January 6

Today we looked through a frame to find something interesting to draw. It's a lot harder than it looks.

January 5

We welcomed two new students today.

Cory and Malaki bring our numbers up to 23. They help to balance the girl/boy ratio. They joined in well and we look forward to working with them.

January 10, 2010

Today the children brought home a Word Wall list. This is a list of words they are expected to spell correctly in class.

That's because the words are posted on the wall where the children can see them at all times.

Note that the children are NOT expected to memorize these words. Some will, and that's fine. But the real goal is to give them a growing list of words for which they are responsible.

The list grows by 5 words each week. Look for a new list each Monday. New words are always circled. Watch, too, for the practice sheets the children bring home each day. The children are given clues and write all five words daily in response to the clues.

During the daily practice, the children learn a great deal about language by using the clues. They also focus on printing.

Families use the Word Wall Words in a variety of ways. Some have their child simply read the words each day. Some give clues themselves and have their child choose which word fits each clue. Some post the list on the fridge or on a bulletin board. When the child is writing, the parents can remind the child to check the list.

By using the correct spelling for this list, children often learn the words by memory by the end of the year.

December 10, 2009

Sometimes a teacher needs a little help. Today 3 students took on some of the leadership. They did a good job. So did those who responded to them.

You can be proud of your children.

December 9, 2009

This afternoon we saw Baby Charlotte again as part of the Roots of Empathy program in our room.

We practiced singing a lullaby in case Charlotte got fussy.

We noticed how much Baby Charlotte had grown. She can hold her own head up a bit now. She can open her hands by herself.

Then sure enough, she got fussy. But she didn't want a lullaby. She didn't even care about being held and rocked. What she really wanted was to eat.

So we got to watch her drinking breast milk. This was the first time for some of us to see a baby drinking from her mom. After she ate, Baby Charlotte wanted to go home, so we sang our good-bye song to her and began to look forward to her next visit.

Tonight we are going to do our concert for our community. We are all ready and will do our best.

December 8, 2009

Tomorrow is our big day!

Please have your child in the classroom IN COSTUME by 6:50. That means brown top and pants and black gloves. Everything else they need will be here.

All children sing in a choir at the end, so you will pick up your child at the end of the performance in the classroom. It can be a bit chaotic in the classroom at the end. I will want to know how each child leaves, so be sure we've made eye contact before your child goes home.

December 7, 2009

Tomorrow is our dress rehearsal. Please do not send the costume pants. Black gloves are fine.

On Wednesday, have your child here by 6:50 so we will be ready for a 7:00 performance.

December 3, 2009

You should have received tail lights in the planner by now. These have a peel and stick backing. To be really secure, they will need some stitching as well.

We will not have spats, so apart from noses, we are all set--

And the noses have to be put on that night in the classroom, so we are all set.

Plan to come early enough to find a place to park and to get your child into the classroom in time to have a nose applied. One strategy would be to park, get into the gym and reserve yourself a seat by putting something on it, and then bringing your child down to the classroom. Once your child is in the room, you can go and hang onto your seat. I'll send a list of who will be where on the stage later so you can sit where you can see your child best.

At this time, during the choir numbers, our class is on the right as you face the stage. I'll let you know if that changes. Every year we struggle to find a way to make every child visible to the whole audience when the choir sings. We've never been fully successful. What we can do, is tell you that the singing is fabulous! For a young choir that has not had much time to practice, your children are amazing! This is, without a doubt, the best group singing from the primary children I've heard at Gibsons Elementary, and I've been here a while.

December 2, 1009

Today we worked on a Christmas decoration. Painting small spaces with tiny brushes takes a lot of concentration.

We also learned more about babies. We learned why babies cry and what we can do to soothe a crying baby.

We learned that a crying baby is not a bad baby. A crying baby is a baby with a problem who needs our help.

December 1, 2009

December is a busy month at school as I'm sure it must be at home.

You can help your child to cope by keeping to bedtimes so you child has enough rest and keeping to routines as much as possible.

Today I saw academic growth in everyone. I also saw a class of very focused children. You can all be proud of the ones you send me each morning.

November 25, 2009

Only one month until YOU-KNOW-WHAT!

Mr. Heidebrecht asked all teachers to remind parents that ALL children need to come dressed for the weather. Right now, that means coats and boots at a minimum. They should also have a way to keep their heads dry: hoods or umbrellas.

Please, please, please, have your child also bring indoor shoes EVERY DAY. Sitting in boots all day is not healthy. It's especially not healthy when the boots get full of water and the choice is sitting in wet boots or nothing.

Thanks to those of you who send your child properly dressed each day.

NOTE: If you do not have jackets, boots, shoes, or other necessities for your child, we have fund for that. Let me know what you need. All the kids at Gibsons Elementary deserve to be warm, dry, and healthy, even in rainy weather.

November 20, 2009

Today we celebrated Jessica's birthday with cupcakes she brought.

We also got to practice on the stage for our Christmas concert.

November 19, 2009

Today we talked about how people and animals prepare for winter. You can extend this conversation with your child by pointing out what you are doing to get ready. You can also note changes in nature that you see together.

Tomorrow we have a full day of school.

November 18

Tomorrow will also be an early dismissal day.

If you haven't seen the book sale in the Library, do stop in. There are some wonderful books and the library gets credit for the books sold, so the school benefits by being able to buy new books as well.

Be sure to check the planner pocket for the red notice about the costumes we'll need for the Christmas concert. There's a need for helpers, so if you are inclined toward the arts or are good at crafts, this could be your moment to shine.

November 17, 2009

Grade One is a time to set a good foundation for life-long reading. Much of the day is given to reading activities. Hearing a story is still a great way to develop reading skills. During story time, children hear language used by some of the world's best writers, see illustrations by professional artists, and are challenged to think about literature or stretched in their knowledge of the world.

Your story times at home also build that foundation. Although it's important for your child to read, it's still important that you read to your child.

Wednesday and Thursday this week, students will be dismissed at 1:35 so teachers can meet with parents. The schedule is posted outside the classroom door, and your interview time is in the planner.

Nov. 12, 2009

The Primary Team at Gibsons Elementary is putting emphasis on mental Math this year. Mental Math involves using strategies like visualizing arrays of numbers. We use a variety of arrays to help children develop flexibility in building numbers. Watch your child for signs that he or she is using mental Math strategies.

November 10, 2009

We went to the gym for a Remembrance Day assembly. We listened to the school choir and band and to poems and a short talk by a Legion member. Then we watched a short video that helped us to think about the soldiers.

We wore poppies.

When we came back, we wrote and drew our thoughts. You can see what we wrote if you visit the bulletin board outside our classroom.

November 9, 2009

Did you get your child's Driting? It's in a special planner pocket. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

The children are writing their own report cards this week. I'm impressed by what a good job they are doing. I think you will be, too.

November 6, 2009

Today we had examples of good sharing: Things kids made or items with personal meaning.

A word about H1N1...

At the end of the day, I ask kids if they want a hug or a handshake. Some people have been startled to see this in the face of H1N1 fears.

The kids in our class will have washed their hands (and I will have washed mine) at least once before the end of the day. Anyone who sneezes, coughs, or even puts his or her hands near a nose is asked to wash right away. That said, if you would rather I not shake hands with your child, please let me know and we will make another arrangement.

You should also know that our custodians are more diligent than usual in cleaning classroom surfaces daily. We even had our carpets shampooed an extra time during our professional development day.

November 4, 2009

We met Baby Charlotte today! When she comes, we sing a her a hello song. Shannon brings Baby Charlotte around so she can meet all of us. We don't touch her, but we can smile at her.



Baby Charlotte has a special green blank to lay on in our classroom. We all stay off her blanket. Sometimes today she was on her tummy and sometimes she was on her back. She played a little bit. Shannon measured her with our multilinks. She is 29 multilinks long. Shannon says we can watch her grow.


We have a bulletin board with information about Baby Charlotte. Last time Shannon came we guessed whether Baby Charlotte would be smaller than, bigger than, or the same size as the doll Shannon brought. We made a graph about our guesses. Most of us thought Baby Charlotte would be the same size as the doll. She is bigger than the doll.

Baby Charlotte was in the newspaper with the rest of her family. We put that part of the newspaper on our bulletin board.

We are all looking forward to the next time Baby Charlotte will visit us.