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!