Holiday Giving Project

Many thanks to everyone for contributing to our food drive for the Medfield Food Cupboard.  Mrs. Marble, who coordinates the drives for the food cupboard, came in today to pick up our goodies.  She was thrilled to have so much to take back with her.  It was a successful team effort.  Thank you!

Introducing Scratch Jr.

Last week the children and I joined Mrs. Groden in the library for an HOUR OF CODE.  We learned about the app SCRATCH JR. which teaches how to do simple coding (programming) on the iPad.  We all loved it, learned a lot and were amazed by how simple it could be to code something.  This is a free app.  I would encourage you to download it on a home device and let your first grader show you how it works.  Here are a few pictures highlighting our hour of high-tech learning.

Learning About Veterans Day

This morning we attended a special Veterans Day program.  We were visited by Chief Wilson a member of the Navy, and Cadet Wilson who is beginning his work with the Army.  They are a mother / son team who have visited Memorial for the past several years around Veterans Day.  The children learned more about the five branches of the US military, including the important jobs our armed services members are doing in times of war and peace.  We sang songs and learned how to stand at attention.  This is always a high interest program.  I hope your first grader has lots to tell you about what we learned at this program and in the classroom.  

Halloween Fun!!!

Here are a few highlights from our Halloween celebration.  It was a very fun end to our week!

Halloween Tidbits

Just a reminder that we will have our Halloween party after the parade on Friday.  The parade will be outside around the perimeter of the school.  We hope you can come see your first grader march in costume with all the K and Grade 1 students.

Many thanks to our room parents, Urania Funteas and Phyllis Skloff, for pulling together what is sure to be a fun celebration for us all.  As you might imagine, the children are beyond excited!

On Friday, I will be sending home a special Halloween family homework.  It is optional, but a fun and productive way to count all that candy!

Happy Halloween to all! 

Fall Harvest in Room 10

Last year's class left us some wonderful garden surprises.  While we still need to have our fall cleanup day and put the garden to rest before winter, we did manage to harvest a few more treats this week.  The pictures say it all.  Needless to say, we had some very excited first graders  -  carrots and kohlrabi for snack today!  

We will use our sunflowers during math in the next week or so to determine just how many seeds each one contains.  We hope you enjoy hearing about the fun we had!

September Flew By!

Room 10 is definitely in full swing, and Halloween is quickly becoming the topic of choice during free time!  More information will be coming soon about Halloween festivities.

A few highlights of what we've been working on as of late...

• The children meet with me at the reading table nearly every day.  This is a time when they read “just right” books with a small group of children who are at a similar reading level.  It is a great way to differentiate and provide instruction based on the varied needs of the children in my room.  Among the MANY reading / phonics skills and strategies the children are learning about, one is reading fluency.  This is when a reader reads smoothly and with an even tone of voice.  The children are working to read like a “river” (with flow and fluency) and not like a “robot” (word by word).  This takes time and practice for some children, so don’t be worried if your child isn’t doing it right away.  Like many of the skills we’re learning this year, this part of reading doesn’t happen overnight.

• Another important focus area is teaching the children how to retell a story in their own words after they’ve read it.  This skill also will take LOTS of practice.  Over the next few months we will work on retelling skills:  recalling and orally retelling the characters, setting and the main events of a given story or text.  

• During our literacy time, the children are learning a wide range of phonics skills.  The children and I are studying vowel sounds.  We have focused on the short vowel sounds for -a and -i, and will start working on short vowel –o next week.  Words like had, dig and got contain these vowel sounds.  We continue to learn how each vowel can make a number of different sounds.  This can be awfully confusing for children at first but with practice they learn to distinguish the different sounds.  We will focus on the vowel sounds for u and e next (like in tug and bed), and then continue to practice all sounds throughout the year.  It often takes the entire year before vowel sounds are fully mastered, especially when the long vowel patterns are introduced.

• Your child may have mentioned the “h brothers” to you.  If so, this is the study of the letter teams sh, ch, th, wh and ph.  The children are learning that these “h brothers” consist of two consonants that make one sound.  Encourage your child to look for “h brothers” at home and practice remembering the sounds for each one.

• Our home reading program will start next week.  Look for more information soon about BOOKTIME and the best ways you can support your first grade reader at home.

• Our writer’s workshop block is a favorite time in our day.  The children are learning that writers think first, then picture a story in their mind, and after that put their ideas into words one part at a time.  Learning how to stretch an idea across several pages and including key details takes lots of practice.   Of course, the children are also working hard on spelling, spacing, punctuation and organization.  This is a tall task indeed, but one that they are tackling with enthusiasm and persistence. 

• During our math block, the children have been working hard on concepts centered on number sense, accurate counting, combining numbers and addition problems.  The children have learned that we sometimes “count all” to combine two numbers (i.e.  4 blocks and 2 blocks would be counted as 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6).  “Counting on” is a strategy that I’m encouraging children to use to make their problem solving more efficient.  In this case a child would hold the number 4 in their head and count on saying 5, 6.  We are starting to use what we call “known number facts” to solve other problems.  For example, if you know that 3 + 3 = 6, then you could easily know that 3 + 4 = 7.  I will continue to help children work on building strategies for combining numbers and showing their work in clear, organized ways when they go to represent their thinking on paper.

• A couple of weeks ago I sent home Parent-Teacher Conference reminder slips.  If for some reason yours did not make it home, please let me know and I’ll send another one. 

Day One!

Welcome to first grade!  A new school year has begun!  We will be engaged in a wide variety of learning experiences throughout the year.   I’m looking forward to learning more about your children as we move through our first few weeks of school together.

We made it through our first two days of first grade in great shape.  The children are doing a terrific job with all of the new routines that they are learning.  Thank you for sending your children to school so well prepared.  And thank you also for your generous donation of supplies for our year together.  They are appreciated! 

Please be sure to read the other Memorial School notices sent home by the office (or check the school’s website – www.medfield.net) for lots more detailed information about schedules and procedures.  It is particularly important that you read information regarding the arrival and dismissal of your child.  If you ever make arrangements for your child to be dismissed from school via another form of transportation, other than his/her scheduled bus or MAP routine, please be sure to write a note to me on that day.  It is important that I inform the office of any such changes.  In the case of different arrival plans, please be sure to check in at the office before coming down to the classroom.  All of this will make coming and going to Memorial much easier for the children, the office and for me. 

I will pay particular attention during the first few weeks of school as the children grow accustomed to their new routine and make sure they arrive and depart safely.  The children will be instructed to return to the classroom or the office after dismissal if they ever have a question or concern about how they are getting home.  I want them to always feel that they have a safe place to return to if they are confused.  Of course, the Memorial staff as a whole is experienced at making sure this process runs smoothly.

Please be sure to check your child’s backpack each day to help keep track of books, notices and papers.  I will send more detailed information about home assignments and/or projects as I introduce them to the children.

Your child received a Home/School folder.  These folders are intended to help the children get important notes, papers and notices back and forth from school.  If you have a note for me, please put it in your child’s Home/School folder.  Your child will bring the folder back and forth to school every day so that new materials or information come to me or to you on a daily basis.  Thank you for helping your child to remember to bring it to school daily.

As parents, your input and participation will be very important to the success of our program this year.  I will let you know about the different ways that you can get involved in the classroom if you’d like to do so.  I will have sign-up sheets at Parent Information Night on Monday, September 21 if you would like to volunteer in the classroom this year.  Please keep in mind that I do not get my volunteers up and running until I feel that the children and I have had enough time to establish strong classroom routines and have begun to come together as a cohesive learning community.  This “settling in” period is a big priority for me because it is so important for the children to feel secure and confident with their new classroom, peers and teacher.  I tend to get volunteers started towards the end of October or early November.  I will give you a more definitive time frame after a few weeks have passed.

I hope that this information is helpful to you and gets us all off to a good start.  I will send frequent updates about our plans and activities here in Room 10, including ongoing descriptions of my first grade program.  In the meantime, if you have any questions or concerns about any aspect of the school or classroom, you may reach me at Memorial by phone or by sending a note to school with your child.  I can also be reached via email at kravinski@email.medfield.net.  

I am very excited to teach and learn with your children this year.  I know we’re going to have a wonderful year together.

Welcome!

Greetings from the Memorial School!  I am writing to welcome you to our classroom and provide some initial information to help get us started this year.

This is the first of many informational posts.  Please stay tuned for lots more information as our year gets underway.  Many children wonder about the kinds of things they need to bring with them on the first day of school.  To start, a small snack (including a drink) for the morning and a backpack are “must-have” items each day.  You should have already received information detailing the supplies that each first grader should bring at the start of school.  These supplies will be used as needed by everyone. 

The first grade teachers will eat lunch with the students on the first day of school.  With the help of the lunch staff, we will spend time getting the children accustomed to this routine  -  how to line up, where to sit, what kinds of food they can buy and how to go about paying for it.  For those of you new to the lunch program, the cost is $2.35 to purchase school lunch, which includes milk or water.  Milk can also be purchased separately for $.50.  Your child will need a change purse of some kind (even a ziploc bag), labeled with his/her name on it, to keep the money safe and in one place.  I will ask the children to bring their money to me on the days they are buying lunch.  I will have a designated bin in the classroom to store the money and will pass it out to them when it is lunch time.  Our class will have lunch at 12:15 each day, followed by recess.

Our classroom schedule for the year will vary slightly from day to day.  The children will, however, have special instruction in specific areas on a set schedule as outlined below. 

Monday                     Physical Education

Tuesday                     Music

Wednesday              Physical Education

Thursday                    Library / Health (alternating weeks)

Friday                         Art

The first few days of first grade will be full of many new and exciting things to learn.  We will work together to make sure everyone settles in, knows where things are and what our days will be like.  I will help the children find their seats, coat hooks, cubbies and mailboxes.  We will take lots of time to adjust to our new room, schedule, friends and activities.  Our classroom is in Room 10.  When children come off the buses on the first day of school they will simply walk straight down the hall in front of them.  They will find me in the last classroom on the right.  There will be lots of adults helping to direct children the first few mornings so that everyone finds their way.  No worries!

Enjoy these last days of summer.  I hope you’re as excited as I am to meet and learn about the many friends we’ll make together in first grade.  I look forward to seeing you all on August 27!

Mrs. Ravinski

2013-2014 Wrap Up

Well, my first graders and I wrapped up our school year yesterday.  It was a bittersweet ending as we cleaned up the room, packed up the last of their work, harvested 130 more peas (yay!) and gathered together for one more class meeting.  Each year I try to spend the last few moments going around and telling each of my students the ways in which they have grown, matured and learned.  Each child loved when it was his or her turn to hear what I had to say, and I was so pleased to be able to celebrate each and every one of them in unique and special ways.

Please stop by the garden anytime.  For those who are helping out this summer, the hose is on the back side of the garden.  The children know what to do to water and where to dispose of weeds.  Please, please, please eat whatever is ready.  There will likely be more peas this week and next so don't let them go by.  There is lettuce ready too so plan for a salad one day.  As plants go to seed, or aren't viable anymore, please don't be shy about pulling them up.  The garden tends to wind down a bit when we aren't all here to keep up on it, but enjoy whatever you can from it.  It's yours!

Many thanks to all the children and families for my year end gift.  It will be put to good use this summer.  I especially love the cards and other thoughtful gifts I received from parents and children alike.  While we were all excited to say hello to summer yesterday, there were also many tugs at our hearts as we said good-bye.  I was blessed with a very dear class this year for sure!

Best wishes for a wonderfully fun and relaxing summer.  All the best to you!

Kathy Ravinski

Salad Salad! One and all!

Well, what an afternoon we had!  It was a beautiful day last Friday for our harvest of lettuce, spinach, arugula (rocket), peas and MORE radishes.  The children worked in their garden teams to help pick what we needed for our salad celebration.  I commend every child for trying the salad and was delighted to see so many enjoy it.  There were definitely many "thumbs up" and "love it" responses.  I tempted them, of course, with my honey balsamic dressing (made a tad extra sweet for my young gardeners)!

My thanks to Nell Saab, Jen Menard and Teri Keene for helping us wash, chop and serve.  Many hands made light work.  We were pleased to have a visit from Dr. Marsden and Dr. Quigley, as well as our district wellness coordinator Mrs. Cowell (who helped take some pics - thank you!).  

I hope your first grader was able to share a bit about our very fun afternoon.  They've worked hard all spring and were so excited to reap what they sowed!  As one of my first graders said, "Well, it tastes so much better when you harvest it yourself!"  Success!

The Beeman Pays A Visit

Last week, we spent a very fun hour with our own personal Beeman, Mr. Ravinski.  The children were able to share all that they've learned with him (it was quite impressive I must admit!), and he shared a number of cool beekeeping tools and more fun facts, as well as bringing along a few worker bees from one of our hives.  Everyone got to try on the bee suit, observe the bees, work the smoker and use a small extractor.  The pictures tell the story best.  Enjoy!

Year End Open House Fun!

Many thanks to all the family members and friends who visited Room 10 this morning to celebrate all the wonderful work my first graders have done this year.  The children and I had a fabulous time showing you our reading, writing, math, science and art projects.  The garden, as always, has been a motivating and exciting project for all to share in.  

Also, my thanks goes out to all the families who helped provide breakfast treats this morning.  It felt a little like Whoville after my little friends nibbled on all the breakfast treats.  Only crumbs were left!  Thank you!

The link to our sure-to-be-famous bee movie can be found below.  The children worked so hard on this project.  I hope you enjoyed viewing it as much as we enjoyed creating it.

Stay tuned (fingers crossed) for news of our upcoming salad harvest day!  Happy weekend, everyone!

Ravinski Honeybee Movie 2014

Sparkler Radish Brightens the Day!

We were bursting with excitement as we harvested our first radishes today!  This has been a cool, wet spring which has made for a slow start to our garden, but we were able to pick and sample three fresh sparkler radishes this afternoon.  More to come in the days ahead for sure.  Small victories!

Stony Brook Adventures

We had the perfect day for our fieldtrip to Stony Brook Nature Sanctuary today.  We visited three different habitats - field, forest and pond - and discovered many different living things along our walk.  Ask your first grader to tell you some of the plants and animals we found.  

Upon our return to Memorial we enjoyed a picnic lunch outside.  A fun day indeed!

Reading Is Fun Night

A reminder to all families... this Wednesday is Memorial's READING IS FUN NIGHT.  
See the info below.  I hope you can join us!

You are invited to…        

Reading is Fun Night

Where: Memorial School

When:  Wednesday, May 14, 2014

Time: 6:30-7:45 p.m.

                            

Price:       $1.00 per person

                $5.00 max per family

All proceeds will be donated to Timothy’s Toybox, a local non-profit organization that donates toys and books to local children in need.

Join us for:

• Read Alouds - Memorial teachers will read their favorite stories in       various classrooms over the course of the evening

• Craft Projects - Make a book mark or door hanger

 • Book Give-Aways - Get a free raffle ticket when you enter the

building, and your child will have a chance to win a new book!

And a ...

Book Swap- Bring a gently used, good quality book and take another book home!

Children must be accompanied by an adult at all times.

Looking forward to seeing you at Reading is Fun Night!

Reading is Fun Night is co-sponsored by the Memorial CSA

May / June Special Events

May has arrived (along with a welcome bit of sun too), and with it comes a flurry of activities, special occasions and lots more learning!  I wanted to let you know about a few upcoming events so you can prep your schedules.

Our Stony Brook Field Trip is scheduled for Thursday, May 15.  If you are interested in joining us as a chaperone, please let me know.  I could use 3 volunteers that morning. 

Please help us get ready for our trip:

q  Pack a lunch and drink for your child that day.  We will have a picnic lunch at Memorial once we get back.

q  Please have your child wear long pants since tick season has started.

q  Your child should also wear sneakers or sturdy shoes, not sandals or open-toed shoes.  We will be walking along the dirt pathways and rugged shoes are a must.

q  Dress appropriately for the weather.  We will go rain or shine (unless it’s a total downpour)!

q  If it is a sunny day, put sunscreen on your child before he/she comes to school.

q  Be sure your child comes to school on time.  We leave early!

q  We will provide a snack for the children when we arrive at Stony Brook, so there’s no need to pack one that day.

·        Year End Open House – Save The Date:  Friday, June 6.  9 – 10am.

I know it can be a challenge for working parents to coordinate so many year-end gatherings, but with Field Day and Flag Day back-to-back this year, I want to be sure the children have time to share their year-end projects with you when they don’t have the added excitement of two other big events.  More information will be coming soon, but please mark your calendars for this very fun morning.

  

·        First Grade Field Day is scheduled for the morning of Thursday, June 12.  Mr. Grace will be sending out information at some point if parents would like to volunteer that day.

·         Our First Grade Flag Day show is scheduled for Friday, June 13 at 9:30 in the gym.  We will not have a gathering after the show, as we will have just had our open house the week prior, but parents are very welcome to come by for a visit after the show to say hello to their child.  We will have a special snack that day. 

·        I will communicate more about our final days of school once we get closer, including plans for Transition Day to Wheelock.

·        Thank you to all who sent in hand wipes.  We could use a few more packages if you haven’t had a chance to send any in yet.  Your help is appreciated!

·        Our garden, despite the cold spring days, is sprouting lots of new little plants.  We are hoping for warmer, sunnier days next week!  More garden news soon!

Grace Lin Visits Memorial

Today we enjoyed a visit from local children's book author, Grace Lin.  As you may know, she has written and illustrated several wonderful books for children of all ages.  Grace shared the process of how she goes about writing a book and having it published.  She shared how she threads key Chinese traditions and cultural ideas into her books.  We all loved meeting Grace, and especially loved learning how to draw one of her signature dragons!

A Garden Begins...

Last week was a busy one indeed!  As you know, the children helped Mr. Ravinski prep the new soil and we planted 21 different types of seeds two days later.  Dr. Marsden popped in to help us do a bit of planting too.  We are excited to report that despite this week's snow and cold temps, we have several new sprouts beginning to emerge.  Arugula, mammoth sunflowers, zinnias, basil, spinach... to name a few.  Thanks to all the families who have offered to water during the vacation week.  I suspect we will see much progress if the week is a warmer one!  Here are a few pictures from our planting day!

Room 10's Garden Opening Day!

The excitement was barely containable as we ventured outside this afternoon to begin our long awaited garden project!  Together we worked with Mr. Ravinski to prep our existing soil for planting.  The children worked in their garden teams to help put down new soil, break up soil clumps, remove unwanted rocks, sticks or trash, and then watched as Mr. Ravinski tilled the garden for us.  A job well done indeed!  Tomorrow we will finish planning our planting schedule and garden configuration.  If all goes well, Wednesday we will get our little seeds in the ground.  We will continue to keep you posted!