From upper left: Aiden, Lyla, Trintiy R., Joshua, Desiree, Sammy, Gary
This project will be sent home on Friday.
My Five Senses
For the past few days we have been talking about our five senses. We started a little booklet yesterday and completed it today.
Happy Box Time!
This week, seven students earned the opportunity to pick out of the Happy Box this afternoon.
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| Our completed happy Box chart. |
From top left to bottom: Dhruv, Vida, Joshua, Trinity R. (also the classroom Happy Box Helper), Lyla, and Rhian
Spelling Practice Test
Surprise!
It is a Spelling practice test for the first graders!
Congratulations to the 4 students who earned the top scores!
The Name Jar
Being the new kid in school is difficult, but when you have an unusual name that no can pronounce, it is even harder. Unhei is afraid to use her name in her new American school so she decides to tell everyone what her name is a week after her arrival. Her class mates help her to choose a name, they fill a jar with names that they like. Each day, Unhei reads the names that are put in her In the end she comes proud of her Korean name that means grace.
My students are happy about their names and to celebrated we made name jars filled with decorations and letter beads spelling out their name.
Come into the classroom and find your child's name jar!
Tomorrow Is the First Appearance of the Happy Box!
Students with the following point totals, after the school day on Friday afternoon, will be able to pick out of the Happy Box.
NOTE: Since we did not have school on Monday, an average of the four days of school will be calculated and then added to Tuesday-Friday totals.
50 - 44 points = 2 picks from the Happy Box
38 - 43 points = 1 pick from the Happy Box
00 - 37 points = a sticker
It Is Me!
All sixteen students drew portraits of themselves this morning and they were proudly displayed on the wall. You will notice there are a few vampires in my classroom this year :-)
top row: Julien, Robert, Lyla, Trintiy R.
row 2: Dhruv, Vida, xxxxxxxxxx, Sammy
row 3: Joshua, Gary, Rhian, Fabian
bottom row: Desiree, xxxxxxxxxx, Aiden, Bryce
The Class
Aiden, Desiree, Sammy, Robert
Christian, Gary, Bryce
Dhruv, Vida, Joshua,
Trinity R., Trinity P., Lyla, Julien
Fabian, Rhian
Take Home Folders are Completed
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| cover of the Take Home Folder |
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| left: Attention Needed pocket, advanced subtraction table label (basic addition for the kindergarten folder), place value label right: Monday - Wednesday behaviour communication sheet |
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| left: Thursday - Friday behaviour communication sheet right: first marking period classroom schedule |
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| left: Camelot School 2010-2011 calendar of events right: alphabet chart with picture references |
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| left: blend chart with picture references right: numbers, tally marks, and colours |
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| left: days of the week and months of the year right: shapes and coins |
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| left: 100-chart right: monthly homework schedule |
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| left: pocket for homework right: Returned to You pocket |
Invasion of....
...the plastic boxes.
Yes! Plastic shoe boxes are invading my home in massive quantities, filled with everything from blocks and stamps to magnets and air--you do know that air takes up space right? :-) In the last few weeks, I have purchased 60 boxes for storage within the classroom, and I have been labeling with pictures and text. Some have center toy labels, some learning station labels, some art supply labels, and some others have student names on them.
Found - Grasshopper
Classroom Community - Responsibility
In the beginning of the school year, creating a sense of community is important. Within a community, citizens are responsible for certain jobs in order to make their community thrive. In a thriving community, all children feel secure and supported by their neighbors -- all members working for the common goal -- success.
With each year brings a new group dynamic and a new group of challenges because of varied interests, abilities, and cultural differences. Each child arrives in the classroom with experiences that enriches the whole group.
The one thing that brings us all together in our new environment is feeling a sense of responsibility and caring for the things around us. This concept is something I try to set from the beginning with classroom jobs.
With each year brings a new group dynamic and a new group of challenges because of varied interests, abilities, and cultural differences. Each child arrives in the classroom with experiences that enriches the whole group.
The one thing that brings us all together in our new environment is feeling a sense of responsibility and caring for the things around us. This concept is something I try to set from the beginning with classroom jobs.
The assignment of classroom jobs is one of the most common classroom strategies for getting students to work together, make them feel special and teach them important life skills.
In a classroom it is important for students to feel like they belong. In the article From Tourists to Citizens in the Classroom, by H. Jerome Freiberg, he writes that tourists pass through and environment without any commitment, involvement and definitely no sense of belonging. These words are just as true today as they were 10 years ago.
I want students to feel like they belong and that in turn makes them feel comfortable and free to express themselves in positive ways. Classroom jobs are a critical component of creating the classroom community where students working together, plan, participate. Students will then take pride in their classroom community. In addition, students have fun doing it.
Time for You to Prepare
This summer has flown by. School begins in 3 weeks and I have been busily prepping signs, name plates, charts, organizing new purchased, and most importantly getting lesson plans ready.
If you have not done so already, this would be an ideal time for you to prepare also. Use this back-to-school checklist to make sure you're ready when the big day arrives. After all, there's a lot to accomplish before school begins! If you start early, you can easily tackle this list in just a few weeks, and the payoff will be a much easier back-to-school season for your entire family.
You can get a list of the specific school supplies your child will need from the school secretary or teacher. Items you will need to pick up are on the Supply List.
Purchase an Alarm Clock
If your children are reluctant to get up in the morning, consider using an alarm clock with gradually increasing the volume of the buzzer or radio, or use a timer to make their nightstand lamp turn on just before you want them to wake up.
Plan Lunches
Do you need to purchase a new lunchbox? That is one of the first considerations. If you do need a new on make certain that you look for the words "lead-free" on the label. Some plastic or vinyl lunch boxes give off residue which you don't want to come in contact with your child's food. Also you may consider stocking up on lunchtime staples like fruit cups and granola bars as they come on sale.
Organize Your Closets and Drawers
When you are organized you have a better chance of getting out the door in the morning on time and without frustration. Organize clothes the way they are used, keeping all the school clothes separate form weekend clothing and even consider laying clothes out the night before for a stress-reduced morning.
Get Ready for Paper
On the first day of school, students will come home with paper--all kinds of paper. These papers will need to be read and signed and reviewed and kept for future reference. You will want to have space in your home where papers will be filed and stored and a place for things that need to go back and forth to school on a daily basis.
Early to Bed, Early to Rise
You will want to make sure your child gets plenty of sleep and after staying up later and getting up later, during the summer months this can be one of the most difficult transition once school begins. Gradually making this change will nearly flawless for everyone. As the school year grows nearer, move bedtimes up by 10 or 15 minutes each night and move wake up times by the same amount. This change will be less "painful" and will relieve some back-to-school nerves and insomnia.
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