Weekly Update

Happy Sunday, Everyone!

We made it through our first full week of school.  I wonder if the kids are as tired as me?  While I try to make the first weeks fun and interesting, there are times when rules and procedures are downright boring.  I have to talk a lot, and the kids have to be quite attentive.  As such, the kids really learned the nuts and bolts of our classroom this week.  Next week we'll refine some procedures, and add a few details to the procedures learned this week.  We'll continue to get to know each other as we build our classroom community.  On that note, I am impressed and thankful with how beautifully the kids are getting along.  They're including each other during recess, introducing themselves to each other, and are a very social bunch.  :)

Here's some important information for you to know.  Please read through to the end.  It's a lot this first time around...

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Schedule Change:
Next week, I will make a slight change to our schedule by moving recess to an earlier time.  We currently have a long morning, and it can be difficult for the kids to stay actively engaged from 8:00-11:40.  They are building their stamina for school, and for the academic rigors of first grade.  So, to give them a bit of a break during this long morning, and to facilitate math in the afternoon, we will have our 30 minute recess at 10:20 / 10:30 each day.  (The start time may vary slightly from day to day, but the 30 minute break will not.)

Snack:
Please be sure to send a snack with your child each day.  Please limit your child's snack to one item that can be eaten easily and independently.  Please ensure your child knows which item in his/her lunchbox is for snack.  Please do not send dips, sauces, or other liquids for snack.  Please do not send snack cakes with cream or frosting.  These things spill and smear easily on our classroom carpet and on our learning materials.  If your child bring any of these items for snack, I will ask him/her to save that snack for the cafeteria.  Pretzels, goldfish, fruit, granola / snack bars, and raw veggies (no dip, please) make great snacks.  

Water Bottles:
First graders are a thirsty bunch.  Please feel free to send a water bottle to school with your child each day.  Please send a reusable bottle.  Please do NOT send water bottles with twist off tops for classroom use...the kids have a very difficult time getting the caps on straight and those bottles typically spill.

PTA Volunteer Welcome Coffee:
The Pinebrook PTA will hold a Volunteer Welcome Coffee on Monday, September 11th at 8:35 am in the Pinebrook Cafeteria.  Please come find out how you can volunteer with the PTA.  Younger children are welcome!  

Volunteers Needed:
I am in need of parent volunteers to help me stuff Thursday folders and prepare materials.  While our school does not have school-wide Thursday folders, I continue to use this communication tool.  On Thursdays, I will send a reusable envelope (but I call it a "folder") home that contains school and classroom news and notices, along with your student's graded work.  You should empty the folder completely and return it with your child each Friday.  It's super helpful to have a parent stuff the folders because I can't always get to it during the course of a Thursday.  I am also in need of parent volunteers to help me with copying and materials preparation.  If you can help with these things, please click here to sign up. 

Specials Schedule:
I sent a paper copy of the Specials Schedule home in your child's Back to School Night / Welcome Folder.  However, to recap, our Specials Schedule is as follows:

• Monday:  Art
• Tuesday:  Music and PE
• Wednesday: PE and Computer Lab
• Thursday:  SEARCH/Guidance and Library
• Friday:  PE and music

Please ensure your child wears sneakers to school on our PE days.

Lunch:
Our lunch time is from 11:40 - 12:10.  You are welcome to eat lunch with your child any day, and you may bring your child lunch purchased from a restaurant (think places like Subway, Panera, or Chick-fil-A). If you'd like to eat lunch with your child, please sign in at the school office and meet us at the cafeteria at 11:40.  Please plan to say goodbye to your child in the cafeteria at the end of our lunch period as our instructional day resumes right after lunch.

Important Dates:
Please check the "Important Dates" section of this blog for upcoming events.  I will highlight some events in my weekly update, but you can find a complete list in the "Important Dates" section.

Focus Areas for the Coming Week:

• Reading:  We will talk about how to use our classroom library, and procedures and expectations for Independent Reading.
• Writing:  We will complete our Fall Writing Sample.  We will begin Handwriting practice, learning about proper letter formation and starting letters at the top.
• Math:  We will continue to review and reinforce calendar, counting, place value, and sight word skills from last year.  
• Social Studies:  We will continue building our classroom community as we explore the qualities of a good citizen in our school, our community, and our world.

Okay.  I think that's everything on my list, but I apologize in advance if I've forgotten something. Please let me know if you  have any questions, comments, or concerns.  

Enjoy the extra day off tomorrow! We've all earned it!