Getting ready for winter to begin!

Hey all,

This was a great way to (almost!) end last week! We have lots of thanks to give to our AMAZING PTO for their amazing efforts to make our school the best place it can be for our kids. Through their hard work, we get to have amazing residency programs for our kids and many other great learning opportunities! Thanks so much from this appreciative staff member!

Kids are working steadily on their writing at Writer's Workshop. This week we did a handwriting check-in and I'll be look over them this weekend. Next week we'll do a refresher course as well as having handwriting sheets to practice. We also have started an opinion writing prompt piece for us to check in and see how the kids are doing with their organization, handwriting, and use of complex language.

We'll finish our read aloud this week, the epic tale of Moomintroll, the first moomin to live through a winter. We'll begin our new read-aloud after break. The kids are so much fun to read to! I am looking forward to our many discussions about the next book we read.

In science, we have started to learn about land forms. We used the Smartboard as an introduction to the unit and the kids enjoyed it a lot. 

Check it out here: 

http://www.learningliftoff.com/1st-grade-science-activity-spot-landforms/#.VsSbFPkrLIU

We'll be starting to build some of our land forms this week before putting together big models for the kids to display their knowledge. They'll be writing, reading and creating to build our content knowledge about this subject.

Here are the NGSS here that we will be covering:
http://www.nextgenscience.org/sites/ngss/files/2%20combined%20topics%206.11.13.pdf

This will be it before break, folks. It has been a great stretch since I have been back. I have you and your kids to thank. So, thank you. Have a wonderful time with your families, and I look forward to seeing your children's bright sunny faces when we get back from break.

Best,

~B

February, or March? The weather is confusing me!

Sorry for the long break, folks. Life has become infinitely more complicated... Thanks for understanding. It has been messy outside, so thank you ahead of time for sending your children in with the appropriate clothing for outdoor recess. We try to get them outside as often as possible.

Well, we have really settled down into our old routines and are working hard in class. The kids are all finding their strides and settling in. Today was one of the best literacy times we have had this year. The kids were focused and worked super hard.They are continuing to work on their sight words, writing and reading. Check in with your child to see what they are reading and writing about, as well as which sight words they are working on reading and spelling. Watching them continue to grow is one of the most rewarding parts of my job.

In Writer's Workshop we have been working on our opinion writing pieces. Yesterday we started to write about some bus topics, which continue to be a hot topic. More to come about the buses below... Next week, the kids are going to do a writing prompt to show what they know about this kind of writing. They will have three options to choose from and the use of the graphic organizer that we are using in class to help them in their work. It will not be timed to help alleviate stress and anxiety. We are only interested in seeing their best work! We will be looking at spelling conventions, organization, handwriting, and content when looking at their writing.

Next week in science, we will be starting our unit on the landscape around us and how it changes. We will be discussing and looking at different kinds of land forms and how the weather changes them. I always look forward to the melting snow in this unit when the river runs behind the school toward the parking lot and makes its own path!

We have been talking a lot about the bus in our class, as this continues to be a time in the day that is often challenging, scary, and unpredictable. We have been doing writing around this problem, talking about this problem, and encouraging people to solve these problems on their won by using Rumney CARES. That said, if your child comes home with bus issues, please get in touch with Mr. Rosen or I. We are committed to making our buses good places for our kids and it will happen faster with your help. The school has started making steps by assigning seats, but it is only a start.

I hope you got to look at your child's report card. Please be in touch if you want to meet and discuss it or if you have any questions. I am always happy to meet and talk about anything.

I think that's about it for now. Please be in touch if anything comes up.

Warmly,

~B

First Week Back!

Hello everyone! I hope you had a wonderful holiday and have had a great start to the new year. Things in the room are off to a fine start.

We have anew friend in our class, and I welcome you to welcome her when you some in and see a new face. The kids are such a welcoming and open bunch and are a great job opening up their hearts and room. It always is so telling when you see kids respond to changes in this sort of way.

In literacy, we had a good week of reviewing expectations for our times. We have made new table groups and we will be reviewing how best to use our time next week in a structured and sequential way. Kids who demonstrate that they can use their time well will be given more independence sooner. Some kids will need more practice, other kids a lot less. The goal is to give kids what they need, which is one of our Rumney sayings ("At Rumney you get what you need"). I've found that some kids need some more practice on how best to use their independent work time, and this will give them that opportunity.

We have started to read Moomintroll Midwinter for our read-aloud. It is full of great descriptive language and playful characters. The kids are enjoying the story, given that it takes place in the winter, too!

We will also begin writing our first persuasive writing pieces this week. The kids are all going to be working from a template to help organize their thoughts. We'll be writing one together as well as discussing the purpose of this kind of writing.

I will be conducting reading assessments on Monday as well as the following week. I am looking forward to seeing the summative data on how the kids are progressing in their reading and what that means for their instruction as we move toward the end of the year.

We started Winter Wellness Fridays last week and it was a big hit! The kids all did a great job in our skating group. If you have plans for your child that involves being picked up from our activities, please give Sorsha a big heads-up. It helps cut down on confusion and kids being worried. Thanks for the help on this!

Again, it's really good to be back and it has been great seeing all of your children's smiling faces. As always, be in touch if you need anything.

Best,

~B

Notes from Mrs. Brower

It has been a delight to stand in for Ben while he is on paternity leave. We have launched a study of holiday traditions in various cultures, and have read several books on that topic. Thanks to all you families for helping your child complete the holiday traditions interview form. Now that they are all returned to school, we can begin to use them as the basis for writing a report.

We have been talking about writing to inform, and are learning to use a tool called the Painted Essay. It is a way of learning the parts of a report (Introduction, Point One, Point Two, Conclusion) and to help us understand and remember those parts by associating each with a color. First we read about each part and colored the template with colored pencils. Today, we will actually paint another graphic organizer with watercolors. Next week, we will finalize our report topics and we’ll use planning sheets with those four colored blocks to write notes in each part.

The first graders have been practicing making ten with the rods, adding numbers plus one and numbers plus ten, and using number lines for addition. We gave a short quiz on the plus one and plus ten facts yesterday. I plan to send a practice page home with some of the first graders who need to practice adding ten to a number. The second grade math notes can be found by going to Theresa Fox’s blog: http://mstheresa-rumney.blogspot.com/p/math.html

Thanks, and see you all soon!

Hello fantastic families,

It with with big mixed feelings that I write you a fond see you soon letter. I am both excited for my time with my new daughter and sad and worried. I know the kids are in good hands with Scottie Brower for the month of December, and I'll be seeing them soon enough. I will be visiting on Thursdays for lunch with the kids to check in and keep things rolling smoothly. Scottie will either send home her own newsletter or send it to me to post. I again want to thank you all for your support

In literacy, the kids have been plugging along working on their individual work and skills while I have been working with small reading groups and other literacy based skills like reading strategies and handwriting. I have been really pleased with their hard work and progress thus far.

I hope you all got the letter home about family traditions, which will be the basis for our information writing this month in Writer's Workshop. We look forward to celebrating all of your amazing family traditions as a class. Please work with your child to fill them out and bring them back to school.

The kids did a great presentation for our last all-school meeting, which I have posted here. Please take a look at it. The video shows them practicing at Primary Sing. I encourage you to have your child lead a song during your Thanksgiving celebration. Enjoy it!

In science we are wrapping up our unit on matter and water. The kids have done a great job with learning all about the scientific process. If Scottie chooses to, she may have the kids make their own experiments about water as well.

Again, you all have my thanks for your continued support. Please be in touch with anything, anytime.

Warmly,

~B

Science, Leave Update, and Conferences, oh my!

Hey everyone,

I hope this letter finds you enjoying some amazing late fall weather! Things are really clicking along in our room and I hope your children are telling you all about the goings-on. I have really enjoyed getting to talk to all of you during conference times. If you haven't signed up yet and still want to, please sign up BUT PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU LET ME KNOW. I have not made a habit of continuing to check my times, so if you sign up, let me know so I can be sure to be here at the time you choose.

In science, we have continued our work on states of matter, which has gone from looking at evaporation (the gas state of water) to the water cycle, a natural progression. We set up an experiment about evaporation, which you can see below. The kids made hypotheses on which vessel (an interesting word, they thought!) they thought would evaporate the most water and then we made measurements to see which vessel did what. We also talked about the idea of variables and what they are. What a great juicy science word! The next question to ask after you get results is to ask "why?" and to think about how to test that next question. Was it the size of the opening? Was it the material of the vessel the difference maker? The kids are going to set up their own investigation next.

In literacy, the kids have continued their great work in class and working on making their schedules for their work times. I encourage you to have rich conversations about the work they are doing and how they are feeling about it. The kids will be getting work sent home next Monday, since I kept the work at their chairs for the purpose of conferences.

We are going to be doing lots of reading about grit, determination, and never giving up. These learning dispositions are ones that are some of the biggest indicators of academic success and happiness. Ask your child about the work we are doing around these words. We recently read "The Little Engine That Could" and discussed how the internal thought of "I think I can" is a powerful one. When you start out with the thought I can't (like the rusty old train), it's hard to do anything!

I will either be starting my leave next Friday or after the following Tuesday until the end of the holiday break. The kids will be in the more than capable hands of Scottie Brower again, a Rumney teaching icon. As you may remember, Scottie handled the first part of my leave in the fall. Please be sure to have conversations with your child about this in preparation for the upcoming transition.

Thanks a lot for your support and your caring so much about your children's learning.

Be in touch,

~B

Parent Conferences, Literacy Planning, and Work Coming Home

Conferences, Literacy Planning, and More!

Hey folks,

First, I want to wish you all a happy autumn! It is truly a magical time in our state and I hope you all have gotten a chance to get out and enjoy it- hiking, chopping and stacking wood, staring at the trees...

Online conference signups are online and ready to go. Follow this link to sign up. Please let me know if you need a different time and date. Please note: 7:45 times are 7:45am.

Fall Parent Conferences

I hope you have gotten a chance to look over some of the writing work that has been going home weekly. Your children are working hard on improving their skills! You will also be seeing their sheet that helps remind them what they are working on coming home next Monday.

You will also see a Literacy Plan sheet come home as well. Take a look at the choices your child made this week and discuss what they are all about and how they feel about their progress. The purpose of making the plan is to build a level of independence and to foster their growing executive functioning. Some kids need more guidance when making their plans, other kids less. Some kids want to make their plan for the whole week!

Things are really clicking along in our room. If you'd ever like to stop in, let me know. It would be great to have you witness our great work.

I look forward to seeing you all at conferences and touching base about your children. It is such a magical time for them, and for me, too.

See you soon,

~B