Hello families,
We have just two weeks left of the 2017 school year, can you even believe that? Time has gone by so fast this school year and that is in great part to the amazing classroom dynamic that we have. This week we learned more about the Parts of Speech. We focused in on adverbs while reviewing our nouns, articles, adjectives, and verbs. The first graders are creating beautiful books that include each part of speech that will go home at the end of our lesson. We have also been working with Subject/Predicate books and identifying different parts of speech in all aspects of our work. Understanding the different parts of speech is important for strengthening our writing skills. We have focused on what makes a complete sentence and a SUPER sentence this quarter through each of these lessons. Ask your child what shape and color represents each part of speech! The second graders worked on their hemisphere projects this week. They created beautiful clay ornament hemispheres (Northern and Western) as an extension of the Timeline of Life. First grade created paper hemisphere posters and the third graders sewed gorgeous felt hemispheres. These projects will be going home before winter break. Be on the look out for them; they are amazing! Our amazing third graders just completed their first day of MAPS testing this week in reading. I was fortuante to be their test proctor for this benchmark test and it was so great to see how calm and prepared they were for their test. Next week they will wrap up the testing by taking their math test. Students will not be tested again until spring. Next week will be our last spelling list for 2017. I will not be testing students the week of break. I have also decided to stop using Spelling City as a means of sharing the weekly spelling words. Only a few students use it regularly and it is quite taxing in terms of my time. I have paid for a full year subscription so students can still access their account and words through the end of the year. They can also manually enter their weekly words themselves in order to practice each week. I will continue to post the spelling words to our classroom website. A big thank you to everyone for bringing snack in on the assigned snack day! I cannot tell you what a difference it makes in the kids behavior and ability to focus when they have a healthy snack to keep them going. Have a great weekend and enjoy your family time! Christine Important Dates: Movie Night- December 8th MAPS testing- December 14th Winter Night- December 15th Winter Field Day- December 18th (1:15-3:15) Gingerbread House Building - December 20th at 9:30am Class party/ Field trip to Alaska Club East - December 21st at 12:30pm January 19th - St.Francis House Food Pantry field trip at 10am February 9th - Musuem field trip/Federal Building visit April 19th & 20th -Alaska Challenger Center (Kenai!)
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Hello families, We had a phenomenal week! The kids were all so focused and we did some really lovely follow up work to the Coming of Life lesson. Make sure to check out their gorgeous work that is slowly being mounted in the hallway on our bulletin board. Next week is a short week with the Thanksgiving holiday falling on Thursday and Friday. On Monday we will be doing a writing project about Farmer Sam and our disguised turkeys. We will also be wrapping up our Parts of Speech books, Subject/Predicate work, and putting the final details on our Timeline of Eras books. We have done some really awesome work! I am so proud of all of the writing the kids have done. Did you enjoy their letters they wrote to you? That was their extension work for our 5 Parts of a Letter lesson. We have been so busy! Second quarter is a funky time of the year with so many days off here and there. I have also been out a lot to take care of my sick kids and because I'm heavily involved in our school activities. I appreciate your patience with these absences- both are important to me - and with such an amazing classroom dynamic (and maybe all of our SEL?), the kids are handling these times well too. I will not be assigning spelling words next week- enjoy the short week and the time with your family! Please make sure your child has turned in their turkey and their field trip forms by Monday. Have a great weekend, Christine Important Dates: Field trip to Geologic Materials Center - November 22nd at 10am Thanksgiving Holiday (No school) - November 23rd and 24th Field trip to see Very Electric Christmas - November 30th at 10am MAPS testing- December 7th and 14th Movie Night- December 8th Winter Night- December 15th Gingerbread House Building/Class Party - December 20th at 9:30am Field trip to Alaska Club East - December 21st at 12:30pm Hello families,
With Halloween this week and me being out at least one day per week the last three weeks, we are feeling the craziness in the classroom! We are going to get back on track for a focused work environment and respect conversations next week. If you can help me with this by talking to your child about the Montessori Peace Values, I would appreciate it. They should be able to talk you through these 6 values on their own. We have been diving into more writing projects and will continue to do so as we navigate the month of November. This week we learned about comparison writing. Soon we will be learning about persuasive and opinion writing. With these lessons the kids are learning about brainstorming, the editing process, and more! First graders are expected to write one quality paragraphy, second graders write two, and third graders write three. If they want to write more than that they are welcome to; these are the minimum requirements. This allows me to check their organization, voice, ideas, sentence structure, spelling and more! On November 9th we are headed to the Franz Bakery. We are still in need of drivers to make this happen. If you have the appropriate amount of insurance and can drive, please turn in your paperwork to the front office by next week. Enjoy your time with your family this weekend! Christine Important Dates: Field trip to Franz Bakery - November 9th at 10am Inservice Day (No school!) - November 10th Field trip to Geologic Materials Center - November 22nd at 10am Field trip to see Very Electric Christmas - November 30th at 10am Hello families,
Thank you for a fabulous parent-teacher conference week(s)! It is always so nice to connect with everyone and to show off all of the great work that your child has been doing. Nearly all of their projects are in their mailboxes ready to go home. There are a few peace flags hanging out to decorate our walls for a bit and the second grade solar system mobiles- I promise they'll all go home after we enjoy them for a bit! We are off and running! Now that we have officially kicked off the start to second quarter and the kids know the drill, we are continuing on our path of literacy, math, science, culture, and of course SEL. This week we will begin talking about the Second Great Lesson. It begins with the beginning of life in the form of bacteria in the ocean and goes through to modern time. There are SO many fun things to learn about and research during this lesson so this will be our science and cultural focus through winter break. I wanted to let you know that I will be out October 31st (please do not send your child in costume to school) and November 1st. I am running the mediator program and will be spending those two days training all of the new school mediators. This is an amazing program that the kids have the opportunity to be a part of starting in 3rd grade. Ms.Marlys will be subbing for me on both days. Most of the kids already know her well and she's a joy to have. We are back to our normal work schedule so spelling words have been posted and we will be taking a spelling test on Friday. Please take note that November 10th, which is a Friday, is another in-service day and there will be no school. If you are interested and available, we are having a training to inform the community about trauma and how to support kids who experience it. This is open to the public. You can contact the office for more details if you're interested. We are still in need of driver/chaperones for the two driving field trips on November 9th and 22nd. If you have the district required insurance and are available, we would so appreciate your help! Currently we have enough seats for about half of our class for both trips. As always, if you have any questions or concerns please do not hesitate to contact me. Christine Important Dates: Field trip to Franz Bakery - November 9th at 10am Inservice Day (No school!) - November 10th Field trip to Geologic Materials Center - November 22nd at 10am Field trip to see Very Electric Christmas - November 30th at 10am Hello families,
This week we completely wrapped up our solar system projects, Montessori peace value flags, learned about constellations and even moon phases! We did a fun lesson on procedural writing with peanut butter and jelly and the kids finished it off with their own writing of how they get ready each day for school. We worked hard on our math facts, which many kids are progressing through weekly, and math operations. We have just two more weeks of working with our First Great Lesson and while the kids love the solar system there is a lot of buzz and excitement for the Second Great Lesson! Our field trip is on Wednesday, October 18th. We will be leaving the school around 9:45 and returning around. Please be sure to send a cold lunch with your child on this day as we are eating at the museum. We will spend time in the spark lab, the planetarium, and of course in the Imaginarium! I cannot thank our chaperones enough- your time is valuable and we cannot make these trips, which are an important part of our curriculum, happen without you. Have you chosen a date for your parent-teacher conference? The kids are excited to show you all of the great things they have been doing during the first quarter of the school year. We will be introducing a new electronic portfolio to you at the conference, too, so that you can see your child's work more regularly. This is a great opportunity for us to celebrate your child and all of their achievements thus far; please be sure to sign up and show up on time. A big thank you goes out to Sharyl for helping me last week with spelling words and around the classroom! This week Annie and Christle helped with the tests and I cannot thank you enough for the extra set of hands on spelling test days. With 5 lists to give it can get a bit crazy trying to squeeze them all in and get them graded to go home so you can see how your child did. Spelling City will still be available for use as a tool through the end of the school year. The following two weeks we will not do spelling words/tests since the weeks are short and there will be a lot going on. I'm sure the kids will be totally bummed! While there are no new words, this is a good opportunity for them to practice their old lists, which I made available on Spelling City. Have a great weekend with your family! Christine Hello families,
This week we wrapped up our solar system projects and our peace value flags. You will get to see both of these projects at your child's parent-teacher conference in a few weeks. The online registration system for conferences opens on Monday, please be sure to sign up for a conference. This is a chance for us to talk about and celebrate all of the great work your child has done this year so far. Next week we will be starting to learn more about constellations and moon phases. We will be doing a moon phase activity that involves Oreo cookies. If you would prefer that your child not participate with the Oreos and would like an alternative material, please let me know. The children will be allowed to take them Oreos home once the activity is done at the end of the day. We are scooting right along with our math, language, cultural and science lessons. Starting the first week of 2nd quarter we will be diving into our Second Great Lesson: The Coming of Life. On October 18th we are going to the Anchorage Museum to see Space & Place. Currently we have enough chaperones but if you would like to join us you are more than welcome to! We will be eating lunch at the museum so please be sure to pack your child a bag lunch on this day. We will be gone from about 9:30 until 2pm. October 25th and 26th are half days. Dismissal is at 12:30 on these days; please make sure your child knows where they are going for the afternoon ahead of time. October 27th is an inservice day - enjoy your extra time with your family! Have a great weekend, Christine Homan Important Dates: Daisy's Celebration of Life - October 13th at 3pm Field trip to the museum - October 18th at 9:30am -2pm In-Service day (No school!) - October 20th Half-Days/Parent Teacher Conferences - October 25th & 26th Field trip to the Apple Store - October 26th -10am-12:30pm In-Service day (No school!) - October 27th Fall Carnival - October 27th Field trip to Franz Bakery - November 9th at 10am Hello families, We had a bit of a bumpy week this week as a class. Students are choosing not to record their work and some are choosing not to do any work at all. Please take a moment to talk to your child about their responsibility to work while at school. We talk at length about how school is their job and I am here to help them grow academically. I am firm with the kids and I have high expectations for their work because I know they can all do amazing things. Their success is dependent upon the effort they put into it. We also talked a lot this week about the difference between Mrs.Homan being "mad" or "yelling" at them versus me using a firm voice and holding them accountable for their work. If you have questions about this please come and chat with me. Last week we learned about Stellar Nucleosynthesis. This week we started our solar system projects and they are turning out lovely. Next week we will be wrapping up these projects and finalizing our Montessori peace value flag projects. You will be taking all of these lovely works home with you at your child's parent teacher conference. These conferences will be in October. Quickly approaching is our next field trip to the Anchorage Museum. We will be learning more about space and experiencing the planetarium. Currently we are short on chaperones. We need at least one more chaperone to make this field trip happen. Are you available? We will be spending the majority of the day at the museum. This is a 9:30-2pm field trip. Many of the kids have finished their personal timeline books and they are turning out great! These will be shared with you at conferences and will be kept at school to be used during the Celebrations of Life. Have a great weekend and as always, let me know if you have any questions or concerns. Thanks for being such an amazing and support parent group!! Christine Important Dates: Lia's Celebration of Life - October 6th at 2:45 pm Daisy's Celebration of Life - October 13th at 3pm Field trip to the museum - October 18th at 9:30am -2pm In-Service day (No school!) - October 20th Half-Days/Parent Teacher Conferences - October 25th & 26th Field trip to the Apple Store - October 26th -10am-12:30pm In-Service day (No school!) - October 27th Fall Carnival - October 27th Field trip to Franz Bakery - November 9th at 10am Field trip to the Natural History Museum - December 13th Hello families,
We had another really great week together. I was out sick Thursday and Friday and both subs left me really wonderful notes about how well the class did. Usually I try to give you a heads up via Remind or an email that I will be out sick but I got hit hard with a sinus cold and was useless until today. I realized that many of you don't know or maybe aren't sure of how our daily work plans go so I put together this explanation, which I've also posted on the website, to help you better understand what your child is doing in class each day. Our daily work plan is as follows: Daily 5: 1)Read to self for 15-20 minutes and write a short reflection on it. 2)Read to someone for 5-10 minutes and write a reflection. 3) Listen to someone read for 5-10 minutes and write a reflection. 4) Work on writing - This can be two pages of handwriting practice, 5 parts of a letter, creative story writing, etc. 5) Word Work - The kids can practice their spelling words, use the skyscraper lessons, or parts of speech to fulfill this part of their work plan. Math: There are two parts to the math section of our work plans; facts and operations. Facts: The kids each have a laminated file that holds math facts for addition, subtraction and multiplication. They can use these to practice their facts each day in class on a set page. For example, all students started on +1. When they feel they are ready to take a 1-minute test and they can solve 20 problems on the +1 page in one minute they can then move on to +2. They can move through this packet at their own speed. The kids also have access to flash cards to work on their math facts independently or with a partner. Operations: Each week the kids have one to two math lessons, this depends on the work that they put into their daily work. If a child is given a lesson on Monday and practices several times on this skill and shows they are ready to move forward, they're invited to the next sequential math lesson on Wednesday or whenever they are ready. If a child shows they have not practiced the skill or it is too challenging we will either do a review lesson or choose a different material to build their foundation skills before moving forward. Science: Every week we have at least one lesson on science, typically this is whole group. This may be the district science kit or the Montessori curriculum. Every day the kids are expected to choose a science activity for their daily work plan. I encourage them to explore the science shelf as much as possible as it relates to our main focus in class but they are also welcome to explore other interests that they have. Cultural: Just as with our science, once a week we do a whole group cultural lesson. These lessons are focused around our Five Great Lessons that begin with the Big Bang, the Coming of Life, the Basic Needs of Humans, the History of Language, and the History of Numbers. I also tie in a lot of SEL activities during this time, including our Montessori Peace Values in the beginning of the school year. Students are expected to do one cultural activity per school day for their work plan which also includes the map cabinet and flag and biome work. We do a lot every day! I hope this helps give you a better understanding of what your child's work expectation is each day and all of the amazing things they are doing in class! Last week we learned about stellar nucleosynthesis, and man, it was awesome! The kids picked up on it so quickly and made some really lovely projects to go along with it. First and second graders made books showing each level and the third graders used ticker tape to create their own timeline. Make sure to ask your child to see theirs! This week we are moving forward with constellation work and we will start our solar system projects. The third graders make solar system necklaces using clay, beads and wire. The second graders are making solar system mobiles and the first graders will be doing solar system books and painting. Picture day is this week - don't forget to have your child dress to impress and send in your order forms if you'd like school photos. Retakes will be available at a later date if your child misses school this day. If you have any questions, I'm always available through email or you can stop by after 8am during the week. Thank you, Christine Important Dates: Picture Day! - September 28th (Forms to go home soon) Leo's Celebration of Life - September 29th at 2:45pm Lia's Celebration of Life - October 6th at 2:45 pm In-Service day (No school!) - October 20th Half-Days/Parent Teacher Conferences - October 25th & 26th In-Service day (No school!) - October 27th Fall Carnival - October 27th Hello families,
We had another lovely week together. This week flew by, just like the others. Our week was filled with all kind of excitement! We completed our standardized reading assessments and began working on our math tests. Our first field trip of the year was incredibly successful and fun. We even got to participate in our First Great Lesson in which we learned all about the Big Bang. Check with your child to see the artwork they made with the "particles" that they are taking home with them today. Thank you to everyone who made it out to Open House. It is always nice to have time to chat with you and to show you our classroom environment and expectations. The first graders have taken off and are being excellent role models not only on how focused they are but also in their behavior. I have been really impressed with our class dynamic this year and I'm really excited for all that we will do this school year. Big thanks to everyone for their generous donations of funds, snacks, and time to our classroom this year. You have helped in many ways, already, this school year and I so appreciate you! Next week will be our first week of having our full work plan expectations implemented. The kids are now working at full speed and they are doing great things. The third graders will start their solar system necklaces that they have been dying to do for the past two years, second grade will start creating their mobiles, and first grade will begin working on their books in the next few days as well. We are also going to be learning about stellarnucleosynthesis (birth of a star). Our focus in science for the next month or so will be around planets, stars and moons so prepare to hear all kinds of interesting things about space. If you ever have questions, concerns or would just like to chat, please let me know. Have a great weekend! Christine Homan Hello families,
This week we added quite a few more lessons and responsibilities to our weekly work plans. The kids are now rockin' and rolling with their Daily 5 work (Read to Self, Read to Someone, Listen to Reading, Work on Words and Work on Writing). They are also expected to do one cultural activity and math fact practice as of this week. Starting next week we will be adding science and math operations too. These kids are working hard every day! I've been really amazed at how quickly the 1st graders have picked up the work expectations and how well they are listening. Some days they have been our best role models. How cool is that? Next week we will be going on our first field trip of the year. Please make sure to send your child with a bag lunch and layers of clothes. Thank you for getting in the permission forms and admission; it helps me to be as organized and ready as possible for this trip and I really appreciate that! We are continuing to work on our SEL lessons and have been pledging to "do right" and "be gentle" in our classroom and world. Our next peace value will be "love". Our flags are turning out amazing and the kids are each earning their beads for their bracelets. Be sure to ask them about the meaning of the values. A few parents have reached out about volunteering in the classroom. I am not great about setting aside projects for parents because I have a touch of OCD.. I think.. but I am always open to you visiting and working with the kids. We can always use an extra set of hands on big project days too! We have a big project coming up soon involving felt and hand sewing- if you'd like to come in and work in small groups for this I would definitely love the help. I am flexible on the dates for making this happen so please let me know if you're interested in this. Open house is this Thursday from 6-8pm. Please come by and learn more about our classroom and what Montessori learning looks like. This is a great opportunity to learn more about your child's work expectations, what the classroom vibe is, and to ask me any of your questions. Enjoy! Christine Important Dates: Pyrah's Peak field trip - September 13th at 9am Open House - September 14th at 6pm MAP Testing for 3rd graders - September 18th & 19th Picture Day! - September 28th (Forms to go home soon) Leo's Celebration of Life - September 29th at 2:45pm In-Service day (No school!) - October 20th Half-Days/Parent Teacher Conferences - October 25th & 26th In-Service day (No school!) - October 27th Fall Carnival - October 27th |
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December 2017
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