February News

Happy February!  We have a full fun month ahead of us and it is starting with a visit from a cute little groundhog.   Ask your child all about the groundhog he or she made at school today - if yours didn't make it home today, it will be coming home tomorrow.

Today Mrs. Morissey and I had a chance to truly team-teach.   She taught this morning, then I came in at noon so that she could leave to go to an appointment.   We tried to squeeze in some art... but ran out of time and will finish it on Monday.  We started a lesson on warm and cool colors.  Students are painting 'warm' hearts and 'cool' hands.

Here are some of them in progress.   I think they look pretty good at this stage too!

Look for a letter coming home this week about SPELLING TESTS.   We are starting them up next week, doing practices in class, and testing on Friday.   Studying for the spelling test will be part of their weekly homework.

Here's our class blogger, Colin, this week:

Valentines Party:  Thank you to Theresa Harrington for organzing this fun event. It looks like we have lots of great voluneers for this, so thank you!   Valentine's Day is a big deal to 1st graders.   We will be making 'mailboxes' on Monday the 7th, so all your child needs to bring is his or her valentines for the entire class.  

I will send home a class list so that students will be able to include everyone when making valentines.  

 The party will be from 1-2 pm on Monday, Feb. 14th.   Below is the list of volunteers and the order of events. 

Juice boxes –  Alison Blanc

Pretzels – Cynthia Santana

Mini-treat – Michele Gervais

Strawberries – Christina Freinik

Other fruit – Lisa Martin

Other healthy Snack of your choosing -  Rhonda Marinkovic

Party Volunteers - Marci DeBaun, Cynthia Santana, Theresa Harrington

 12:30 – 1:00        Set Up during Lunch Recess

1:00 – 1:20           Rotate between a craft station and game station.

1:20 – 1:40           Wash-up, visit snack buffet, snack, clean-up.

1:40 – 2:00           Open Valentines (kids that have finished can work on some Valentine Fun Activity/Color pages.

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Please check the upcoming events information on the side bar for more important dates this month.

Monday Update

Hi Parents,

This week your child will be bringing home his or her report card on Wednesday.   According to our records... this is the 90th day of school.   That's half the school year.  Your child has shown some amazing growth in this 1/2 of a year and you all should be very proud of what they've accomplished as first graders.

 Today we learned about Picasso and created artwork in the style of Picasso's Dora Maar.  

We also wrote about the best parts of ourselves.  These 1st graders did a great job.

Our class blogger this week was Caroline

I will not be teaching this Monday, the 31st, since it is a 1/2 day and Sheri will be leading conferences.

Have a wonderful evening.

Science, Report Cards, and Conferences

Hi Parents,

We are starting our brand new unit on liquids and solids.   Your child will be learning all about the different types of solids and liquids and what makes a solid a solid, and a liquid a liquid.

Here's an example of a page in our science journal:

Conferences and Report Cards:

 This will be an opportunity for us to review your child’s report card and the progress they are making in 1^st grade. Report cards and related work will be coming home with them before conference days begin. We can also discuss areas of focus and revisit the goals your child set in October.

 

Children are invited to the conference, but it is optional. If you feel that it would be beneficial for your child to participate in the conference, please bring them along and we will spend part of the time talking together. Then, just as we did in October, we will allow some time at the end for just adults to talk. If you would rather leave your child at home and have the full 20 minute of conversation with me, that is fine too.

 

If you do plan on bringing your 1^st grader, please let me know so that I can prepare for a student-parent-teacher conference vs. just a parent-teacher conference.

 

Calling all Sandburg Writers and Poets! Ms. Chaing and I are leading Sandburg in this great district-wide program....

You have the chance to receive a special invitation to

attend a district-wide Young Author celebration: Jack Prelutsky’s Performance of

Umbrellaphant”

other students from the district.

“Behold the Boldwith the Seattle Chamber Music Society and the chance to share your writing with

How:

you’ve recently completed) to Ms. Chaing or Ms. Subcleff by

Turn in your favorite poem or short story you’ve written (a new piece of writing or oneMonday, February 14th. Any genre

of writing is accepted. Please make sure it’s not too long (since they will be taking the time to

read through all entries). Also, let students know it should be a published piece of work- can have

illustrations, etc., that they can share at the celebration. Ms. Chaing and Ms. Subcleff will select

1 winner from K-2, 3-4, and 5-6, (unless entry numbers are skewed) 3 pieces of writing from

Sandburg will go on to the district event.

mchaing@lwsd.org  or esubcleff@lwsd.orgThe Young Author’s Event with Jack Prelutsky will be: Saturday, April 23rd 2011, 9:00-11:30 A.M. at
Rose Hill Junior High School.

I will give some class time for this as well, but it would be a fun activity for home too! 

Our class blogger this week is Ben!

Have a great week!

Happy Monday

 Brrr..... it was a cold one today, so we thought we'd create a huddle of penguins.   Don't you just love how different each and every one of them is?   I can see each 1st grader's personality shine in these cute penguins.

In fact.... here's another look from a new angle.  Just so wonderful!

Our class blogger this week was Adam.

We had a terrific assembly today about Carl Sandburg and the biographies he wrote (including one about his hero Abraham Lincoln). 

Today, we read all about baby penguins and about Martin Luther King Jr.

I am not teaching next week, do to the MLK holiday, but I'll be back the following Monday.

Have a terrific day.

Happy New Year!

Since there is still a trace of snow on the ground, we had some fun today with snowmen!

We read a few books about snow and snowmen and then created snowmen up close.  The first graders did a terrific job of showing the snowman in the foreground, peeking out from the side.  As always, they did an amazing job.

Here are some pictures of them hard at work. 

 I apologize for any paint that got on new hats or new clothes today.  We tried our best to stay clean, but somehow paint ends up on clothes.   This paint is tempera and should wash out if treated right away.

 We also started Topic 6  (making 12) in math today and learned a new game.

 Our class blogger was Suzanna!

Mrs. Morissey and I are humbled by all the sweet and thoughtful gifts we were given this holiday season.   I had fun thinking of all the sweet children in our class as I was writing out thank you cards.  The cards are tiny, so I hope they made it home safely today.

We are also deeply touched by the amazing holiday box of notes from the class. 

  Sheri and I really appreciate that you took time out to write to each of us.  It means a lot .... so thank you, thank you.

We feel so lucky to have such a great group of students (and parents!) this year.

Be sure to check the side bar for important dates in January.