First Week

     Our first week has been going very well!  We are all working on getting to know each other by working together.  I am very excited for this year and all the possibilities to come!  Mr. Bertling, our student teacher, is doing a fantastic job!  Be sure to ask your child what Mr. Bertling has been teaching.
     We have set up our classroom rules.  The students offered suggestions and through class discussion, we decided what rules we are going to follow throughout the year.  Our rules are to be safe, take responsibility, use think time before answering a question, raise your hand, and be kind to others and their things.  When you come in for parent-led conferences, be sure to check out the pictures of students demonstrating the right and wrong ways to follow these rules!
     Many parents have asked about our specialist schedule and how to keep track.  The first day of school, August 16, was Day 1 and we had Media.  In the classroom, we have a simple flipchart that shows the day and the specialist for that day.  Each morning, I change it so the students can see what day it is and what specialist we have.  Check it out when you come in for parent-led conferences!  You could also label a calendar a few weeks out.  I wouldn't do this for a whole year because if we have a snow day, it will throw off your calendar.  If we do not have school for a day for any reason, we will resume our specialists schedule wherever we left off.
     We have finished our bedrock word testing and have begun our DRA testing for reading.  These tests, along with observations, will help determine what skills your child needs to work on and which small group they may be in for reading.  The small groups change throughout the year depending on student needs.  I will send a copy of the bedrock words home with some suggestions for working on them with your child as soon as I get them from our print shop!
     We have jumped right into our math curriculum.  The students have begun the year with many different counting activities.  We will be working on counting and recognizing numbers to 20.  We are using strategies such as skip counting by 2s, 5s and 10s.  Have your child practice writing their numbers to at least 20 and count objects at home!  Our class is also implementing a program called Moving Through Math.  Students have been showing concepts such as same/different, inside/outside, and in front of/behind using body movements.  As we continue this program, students will use body movements to show patterns and number sentences.
     Finally, planners and other things that come home...  Please be sure to check your child's planner every night!  I will often send home reminders and other notes that need to be seen or returned in a timely fashion.  Math homework is only on Thursdays and reading homework is only on Fridays.  If you have any questions about the homework or what to do with papers that come home, feel free to call or email me any time!  A big thank you to those of you who have returned homework and the Highlights letters already!