Hi everyone!

Thanks for checking into our classroom blog! We had a wonderful Remembrance Day assembly today, and had some really great conversations afterwards about why Remembrance Day is different than the other holidays, and how important it is.  Here are a few reminders about the short week coming up. 

 

In Math, we are continuing with representing numbers, but focusing on numbers from 0-20.  This helps as we begin to think about addition facts from 0-20, and how we can show different ways to get to a number. 

In Science we’ve kicked off our 5 Senses unit with writing about what Peace feels, smells, hears, tastes and looks like! The unit on the 5 Senses is full of hands on activities where students learn how messages are sent to the brain. 

On Tuesday you will find a Red Hot lunch slip in your child’s agenda! Hot lunch orders are due on NOVEMBER 14^TH, and the hot lunch day is on NOVEMBER 21^ST!  This month’s hot lunch is going to be smoothies and pitas from Extreme Pitas.  Remember that due to our school size, parent council cannot accept late orders so please make sure they’re back by the deadline! 

By now you should have received your confirmation slip for your Student Led Conference!  We’re really looking forward to these as the students are often so proud of what they have done so far in Grade 1. 

For Thursday November 15^th, the Grade 1s are running Classroom Centers again, much like Halloween.  Students will be moving to all the Grade 1 classes throughout the morning to take part in Bear Themed activities! Since this is also PJ day, students are encouraged to bring in a teddy bear from home! 

*PLEASE NOTE!  Do NOT send oversized stuffed animals!  If the bear is bigger than the student, it can be distracting/ difficult for some of the centers that are being planned!! The Grade 1 team thanks you in advance for this!

A reminder that report cards are coming home on Friday November 16^th!  Read the blog post below for the breakdown of report cards and how they differ from a Kindergarten report card.  The report card you receive is yours to keep. You can help us save some trees if you send back your envelope, and we’ll use it in March and June! 

 Thank you to parents who have signed up to help drive for our Helen Schuler field trip on Novembe 27th! So far we have:

Karmyn (3 students)

Krystyn (4 students)

Abby (3 students)

Christina (4 students)

We still need drivers for 2 more students so if you're able to help us out on that afternoon from about 12:30-3, please email me back! Even if you're just able to help with pick ups/ drop offs, it really makes a difference! Thanks!

 Here are some important November Dates to mark your calendars with:

November 9^th- Remembrance Day break No School
November 12^th- Remembrance Day break No School
November 13^th- Hot Lunch forms sent out
November 14^th- Hot Lunch forms due back
November 15^th- PJ DAY! Assembly @ 8:30 & Bear Unit kick off!
November 16^th- Report Cards sent home
November 19^th- Guest teacher Stacy Deys for Art class!
November 21^st- Hot Lunch
November 22^nd- Students dismissed at 11:45
November 22^nd- Student Led Conferences
November 23^rd- Student Led Conferences
November 27^th- Helen Schuler field trip 1:00-2:30
November 28^th- Character Ed Assembly @ 12:30

~*~WeLcoMe To NoVeMbEr~*~

Hi everyone!  Wow, a lot has happened in the past few weeks and I couldn’t believe it when I changed the calendar over to November!  Just as we were racing to get the classroom decorated for Halloween, we were racing to take it down! 

I have a TON of “thank-you”s to give out!

First off, a big thanks to Krystyn Jahn who came in last week to teach an Art lesson about sunsets and spooky Halloween silhouettes!  The students had a lot of fun, and ended up with a beautiful piece of art to take home. 

Thanks to our parents who are a part of the School Council, who are working with staff members to plan the Christmas Ball. On top of that, there’s a group of parents who work to coordinate Hot Lunch. We had a great first Hot Lunch day on October 24^th, and despite the late delivery, we still really enjoyed it.  This does remind me however, that on Hot Lunch days, please make sure to pack your child sufficient snacks! Especially if hot lunch happens to run late again! 

Thank you to parents who have signed up to help drive for our Helen Schuler field trip on Novembe 27th!  So far we have:

Karmyn (3 students)

Krystyn (4 students)

Abby (3 students)

Christina (4 students)

We still need drivers for 5 more students so if you're able to help us out on that afternoon from about 12:30-3, please email me back! Even if you're just able to help with pick ups/ drop offs, it really makes a difference! Thanks!

Ms. Renner is still handing out book orders from the Book Fair, so if your student purchased something and they haven’t received it- not to worry! It IS on its way!

We had a wonderful time on Wednesday with our Halloween Centers and parade.  I was so proud to hear how well behaved our students were, as they moved to other Grade 1 classrooms to spend time with the other Grade 1 teachers.  That’s really something to be proud of! A big thank you to those students and their families who brought in snacks / supplies for our fun day! : Thank you to Cale, Julia, Josh, Drew, Hailey, Alex, Colin, and their families. 

Thank you for handing in the Student Led Conferences sheets, indicating your time preferences to meet. On Wednesday November 7^th, I will send home a confirmation slip, letting you know what time we’ve booked you in for.  Please watch for this in your child’s agenda.

The MMH staff is busy getting their report cards ready to send home on November 16^th.  If you haven’t seen a Grade 1 report card, they are divided up into sections.  The first being Personal Growth, and then into separate subject areas.  The grading scheme is different than kindergarten, and is as follows:

4     Excellent achievement of grade level expectations

3                Meeting grade level expectations

2      Approaching grade level expectations

1                        Not meeting grade level expectations

You’ll notice that two major areas on the report card are with the Language Arts and Math strands.  Please keep in mind that the expectations in these subject areas change throughout the year- for example the reading level goal for November compared to June.  In Science and Social, we focus on different units throughout all reporting periods. 

I think with Grade 1 being such a change from Kindergarten, the first page that focuses on Personal Growth is an extremely important section. It’s quite the step up from half day to full day school, and each and every day we focus on things like the golden rule, how to work together, and how to think like a problem solver.  Together we’re helping them develop into responsible students, and they’re going to see success all throughout their time at MMH because of this.  I know that my mom still has my Grade 1 report cards, and the funny thing is I think a lot of those comments would still apply if I were writing my own report card today!

Just a heads up:  On November 13^th, 14^th, and 15^th I am away at a conference. My good friend Aimee Gast will be in to teach for me. The students already know her and I am confident things will run quite smoothly for those days.  If you need to get a hold of her, the best thing to do is write a note in the agenda as she will be checking them OR if it’s urgent, call the school and they can transfer your call directly into the classroom. 

“Sock it to ‘Em” program at MMH! We talked about this briefly today in class, but for those who don’t know, the caretakers and maintenance staff in our district are collecting NEW socks to be donated to local charities for Christmas.  If you’re able to donate a pair, please send new socks in with your student to make someone’s Christmas a little bit warmer!  We will be collecting socks from November 1^st to December 13^th. 

Also, at the November 15^th assembly, we will have a guest speaker come in to talk about collecting Pop Can Tabs! If you’re able to start your own collection at home to donate, that would be wonderful! 

It’s listed in the November MMH Newsletter that our school is in need of a wheelchair.  If you know of anyone who is able to donate, please contact Mr. Paul Bryant. 

I think that’s it for now! Thank you for reading and have a wonderful weekend!

-Anna Tsentouros

Here are some important November Dates to mark your calendars with:

November 8^th- Remembrance Day assembly 10:30am

November 9^th- Remembrance Day break No School

November 12^th- Remembrance Day break No School
November 15^th- PJ DAY! Assembly @ 8:30 & Bear Unit kick off!
November 16^th- Report Cards sent home
November 19^th- Guest teacher Stacy Deys for Art class!
November 21^st- Hot Lunch
November 22^nd- Students dismissed at 11:45
November 22^nd- Student Led Conferences
November 23^rd- Student Led Conferences
November 27^th- Helen Schuler field trip 1:00-2:30
November 28^th- Character Ed Assembly @ 12:30