A Summer Hello and Reminder

Hi Everyone!

A quick hello to say I hope your summer is off to a great start!  I miss the kids a lot...it takes some time for me to come down from my end-0f-school excitement and to transition to the more laid back pace of summer.  There's a withdrawal that happens after the busses roll on that last day...it's exciting and disappointing all at the same time.  Anyhow....

I was just adding some August and September dates to the "Important Dates" section of my blog and I realized I should send a message to let you know that if you no longer wish to receive updates from me, you should unsubscribe to my blog before the beginning of the new year.  Please don't mistake me...I am more than happy to keep subscribers, but I know you will need to transition your attention to next year's teacher and next year's classroom.

That said, please know that I am available anytime to assist you, answer questions, or simply enjoy a story about your child.  I often say the number one requirement for being a teacher is that a person must genuinely enjoy the company of children, and I surely do!  :)

Please, please tell the kids hello for me!  I told the kids they could write to me or send me an email (with your permission) this summer and I will surely respond. Please tell them I've already consumed too much coffee, and have already finished 3 books that are longer than Charlotte's Web and don't have any pictures.  I can't wait to see them in the fall, to see how much they've grown, to hear about their summer reading, and to hear about their summer adventures!  They may have moved on from my classroom, but I still consider them all mine at school!

Take care!  Many Blessings!

Change in Lunch Tomorrow!

Happy Sunday!

I was just watering flowers and realized I forgot to tell you that tomorrow we are having a picnic!  :)  We will be celebrating the 5th graders with a "Bubble Walk" after their Promotion Ceremony.   The whole school lines the sidewalks outside the building, and we all blow bubbles as the 5th graders walk by.  The Bubble Walk will occur during our regular lunch time, so we'll have a picnic outside with some other 1st grade classes after the Bubble Walk.  Your child may bring a small blanket or towel to sit on during our picnic.  Buyers will buy lunch before going outside for the picnic.

Also...don't forget to send your child with his/her yearbook to collect signatures.  If your child didn't purchase a yearbook, he/she may use the "Autographs" section of our 1st Grade Memory Book, which is still at school.

Thank you!  I'm going back to my flowers!

Weekly Update and Many Thanks

Hi Everyone!

Thank you, thank you, thank you for the wonderful and generous end-of-year gifts! Yesterday at our party, Mrs. Zumwalt presented me with gift cards to The Cheesecake Factory, Panera, Regal Cinemas, and iTunes, as well as a lovely plant and some sweet treats to share with my family.  As always, your extreme generosity is overwhelming.  I believe my favorite part of the gift is the note Mrs. Zumwalt read at the party.  I also loved when the kids sang "Happy Birthday" to me!

As we come to our last 2 days, I have just a few things to share with you...

Yearbook and Autograph Signing:
On Monday, I'll give the kids time to gather signatures in either their yearbooks, or on the "Autographs" page of the 1st Grade Memory Book they made.  If your child purchased a yearbook and would like friends to sign it, please help your child remember his/her yearbook on Monday.

Box Tops Popsicle Party:
Thanks to YOUR efforts, our class collected over 1,000 Box Tops this year, and the kids earned a popsicle party!  We will have our popsicles on Tuesday, June 14th as a last day treat.  We will have the same exact popsicle we had when Jayson left -- Outshine Brand grape flavored 100% fruit bars.  If, for some reason, you do not want your child to have a fruit bar on Tuesday, please email me directly.  I am not sending home a permission slip for this treat.

Game Day:
Tuesday, June 14th (our last day) will be Game Day.  Students are welcome to bring a board game to school that day to play with friends.  NO electronics, please.

Our schedule will be very fluid on Monday and Tuesday, so I'm not posting Focus Areas.  We will be helping to celebrate the 5th graders as they head to Middle School and I plan to give the kids some extra recess Monday and Tuesday.  We are finishing reading Charlotte's Web and will watch the movie next week.   We are playing games in Math to review many of the concepts taught throughout the year.  We are continuing to clean and organize our classroom.

Today is my birthday!  Thank you for all the kind wishes and sweet cards!  How blessed I am to celebrate with your kiddos!

Have a great weekend!

Rock and Read is Tomorrow!

Hi Everyone,

The fun never stops!  Tomorrow is our Rock and Read event.  Please send a small towel or blanket for your child to sit on during our turn at Rock and Read.  Please refer to last week's weekly update for more specific information about Rock and Read.  I would write more, but I am about to take a nap after Field Day.  It was a TON of fun.  Ask your kiddo about getting water-blasted by Mr. Thiessen!

FIELD DAY IS TOMORROW!

Hi Everyone,

Field Day is tomorrow!  Please check the front clear pocket of your child's homework folder for guidelines to help prepare your child for this day of fun!

Please email me if you have any questions.

Weekly Update and Many End of Year Events

Hi Everyone,

Thank you for coming to our Poet's Tea today!  It is one of my favorite events of the entire year.  As I listen to the kids read their poems, it hits me again how much they've each progressed this year.  I hope you are as proud of them as I am.

There are so many events coming as we head into our final full week!  Here's a rundown...

Ice Cream Social and Food Collection:

The PTA End-of-Year Ice Cream Social will be tonight from 6-7:30 pm at school. This year, the Ice Cream Social is combined with a food collection.  Please consider bringing a non-perishable food item to donate.

End-of-Year Celebration:
Our First Grade Finale is Thursday, June 9th from 1-2:30 pm in our classroom.  All families are welcome to attend.  I sent home a food permission slip in yesterday's Thursday folder.  Please kindly sign and return it as soon as possible.

Field Day:
Field Day is Tuesday, June 7th, with a rain date of Thursday, June 9th.   *Please refer to the flyer I sent home in yesterday's Thursday folder for specific guidelines and information about Field Day.*  There's simply too much information for me to type it all here! :) 

Gum Spring Librarian Visit:

The Children's Librarian from the Gum Spring Library will visit us on Monday, June 6th to talk about the Library's Summer Reading Program.  This visit is for students and teachers only; I'm mentioning it so you may ask your child about it on Monday.

Rock and Read:
Our first-ever "Rock and Read" event will be this coming week at school.  There will be 12 rocking chairs set up in the lobby of the school, and the goal is for the students and Pinebrook staff members to be rocking and reading for the majority of the school day.  We'll have our turn rocking on Wednesday.  We will take turns using the rocking chairs -- half of us will sit on the floor while half of us sit in the rocking chairs.  We'll switch halfway through our reading time.  Your child may bring a small blanket or towel to school on Wednesday to sit on while taking his/her turn reading on the floor.

Please return Library books:
A few students still have library books.  If your child has library books at home, please kindly send those back as soon as possible.  I am giving 2 Puma Paws for each returned book.

Last Day of School and Report Cards:
The last day of school for students is Tuesday, June 14th.  This is a full day of school.  Fourth quarter report cards will be mailed home on Monday, June 20th.  

Focus Areas for the Coming Week:

• Reading:  We will continue reading Charlotte's Web.
• Writing:  We will make a 1st Grade Memory Book.
• Math:  We will review number sense, place value, money, time, and fractions.
• Social Studies: We will begin the end-of-year clean out of our desks and tidying of our classroom.

Please let me know if you have any questions about the above information.  Can you believe we're almost there?  Enjoy the weekend!