Wow!  This week flew by!

We learned about revising our writing, working in writing partnerships, and using the "counting on" strategy to both add and subtract!  We also made hypotheses about what "our" maple tree will look like, and did Estimating on Wednesday.  On Friday, there was a double safety drill, starting with a lockout drill and moving into an outside safety drill.  We also worked on our Jolly Phonics/phonemic awareness activities and had fun in music, art, PE, and library!

Next week, we'll be continuing our work with computation strategies and working on how to spell tricky words, as well as learning about our schema and making text connections.

Congratulations to Etta and Norah on earning the privilege of taking Kola and Darla home today!

Our first homework folders will be coming home next week!  :D

We seem to have a lot of little toys and gadgets coming to first grade.  Please help your first grader remember to leave those at home unless they are needed for SACC.  Thanks!

Have a fantastic weekend!  I'm going to see some friends in the Camden area, and spending some time here in the classroom getting ready for next week.  I hope you get a chance to enjoy the beautiful weather that is forecast!

Becca

Hello, everyone!
Happy last-weekend-of-summer! 🌤

It was another busy week in first grade!  We have been learning new math and literacy routines, writing Small Moments stories, and getting better and better acquainted with one another!  :)

Our class butterfly hatched and we released her outside.  It was a beautiful day!





Congratulations to Aurora and Kainen!  They earned the privilege of taking home Darla and Kola this weekend! We can't wait to hear about their adventures!

Next week, we will celebrate autumn by starting our weekly STEM lessons!  We will start by learning about why and how leaves change color, and learn about observation and chemical and physical changes.

On September 30th, we will also bring home books to read with our families and our Homework Folders!  There will be an informational letter laminated on the front of the folders to help explain how those work.

Have a wonderful weekend!  I will be in a meeting of the Maine Education Association Board of Directors, so enjoy the beautiful weather for me! :D

Becca

Happy Friday!
It was a very busy first full week here in Grade 1!  We have been learning lots of routines and expectations, and we've gotten a lot of compliments on our work in specials and the cafeteria!

The Art teacher has asked that the students wear their Art shirts to class on Tuesday :)

Ask us about...

-Our first outdoor safety drill
-Small Moments stories ("watermelon" and "seed" stories)
-Reviewing combinations of numbers that add up to 10 using counters (red and yellow)
-Morning Meeting/our calendar routines (the kids started taking turns being our Leader this week)
-Our first Sharing day on Monday!

Thank you to everyone who returned their library books on Thursday!  The librarians REALLY appreciated it! :D

Some of our read alouds this week included:
The Bear Ate Your Sandwich
Sad, the Dog
Stephen and the Beetle
The Girl Who Never Made Mistakes

Congratulations to Lucien for earning the privilege of taking home Kola the Bear last week, and Dominic and Libby for earning the privilege of taking home Kola and Darla this week!

Have a great weekend!  One of the plays I am in opened last night, so I will be busy with that this weekend.  I'm hoping to get outdoors for a bit of fresh air, too!  Whatever your plans, enjoy your time with your first grader :)
Becca

Hello, everyone!
It's been a great first few days of school!  Things to ask your first grader include...

What is "estimating"?  (Hint: it's how we got the little gems we brought home Wednesday)

What is the name of our class caterpillar (now chrysalis)?

What are the steps for our calendar routine?

How many ways can your first grader make 10 (we used ten frames on Friday)?

Who are Millie Fierce, Pinkerton the Pig, and Hunter and Stripe?

What are Bean Words and Rainbow Words?

How can you earn the privilege of taking home the class bears, Kola and Darla?

What are some of the things we need to remember to do Quality Work?

:)

Monday will be our first Sharing Day!  Please help your first grader remember to bring one item that is not fragile/valuable, and to be ready to explain why that item is special to us.  Each time a friend shares, 3 other students will be invited to ask questions about what we brought to share, so it is helpful to review where your child got their item, who gave it to him/her, etc.

There is a Preferred Communication form in this week's Eagle News-please be sure to fill it out and return it on Monday so that I know which emails are best for sending home information.  Also, if you know that your child will get the same thing every day for meals/milks, you can indicate that on the form and I won't send home a Milk/Meals order slip on Friday :)

We are bringing home library books today!  Please help your first grader remember to return their library book no later than Thursday next week.  Thanks!

We're also bringing home Scholastic book orders today!  Please send in paper orders or submit online orders no later than Friday, September 13.  Thanks!

If you are sending in milk/meal money with your child, be sure it is secured in an envelope with your child's name, my name, and "Cafeteria" printed on the front.  Please keep it separate from the milk/meal order form-I get the forms and they get the money. :) . I use the forms to make a chart for the whole week on Monday, and then submit my class's order each day online-which is much faster when I have a pre-made chart vs. taking a daily count.

Please remember to send one easy-to-eat snack and any needed utensils for snacktime each day.  :)

Have a great weekend!  I'm in rehearsals for most of the weekend for some plays, but I'm hoping to get outside and enjoy the early September weather!  Mr. Cole and I went to the Coastal Botanical Gardens in Boothbay last weekend, and it was just stunning-so many colors were still vibrant!  Lots of bees and butterflies were very happy, too!

Becca