January Updates

Well, in the past couple of weeks it's been hard to say whether we are in spring or winter but this weekend surely brought winter back to us.  Thank you for sending your first grader in with hats, gloves/mittens as the playground will be plenty cold this week!

A few quick updates from Room 10...

• Writing:  We wrapped up our Small Moment writing unit, and have just begun kicking off our Non-Fiction Informational Writing unit.  The children will work to write about topics they know a lot about  -  sports / activities, animals, nature, holidays/traditions, cooking  -  the options are many.  We will continue to circle back again and again to important writing concepts such as punctuation, spacing, spelling, and adding important details.

• Reading:  During reading times, the children are engaged in independent and partner reading, as well as small-group Guided Reading.  We continue to monitor the selection of "just right" books for our in-class reading times and for our home reading book envelopes.  Reading fluency continues to be an important focus area, but we will also be digging more deeply into the intricacies and nuances of Reading Comprehension in the weeks ahead.  

• Phonics / Spelling:  Vowel and consonant sounds, digraphs, consonant blends, suffixes, glued sounds, bonus letters and so much more!  Your first grader is learning A LOT.  Please reach out at any time if you have questions about any of the concepts we are learning.  Also, Trick Word Spelling is a huge learning curve this year.  Any practice you can do at home would be so helpful.  I shared the Grade One list with you at the start of the year but if you need another copy please just let me know.

• Science:  A new unit of study  -  Light and Sound  -  will be underway soon!  We will also be looking at concepts connected to Weather.  And although honeybees are tucked away in their hives at this time of year, the children are eager to learn more about those special little pollinators too!  Lots more to come!  

• Math:  Addition and subtraction concepts and strategies will remain an important focus area all year.  I am working with the children to become more skilled at "showing their thinking" in a variety of ways  -  pictures, numbers, and written or oral words.  ST Math is a new iPad math program this year at Memorial.  The program aligns well with Grade One math concepts and is self-pacing so that children are working on problem solving skills appropriate for their level of proficiency.  Digital world or not, we will also be learning about telling time on analog clocks too!

• Social Studies:  Last week we began to read and learn about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  We will continue to explore his work, as well as the important work of other civil rights activists like Rosa Parks and Ruby Bridges.  Map and Globe skills are part of an ongoing learning trajectory and one that I aim to make meaningful connections to throughout the year.  Topics such as MLK allow us to look at the U.S. map, and there are lots of other opportunities for us to investigate the entire globe as well.

• Technology:  Thanks to Mrs. Foley, we were able to get SeeSaw off the ground while I was out.  Look for more SeeSaw updates in the coming weeks as the children select their best "wow work" to share with you.

• SEL:  Room 10 revisited our classroom goals and values we created together at the start of the year.  We agreed that we need to revisit and tighten up the following:  listening, working as a team, and doing our best each day.  We brainstormed ideas for how we can improve and are working to earn a special "arts & craft / Makerspace" day once we fill our "snowball" jar.  I invite you to ask your first grader how he/she is helping to make this happen.  I know we can do it!

The 100th Day of School and Valentine's Day are right around the corner.  More information coming soon!

And don't forget that Memorial's next Spirit Day on January 31st invites children to wear their best, most loved, wackiest or most creative hat.  Can't wait!

Stay warm out there!

Fresh Start in 2020

A new year is upon us, and with it comes opportunities for a fresh start for all of us.  I am tremendously grateful to Karyn Healey, and our classroom teaching assistants, for all their hard work during my absence.  

Without a doubt, I am excited to be returning to Room 10.  We have plenty to do in the coming weeks!  Stay tuned for lots more information as things get underway and we resume our productive and busy rhythm.  Happy new year wishes to all!

September Start Line!

It was wonderful to meet so many of you at Parent Information Night last week.  Keep any questions coming as the year rolls along, but for now know that we have been BUSY!!!  Here are a few highlights from our first few weeks of school...
 

Room 10  -  Day One!

A visit to see our sunflowers in the class garden

Mindful Bodies and Mindful Listening... 

lots more to come as we learn and grow together!

The ABC's of Mindful Breathing

"J" is for Join Your Breath  -  we partnered up for a back-to-back mindful breath break with a pal!

Signmakers of Room 10!

Who needs the teacher store when you have 21 fabulous first graders to label the room with important signs for the year?!?!  The children (aka signmakers) did an amazing job creating environmental print for our walls, cubbies, tables and more.  

The room was buzzing with excitement!

Books, books and more books!

The children selected their first books and got started with READ TO SELF.  

We are learning how to choose "just right" books - not too hard, not too easy.  

Lots more learning to come regarding reading strategies, fluency and comprehension.  

Welcome to ST Math!

The children logged in with their QR codes and met the silly penguin, Jiji, for the first time.  

The ST Math app will be used throughout the year to practice important math concepts 

and problem solving strategies.

And... Hello Writer's Workshop!

We kicked off our first unit of study in writing this week.  The children will work to zoom in on 

"Small Moment" stories from their lives, telling one part at a time, bit by bit, 

with lots of interesting details.  More to come!

Opening Days!

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 few days of first grade in great shape.  The children are doing a terrific job with all of the new routines 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 and will be put to good use! 

As you know, your child has received a Home/School folder for the year.  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.

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

 

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 you can get involved in the classroom at Parent Information Night on Tuesday, September 17.  While I do invite parent volunteers into the classroom, 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 teachers.  I tend to get volunteers started towards the end of the fall.  I will give you a more definitive timeframe after some weeks have passed.

Each week we will have a special Kid of the Week (starting this Tuesday).  This child gets to be our line leader, to decide the morning greeting, and to bring one special possession to school to share on the first morning of his/her special week.  The child will tell why he/she brought this item and why it is special.  The other children in the class will then have an opportunity to ask questions and make comments about the share.  When it is your child’s turn, please help him/her choose something other than a toy.  It could be a photograph, a favorite book, a letter or postcard from someone special, an item from a collection, a scientific experiment, an award, a drawing, etc.  Please know that it is perfectly fine if your child would rather not bring in an item to share.  Each Friday, we will draw the name of the next Kid of the Week so the child can be prepared to share on Monday if he/she chooses.  A note will go home when your child is chosen.

Each child will need an art smock for the year.  Old t-shirts, or men’s or women’s collared, button down shirts work well.  Obviously, the shirts can be old and worn as they will be used for messy art projects.  Please send a smock in for your child as soon as possible - and if you have an extra one (or two) we can put them to good use!

You may find your first grader quite tired (and/or hungry) after school.  This is very normal for the first few weeks.  Our days are busy and they are taking in a lot of new information each day.  We will settle in slowly and take our time to adjust to our new schedule.  Please be in touch anytime with questions you may have.

Enjoy the week ahead!

Kathy Ravinski

School starts real soon!

It's almost time to begin! 

More information coming soon!