The Great Picture Rescue

I've rescued a handful of photos from my camera.
Here are some from our trip to Old Fort Western in November!

Our group is learning about pinching the sugar. (I think)

ND and LS wash and rinse the dishes.

BK is toasting bread on the open fire.

Sharing Books

After snack each day, the children LOVE to share books from our "Books We Have Read" shelf.  They are so engaged!  And they love reliving the stories.

Salmon Science

We had the pleasure of having our first Mystery Reader.  Mr. Keleher read a facts & information book about Salmon and brought in an Atlantic Salmon (male) for us to see and"explore."  At first, we looked... Then we were told we could TOUCH it!  It was a joy for me to see how different students approached this sensory task.  So, if your kids came home smelly fishy on Friday, that's why.  Thank you Mr. Keleher.

Mrs. Toggle Books

We have been enjoying a few Mrs. Toggle books.  It's almost like she's at Williams-Cone School, because she miraculously turns into Mrs. Greenleaf and our whole class became characters in this book.  Ask your child which one they liked the best...
Mrs. Toggle's Zipper
Mrs. Toggle's Beautiful Blue Shoe
or
Mrs. Toggle and the Dinosaur.

A Couple/Few Things

1.  Thank you so much for taking the time to meet with me during conferences.  Your children are really working hard.  I am really enjoying this class, their drive and willingness to learn.

2.  On Tuesday, we went on a Virtual Field Trip to Plimouth Plantation!  Click the link if you'd like to see what we saw.

3.  Mt. Ararat Class of 2013 is having an online auction.  Please view if you are interested...

4.  Reminder...Pasta Dinner is Friday (11/19) night.  5:00-7:00  Baskets Raffle Winners will be chosen!  See you there.

Book Order

Due, Monday, November 15.
Please make all checks payable to "Scholastic."
Let me know if any of these orders are gifts.
I can email you when they come in, and arrange for special pick-up.

***Old Fort Western was great.  Ask your child what station was their favorite.***

Old Fort Western

 OLD FORT WESTERN

This is where we are headed on Tuesday.
Weather looks crumby.  Please dress warm and waterproof.

Choice

In our reading workshop time, we have 2, 3 or 4  sessions where students choose from Read to Self, Work on Writing, Read to Someone, Word Work, Listen to Reading, and Station Work.  The first two sessions must be either Read to Self or Work on Writing. 
So, since the beginning of school, they were all doing reading first (together).  When I first gave them a choice between Reading or Writing first, I found it interesting they all chose to write first.  Hmm...

Ask your child about the Tallies they've been keeping during read to self time.

Reading Workshop

This week we've reviewed
1.  How to choose a JUST RIGHT book. 
     This is a book that's read with at least 97% accuracy. 
     It's a book that I am interested in, can talk about and read smoothly (like I talk).

2.  How we CHECK for UNDERSTANDING when we read
     We can give ourselves a "pop quiz"
     We ask, "Who was in this part?  Where were they?  What's going on in this part?"
     We can also ask, "What do I think about this part?"

     We can also retell the story across our fingers
     (and go back and look at the pictures if we are unsure of the next part)

3.  What we do when we get to the TRICKY parts
     We look at the pictures
     We look at the beginning sound
     We ask ourselves, "What makes sense?"
     We ask, "Does it look right?  Does it sound right?"

CRAFT FAIR 2010 @ WCS

Saturday, October 30th, 9am-3pm...

Please come out to support the kids at Williams Cone School this Saturday. We are having a huge craft fair with many talented artisans selling their wares. 

We are having a "kid-made" art sale as well as a 50/50 raffle, bake sale and soup/bread sale (come for lunch).  Proceeds benefit arts enrichment at the school.

Book Fair, Basket, Brownies

Greetings.

1.  The Book Fair will be in town until Friday.  You may send money to school with your child or visit Thursday evening.  If you send money, t is helpful to specify the book you'd like them to buy, or if you don't want them to buy pencils/posters/erasers, please note "books only." (pretty sure that's a run-on sentence)

2.  Thank you for the basket donations received to day.  Our theme is Building.  Legos, Bendaroos, K'Nex, amd more fit into this category.  Donations are still being accepted, and will be for another 2 weeks, I believe.

3.  The class is working toward a brownie reward.  Yum.  They are close.  I'll let you know when the big day is.  Ask them how they earn "glass globs."

We Laughed!!!

So, today, we had a funny thing happen...a fly was distracting me while I was reading A Chair For My Mother.  He landed on the pages...so...I slapped the book shut!  When I opened the book, there he was, dead as dirt.  We saved him and mounted him on our wall (like a hunter) under tape.  Then of course, we had to have discussion of what it meant to be a fly on the wall.  We'll be writing a shared story to recount these events.  I'll post it when we're done.  Happy Day.

SkippyJon Jones

Did you hear?  We had CAKE!  Yum.
Mrs. Solebello, a retired WCS teacher, volunteered to read to the class...and bring a theme cake.

A fire drill interrupted our special reader.
Never a dull moment.

Mrs. Solebello shows the class where SkippyJon Jones goes when he goes into his closet.  Building background really helps increase comprehension.

The captivated audience.

Scarecrow Sunday!

The Botanical Gardens in Boothbay is hosting Scarecrow Sunday.
There are so many neat things for families to do in Maine.
http://www.mainegardens.org/calendar/scarecrow-sunday
Maybe we'll see you there...

Fire Station Open House

Topsham Fire Station
Monday, October 4.
4-7pm
 You have to go if you've never been. 
My kids always love this.
Topsham Parks & Rec Fall Brochure

Also might try to hit Pumpkinland this weekend...
Good Fall Maine Fun!
PUMPKINLAND
The class also found it funny that, my Nolan, wanted to go to a place called Candyland.
Think about it...Storyland, Pumpkinland, Candyland.  Funny.

New Partnerships

Universal Screening is complete.
We've made more like partnerships based on this data.

You might have heard we started having a "pop quiz" while reading with a partner.
We want kids to be stopping independently, asking themselves the questions...
1.  Who are the characters in this part?
2.  Where is this happening?
3.  What's going on here?

Math curriculum is picking up quickly in Unit 2.
Counting forward and backward.  (up and back by 1's, up by 5's)
Telling time to the hour.
Coins (nickels and pennies)
Reading tally charts
We've begun Math Boxes in our journals.  They are a great daily skill practice.

Our author study has taken us to Robert Munsch.
We laughed out loud at Smelly Socks today.
Really, so smelly, the skunks fall over and geese fall out of the sky.

Check Heads Tonight

 
It has been brought to my attention that lice are among us.
Please check your child's head tonight for live bugs or nits.
If you find any and need a treatment...check THIS out.
http://www.thelicequeen.com/
It is an alternative treatment to the pesticides you buy at the store (and cheaper).

Other hints...put girl's hair up ever day and  have your child keep their sweatshirts in their backpacks.
Thank you!  Let me know if I can help.

Open House/Ice Cream Social

What a wonderful turn out!
Thanks for exploring our classroom with your student.
Over the summer, a parent (and colleague) and I gave our classroom a fresh new coat of "gleeful" (that's the color) paint...how appropriate, really.  I got rid of that clunky teacher desk, rearranged furniture, and even painted the bulletin board (so not to cover it with paper).

Kevin Henkes

We have started to read lots of books by Kevin Henkes!

Chrysanthemum (Ask, what made the kids stop making fun of her name?)
Jessica (Ask, Who was Jessica?)
A Weekend with Wendell (Ask, What are some words to describe his character?)

Here's Kevin Henkes SITE!

A Good Start

Reading Workshop has begun and children have their own book boxes!  Lessons covered include
1.  Why and What People Read
2.  Expectations for "Read to Self" Time
3.  Readers CARE About Books
4.  3 Ways to Read a Book
5.  Readers Gain A lot of Information from the Illustrations.  Look Closely!  Ask your child about our wordless books!

We are off to a good start.  We are learning about one another, learning routines, learning how to use (and care for)materials and learning it's hard to not talk when you want to.  We've talked about the size of our voices and we stop often to check on them.  We will have 19, soon to be 20 mouths and ideas to accommodate.  Any reinforcements at home would be appreciated.  :)

More to come...on Math Goals and Word Work ...stay tuned.

Mark Your Calendar!

September 16th is OPEN HOUSE/ICE CREAM SOCIAL.

6-6:30 in the classroom.
6:30-7 on the playground.

Hope to see you then!

Welcome Aboard!

Ok, so, wow!
I felt like today flew by.  We had an assembly where we watched a song remake "Gotta Keep Reading" and met new staff.  Then it was back to class where we read First Day Jitters (ask your child the twist at the end).  Snack, Lunch, Recess, more teacher talking, Math Stations (see photos) and of course, PE and Music.  We are off to a great start!  Please feel free to post comments here on the blog.  I will check them and share them with class.  The blog is a good link to share with grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc! 

Welcome Class of 2022!

Greetings to our new first grade class.

Hope the summer is finding you well.
If you have any questions for me before school starts...
please don't hesitate to email me at greenleafd@link75.org

See you Tuesday, August 31st.

Sincerely,
Dana Greenleaf

Up and Coming...

Monday, May 31     No School
Tuesday, June 1       No School
Wednesday, June 2  Walk to School Day (Start at the Fairgrounds)
Tuesday, June 8       Field Day
Friday, June 11        Walking to DQ
Tuesday, June 15      Puppet Show Performance for Parents (2:00)
Thursday, June 17    1/2 Day of School...Last Day

Green Poem

Green

by EJB

the feeling of green is sickness
and grass in the warm summer
a clover
a marker
eye shadow
tennis ball
and jade
a shirt
pants
a book
leaves in trees
and last but not least
sea weed at Popham Beach.

Busy Busy Busy

1.  We have planted our "grassheads."  Thank you Miss Heather for helping expedite this process.  We'll observe them as they grow, then give them a mowing and decorate.  I love this project.

2.  We really have some wonderful poets in this class.  We have talked about three ingredients to poems. I will post more when I get a chance.  
a)  looking at things in a fresh new way
b)  music--rhythm
c)  strong feelings

3.  We have begun to THINK about writing our own puppet shows.
To prepare for this experience we have read reader's theatre plays and puppet shows from previous years.
I will let you know when we will be inviting parents to come and be our audience.
A couple weeks out still.

4.  With this hot weather upon us...kids have been asking for popsicles.  I have told them, that if they bring them, we can have them.  :)  I'd also encourage labeled water bottles to keep hydrated this time of year.

Poetry!!!

Bees!
by OT

buzz buzz!
here comes a bee!
watch out I think it's going to sting me!
stay still
leave it alone!
...or it will!
but he didn't
I wish he would!
WAAAH!  WAAH!
hope he doesn't do that again.

Universal Screening

1.  MATH--You may have noticed...there is no more math homework.
This is because we have completed the 10 units of study for Everyday Math.
Hurray for us!  We will be spending the last few weeks suring up skills, extending our learning and playing games we have learned.

2.  UNIVERSAL SCREENING--We are in the midst of completing a battery of assessments on all students.  The class has been most helpful, being independent, when the need arises for me to work one on one with students. 

3.  BALANCE/MOTION--We have begun to experiment with some balance and motion activities.  Ask your child about the crayfish, arch, and triangle. 

2/3 Classroom

Your children will soon be placed into classrooms for next year.
Just a reminder to respond to Mr. C's letter (if you need/want) regarding 2/3 multi-age classroom.

"If for some reason you DO NOT want your child considered for this multi-age classroom, please let me know by this Friday, May 14." -Mr. Ciembroniewicz (ciembroniewiczs@link75.org)


A 2/3 information night will be held on Tuesday, May 18 at 6:30.

LM and KW "The End"

Pizza Party

This Thursday we are having a Pizza Party!
No need to pack a lunch or buy a ticket!
Please send in $1 to help defray the cost of the pies (I do realize this is a NJ term).
I have juice boxes and plates.
If you are willing to send in baby carrots or grapes, please let me know.

Thank YOU!

Labels...out in the WORLD

When I was out and about this vacation, I found a great example of LABELS. Just HAD to take a picture. Some of us have included labels in our very own Information Books.

Photo taken at the Adventure Aquarium, Camden, NJ.

You Read to Me, I'll Read to You

Stopping to Listen

Mr. C stops to listen to IG and HA read from You Read to Me, I'll Read to You series. What great text that allow two readers to read (cooperatively) back and forth, and at the same time. My daughter and I still enjoy these at bedtime. Let's see if I can figure out HOW to record (and post) their reading. Hmmm...

Woodside One Wheelers

The Woodside One Wheelers were in Washington DC, this weekend for the Cherry Blossom Parade. What an honor for this group of students and our district.

Here's a link the the WOW website. Check them out!

Informational Writing

1. As you probably know, we have done a little research... We have begun a fact book of our own. We are focusing on different text features, such as, labels, table of contents, captions, maps, and bullets. Ask your child what pages they have done in their book.

2. Thursday, April 15 at 1:30 we will be hosting Jason Gibbons (AKA The White Shadow) in the gym. If you have been to a Red Claws game, you have seen him shooting half court shots (backward) and keeping the crowd energized. He was/is a part of the Harlem Superstar team. Amazing ball handling skills and supposed to be motivational to students. Anyway, you are more than welcome to join us. I'm excited!

3. Today was picture day! We ARE a good looking group. :)

Catchin' Up

1. Happy Birthday EJB!

2. Please Please Please attend the public hearing at WCS...6:30 on April 6. Tuesday?
You need to hear what budget factors will be affecting your child's education!

3. We just finished the Catwings series of books. Ask your child about these magnificent characters. What happened to poor James? Why do you think Jane felt like she had to leave Overhill Farm? Tell me about how Harriet and James found Jane.

4. Thank you EVERYONE for being an important partner in your child's learning. Your participation in conferences, and assistance with nightly homework really help reinforce what we are doing in the classroom.

5. Finally...back down to our last box of tissues. If you have an extra box at home, please send them in. Wow, lots of boogies out there. :) Only a first grade teacher could post THAT! hehe

Conferences

If you haven't signed up yet...PLEASE do.
I still have times available on Monday (22) and Wednesday (24) evenings.
If neither of these times work, please just let me know and we'll find a time that does.

Your child is preparing to share some of his/her work with you, so please bring them along.

Happy Birthday KW!

Today Dr. Obery and his crew visited the first grade for a tutorial on how best to take care of our teeth. We covered brushing, flossing, flouride, sealants, food choices and more. They received a lovely toothbrush gift after being inspected. :)

We have also started to look carefully at nonfiction texts and the features we find in them. So far, we have identified photographs, table of contents, labels and captions. Upon further exploration with books today, we discovered index, glossary and maps! Wow. We have been talking about, if you were the author, why would you include one of these features...

If you are out and about, or have an extra box at home, we could use tissues! 'Tis the season!

We are Famous!

Did you see WCS in The Times Record today?
Our class is on the front page!
Here's a link to the article.

Woo Hoo!
What a lovely story we heard from Averil Fessenden.
She read a Haitian Tale called The Banza.
She paired it with a nonfiction text about earthquakes.
Lovely.

New Stuff

I hope this update finds you with power, and houses intact.
March already...

Just a few bits of news...
1. READING HOMEWORK-
You'll find a new weekly book log to track your home reading. The booklet wasn't working, the post-its are over running the place, so...here I go with another brilliant idea. Thank you for bearing with me.

2. COIN QUEST-
There is a yellow sheet explaining this in backpacks today. Basically, find your loose change, and bring it to school!!! The class with the most poundage will win a pizza party! So, ask your aunts, uncles, grandparents and dogs to dig up some pennies!

3. MATH-
As you have noticed, our focus has moved to geometry. We will be building a shape museum! Please send in shapes in household objects. We will be sorting and naming these two and three dimensional shapes. Thank you!

4. READING & WRITING-
We have been examining nonfiction texts for features that authors use to help us learn. We have identified photographs, table of contents, labels and captions thus far. So, if you notice these in books you read, share them with your child.

5. REWARD-
The next reward will be a Pizza Party! When we achieve our goal, I will be asking for each child to contribute $1 to the cost of Pizza. Let me know if you are available to pick it up.

6. CONFERENCES-
I am revising the dates and you should have a sign up sheet in Tuesday's backpack.

Happy Birthday JH!

Today we celebrated JH's birthday! Yummy Jello Jigglers!

It was also a day about the performing arts...we watched the Variety Show. We were quite impressed with the creativity and braveness of the performers!

We also read The Real Tooth Fairy by Marilyn Kaye. The basic premise is that if a kid wakes up when the tooth fairy is in his/her room, she turns into someone he/she loves (as to not scare them). Phew!

Stuffed Animal Day

Really!

Tomorrow IS stuffed animal day.
Please pack ONE stuffed animal that will fit in your backpack.

Half-Way Day...or there about

Greetings.

1. Next Friday will be a Valentine Party/Friendship Party. Each child should bring valentines for all classmates. Look in home folders for a list of names. You are encouraged to bring a healthy snack to share with the group (popcorn, carrots/dip, grapes, crackers/cheese). Please post what you plan to bring in the comment section below.

2. We have been...
-choosing a story to fix-up/add to and publish.
-trying to wrap our heads around the quarter.
-reading books to analyze the author's techniques to incorporate into our own writing.
-filling in more letters toward our stuffed animal reward. We should see animals sometime next week. I'll keep you posted.

3. Did you know we have reached half-way day? We are just over half-way done with first grade. I am quite impressed with student work these days.

BEARS!!!

We've been watching Black Bear Lily...in her den.
Check her out at www.bear.org
She's reportedly had her cub(s?)this morning. Exciting!

In class, we have been...
*searching for contractions around the room.
*reading The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats. We noticed many of his techniques, that we are starting to try in our own writing. (sounds, double words, a string of describing words, etc)
*talking about how much time we spend transitioning, and becoming aware of being more efficient.
*busting into Unit 6 in Everyday Math. Fact families proved to be a difficult first lesson. (4+5=9, 5+4=9, 9-5=4 and 9-4=5) I'm trusting we'll keep seeing it in our math boxes.

Next Reward:
The class has decided on STUFFED ANIMAL DAY.
We have been filling in letters for appropriate and exceptional behavior.

Penny Nickel Dime Exchange

A new math game.

20 pennies, 10 nickels, 10 dimes (put it in the "bank")

Roll 2 dice, collect the amount.
Make trades with the bank when you can.
When the dimes are gone, the game is over.
He with the most dimes "wins."

Happy Trading!

Happy Birthday LM!

Happy Birthday LM!
Thank you for the delicious cupcakes!

We have (we've) been...
*working with contractions and super silent e this week.
*reading texts to learn how animals behave in the winter.
*dancing to Miley's Hoedown for motor breaks.
*taking the end of the unit AND mid-year math assessments.
*learning a poem called Nine Mice by Jack Prelutsky (and locating silent e words within).

Please let me know if (or if not) you'd like to receive the school's newsletter electronically.
greenleafd@link75.org

Have a restful weekend.
See you Wednesday.

It's SNOW fun!

Hope you had a restful vacation. The class came back in great spirits with many stories to tell.

We have been...
-talking and writing stories about our vacation.
-writing a thank you letter for a gift we received (please forward/mail to the addressee).
-learning a poem about Winter Clothes.
-changing words to Super Silent e words (from cap to cape, hop to hope, twin to twine...)
-enjoying the snow at recess.

Winter Clothes
We go to recess if it is 14 degrees or more.
Please send winter gear! Many kids don't have their hats or mittens this week.
Inside shoes are a must. Boots get hot, sweaty and smelly when worn all day! :)

Animals in Winter
We have started to talk about what animals do when it gets cold out. We have read Manatee Winter, and they migrate to warmer waters in winter. We were wondering what fish (in ponds...that freeze) do when winter comes. If you and your child think about another animal and wonder about their winter, find the answer to share with the class. Please print something out, or share a book to site your information.

H1N1
Our kids need the booster shots for the H1N1 and the seasonal flu shots. BUT they will not be administered here at school. Please see flyer/email for more info...I think Jan 12 is the date. 4-6 at MAMS?