Baranof Room 11

Today two important things happened!  We have been enjoying poems for quite some time, but today we began studying them and thinking about using ideas from some poems to create our own!  Our first adventure into poetry involved reading a book that Jason brought to share – a fun little book called If I Ran the School by Bruce Lansky, and then reading Margaret Wise Brown’s The Important Book.  Then we decided to write a poem about Oreo:

The  important  thing  about  Oreo  is  that  she  is  our  friend.  It  is  true  that  Oreo  is  kind,  she   is  shy,  and  she  is  named  after  a  cookie.  Oreo  loves    carrots,  she  is  our  pet,  and  she  is  herself.  But,  the  important  thing  about  Oreo  is  that  she  is  our  friend.

And in gym we began our Artist in Residence program with Jodi Gelbman – an actor and physical theater artist from NYC.  That prompted another poem:

The important thing about Jodi is that she is playful.  It is true that Jodi is an actor, she is fun, and taught us how to act with our bodies.  She is our friend and she performs for us and with us.  But, the important thing about Jodi is that she is playful!

Another important thing is to take a bow after a performance!

Mystery Bag:  1-24 – Aaliyah, 1-26 – Dylan, 1-31 – Emma, 2-1– Jayden

Literacy Updates

            Words of the Week:  we will be learning two different spelling patterns in spelling: -ay and –ar.  Our words this week are: play, played, stay, stayed, day, away, went and want. Next week’s words will be – car, cart, start, arm, far, farm, are and star.  I try to get the spelling tests back to the students on Friday, so be sure to check out how they did on their Words of the  Week as well as their dictated sentence (watch for those pesky capitals and end marks!).

IditaRead!

As of Friday we had our team spread out from Anchorage to as far away as Cripple and Nulato (Aaliyah and Emma).  Please don’t hesitate to get in touch if you have any questions about the IditaRead!

             Checking In

             As some of you are aware, I have started mid-year check ins – if I haven’t already talked with you, sometime over the next few weeks I’ll be getting in touch (I try first by phone, then by email).  If you have any news you’d like to share (good news counts, too!) please don’t wait for me…give a call or send a note. 

 Artist in the Schools

            Today we went to the SHS auditorium for a performance that included our Artist in the School Jodi Gelbman.  Jodi is an actor and physical theater artist from NYC, and we are so looking forward to working together over the next two weeks!

Artist in the Classroom

            This Friday we are beginning our 5 weeks of art lessons with Sitka artist Rebecca Poulson.  The lessons will include exploration of particular artists and their work, using some of their techniques to create our own artwork.   We will adapt the lessons to reflect the students’ interests as the lessons develop. Be sure to check in with your young artist after school on Friday!

Dates to Remember

Every Friday is book exchange in Library

March 1 and 2 – Conferences, no school for students

Mystery Bag:  1-17 – Kamryn, 1-19 – Hedvika, 1-24 – Aaliyah, 1-26 – Dylan

Literacy Updates

            Words of the Week:  there is a slight change to the words we will be studying this week–– looks, looked, looking, sing, sings, singing, sang, and song.

 Survey Monkey

 The survey will be available for another 2 weeks – if you have not had a chance to respond, I hope you will consider doing so – we benefit so much from parents’ feedback, ideas and suggestions.

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/SRL3HBQ

IditaRead!

This week our team has made excellent progress along the course.  Our readers and their dogs are stretched out from Anchorage to Rainy Pass!  Please do remember that the books need to come back to school every morning even if your child did not read them the night before.  We share the books and another child may need to use the books your child has at home.  This is especially critical now that so many children are taking home four books each night.

 A Month of Kindness

            Today we will start a ‘Month of Kindness’ in which we will focus on how our actions (or lack of actions) can impact the  people around us.  One of the big events for this month will be a food drive for the Salvation Army.  Please see the letter that is also in the Blue Folder.

Snack Thank You

Huge thanks to the families of the following students:  Emma, Hannah, Jason, Rudy and Slater.  Our snack cupboard is  stocked  for a while now. 

Dates to Remember

Every Friday is book exchange in Library

January 20 – No school for students

January 28 – Online Scholastic Book Club orders due

Mystery Bag:  1-10 – Slater, 1-12 – Isaac, 1-17 – Kamryn, 1-19 – Hedvika

Our pictures for this posting are from our marble jar celebration on Friday – “Toys at Choose”

Literacy Updates

            Words of the Week:  for this week we will study the following words – want, was, some, said, do, doing, her and are.  next week’s words will be – looks, looked, looking, sing, sings, singing, sang, and sung.

IditaRead!

This week starts our annual 1^st grade IditaRead – which is based on the Iditarod sled dog race.  Every 1^st grader will have a dog marker on a giant map of Alaska which is outside the gym.   Each night as your child reads, simply record the title of the books or chapters that they have read (or had read to them) on their checkpoint sheet.  Each checkpoint sheet has space for 4 books or chapters, and your child’s ‘dog’ will move on our map for each checkpoint sheet that is turned in.  Please check today’s folder for more complete information and a permission slip.

Snacks

             Our snack cupboard is nearly bare, so donations would be greatly appreciated!  Ideas include, but are not limited to,  crackers, pretzels, granola bars…really, anything that is simple to serve and does not require utensils or refrigeration.

Blue Folder

            Please be sure to check your child’s blue folder daily!  It is a reliable way to share information – I really do check them every morning!

Survey Monkey

            I  have created a short survey to help me determine the usefulness of our class blog.  Please take a moment to complete this survey at:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/SRL3HBQ

All answers are anonymous, so if you would like me to reply to your comments, please include your name. I truly appreciate parent input.  Thank you!

Visual art in room 11, as it is in much of 1st grade, focuses on elements and principles because this is how children develop the vocabulary of artists.  Educational theory tells us that people tend to notice things that they have words for; so by giving the things we would like children to observe a name, they are more likely to notice these things in their environment.

So far this year we have had a lot of fun exploring color, line, value (shades of color), texture and form (the 3 dimensional shape of objects),  These elements of art have all been introduced; we will explore them in greater detail throughout the year.  This is the reason why we study art in 1st grade, but the best part is that it is fun!

One of the wonderful things about art is that it is self-individualizing – given the same lesson and materials each artist will create their own unique artwork that truly represents how they see things with their developing ability to express what they are seeing or feeling.

Art is more than just the visual arts.  We have been known to burst into song as we move from the tables to the rug, at lunch we play music that features particular genres, instruments and musicians; we often do dramatic expression as part of our Readers’ Workshop; in Writers’ Workshop we create art through the way we are learning to express ourselves as authors.

Mystery Bag:  12-6 – Jessica, 12-8 – Naomi, 12/13 – Cameron, 12/15 – Khazzi

Literacy Updates

            Words of the Week:  for this week we will study the following words – my, make, shake, take, will, went, saw and they.

Art

            This month in the Baranof Briefs our classroom has an article on Art – a little bit of what we do and why  we do it.  I will  include that article in our blog…check it out !

Math Audit

            The Sitka School Board announces that math auditors will be in town to audit the Sitka School District K-12 math program. The audit will take place during the week of December 5^th. There will be 3 opportunities for parents, teachers, students and community members to speak to the auditors. The focus groups will be held Monday, December 5^th 7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. in the KGH MPR, Tuesday, December 6^th 4:00-5:30 in the SHS Commons and Wednesday, December 7^th 7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. in the KGH MPR. Everyone is welcome to attend. The auditors are also encouraging members of the community including parents,  students and staff to complete the confidential math survey which is located at:

www.sitkaschools.org.

 For more information please call the district office at 747-8622.

Lakeside Receipts

            Please continue to send your Lakeside receipts in your student’s blue folder – it is greatly appreciated!

Holiday Travel

If your family is planning on travel which will include missed school days, please let me know as soon as possible.  I can use this information when planning lessons and special activities.  Thank you!

Dates to Remember

Every Friday is book exchange in Library

Dec 5– 7 – Math audit

Dec 22 – Jan 4 – Winter Break

Mystery Bag:  11/22 – Rudy, 11/29 – Katluk, 12/1 – Dmitri, 12/6 – Jessica

Literacy Updates

            Words of the Week:  for this short week and next week we will study the following words – here, have, like, saw, of,  little, all and love.

Science Updates

In our weather studies we are looking at cloud types, observing the weather and recording weather data.

Art Lessons

            Your young artists have been exploring ways to add the illusion of texture to their drawings and paintings. We will be reviewing the art that we have created so far to submit for our Artwork for Education cards.  More information on this will be coming home soon.

Just 15 minutes a day…

            In just 15 minutes each day you can do one of the most powerful things possible to help your child develop a lifelong love of reading…and at the same time help them develop the skills needed to be proficient readers.  The best gift you can give your 1^st grader is to set aside 15 minutes each evening when you sit (or snuggle up) together and read…having them read their little books to you while you watch and listen, and having a read aloud when you read to them – their library books or family favorites.  Here is  a link I would encourage you to take a look at if you are interested in learning more about the importance of families in education.

http://www.educationnation.com/index.cfm?objectid=0222B0BE-097F-11E1-9CAC000C296BA163&aka=0

We Are Thankful

Here are some of the things the children have said they are thankful for:

• Family
• Pets
• The Earth
• Food
• Neighbors
• Plants
• Kindness

The full list they came up with was huge – ask  your child for the specifics of what they are thankful for…and why.  It was a truly interesting class discussion!

Mystery Bag:  11/8 – Dylan 11/15 – Jason, 11/17 – Vicky, 11/22 – Rudy

Our mock sleepover - we had to practice snoring!

Literacy Updates

            Words of the Week:  for this short week we will continue with last week’s list – we, with, went, ran, run, out, not and here.  Next week our words will be:  so, sit, she, shy, shout, up, us and said.

Math/Science Updates

We will be working with solidifying coin values and moving into the value of mixed sets of coins, as well as beginning our weather unit.

Conferences

            Please look on the back of this newsletter to confirm your conference time. If we have not been able to schedule a onference, please call the classroom so that we may do so.

Dress for the Weather?

            As the weather is getting colder, please make sure that your child comes to school prepared for the weather.  Some families like to leave an extra pair of rain boots in their child’s cubby, or a spare raincoat, cap, set of gloves – this is an option if you would like.

Too Good for Drugs

            Last Wednesday we began a four week program called Too Good for Drugs.  The lessons will focus on helping students identify ways to be healthy and safe.  Please let me know if you would like more information about this.

Making Pumpkin Pie Pudding!

Friendship in Room 11

From the beginning of the year, we have been talking about friendship and what being a good friend means. We will continue with a more “official” focus to further develop the concepts of friendship. Following are some ideas which will help us begin to discuss
some of these more abstract ideas…

*Friends help each other.

*Friends respect each other.

*Friends listen carefully.

*Friends are dependable.

*Friends take turns.

*Friends can disagree without   hurting each  other’s feelings.

Dates to Remember

Every Friday is book exchange for Library

Nov. 9 and 10 – Conferences I Room 11

Nov. 10 and 11 – No school for students

Nov. 24 and 25 – Thanksgiving Break

Dec 22 – Jan 4 – Winter Break

Mystery Bag:  10/25 – Aaliyah, 10/27 – Dmitri, 11/1 – Emma, 11/3 – Jayden

At Choose time some of the kids made Oreo a 'cracker car'. She seems to find it quite comfortable!

Harvest Party and Talent Show

Room 11 is planning a harvest party and talent show for next Monday, October 31^st. If you are interested in sending in a healthy food for the party, please return the orange note that came home today.

The talent show is quite simple and straightforward…first grade talents vary from a demonstration on how to tie a shoe or showing how to draw a certain animal, or a karate move or a cartwheel to playing the violin. It can be very simple. Participation is totally optional (we will all be the audience) and if your child is not comfortable this time, we will have at least one more talent show (or more, if the children are interested!)

Literacy Updates

            Words of the Week:  this, that, then, them, did, dad, you, and come.  Next week our words will be:  we, with, went, ran, run, out, not and here.

Crawl under the 'smoke' to reach the nearest way out.

 Newsletter/Blog Change

            The Room 11 News will be coming home every other week.  I will be sending home notices in the folder and doing more emailing of reminders to fill in the gap.  Please do check the folder every night.  Our blog will be updated on the same schedule, although I will blog about special events as they happen .  In attempting to use the blog more to communicate what 1^st grade is like for your child, I will be trying out a new tool called Animoto.  It looks like a fairly straight- forward way to share slide shows.  Please check it out and let me know what you think – be patient as I am learning what it is capable of!  The link will be in the Activities section of our blog.

 Going Home Plans

            It is extremely important that parents use the backpack tag to show changes in their child’s after school plan – particularly if the child will be taking the bus.  The bus driver needs to be able to see the tag to confirm changes, and I may not be able to hange the tag during the day (and if there is a substitute it almost certainly won’t happen at all).  As well as recording the change on the tag, do include a note in your child’s blue folder – so I or a substitute will know to check the tag to confirm.  Just a reminder that we cannot take changes in after school plans from the student alone, and last minute changes should be called to the classroom no later than 2:00.  Thank you for your help with this important safety concern.

    Conference Schedule  
If you signed up for a conference at Open House, please check the schedule on the
back  of the newsletter to confirm your time.  If you have not signed up yet,
please indicate three choices.

Dates to Remember

Every Friday is book exchange for Library

October 31 – Harvest Party/Talent Show

Nov. 4 – No school for students

Nov. 9 and 10 – Conferences I Room 11

Nov. 10 and 11 – No school for students

Mystery Bag:        Tuesday – Kamryn      Thursday – Hedvika

Literacy Updates

            Tonight our first little books are coming home – if you have not signed the permission slip there is another one
in the blue folder.  Please snuggle down and have your child read the little book to you.  Remember that these are books that are
familiar to your young reader because we use them in our daily lessons, and

they will need to go back and forth every day. Words of the Week:  is, his, has, had, the, he, big and like.

 Personal Best/Mad Minute

You have likely been seeing the Mad Minutes coming home three times each week.  On Monday and Wednesday we do these as a self-paced timed math practice.  The students start with the simplest addition problems with only 10 on a page and with ‘counting on marks’.  As they gain skill they move on to more problems on a page and the counting on marks are left off.  FYI the kids and I have a code so they can track their progress:  a smiling face means that all the problems attempted were done correctly, and “WOW” means that the student completed more problems than the last time.  The standard   for the end of the year is 30 addition problems in 3 minutes, and 30 subtraction problems in 5 minutes.

Class Meetings

            We have had many ‘mini-meetings’ this week focusing on the idea of persistence in academic work;  not quitting or looking for  someone to help as soon as things get difficult – we try to help ourselves first, then ask a buddy or adult.  We have also been discussing the idea of how to do the things that need to get done even if we are not in the mood to do them.

Alaska Day

Please remember that 1^st grade is dismissed at 11:45 on Tuesday the 18^th.  There will be lunch at school on that day.  No Ventures is available after school on Alaska Day.

Conference Schedule   

 If you signed up for a conference at Open House, please check the schedule on the back of our newsletter to confirm your time.  If you have not signed up yet, please indicate three choices.

Dates to Remember

Every Friday is book exchange for Library

Oct. 18 – AK Day, 1^st dismissal 11:45

Nov. 4 – No school for students

Nov. 9 and 10 – Conferences I Room 11

Nov. 10 and 11 – No school for students