Weekly Update

Happy Thursday (that feels like Friday), Everyone!

We made it to Thursday!  I wonder if the kids are as tired as me?  While I try to make the first weeks fun and interesting, there are times when rules and procedures are downright boring.  I have to talk a lot, and the kids have to be quite attentive.  As such, the kids really learned the nuts and bolts of our classroom this week.  Next week we'll refine some procedures, and add a few details to the procedures learned this week.  We'll continue to get to know each other as we build our classroom community.  On that note, I am impressed and thankful with how beautifully the kids are getting along.  They're including each other during recess, introducing themselves to each other, and are a very social bunch.  :)

Here's some important information for you to know.  Please read through to the end.  It's a lot this first time around.....

Please Subscribe to My Blog!
If you were directed to this post by a link in an email, please take a moment to subscribe to my blog by entering your email address in the box to the right that says "follow by email".  You will receive a confirmation email to verify your subscription. Please clink the link in the email to verify your email address.  You will then receive an automatic notification each time I've published a message. Please don't skip that important last step -- you MUST verify/confirm your email address to be subscribed.

Please Sign Up for My Remind!
If you haven't yet signed up for my Remind text messaging service, please do so by downloading the Remind app and joining my class.  After you download the Remind app, click "join a class" and enter my class code:  @jlombardo.  I send many messages and pictures via Remind.  Please don't miss out and please let me know if you have any questions!

Thursday Folders:
Your child has his/her first Thursday folder today.  Please empty it completely and send it back to school on Tuesday.  I DO reuse these throughout the year.  Thank you!

Online Learning Resources:
In today's Thursday folder, I sent home the log-on information for RAZ-Kids and Dreambox math.  There are detailed letters included to help you get your child started too.  I also placed the log-on information in the front clear pocket on the inside cover of your child's agenda.  (I sent a picture on Remind yesterday to illustrate this.)  Your child should regularly log-on to these learning platforms to get extra practice with reading and math.  I am able to adjust your child's reading level in RAZ, but I am not able to adjust his/her level on Dreambox math.  If you think your child's RAZ level is too difficult or too easy, please email me to discuss.  **Please note - I will send log-on information for Reflex math at your request.  Since Reflex is not recommended for students younger than 2nd grade, I am not building an entire class profile.  If you would like log-on information for your child, please email me and I will send it home.**

Room Parent Needed:
I am in need of at least one Room Parent to help coordinate and plan our yearly parties and events.  If you can help with this, please email me.  You will be guided through the year by our PTA Room Parent Coordinator. 

Snack:
Please be sure to send a nut-free snack with your child each day. Please do not send dips, sauces, or other liquids for snack.  Please do not send snack cakes with cream or frosting. Please do not send snacks that require utensils to eat.  These things spill and smear easily on our classroom carpet and on our learning materials.  If your child bring any of these items for snack, I will ask him/her to save that snack for the cafeteria.  Pretzels, goldfish, fruit, snack bars, and raw veggies (no dip, please) make great snacks.   

Water Bottles:
First graders are a thirsty bunch.  Please feel free to send a water bottle to school with your child each day.  Please send a reusable bottle.  Please do NOT send water bottles with twist off tops for classroom use...the kids have a very difficult time getting the caps on straight and those bottles typically spill.

Ice Cream:
Please ensure your child knows whether he/she may buy ice cream in the cafeteria on Fridays.  To avoid confusion in the cafeteria, I do expect the kids to know this when they come to school.  Thank you!

Class Directory:
I included a draft copy of the class directory in today's Thursday folder.  If your information is missing (and you'd like it included) and/or incorrect, please contact me and I will add/update your information before sending out a final copy.  

Specials Schedule:
I sent a paper copy of the Specials Schedule home in your child's Open House folder.  However, to recap, our Specials Schedule is as follows:

• Monday:  SEARCH / Library
• Tuesday:  Computer Lab or Guidance / P.E.
• Wednesday:  Music and P.E.
• Thursday:  Music and P.E.
• Friday:  Art

Please note that this schedule is also posted on the right side of this blog. 

Lunch:
Our lunch time is from 11:04-11:34.  You are welcome to eat lunch with your child any day, and you may bring your child lunch purchased from a restaurant (think places like Subway, Panera, or Chick-fil-A). If you'd like to eat lunch with your child, please sign in at the school office and meet us at the cafeteria at 1. Please plan to say goodbye to your child in the cafeteria at the end of our lunch period as our instructional day resumes right after lunch.

Focus Areas for the Coming Week:

• Reading:  We will talk about how to use our classroom library, and procedures and expectations for Independent Reading.
• Writing:  We will complete our Fall Writing Sample.  I will introduce our Work on Writing journals.
• Math:  We will continue our number sense unit.  We will count by 1's, 2's, 5's, and 10's, explore the concepts of odd and even, and compare and order numbers.
• Social Studies:  We will continue building our classroom community as we explore the qualities of a good citizen in our school, our community, and our world.
• Science:  We will talk about the definition of science and what scientists do.

Okay.  I think that's everything on my list, but I apologize in advance if I've forgotten something. Please let me know if you  have any questions, comments, or concerns.  

Savey is headed to YoungLife camp to volunteer for the weekend.  Leo, Jonah, and I are going to try and find some adventure closer to home, spend time outside, and catch up on sleep!  Enjoy the long weekend!  We've all earned it!

Weekly Update

Hi Everyone!

Happy Friday!  I couldn't resist this meme.  It's been a long week, but I'm so grateful to head into the weekend both having met my new class of firsties, and having met many of you.

We had our first "Den Rally" today!  It's an assembly format used to build community and better connect our teachers and students.  Once a month or so, the whole school gathers in the gym for a short morning assembly during which we listen to the school news, say the pledge together, recite the "Puma Creed", learn about social skills, and generally celebrate being part of our AWESOME Pinebrook community.  Please ask your child about our Den Rally!

We had a practice fire drill too.  We'll have our first "real" fire drill on Monday. Today, our first grade team collectively walked our kids along the fire drill route, showed them where we will stand during fire drills, and practiced taking attendance during fire drills.  I think it will make Monday a bit easier for all of us!

Meantime, if you were directed to this post by a link in an email, please kindly take a moment to subscribe to my blog.  I use this blog to communicate all school and classroom news, information, and dates.  You can follow my blog by typing your email address in the box to the right that says "follow by email".  After you input your email address, you'll receive a message to verify your address.  Simply click the link in the email to verify your email address, and you'll be subscribed forevermore with no worries about missing important information!  *Please do not skip this step.*   My blog publishes each day between 3:00 and 5:00 pm.  This means that if I have content to share, you will automatically receive an email between 3:00 and 5:00 pm that contains the new content.  If you don't receive an email, I don't have anything new posted. I typically post new content every Friday, and on other days as needed.  

Have you signed up for the Remind text messaging service?  If not, please take a moment to download the Remind app (look for the white text bubble on a blue background) from the app store and join my class.  After you download the Remind app, you can join my class by texting @jlombardo to 81010.

In class, we are continuing to work on community building, routines, and procedures. Next week, I will begin to introduce some of our academic routines, such as morning work and morning meeting.  However, in a school environment -- and particularly with younger children -- the most important things I can do in the first few weeks are establish explicit and reliable routines and procedures, establish specific behavior expectations, and build a solid foundation for relationships in our room. Those things will remain a priority for the next 2 weeks and beyond.

A couple of reminders:

• Don't forget to send a daily snack with your child.  Snack should be something that can be eaten independently (no utensils, please) while we work.   Please label your child's snack! I have them put their snack in a crate when they get to school so they don't confuse their snack with their lunch.  
• Don't forget to send a water bottle with your child.  We do not have a water fountain in our classroom, so a water bottle is the only way for your child to get a drink of water during the day.
• Next week, the kids will begin to use their agendas.  They will list their weekly homework in it each Monday.  Until mid-September, homework will be nightly reading.  Please refer to the instructions in the inside pocket of your child's agenda for how to log your child's nightly reading.  
• Tuesday is our Multicultural night.  I hope to see many of you there as we teachers learn from you parents about the various cultures and traditions represented at Pinebrook!

Thank you to all of you who signed up to help with our class parties.  I am in need of at least one room parent (usually we have 3) to take the lead on coordinating these events.  Please let me know if you would like to volunteer as a room parent this year.

I think that's all I have for you this week.  Please reach out at anytime with questions, comments or concerns.  Don't forget to check the Pinebrook homepage and/or the "Important Dates" section of this blog for information about many upcoming school and classroom events. 

It's the weekend!  Hooray!  Our older son, Savey ("Say-vee"), works at the Cox Farms Fall Festival, so he has employee orientation tonight.  I suppose I should go grocery shopping. Apparently, crayons and composition notebooks can NOT sustain my boys during the first weeks of school. I will also spend some time around the fire pit, pull some weeds from the mulch beds, and find out more about Savey and Jonah's first days of school.  Savey is 16 and is a junior at Champe. Jonah is about to be 14 and is in 8th grade at Willard.

I hope you have some family time planned in the waning days of summer too!

We Made It!

Hi Everyone!

We made it through our first day!  Expect your sweet littles to be tired...they took in a good amount of information today, but handled it perfectly!  Your children are a lively bunch of enthusiastic kiddos with tons of personality!  We are going to build a strong community and have great fun this year in Room 9.

Please note that the buses will likely be delayed tomorrow, as they were today. Dismissal takes longer than normal in these early days of the school year. 

Meantime, I'll be in touch again tomorrow with the first regular Friday update.  

Thank you so much, and please let me know if you have any questions!  If you need me, you can find me asleep on our classroom carpet.  :)

Thank You and Welcome!

Hello, 1st Grade Parents!

A HUGE thank you to those of you able to attend Open House and/or Back to School Night! If you weren't able to attend, I will send home a folder with all pertinent information on Thursday.  I am excited to get to know each of you this year as we work together to help your sweet kiddos be successful.

First things first...if you were directed to this post by a link in an email, please kindly take a moment to subscribe to my blog.  I use this blog to communicate all school and classroom news, information, and dates.  You can follow my blog by typing your email address in the box to the right that says "follow by email". After you input your email address, you'll receive a message to verify your address.  Simply click the link in the email to verify your email address, and you'll be subscribed forevermore with no worries about missing important information!  *Please do not skip this step.*   My blog publishes each day between 3:00 and 5:00 pm.  This means that if I have content to share, you will automatically receive an email between 3:00 and 5:00 pm that contains the new content.  If you don't receive an email, I don't have anything new posted. I typically post new content every Friday, and on other days as needed.  

Have you signed up for the Remind text messaging service?  If not, please take a moment to download the Remind app (look for the white text bubble on a blue background) from the app store and join my class.  After you download the Remind app, you can join my class by texting @jlombardo to 81010.

I have to say....I love the energy and excitement of both Open House and Back to School Night, but I do NOT like how fast they go!  There never seems to be enough time to address the myriad of questions, comments, and emotions running through the kids, you, and me.  So, I'm sorry if I spent less time with any of you than you were hoping.  I promise the 10,000 blog posts and emails I send over the next 9 months will MORE than make up for it. :)  

Meantime, I'd like to tell you that the next couple of weeks will really be about getting the kids used to a full school day, and introducing them to the rules, routines, and procedures of both our classroom and our school.  We'll start off slowly on the academic side in favor of both building community, and solidly knowing the rules, routines, and procedures before we jump into the heavier academics.  This will be especially important as I begin to introduce the flexible seating choices in our classroom.

I shared with some of you yesterday, but it's worth repeating...I really just want the kids (and you!) to know that a "nice lady" will be at school to take care of them Thursday.  (Bonus points if they remember my name!)  Thursday is about getting to school, making sure everybody eats lunch, and making sure everybody gets home safely!   (And then maybe taking a nap.)

On that note....please be sure you have acknowledged your child's back to school forms in your ParentVue account.  THE ABSOLUTE MOST IMPORTANT THING FOR ME TO KNOW IS HOW YOUR CHILD IS GETTING HOME EACH DAY.  If you were not at Open House or Back to School Night, and did not complete a form to tell me how your child is getting home, please expect an email from me before Thursday to ask how your child will be getting home.  I can not stress enough the importance of this information.  

If you haven't yet put money on your student's lunch account, you can sign up for an account on www.myschoolbucks.com and manage your child's lunch account on-line.  You can also send a check to school with your student, but our cafeteria staff really encourages www.myschoolbucks.com to avoid lost checks between home and school.  If you need a lunch menu, please visit the school website (www.lcps.org/pinebrook) and click "school menu" in the upper right hand corner. Our lunch time is 11:04 - 11:34.  Please begin to send your child's daily "power snack" to school Thursday.  Please refer to the snack sheet in your Back to School Night folder for more specific guidelines about snack. Remember...we do not have an in-class water fountain, so water bottles are okay too.

If you didn't bring your student's school supplies to school yet, please kindly send those as soon as possible.  Many thanks!  :)  If your child is missing a critical supply, I will send a note home so you may send the missing item as soon as possible.

Finally.....this is the first of many, many communications.  Thanks for your patience with me as I overuse emoticons, sometimes babble, and perhaps give you more information than you ever wanted.  Oh!  Please feel free to call me Jenna, both in writing and in person!  I am old.  *womp, womp*  Parents calling me "Mrs. Lombardo" makes me feel older! 

If you have any questions, please email me.  You may do so by clicking the envelope in the blue banner above my picture to the right of this post.  You may text me at 703.789.5760.

Welcome to 1st grade and Room 9!  Here's to a great year!!