Hello Readers!

Thanks for checking in to our classroom blog!

Dare I begin by saying...I think spring is finally here...? Hopefully I didn't jinx us.  Mother Nature must have taken our hint when we were bundled up for our "Spring"field trip to the Helen Schuler Center in winter jackets, hats and mittens.  Our students were such troopers though!  No one complained of the cold.  Not even the parents who came to help!  Thank you to those parents who were able to help out and high fives all around!

Next week is "Education Week" and we've got a number of things lined up around our school.  We'll begin the week by celebrating "Music Monday".  If you haven't heard of this special event- google it!! It's such a neat idea- people around the world at the same time will be singing with Commander Chris Hadfield (who is in SPACE!!) a really neat song called "Is Somebody Singing".  Ms. Nevels has been working hard to rehearse our kids and I bet if you YouTube it at home, your Grade 1'er will be singing in perfect key! If you're around MMH on Monday at 10:30, we will all gather in the gym for a *quick* assembly to sing, and logging into a LIVE webcast with Commander Hadfield!! How cool!!

Tuesday, May 7th is the day we've all been waiting for!! The Grade 1s are hosting an MMH Family Assembly!  This is the day that we're asking each Grade 1 student to wear something special for their song.  Girls are invited to wear dresses or skirts, and boys are invited to dress nice as well! We discussed in class that if students do not want to dress up, they can always choose to just wear a solid coloured shirt, and dark pants as well!  Please join us if you can in the gym for our Family Assembly at 12:30.

On Wednesday and Thursday of next week, in order to promote "community" at our school, we're having a "Teacher Switch", where teachers will visit different classrooms and share favourite books with students from different grades.

Did you know our school is 25 years old!? We've got bulletin boards all around the school with a "25" theme.  Check them out if you have a chance!

Our Math A  Thon went really well on Wednesday, and it was nice to see the students confident in their work!  We munched on "Lucky Charms" and everything went really well!  Remember you have until May 15th to work on collecting the pledges, and the brown envelopes can be handed into the office or in your chid's agenda.

We have a field trip booked to the Art Gallery!  Our Grade 1 class is going to see the art exhibit called "Arts Alive and Well in the Schools".  This is an exhibit with pieces of art from students all across the city of Lethbridge!  This is honestly one of my favourite field trips to go to! We are going on Friday May 17th, from 9:00-10:30.  If you are able to help drive students for this event, please email me back as soon as possible!

We are also in need of 5 more egg cartons!! If you have any more please send them in!

Thanks for reading!

-Anna Tsentouros

May 5th- May 11th: Education Week!

Tuesday May 7^th- Family Assembly Grade 1s perform @12:30

Friday May 10^th- PD Day No School

Wednesday May 15th- Math A Thon pledges due

Friday May 17th- Arts Alive field trip 9-10:30

Monday May 20^th- Victoria Day no school

Thursday May 23^rd- Spirit Assembly @1230

Tuesday May 28^th- Galt Museum Field Trip (TBA)

Hi Everyone! Thank you for checking in. This is just a quick blog post, as I've added a few extra details to the calendar below.

Have you noticed that we've been doing a little bit of Spring cleaning in the classroom?! We're organizing our subject tubs and trying to get super organized for these last months of school. 

 

So far, I have 3 drivers for our field trip to the Helen Schuler Nature Center on Tuesday April 30th.  Thank you to Karmyn, Tyler, and Jamie who have signed up to drive. If you are able, or have a grandparent who is able to help us out even by just doing pick ups and drops off, that would be wonderful!  We are scheduled to leave the school by about 12:45, and then leave the nature center for about 2:45.  Send me an email if you can help out!

 

A reminder again that our Grade 1 students will be performing at the Family Assembly on May 7th at 12:30.  The Grade 1 team is in the process of planning out the details of this assembly so we will keep you updated.

 

Special Requests:

Last but not least, THANK YOU to those who have sent in egg carton containers! We are now accepting plastic (see-through) ones, AS WELL AS Styrofoam ones!  Think of us on your next grocery store trip!

Also, we are collecting nylon stockings!  We'll be using this for a project for our living and non living science unit.  If you have any to donate that would be great!  They can be any colour!

 

Have a great weekend!

-Anna Tsentouros

*PS- Spirit Assembly time has changed from 12:30 to 8:30 am!

 

Monday April 22nd- Earth Day

Tuesday April 23^rd- May Scholastic order due back

Wednesday April 24th- Grade 4/5 Airband competition 12:30-1:55

Thursday April 25^th- Spirit Assembly @ 8:30- Crazy Hat / Hair Day

Friday April 26th- Professional Learning Day no school

Tuesday April 30^th- Helen Schuler field trip 1:00

Wednesday May 1^st- Math-a-thon Test Day!

May 5th- May 11th: Education Week!

Tuesday May 7^th- Family Assembly Grade 1s perform @12:30

Wednesday May 8th- Hot Lunch

Friday May 10^th- PD Day No School

Monday May 20^th- Victoria Day no school

Thursday May 23^rd- Spirit Assembly @1230

Tuesday May 28^th- Galt Museum Field Trip (TBA)

Hi everyone! Welcome back to the blog! We had a really great week back in Grade 1 after a relaxing Easter break!  We jumped right back into the swing of things and picked up right where we left off.

In Language Arts we continued with our fairy tale unit, and looked at Little Red Riding Hood and (my favourite!) The Princess and the Pea.  For Little Red, students made their own forest setting and stand up characters.  We spend some time on Wednesday retelling the story to partners. 

We’ll continue to wrap up Fairy Tales, and then move onto learning about taking care of our Earth, which ties nicely into writing, Science, and Social Studies.  With Earth Day approaching, we’ll be discussing how we can take care of our Earth, and recognizing the things that our environment does for us. 

In Math, we are working on our Measurement unit.  In Grade 1, we measure by comparing and using non-standard units of measure.  We’ll also be getting into representing numbers in different ways, from 1-100.  We’ve also been talking about our preferred ways of problem solving.  Here’s a picture of our favourite ways to solve problems so far:

Is your child fundraising for the Math a Thon? Have they collected any pledges yet?  More information about the Math A Thon can be found in the MMH newsletter.  The Practice Test will be sent home next Wednesday.  PLEASE help prepare your child for this test, regardless of whether or not they are fundraising! Thanks for your help!

We have wrapped up our Building Things unit in science with a Unit Test! Students will be bringing home their unit and test which shows the different vocabulary and questions we covered.  We’ll talk about the changing season of Spring (now that it’s starting to look like Spring out there…) and then move on to our last unit, which is Living Plants and Animals. 

In Social Studies, we’ll be discussing how to take care of our world around us, including our environment.  This is a mini unit before we start to compare our Past and the Present. 

We’re wrapping up our Friendship lessons with Mrs. Savage.  The kids LOVE when Mrs. Savage comes in because she has such neat ideas and ways of getting them to connect to things can sometimes be difficult for them to understand.  You’ve probably heard about “Milkshake Breathing” and “Pizza Massage”.  These are great conversation starters with your Grade 1er at home, and we’re so appreciative to have Mrs. Savage in our class. On Thursday we talked about “Red” negative thoughts and “Green” positive thoughts.  It was really empowering, as they opened up and shared times when they’ve had thoughts like “I’m stupid”, or “they don’t like me”. Mrs. Savage gave them tips and tricks on how to deal with these thoughts, and how to use positive thinking, especially when communicating with peers. Here’s some video clips of how they got rid of those negative thoughts and feelings: 

In Phys-Ed we’re starting to learn some skills for T-Ball, and needless to say, I think we have some future baseball stars on our hands!

Our Grade 1 students have been working hard on a beautiful song with Ms. Nevels, which will be showcased at our Family Assembly on May 7^th at 12:30.  If you’re able to make it to our performance, that would be great! 

I’ve noticed that many students have been really diligent this week in returning their home reading- THANK YOU for the time put in at home with this! It’s so neat see their confidence during reading exchange. Daily reading is what makes the biggest improvement! Thank you!!

Last 2 reminders- we are still collecting PLASTIC egg cartons! Please think of us on your next grocery trip! Each child will need one by May, so if you have extras please send them along!

We also need drivers for our Helen Schuler field trip on April 30^th. We’ll leave MMH at 12:45, and be back just before 3.  Even if you can just pick up and drop off, that’s helpful!

Thanks for your time, have a wonderful weekend!

-Anna Tsentouros

Wednesday April 17^th- Hot Lunch, Mathathon Practice Test goes home!

Monday April 22nd- Earth Day

Tuesday April 23^rd- May Scholastic order due back
Wednesday April 24th- Grade 4/5 Airband competition

Thursday April 25^th- Spirit Assembly @12:30
Friday April 26th- Professional Learning Day no school

Tuesday April 30^th- Helen Schuler field trip 1:00

Wednesday May 1^st- Math-a-thon Test Day!

Tuesday May 7^th- Family Assembly Grade 1s perform

Friday May 10^th- PD Day No School

Monday May 20^th- Victoria Day no school

Thursday May 23^rd- Spirit Assembly @1230

Tuesday May 28^th- Galt Museum Field Trip (TBA)

Hi everyone! I hope you have a wonderful Easter break! 
See you all on April 8th!

Here are some important days if you are marking your calendar for April and May! 

Monday April 8th- Classes resume!
Thursday April 11th- Character Ed. Assembly @ 12:30

Thursday April 11th- World Autisim Day- wear blue!

Monday April 22nd- Earth Day
Wednesday April 24th- Grade 4/5 Airband competition

Thursday April 25th- Spirit Assembly @12:30

Friday April 26th- Professional Learning Day no school

Tuesday April 30th- Helen Schuler field trip! 1-230pm

Tuesday May 7th- Family Assembly -Grade 1s perform

Friday May 10th- PD Day no school

Monday May 20th- Victoria Day no school

Thursday May 23rd- Spirit Assembly @ 12:30

Tuesday May 28th- Galt Museum Field Trip (TBA)

 

We are all good for treats on Thursday March 28th's Easter Celebration! Thanks to all the parents who've volunteered!  Remember our Easter Sock Hop is at 12:30 on Thursday if anyone would like to attend!

Fairy Tales Song

Our Drama  song performance!
March 21st, 2013

If I were to write my own report card comment, it would probably say....

"While Anna has good intentions to keep weekly posts on her classroom blog, she sometimes finds other distractions before she realizes it's been ONE MONTH since her last post!!"

Wow! Where has the time gone?!  I have to send out an apology for letting the blog go so long!  I'll do my best to stay on top of it!

Speaking of Report Cards, your student will be bringing home their report card on Friday!  For me, the March reporting period are the easiest ones to write and assess, because the students have seen so much growth since the beginning of the year.  We're all readers, writers, and it's so neat to see the students function as a group.  We all also have things to improve on and so it becomes a report of "here's everything we're doing really well, and here's everything we need to improve on and continue to do".  

When you get a chance to look through your child's report card, it is yours to keep. You do not need to return it to school, or bring it for our "Celebration of Learning". In an effort to go green, you can return your envelope if you wish and I will reuse it again in June.  

Included in the report card envelope are instructions for our "Celebration of Learning", which will take place on Thursday March 21st from 530-7:30.  This is done on a drop in basis, and you do not need to book an appointment.  The students will be prepared with what they choose to show you, and the evening is just as it's titled, a celebration. It's a time for them to proudly show off the things we've done at school, and they are EXCITED to have you. While attendance is optional, I strongly urge you to come and celebrate with us, as these students have so much to be proud of.  If you are unable to come at that evening, please email me with an alternative date and time outside of school hours and I'm sure we can make something work!

If you have other students at MMH, please read the instructions carefully, as some grade levels are using Conference Manager to book times for their celebrations. 

Of course, if you prefer a traditional interview to discuss your child's report card, this is always an option. Please contact me so we can plan for a time to meet on either Friday March 22nd, or at another date and time.  

Here's all the happenings for Grade 1A:

In Language Arts, we've continued on with our Daily 5 program where we practice our reading strategies, writing, as well as working with words.  We did a neat writing activity where students had to write about who was "worth more than gold" to them, in the spirit of St. Patrick's Day. Students also wrote their predictions on what they think Mr. Bryant does all day as a principal.  We're also learning about Fairy Tales, and what makes a fairy tale.  

This is Eva as the "Sneaky E".  Sneaky E is sometimes found at the end of words.  He makes vowels say their own name.  He's super sneaky because he doesn't make a sound...

In Science, we are continuing with our Building Things unit which is tied to our Fairy Tales unit.  For the next little bit, your student might be bringing home bits and pieces of recycling that's hot glued, taped, tied, or somehow stuck together!  This unit is so much fun as it's largely based on exploring different ways to build things and to build structures that serve different purposes. 

In Math we are learning about 2D shapes and 3D objects!  We're becoming experts in describing them and sorting them. It's a perfect time to do this unit as it also connects with our Building Things unit.  After we will revisit representing numbers but on a larger scale, as well as adding and subtracting.  

In Social Studies we've wrapped up our comparing and contrasting Urban and Rural communities.  We have worked on our mapping skills as we've practiced "birds eye view", and will soon begin our unit on Taking Care of our Earth.  

In gym class, we've finished up our unit on floor hockey and had our first lesson with the indoor tennis rackets!  These lessons are coupled with dance lessons.  Movement is a big part of the Arts curriculum, and the students LOVE it! We've been practising specific circle and line dances, in preparation for our Easter Sock Hop which will be held on March 28th (time TBA).  

In conjunction with our Arts program, the Grade 1 students have had several lessons from a group of UofL Drama students.  These students planned different activities for the class, and a mini in school performance which will happen next Thursday March 21st.  Students will be performing their song to other classes.  

Grade 1s and their guest Drama teachers.

In Health, we've had Kristine Savage, our Making Connections liaison through the counselling office come and teach them "Fun Friends" lessons. These mini lessons are 6 consecutive weeks, where students talk about friendship, feelings, body language, and basically how to socialize with those around them.  Our hope is that students take the strategies discussed and really put them to use in the classroom and on the playground.  

I realize this is not for a few weeks away, but on Tuesday April 30th, we will be having another field trip back at the Helen Schuler Nature Center from 1-1:30 and will be needing drivers. If you'd like to come to learn about Spring time and the changes in nature, OR if you're able to pick up/ drop off, please email me to let me know!

That's all for now! Here are some dates to add to your calendars and there's some pictures at the bottom for you to check out as well.  Have a wonderful weekend!  

Important March and April Dates:
Thursday March 14th- Spirit Assembly @12:30- Wear Green!
Friday March 15th- Report Cards sent home
Thursday March 21st- Celebration of Learning 5:30-7:30pm
Friday March 22nd-  No School, alternate interview date
Thursday March 28th- Easter Celebration and Sock Hop 
Friday March 29th- Easter Break  begins

Monday April 8th- Classes resume!
Thursday April 11th- Character Ed. Assembly @ 12:30
Monday April 22nd- Earth Day
Thursday April 25th- Spirit Assembly @12:30
Friday April 26th- Professional Learning Day no school
Tuesday April 30th- Helen Schuler field trip! 1-1:30


Here are some pictures of our trip to Home Hardware last month!

Some pictures from our 100 Day Celebration last month!