Veteran's Day Program

Be sure to ask your first grader about today's wonderful Veteran's Day program.  We were fortunate to be visited by the mother/son team of Chief Wilson (Navy) and Cadet Wilson (Army), and learn about each of their important roles in the military.  We learned about the significance of Veteran's Day, some of they key symbols of each branch of the military, the and enjoyed their musical gifts too.

Makerspace!

The entire first grade received funding from MCPE last year to purchase Makerspace materials for use throughout the year.  We rotate the various explorations between the classrooms.  The children love when we have makerspace time.  Here are a few of the fun highlights...

Room 10 Sign Makers!

Last week's "project time" started with a read aloud of The Signmaker's Assistant by Tedd Arnold.  Since we are always striving to make connections between authors and illustrators, and their unique styles, I was thrilled the children noticed right away that Tedd Arnold is also author of the beloved Fly Guy series. 

After reading this fun, wacky tale about Norman, the signmaker's assistant, the children worked together to determine what kinds of signs were needed here in Room 10.  We were amazed at how many signs we needed to make!  This was a team effort indeed, and one that provided an authentic exercise in spelling, reading, writing, art and "publication" of environmental print that will be utilized all year in our classroom. 

Check out a few highlights below.  Our signs are meant to label, instruct, warn and make note of many important things here in Room 10.  Be sure to notice them the next time you visit!

Room 10... A busy place indeed!

We have been busy here in Room 10 these first few weeks of school.  The children are settling into many new classroom systems and routines, making new friends and engaging in new learning each day.

One of the important questions I pose at the start of each year is... What kind of place do we want Room 10 to be?  The picture above highlights the brainstorming we did together as a whole class.  These will be some of our key guiding principles in the days ahead and ones we will likely return to again and again.

We have been busy working as a team on shared projects such as getting our word wall established.  This will be used and added to throughout the year.  Many children were surprised that their names are considered WORDS too!

We agreed that although the "teacher stores" offer many great tools and materials, kids make way better stuff!  So.... we've created our own classroom alphabet and our own class numbers (seen below).  These were both wonderful opportunities for brainstorming, teamwork and problem-solving.  Plus, they came out great!  Check out our classroom alphabet on Tuesday at Parent Information Night.

And.... our first "kids of the week" have been doing a great job running our daily morning meeting and calendar time where lots of great collaborative learning happens every morning.

Stay tuned for lots more updates and info in the days ahead!

Back to School We Go!

Welcome Room 10 Families!

Many more classroom details coming soon! So glad our year is getting underway.  Stay tuned for lots more information!

Garden Opening Day!

It's been a busy time here in Room 10.  We were thrilled to beat the rain last week and have Mr. Ravinski come to rototill the garden.  The soaking rain prepped our soil even more, and we were able to get all of our seeds planted on Thursday and Friday.  Many thanks to the parents who came to lend a hand last week.  The pictures tell the story best so take a peek below!

We are happy to report that we already have some lettuce, radish and marigold seeds sprouting.  Many more will follow in the days ahead.  We are keeping our fingers crossed for warmer temps so our garden will continue to POP!