Red, White, Blue and a little Green

Addition skills

We've been working on adding numbers up to ten and using different addition strategies.  Today we played a game called Three Towers.  We also added Math Technology to our Daily 4 math choices.  See Gavin practicing addition by rolling virtual dice.

September Newsletter

The latest newsletter is now available.  Go to the Newsletters tab above.

New friends

We have four new friends to listen to us read.  A wolf, two frogs and a cow have joined the Butterfly class and live in the Reading Corner.

Conferences

Go to this Doodle Poll to sign up for a time to meet for a Parent-Teacher conference.  If you would like to meet at a time not reflected on the Doodle Poll, please let me know.

http://doodle.com/zi3m2ww45mpskyrt

Math Notebooks

This week we took some time to learn how to use our Math Problem Solving Notebooks.  This will become one of the choices students can make during math time.

Today's Walk

We have a new student in our class.  Can you find Quintin in the video?

Reading is FUN!

I love this!  I was listening to a student read who was sitting next to me, when I looked across the room and discovered these two young ladies reading Eric Carle's Head to Toe to each other.  Now that is truly finding the joy in a good book.

Speaking of reading, please look for your child's Reading Log.  I sent them home today in backpacks.  Reading homework is for every child to read (or be read to) for at least 10 minutes every day.  Go here for directions to use the Reading Log.  Please send the Reading Log back to school every Friday.  I will check them and respond with a brief note to your child.

We're DYNAMITE!

Class Rules

We have spent the first few weeks discussing our hopes and dreams for the year ahead.  We have also determined what needs to happen in our classroom for us all to be able to achieve those hopes and dreams.  Here are some of our hopes for the year:

"I want to know how to write a poem. " -Mackenzie

"I want to know what it was like long ago." -Marina

As a result of these discussions, we have created a list of four simple rules that will guide everything we do throughout the school year.

They are:

Everybody works and plays.

Use things the right way.

Be safe.

Be nice.

See you on Tuesday night at Back to School Night!

Independent Readers

A First Fall Leaf

 Today we started to collect data while on our Nature Walk.  We observed birds and mushrooms and took a count of each.  We also had a discussion about mushrooms and the possibility of them being poisonous.  We counted only 6 birds, but over 100 mushrooms.  We will graph our data over time and try to make conclusions about the numbers in relation to seasonal changes.

a first fall leaf, mushrooms, lichen and acorns

bird count (recorded with checkmarks by Lindy)

mushroom count (recorded on a grid by Marina)

First Newsletter Posted

Head to the Newsletter tab above to read our first Newsletter of the year.
There is important information about the Sharing portion of our Morning Meeting.

Scientists

Kids in the Butterfly Class practiced the skill of observation today.  They watched tadpoles and recorded their observations with writing and drawing.

Nature Walk

Every Thursday (weather permitting) our class will take a  nature walk, following the same path every time.  We will be able to observe plants, animals, and weather as the seasons change.  Here are some items we collected today on our first walk.  There were loads of beautiful mushrooms and we noticed the differences between lichen and moss.

First Day!

Welcome back!

During our first few days of school we:

• learn routines
• build confidence
• explore the classroom
• have fun!

We do not keep a consistent supply of spoons and forks for snack time in our class.  Please remember to send one to school if your child will need it.  A reusable spoon or fork that can stay in your child's backpack everyday is a great way to make sure that it's there when it's needed.

Reminder:  Please return the forms for the office (came in a manilla envelope) to school ASAP.

Welcome Back!

I am busy preparing our classroom and I can't wait for all of the newest first grade Butterflies to arrive.  I hope to see all of you on Monday, August 21 4:30 to 6:30 at Open House.