September 17, 2021

 

Dear Families,

It has been a very busy week. We are continuing our procedures and community building. We have enjoyed going to the different specials classes and meeting many new faces and doing fun activities.

Please make sure all paperwork that came home this week is returned as soon as possible. I'm working on getting computers home with students next week. We are still waiting on a few. Directions for use will accompany the Chromebooks. 

Thank you for all of your emails and continual patience with me this week. It is a lot to keep these little ones safe and happy and if somehow I have left you with more questions, please reach out to me and let me know. I am trying! 

Books Read: A variety of Pete the Cat stories, Miss Bindergarten Gets Ready for Kindergarten, and Franklin's First Day of School, and The Very Hungry Caterpillar

We have also begun our science adventure with Go2Science that we will be talking about as time goes on...we are on the hunt artifacts off the coast of Maine. You might hear the word "hypothesis" floating around!  

In math we are getting to know numbers, introducing attributes of shapes, sorting, graphing birthdays, and our calendar routines. Our routines at calendar time include; counting to the calendar number of the day, weather observation, and the days  of the week.

 Many reading and writing assessments have taken place these first few days of school. We will begin a more structured approach to reading and writing beginning soon. 

We have begun to be scientists and use our observation skills to watch caterpillars grow-and grow-and grow! Most of them are still in the very hungry stage! 

We are learning about the Woolwich Way! The Woolwich Way is made up of 6 qualities that will help us to be the best we can be! (Courtesy- I can use good manners, Compassion-I can help others, Respect- I can treat others kindly, Honesty-I can tell the truth, Responsibility- I can take care of myself and my stuff, Quality- I can do my best even when things are hard)

A Fond Farewell~

 

It is so hard to believe school has come to an end! What an interesting and strange school year it has been. I hope I have served your child and your family well. In a time when building relationships was super tricky, I know in my heart that we all did the very best we could do and that was more than I have ever dreamed of! This group of children are incredibly special to me and I hope they will continue to stay in contact as they travel through the years~

During summer, please continue to look for learning opportunities to help your child continue their progress. Doing a few of these activities 2 to 3 times a week will help them be ready to start first grade successfully. Here are some ideas:

***write letters to family and friends.

***practice reading the books they have brought home throughout the school year. 

***practice writing words in both upper and lower case letters, their numbers, and their first and last names.

***practice sounding out words orally. Such as, "I am thinking of an animal" and say the sounds C-A-T.

***look for sight words such as (the, is, and, like, etc.) in printed materials like magazines and newspapers. Play a game where they need to circle all the words on a page that they know. 

***play "I Spy" with words, numbers, letters, and shapes.

***practice telling time, counting money, and recognizing coins.

***continue using the school Chromebook to keep up on their favorite skill building games. They have access to them for the summer. 

Most importantly, read with your child. Use a variety of literature that is of interest to your child, point to the words, let your child make predictions by looking at the letters and pictures, break long words into short chunks, ask them what would make sense, use silly voices and HAVE FUN!

I will truly miss them~ Best of luck and have an amazing summer break! Sarah

March 19, 2021

 

Spring is coming this weekend!!! Hip! Hip! Hooray! 

We sure have had a busy week with St. Patrick's Day and our 100th day of school celebration! I have also been assessing your children so much and their growth makes me both want to cheer and cry tears of joy. I am so incredibly proud of them all!!! 

We have been working on a tour of the San Diego Zoo and studying many animals that live there. We are creating a book that tells a new fact we have learned and get to watch the animal of the day on a web cam in real time from the zoo. It has been a lot of fun! 

We also have a new Promethean Board in our classroom and it has made learning better than ever! We are able to do so many activities in an interactive way that was not available to us up until now. I will share more about what we are doing with that in a separate post. 

Reminders: 

March 25- Parent Teacher conferences (virtual). Distance learning day for students. (Please sign up if you haven't yet) 

March 25 & 26- Distance learning day for students. Please see today's email for our class meeting time that day. 

April 2- Report cards come home

April 19-23 April Vacation 

March 5, 2021

 

 Happy March, Everyone! In like a lion! This winter certainly has been an odd one!

It has been such a fun week filled with many activities for Read Across America Week! Ending the week with pajama day was a great finish! 

We have been spending a great deal of time on reading non-fiction books and writing about the animals we are learning about. Our next Go2Science Mission won't begin until April. 

Animated Alphabet is our approach to phonemic awareness and spelling. The letters are taught through a multi sensory approach of music, dance, characters and signs which help the students hold onto that information. The character this week was Kimmy Kangaroo. Next week will begin daily characters as well as a deeper dive into our spelling and writing practices! 

 In math we have been using dice to play a probability game, working with shapes, using teen numbers, finding combinations of 10 and continuing our calendar activities. 

It is a good time of the year for reminders about having an extra set of dry clothes for your child (the ones from the fall might not fit us anymore). They can leave them in their backpack or in their cubby. There is nothing worse than getting wet or muddy and sitting in them for the rest of the day. 

Upcoming Events:

March 25- Parent/ Teacher Conferences- Virtual 12am-6pm

April 19-23  April Vacation

Loads of fun!!!!

March Is Coming~ Lion or Lamb?

Check out the school newsletter! Lots of fun activities coming up!!!

http://www.woolwich.rsu1.org/o/woolwich-central-school/article/409298

SO MANY THINGS!!!!!

 My goodness...there are so many things to share and so few days for them to happen in!

First, THANK YOU for your continual support to me as well as your home structures that are allowing so much to happen in the classroom!!!

Second, we are not allowed to bring in Valentine's to exchange this year, but we will be having a Valentine workshop on Friday (2/12) where students will have time and materials to create one of a kind cards for their friends. 

Third, speaking of Friday (2/12) I thought, "What better way to celebrate our last day together before break than a pajama party?" SO... pajamas and stuffies (must fit in their backpacks) for Friday. 

Fourth, next week is Eat the Rainbow week where we will wear clothing that matches the color of the food for the day. The following is the schedule:

Monday: Green Tuesday: Orange/ Yellow Wednesday: Blue/ Purple Thursday: Red Friday: Rainbow

Fifth, It is my fervent hope to get the student cookbooks home by vacation. I am waiting on a couple of more recipes and then I can get them printed and sent! 

Sixth, Gingerbread projects can come in anytime before or after vacation. The ones that have come in so far are awesome! 

SO MUCH STUFF!!! Sorry about that but we are trying to have fun and keep focused until vacation! 

Questions? You know where I am~ ssample@rsu1.org

Distance Learning 1/11/21

 

Well, we are at home for the week and I will miss being with your child at school! We are in the beginning of our mission in Go2Science to the Galapagos Islands to test our hypothesis about the penguins who live there. I want to continue the mission as distance learners and I hope your child will join us! 

We also have been enjoying an author study of Jan Brett and have read many of her books and plan to read many more this week! 

Remember your Chromebook has got apps that your child is proficient with and they should be spending time each day on those. Fall and winter paper packets can also be utilized during this time away from school. 

I will be sending an email for specifics for the week and look forward to being back with your delightful children on Tuesday! Please contact me with any individual questions~ssample@rsu1.org