Polar Express Family Night

You're Invited to....

POLAR EXPRESS FAMILY NIGHT

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First grade will be hosting a "Polar Express Family Night" for all first grade families on Thursday, December 15, from 5:30-7:15. We would like to invite your whole family to join us in the gym to watch the movie Polar Express in your pajamas while enjoying cookies and hot chocolate. Yum!!!

If you would like to donate some items for this night, please click here to sign up. 
We appreciate your generosity in helping with this fun event!  

If you have not done so already, please return your blue form (that was sent in Friday Folders on 11/18) by 12/5 or email me at aholt@cpsk12.org  to RSVP.


We look forward to a fun and magical evening with your family! 

Pajama Party!



Pajama Party!

          Our class has earned a pajama party for building their “Work on Writing” and “Read to Self” stamina for 20 minutes. I am SO proud of them. They have worked so hard! We will celebrate Tuesday, October 4, 2016. You may wear pajamas or comfy clothes to school and bring one item (stuffed animal, blanket or pillow). Congratulations!! You’ve worked hard to earn this! 

International Dot Day

We will 


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on Thursday, September 15th.


 This day is inspired by the book "The Dot" by Peter H. Reynolds. This is an inspiring story about a girl named Vashti. It teaches us to never give up and to think positively instead of negatively. We will be doing a variety of activities this day to promote a growth mindset and some fun activities centered around dots. 

The only thing I need from you is to have your child wear dot (polka dots, circles, etc) clothing on Thursday, September 15 (tomorrow). Don't fear if you do not have dot clothing. We will be making some fun clothing wear as well! :) 

Here is a fun Emily Arrow song (For those of you who came to Curriculum Chat, you know all about her) that is inspired by the same book, The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds! 


Happy Wednesday!

Reminder: You're Invited

You’re Invited
What: First Grade Curriculum Chat
When: September 13, 2016   7:45-8:15am
Where: Rock Bridge Elementary in our classroom

Come join us for an opportunity to learn more about our first grade classroom and the learning that is taking place.

We look forward to seeing you there! 

I Pick Good Fit Books

I said I would have a blog post up on Monday and it's now Tuesday evening Wednesday morning! I apologize for the delay!  

We have started this "thing" in our classroom called Daily 5. It is a framework for structuring literacy time so students develop lifelong habits of reading, writing, and working independently. Once this program is fully launched your child will complete each Daily 5 once per day (hence the name Daily 5 :) ) 

We have jumped head first into the first Daily 5 which is Read to Self. Within Read to Self, we have discussed the importance of picking "Good Fit Books." When doing this we use the acronym, I PICK.




Now parents, hang with me! I promise this is good stuff and will help your child be successful readers. The more you know, the more you can help them at this task! :) 

I introduced this lesson by bringing in a bag of my shoes. The kiddos loved this and found it helpful to relate good fit shoes to good fit books. Let's break down each letter now...




I : I look at each book inside and out. Just like our shoes, when we are deciding to wear them or buy them, we take a good look at them. We should do this with our books too. When we get them off of shelves or out of libraries, we should take a good look at them.

P: Purpose: Why do I want to read this book? Taking another look at my shoes, why do I want to wear this shoe? I'm going for a run so should I wear my summer wedges? Probably not. If I want to learn facts about sharks, should I read a book about a character named Ralph going to the park? Probably not!

I: Interest: Am I interested in this topic or book? I mentioned to my students, you will not find soccer shoes in my bag of shoes because I do not like soccer, but you will find my running shoes in there because I love to run. They are usually pretty dirty too because I like to run on the trail. Now parents, this might be one of the most important parts because I always want your kids to be reading books that they are interested in. If they are not interested in a book or a topic, let them put it back and pick a better fit book. Reading should be enjoyable so lets make it just that!

C: Comprehend: Can I understand and remember what I read? Parents, this is the biggest misconception when a child is reading, and especially learning to read. When a child is reading a book, they should not only be able to read the words of the book, but also understand what they read. Just because they can read most of the words on the page does not necessarily mean that they understand what they are reading. If you are overseeing them reading (which I recommend that you do), please ask them simple questions to make sure they are understanding what they read. During this part, I tried on Noelle's cute little sandal and we all decided that even though I really liked it, it was NOT a good fit for me! 

**Side note: Many of my students checked out Magic Tree House books from the library this week. These books are probably not good fit books for most students at this point in their reading development. However, I know they are very fun books to read as a family!! 

K: Know: Do I know most of the words? We want books to be challenging enough to push students. We want them to know most of the words but not fly through every page! This will help them grow as independent readers. 

I know this blog post was extremely long but I hope you found it very helpful as it is filled with useful information. As always, please let me know if you have any additional questions! Your support is greatly appreciated! 

Here are a few fun pictures of your kiddos practicing Read to Self around the room! 







Gooooo Tigers!

We had so much fun celebrating college colors day yesterday! Look at all those first graders wearing black and gold to show their tiger spirit.


And look at this adorable friend representing the Huskers. We still like him anyway! :-)



I have lots of fun pictures and information to share about all the learning we have been doing here in Room 15. Check back on Monday for another NEW post! Have a fabulous three day weekend!

Picture Perfect

Wow! We've had a great first week of school! Your kiddos are becoming great first graders and are adjusting well! I can already tell we are going to have a great year here in Room 15. Here is a picture from the first day of school!




Also, I've been forgetting to tell you, we'd love to have a 4 X 6 picture of you and your family to hang in our classroom. Kiddos love seeing pictures of the ones they love the most hanging around our classroom. Please do not send any pictures of sentimental value/heirlooms that you do not have copied as they could be damaged throughout the course of the year. There is no rush  or "deadline" on this. You can just send them in as you think of it/ gather one! :) Thank you! :)

It's a NEW year


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Hi there First Grade Families,

I can't believe the 2016-2017 school year is already here. I am so pleased to have you as part of the family here in room 15. I am excited to work together to make this the best learning adventure for your kiddo.

This website will act as a hub for all information. There are different tabs with helpful information, learning links, pictures and more! I will run the homepage as a blog (it will act as a newsletter) to keep you up to date on your child's learning! If you ever have any questions about room 15, this website will be a great place to start to get your questions answered.

I am in the process of revamping the website to update it all to the 2016-2017 school year information! Please check back soon to check out all of the new information!

Lost & Found


A Message from Mrs. Reynolds

RBE Parents and Families,                                                                                                                                                                                                                            
This year our annual RBE Clean-Up Day has been combined with RBE Outdoor Classroom Week, which started on Monday, April 18th.  I apologize for not having a schedule of the Clean-Up Projects out to you sooner, but below you will find each class and their assigned projects.  The projects are happening today, April 21 and Friday, April 22.  If you are able to volunteer to tomorrow, please email me at ereynolds@cpsk12.org with the day/time.  We especially need help on Friday!  If you are able to volunteer on Friday, please sign up here: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090949acac2da64-clean

If you are able to help classes with mulching and have access to a wheelbarrow, wagon, shovel, rake and/or pitchfork, please bring those along with you!  Make sure the items you bring have your name on the handle.   We would love to have additional spring bulbs as well.  Other items that we need are 5 gallon buckets (kitty litter buckets would work also) and large plastic containers (like from yogurt, butter, or sour cream).  We need 6-8 buckets and at least 25 plastic containers.  These items will be kept in the garden and will be used by classes to water the garden plants. 

Thank you for your time and consideration,

Emily Reynolds, 1st grade teacher and RBE Outdoor Classroom representative

"Make the Change" Project and Fundraiser



We are participating in the "Make the Change" service project that was organized by  Myles Putnam and Mrs. Howard's class. Last week, two of her students came in to give us more information about St. Jude's and the children that they serve. We were excited to learn that the children don't have to pay for anything at this hospital because of people like us who raise money for them. 

We have set a class goal of $40 and a school goal of $1,000.  We have learned that any amount helps. Students have been bringing in money each day to add to our jar! We greatly appreciate your help in this service project! 

PowerPoint from Mrs. Howard's Class:  

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0Bwzw9c4c4rMdYUNIaVBxU3JzVUE/view?usp=sharing

Myles Putnam's Pin Cancer Donation Page: 






100th Day

Better late than never, right?

I have a bunch of fun pictures from the activities we did on the 100th of school. Time has slipped away and that is now 19 school days behind us. However, I still wanted to share all of the fun that we had on this special day!


 We made our 100 Days Smarter crown and were able to wear them ALL day!





We read lots of fun books about the 100th day. 


Everyone in first grade brought in a collection of 100 items. We organized our items on our desk to get ready for our "100 Things Museum."





We toured each 100 Thing Museum in each classroom. Some fun things we saw were....

100 baseball cards

100 Shopkins

and 100 gems.





We enjoyed our 100th Day cupcakes made by our special friend, Ms. Nancy.







We aged ourselves to make us look like we were 100 years old. These made for lots of laughs throughout the day. I hope you were able to see them in your student's folder. 


 We ended the day by making a trail mix made of 100 food items. We added chocolate chips, pretzels, fruit loops, goldfish and more!







 First grade is flying by! Now we are 119 days smarter!! 



RBE Reading Week


Reading Week is next week! YEAH!! 
It is going to be a fun filled week. Here are the details and a few reminders. 

Dress up Days

Monday: "Hats off to Reading" Students may wear hats. 
Tuesday: "Reading Rainbow" Students may wear as many colors as possible. 
Wednesday: "Relax with a Good Book" Students can wear PJs. 
Thursday: "Lasso a Good Book" Students can wear western wear. 
Friday: "Book Character Day" Students can dress as their favorite book characters. 

Mystery Readers

I am looking for parents, grandparents, family friends, etc. who would like to come in and read to our class during reading week next week. This will be a fun addition to the week.  I can provide a book for you or you can bring one of your favorites to read. We want to keep this a surprise to students until our mystery reader comes in. This will build suspense with our students. If you or someone you know is willing to read to us, please email me at aholt@cpsk12.org and we will set up a time that works for you. Thank you!

Other Fun Happenings During Reading Week

  • DEAR (Drop Everything And Read) will be happening on March 9th. Our whole school will drop everything and read three times throughout the day for 10 minutes each time. 
  • Reading with the Stars will take place on March 11th in the media center. We have a series of STARS lined up to read to our students.
  • A bookmark contest is being sponsored by the Media Center. Bookmarks need to be black and white. We will be working on these in class or students can take them home too. Three winners will be chosen. The winning bookmarks will be copied on colored paper and available for students throughout the rest of the year. 
  • Watch twitter for fun updates. We will be using the #rbereads  . 
  • and SO much  more. 

As always, please let me know if you have any questions or concerns. 

First Grade RBE Showcase Space Mission



Our 1st grade RBE Showcase Space Mission
will “launch” on

Monday, February 29th at 9:45 am.

Your first grade “Astronaut in Training” will teach you
what they are learning about outer space. There will
also be time to create special learning tools to take home.
Parents, grandparents, relatives, and family friends are
invited to join us from 9:45-10:15 on this important mission!
The countdown has begun…
5… 4… 3… 2… 1...

Lots of Updates and Reminders

Valentine's Day


  • We have decided to exchange Valentine's in the morning. This is optional. If you would like to participate, please have your child fill out a valentine for each student. A class list came home tonight but let me know if you need another one. You do not need a box. We will be decorating bags to put them in. Also, please let me know if you need help purchasing, filling out or making valentine's for your student. 

    • Our party will be February 11, 1:45-2:30. We are still in need of a few sign ups for our Valentine's Day Party. If you are willing and able, please sign up here. Your generosity is greatly appreciated. Thank you for helping his party (and every party) be such a huge success. First grade is a great place to be. 

    Parent Teacher Conferences
    • Parent/Teacher Conferences for 2nd trimester will be February 22-26. A letter went home tonight. Please return it by Friday, February 5. My goal is to meet with every family. Please return to this form in order to get a spot that works best for you. 


    Pajama Party!


    • Our class has earned a pajama party for building their “Work on Writing” and “Read to Self” stamina for 20 minutes. I am SO proud of them. We will celebrate Friday, February 5, 2016. You may wear pajamas or comfy clothes to school and bring one item (stuffed animal, blanket or pillow). Congratulations!! You’ve worked hard to earn this! 
    100th Day
    • The 100th day of school is tomorrow. We have lots of fun activities planned. Please send in 100 items (cotton balls, pennies, Q-tips, etc.) for our 100 Museum. 

    Reminder: 100th Day of School = Tuesday Feb. 2


    Dear Families,

    The 100th Day of School is only 6 school days away! Currently, the 100th Day of School is   scheduled for Tuesday, February 2nd (unless we have any snow days between now and then). All of the first grade classes are planning a celebration for the 100th Day of School in which all learning activities will be centered around the number 100.

    As a part of our day, all 1st grade classes will be creating a “100th Day Museum.”  Please have your child bring a collection of 100 things to school by Monday, February 3rd.  The collection needs to be small enough to fit in your child’s backpack.  Some examples might include 100 paperclips, cotton balls, pennies, cereal pieces, ribbons, beads, toothpicks, pencils, playing cards, etc.  Let your child use his/her imagination to come up with a unique, one of a kind collection. 

    Each class will be displaying their collections on the 100th Day of School during math. Then the first graders will visit each first grade classroom to see all the collections in the “100th Day Museum.”  When the 1st graders return to their classrooms, they will discuss the different types of 100 collections that they observed.

    In addition, on the 100th Day of School each first grader will create his/her own special “trail mix” snack of with 100 pieces of food.  For this special snack, we would like to ask for food donations.  If you are able to donate please click here and sign up to bring a snack.  If you are unable to access our site. Please let me know and I will get you a list of the snack needed. Please send in your snack donations by Monday, February 1st. As always, thank you for your generosity in making events like this a SUCCESS! 

    Thank you for your help!

    Ms. Holt