Winter Party Reminder

This is a gentle reminder that tomorrow, Wednesday, Dec. 21, will be our class Winter Party!  The set up will begin between 9-945 while the children are in art.  The party will go from 945-1045.  We will be having a Pancakes and Pajamas theme!

Don't forgot to send your child in their pajamas :)

Family Pictures

We are continuing to build our Room 112 family tree!  If you have not sent in your family picture, please send it in your child's yellow folder so that it can be included on our display.  All photos will be returned at the end of the year.

Delayed Start Tomorrow, Tuesday, Dec. 6

This is a gentle reminder that tomorrow, Tuesday, Dec. 6 is a delayed start day.  School will begin at 10:14am, with buses running 90 minutes later their regular routes.  Please let me know if you have any questions.

Family Math Night

This is a gentle reminder that this Wednesday, November 30 will be Harlan Family Math Night. The event will give families a chance to learn and purchase great math games for your home while playing the games with the Harlan teachers!

The event runs from 6-7pm, with all games available for purchase.

If you are interested in attending, and have not yet RSVPd, please email me and let me know how many will be attending.

I hope to see you there!

Schedule for the Week of 11/28 - 12/2

Monday (D) - PE
Tuesday (A) - Art & Music
Wednesday (B) - Media Center
Thursday (C) - Music
Friday (D) - PE

Please remember to bring gym shoes on days we have PE and return library books on days we visit the media center.

Updates

Hello First Grade Families!

Thank you for taking the time to visit me at conferences last night! It was wonderful to have the chance to meet with you all and discuss all the great things your children are doing at school!

We have some fun projects planned for the upcoming (short!) week and could use your help. Monday is our much anticipated Beach Day and we are planning a scavenger hunt surprise that aligns with our map unit for Tuesday. If you are interested in donating supplies for either of these projects please visit the sign-up genius link. The link is for all three classes, so please make sure you sign up for the items marked “Kefgen.” If you do volunteer, please send in all supplies, with the exception of the apples, on Monday morning. If you are donating apples, please send them in on Tuesday morning.

Thank you so much for your support, both with this project and with all you do for your child. Have a wonderful weekend!

http://www.signupgenius.com/go/409044cafad2fa75-upcoming


PS—Please don’t forget to dress your child in his/her "beachy best" on Monday!!

One semester ends...

and another begins!  I can't believe that we already finished our first semester of first grade!  This year is flying by!

Happy Fall from all the Harlan First Graders!

Mystery Readers

Thank you to Mr. F for joining us in Room 112 as our mystery reader a few weeks ago!  The children loved the books, especially The Book with No Pictures - a first grade favorite!

Thank you to Mrs. M as well!  Skippy John Jones is one of my favorites and I know the children loved how you got into character with a great Spanish accent!

Harlan Family Math Night

This Friday a flyer was sent home with exciting news!  We are having a Harlan Family Math Night on Wednesday, November 30!  Come join the Harlan teachers as we learn and play amazing math games provided by Learning Gizmos!  The event will be from 6-7pm and all games will be available for purchase.

I hope to see you there!  If you need another copy of the flyer, please let me know, as we are asking all interested families to RSVP so that we have an idea of how many participants to expect.

Schedule for the Week of 11/14 - 11/18

Monday (A) - Art & Music
Tuesday (B) - Media Center
Wednesday (C) - Music
Thursday (D) - PE
Friday (A) - Art & Music

Please remember to return library books on days we visit the media center and bring gym shoes on days we have PE.

Conference Reminders

Parent-Teacher Conferences will be held on Wednesday, November 16, and Thursday, November 17 from 1-8pm.  To review your conference time, please use the link on the left side of our blog for our signup.

Due to conferences, both Wednesday, November 16 and Thursday, November 17 will be half days of school.  The children will be dismissed at 12:05pm on those days.  If your child will be going home differently on those days, please email me so that I can adjust our dismissal schedule as needed.

End of the Week Updates

·         Conferences will be held next Wednesday and Thursday afternoon and evening. Therefore, we will have half days of school on Nov. 16 and 17. Dismissal will be at 12:05. Please send in a note or email if your child’s dismissal routine will be different on either of those days.

·         If you have not yet returned your pre-conference survey form, please do so by Monday. If you need another copy, just let me know!

·         Report cards will be coming home with your child on Monday! Please remember that all grades are based on end –of-year goals! Your child is not expected to be “Mastered” in all content areas at this point in the school year.

·         The vote is in! The first grade students have chosen to have Beach Day! Please plan to send your child to school in their most summery attire on Monday, November 21^st! Students can also bring a beach towel so that we can soak up some imaginary rays during reading.  Sunglasses, shorts, flip flops and hats are welcome.  Please do not send your child to school with a bathing suit.  Also, please send in warmer clothes for your child to wear at recess. :0)

Halloween Pictures

Mr. G would like to share some amazing pictures taken at our classroom Halloween party!  Please use the below link to access them.  They all look terrific!  Thank you again, Mr. G!

https://www.flickr.com/photos/greenskycreative/sets/72157672428370314/

The Results Are In...

Every vote was counted...

Every voice was heard...

And the majority of our grade level chose...

Please look for further communication coming home soon regarding our Beach Day date and important information.

Congratulations, First Graders, on your first voting experience!  You did a fantastic job learning about how we:

First - Listen to the choices

Next - Choose the best one for you

Then - Cast your vote

Finally - Wait for election results!

The first grade teachers are looking forward to rocking our flip flops, shorts, sunglasses and beach gear soon!

First Grade Election

Over the last week, the first graders have been discussing the upcoming election, what it means to vote and how the process works.  Last week, we put what we have learned into action as the first grade teachers and I presented our ideas for a First Grade Fun Day.  This was done in a town hall style with each "candidate" presenting their idea and why they think it will be what is best for our grade level.  Student questions followed.

Mrs. Cooper presented All About Me Day, which would include dressing up in clothes that represent you and your interests.  This could include what you want to be when you grow up or something you are passionate about now (sports, science, dancing, music...).  The day would also include a parade through each other's classrooms.

Slogan:  Your future is now!

Mrs. Cibor presented Beach Day (complete with "Wipe Out" playing as she approached the front of the room!)  Her idea was to bring our shorts, flip flops, sunglasses, visors and beach towels to school and pretend we are at the beach!  The day would include laying our towels out and "tanning" while we independently read, along with other beach-themed activities.
Slogan:  Let's take back summer!

Mr. Kefgen presented Silly Sock Day!  This would include no shoes while in our classrooms to show off our silly and craziest socks!  Campaign promises included Mr. Kefgen wearing 5 pairs of silly socks and taking one pair off every hour to reveal the next, wearing socks on his hands, and even having a sock hop dance party!

Slogan:  Free your feet and SOCK the vote!

After hearing the candidates' ideas, the first graders had a chance to vote for their favorite.  We began by reading the book Duck for President by Doreen Cronin and then using our Scholastic News account to learn more about voting and elections.  Finally, the time came for us to exercise our right to vote!  We even made a voting booth in our classroom compete with ballot boxes, ballots and privacy!  After voting, we all received "I Voted" stickers just like grown ups do!  

Stayed tuned to hear the outcome of our First Grade Fun Day election as results will be announced on Wednesday!

Scientist with a Twist

A few weeks ago we welcomed Mr. S. to our classroom as our Scientist with a Twist.  The word of day was "vortex!"  We had a great time learning how to make tornado in a jar!  We used water, oil and glitter to create and see the vortex in the middle of the jar.  We learned that the vortex is created by the friction of the water rubbing against the jar. The glitter was used to highlight the vortex and make it easier to see, while the oil was used to bind the glitter together.  The children loved spinning the jars and found out it was easier to use by spinning it around on a table.

Thank you Mr. S. for joining us and making our minds "spin!"

Schedule for the Week of 11/7 - 11/11

Monday (A) - Art & Music
Tuesday - NO SCHOOL
Wednesday (B) - Media Center
Thursday (C) - Music
Friday (D) - PE

This is a gentle reminder that there will be NO SCHOOL on TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 8 due to Election Day.

Please remember to return library books on days we visit the media center and bring gym shoes on days we have PE.

Note from Dr. Thompson

District Preschool Survey

As we work to enhance our preschool programming, we are asking parents to take a very short survey regarding their preschool experience. We encourage you to share this with other area parents you may know that do not currently attend BPS. Please take a moment to complete the survey before it closes on Wednesday, Nov. 16.

https://oaklandk12mi.co1.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_etzDGSUGltZR2Qt

Fall Conferences

I can't believe that we are almost through our first semester of first grade!  I can't wait to meet with all of the Room 112 families and discuss your children's academic and social growth this year!  Fall Parent-Teacher Conferences will take place on Wednesday, November 16 and Thursday, November 17.  Each homeroom conference will last 20 minutes, with additional 5 minute math conferences available if your child has a math teacher other than myself.

Please use the below links to choose a date and time that works best with your schedule.  I have included all of the first grade teacher's Sign Ups so that you may choose a math conference if you would like.

Mr. Kefgen's Fall Conferences
http://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080a4ba4a822a46-fall3

Mrs. Cooper's Fall Conferences
http://www.signupgenius.com/go/60b0f4daca62ba57-mrs4

Mrs. Cibor's Fall Conferences
http://www.signupgenius.com/go/409044cafad2fa75-fall2

These links can also be found on the left side of our classroom blog.

Please let me know if you have any questions before then.  I  am really looking forward to speaking with everyone soon!  :)

Mystery Reader

Thank you to Mrs. M for sharing with us as our mystery reader this past week!  We had a great time and loved the silly rhymes in the Weird Al book!

Sad News

I wanted to share some news that has happened in our classroom.  On Friday, our beloved bearded dragon, Rosie, passed away.  For the last few weeks, Rosie had been eating less and she became sick in the last few days.  Unfortunately, even with an attempt to hand-feed her, she died Friday morning.

As the children noticed that she was not moving, we had a discussion about the possibility of her having died that day.  We talked about how she had been loved by many different classes over the years and we had taken very good care of her this year.  I also explained that she was 11 years old, which was typical for a bearded dragon.  Her tank mate and sister, Amarillo, had passed away this summer as well.

I told the children that I would check on her after school to know for sure, and would email their families this weekend to keep them updated in case any families wanted to discuss this with their children.  If you would like to talk about this with your children and have any questions or are looking for resources on this topic, please let me know.

Goodbye, Rosie.  We will miss you!

Family Pictures

Please send in a 4x6 picture of your family for our Room 112 Family Tree!  The picture can include anyone you and your child consider part of your family.  The pictures will be displayed in our classroom and returned at the end of the year.

Please let me know if you have any questions.  Thank you in advance!

"We are a family, like a giant tree, growing stronger, growing wiser."

Schedule for the Week of 10/31 - 11/4

Monday (D) - PE
Tuesday (A) - Art & Music
Wednesday (B) - Media Center
Thursday (C) - Music
Friday (D) - PE

Please remember to return library books on days we visit the media center and bring gym shoes on days we have PE.

Monday, October 31
NO SCHOOL IN AFTERNOON

Halloween Parade - 10:40am
Halloween Party - 11:00am

Dismissal - 12:05pm

Readers and Writers Workshop

We are continuing to work on both our decoding and comprehension skills in Readers Workshop, as well as our conventions, narrative structure and ideas in Writers Workshop.

Here we are with our writing partners as we read our stories and offer suggestions to each other to help develop and add details such as showing a feeling rather than telling it and including dialogue.

When reading, we have the opportunity to read wth a partner to demonstrate how the day's lesson could be used in our books.  This may include showing how a strategy was used on a tricky word or retelling our books to check for comprehension.