October 30

Pumpkins! Pumpkins! We'll be using the pumpkins in the photo on the left tomorrow in a Math activity. (Thanks to Mr. Heidebrecht for snapping the photo.)

Looking ahead, remember to change your clocks this weekend. We fall back to Pacific Standard Time.

Check the planner for Miss Owen's address. She'll be home to goblins, witches, and princesses at dusk.

October 28

The missing planner...

When you child comes without a planner, (s)he makes an emergency planner from our recycling paper. This allows me to send home messages and you to send messages to me -- assuming you don't find the missing planner right away. So, if you didn't put a planner in the backpack, you should still check for messages from school.

If your child is making a different planner every day, we have a big communication problem. I don't know what information you have and what you've missed. Worse, you don't know what you've missed.

I always assume that if I sent it home, you have it. I do not phone you remind you of things I put in the planner. The best way for you to stay in touch is to read the planner every day.

TIP: Make backpack check a part of your daily routine. Good times are

1. Right after you get home.
2. Right after supper.
3. Just before bed time.
4. (Not nearly as good, but better than nothing -- on the way out the door the next morning.)

Check the pocket in the front of the planner for forms you should sign and for work your child is bringing home. This will keep you totally up to date.

Initial the planner. Then put it right back in the backpack. It's great if you can also put any signed forms back immediately.

We all have busy lives. The planner takes less than a minute most days. Not having a planner slows down your child's morning (and the morning of the whole class because I have to stop to staple the planner together for your child and do an additional check to see that messages really are included) and can leave you without important information. It might mean that your child misses a field trip or you miss your interview with me. It means you aren't seeing the day to day school life of your child in one of the most critical years.

If you think you've permanently lost the planner or the dog really ate it, we can set up an exercise book to go back and forth instead.

A good planner routine of 1-5 minutes per day is a gift to your child.

October 27

We are counting down the sleeps until Hallowe'en.

Our class party is on Friday afternoon. No costumes, please. We are making masks.

Families whose last names begin with the letters A-G may bring orange or green treats for our party. Remember that we do not have nuts, seeds, or berries in our classroom.

Thank you again to those of you who cut the corner of the planner page each week so your child can find the correct page independently. If each of you clips one page, I do not have to clip 23 pages. You would be amazed at how much I can do for your child in the time it takes to find and clip the correct page 23 times.

October 24

Family Fun Night was FUN!

I was upstairs making people as ugly as possible, so I didn't get to see everyone. Those I did see were having a great time. And I stayed long enough to help count the money, so I can report that it was worth the effort.

I'm not sure if I can get the photos of the uglies onto the blog, but if I can, you'll want to see the REAL Miss Owen. In the mean time, there are a couple of Division 11 cuties one the left.

Did I mention the scary ghosts Division 11 made? They will make a second appearance downstairs.

October 23

There's no school for students tomorrow so kids can stay up a little later for Family Fun Night. Will you be there?

Enjoy the outdoors together. Talk about the changing seasons. That's one of our Science topics.

Notice any numbers in the environment.

Look for patterns in nature and in the neighbourhood.

Have fun and lots of cuddles.

October 22

Tomorrow is Family Fun Night.

You'll want to see the giant ghosts we made.

October 20

Today we learned that the seasons go in a cycle. Ask your child to tell you which season follows each other season. Can (s)he keep going after one cycle?

We used different coloured blocks to represent each season, and then kept the pattern going. What could you use at home to represent each season? (Some suggestions: a different coin for each season, pieces of a place setting, different kinds of beans. . .)

Miss Owen

October 16

You'll want to ask about the 10 monster your child made today. The monsters are taking on personalities -- a few even eat teachers! I'm staying well clear of those!

A big part of the Grade One Math program focuses on combinations that make 10. These are so handy when we have to do mental math for the rest of our lives.

October 15

Ask your child to show you the friendly numbers. You'll need to use your fingers for this one.

October 14

Today we tackled one of the trickier letters to print. Everyone did a good job. Ask your child to show you how to print the letter e. 

We say, "Over-around-open," to remind ourselves of where each stroke begins and which direction to go. 

1. When we say, "Over," we make a straight line that goes from left to right. 
   
2. When we say, "Around," we move up and around to the left.
3. We say, "Open," to remind ourselves not to close the shape, but to leave it open.

All children are now responsible for forming the letter e correctly at all times. Those whose names have an e in them have special responsibility because they will be writing many es in their lives.

October 10

Happy Thanksgiving!

I wish you could have been a fly on the wall of our classroom yesterday as the children listed the things they are thankful for. You have raised thankful children.

Of course I knew that before yesterday. I think this class has already said, "Thank you," more often than any other class I've ever taught. Besides the regular thank yous I hear when I hand out paper or other supplies, I've had several children thank me for helping them with a tough problem and others who just come up to say, "Thank you for teaching me."

In a society that is increasingly self-absorbed, your children stand out as thoughtful and grateful.

And I say, "Thank you for sending such delightful children to school each morning."

October 9

All Primary children at Gibsons Elementary are now in Guided Reading groups.

This means that the children in each class are in small groups for one half hour of concentrated reading lessons Monday to Thursday. Division 11 children are in lessons led by Mrs. Hourigan, Mrs. Carsky, Mrs. Tattrie, and me. Mrs. Hourigan is trained in Reading Recovery, the leading method of teaching children with reading problems -- this method also works wonderfully with other children. Mrs. Carsky is our Primary Special Education teacher. Mrs. Tattrie has been trained specifically to take children through these Guided Reading lessons. One of my specialties is early reading. So every child is with someone with specific qualifications in leading reading groups.

When we use these small groupings, we ensure that your child receives personal attention. This is just one way that Gibsons Elementary meets its goal of reading success for all students. You can be proud of the work our Primary Team has done and continues to do in making sure that all children get the greatest possible benefit from their time at school.

October 7

Thanks to Mr. Heidebrecht for the photo of Div. 11 fishers. Miss Owen's camera technical problems aren't sorted out yet.

Today your child has a very important letter in the planner pocket. This letter asks you what time is best for you to come and see me about your child's progress. I am preparing to write the first report card, and it's time to set joint goals. The interview times are set on a first come, first served basis, so you will want to get that form turned in a.s.a.p.

Miss Owen

October 6

Welcome to International Walk to School Week!

Is your child already walking to school? Of course, safety is a concern. An older child or an adult can act as an escort.

Some communities use a walking school bus. Families take turns escorting neighborhood children to school.

Being outside puts your child in touch with the environment in ways school lessons can't. And the fresh air just can't be overrated. We are so lucky to live in a place where the outside air really is fresh.

If walking to school simply isn't an option, use this week's focus to nudge you and your child outdoors each day for some activity.

PS. Only the witch in the Wizard of Oz actually melts in the rain. The rest of us put on outdoor clothes or carry umbrellas and enjoy the smell of freshly washed air.

PPS. Did you know that thanks to Gibsons Elementary's own Mrs. Hoechstetter, the schools on the Sunshine Coast have a contest that gives us points according to how often we walk or car pool? Imagine how much better our parking lot would look at the end of the day if GES families got together to cut down on car transport to and from school.

October 3

In today's school newsletter (see the planner pocket) are details of the receipt race. With prizes on the line, let's collect Super Valu and IGA receipts from friends, relatives and neighbors and win, win, win!

The money raised really helps the PAC, too.

Miss Owen

October 2

The rains have come!

If you haven't already done so, seriously consider sending a spare set of clothes to school with your child (include underwear and socks). Grade One children can soak themselves in the  most imaginative ways and if there are extra clothes here, we don't have to spend class time phoning you to send dry clothes in the middle of the day.

Dry footwear is critical. So are proper gym shoes. 

Thanks for helping me take care of your child.

October 1

Conservation is not only a hot political topic. It's an important mathematical concept. Right now, we are concerned with conservation of number.

 A child who can conserve number will know right away how many there are in a set no matter how the set is arranged. Here's something to try with your child to check for conservation of number.

Set out 6 items (pennies, forks, toy cars). The items don't matter, but they should be the same in some way. Have you child count to tell you how many there are. Then move one item so the arrangement is different. Ask again how many there are. Children who conserve number will immediately say, "Six," and think you slightly daft for asking.

Children who are still developing the idea of conservation of number will count the items again.

NOTE: I chose the number 6 because most Grade One children will have to count the first time, but the number is low enough that they are unlikely to make mistakes in counting. If you child does make a mistake in counting, help your child to count by touching or moving each item as it is counted.

Miss Owen

PS Five sleeps until our assembly performance.