Week 1- August 13th-15 (First Week)

 Where do we even begin?  I would like to thank all of the parents and other adults who made our first week successful! I already see so much growth in the students and am proud of how well they have adapted to their new classroom and environment.  

The classroom website will be updated once a week (typically by Saturday evenings) and will share what we learned this past week while also giving insight in what we will be learning the next week.

Wednesday August 13th

Our day started with play.  It is important to me that the students have the opportunity to feel safe in our classroom while also meeting new students.  The first day was focused on getting to know students and learning where things are in our classroom.  Students had the opportunity to play at the art center, kitchen, sensory bin, and lego center.

We read the story "The Kissing Hand" by Audrey Penn, a story about a raccoon who is too scared to go to school but uses a kiss on the hand to make their day easier.  Students had the opportunity to share how they say goodbye to their parents each morning.

Students reviewed and learned the rules of the playground and enjoyed their first recess outside!

Our first lunch was a success!  Students enjoyed cheese pizza and their fruit "slushies".

We took naps after lunch and showed off our coloring skills with a first day of school coloring page.  After afternoon recess, students were excited to learn that Miss Jay had invited us to the gym for a first day of school party.  You may have heard your child claim we shot off fireworks at school.  I think it is safe to say that the confetti cannons were the best part of our day! Thank you Miss Jay

 and Mrs. Nikki for celebrating the first day with us!

Thursday August 14th

We started our day with our first ever morning meeting.  Students recited the Pledge of Allegiance, prayed the Hail Mary, found the month, day, and number date for that day, and talked about weather and temperature.  The students did an amazing job of staying on task and getting through morning meeting.

After morning snack, we read the story "First Day Jitters" by Julie Danneberg as we talked about how sometimes even grown ups are nervous to start the new school year.  We then made a magic potion to make all of our jitters go away.  Students combined green Hawaiian Punch and marshmallows in a cup while repeating the phrase "I am going to have an amazing school year" to create their magic potions.  After drinking our potions, students said they felt ready for new adventures!

We had lunch, recess, and nap.  After nap, students worked on writing their name (trace once and write once) to show me their skills.  Our goal for the end of the year is to write our first and last names legibly, however, we will be focusing on just first names for the first quarter.

To end our day, we discussed the rules for using our smartboard.  Often, we will use it to listen to stories or watch educational videos.  Today, we got to use our smartboard to play math games on ABC Mouse.  Students took turns catching colorful butterflies and finding the right shapes.

Friday August 15th (Fun Friday)

Typically, we would start Fridays with our P.E. class with Miss Jay and Mrs. Nikki.  This Friday was a bit different.  The gym was reserved for the block party and the big flat was open for Mass parking.  We instead started our day with morning meeting and got to add some fun new songs to our meeting for added fun.

We read a story called " A Little Scribble Spot: A Story about Colorful Emotions" by Diane Alber.  Throughout the year, we will learn more about our emotions and feelings with the help of Spot and his friends. 

Before nap, we got to watch an episode of "Spidey and his Amazing Friends" to wind down for nap during our bathroom break.

With the weather being too hot, we got to experience our first ever indoor recess where students got to play with legos, color pictures, and play in the kitchen.  

We then read our first "My Big World" Scholastic magazine.  This edition was all about the best part of our school day and we talked about all of the fun thinks we have gotten to do this week!

We finished our day with a Disney dance party and even got to use our "fancy party lights" to light up our room.

Next Week Topics

Next week, we will be following the theme "All About Me" where students will get to draw a self portrait and make a fun name craft!  We will also be jumping into our phonics learning with the letter Aa.  Students will learn what the letter looks like, sounds like, and how to write it.

Important Reminders

• Please make sure to sign your child in and out on the iPad daily.  If you forget your barcode, there is a binder ring with all of your barcodes in the back of your child's cubby.
• Please make sure to help your child pick their lunch daily.  Second choice alternates daily.  On MWF, we have sunbutter and jelly.  On T/Th, we have ham or turkey and cheese.
• Please check student's folder daily.  Often, items from the office are sent home with the youngest student.
• Home and School Association has their parent meeting on August 25th in the evening if you are interested in joining.
• Fall pictures are on August 28th.  Please make sure your child is dressed for the occasion.  T/Th students may have a parent or grandparent bring them to take their picture that day if they would like, you would just need to check in at the front office.
• Our first praise assembly is on August 29th.  If your child is selected for the student of the month, you will receive an email the week before to attend.
• Our classroom tends to be cold, even in the summer months, due to no control over our AC.  Please leave a jacket for your student to use in this instance.  Also remember to keep two, weather appropriate outfits in your child's cubby.