Holiday Fun 2015! Have a WONDERFUL break!

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POLAR EXPRESS DAY TOMORROW (Thursday!)

Just a friendly reminder that tomorrow DECEMBER 17 is our annual Polar Express Day at Sunflower. Please remember to bring a clean, wrapped mug to GIVE AWAY in our mug exchange and remember that you can wear jammies and bring a pillow and blanket to cuddle up in for a day about this magical holiday story.

Quick Check...

Tuesday: Math MAP test (check) Thursday: Polar Express Day-wear pajamas and bring a pillow or blanket. Friday: Grinch Day-wear green, Grinch activities from 10-11, Holiday party 12:30-1, Grinch Movie 1-1:30, All School Sing-a-long 2:45

Holiday Gift Shop is TOMORROW

Happy Tuesday! Just a reminder that tomorrow Wednesday December 16 is our class's turn to visit the PTO Holiday Gift Shop! An envelope went home last Friday for you to make a shopping list of people to buy for and to enclose your money in so that your first grader has a chance to purchase a gift on their own for someone they love. If you are interested in having your child participate, please be sure to send their money with them tomorrow. Our kids will shop during their specials time in the Library. Be looking for a quick sign-up genius coming your way to help with supplies needed for Thursday's Polar Express Day and Friday's Grinch Day and Class Party. We are cramming lots of work into these first 3 days of the week in order to make way for Holiday fun and memory making toward week's end. Please be sure your child gets plenty of rest during this crazy week before break to keep them healthy and in happy spirits. Let me know if you have any questions or if I can help you in any way!

Looking Ahead to NEXT WEEK...

Let the hustle and bustle BEGIN! Next week is FULL of fun, merry making and memories galore. Here is a quick list with more information coming home in Friday folders tomorrow about all of the pre-holiday festivities: Tuesday December 15th: MAPS Math Test Thursday December 17th: All-School POLAR EXPRESS DAY! The children are invited to wear their jammies to school and bring a mug to exchange at our mug trade. There will be crafts, hot chocolate bar, movie and FUN. Thursday December 17th: Holiday Gift Shop! The children will have an opportunity to shop for items ranging from $1-$7 for family members for the holidays. Envelopes will be coming home in this week's Friday folders for their money and shopping list to be completed beforehand. Friday December 18th: GRINCH DAY! First graders are invited to dress in green. We will have all first grade classrooms open from 10-11 for various "Grinchy" activities and crafts. Holiday party is from 12:30-1 and we will be watching the Grinch cartoon from 1-1:30. Finally, our traditional all-school sing-a-long will be held at 2;45 in the commons for any and all who wish to join us. Please be sure to look through your child's backpack on Friday and find all of the information for next week's activities. It is such a WONDERFUL time to be a first grader!

We are learning GREATER than and LESS than...Check this out!

Tune in Tuesday...

Hi families! I hope this post finds everyone happy and healthy as we are on the countdown to Winter Break with SO much happening in the next 8 days...I have had trouble with uploading new posts to the blog, so I apologize for the delay in updates...Hopefully, the glitch is fixed and we are back on track. There is SO much happening...Let me start with the exciting stuff: We have begun our economics unit and the kids are working hard to earn "money" by completing tasks and expectations at their job as a student. Your first grader may have wanted to be "early" for school (which translates ON TIME!) so that they can get paid. Our kids are earning (and saving) up their "money" this week for a special Movie Theater activity we will be having in class on Friday. Your child will be saving up this week to purchase their "ticket" to the movie, snacks, drinks, among other choices to make their experience fun! This is a wonderful lesson in economics because the kids will be required to make decisions based on the amount of money their have. They will not be able to afford all of the options available to them, so they will need to make decisions based on their wants and their budget. The kids also know that they will be "charged" for certain choices too and have to "pay" for not-so-good choices (example: incomplete work, no homework turned in, not following the directions, etc.) Please talk to your child about what they have done to earn money and encourage them to share if they have lost any of their money, as well. The kids are very excited about this and are working hard to earn lots of money to spend on their Fun Friday. It is assessment week this week! We are spending lots of time testing and showing off our first grade knowledge this week. That being said, this THURSDAY our kids will be taking their winter MAPS test. We will begin the test at 8:30 and it is very important that the kids are here on time. Also, please be sure your child is going to bed at a reasonable time and fuel their bodies with a good breakfast in the morning so that they are ready to rock their test on Thursday! Looking ahead: Next week is our last week together before Winter Break and it is a BUSY one! Our all-school Polar Express Day is Thursday the 17th and Grinch Day is Friday the 18th, along with our traditional all-school sing-a-long. There will be more to come on these two fun-filled, memory-making days but I wanted to give you a heads up! Please be sure you are finding time to read with your child each night, amidst all of the busyness of the season. It is so important for their continued growth as a reader to have the exposure to text each day! Also, we are working hard at learning our doubles facts in math. Please help your child deepen their automaticity with the doubles facts by practicing daily! Thank you so much for your support. Enjoy this beautiful after together!

We are working hard to memorize our DOUBLE facts! This will help at home!

We are learning PLACE VALUE! Sing along...

Word Problems Subtraction First Grade - 1st Grade Math Video--Here is another one with SUBTRACTION. Can your first grader solve the problem and use math talk to explain their answer?

Addition First Grade - Word Problems for Kids Math Video--This is what we have been working on in math! Can your first grader solve the problems?

We are growing beans and are baby bean parents!!! Check out this Lima Bean Time Lapse

We became BEAN BABY parents today! Ask your child to tell your about their OBERVATIONS (that was a new word we learned!)--Growing Beans HD Timelapse

Classic Sesame Street - Betty Lou: Beginning, Middle and End...We tried our first STICKER STORY today! Ask your child to tell you about their story. What happened in the beginning, middle and end?

'th' - Shock Matrix (The Electric Company)

That's How A Pumpkin Grows - Brian Vogan

We are learning about UNKNOWN partners in Math! Have your child talk you through this learning video!

Betty Lou's Bakery Night TONIGHT

I just realized that I forgot to send home a reminder that said tonight is Sunflower night at Betty Lou's Bakery here in Gardner. If you want to go out for a special treat tonight, please be sure that you mention you are from Sunflower and our school will get a portions of the proceeds gifted back to us for the benefit of our students. Thanks so much!

Basket Auction HELP!

Happy Tuesday families! As of today, we have gotten ZERO donations for our classroom basket for the upcoming auction on November 6th. If you know of anyone who would be willing or able to donate a give card of some sort to our "Giving Tree" basket, our kids would appreciate it! Our classrooms directly benefit from all of the proceeds made at this amazing fundraiser. We can't make it happen without you! Thank you so much for putting your feelers out or donating something to our cause. It can be anything sort of gift card. Thank you so much for your support!

Reminder!

Don't forget that TODAY is an early release day!! Our kids dismiss at 1pm...Have a wonderful fall break!! I am anxious to see you next week at conferences!! Happy Friday!

Sesame Street - Words that rhyme with "ball"--Our sound of the week!

Today's Field Trip in Pictures. Enjoy!

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Happy Monday!

Here is to our last week of September! Happy Monday everyone! I am not sure how the end of September snuck up on me, but it certainly did. Wow. Did you see your child's mail from last Friday? We have a FIELD TRIP THIS THRUSDAY OCTOBER 1! I felt like October was SO far away, and here we are with it right at our heels. Permission slips to our fall field trip went home last Friday and we need them back asap. We leave first thing Thursday morning and will return to school around 1:30. Your child will need to wear their new gray Sunflower t-shirt from our Constitution Day celebration and bring a SACK LUNCH. I am so sorry that we just got the forms back to send home...no one can believe how quickly time has gone. We are going to the butterfly pavilion and pumpkin patch to learn more about butterfly lifecycles and springboard into our second quarter science standard of learning about plant lifecycles. It is supposed to be a beautiful day to be outside and we are excited! Thank you so much for your quick return of the slip and payment. Conference time request forms also came home last Friday. Please try to return your preference times asap. I am trying to accommodate everyone's schedule and am anxious to talk with each of you about the amazing things your child is doing in first grade thus far! Let me know if you have any questions...Don't forget your field trip form!!! Thanks so much!

Beginning Middle and End (Classic Sesame Street)

Sesame Street - "Six Kids Subtraction"

Sesame Street - Kermit tries to talk about subtraction

City Hall Field Trip TOMORROW!

Happy Thursday families! Just a quick reminder after this whirlwind week that tomorrow Friday September 25 is our WALKING field trip to City Hall. A second reminder note is coming home in your child's backpack tonight. If possible, please have your first grader wear their new Sunflower t-shirt. Since we will be walking to City Hall on Main Street, comfortable walking shoes are a necessity. We will leave the building at 8:35 and be back at school in time for lunch. If all goes according to plan, we will get to meet our Mayor (Mr. Morrow). I have asked the kids to have some "thinking" homework tonight. Talk to your child about an idea they have for what Gardner needs. Some ideas we came up with this afternoon were: A splash park, Pet Store, Movie Theater, and my favorite-a Dairy Queen. We have learned a lot about leaders, responsibility and rules and we are taking our knowledge to the next level to see these same concepts in action in the real world. It will be an extra "Fun Friday". Also, tomorrow night is our Sunflower Movie Night. We are showing a classic: Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Doors open at 6pm and the cost is $10 per child or $15 per family. Hope to see you there. Has your child come home talking about the "Sinister Subtractor?" We have spent our week learning the concept the minus...Check your child's understanding to see if they can explain subtraction to you using their "math talk". I will upload a few videos to help them along, if needed...otherwise, it can be for pure entertainment. Have a great evening. Stay healthy and rested. Let me know if you have any questions!

Learning Celebration TOMORROW!

We made it through Thursday! Did your child come home and show you their RED folder? I had many friends who were ready to read already today and move on to a new book. I wanted to let you all know that TOMORROW is our annual LEARNING CELEBRATION. It will be a very off-the-wall day as we celebrate and focus on our awesome country and Constitution. Your child will be getting their NEW Sunflower T-Shirt tomorrow when they come to school (shhh, it's a surprise!) and we will all be wearing our shirts together to celebrate our day. Please make sure your firstie comes in shorts, pants or a skirt so that they can put on their new shirt when they arrive. The shirts they receive tomorrow are given to us by our AMAMZING PTO and we will be wearing them throughout the year on field trips and for other events, so keep it handy! Thank you PTO! We have been talking about the significance of the equal sign in math this week. Ask your child to tell you what "equal" means. Quiz their understanding by asking them if equations such as 9+1 = 8+2 are equal or NOT equal. (Hint: they will have to dive a little deeper into the equation to find out...we have worked on this all week...heavy stuff!) Has your first grader come home talking about the stinky /I/? Don't forget that we will still squeeze in a spelling test tomorrow, so be sure to practice those words tonight! Finally, has your kiddo talked to you about R-E-S-P-E-C-T? We have been focusing on character traits this week and the past two days have spent lots of time on respect. Ask them to tell you about the 3 ways to show respect. Then, encourage them to practice these ways at home! Have a great evening!

Sesame Street: Learning RESPECT with Elmo and the Big Bad Wolf!

Midweek Check-In...

We made it through our Wednesday! The kids did an amazing job with our safety drills today. Be sure to talk to your child about today's events and have them tell you what they learned. We learned about being TRUSTWORTHY and also learned about R-E-S-P-E-C-T. Have your child tell you about these two very important character traits. Check their understanding to see if they can give you an example of each trait. Did your child tell you that they have FINALLY brought home their R.E.D. folder??? Yippee! R.E.D. ("Read Every Day") folders are finally making their appearance in tonight's backpack. These are the daily reading folders that were discussed at Parent Involvement night. Thank you so much for your patience while I have been working at individually reading and working with each kiddo to get them started in the right place for them. Remember, when your child feels confident with their book and are ready to read it at school, send it back and they will read it with an adult here at school. Once they read it with fluency they will earn a sticker on the story and get a new book to take home. These RED folders will be used and checked all year. Thank you for setting aside a few minutes each night to listen to your child read and strengthen their developing decoding and fluency skills! Finally, DON'T FORGET! Tomorrow (Thursday) is PICTURE DAY! Be sure to have your child bring their best smile to school and if you would like to order pictures, please return the slips that were sent home last week. Thank you so much for your amazing kids! Enjoy your night together.

Quick Mid Week Check In!

Happy Wednesday morning everyone! I wanted to give you a quick reminder of several things that are happening today and tomorrow. All week we have been focusing on SAFETY! We have been doing great at practicing our fire drill, severe weather drill and this morning we will be practicing our intruder drill. I know this can be a little unsettling for us as parents. I promise you that I will make this morning's drill as peaceful and un-nerving as I can. You may want to follow up with your child today after school and ask them about today's drill. I am also going to use a some instruction time today to review stranger danger, as we have reviewed fire safety and severe weather safety tips this week as well. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to call me after school or email me this afternoon. On another note, don't forget that TOMORROW is PICTURE DAY! An order form went home last week, but if you need another one drop me an email and I will see if I can round some more up from the office and get them sent home today! Have a great day! See you soon!

Learning our 10-Teams!

Happy Friday!

What a WONDERFUL week we had in room 111! Thank you so much to everyone for sending in a delicious snack to help us celebrate our ABC party. Our potluck party was a HIT. Thank you for making it so special for our kids. Don't forget to check your child's Friday folder tonight and help them complete and return their Math Homework. You will also find their FIRST spelling test and second math quiz inside. Please be sure to ask them how they have filled someone's bucket this week. I have to tell you, this is a PRECIOUS group of first graders. I love them so much, already. Enjoy your 3-day weekend. Be safe and be happy. See you back on Tuesday, ready to learn!

Color Your World With Kindness--A great video to show how filling someone's bucket makes all the difference! The kids loved it!

We learned about PLURAL today! Ask your kids to tell you about what it means...this video might help them remember!

How Full Is Your Bucket? For Kids

Wednesday Check-In...

Happy MID-WEEK families! Just checking to be sure you have had time to go through last Friday's mail. Did you find our ABC potluck note? It came home last week on yellow paper. This Friday, we are planning on having an ABC celebration and I have asked each student to help by bringing in a snack or food item that begins with the first letter of their first name to share with the class. For example: BETSY would bring butterfingers, Addy could bring Apple slices...Hudson could bring Hershey's kisses, etc. We are going to have a class alphabet celebration on Friday...I just wanted to make sure that each of you saw the note and left yourself time to grab something for your child before Friday. They do not know about the party yet...it will be a surprise, but I will tell them about it tomorrow. Also, fundraiser packets are due to come back to school tomorrow. Please try to remember to send your packet back asap. Have you been practicing your first set of spelling words this week? Our FIRST test is on Friday. It was brought to my attention that the spelling contract I sent home on Monday did not match the original words posted. Oops. I am so sorry for the miscommunication. Our words this week are: a, at, cat, tap, map, man, ran, can, the am. They will do great! Thank you for all the support at home. Has your first grader come home talking about being a bucket filler? Ask them what it means to fill someone's bucket. Today we did an activity where we filled other people's buckets and while we did that, our buckets were filled too. Invite your child to tell you about this activity. I loved it! Has your child talked to you about math "PARTNERS" and math "SWITCH PARTNERS" or the ole' switcheroo? Your first grader has 2 vocabulary cards they have created in their backpack and they have been asked to explain what the terms "partners" and "switch Partners" mean in our math talk context. Please allow your child to become the teacher and let them teach you about these key math conceptual terms. Language is HUGE in first grade math...thank you for helping your child find success and master these necessary foundation skills. Have a great night! Get ready for a 3-day weekend...No school next Monday. Don't forget your POTLUCK snack to share on Friday!

ALLIGATORS ALL AROUND--Another First Grade Favorite...Sing Along!

We LOVE being UNIQUE!

Happy Friday!

Can you believe this is the last Friday in August? What a whirlwind it has been! We are off and rolling. You will find your child's first math homework page in their Friday folder coming home today. Please set aside 5-10 minutes to sit down and have them explain to you about "five crows in a row" or "five groups". We have worked hard at learning about the word "partners" in math. Check your child's understanding to see if they can explain in their words what partner are. (Hint: Partners are the 2 smaller numbers that, when added together, make the BIG GUY TOTAL!) Have your first grader tell you about food math today and making math mountains out of licorice and cereal for our "tiny tumblers"...I am also sending home their first math "Quick Quiz" from this afternoon. This, along with the homework, will help you see how your child is grasping this essential mathematical concept of seeing "partners" within larger numbers. The math homework is due by next Friday. You will also find a "Homework Helper" for Lesson 1. Next week we are off to the races with our reading curriculum and begin official spelling words, sound studies, vocabulary, and we even get our FIRST text book! We are in the big time now! The "Homework Helper" is intended as a communication tool for you to know and study your child's spelling and vocabulary words with them throughout the week to improve their reading and comprehension skills. There is no official "assignment" to coincide with the homework helper. It is only meant to "help"! You will also find in today's Friday folder our first book order of the year. If you are interested in ordering, please return your orders next week. All orders placed directly benefit our kids in room 111, so thank you so much in advance! Finally, you will find a yellow "ABC Potluck" note coming home. Next week on Friday we will be having an ABC celebration. Each child is invited to bring in a food item that begins with first letter of their first name. We have diligently been reviewing the letters and sounds and next week, right before the long weekend, we are going to celebrate with a Potluck Party. I wanted you to have the weekend to pick something up for your child, if you needed to! I will send a reminder later next week.... Has your child talked to your about their new fancy word, "UNIQUE"? We have learned about some very unique people here at Sunflower and we have learned that being unique is COOL. Invite your child to tell you about our visit from Mr. King, our visit to Mr. King's room AND our special visit from one of Ms. B's alums, Eithan K. There were some great examples of the awesomeness of being one of a kind...being, UNIQUE! Did your first grader tell you about their new fourth grade buddy? We spent our morning making new friends in Mrs. King's fourth grade class. We played a game called "Commonalities" and got to enjoy a little bonus recess with our new buddy. We will do lots of activities together throughout the year and the kids seemed to enjoy getting to know a new friend from the big kid hall. Please be sure to keep your child well-rested over the weekend. With each week, we work a little harder and they will need their STAMINA! Have a wonderful weekend together!

Happy Monday!

Welcome back to another wonderful week in first grade! I had some sleepy friends this morning! Mondays are always hard on our babies this early in the year. I know it will probably be an early bedtime tonight...for me, at least! We jumped into our Monday writing in our very FIRST journal of the year. Today's topic was their prediction of what they thought first grade was going to be like...Invite your first grader to tell you about what they wrote? What do they think about school so far? (Hint: we discourage the "B" word..."boring" YIKES!!!) Has your first grader been using or teaching you our new sign language signs that we use in class? So far we have learned over 10 signs and use them together daily. Ask your child to show you some of these signs so that they can talk to you without making any noise or interrupting! Awesome! We have spent the past week talking about how we can be a good friend and today we finished the last piece of our "Helping Hands" paper quilt with our friendship pledge on the back. As soon as I get the "quilt" assembled, I will post a picture. It will be awesome! We have some amazing friends in our classroom. This is a very special group of firsties! Please remember that you are welcome to send in an afternoon snack in with your child each day. Thank you so much to the families who have sent in extra snacks for friends who do not something. Your kindness and generosity is appreciated more than you know. How is that fundraising going? Please remember to continue selling, if you so choose. There is another incentive ticket due by this Friday to check on how many you have sold. The proceeds from this fundraiser fund our amazing PTO for the entire year and our PTO does incredible things for our kids. Thank you so much for your support. Did you child tell you about our visit from our new SRO officer today? We had a guest reader from the community come and read to us. Officer Robinson came on her birthday to read us a story and talk about her responsibilities as a Gardner Police officer. Invite your child to tell you something she shared or showed us today. I hope you find time this evening to enjoy the beautiful weather and the company of your family. Stay safe and healthy and I will be waiting for your sweet first grader bright and early in the morning!

Parents Who Were Unable to Attend Parent Night: Here is my Presentation...Hope it Helps!

Crazy Assembly Day!

Happy hump day families! We made it to midweek! Is your first grader exhausted? We are working hard at getting back into the swing of school and I see some sleepy faces in the afternoon. Please help your child find their greatest success at school by helping them stick to a good nightly routine that allows for plenty of sleep. Thank you SO much to all of my families who found the time to come to Parent Information Night last night. I had an awesome turnout and can't thank you enough for your time. For those of you who were unable to come, I wanted to let you know that starting this week we will begin an optional "working snack" time at 2:30. Your child is welcome to bring a small, healthy snack from home to get them through the last part of our day. We have a peanut allergy in our class family this year, so respect to my friend by not sending in peanut products is appreciated. A "working snack" will be a snack that the children can enjoy while we continue to work. There is not a designated time allotted just for snacks. Additionally, it is individual so you need only send in a snack for your own child. If you would like to donate additional snacks for children who may not bring in a snack, we would greatly appreciate it, but it is not necessary. Thank you so much for your understanding and support. For my parents who were in attendance last night at our meeting, our working snack was suppose to debut today but we had a CRAZY assembly that went WAY too long and we barely got back in time to go home. We will try out working snack TOMORROW!!! Finally, along those lines, your child is bringing home our annual Fundraising packet from that crazy assembly this afternoon. There is an opportunity to sell several different items and the money earned from this fundraiser is our MAJOR money maker for our amazing PTO which does so many incredible things for our kiddos. Thank you so much for your support. The information is included in the packet, but please let me know if you have any questions. I hope you have a wonderful Wednesday. Be sure to ask your child about their day. Maybe you could have them tell you if they remember what "5 crows in a row" are from math? Or have them tell you about our story of Chrysanthemum today. In writing today, we wrote about the kids in our class. Ask your first grader if they remember how many girls we have in our class family? Boys? Invite them to share with you which friend they chose to write and draw about. These prompts may help you have some good conversation at dinner tonight! Remember: bed early!! See you soon!

Parent Information Night TONIGHT!

Happy Tuesday, families! Just a quick reminder that we will be having a QUICK First Grade Parent Information night tonight from 5:30-6:00 in our classroom (111) to talk about the nuts and bolts of first grade. Please join us for a quick information session and an opportunity to ask questions. Childcare will be provided! See you tonight!

Two days under our belt!!!!

Happy Friday families!  WOW!  What a wonderful 2 days we have had to kick off our first grade year together.  I hope your new first grader is full of stories and excitement with a side of exhaustion.  Did your child come home telling you about their first HOMEWORK assignment?  Yes indeed, we have homework over the weekend.  Please help your child fill their "Me Bag" with 5 items that describe them.  We will share our Me Bags over the course of the next  few weeks as an way to get to know each other better.  Thank you for helping your child begin working on their responsibility and encouraging them to return their bag as soon as possible.  Also, please mark your calendars for next Tuesday August 18!  We will be have a QUICK Parent Night so that I can provide you with some of the nuts and bolts of first grade.  Thank you so much for making every effort to attend.  It is a great opportunity to ask any questions and get clarity before the year takes off on us.  Starting on Monday, we will begin our new Specials rotation.  Monday will be an "A" day and we will go to Music and PE your child will be expected to have safe running shoes for PE class.  Tuesday will be "B" days and we will visit Library and Computer.  Wednesday are "C" days and we are back to Music and PE, Thursday are "D" days with another visit to Library and Computer and Friday will be reserved for our new "EAGLE" day where we have a special Specials!  Enjoy your weekend together and please remember how important a schedule is for your child now that school has started.  I look forward to visiting with you next week!

"Twas the Night Before First Grade..."

'Twas the night before first grade and all through the school, we had new, smiling faces in our building (which is oh, so cool).  They met their new teacher, they put their things away and they 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!  She looked at the clock and said, "Time for bed!  There is so much fun in the days ahead!"

Thank you to EVERYONE for coming to Meet the Teacher night tonight!  Our class had 100% of our new friends arrive.  It was so much fun to meet your sweet kiddos tonight.  I know it is a mix of emotions as we begin something new.  First grade is where the magic happens!  Up, up and away we go...time to BLOOM!

Don't forget that tomorrow is just a half day and we release at 11:25.  We will not be having lunch.  Please let me know if your child's transportation plans will differ than their normal dismissal transportation.  Thank you, again, for coming tonight.  What an awesome way to begin our year together.  See you tomorrow!  Sweet dreams!

Mock First Grade

Also, with all of the chaos of the field trip Plan B, I forgot to tell you that today your child hosted the Kinders to get them EXCITED for first grade.  Be sure you have your child tell you about Mock First Grade and what they did with their kindergarten friends.  We had extra flowers so if you child chose to, they brought one home for themselves.  Thank you to my alum parent, Mr. Bojanski, for his generous donation of awesome first grade BLOOMS.  Be sure to have your first grader tell you about their favorite parts of this experience tonight as the rain rolls in.  Six days and counting....YIKES!

Field Trip TOMORROW

Happy field trip eve everyone!!!  I hope you have gotten my note and emails about the change in plans for tomorrow's trip.  Mother Nature has struck again and in order to make sure our kids get their field trip before year's end, we had to resort to Plan B.  Instead of the Zoo tomorrow we will be going to the Great Mall of the Great Plains and watching HOME (rated PG) at 9:30 am.  We will eat our sack lunches in the food court and then go to play Cosmic Golf at 12:00.  We will return to school shortly after 2:00.  Thank you for your understanding as we tried to put together a last minute day of fun for our kids who have worked so hard.  Please let me know if you plan on joining us.  Thank you so much. 

Field Day Update...

It looks like our annual field day will be held completely indoors today, due to the rain.  BUMMER!  It is going to be a great time.  Just want to keep you updated that we will be having an ALL-SCHOOL indoor picnic and our lunch time WILL BE MOVED TO 12:00!  Plan on having a worn out firstie tonight.  Field day is awesome.  Pictures to come....

Kid President's 20 Things We Should Say More Often

We Have Chickens!

Have you heard the exciting news????  We have two baby chicks!  Today at 12:09pm we watched our second chick come out of his shell.  It took all morning, but it was awesome for us to watch our newest classmate work his way out of his shell.  Be sure to ask your child about this exciting event and have them tell you details about what happened.  It was so special.  We "peeped" "Happy Birthday" when he finally got his head out of his shell.  I hoped your child loved the experience.  This was the first time we were able to watch it happen LIVE. 
Can you believe that we are saying goodbye to April?  The countdown is on!  The next few weeks are going to be jam-packed with activities and excitement.  Hold on to your hats..it's going to be a wild end-of-the-year ride! 

"Bugz" in Pictures...

Here is a link to ALL of last night's "Bugz" show. Enjoy!

What a Week!

WOW! What a wild and crazy week...and IT'S STILL NOT OVER! Don't forget that tonight is our School Carnival. Even if you did not preorder tickets, you can buy them at the door and have a fun-filled evening of face painting, lollipop trees, bean bag tosses and LOTS more! Thank you to all who helped get our Cast-A-Way room ready for action. Did you LOVE our show last night??? I have 19 VERY tired kids today after such a spectacular production last night in "BUGZ". I am so proud of our kids for all of the time, hard work and PRACTICE they dedicated to making last night so awesome. Please find an extra minute or two to celebrate your child and love on them for being amazing. We had a day of fun and celebrating a job well done. Have your child tell you about some of the special activities we had today. Please help your child find their routine again and rest up. Next week, we are back to our "normal" routine. We will begin our MAPS testing and need kids rested and ready to show what they KNOW! Remember, Monday the children do NOT have school. I repeat: NO SCHOOL MONDAY APRIL 27. We will see your first grader on Tuesday ready to rock the last 4 weeks of first grade. YIKES! Have a great weekend! Hope to see many of you this evening!

Shock and P-Star - "ie" Music Video (The Electric Company)

Box Tops Show-Down!

Hi families! Take a look at an email I just received from our PTO...Our class is in the running for the grand prize! KEEP THOSE BOX TOPS COMING. We have until the 1st...GO, GO, GO! Email Reads: We are coming down to the wire to see which class will be the TOP class to turn in the most box tops for the school year! Friday, May 1st will be the last collection day for the school year. On Monday, May 11th, the PTO will be hosting an ice cream social for the TOP class!! As of yesterday, here are the current totals per classroom: King, T - 1568 Scott - 1439 Beverage - 1119 Droge/Lane - 1020 O’Toole - 983 Herbert - 813 Claycamp - 711 Anderson - 681 Skillman - 680 Hanson - 546 Remember to put your box tops in a baggie with the teacher's name written on it, and deposit into the collection box outside the library doors!

Friday Wrap-Up

Happy Friday, families. We had a jam-packed day of Earth day activities and musical practice. You first grader should be exhausted today. Have your child tell you about the 3 R's we learned about today. We spent the morning reading and watching The Lorax. Have your child tell you the plot of this earth-friendly tale. This week, we have also been talking about character, setting and plot. We made the character of the Lorax, we are working on creating the awesome setting. Stay tuned to see how they turn out. Are you ready for a week of madness next week? We will be sending a note home early next week to help you stay on top of ALL of the activities we have ahead. It is going to be essential that your child gets LOTS of rest in order to be successful with next week's action. Tuesday we will be traveling to Moonlight Elementary to visit our pen pals and spend the morning doing various activities with them. We will return by lunch. Wednesday and Thursday we will spend the afternoon at Wheatridge Middle school in rehearsal for our big show next Thursday. Thursday April 23 is our MUSICAL! The kids will need to arrive between 6-6:30 for make up. The show starts at 7. More information will come home next week. Then, Friday is our CARNIVAL! We are still in need of helpers and donations (small bags of goldfish crackers or small gently used toys/stuffed animals. Thank you so much for your help in advance. We are going to be wiped out by the end of next week, but it will be LOTS of busy fun! Some of my performers brought home their costume pieces today. Others will be sent next week. PLEASE take very good care of your pieces. They will be returned after the show next week. If you have any questions about what your child is supposed to wear for the musical, please let Mrs. Neeley or myself know. Have a wonderful weekend together. Get some rest and be ready for our CRAZY, BUSY week next week!

'-ight' - Shock Karate (The Electric Company)

April Fooling Around...

Well, we made it through April Fools Day in first grade. I. Am. Exhausted. If one more spider crawled up behind me today I may have developed arachnophobia. I am sending home a blue note today to invite your child to wear blue in celebration of World Autism Day tomorrow, April 2nd. I am getting lots of field trip permission slips back! Keep them coming! Thanks so much for your promptness in returning the slips asap. We need to book this field trip early, as it is a very busy time to be at the KC Zoo in May and we have to reserve a spot. Remember that the Art Walk is tomorrow night. You are welcome to by our room and admire some of our beautiful pieces of art that we have been working on. Enjoy this beautiful night and please help your child find continued success in these last few months by ensuring they are getting plenty of rest and staying on a reliable schedule!

Long & Short 'u' - Silhouette Blends (The Electric Company)--SOUND OF THE WEEK!

Friday Wrap

We got back into our routine after our Spring Break this week. Our stamina was challenged a bit this week, but we managed! You will most likely have a very sleepy first grader tonight. Our word of the week has been routine and trying to get back into our end of the year routine. Somehow, we have made it to the fourth quarter of our year together. It is so very important to keep our kids on a good routine to make these last 8 weeks together successful and positive. Your child is bringing home some very important pieces of paper tonight. One note is blue and from Mrs. Neeley regarding music rehearsals. Please let her know if you have any questions or concerns. Your child is also brining home a yellow field trip form! While our field trip to the Kansas City Zoo is not until May, we need to get information and reservations made, as it is a VERY busy time to be going to the zoo! Thank you for your promptness is returning the forms. Finally, your child has brought home their 3rd quarter report card. Since we met together last month, there are no comments included. Of course if you have any questions or concerns, you can always find me here in room 111. Have a terrific weekend together...be safe and healthy. Fourth quarter, here we come!

Hard/Soft 'g' - Shock & Lin-Manuel Miranda (The Electric Company)

Hard/Soft 'c' - Shock & Lin-Manuel Miranda (The Electric Company)

Monday Check-In

Happy Monday everyone! We are in the home-stretch before Spring Break and the kids are getting antsy! The time change made for some sleepy kiddos this morning. Did you get the note about our Leprechaun Trap home project? We have had several roll in already. We will be setting our traps on Wednesday, so feel free to send them to school as your child finishes them. We have had trouble in our room with these pesky leprechauns playing tricks on us...we are hoping to trap one later this week. Did you remember that this is a short week? There is no school this Friday as we give our kids a jumpstart on their spring break. Mrs. Neeley, our music teacher, has asked me to remind everyone about early morning practices. I have not seen a schedule, but I know she sent one home with you child's part. Many kids have been missing their early morning practices, so I have been asked to remind my families to double check their schedule. Thank you so much for your support.

And Finally = Knuffle Bunny Free - read by Arwen Sharp

Part Two = Knuffle Bunny Too - read by Arwen Sharp

We are Mo Willems experts now! Check out these 3 darling stories in order...We love Trixie!

"Silent E" was our focus this week with LONG A!

A Message from our PE Teacher...LAST WEEK FOR JUMP ROPE FOR HEART!!

This is the last week we will be practicing our jump rope skills! The 1st graders are doing GREAT! Long rope, short rope, and this week we will practice on the Chinese Jump Ropes. Its been so fun watching everyone improve! We have watched expert jumpers on videos, had a great guest speaker, and learned about eating healthy foods! What a month of fun! Many have already turned in their collection envelopes or are working to get donations online. Its not too late! If you want to log in and make a donation on line or send emails to friends to get donations go to: http://www.heart.org/jump This Thursday we will celebrate with all the students who have online donations:) Friday we would like to have all donations in, if possible. Thanks for celebrating this February with us, Amy VanRheen

Ormie the Pig-The kids LOVED this as we learned about CAUSE and EFFECT!

Tomorrow's Activities! Please read!

I hope you are staying warm on this cold day! I just wanted to remind you that tomorrow morning is PICTURE DAY! If you would like a specific background, please make sure to turn in your picture form to me when your student arrives at school. Also, tomorrow we will be taking a MINI field trip during our specials time (1:30-2:30) to Wheatridge Middle School to watch the second graders perform their dress rehearsal for their musical taking place tomorrow night. This will help our first graders see what it is like to perform on the big stage for our upcoming musical in April! Please contact me if you have any further questions. I am also writing to ask if anyone is willing or able to donate more dry erase markers to our classroom, our kids would be SO grateful! We are out of Expos and use them daily so we are having to share. Thank you in advance for your support. Don't forget to get all gussied up tomorrow for Spring Pictures! Too bad it doesn't actually FEEL more like spring! Have a wonderful Wednesday!

'ai/ay' - P-Star Rap (The Electric Company)

'ay' - Shock & Karen (The Electric Company)

The Electric Company - Spidey teases Crank

2 Things...

Happy Tuesday, families! Your child is bringing home 2 things tonight: 1. Their math homework! I wanted to give them a chance to work more on the skill before sending it home and so it is coming home tonight. Please help your child practice being responsible by having them return it by this Friday. As we get into our third quarter, I am going to expect that homework is turned in more regularly. 2. Their PINK class list for Valentine's Day. We will be having a Valentine's Day breakfast celebration on Wednesday February 12 at 8:30. We will be making our goodie bags here at school this year (in an attempt to keep it simple for YOU). Your child is not required to bring in Valentine's for their classmates, but I do ask that if you choose to have your child pass out Valentine's please include each member of our classroom. The names of our class family members are included on the pink page they are bringing home tonight. Let me know if you have any questions. As always, you are welcome to attend the party with us next week. Conference confirmation slips will be coming home this week, too. Thank you for everyone who returned their slip! Stay warm and cozy tonight...I hear the snow is headed our way.

Happy 100th Day of School!

Happy 100th Day of school! What a week...we have been MAP testing, Kansas Day celebrating, counting to 100 and trying to not get too out of whack with the crazy weather switcheroo. There is no mail tonight, as it was just too crazy today with our 100 day celebration and trying to create our mini Kansas shelters for our unit wrap up. Enjoy your "homework free" weekend but remember to READ, READ, READ together with the chilly air outside. Next week is our kick off to Jump Rope for Heart week and Monday is HAT day! Get out your hats this weekend and wear them on Monday. With our 100th day milestone, we need to be sure our kids are remembering all of the things we have learned the first 100 days. Please help your child succeed by ensuring they are getting plenty of sleep, eating a good breakfast, reading each night and practicing those sight words. Also, please be sure to talk with you child each day about their day and have them tell you at least one thing that happened in their day. It is about time for the first grade shift to second grade and the kids are going to be expected to maintain and strengthen their stamina of learning and positive, productive behavior. If you have not already done so, please be sure to return your conference request form by Monday. I will be finalizing conferences next week and letting your know of your scheduled time. Remember, this is a STUDENT-LED conference which means your child is expected to come with you and lead the majority of the conference as they showcase their skills. It is a great opportunity for you to see their growth as well as gain insight as to how to strengthen other skills. I am looking forward to meeting with each of you at the end of the conference. Let me know if you have any questions or if you need anything. Have a great weekend!

Monday is the New Friday...

Happy Monday, families! So, I had to leave early on Friday and the kids' mail did not get sent home. OOPS! Today you will find your child's Friday folder stuffed full in their backpacks with some VERY important papers inside. Please be sure to look through it carefully. Sunflower is participating in a new program this year to help get more technology into all classrooms. Please read through the School Mall information and do your part to help our kids! Also, you will find a green conference preference sign up coming home. I need these back by this Friday in order to get our schedules set. Remember that this round of conferences is Student Led and so your child will be leading the show! I am offering an additional time and day this year, as I have a conflict on one of the designated evenings. Please return it asap. Thank you so much for you help and support in advance. This is going to be another busy week with Kansas Day on Thursday and 100's Day on Friday. Please be sure to encourage your child to wash their hands and get plenty of rest each night. We want to stay ahead of this icky virus that is going around. Stay healthy and happy.

Don't Forget a Hundreds Day Shirts!

Happy Thursday, families! I am doing t-shirt inventory and only have SIX white t-shirts for next week's Hundred's Day! HELP! We need shirts by tomorrow or Monday so that we can get each child's shirt ready to wear by next Friday! If you have not already done so, please send in a white t-shirt asap with your child's name on it. We will start hand-printing our shirts and it takes a LONG time to make 100 fingers! Thanks again for your support.

UR ER IR - R controlled vowels song!

Friday Wrap...

We made it through our first 3 days back to the grindstone! I hope you first grader wasn't too worn out this week as they transition back into their school routine. Be sure to check those backpacks tonight for some super important mail! Gradecards were sent home today! If you have any questions, of course never hesitate to call or email. There are new homework pages for both Language Arts and math. Please be sure to have your first grader work on their math review. We are gearing up for our big unit test next week and it will help your child if they refresh their brain with the concepts we have been working on all last quarter. Thank you so much for your help in advance! I also sent home a printed report of your child's RAZ-kids progress. If you remember from our meet and greet meeting in the beginning of the year, RAZ-kids is a program we have purchased for the kids to utilize both at school and at home. It is a way for them to not only read online books, but have the opportunity to listen to stories and challenge their comprehension skills by completing quizzes about the stories they have read. We introduced this site in August and it is incorporated into our Daily 5 routine as well. The kids are expected to visit RAZ-kids during read-to-self time and complete assignments. You will be able to see from your child's printout when they have been reading on the site and how they are scoring on the quizzes. As we enter the second half of first grade, I will except many of them to visit more frequently and work to advance through their library. This is an awesome tool that compiles so many components of reading into one site and helps the kids really strengthen their reading skills. I also included another login card for your child on the chance you would find an opportunity for them to read and play at home. Again, thank you for your support and encouragement as we try to build a lifetime love of reading. Have a fantastic weekend together! Hopefully this arctic blast will blow on by and give us a little break! Stay healthy and happy! Talk soon! Looking ahead to next week: Monday= D Tuesday= A Wednesday= B Thursday= C Friday= D

PS

PS...Math homework DID come home tonight! It is worth several special "somethings" if handed in TOMORROW! Welcome back to school!

Law Enforcement Day is TOMORROW!

In honor of Law Enforcement day tomorrow, Mrs. Tann has told us that we are all invited to wear BLUE! Get out your blue clothes and come to school tomorrow to honor and support all of our wonderful law enforcement officers who help keep us SAFE!!!

100's Day Heads Up!

HEADS UP! On Friday, January 30th, we will have been in 1st grade for 100 days of school! Over these 100 days, we have been learning so much! To help us celebrate how smart we are, we will be creating our own 100th day shirt to wear for this exciting day! Please bring to school a plain white t-shirt or an old white shirt that we can turn inside out to paint on. Students need to bring their shirts by Friday, January 23rd. I just wanted to give you a heads up before it sneaks up on us. Thanks for your help!

Oops...

Ok, so I forgot to send the kids home with their math homework...Oops. We were having so much fun celebrating and sharing that it slipped my mind. I will send them with homework tomorrow. One more night off, but don't forget to read! Also, please remember to have your child all bundled up when they come to school. I am trying hard to keep all of my classroom kids healthy! Stay warm! Have a great night.

Kid President AWESOME YEAR Challenge! What's YOUR resolution???

Welcome Back!

Wednesday= A Thursday= B Friday = C Brrrr!!!! Welcome back to a frigid start of 2015! I was so excited to see all of your kiddos this morning. They have each grown a foot and were full of stories and things to share about their fantastic winter vacations. I hope that you enjoyed time with your family, caught up on sleep and stayed healthy! The kids were all a bit quiet today as they readjust to their school routine. I am sure they will be tired after a long day of working and reviewing and creating and playing. We learned the word "RESOLUTION" today and began thinking about goals and resolutions for ourselves in this upcoming year. Ask your child to tell you about their New Year's resolution and WHY they chose it. We watched our friend Kid President tell us about some ideas for New Year's Resolutions...I have uploaded the video so that you can watch it together with your first grader at home. They LOVED him! We will be using our resolution writing for a new year's craftivity. I will be sure to post pictures as soon as they are done. I am sending home math homework tonight for an added review for your first grader now that they are back in the swing of things. Please help them remember to have it handed in by this Friday. I know it is a quick turn-around, but we will be having a test next week and I want them to get their brains back in action. We will not have spelling words this week as we adjust to our routine. Be watching for the Homework Helper to be coming home next week as we get back on track! Stay warm and toasty tonight! Welcome back! I hope your are well and happy.