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
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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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