HERE.  You can access it via the "online resources" page of this blog.  You can also access it by going to the Pinebrook Homepage.  Once there, click "First Grade" under the "Classrooms" tab.  Look to the left under the heading "First Grade".  At the bottom of that list, you'll see "First Grade Symbaloo."  

Field Trip:
Our 1st grade field trip to Claude Moore Park and Heritage Farm Museum will be Wednesday, November 2nd.  If you haven't done so, please return the permission slip and payment as soon as possible.   I'll post some information next week about dress and lunch, and send a reminder or two home before the trip.

Fall Party:
Please mark your calendar for our Fall party on Monday, October 31st from 1 - 2:15 pm in our classroom.  All families are welcome to attend!  (NO costumes, please.)  I sent home a food permission slip in yesterday's Thursday folder.  Please sign and return it as soon as possible.  Your child will not be able to eat any of the party food unless I have his/her signed permission slip.  

Next Friday:
I will be out next Friday (the 28th).  My husband's company is holding its annual offsite in Williamsburg, so we are taking the boys for a long family weekend.  Mrs. Ryan will be in for me.

Focus Areas for the Coming Week:

• Reading:  We will talk about characters in fiction stories.  We will discuss character traits, different types of characters (humans, animals, non-living things), and how characters evolve in stories.
• Writing:  We will respond to various writing prompts and self-chosen topics.  We will continue to work on letter formation, capital letters, punctuation, and spacing.
• Math:  We will finish our patterns and sorting unit.
• Science:  We will finish our pumpkin investigations.

Thank you for all you do!  As always, comments, questions, and feedback are welcome (as long as it's not about my weight!).  

Enjoy the crisp Fall weekend!  (Crisp.  I love that word.)  

Weekly Update

Hi Everyone,

Thank you for the well wishes regarding my son.  He is feeling much better.  He slept in today, and the antibiotics have kicked in.  I will definitely see all the kids on Monday!  In the meantime, here's a weekly update for you, which I am typing in my exercise clothes, seated at my kitchen island, while drinking some coffee.  I suppose a sick kiddo is good for something!  :)

**Daily Work Paper**:
This week, I introduced the kids to a new closing and pack-up routine.  This routine includes the "daily work paper" you saw in your child's homework folder Tuesday and Wednesday; it's the one that reads "Here is one thing I did at school today."  Going forward, each student will complete a daily work paper most days of school.  The daily work paper should show a picture of your child doing something from that day in school.  Your student will also add some writing to explain the picture.  The writing can range from labels on the picture to 2 or 3 sentences, depending upon your own child's writing ability.  Please look at this paper with your child each day!  Your child should be able to read the labels and/or sentence to you each afternoon, and this can serve as a great discussion starter for the "what did you do at school today?" conversation. 

The goal with daily work papers is for your child, you, and me to see strong development in your child's writing ability over time.  Daily work papers provide all of us (again...your child, you, and me!) continual ideas of things to work on.  Those things will be different for each child...finger spaces between words, using lowercase letters (not capitals) in the middle of words, using punctuation, correctly spelling previously learned sight words, using capitals at the beginning of sentences, capitalizing the word "I", including vowels in words...the list goes on and on.  

As the year progresses and we work more on these writing skills, I will expect sentences to become longer and more detailed, as the writing on the daily work paper becomes more important than the picture.  I will continue to expect some picture accompaniment because drawing a picture provides valuable practice in fine motor skill, adding details, and aligning picture representations with written descriptions.  For some students, adding a picture will also remind them of words they need to add to their writing.  

The kids work on their daily work papers during the last minutes of the day.  It's a hectic time, which means I am not able to correct every error every time.  Please know I am monitoring the students as they write, and I am verbally coaching them on many of the writing points outlined above.   I will often write on your child's daily work paper what he/she can work on next time in his/her writing.   That said, if your child seems unfinished or has many mistakes on his/her daily work paper, a great homework "extra" would be to fix and/or finish this paper at home!

Please let me know if you have any questions about the daily work paper. 

Remind:
Thanks to the 19 of you who have signed up for my Remind messaging service.  I'm loving it!  It's so easy to send you a text when I need to send along a quick note.  FYI: You can send me a message via the Remind app too!  When you click on my class, you'll see "Send a message, photo, or voice clip" at the bottom of your screen.  Touch there, type your message, and hit send.  I'll receive the message on my phone (just like a text) and can easily respond.  The only drawback to Remind?  Each message is allowed a limited number of characters, which means I have to choose my words (and emoticons) carefully!  I know you'll be surprised to hear, but brevity in writing has never been my strong point.

Field Trip:
Our 1st grade field trip to Claude Moore Park and Heritage Farm Museum will be Wednesday, November 2nd.  Information letters, permission slips and chaperone interest forms went home in yesterday's Thursday folder.  Please kindly return the permission slip and payment as soon as possible.  If you are interested in chaperoning this trip, please kindly return the chaperone interest form as soon as possible.  Please contact me with any questions.

Pumpkins:
If you haven't yet sent your child's small ("pie-sized") pumpkin for our pumpkin investigation, please send it Monday...we will be using our pumpkins that day.

Fall Party:
Please mark your calendar for our Fall party on Monday, October 31st from 1 - 2:15 pm in our classroom.  All families are welcome to attend!  (NO costumes, please.)  I will send a food permission slip home before the party.  Our awesome team of Room Moms and I thank you for the party donations.  Your funds will be put to good use, as the ladies plan for our class celebrations.  :)

Focus Areas for the Coming Week:

• Reading:  We will explore setting in the books we read.  The setting is where a story takes place.  We will identify settings, and talk about how settings can enhance stories.
• Writing:  We are changing gears in writing.  We will take a break from focusing on one type of writing for several weeks and instead, we will explore grammar, punctuation, and the elements of a top-notch "1st grade" sentence.
• Math:  We will continue our patterns and sorting unit.
• Science:  We will learn the life cycle of a pumpkin, and we will begin our pumpkin investigation.  During our pumpkin investigation, we will observe, measure, and experiment with our pumpkins.

Speaking of pumpkins...we have 6 big old pumpkins on our front porch, just begging to be carved.  If Jonah's feeling up to it, maybe we'll work on 1 or 2 this weekend.  I hope you have something fun planned too!

As always, your support is appreciated and your feedback is welcomed.  Please tell the kids hello for me.  I can't wait to hear about their ready, responsible, and respectful choices while I was out!

Pajama Day and Pumpkins

Hi Parents,

A friendly reminder that tomorrow is our Pajama and Stuffed Animal Day, which is the reward the students earned for filling our marble jar.  Students may wear pajamas to school and bring a stuffed animal friend.  Your child's stuffed animal should fit in his/her backpack.

A friendly reminder to send your child's pumpkin (for our pumpkin investigations) by Friday.

Finally, thanks to those of you who signed up for my Remind.  If you didn't sign up on Sunday, please do so now.  You can find all the information by scrolling to the post below this one, titled "Please sign up for my Remind!"  I gave 5 paws today to all students with a parent who already signed up.

Thank you!
 

Please Sign Up for My Remind!

Hi Everyone,

I'm checking in on a Sunday to let you know that I am going to start using a new communication tool called "Remind".  Some of you are already familiar with this tool.  My older son, Savey, is in 8th grade.  All of his Mercer teachers use Remind, and as a parent, I've found it to be both super convenient and super easy.  It occurred to me I can use it as a teacher too!  :)

Remind is a messaging service which allows me to send you a short, quick group text message any time of the day.  It works with iOS and Android platforms, and it works on multiple devices (phones, computers, tablets).  I plan to use it for messages such as "Don't forget tomorrow is PJ day!" or "Box Tops and Labels for Education are due tomorrow"...quick and easy things where a text is faster for me to send and faster for you to read!  You can download the Remind app for free...search "Remind" in the app store; the icon is a blue background with a white cloud that looks like a speech bubble or a thought bubble. 

When you sign up for my Remind class, you are added to my contact group.  I am the only person who sees your information; members of the group cannot see each other's names, phone numbers, etc. If I send a message to which you reply, I am the only person who sees your response.  When you sign up for my Remind, you can choose whether to receive the messages as a text or as an email. Personally, I receive messages as texts and recommend this delivery method.  When your child leaves my class at the end of the school year, you can remove yourself from my Remind class.

To join my Remind class, please click this link.  You'll need to provide your name and phone number:

https://www.remind.com/join/jlombardo?utm_medium=ios

You can also join my Remind class by texting @jlombardo to 81010.

Please let your child know when you've joined.  I'll give 5 Puma Paws to any kiddo with a parent who joins my Remind.

While I've been using Remind for quite a while as a parent, it's new for me as a teacher.  I apologize in advance for any hiccups as I get this going, and I thank you for your patience with me!

Please let me know if you have any questions.  I hope you're enjoying the long weekend!  Tell the kids hello for me!

Weekly Update

Hi Everyone,

Before we start our long weekend, I'm passing along your weekly update.  Today, I'm going to prove to you that I can write a short weekly update!  :)

Interim Progress Reports:
A friendly reminder that interim progress reports went home on Wednesday.  Not all students received an interim.  If your child did receive an interim, please review the interim, sign the bottom, and return the signed slip to me.  

We Filled Our Marble Jar!
The students have been working hard to be ready, responsible, and respectful.  We filled our class marble jar today and, as a reward, the students voted to wear their pajamas and bring a stuffed animal to school.  We will have our stuffed animal and pajama day on Wednesday, October 12th.  I'll send a reminder home on Tuesday.

Decoding Strategies Series:
This week, we studied the decoding strategies good readers use when they come to tricky words.  I published a short post each day highlighting the strategy learned that day.  If you missed them, please scroll down to see these posts.

Important Information About Written Homework:
Your child completed his/her first written homework sheet this week.  Our written homework will always be the same:  in addition to nightly reading, your child will spend one night practicing writing each of our words of the week 3 times.  He/she will then use each word in a sentence.  There are 5 words of the week.  Please note:  our 5 words of the week are in your child's agenda.  He/she writes those 5 words in the upper right corner of the agenda each Monday.  Those are the words your child should practice writing for written homework.  Those are the words your child should use in a sentence for written homework.  Those are the words posted here on my blog under my picture.  Your child should not be using any of our sound of the week words for written homework.  Those are the words pre-printed on the paper your child glues in the lower right corner of the agenda each Monday.  Please let me know if you need further clarification. 

I also completed the homework this week.  :)  Here's what my completed homework looks like.  I think seeing mine may help you ensure your child is completing his/her homework correctly:

Focus Areas for the Coming Week:

• Reading:  We will examine the differences between fiction and non-fiction texts, and explore ways to determine whether a text is a fiction or non-fiction selection.
• Writing:   We will finish learning the routines and procedures of Writer's Workshop as we explore the idea that "writing is just telling on paper".  We will begin to wind down this first writing unit. 
• Math:  We will begin our patterns and sorting unit.  In this unit, we will talk about ways to sort objects (using attributes like color, size, shape, and thickness).  We will talk about how to extend and grow patterns, how to isolate a pattern unit, and how to label patterns.  We will predict what comes next in repeating patterns, growing patterns, and number patterns.  We will solve word problems with patterns.  This unit will last approximately 2 weeks.  You can help by helping your child identify patterns in the world around us!
• Social Studies:  We will learn about Columbus Day.

Please reach out with questions, comments, or feedback.

I hope you enjoy the long weekend!  We are going to put up the Fall and Halloween decorations.  I.  AM.  SO.  EXCITED.  I may just be as excited as a 6-year old, and that may just be why I always say 1st graders are "my people"!!!