Polar Express Day in Pictures

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Holiday Shop is TODAY!

Good morning everyone! I just wanted to remind you as you head out the door this morning that today is the HOLIDAY GIFT SHOP! I only have one student who has brought in money to spend on gifts for their families. It is not too late to send money for your child today. We will not shop until later this afternoon (1:30). Let me know if you have any questions!!! Ho, ho, ho!

We Learned About the Number Gators Today! (Greater Than, Less Than Symbols Song)

Week of FUN and FRENZY ahead!

Monday= D Tuesday= A Wednesday= B Thursday= C Friday= D Happy Monday! Do you realize that this is the LAST Monday your child will be in school in 2014? Amazing! What a busy, fun week we are embarking on. I hope you and your family are staying healthy. The flu bug that is going around is a yucky one. Please be sure that your child is getting plenty of rest each night. It is important to stay on as much of a routine as possible for your first grader to do their best in this action-packed and anticipation-building time of year! We are washing our hands like crazy, but I notice lots of my firsties have a tendency to chew on their clothing. Please encourage your kiddo to not put anything into their mouths except food (this includes clothes and fingers). I want all of our kids to be healthy and happy for a wonderful winter break! Have you checked our Sign-Up Genious. We are still in need of LOTS of donations for our Polar Express Day, Grinch Day and Winter Party. If you need to see the link again, let me know or check this website. Any and ALL help is appreciated. These festivities in the upcoming days are so fun and without your help they would not be possible. Thank you so much for you help in advance. The Holiday Shop is schedule for us for Wednesday the 17th. An envelope went home on Friday with your child for you to make a shopping list and send money for the shop, if you choose to have your child participate. This is a great activity that our amazing PTO organizes for us. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask! Remember that the cold weather is predicted to settle back in tomorrow, so please be sure that your child brings their winter coat to school. It's almost time for inside recess to cease, so that's it for now! Holler with any questions! Stay healthy!

Read Every Day. Lead a Better Life

"It's the Most Wonderful (and BUSY) Time of the Year..."

Hi families! Hope you are warm and cozy on this chilly, dreary Wednesday. Get your calendars out, because we are in for a B-U-S-Y week next week. It seems almost impossible to believe that our SECOND quarter together is almost at an end...to celebrate the excitement in the air, we have a full schedule of FUN next week as we wrap up our time together before Winter Break. Next Thursday December 18 is our FIRST-EVER school-wide Polar Express Day! We are so excited about a whole-school day of fun. We are inviting the kids to wear their jammies on the 18th and snuggle in for a day of fun as we celebrate this classic book. We will be having a school-wide hot chocolate bar, watching the movie and doing Polar Express activities all day. It will be a magical time, but I will need some help making it happen. Then, on Friday December 19th we are going to have our annual First Grade Grinch Day in the morning. We would love any parents or helpers who are available Friday morning to join us for Grinch Day and help run a station. Again, I will need LOTS of help in getting supplies ready for this super fun tribute day to another classic holiday story! We are asking all first graders to wear GREEN on the 19th, if possible. THEN, on Friday the 19th at 12:30 we will have our classroom winter party. We will be almost partied-out, so we will keep our Winter Party simple. However, we will still need your help to make even the simplest event special for our first graders. Later today, I will be sending home my first Sign-Up Genius to invite you all to help make the days before break extra special. I would be grateful for any and all help that you can provide these events in the last two days together before Winter Break. If you have any questions, of course don't hesitate to ask. Everyone is welcome at our Grinch Day and Winter Party. Thank you for you help in getting our materials together so that the kids can make wonderful memories on their first grade Christmas. Be watching for that email soon...Stay warm and be happy!

How U.S. coins are made

Money Song! We are learning about ECONOMICS...do you know your coins?

Be sure to keep practicing your DOUBLES at home!!!

Happy Monday!

Monday= C Tuesday= D Wednesday= A Thursday= B Friday= C Good Monday morning, families! Hope this finds you well after a wonderful weekend together! We are down to the final two weeks before winter break and we have LOTS to do!! Did your child come home last week and tell you about need and wants...I know they all of a lot of wants this time of year, but talk to your child about what they need, too. It is going to be a busy next few weeks as we wrap up our first semester of first grade (Really? How is that possible???). Please be sure your child sticks to a schedule as much as possible and gets plenty of rest to avoid getting sick. I don't want them to miss all that is planned for the next two weeks! It is a wonderful time of the year! Have a great day!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Boy, oh boy...your first grader is coming home with LOTS of treasures today! Be sure to set aside a little time over break for your child to tell you all about their creations from this week. We have been letting our creative juices flow this week and I know they are anxious to showcase their work with you. Remember, we do not have school for the remainder of the week so that you may all enjoy time together this Thanksgiving. Enjoy your holiday. Please remember that this Thanksgiving I am so thankful for your precious children. They brighten my days more than you can know and I am grateful to you for sharing them with me. Be well. Be thankful. Be happy. Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Pajama Day TODAY!!

Don't forget that your first grader can wear pjs today in celebration of the book fair's last day. Our amazing Castle Read-a-Lot will close today at 12:30. This morning is Pastries With Parents, as well. Double bonus: you don't have to get your child dressed or give them breakfast at home! Come to school in pjs and enjoy pastries together while you take one last look around the book fair! See you soon!

Twas' the Week Before Thanksgiving Break and things are getting CRAZY!!!

Happy Sunday families! SO much is happening this week, so hold on to your hats! First, Book Fair starts this Wednesday! Our beloved Mrs. Preston does such a amazing job with our book fair, please plan to come and check it out starting on the 19th! Our book fair will remain open with lots of special events throught the week, so be ready! Here is a quick list of things on our first grade schedule this week: 1. Book fair starts Wednesday 2. Holiday Meal is Thursday come have lunch with your child if you are able. Our class now goes to lunch at 11:02 sharp! 3. FIELD TRIP on Friday! Don't forget we are loading up at 8:30 sharp Friday morning and heading to the city for some fun in Crown Center. Don't forget your Sunflower t-shirt and sack lunch! 4. GRANDPARENTS and Special Friends day is also Friday...when we return from our trip at 2:30, grandparents are welcome to join our class and share a story they enjoyed from their youth. 5. Movie Night Friday! I am tired just thinking about all of the festivities in the next 5 days. Stay healthy! Get rested! Let's have a wonderful week! See you soon!

Red Name Cards Coming Home Today...

CAR LINE UPDATE: Today your child is bringing home a red paper with the last name and first name. Their assignment is to give it to you tonight. Mrs. Tann is asking all parents to leave the red name cards in their cars so that when or if, your child is ever a car-rider you put the sign up in your window. In attempt to improve the fluidity and safety of the car line, we are adding this component as a new measure. Thank you so much for your help in making this transition as smooth as possible. Let me know if you have any questions. Have a great evening!

Fall Fun slideshow...Sorry for the delay, ENJOY!

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Growing Beans HD Timelapse

We are back in action!!!

Hi families! I am SO sorry for the delay in updates and posts...the Blogger site has not been working correctly over here and I have not been able to update our posts in a long time! There is SO much to update...where to begin??? First, thank you to EVERYONE for your help and support in making our basket auction a huge success last week. Our kids directly benefit from the proceeds, so from the bottom of our hearts--THANK YOU! The next two weeks are going to be jam-packed full of activities, excitement and challenges. Here are some upcoming reminders: 1. TOMORROW November 12 is PICTURE RETAKE Day! If you were unhappy with your child's pictures, tomorrow is your chance to try again! 2. This week is our annual FOOD DRIVE. Your child brought home a paper sack last Friday and if you could return it with any non-perishable items to donate to our local food pantry, it would be very appreciated. 3. Next week is our amazing BOOK FAIR! All week there will be different activites and opportunities for you to come check out our fabulous fair. Mrs. Preston does a wonderful job and the proceeds from our Book Fair directly benefit our already-awesome library. Stay tuned for an agenda of next week's activities. 4. REMEMBER next Friday November 21 is our FIELD TRIP (finally)! Has your child come home and told you they are pumpkin farmers? Or beanie baby parents? We have been learning about plant lifecycles in first grade and are growing science in our window as we speak. Have them tell you about their pumpkin babies and their bean babies. We will keep you posted on any new developments in our plant lifecycle experiment. Great pictures to come...That is, if the website cooperates! Today, we have spent a big chunk of our day talking about Veterans. Be sure to ask your child about who Veterans are and what they do or have done for our country. Bundle up...just like that, it feels like winter. Enjoy your evening together! Stay warm and cozy!

Sesame Street - Rhyming Game...We've been rhyming away in room 111. Try it at home, its lots of FUN!

Growing Beans in First Grade!

We learned about NOUNS today! Ask your child to tell you all about it!

Field Trip Permission Slips DUE TOMORROW!

Happy Thursday families! Just a friendly reminder that I need all field trip permission slips turned in tomorrow October 24! The blue permission slips were handed out at conferences and we need the permission portion back asap. Remember that we used the money from our cancelled trip to pay for this trip, however if YOU would like to attend we want to get you a ticket at a discounted price! If you pay in advance with your permission slip it is $5.50 for each adult attending, BUT if you pay at the door the tickets are $17! Yikes! Please be sure to return your permission slip back as well as your payment for your own ticket, if you are planning on attending. I am still missing 7 permission slips. Thank you so much for your help!

We are feeling ROYAL today!

Cookie Dough Pick-Up and FREE Taco Dinner TONIGHT!

Let's Go Royals!! (Clap, clap, clap-clap-clap) Let's Go Royals!! (Clap, clap, clap-clap-clap) Our cookie dough is here!! Please come pick-up your orders today starting at 3:30! And if you want a quick meal before the Royals game, come on up to the school for a FREE Taco Dinner starting at 5 p.m. We promise we'll have you home and ready to go for the first pitch at 7:07 p.m!

Old Technology Anyone????

Hi families! I hope you are enjoying your fall break together and this day of sunshine! I am sitting in our empty classroom missing your kids and thinking ahead to the upcoming quarter. I am sending out a request/mission for my families: If you have or know anyone with old electronic equiptment such as old ipod touches, i-pads, or tablets we would love to take them off of your hands. If you hear of anyone no longer needing their old electronics because they are updating, our kids would love to have this type of technology in our room to explore with different apps and use them for projects. My team and I have been coming up with all sorts of cool ideas that involve this type of technology, but we don't have any in our room. I have some money from our PTO money machine that I am trying to put toward a used tablet on Craigslist, but we will see...Spread the word, if you know of any kind soul who no longer needs their device, our kids would love to have acess to them in class. Thank you so much for your condideration. Don't forget conferences this week! I am anxious to talk to you all about your amazing kiddos! See you soon!

The rain didn't get us down!

We tried to find some sunshine in our rained-out field trip day. Hopefully your first grader came home with some joy from a disappointing start to our day with our cancelled field trip. Instead of going to the butterfly garden and pumpkin patch, we brought the butterflies and pumpkins to US! Ask you first grader to tell you about some of our rainy-day activities. We enjoyed a first-grade Specials time and a first grade picnic in the gym. We made edible science and watched "A Bugs Life", too. We crammed a lot into our short time together today and I hope they had fun. Please remember that your child is off of school all week for Fall Break. I have everyone scheduled to come to conferences, who will be in town next week. I am anxious to meet with you and catch you up to speed on first grade thus far. You child will return to school on Monday October 20 to begin their second quarter of first grade. I had one friend today tell me how excited she was because "when I get back from Fall Break I will be a second grader!!!" Oops...not quite. Please be sure your child returns to first grade with stories of fun from their week off. I will miss their smiles and sparkle. Enjoy your time together. I look forward to meeting with you next week! Happy Friday!

NO Field Trip!

Sad news on this rainy morning...our field trip has been canceled! We called Pendelton Farms this morning and they cancelled our trip due to weather. Please prepare your child for the news and assure them that we will have another field trip later this fall. We will do our best to make it a day of fun at Sunflower instead of the butterfly garden and pumpkin patch. BOO! We will have a picnic in our classroom today, so if you still would like to bring a sack lunch that is great...if not our cafeteria will be serving lunch too. Don't forget dismissal at 1pm! Thank you! So sorry the weather did not cooperate!

Waiting on the Weather...

Ok families, it is the night before the field trip and we are waiting on the weatherman before we make a decision on tomorrow's field trip. There is a BIG possibility that we will have to cancel our field trip for tomorrow due to weather. Our trip is entirely OUTSIDE and if it is too rainy, we will cancel in the morning. Please stay tuned and check our blog in the morning for our final decision. Remember that we dismiss at 1pm tomorrow, also. Please be sure to check your child's backpack tonight to read the orange note that came home about tomorrow's trip and possible cancellation. If we DO end up going tomorrow, everyone who wanted to ride the bus will be welcome to ride along with us! We should have plenty of room for all of our amazing guests. I am so sorry about the limbo...stay tuned....We will make a final decision tomorrow by 7:30 am. Cross your fingers...but remember, even if we go it will be CHILLY so BUNDLE UP!!!

Picture Day TOMORROW!

Happy Tuesday families! Just a friendly reminder that tomorrow (October 8) is Picture Day! We will have our pictures taken at 9:15 in the morning, so have your first grader come gorgeous and ready to flash their beautiful smiles! If you haven't already returned your order for pictures, you can bring it in tomorrow! Have a great night...cross your fingers for no rain on Friday!

Monday Check-In

Monday = B Tuesday= C Wednesday= D Thursday= A Friday= FIELD TRIP! Happy Monday, families! Can you believe this is the last Monday of first quarter? Amazing! Quick check-in: Your child is bringing home 2 important pieces of paper in their backpack tonight. One is a note about a toy drive Sunflower is participating in for one of my former first grade students. Thank you for taking the time to read and consider participating in "Trevor's Toy Drive". Second, your child is bringing home your scheduled conference time on a blue paper. If your conference time will not work, no problem...just return the bottom portion to school and I will find a time slot that will work. If your time WILL work, please return the bottom confirmation portion of your blue note so that I can look forward to meeting with you to discuss your child's first grade adventure, thus far. Do you remember that we are going on our first FIELD TRIP this Friday October 10. I am still missing 4 permission slips and payments. Please return your yellow permission slip and payment as soon as possible. If you need an extra copy, please just let me know and I will send one home. It will be a wet, chilly day. Start looking through your child's drawers and find their new "It's An Eagle Thing" t-shirt, because they will need to wear them on our trip on Friday! Don't forget to check backpacks tonight and find your blue conference slip! I am anxious to visit with each of you! Have a wonderful evening.

'e' - Shock Karate (The Electric Company)

Happy Friday!

Happy Friday, families! Whew, what a week! Your child is coming home with some science homework today! They should be able to tell you all about their "marshmallow shooter". Be sure to have your first grader show you how their shooter works and then have them explain WHY the reaction happens. They should be using words like "force", "motion", "push", "pull", and "gravity". We have been learning about forces and motion all week. Today we did a playgroud lab experiment with the equiptment to determine whether we use pushes or pulls to play on each piece. We also worked in teams to try out different objects in our team marshmallow shooter. Have your first grader tell you what object went the farthest and which one did not travel very far. Encourage them to explain why they think the results of their experiment were the way they were. Have you marked your calendars for our field trip next week? Can you believe that conferences are the week after next? Amazing how time flies! I am anxious to to talk to you about all of the things that your child is doing in first grade, so please be sure to send your blue conference slip in asap. Your confirmation time will come home next week once I have everyone scheduled. Our postcard map project is coming along great! Sunflower first graders have LOTS of states covered from our postcard project. Come by school and check out the big map and all of the postcards our kids have gotten so far...keep spreading the word. We would like to have a card from each state by the end of the quarter next week! As the weather gets chilly, be sure to have your child bring a jacket to school for recess! If it's not raining and above 20 degrees, we go outside! Have a wonderful weekend together! See you back on Monday!

Science HELP!

Hi families! HELP! We are doing a "Motion Mania" tomorrow and I am supposed to have a center with pinwheels...I came home today to find my 2 pinwheels have disappeared. Do you have any pinwheels laying around your house that we can borrow in the morning? If so, can you please send them to school with your kiddo in the morning? They will come home tomorrow in one piece...we are in need of them to experiment with one of our forces and motion activities. Thank you so much in advance! See you soon!

September In Pictures...ENJOY!

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Tuesday Check-In and Conference Note Reminder

Happy Tuesday! I am sitting here looking through all of the conference notes that I have gotten back and am trying to schedule a time to visit with each of you about your sweet firsties. I am missing about 10 responses, so if you have not returned your blue note that was sent home last Friday, can you please try to send it back as soon as possible? I will try hard to accomodate your first choice of a timeslot. I am anxious to meet with you all and share what your kiddo has been doing as we wrap up our first quarter adventure. If you are going to be out of town for Fall Break, please let me know. I am happy to meet with you before or after fall break, as well! Have you returned your child's field trip permission slip? Please try to get that returned as soon as possible, too, so that we can get everything locked away for our trip next week. Mark your calendars for Picture Day next week, too! It is going to get busy very quickly. Let me know if you need anything between now and conference time! Have a great evening together!

Check Friday Folders!!!

Monday= A Tuesday= B Wednesday= C Thursday= D Friday= A Happy Friday families!!! What a week we had as we get ready to say goodbye to September. How can it be that next week will bring October with it...which means the end of the quarter....which means CONFERENCES! Wow! Tonight in your child's green folder is a blue conference sign-up sheet. Please mark your top two time slots and return it to school with your first grader next week so that I can coordinate with any sibling teachers and get your spot reserved to talk about all of the wonderful things your kiddo is doing in first grade. Conferences are scheduled for October 15-16, so be looking for your blue sign up sheet tonight! Also, there is a yellow field trip form coming home today. On October 10 we are going to a butterfly pavillion in Lawrence. We will stop at Celebration Park and return to school in time for early dismissal and fall break. Please be sure to return your child's permission slip to school as soon as possible as well, so that we can get everything solidified. A fall book order is coming home today, too. Please remember that all orders directly benefit our classroom. Thank you so much for your support. In the next two weeks before the field trip, we will be learning about the butterfly lifecycle. I need help from home to help with a few projects I would like to do with the kids. If you could please send in any and all paper towel rolls that would be fabulous. We also need the following snacks to make an edible science project: Mini marshmallows, mini Tootsie Rolls, Gummy Worms and "fancy crackers" (crackers that look kind of like butterflies). If you find any of these items while you are out and about, we would love you help in supplying these materials to make this unit extra-special and yummy! Thank you so much in advance! Have a wonderful last weekend of September!

Now try /-ed/!! What is the ROOT WORD?

We learned ROOT WORDS this week! Let's add -ing!

Tuesday is the New Monday

Monday= D Tuesday= A Wednesday= B Thursday= C Friday= D Happy Monday...I mean TUESDAY, families! I am so sorry for the delay in my update. I was out with a sick kiddo myself yesterday, so I am a day late! I hope you had a great weekend and I hope your week has started off on a wonderful foot. Did you notice that your child did not bring their Friday folder home last week? That was completely their TEACHER'S fault! We had a wonderful time last Friday at our Learning Celebration (pictures to come later) but we were BUSY! So busy, in fact, that I completely forgot to send their folders home. Then, I was out yesterday and my sub forgot to send them home. SO, today you will find your child's Friday Folder...which we coined our "Tuesday Folders" today. They are full of this week's homework, cool work we completed last week and a few notes. Let me know if you have any questions about any upcoming events. Here are a few new things ahead to mark on your calendars: 1. THIS Friday September 26, Moive Night hosted by third grade. We are showing the LEGO Movie! 2. October 8 = Picture Day 3. October 10 = Field Trip (notes to come home soon) 4. October 10 = Early Release Day 5. October 13-17 Fall Break and CONFERENCES!

PS...

PS. I almost forgot...did your first grader come home with a bag of stick puppets from our story this week? This week we read the story "Get Up, Rick!". Your first grader made popsicle stick puppets and brought them home tonight. If they use their puppets to retell our story of Get Up, Rick to you at home, please sign their baggie of puppets and return it to school. I will give all the kiddos who did this extra activity an Eagle ticket! If your child didn't do it tonight, they can certainly retell the story to you this weekend. Retell is a new concept that we are working on, so it may be a little tricky this first time! Also, be sure to ask them about the "-ck date"...see if they can tell you the rule of the /-ck/ pair. It's tough stuff being in first grade!!! Goodnight!

Learning Celebration TOMORROW

Hello families! Good grief, I don't know where the time goes! Did your first grader come home and tell you about Learning Celebration tomorrow? Tomorrow we will be having our annual Sunflower Learning Celebration to celebrate Constitution Day and learn about some of the things that make our country so amazing. Your child has been asked to bring a sack lunch from home tomorrow for our school-wide picnic on the playground. We will be traveling to all of the first grade classrooms doing different activities celebrating our great country and state. You child will be given their new Sunflower Eagles t-shirt for the year in the morning, too...thanks to our AMAZING PTO!!! It is sure to be lots of fun! Did your child come home and tell you about our safety drill today? Because this week is Safety Week, we have been practicing all of our drills and today's was our "intruder alert". They did an amazing job. Be sure to talk with them about what happens during an intruder drill. If you should have any questions, please come and talk with me. I was so proud of them today! Has your first grader told you about "Eagle Tickets"? Each one of them earned an Eagle ticket from me today for an amazing job in the cafeteria and hall. WOW-ZA!!! They rocked! Have them tell you what happens when you get an eagle ticket and what they did to earn one (or two!). Don't forget a sack lunch tomorrow!!!! Have a wonderful night!

Happy Monday!!!

Monday= C Tuesday= D Wednesday= A Thursday= B Friday= C Happy Monday families! Here we go into another week of learning and excitement. We have been so busy in first grade that I haven't been able to keep up on all of our new knowledge. Has your child come home and told you about contractions, opinions, predictions, estimations, classifying, 10-teams??? Have your child tell you about any or all of these new concepts. This week we are focused on Safety! Hopefully you received an email from Mrs. Tann outlining our agenda for Safety Week. Today our kids had a presentation about 911. Here is an excerpt from our wonderful specialist who lead the disscussion: • "We had a special guest today from ATT to teach us about how/when to call 911. • There are lots of different types of phones to call 911 on and it is good to practice on lots of different phones. • Do they know how to call from all your phones in case there was an emergency? • When you make a 911 call, make sure you are calm, speak slowly and carefully, answer all of their questions, and stay on the line until the person says you can hang up. • All students heard how important it is to know their phone number and their home address. • Sacks of information will be coming home with the students." Be sure to check your child's backpack and find their goody sack of information. I told the kids that they need to be working to memorize their address and phone number. I will be checking their memory often to see if they have mastered their personal information. Please help your first grader learn this important information as a means to help keep them safe! We will be practicing fire safety, tornado safety and "intruder" safety this week. Please continue to talk with your child daily on our safety topics. Often when we have to talk about safety, it can generate a long line of thinking and questions for your child. I will continue to assure your child they are safe...We are just going to learn to be safe AND smart! Mark your calendars for this Friday! It is our annual Learning Celebration this Friday September 19. We will spend the day learning about our wonderful country, celebrating our Sunflower family and learning about our Constitution that makes us so extrodinary. Your child will need to bring a sack lunch on Friday. Be looking for a note to come home in backpacks tomorrow...Also, next Monday is Library Night. There was a green note sent home last Friday. Hope you can make it! I want to give a shout out to ALL of my first grade friends who are working so hard to READ EVERY DAY with their RED folders! Thank you so much for your support! Reading everyday, even just for a few minutes makes ALL the difference in the world! Way to go! Have a wonderful, fall evening together! See you soon!

We Learned About CONTRACTIONS Today!!! Check it out--

Bring On Another Week of Learning and Fun!

Monday= B (Library!) Tuesday= C Wednesday= D Thursday= A Friday= B Happy Sunday families! I hope you had another wonderful and relaxing weekend together...did you get outside??? I hope you and your precious first grader were able to enjoy this beautiful weather doing something FUN. Was your kiddo worn out on Friday after our fabulous pajama party? I sure was...we had a great time celebrating our awesome class behavior. This week we are full-steam ahead...did you notice I sent 2 different math homework pages home on Friday? It was not an accident! I am trying to catch us up with the other first grade classrooms. I must have started sending the homework home a week later...so in an attempt to catch up, I doubled up. If you are able to get through both pages, awesome. If not, totally fine too. This is really just a great piece to communicate with you what we are learning in class. Have you watched the 10-Team Rap video I uploaded on Friday? We are starting to work HARD to learn our 10-Teams and the kids are loving this rap (especially the "Check Baby" part!). Any additional practice you can give your child to remember their 10-Teams (or partners) will help them IMMENSELY!!! We have talked about how 1 ALWAYS hangs with 9 and 7 LOVES 3, etc. Remembering these partnerships will strengthen your child's problem solving skills in lessons ahead. Have a restful night and as always, don't hesitate if you need anything! See you soon...

What Makes Ten?

Pajama Day TOMORROW!!!!!

Hi families!!! Yes, it IS true-tomorrow is Pajama Day in our first grade classroom!!! I am so sorry that I didn't get a note made up officially letting you know. The kids' had a homework assignment tonight to go home and tell their parents about tomorrow's fun day. Did they tell you WHY they get to have a PJ Day? We have filled up our first class compliment chain and so in celebration we are having a "PP" day...Pajama and Popsicle Party Day. Woo-hoo!! Good times in room 111! Send your kiddo to school in the jammies if they want, they can also bring slippers or socks but be sure to have regular shoes so that they can participate in recess and PE. Also, please remember to turn in your cookie dough sales packet TOMORROW! We want to support our incredible PTO and every sale helps! Thank you so much for your support. Has your child come home and talked to you about our new word "PREDICTION"? Be sure to ask them what this is a fancy word for...they catch me using the baby word all of the time now. Have them tell you all about it. I have a PREDICTION that tomorrow will be lots of fun and very exciting as we have more first grade adventures in our jammies! Have a great night!!!

Happy Monday!

This Week's Special Rotation: Monday = No School! Tuesday= B Wednesday= C Thursday= D Friday= A Happy September, families! I hope this post finds you all rested and happy after a long weekend together. I sure did miss your first grader and I can't wait to hear all about their Labor Day weekend. Tomorrow we are going to be starting another new week of learning, complete with new spelling words, new stories and new concepts. Don't forget that it is not too late to keep selling cookie dough for our annual fundraiser! Keep those cookie packets a few more days and sell if you can! Get some sleep and try to help your first grader remember their library books tomorrow! See you soon!

We Learned about PLURAL today! Have your child tell you all about it.

First Grade In Pictures...ENJOY!

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We did it! Friday report...

One FULL week of first grade under our belt! Whew! It was a little wild and crazy today, but we made it. I can imagine that some of your kiddos came home a little disappointed because we did not have time for Celebrations or Me Bags. I am SO sorry...we were had a class meeting about all of the things coming home in our Friday Folder and then we had a popcicle party to celebrate our first FULL week of being first graders. All of a sudden, it was time to go home! We are so busy in room 111, that today we couldn't fit in all of our activities. Hopefully, it will give your first grader something to look forward to on Monday! I hope you saw the reminder about our potluck ABC party being moved to Monday. If you haven't brought in a small snack to match the first letter of your child's first name, don't worry! You can bring it in on Monday. Remember "BETSY" will bring "BUTTERSCOTCH CHIPS". Your child's contribution should fit into a trailmix-type of snack for our celebration. Your child is also bringing home their Yellow Sight Word Folder AND their R.E.D. folder. There are letters of explanation included if you were unable to make it to Parent Night. You will also find our first math homework page. Please remember, we just do what we can do. If your schedule does not allow time for you to complete ALL of the homework activities, it's ok. Remember, the most important thing you can do for your child is READ with them everyday. Be sure to email, call or come visit me if you have any questions or concerns about your sweet first grader. I also want to give you the heads up that I purposely gave books out today in RED folders that were, possibly, too easy for your child. In order to grow them, we have to encourage them...the best way to do that is through confidence. If you feel your child's book is too difficult, just send it right back with a note and I will try out a new book for you. I am excited to get into a routine of listening to our kids read and grow through books. Have a wonderful weekend together! Find some air conditioning and make time to enjoy each other. I will look forward to seeing your sweet first grader back on Monday! Way-to-go for a week well-done!

Word of the Week = UNIQUE! Have your child tell you about what it means to be unique.

Thursday Check In...

Hi families! Ok, so I am sitting here thinking about tomorrow and I realized that I need to send out a reminder. If you were able to attend Parent Night on Tuesday, you received a note asking your child to bring in a treat for our trailmix potlock party. They were asked to bring in something that starts with the first letter of their name. For example, Acy brought in APRICOTS. I know some of you were unable to make it Thursday and I realized that I had not gotten the note sent home. If you have not sent in a little something to add to our alaphabet trailmix for our potluck, can you please consider it? I think I may wait until Monday for our Potluck party so that no one has to run around today at the last minute...Let me know if you have any questions. I will include a reminder in tomorrow's Friday Folder as well. Don't forget that tonight is our Watch D.O.G kick-off supper at 6pm. Come on by for a pizza dinner and sign up for a spot on our calendars to be our Watch D.O.G. Tomorrow is also our first PTO sponsered Movie Night from 6-9pm. Hope you can make it! This heat is tough on our kids. Be sure your first grader is getting plenty of water and rest. We almost have one full week of first grade under our belt! Way to go! Stay cool and comfy tonight.

Learning About "UNIQUE"--We read Elmer to help us celebrate all of the wonderful things that make us UNIQUE! Enjoy!

Thank you!

Good evening families! I just wanted to thank all of you who were able to join me tonight at Parent Involvement Night. I know it is such a busy time and I was thrilled to see as many of you there as I did. If you were unable to make it, I will be sending home the paper information with your first grade in their Friday Folder this week. A few things to remember as we reach mid-week: Thursday is our WATCHDOG KICK-OFF supper! Come on over to Sunflower and enjoy a pizza dinner when you sign up for a slot (or several slots) to be a Watchdog Dad this year! Don't forget this FRIDAY AUGUST 22 is our first MOVIE NIGHT of the year! PTO is hosting and we will be watching Rio 2! Movie night runs from 6-9 pm and we would love to have your kiddo come and hang out with us. Also, if you were unable to attend tonight's Parent meeting, can you drop me an email and let me know what size t-shirt you would like me to order for your child? I also need current contact information and a quick yes or no if you would like your information published in our Sunflower Student Directory. We need this information by Friday, so don't delay! I can't thank you enough for taking the time to come to your child's room tonight. We are a team working together for the benefit of your amazing child. Thank you for sharing them with me and thank you for being so involved in their learning adventure. See you soon!

Parent Night TONIGHT!

Hi families! I hope you are planning on coming by first grade tonight for a quick Parent Information Night. We will meet in our classroom from 6:30-7:00 to get onboard our first grade train and learn about the adventures ahead. We were not able to organinze childcare, so if you need to bring your little ones that is fine. I am hoping you will all be able to make it. See you in a little bit!

Sunday night check-in...

This week's Specials Rotation: Monday= D Tuesaday= A Wednesday= B Thursday= C Friday= D Happy Sunday! I hope you all had a wonderful weekend enjoying your new first grader! I hope they weren't worn out too much for all the back-to-school festivities. We are gearing up for our first FULL week of first grade. Don't foget that this TUESDAY is our first-ever Parent Information Night. I hope you are able to stop by and get a quick, Cliff's notes version of the wonderful of first grade. It will be a great opportunity to ask questions and find out some of the basics as we begin our year together. This week will are still going to be learning the ropes of first grade. There are so many procedural things to know in order to be successful all year. I hope your child is enjoying school...I certainly am enjoying each one of them! Looking forward to seeing you all on Tuesday! Have a great night.

Thursday in review...

Three days of first grade already under our belt! Whew! I hope your child is adjusting to life in the fast first grade lane. I am sure they are worn out by the end of the day, as we are playing and learning the ropes this week and it is exhausting! Did your child come home and tell you about Starcharts? Did they share with you about the not-so-nice "Black Thing" on the playground that we have to watch out for? Have they showed off their new sign language words? Did they tell you about Jitter Juice or their new fancy college word they learned today-"FANTASTIC"? Have they shared about going to Specials? So far our kids have visited Music, PE and Library. Don't worry that your child didn't come home with any books yet. Today was spent learning the ropes of our amazing library. Next week is check-out! Please remember that our kids rotate through a schedule of Specials A-B-C-D. Unfortunately, these letters do not correspond with days in the week so it is up to us to learn what letter day it is. I will always try to post it at the beginning of the week on this blog. Please also remember to send your child in tennis shoes OR have them bring a pair in their backpack every-other day for PE. Tomorrow is a "C" day, which means we go back to Music and PE and your first grader will need tennis shoes to stay safe! Have you marked your calendar for our Parent Information Night on Tuesday? I hope you will be able to attend. I know things are so busy right now, but first grade is very different from Kindergarten and I want to give you an opportunity to come and learn about your child's upcoming adventures and have a chance to ask me any questions you may have. I want to tell you how much I am enjoying your dear children already. They are precious. I hope they are adjusting to a school schedule. Thank you for being patient as we teach all of the procedures that go into making our year successful. I know that can be tiring for a kiddo. Be sure to ask your child to show you the signs that we have learned so far in sign language and encourage them to use these signs at home. Invite them to share with you about their first writing job today. The topic was what makes them "FANTASTIC"? Ask your child to tell you about what they wrote about themselves. I hope you are having a peaceful evening. I will be waiting for your first grader to brighten my day again tomorrow. Thank you so much for sharing them with me. See you soon!

Our FIRST day in pictures...ENJOY!

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The First Day FLEW by!

Well, that was fast! Our first morning just FLEW right by. What a wonderful morning it was getting to spend time with your darling children. There wasn't too much time for a lot of excitement on this first day, but we certainly were BUSY! We unpacked lots of our supplies and got our "party houses" started. We learned about the not-so-nice "Drippy Glue Drew". Have your child tell you about old Drippy Glue Drew and why he doesn't come to the party in our party box. We read a story, checked out the very exciting first grade bathroom and tried our hand at our first recess. Our new principal, Mrs. Tann came to visit and we had an all-school assembly full of cheers and dancing. Did your child make it home with their seeds? We planted baby sunflowers today. Please help your first grader care for their seeds so that they will be able to see them GROW and bloom. I will be posting our very first SLIDESHOW asap, so be sure to check out how we spent our morning. Our slideshows are a great way for your child to reflect on their day with you at home. I hope your child is feeling a little better about starting school. Please remember that tomorrow is a FULL day. We eat lunch at 10:55. If your child would like to get a school lunch, the menu is listed on the sidebar of the blog. They started to look a little sleepy as the morning went on, so an early bedtime will help them hang in there as they transition to all-day school mode. I am so excited for our year together. Thank you for your precious children. Remember next Tueday is Parent Information Night...Please don't hesitate to ask if you need anything from me. I hope you are enjoying this beautiful day! See you soon!

First Day of School Song...Here we go!

"Twas the Night Before First Grade..."

'Twas the night before first grade and all through our school, We had new smiling faces coming in the building that is so, super cool. They met their new teacher, put their new things away And wondered what to expect on that very next day. Their teacher was THRILLED to meet her new crew She was so excited, she didn't know what to do! So she looked at the clock and said "Time for bed", There is so much fun in the days ahead. Thank you to ALL of you for making time to come to Meet-the-Teacher night tonight! We almost everyone come and visit!!!!! Whoo-hoo! I am beyond thrilled for our year together. It was so much fun to meet your sweet kiddos tonight. I hope they are feeling excited for our year to begin. Don't forget that we dismiss at 11:30 tomorrow, and so will NOT be having lunch. Let me know if your child's transportation plans will differ from what the office has on file for them tomorrow or from what we talked about this evening. Thank you so much, again, for coming tonight! What an awesome way to start our year together! Way to go families!!! See you tomorrow!

I can't wait to see you...

Hi friends! I am SO excited for Meet the Teacher Night, tonight! Our room is all ready for you, so come on in! Don't forget to bring your supplies if you have them and we will get all set for our fun-filled first grade year. I will be looking for you tonight...Yippee.

First Grade, here we come!

Hello to all of my new first grade families!!! I am so excited to meet you next week. I hope you are having a WONDERFUL last week of summer. Don't forget that next Monday August 11 is Meet the Teacher Night from 5-7pm. I can't wait to see you walk into your new room! Remember to bring all of your supplies that night, too. We are going to have so much fun together! See you soon!

A Wonderful "Hollywood Ending"!

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"Hollywood Ending" Celebration TOMORROW!

I feel like I just wrote the post "Twas the night before first grade..." and now I am talking about the end of our time together. Incredible. No matter how hard I try, I just cannot get my mind around the fact that an entire year has come and gone with your amazing children. Please join us in the morning to celebrate our time together. While it has been full of love and laughter, I can't promise that I won't shed a tear or two. Be sure to invite your child to dress in their "Hollywood Best". We will enjoy a breakfast together and begin our awards ceremony around 9:15. You are welcome to take your child home upon the conclusion of our ceremony, or they can finish out the morning at school before their summer officially kicks off. We will dismiss at 11:30 tomorrow. I will hope to see you all in the morning...

RAIN Change!

Of course it decided to rain on the morning of our park morning! Not to worry...we will stay at Sunflower and come up with a plan B. Don't forget to send your kiddo to school with a yearbook, if they have one. See you tomorrow for our Hollywood Ending Celebration!

First Grade FUN day TOMORROW!

Hi families! Don't forget that in celebration of our last FULL day of first grade, we are having our First Grade FUN Day! We will be leaving right after morning announcements to WALK to Winwood Park (in the Genesis Creek Estates/Parma Subdivision) at 8:30. We will return to Sunflower at 10:30 with plenty of time for lunch. Then, in the afternoon we will be having an old-fashioned game day party where your child is invited to bring a favorite board game from home to share with all first graders. We will play AND sign yearbooks, so be sure to send your child to school WITH THEIR YEARBOOK tomorrow, if they purchased one. Don't forget that Friday morning is our big Hollywood Ending Awards Celebration and Breakfast for first grade. Your child should have brought you a fancy invitation yesterday telling you all about it. If you have signed up to bring an item for our breakfast you may send it in with your child or bring it and enjoy breakfast with us! It is getting hard on us as we near the end of our time together. What a wonderful class family this is! It is going to be incredibly difficult to say good-bye to this bunch...they have touched my heart on so many levels. Tomorrow will be a day of fun and happiness before the good-bye arrives...

Mock Second Grade was a HIT! Check it out...

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The end of the year is near...see what we've been up to!

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'Twas the Night (or day) Before the Last Week of School...

Oh my families...are you ready for a wild week????? There is so much going on I want to give you a heads up on some of the big festivities. There are 2 notes coming home tomorrow with more information, but most importantly mark your calendars for FRIDAY MAY 23. Our first graders will be celebrating their "Hollywood Ending" awards celelbration and breakfast. I hope you can join us at 9:15 on Friday morning to see your child "graduate"....Our "Mama-ratzi" and "Papa-ratzi" will be able to take pictures of your star. Your child is invided to dress up for their red-carpet moment on Friday. Be watching for more information to come home tomorrow...Tomorrow our first graders are going to get a chance to experience "Mock SECOND Grade". This time we will be taking the kids down the big kid hall to meet with second grade classrooms and do a second grade activity! It is so hard to believe that this will be the last Sunday post for my first grade families. I wish I could slow time down to spend more time with your amazing children. Let's have a wonderful, last week of this incredible year together!

New Slideshow!!!! Field Day Fun and Mock First Grade!!! Enjoy!

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We Have CHICKS!!!

Happy Monday families! Did your first grader come home and tell you the exciting news???? Our eggs are hatching!!! The kids were able to see one chick emerge from his egg this afternoon. Be sure to ask them about it...they were EXCITED! They have 2 homework assignments for this rainy evening..first, they are bringing home a TIME for kids magazing (photocopy) about animals that hatch from eggs. They are expected to read it aloud to a parent to practice their fluency. Also, your first grader was asked to come up with some ideas for names for our new baby chicks. We are going to take a vote tomorrow...I will let you know the results! Speaking of tomorrow, did your first grader tell you about their exciting day ahead? It is THEIR turn to host Mock First tomorrow for next year's new batch of first graders...this seems almost impossible to me, as I remember these kiddos coming through my classroom last year. We will once again be planting flowers with the kindergartners as they get ready to "BLOOM" next year. This is a big deal for our kids...be sure to get them excited about this leadership role! I will post pictures and let you know how tomorrow goes...have a cozy night!

Field Day TOMORROW

Let the games begin!!! Tomorrow is our annual Sunflower Field Day! Did your first grader give you the reminder note today? Please remember to send your child to school with a sack lunch and drink. They also need to be in a Sunflower shirt (if possible), comfy shoes and have sunscreen on. We will be outside for a large part of the day. Our schedule is packed full of rotations and games. If you would like to join us for a school-wide lunch, we will be meeting on the big playground around 11:30 and you are welcome to join us. Plan on having a very sleepy first grader tomorrow as our day will surely wear us out with tug-o-war, stuck in the mud, dance parties, popcorn relays, water fights...just to name a few. Hopefully your child is sleeping soundly because come tomorrow--the games are ON! See you soon!

Kids LOVE this to learn our sound this week...

"TOMORROW" is one of our have-to-know words this week...we are learning it through this song. Can your first grader belt out the chorus????

End of the Year Upon Us...

Oh dear...I don't know where the days are going. My time with your amazing children is going too quickly. It is already May...only two and a half weeks left. I want it to slow down, as I love your children so! We have been so busy in first grade that I haven't even had time to tell you how wonderful our field trip to the zoo was last week! Thank you to everyone who was able to join us. The kids seemed to have a fantastic time. I walked the zoo taking pictures of all my kids and will post them soon. This week has been so dear with Teacher Appreciation Week...thank you to EVERYONE for making my days even MORE special. The cards, notes, treats and love is more appreciated than you can know. Thank you for sharing your children with me. Here is a recap of what we have been doing in room 111: We have taken full advantage of these nice days (finally) and were able to get dirty and plant our First Grade Flag Flower Gardnen yesterday. If your child came home with dirty hands yesterday it was because we were getting patriotic in our garden. Come on by and check it out! With the end of the year creeping up on us quickly...or rather coming at us full throttle, there are many activities that I don't want you to forget. Here goes: 1. THIS FRIDAY is Field Day!!! I have a meeting after school today to learn the details of the day, but plan on having your first grader wear cool, comfortable clothes, tennis shoes and bring a sack lunch. Plan on them being EXTRA tired on Friday, too. Field Day is BUSY!!! I will post more details once they become avaiable to me after today's meeting. 2. WE NEED LIBRARY BOOKS!!! If you have library books floating around your house, please return them to school asap! Mrs. Preston is giving away free books to all student who get their library books checked in for the year. Our class is one of two classes who still have the MOST books out!! Yikes! 3. If you can believe this, next week our class will host MOCK FIRST GRADE! This is a time when next year's first graders (currently in kindergarten) come to our classroom and do an activity with our first graders. It is a great time for leadership for our kids...be sure to make a big deal about it at home! Our kids are growing up and it is their turn to teach the upcoming first graders the "ropes". Unbelievable. Have a wonderful night together. I will let you know when I learn more about Friday's field day. As always, let me know if you need anything. Thank you again for making this week extra special.

Field Trip Tomorrow!

Hi families! What a crazy week we have had...I can't believe that our field trip is TOMORROW--Friday May 2nd! Where has the time gone. Only 4 Fridays left in first grade...amazing. Your child brought home a reminder note today in their backpack. Please be sure to read over it and talk to your first grader about what they need to have with them in the morning. They will need to wear their Sunflower t-shirt from this year (light blue with the airplane on it!), bring a sack lunch AND an unbreakable drink, wear a jacket (if they wish as the morning may be chilly),and wear comfortable walking shoes. It is always such a fun day! We have been learning so much about different habitats and the animals that live there. This is such a fun way to put our knowledge into action. If you RSVPd to join us tomorrow, your child brought you an additional note with further information you will need. We will leave right after announcements at 8:30-8:40 and will return to school around 2:30. If you are joining us and would like to take your child home directly from the zoo please let the office know. You may also want to swing by school and pick up their mail and backpacks! Let me know if you have any questions about tomorrow. Hopefully your first grader can go to bed a little early tonight to get them rested and geared up for a fun day of zoo-mania! Have a great evening!

Sesame Street: Making Crayons--This goes with our story this week...have your first grader tell you all of the steps that go into making crayons! Enjoy!

Our Barnyard Mooo-sical...Hope you loved it! Enjoy...

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MOOOOsical Tomorrow!!!

It's the night before the first grade musical!!! Did your first grader come home exhausted from their afternoon of rehearsal? The big show is tomoorrow night at Wheatridge Middle School. The show begins at 7pm BUT our first graders will need to arrive by 6:15-6:30 for make up and costumes! A letter went home from Mrs. Neely telliing our characters what they need to wear. Just in case you forgot here is a list of our classmates need to wear tomorrow night: Pigs = Wear pink clothes: Jake, Katie, Emmy, Addy, Bryce and Gavin E. Cute Chicks = Wear yellow or white dresses or skirts and blouses: Presley, Emma, Abigail Sheep = 2 pair of LONG black men's socks: Tyler, Jillian, Troy Goats = Gray sweat pants and sweatshirts: Grace Dogs = Wear brown clothes: Brayden and Landon Cats = Wear Gray, Black or White shirts and pants/short: Gavin M. Barnyard Singers = Girls wear denim skirts and white shirts, Boys wear jeans and any plaid shirt: Avry, Chloe, Addison McC, Addison McG Rooster= Wear RED!: Isaiah Farmers = Wear overalls and a white shirt: Ashton and Chase It's going to be a darling show!! See you there!

GOING GREEN! (Earth Day song for kids about the 3 R's- Reduce, Reuse, an...

Earth Day Celebration TOMORROW!

Hi everybody!! Just a quick reminder to tell you that your first grader has three requests for tomorrow: 1. Please have your child wear blue, green, brown or yellow if possible 2. Please send your child with a sack lunch. They will also be able to purchase a sack lunch from school. Either PB&J or Turkey 3. Have your first grader bring an old book that they no longer want. The Specials Teachers are planning on have a book exchange during specials time. We will still squeeze in our spelling test in the morning, but we have a jam-packed day of art, activities and learning! Stay warm tonight!

Tuesday Check-In

Happy Tuesday everyone!! I hope you are enjoying this sunny day...here are a few things to plan for this week: On Friday, Sunflower will be celebrating Earth Day. We are inviting all students to wear blue, green or brown on Friday to look extra "earthy". We will also be having an all-school picnic lunch (weather permitting) and so we ask that all students bring a sack lunch on Friday. Our cafeteria will also be providing sack lunches for the kids if you prefer to have your child purchase a lunch. They may choose from PB&J or Turkey Subs. We are down to just over a week until our FIRST GRADE MUSICAL!!! Is your child practicing at home? It is sure to be a darling show. We will be practicing a LOT this week and next...Can't wait to have you see it! We wrote math stories with missing addends. Ask your child to retell their original story to you and see if you can solve it. Later this week we will be learning about FRACTIONS!!! I think I see edible math in our future to go with our fraction lessons...Yum! Finally, we are getting closer to our May 2nd field trip to the zoo and I am still missing some permission slips. Please double check that you have sent yours in. It is going to be a super-fun day. Have a great evening.

Sound of the Week...the kids LOVE this! Enjoy!

Friday is here!!!

Happy Friday families! We had a better day today in first grade, although there was a lot of exctiement as we approach our State Testing next week for our third and fourth graders. We had a wild assembly this afternoon with singing and pinatas, so the kids were officially wound up on their way home. They should sleep well tonight! In all of the activity of this afternoon, the kids did not get a chance to pick up their mail, so Friday Home folders will have to come home on Monday. Thank you for understanding. We completed our Science/Art project today. Have your first grader tell you about what they have learned about ocean animals. Next week will be learning about ponds and streams as we approach Earth Day, then it is on to the desert, jungle and savanna. I love or habitat unit!!! If your child has a large amount of paperwork coming home stuffed in their backpack it is because we had a big desk clean out today. The work that your child is bringing home is work they did not finish in class. You may want to choose several pieces to work on at home for extra skill work. Be sure to get out and enjoy the upcoming beautiful weekend. With the weather changing, we have seen some tummy aches and sore throats. Please help your child get plenty of rest as they adjust to their spring schedules so that we can have continued success in our classroom! Thank you so much. Have a great weekend! Looking ahead to next week, here is our Specials rotation: Monday = D Tuesday= A Wednesday= B Thrusday= C Friday= D

Spring Fever?

Hi families! Well the weather must be changing, cause we had a tough day in first grade!!! I need your help...we had a hard time in our classroom today accross the board. We struggled today as a whole with following directions, being kind and respectful and being a good friend. Please talk with your child about their day today. We had lots of tears, arguements among friends and hurt feelings throughout the day. We are going to work harder to earn our zoo trip and show kindness and respect to others. Please continue to help your first grader transition into their spring activities by allowing them with lots of rest. Thank you so much in advance for your continued support. On a lighter note, has your child come home talking about the Zones of the ocean? We are learning about the ocean habitat and have become experts on the 3 zones of the ocean. Ask your child to tell you what they know about the Sunlight Zone, Twilight Zone (ne-ne-ne-ne) and the Midnight Zone (scary!)...next week we are one to a new habitat! In math we have been working hard on figuring out the missing addend in story problems. Tomorrow we are going to try our hand at writing our OWN story problems and seeing if our friends can figure them out. This has been a week of non-fiction stories in our classroom. Have your child tell you about "Amazing Animals". They should be able to tell you some pretty amazing facts about different animals and the features these animals have to help them survive. The kids tried their hand at writing an informative fact book about animals today...be looking for it to come home tomorrow. There are some amazing writers in our classroom!! Get some rest tonight and enjoy your first grader...

Long & Short 'u' - Silhouette Blends (The Electric Company)

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Learning about SOFT G...the kids LOVE this!!! See if your first grader can rap the whole thing!

Happy Monday!

Hi families! Happy Monday to all! I hope you are out and about enjoying this amazing day. We had another great day back in first grade today. Did you go through ALL of your child's mail last Friday? I hope you found your first grader's report card, along with their Spring Picture proofs and Field Trip permission slip. Please be sure to return your child's pictures if you are not interested in purchasing them. Also, mark your calendars for May 2nd--our fabulous field trip to the Kansas City Zoo! I am so excited to wrap up our habitat unit with a fun-filled day at the zoo. Join us if you can! Did you get the wonderful Sign-Up Genious that was sent out for our carnival activity? Thank you to Jackie Lang for putting the sign-up together and helping me learn about Sign-Up Genious! We NEED your help to make our carnival activity a success! Our classroom does a fishing game...we need volunteer to fill time slots as well as donations of prizes. It is an easy, fun way to help our school and our classroom. If you could donate your time or a package or two of snack prizes or toy prizes, we would all be forever grateful. Please be sure to check it out and find a time that works for you. Thank you in advance! Do you remember that the PTO Art Walk is this Thursday April 3? Come on by Sunflower at 7 to be entertained by the 4th grade choir and enjoy some amazing art work that our kids have compiled throughout the year. I hope you find time together tonight to enjoy this weather. As April is upon us, I am excited for the warmer weather and spring excitement, but also realize how my time with this incredible group of first graders is accelerating. Enjoy them tonight. They brighten my days. See you tomorrow!

Happy Tuesday! SO much ahead...

Hello families! I hope you had a wonderful Spring Break together. We jumped right back into the swing of things in room 111 this week. Did your child come home and tell you the exciting news about our newest classmate? Ask your child to tell you about "Gym". It was a very exciting day in our classroom as we welcomed this new little friend. Thank you so much to the Lang family for allowing Gym to come and be part of our school family. Boy oh boy, do we have a busy fourth quarter ahead! Get your calendars and planners out because our first grade events are going to fill the up! Next Thursday April 3rd is our annual Art Walk and choir concert. Your family is invited to come by school and check out all of the art we've worked on throughout the year. Our 4th grade choir will be performing a groovy 60's-themed concert and it will be a great time. Hope to see you! Looking ahead, be sure to make note of the following dates: Thursday April 24 at 7pm at Wheatridge Middle School, our first graders will be performing their first musical together called "E-I-E-I Oops!". Friday April 25th is our annual Sunflower school CARNIVAL! We will need your help!!! An online sign up for help with the carnival is coming. Please, please, please consider donating a half hour of your time on the night of the carnival to our classroom's activity ("Gone Fishing") or if you could donate prizes for our classroom such as snack-sized bags of chips, cookies, crackers, etc. We can also use small toys or other "prizes" for our booth. Remember that the proceeds of our carnival come right back to our classroom, so all of your help directly benefits our kids! Thank you in advance for your help! Be watching for that sign up!!! Do you remember the T-Bones reading log that you received during our fall conferences? If your child participated in the reading log for the T-Bones tickets, I need their pink reading logs back asap! This week we are learning how to tell time to the half-hour. Have your child tell you what "half past" the hour means. Continue to practice with them at home on an analog clock. We are learning about drawing conclusions this week, too. Ask your child to tell you what it means to draw a conclusion...check their understanding of this second grade skill. Have a wonderful evening...one of these days we will see this much-awaited Spring!

Meeting Baby Audrey!

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Check out our Leprechaun Traps!!! I hope we catch one...

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'Twas the Night Before Ms. B came back...

The countdown is ON!! I am returning to my first grade family TOMORROW. Don't forget that our Leprechaun Traps are due tomorrow so that we can set them at the end of the day in hopes of catching one on Thursday! :) Thank you for all of your support and love while I have been out with my sweet Audrey. I am forever grateful. Can't wait to see everyone TOMORROW!!!

No School Monday March 3rd!

It's hard to believe that Spring Break is just 2 weeks away...Mother Nature is really letting us have it on the final stretch of winter! There will be no classes tomorrow, Monday March 3rd due to freezing cold temps. Stay warm and we'll see you Tuesday! Miss B is returning soon....

Don't Forget...Pajama Day TOMORROW!

Happy Wednesday, families! I just got word from Mrs. Godwin that our first graders have filled up another compliment chain and she has given the kids another PAJAMA DAY! Your child is welcome to come to school all toasty warm in their favorite jammies. It looks like winter is going to stick around a while longer (BOO!), so we might as well be cozy while we learn! I hope everyone is well and happy at your house. Have a wonderful night!

Wednesday Check-In

Happy Wednesday, families! I hope you all had a wonderful LONG weekend together. I want to thank each one of you for making the time to come and watch your first grader shine in their conference last week. I hope you got a good snapshot of your child's success and accomplishments thus far in their first grade journey. Thank you so much for taking the time to come and see all of the amazing things they are doing. I wanted to remind you that TOMORROW, February 20th is Spring Picture Day AND Class Pictures! Your child should have brought home an order form last week. The kids will have their individual pictures taken tomorrow morning as well as a class picture. Are you remembering about Jump Rope for Heart? Encourage your child to wear RED this week to show their support of heart health. Finally, remember that this FRIDAY February 21st is our next Movie Night! We will be watching TURBO and would love to have you join us on Friday from 6-9pm. Enjoy these spring-like days together. Hug your first grader for me....I will be back soon.

Update for our short week ahead...

Happy Sunday families! I hope this post finds you enjoying another cozy night together. Mrs. Godwin and I wanted to be sure you were up-to-date on all of the happenings of this week. First, in honor of Jump Rope for Heart we have a week of special DRESS UP DAYS!!! Monday= CAMO Day...wear camouflage clothing Tuesday= HAT Day...wear your favorite hat Wednesday= PAJAMA Day!!! Because of all our unexpected snow days, we are going to continue with Lesson 19 from last week. Your child will be taking their spelling POST test this week and we will try and get caught up from last week's late-winter break. Hopefully, your first grader is mastering those long E words and spelling patterns. Remember that our FIRST GRADE Valentine's Day party will be held this WEDNESDAY morning from 10-11am. I know it is confusing, as all the grade levels are following different schedules. Your child should make a Valentine's Day box or container of some kind at HOME and bring it to school sometime before Wednesday morning. Please remember that Wednesday February 12th is an EARLY RELEASE Day! We will dismiss at 1pm in order to begin Student-Led Conferences! You are welcome to attend the party and take your child home immediately following for lunch, or they are welcome to stay at school for lunch and join the rest of the first graders for a movie. We will not have school on Thursday, Friday OR Monday February 17th due to President's Day. It looks like they are in for another mini-break! Please don't hesitate to ask Mrs. Godwin if you have any questions. You may also shoot me an email if I can help you in anyway. Have a warm, wonderful evening together and get ready for a short and wild week ahead! Happy night!

What a SNOW!

Hi families! WOW! What a winter blast we have had. I hope you have all stayed warm and enjoyed your extra-special snow days together. It looks like the kids will be heading back into their routine tomorrow. I'm sure Mrs. Godwin has lots to do tomorrow to make up for the week of lost learning time. I know she will be anxious to hear about what you did during these snow days! Don't forget that Jump Rope for Heart starts this month. Next week will be another shortened week due to Student-Led conferences. We also have our Valentine's Day party coming up. YIKES! There is a lot going on! Please don't hesitate to ask Mrs. Godwin if you need anything right away...I am trying to settle into a routine with sweet Audrey and loving each moment. I hope you are all healthy and happy. Stay warm tomorrow and have a great Friday!

Baby Watch is ON!!!

Hi families! Just wanted to let you know that the baby countdown is on and I am heading to the hospital tonight! After this afternoon's doctor appointment, my doctor said it was time and is sending me to the hospital tonight. I would appreciate any prayers, as I have a house full of sick kids myself! Thank you for all of your care and love. Please love on your first grader for me and tell them I will be back soon. Don't forget that tomorrow is 100's day and we will be having all sorts of fun activities going on! It is a big deal to be celebrating 100 days of first grade! I am so sorry to miss it! Love to all...we will keep you posted on the Baby Watch....

We painted like the elephants in our story this week. Have your child about this NON-Fiction story about Lucky the elephant and then enjoy the pictures of our first graders giving it a try!

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Mid-Week Check In

Happy Wednesday, first grade families! I hope this post finds you all healthy and warm after a beautiful, spring-like 3-day weekend. We are getting back into our groove this week and I am still here waddling away as we await the arrival of this huge baby! :) The kids have been terrific this week and we have been busy getting back into the routine. Did your first grader come home talking about Raz-Kids? They were off-charts-excited today when they learned about this awesome computer club they are now members of. Your first grader should have come home today with a little ticket with a Raz-kids website and password on it. Raz-Kids is a wonderful, individual reading website with interactive features that encourage kids to listen to reading, read on their own and strengthen their comprehension skills by engaging them in various online quizzes based on how well they have read and listened to different texts. I LOVE this program!!! Our first grade team used money from our AMAZING PTO to purchase memeberships for each first grader to Raz-Kids. Your child is able to work on their personal library at home with the help of the ticket I sent with them today (including the website and teacher name login). They spent the end of their day learning how the site works and how they have their own personalized reading library where they can earn "Star Bucks" to "buy" things for the Raz-Rocket and Raz-Robot. They were PSYCHED when it was time to go home! Have them tell you about it tonight at dinner. I have not been able to provide this to my students in several years, due to funding. I am so grateful to ALL of you wonderful parents and PTO members for working so hard to provide our kids with the funds to purchase this terrific and motivating program. I love that it is individualized, based on your child's reading strengths and that they are able to move at their own pace. Please let me know if you have any questions about this exciting option for reading. It is also important for you to know that your child's membership is good for one full YEAR, which means during the summer and into next fall they can keep working to improve their reading skills and build their rockets up even more! Today in math we learned about the number-hungry Mr. Munch...otherwise know as "greater than/less than". Have your child tell you what they learned today about Mr. Munch. Give them extra practice by providing two different numbers and ask them to draw which one Mr. Munch would eat: 37 < 45. Or 89 > 22. Can they "read" the math sentence using the big-kids words "greater than" or "less than"? On a baby-watch note, I wanted to let you all know that our baby could make her big debut at any moment. At last check my doctor said anytime in the next 7-10 days...that sounds like a looooong time to me right now! My wonderful substitute, Mrs. Godwin, has been checking in on us this week and making herself a frequent guest in anticipation for my short time away. I have talked to the kids about being gone for a little bit...although many of them were confused why I wouldn't come back the day after the baby was here! :) I will keep you posted via the blog as to when we welcome this newest blessing. Thank you to all of your for your well-wishes, check-ins, love and support. You have no idea how much it helps me. I am so blessed to know you all! Let me know if you need anything. Stay warm tonight...it's going to get COLD!!!!

Pajama Day FRIDAY!

We've done it again! Our amazing first graders have filled up another class compliment chain and in celebration, we will have another Pajamma Day tomorrow--January 17. Your child is invited to wear their comfy, cozy jammies, bring a blanket and favorite stuffed animal. We will kick back and work in our jammies tomorrow and maybe have a little treat at the end of the day. Don't forget our spelling test tomorrow, too! Book orders went home last Friday in our Home Folders and they are due back tomorrow, if you are intersted. Remember the coupon for a free book if you spend $10! Have a super night!

The Lion and the Mouse--this is our read aloud fable for the week. Ask your child to tell you the message in the story!

Tuesday Check-In

Happy Tuesday families! I hope you are having a wonderful start to the week. I just wanted to let you know about two papers that came home today. First, tonight is our PTO Chuck E. Cheese night! Your child is bringing home a letter and coupon for 10 free tokens to use at tonight's event. Chuck E. Cheese even made a surprise appearance in our classroom this afternoon! WOW! I also wanted to let you know that your first grader is bringing home a letter and flyer home tonight to support our classmate, Tyler. The kids and I had a class family meeting this afternoon and talked about the book and toy drive that our classroom will be participating in. Please be sure check your child's backpack and talk with them about this project. Your child also learned about a new online math game to help them polish up on their double facts! Be sure to check the sidebar on this blog under "Math Games" and have your first grader show you how to play "Monkey Drive"! They LOVED it! Have a wonderful evening together!

What a GREAT start to 2014!

Happy Friday families! We had a wonderful week back in action in first grade. The kids came back ready to learn and excited to share stories of their Winter Break Adventures. I am thrilled to see all 25 of my kiddos again. It sounds like a good time was had by all this holiday season. We didn't waste any time getting back into action! The kids were ready to kick it and work hard. We did lots of writing this week-reflecting on our break, inventing our own secret hideout and describing it, writing a rhyming poem about cardinal birds AND writing about our own resolutions for 2014! In math we are working hard to learn, understand and MEMORIZE our double facts. Extra practice at home will help your child become more fluent in this department. Knowing our double facts will help us farther down the road as our math facts grow increasingly more challenging. Have your child tell you about their double stamping book they worked on today. Next week we are moving on to learning about MATTER, two-digit numbers, the Bossy R, and Greater Than/Less Than. Enjoy the projected nice-weather weekend! Let me know if you need anything...we are in the final stretch of our Baby Watch...stay tuned! Specials for next week: Monday=A Tuesday= B Wednesday= C Thursday= D Friday= A

Doubles! Doubles! (I Can Add Doubles) song--We started working on our doubles! Sing along at home to help your child out!

Between the Lions: Blending Bowl...We watched this today! What other /wh/ words can your first grader think of?

Snow Day TOMORROW!

Hi families! I was so excited to see my first graders tomorrow, but Mother Nature did not cooperate and we will NOT be having school tomorrow MONDAY JANUARY 6th. I will have to wait until Tuesday to see your sweet kiddos and hear all about their Winter Break adventures. I hope you all had a healthy, happy break together. We are still awaiting the arrival of Baby #6...so if all goes as expected, I will be there with bells on to greet my friends on Tuesday morning. We will jump right back into our first grade routine on Tuesday, so please help your child transition as easily as possible by ensuring they get plenty of sleep and get back into a schedule. I can't wait to see them on Tuesday! Enjoy ONE more day of vacation together! Happy New Year!

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