Winter Break!

Hi Parents,

I'm writing today to wish you a happy, healthy, joyful Winter Break, and to pass along wishes for the happiest of holidays.  I will send along a weekly update at the beginning of January with classroom information for the first week of the new year.  

I'd also like to offer my sincerest thanks for the treats and gift cards so many of you sent.  I am humbled by your kindness and generosity.  :)

Enjoy the time off!  May you rest, recharge, and relax.  May you connect with your family and loved ones.  May your pants with buttons fit in January.  :)

Many Blessings,

Weekly Update

Hi Everyone!  Happy Friday!

What a fun week!  We have been reading gingerbread stories all week.  I call out, "Gingerbread break!" The kids drop everything, scramble to their spot on the story carpet, and we read one of the 16 (!) versions of The Gingerbread Man story we've discovered.    We watched a couple of videos about how gingerbread houses are made too.

The Willard band visited this week and we enjoyed a holiday concert. It was such a nice afternoon. 

Meantime, it's about to be my favorite week of the entire school year!  The anticipation for Christmas and Winter Break is in the air, people are in a festive mood, and everyone is even kinder than normal.  We have some fun events planned next week to mark the Holiday. We will also be working on our Top Secret Gift for our moms and dads as well as finishing up some of our academic units.  Please hang in there and read this entire message.  :)

Gingerbread House Supplies:
As a culminating activity to our unit on gingerbread stories, we will make gingerbread houses on Wednesday. I sent a note home in last week's Homework folder requesting supplies for this project.  I am asking each student to bring 2 items from our supply list, and I highlighted the items I am requesting from your child on the letter I sent last week.  If you have not already sent them, please send the supplies no later than Monday. 

Coins for Our Money Unit:
I sent a note home in last week's Thursday folder requesting coins for our upcoming Money unit.  We will be starting this unit when we return from Winter Break. I would like the kids to have real coins available to count, and am requesting that you send the coins to school no later than Thursday, December 20th. 

Polar Express Movie Party:
Next week, we will read and explore the holiday classic The Polar Express.  As a special treat, Thursday will be a pajama and movie day!  Students are welcome to wear pajamas to school.  I will offer hot chocolate to drink too.  I will make the hot chocolate with water only, without marshmallows, and I will offer a candy cane on the side.  I will send home a gold Polar Express "movie ticket" in Monday's Homework folder.  This is your child's permission form so he/she may watch the movie and enjoy the hot chocolate.  Please kindly sign and return the ticket as soon as possible and no later than Wednesday.    

Winter Break Reading Log:

I will be sending home a Winter Break Reading Challenge in your child's Thursday folder next week. If you have any questions about this reading incentive, please email me.  It is not required but I highly encourage your child to discover some fun, new ways to read over the break!

Holiday Travel:

If you are traveling over the Holidays, and your child will be absent from school, please kindly notify the school in advance.  You can send a message or note to me, which I will forward to the office.  You may also submit your notification to the office directly by using the "online absence excuse", which is found on the Pinebrook home page.  The link to the Pinebrook home page is HERE.

Focus Areas for the Coming Week:

• Reading:  We will read the Holiday Classic The Polar Express, and review many of the good reader strategies we have learned this year, such as predicting, retelling, making connections, and story mapping.  
• Math:  We will finish our measurement unit.  
• Writing:  We will continue our All About Books.   
• Science / Social Studies:  We will finish our Holidays Around the World and Economics units at our World Market on Tuesday afternoon.  

I CAN'T WAIT!!!!!  The World Market is Tuesday, we decorate gingerbread houses on Wednesday, and Thursday morning we watch The Polar Express. Thursday ends with our school-wide Holiday Sing-a-long.  The entire staff and all the students pile into the gym. We sing Holiday songs from the many faith and cultural traditions represented at Pinebrook while the teachers and staff all take turns leading the songs.  Seriously....I CAN'T EVEN CONTAIN MYSELF.  I am 37 years old, but at this time of year, I am a 6 year old.  It's one reason why YOUR children are "MY PEOPLE"!  (It's also the reason I am typing in so many CAPITAL letters.  #calmitdownkristen)

Have a great weekend!  I am looking forward to time with friends, wrapping gifts, and some Christmas cooking.  Tomorrow is Dante's 5th birthday. It will be such a bitter sweet day in the Rivera house for sure. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and enjoy some snuggle time together with all this rain! 💛  

Weekly Update

Hi Parents,

Holiday Shop:

We previewed the items for sale at the Pinebrook Holiday Shop today. Students may purchase items next Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday.  If your child is purchasing Holiday Shop items, please kindly use the envelope I sent home to send his/her list and money next Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday. Students who bring money may shop during our recess time.  Please remember there is no obligation to buy.  If you'd like to shop with your child, the Holiday Shop will be open Monday night from 5:30-8:00 pm.  The 5th Grade will be hosting its annual Pancake Breakfast-for-Dinner fundraiser, so come for dinner (breakfast?) too.  :)

Gingerbread House Supplies:

As a culminating activity to our unit on gingerbread stories, we will make gingerbread houses. There will be a note requesting supplies for this project in the Homework Folder on Monday.  I am asking each student to bring 2 items from our supply list, and I highlighted the items I am requesting from your child on the letter.  Please send the supplies no later than Monday, December 17th.  If you are available to help with our project on December 19th at 1:30, please return the slip at the bottom of the form. Please let me know if you have any questions.

Gingerbread Homework Project:
I sent home an optional homework project in yesterday's Thursday folder.  It's a little activity whereby you and your child may decorate a gingerbread person together.  I will display any decorated and returned gingerbread people in the hall outside our classroom.

Coins for Our Money Unit:
Please check yesterday's Homework folder for a letter requesting coins for our upcoming Money unit.  We will be starting this unit when we return from Winter Break. I would like the kids to have real coins available to count, and am requesting that you send the coins to school no later than Thursday, December 20th. 

Early Emergency Dismissal Forms:

Our office is asking all families to complete and/or update your child's early emergency dismissal form.  This is the form that tells us how your child goes home in the event of an early dismissal due to inclement weather or some other emergency. If you have not completed this form in the last 2 weeks, please complete it by clicking HERE.

Interim Progress Reports:
Interim progress reports (commonly called "interims") will go home Wednesday, December 12th.  A friendly reminder that I do not send an interim home for every child.  If I send one for your student, you will receive it via email at the email address on file in your ParentVue account.

Focus Areas for the Coming Week:

• Reading:  We will read various gingerbread stories and compare and contrast the elements of each.
• Writing:  We will begin our nonfiction book writing unit.  We will write "All About" books, which are books "all about" a topic on which we are experts.  
• Math:  We will continue our measurement unit.  We will talk about length, weight, volume, and temperature.  We will measure with standard and nonstandard units. We will learn about tools used for measurement.
• Social Studies:  We will finish our Holidays Around the World rotations and begin to prepare for our World Market on December 18th.

There's a lot happening as we head into Winter Break!  Please let me know if you have any questions, comments, or feedback about anything written here.

Weekly Update

Hi Everyone,

Happy Sunday!  I hope you had an easy transition back to work and school after our Thanksgiving break.     

In other news, the 1st grade teachers hosted our Den Rally today.  During a Den Rally, the entire school gathers in the gym for character building and to celebrate our Pinebrook community.  Today, us 1st grade teachers did a short presentation on how adults and students can greet each other with the 3 R's.  It was a lot of fun to role play different scenarios and hear the kids react.  Please ask your child about it!  :) 

Volunteers Needed:
In social studies, we are learning about economics and holiday traditions around the world.  In the next week, the 1st graders will spend time "visiting" other countries to learn about holiday traditions from many cultures.  As a culminating activity to this unit, our 1st grade classes will host a "World Market" on December 18th.  At the market, each class will "sell" an item representing a particular country or culture.  Students will shop for items from other classes using a punch card system.  They will have to budget and save their punches, and prioritize their purchases since they will not have enough punches to buy everything.  At the market, we would like to showcase culture artifacts from around the world.  Would you like to set up a table at the market to showcase your family's cultural heritage, and speak to students who may visit your table?  If so, please return the "Wanted: First Grade Parents" slip that I sent home in yesterday's Thursday folder.  Please return the slip by Tuesday, December 4th.  

Scholastic Book Fair:

The Scholastic Book Fair will be held at school all next week. Students previewed the Book Fair today.  Students who bring money may shop at the Book Fair during recess next week (December 3rd - 7th).  If your child plans to bring money for the Book Fair, please send the money in a sealed envelope marked with your child's name, my name, and "Book Fair" on the outside of the envelope.  If you would like to attend the Book Fair to shop with your child, our Family Shopping Night will be Tuesday, December 4th from 3:00 pm - 6:00 pm. Due to the Book Fair, students will not check books out of the library next week.  Please keep your child's current library books home until Wednesday, December 12th.

Early Emergency Dismissal Forms:
Our office is asking all families to complete and/or update your child's early emergency dismissal form.  This is the form that tells us how your child goes home in the event of an early dismissal due to inclement weather or some other emergency. If you have not completed this form in the last 2 weeks, please complete it by clicking HERE.

Focus Areas for the Coming Week:

• Reading:  We will continue our nonfiction unit, in which we learn ways to become super smart about nonfiction topics.
• Writing:  We will finish our How-to unit, in which we practice procedural writing and teaching our reader something.
• Math:  We will continue our measurement unit.  We will talk about length, weight, volume, and temperature.  We will measure with standard and nonstandard units. We will learn about tools used for measurement.
• Social Studies:  We will explore holiday traditions from around the world as the students "visit" countries around the globe.

As always, I welcome your questions, comments, and feedback.

I hope you had a super weekend!