We are off to a really great start to our year :) . The kids are working hard to learn our classroom procedures and rules. We have begun building our stamina in reading and writing. We have also begun our review of math skills taught last year.
It has been pretty hot those first couple of weeks of school and I am looking for it to cool down a little bit. Because of the weather, the kids were pretty tired in the afternoons. That, combined with getting used to being back in school, I kept things light and simple in the afternoons. We should be picking up our pace as we move into these next couple of weeks.
Homework will begin this week. Math homework will be sent home on Fridays and will be due the next Friday. The purpose of homework is for the kids to have some extra practice as well as for you to see what they are doing in math. The kiddos should also be reading about 20 minutes everyday, or as many days as possible. I know that sometimes it can be tough to get your child to read at night. Some things to try are:
1. They read a page, you read a page.
2. They read a book, you read a book.
3. Create a "fun" reading spot for them to read. A storage tub with a pillow, a tent, etc.
4. Have them call a grandparent and read to them on the phone.
5. Set up stuff animals/action figures and read to an "audience."
Upcoming dates:
September 11 is a Parents Club meeting at 9:00.
September 14 is an early release day.
September 21 is our Color The Park Run. This is such a fun event!!! I hope to see you all there! If you didn't register already, you may still do so at the event.
September 26 is our school's picture day.
You may have heard that we have a football player helping in our classroom. The kids are super excited! Brady is a junior at the high school and will be joining us on Friday's for our last 45 minutes of the day to help with whatever we are doing. Brady is a former student of mine and it is super cool to have him help with the kids. The football players are asked to give back and they are doing that by getting into the classroom. They were asked to pick a teacher that impacted them and I am very humbled and honored that Brady chose me. I received an e-mail that said the students in my classroom will receive free tickets to the September 14th game and will be allowed on the field before the game as a thank you. I have not heard any more details than that. As soon as I hear more, I will fill you in. At this point I am not going to say anything to the kids until I know for sure the final details.
Lastly, here are a few pictures from our first couple of weeks of school. Enjoy!
These pictures are of the kids creating a summer memory out of play doh to share with the class.