You're Invited

You're Invited

What: First Grade Fall Party 
When: October 26, 2018 1:45-2:30 
(If you are setting up, you will probably want to arrive around 1:20)
Where: Rock Bridge Elementary in Room 15

Come join us as we celebrate with a Fall Party. All parents and families are welcome to celebrate this fun afternoon with your student.  (The more, the merrier! :) ) 

The planning is in full swing and we need your help to make this party a success. If you are interested and able to donate to our fall party, please sign up at the following link. 



Updates and Reminders

Chicken BBQ - October 13 4:00-8:00 

We are one week away from the Chicken BBQ! This is such a fun event for all! Events include a Chicken BBQ meal with pie (YUM!!!), carnival games, a silent auction, country store and more! I will be at this event and hope to see everyone there! This is such a wonderful event as all of the proceeds go straight back into our classrooms and students! 

We are still needing lots of volunteers and donations for this event. Here is a link to volunteer to help at the BBQ. There are times available to help the day of the BBQ and the days leading up. Please visit this link to sign up. https://www.signupgenius.com/go/rbechicken . If you are able to donate pies, we still need about 100 more. These can be homemade or bought from the store. Visit this link if you are interested in bringing a pie! https://www.signupgenius.com/go/pielist .

Thank you to everyone who sent in money for the gift card that our class will put into the auction! 


Fall Party Survey

I sent out an email about this. I've only had 9 people respond so far. :( Please fill this out as soon as you can (It should take less than one minute!) so we can start planning our Fall Party! Here is the link. 



Photos

Like I mentioned at Curriculum Chat, I have made a Google Photos albums of some pictures I've taken so far. If you want to share pictures with your family members or friends, please download them and send those to them instead of sharing the entire link. You can find these pictures under the "Our Classroom" tab at the top of click on the link here. Please let me know if you have trouble viewing these albums. 

Birthdays

I've made a list of our classroom birthdays. We celebrate birthdays in our classroom but some students have been wanting a list so they can make a picture or make a card for students on their birthday. You will find that list here or under the "Our Classroom" tab.


Newsletter

This week's newsletter went home in Friday Folders. You can see an electronic version here.

(Non)Homework and Take Home Folder


Families,


Each day your student works incredibly hard to become a better reader, writer, and mathematician. They explore, write, build, sing, create and socialize – it is a long day. When students arrive home, we do not want families burdened with hours of extra work. Extra-curricular activities and family time are important. Additionally, students need the opportunity to explore, play, and be little!

Research shows that developing fine and gross motor skills, building imaginative thinking skills, and fostering a sense of creativity are critically important skills for young learners. Additionally, these ‘non-academic’ skills build a strong foundation for the learning that happens inside our classroom. 


  • Therefore, this year we will be using an alternative to the traditional homework packet - an experience and play-based homework choice board. Each month you will receive a choice board. These choice boards are not meant to be daunting or overwhelming. Rather, they are intended to build fine and gross motor skills, creativity, and imaginative skills. As students complete an activity, they may color that square in, and we will be sharing their calendar with the class at the end of the month. Please return it at the end of each month no matter how many choices you have completed!  
  • In addition to the attached choice board, we ask that you continue reading at home with your student each evening. Reading each day is important for the development of your child.On the back of your choice board you will find a reading log. Each night your child will bring home a book (starting in October) that their teacher has given them. Please return this book to school each day.  Color in a star each day your child reads. 
  • A math packet will come home each Monday. This is a packet of worksheets of skills that your child has already learned. This is just extra practice for your student and good communication to you as to what we are working on in class. It does not need to be turned in to me.

All of these things will come home in a Take Home Folder. This will be in your child's backpack every night. Please get in the habit of checking it nightly as you will find homework, completed work, new books and notes from the teacher or school in it. It should come back to school EACH DAY! 



I appreciate your support as we explore a new avenue for monthly homework. All of these activities should take no longer than 30 minutes per day and most days much less!  I look forward to hearing your feedback and hearing about your experience with these choice boards.

Happy Learning!

You're Invite...

You’re Invited
What: First Grade Curriculum Chat
When: September 11, 2018   7:45-8:15 am
Where: Rock Bridge Elementary in our classroom (Room 15)

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! 

What is Fundations?

Your child may come home talking about Fundations and Echo, the owl and you may be wondering, "What in the world is Fundations?" Here is you answer.

Research indicates that systematic and explicit phonic instruction is effective for all children. Fundations provides a systematic and explicit approach to reading and spelling with phonics. We will combine this with other reading techniques to make your child a well-rounded reader.

1. Fundations is systematic because it follows a sequence for teaching and it follows a procedure.

2. Fundations is explicit because it does not leave room for guessing. It teaches all concepts directly. As the year progresses, Fundations introduces many aspects of word structure and sentence structure. At the beginning of each unit, I will be sending home guides and activities to help you support your child. These letters will outline what we are doing in class too!

At the end of each unit, there is an assessment. The finished and graded assessment will go home in Friday Folders too. You will see notes from me on additional help your child  might need from you or things I will be doing to support him/her in class.

What is Daily 5?

Over the next few weeks, I hope to familiarize you with some of our first grade curriculum/programs.

It won’t be long until you hear your child talk about the Daily 5.  So, what is the Daily 5?  It is a way of structuring the reading block so that every student is independently engaged in meaningful literacy tasks.  The research based tasks are ones that will have the big impact on student reading and writing achievement, as well as foster children who love to read and write.  Students receive explicit whole group instruction and then are given independent practice time to read and write while I instruct individuals or small groups of students. It allows me to reach every reader and writer, no matter what the level. 

There are five parts to Daily 5.

1)Read to Self 
2)Read to Someone
3)Work on Writing
4)Word Work
5)Listen to Reading 

This program will help me learn about your child’s greatest strengths and needs as a reader which will help me plan for his/her individual instruction.  One thing you might notice is a decrease in the number of worksheets your child brings home.  Instead your child will be taught how to select “Just Right Books” for reading.  By reading books that are “Just Right” for your child, he/she will be able to read it more fluently and comprehend the book that they are reading.  Your child will be spending  time reading, which research supports as the #1 way to improve reading.  I anticipate the Daily 5  along with other reading instruction will motivate and improve your child’s reading.  I am excited about implementing this  reading program and giving your child the opportunity to grow as a reader this year. 

A book can take you on an amazing journey without even leaving your house! 

Under Construction for 2018-19 School Year



Hi Families! 

Welcome to our classroom website and blog. 

I am working on updating all information for the upcoming school year and deleting information from the 2018-2019 school year. Please check back soon to see updates to our schedules, class lists, links and more. 

This website and blog will act as a hub for important information and will be quickest way for you to stay up to date on the happenings in Room 15. This is a great communication piece for our classroom.

The 25th Annual First Grade Fishing Field Trip


Who: First Graders and Parents 

When: May 1, 2018 9:45-1:15 (We will be fishing from 9:45-11:15) 

Where: Little Dixie Wildlife Area off of Route RA in Millersburg 


Important Reminders/Notes

  • We need many volunteers and supplies to make this field trip a success. Please click here to sign up. 
  • If you have not already, please return your student's green permission slip and indicate if you are able to attend. This is such a fun experience to have with your student. I hope many of you are able to attend! 
  • For safety reasons, we ask that all younger siblings do not attend this field trip. We want you to enjoy the day with your special first grader. 
  • All fishing poles and bait will be provided by Missouri Department of Conservation, so please do not send any fishing gear with you child. 
  • Dress appropriately for the weather. If desired, apply sunscreen and bug repellent before the field trip. Due to CPS policies, we cannot apply sunscreen/bug repellent on the field trip. 


Author's Lunch

**This note was sent home on 3/22/18 but here is another reminder! Hope to see you there. As always, please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.


You’re Invited
to our
Author’s Lunch
Friday, April 6, 2018 from 10:15-10:55
in your student’s classroom. 


Please come join us as we celebrate the hard work your student has put into writing their teaching books. Your student will share their writing with you while you enjoy lunch together. Feel free to bring a special lunch for your student or enjoy lunch from the cafeteria.

You're Invited and Other Reminders


Image result for tikki tikki tembo clip art

You're Invited

You are invited to our Spring First Grade Musical, “Tikki Tikki Tembo on
March 15 at 1:50 in the RBE gym! This adorable musical is a story about a short little boy with a long name. The children will tell the tale through songs and story. Our first graders have been working hard on this
musical with Mrs. Sharp during music class and
are very excited for the performances!

If your child does not have a speaking part, he/she should wear dark colored bottoms (pants/skirt) and light colored top. 

Snacks

Please remember to bring in snack on the week you are assigned. This is only one time a month. Please bring enough snacks for 21 students. Click here to see an updated version of the snack list. 


Flat Stanley

Image result for flat stanleyYou should have received a Flat Stanley letter from your child’s teacher last week or early this week. The letter outlines the project and how it will help us explore geography concepts. Thank you to everyone who has returned an address and stamped envelope for the project already! Each class will read Flat Stanley, which is about a boy who became flat by a bulletin board falling on top of him. Because he was flat, he was able to visit his friend out of state via mail. First grade teachers are asking you to provide a stamped envelope with the address of a friend or family member who can host Flat Stanley. If you have not done this already, please do so ASAP. Thank you in advance for your help with this project.

Intruder Drill


Dear RBE Parents and Guardians,                                     

Today, March 6th at 9:00am, your child participated in an Intruder Drill at Rock Bridge Elementary School. 

All teachers taught their students ALICE, which stands for:

A – Alert – You will hear an alert.
L – Lockdown – Lock your door and put things in front of it.
I – Inform – You will get further information to help you know what to do next.
C – Counteract – If needed, throw things to distract or hurt the intruders.
E – Evacuate – If you are able to run from the building, go to your school’s safe spot.

We showed our students a video called “ALICE – Your Feet Will Know Where to Go” created by Cedar Ridge students and staff members.  You can view the video here:  http://bit.ly/VnIXdy

From the video, your child also learned that an intruder is: “an unwelcome person that can come and cause danger” and who can “be dressed in any clothing and could be carrying a weapon.”  Students also learned to “stay calm, be brave, and listen to the instructions your teacher gives you.”

Please remember that we practice Intruder Drills and other drills (Fire, Severe Weather, and Earthquake) to help students and staff to be prepared if an emergency occurred. 
If you have any questions, please contact your school administrators, Dr. Ryan Link or
Mrs. Morgan Neale.

Sincerely,

Dr. Link and Mrs. Neale

Reading Week

Reading Week is next week (March 5-9)! Yay!! It is going to be a fun week! Here are a few details and a few reminders.



Dress Up Days

Monday: Career Day
Tuesday: Book Character Day
Wednesday: Sunglasses and Hat Day
Thursday: Matchy Match Day (Match with a friend or a group of friends)
Friday: School Spirit Day (Wear blue or green or RBE shirts)

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. Please click here to find out more information or to sign up. If you need to pick a time that is not listed, please email me and we will make other arrangements. 

Other Fun Happenings During Reading Week

  • DEAR (Drop Everything And Read) 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 9th 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.

Oh Hi There

Hello Families 

I have a few things to update/remind you about for the week so here we go! 

Valentine's Day

1.  We will take care of making Valentine Holders at school.  You do not need to send in a valentine box! 

2.  On Wednesday, February 14th, we will exchange valentines with our friends in this classroom before our party.  If your child would like to make cards, I have included a list of names of all students in our class.  Your child can also just put their own name on each card and we will label them at school.  Cards can be handmade or store-bought.  Please send valentines to school (whenever they are ready) in a Ziploc bag as they will not be passed out until February 14. A class list was sent home along with all of this information last week. Please let me know if you need another class list and I can email it to you. 

*If you need me to help your child label, make, or purchase cards – please let me know! I have extras purchased! :) 

3. Our class party will be from 1:45-2:30. Everyone is welcome! Please arrive at 1:30 to help set up. Thank you to Shannon for heading our parties this year and for everyone who signed up to bring something. You can click here for a reminder to your sign up. 

A note from Mrs. Sharp


Dear Parents,

Each day in music, classes can earn one beat of rhythm for their positive behavior. When 12 beats are completed, the class earns a celebration.
I’m so happy to share that Ms. Holt’s class has completed their song! On Wednesday, February 14th, the children may bring a stuffed animal to music.

Thank you! 
Mrs. Sharp

Box Tops


Continue sending in Box Tops. We will continue collecting them until the end of February. Thank you to all who have already sent yours in! 


Conferences

In your child's Friday Folder, you should have received a reminder with the date and time of your conference. I am looking forward to meeting with every parent to talk about all of the wonderful progress your child has made. If you are needing to change your conference time, please let me know ASAP. 
 



100th Day of School




Dear Families,

The 100th Day of School is only 2 days away! The 100th Day of School is scheduled for Thursday, January 25. All of 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 part of our day, all 1st grade classes will be creating "100th Day Museums." Please have your child bring a collection of 100 things to school on January 25. 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 collection on the 100th Day of School. Then the 1st graders will visit each classroom to see all the collections in the "100th Day Museum."

Your child should bring his/her collection of 100 items on Thursday, Jan. 25.

Thank you for your help!

Ms. Holt

2018 Week 1

I hope everyone had the most relaxing winter break. I know I did but I sure missed these kiddos. It was so fun to see everyone on Thursday. We've had a wonderful two days back together with lots of learning and reviewing school expectations.

January Homework

January Homework Boards are in Friday Folders. Instead of the normal reading log in January, your student will participate in the Read to Succeed Reading Program. If you student completes the Read to Succeed Reading Log (which is attached to their homework board), they will receive one free ticket to Six Flags. Return these logs as soon as your child completes their six hours of reading. Please see the letter attached to the homework board for more information. 

Snack Schedule Change

If you haven't already seen the post about our snack schedule change for January, please click here to read about it. We still need a few people to sign up for dates.

No School

There will be no school on Monday, January, 15, 2018. 


Changes to Snack Day



Thank you all for always providing snack for our class during your snack week throughout the year. This is a very easy way for everyone to get snack each day without having to remember to bring an individual one each day!

Right now, my snack cabinet is overflowing (Thank you so much for your contributions) so I want to put the regular January snack calendar on hold. In order to clean out my snack cabinet, you won't have to bring snack during your snack week in January.

We will still need snack on some days so I am creating a sign up genius. If you are willing to bring a snack, please click here and sign up for a snack day. There are only 9 slots available as I will use the extra snacks on days not listed. If you sign up to bring a snack for one day in January, please bring enough for 21 students on or before that day. 

If you have any questions, please let me know. Thank you!