Greenwald's Gazette

WEEK OF MAY 12 - MAY 16

Thank you so much for your very generous and thoughtful gifts. The rose bush is beautiful.  I can't wait to redeem my gift cards, as eating out, reading, and shopping are three of my favorite things to do.  I really appreciate your generosity.

Thank you, too, for being a part of our class picnic. I hope you enjoyed our poetry presentation and our non-fiction books.  I was extremely proud of the children as they performed their poems beautifully and worked so diligently on creating their books. I was watching them on the stage and admiring their growth this year.  The obvious physical change is evident but they have developed and grown socially, emotionally and academically also.   They are independent workers, fluent readers, better communicators and looking a whole lot like second graders.  It is fun to look at beginning of the year and ending of the year assessments and see just how much academic growth has taken place.  It has been a pleasure working with each and everyone of your children. Our class has had wonderful chemistry. I look forward to seeing them over the next four years as we pass in the halls and I get to witness their continued maturity and see their academic progress displayed throughout the school.

We have had a week of performances and what a great audience we have been.  We were treated to Reader's Theater where we got to watch books and songs come alive by several of the Mt. Bethel staff.  We were treated to a performance by a children's theater group called Encore, Encore. We saw a wonderful magician/performer in a Cultural Arts presentation called The Circus King.  We had a visit from a Merchant's Walk librarian who presented an introduction to their summer reading program, and we saw a special performance of the 3rd grade Mt. Bethel chorus.

Next week will be equally busy.  Tuesday will be our field day.  Thank you in advance to our parent volunteers.  We look forward to seeing you when we visit your stations.  Please have your children wear their class t-shirts for field day.  Also, lather on some sunscreen in the morning and send a water bottle with your child's name to take outside during the events.  PE shoes are a must!

Information is coming home about next week's Reading Is Hot program.  Each day will have a special theme. We will get to spend a little extra time reading with our Book Buddies.  The children have had a great time with Mrs. Hoogland's class this year and I know this will be a highlight of our week.

Thursday, we will make our summer journals and have our special pizza lunch.  I look forward to seeing those parents who are able to stop by and visit. The children will bring all supplies and items, from their desks, home on Thursday. Please do not send book-bags to school on Friday.  They are not permitted to take anything on the buses Friday afternoon so if your child is going to bring a lunch from home, please send it in a disposable bag.

This will be my final blog and I thank you for reading it this year.  My hope was that it would provide some talking points for family discussion.  I feel as though the year has just begun.  They say time flies when you're having fun.  Truth be told it has been so much fun and it has flown by. I thank you, again, for sharing your wonderful children with me.  It has been a great year and I could not have done it without your support.  Have a wonderful summer!

WEEK OF MAY 5 - MAY 9

I am looking forward to seeing everyone at our class picnic next Tuesday, May 13th.  Your child is bringing your invitation home today.  If there will not be a family member present, please send me a note or an e-mail so that I will know ahead of time.  Also, if your child will be buying a school lunch, in lieu of you bringing a lunch from home, please let me know that too, so that I may place a lunch order the morning of the picnic. I am hopeful that we will have a beautiful spring day.  We will be having a special cookie cake for dessert in celebration of all of our summer birthday classmates.

Please do not forget that all library books are due back to school tomorrow, Friday, May 9th..  Notices were sent home for any books that are overdue.  The children will no longer be able to check out new books.  They may continue to take Accelerated Reader tests by using books they have at home, classroom books,  or books checked out through the public library.

Tuesday, May 20th, is Field Day with a rain-date on Wednesday, the 21st.  If you are interested in volunteering at a station, please let Mrs. Epstein know.  All volunteers should check in at the multi-purpose room and will be assigned to a station to supervise.  Our game time will be from 8:30-10:30 and we look forward to seeing you when we visit your stations.  Please have the children wear their class t-shirts on this day.

There are no papers coming home this week.  We have been extremely busy with end of the year assessments, in addition to working on some special projects including one for our special Mothers.  I hope each of  you have a wonderful Mother's Day.  I know one of your greatest gifts is the one that comes to me at 7:15 each day.  You are a lucky group of moms.  Congratulations to Jack's mom and family on their newest addition Spencer.  We can't wait for a show and tell. Have fun celebrating with your children.  They are extremely lucky to have such wonderful moms.

WEEK OF APRIL 28 - MAY 2

It is hard to believe that the final month of school is here.  We are in the midst of many on-going projects and our days seem busier than ever.  I do want to reiterate how wonderful the children were last week during testing. They were relaxed and self-confident each day. First grade is such a rewarding grade to teach.  Witnessing the growth and accomplishments of each child is a true pleasure.   Thank you again to the parents who provided our special snacks during testing.

This Friday is the last day the children will be able to check out books from the media center.  I sent some overdue notices home this week.  Please be sure to have your child return all books and to take advantage of our last check-out time this week.  All student books must be returned by next Friday, May 9th.  The children will still be able to read and take tests on Accelerated Reader titles from our classroom collection of books.

I am sending our last book order forms home today.  Be sure to check out some good summer reading options.  We will be meeting with a representative from the public library next week to discuss their summer reading program with the children.

Next Thursday, May 8th, is our in-school High Touch, High Tech field trip.  The children will be learning about plants.  I still have a few outstanding permission slips.  Please be sure to return those ASAP.

I want to remind everyone once again, about, our upcoming family picnic on Tuesday, May 13th.  The children will be sharing a poetry presentation at 11:00 on the Outdoor Stage.  We will then make our way to the Outdoor Classroom and enjoy lunch together.  After our picnic, I would like to invite you to come back to our classroom for an Author's Celebration.  The non-fiction books are complete and the children are anxious to share them with you. 

Thank you to everyone who has already returned Math Blaster folders, Monthly Reading Logs and Fun Family calendars.  With 16 short days remaining, I will not be sending these items for the month of May.  Please continue reading at home and practicing math facts to ready your child for second grade!!!!

Congratulations to Aaron for being nominated as our last Character Education winner this year.  Aaron won for his many "accomplishments" throughout the year.  We are very proud of you and your hard work!

If your child has a summer birthday and would like to celebrate with their classmates, please send me an email to let me know.

WEEK OF APRIL 21 - APRIL 25

Due to testing this week, I will not be sending papers or communication folders.  The first two days of the CRCT are behind us.  We have completed the Reading and English/Language Arts portions of the test.  We will end the week and test tomorrow with the Math portion.  Thank you again to all of the families who provided our special snacks.  They were a big hit with the class.  The children have been wonderful during testing.  They are attentive, working carefully, and applying their knowledge. There are however many yawns and tired faces.  Please put them to bed early this evening to help them feel refreshed for tomorrow.  It is a long and tiring week and I look forward to changing pace and direction next week.

If you did not read my blog last week, please refer to it for information about our upcoming family picnic and end of the year party.

Thank you again for supporting the Relay for Life kickball game and all other fund-raisers related to this special cause.

For Earth Day, we received caterpillars in our room. We have been watching while they begin their transformation into butterflies.  We look forward to releasing them when the cycle is complete.

WEEK OF APRIL 14 - APRIL 18

I want to thank Jake's mom for accompanying us on our field trip to Wheeler High School this week.  The children were treated to some of Rudyard Kipling's Just So Stories from the school's drama department.  In preparation for the trip, we read several of his stories and watched a few on DVD. The children were very well behaved and attentive during the performance.

Tomorrow, the Cultural Arts Committee is bringing a theater group to Mt. Bethel to perform If You Give A Mouse A Cookie and other story books.  We have been reading some of the stories that will be presented.  We had fun with the book Math Curse which is a story about a child who thinks of almost everything as a math problem.  The student develops a math anxiety which becomes a real curse when she is seemingly bombarded with math wherever she goes.  We had fun brainstorming the math problems we encounter in our everyday lives.

Congratulations to Hailey who was our April character education winner.  Hailey won for displaying the characteristic commitment.  Way to go Hailey!

We continued to be busy this week revisiting the many content standards we have learned this year in preparation for next week's testing.  Thank you again for your help and support at home.  We have spent time working on test taking strategies and the importance of listening, rereading passages, eliminating answers and thinking about what the question is asking.  It's not too late to be taking practice tests at home on the computer.  Thank you to those who have done this with their children. There is an important letter coming home today about next week's testing.  In past years, I have always asked for the parent's help in sending a special snack for testing days.   I would like small bags of washed grapes for each child. The children, in past years, have seemed to prefer green over red.  The other snack item I like to have for the children are either cubes of cheese or string cheese.  If you would be willing to help with sending in one of these items please email me at   Jody.Greenwald@cobbk12.org Hopefully, we can have two to three parents send in cheese and two to three parents send grapes on each of the three testing days.  I greatly appreciate your help, as always. When I here back from volunteers, I will compile a schedule and send it home at the beginning of next week.

Today your child is bringing home his/her tickets for the Relay for Life kickball game.  Thank you to everyone for supporting this worthwhile fund-raiser by attending the game, wearing a hat on hat day or any one of the other special events.  The kickball game is Tuesday, April 22nd after school.  An important letter about the game is in your child's folder today. Due to my being athletically challenged, I will be working the concession stand rather than playing the game!  If your child is attending the game he/she must be accompanied by an adult.  Consequently no one can remain at school without a note from home.  The children can ride the bus home and return to school with an adult or they can be met at dismissal time.  If you wish for your child to meet you at the office, he/she will be dismissed at 2:20.

It is hard to believe how close we are to the end of the year.  It has been a fabulous one with an outstanding group of children.  In thinking ahead to the year's end, I do want you to put two dates on your calendars.  We will be having an end of the year class picnic on Tuesday, May 13th from 11:00 - 12:00.  The children will have a little performance at our outdoor stage and then we will share picnic lunches from home.  Also, on Thursday, May 22nd we will have an end of the year class party.  The children will make summer journals and we will have a special lunch.  All parents are welcome to attend.

Don't forget to have the children get plenty of sleep next week.  Testing days are very tiring and being well rested is most advantageous.  A good healthy breakfast is equally important. Thank you again to those willing to help with snacks. Any other suggestions are welcomed.

WEEK OF MARCH 31 - APRIL 4

Please remember that the Mt. Bethel Art Show is taking place today from 3:00 - 7:00 in the Multi-Purpose Room.

We visited the computer lab this week and took a practice test on the CRCT site.  If you haven't had an opportunity to use this site, it's not too late.  The children really enjoy it and greatly benefit from the practice. Thank you for all you have done to help in preparing your children for the upcoming test.

It has been a busy week filled with review and new concepts. The children are definitely ready to rest their brains and have some family  fun.  Please help them to remember special moments during the break so that they can write about them when they return.

Tuesday, April 15, is our field trip to Wheeler High School.  Your child should wear his/her class t-shirt that day.

Happy spring break to everyone.  I hope you all have a wonderful week.  I look forward to seeing all 18 smiling faces on Monday, April 14th.

WEEK OF MARCH 24 - MARCH 28

As I was working on progress reports last week, I was reflecting on the amazing amount of growth I have seen in the children this year.  We are a class full of readers, problem solvers, writers and more.  I am very proud of all that the children have accomplished so far.  I do want to thank you for  working with your children on the CRCT homework packets.  We have covered such an enormous amount of material throughout this year and learned so many content related vocabulary words that review is extremely important.  We are working hard learning new curriculum and reviewing the old each day.  I have many assessments which the children are using with our Senteo hand-held response system.  The beauty of this is the instant feedback the children receive. I will continue to send a new review packet each Wednesday due the following Wednesday until the completion of the April testing.  I will return completed packets to you if you wish to use them in the future. Thank you again for your support. First grade testing will be Wednesday,  April 23 - Friday, April 25.  Children will not be allowed to enter the classroom after the tardy bell on these days.  Please do not schedule doctor appointments during testing.  Thank you.

We are in the final stages of completing our non-fiction books.  The children have taken their chapter webs (graphic organizers) and are putting them into chapter formats. Illustrations are being added and upon completion a cover, table of contents and an about the author page will also follow. The children have learned a great deal about the formatting of a non-fiction book and they are very proud of their work.

We had our in school field trip from Zoo to You on Tuesday.  The guide brought a variety of animals including a bush-baby, an armadillo, a boa constrictor, an alligator, a snapping turtle and a capucine monkey. He was very informative and the children really enjoyed the up close and personal viewing of these animals.

We visited the Mt. Bethel book-fair preview.  The books will be available for purchase from Monday, March 31st through Friday, April 4th. The book fair hours will be 7:15 am - 4:00 pm Monday through Thursday.  Thursday there will also be evening hours from 5:30-6:30.  Friday the book fair will be open from 7:15 am - 10:00 am

We have been working on receiving our green class status as a part of helping Mt. Bethel to become a green school.  We have watched movie The Lorax and we have read several books dealing with environmental issues. We will be learning about reducing, reusing and recycling and today we were treated to a speaker, Kathy Nyugen, from the Cobb County Water Department.  The children learned about the water cycle and many important water conservation tips.  They are now water deputies and may be sharing those tips with you.

Be on the lookout for the information coming home today concerning the Mt. Bethel Art Show.  Your child's work will be available to purchase on Thursday, April 3rd from 3:00 to 7:00 pm in the Multi-Purpose Room.

I am sending new ZPD range scores for Accelerated Reader books if your child's numbers have changed.  I am also sending the print out of the Accelerated Reader tests your child has taken for the month of March, and the results from the SRI reading comprehension tests that I gave as an assessment piece for the last nine weeks.

Don't forget Monday is the last day of the month.  Please return reading logs, family fun calendars and math blaster folders. Thank you for all that you do in support of me and your wonderful children.

WEEK OF MARCH 10 - MARCH 14

I would like to thank Kevin, Camryn, and Grace's moms for their tremendous help on our Aquarium field trip. The children were well behaved and very attentive throughout the whole experience. We were given an opportunity to go behind the scenes, see several exhibits, watch the 3-D film and fill our heads with great facts from our wonderful guide. It truly was a wonderful day.

Please remember to send in your child's wrapped cereal box tomorrow, if you haven't already done so. We will be using them for an activity during our Reader's Workshop next week.

We have been working on contractions and glue bottle words this week. Glue bottle words such as and, so, but, and or help hold two sentences together often making one better sentence.

There are no math packets coming home today. We are completing our work on reading calendars and graphs. We are getting ready to take a Unit test on our last several math chapters. As always, continue to go over Thursday papers together. I do go over them with each child before they are put in the completed work folders.  The children learned a card game great for 3 players.  It is called Read Your Mind and it is an enjoyable way to practice computation facts.  You need a deck of playing cards without the face cards. Two players face each other and each one holds a card up to his/her forehead.  The third player calls out the sum or difference of the two cards on their foreheads. Each player holding a card tries to name the card that he or she is holding. The first person to say the correct number gets both cards. After all cards have been used, the one with the most cards becomes the caller.  This is a great family game.

Monday is St. Patrick's Day and we always like to make it fun with a special green snack. Please look for the information on the green paper coming home today. We will have our special snack in the afternoon, so please send a regular morning snack as well. Think green!

I am combining March and April book orders this month. If you are interested in purchasing books please return your forms and payment by next Tuesday, the 18th.

You will receive your child's nine week progress report next Thursday. We have added Spelling and Proofreading as new marks this nine week period. Editing is a skill we are also working on each day. While looking through your child's written work, you might want to point out missing capitals and punctuation. As always, I thank you for your help and support.  I will not be updating my blog or sending weekly papers or communication folders next week.

Tickets are still available for the Saturday afternoon and evening performances of Mt. Bethel's Willy Wonka production. The play will be at Pope High School. Please e-mail tickets@bcprod.org for tickets. Tickets are $8www.bcprod.org 

WEEK OF MARCH 3 - MARCH 7

We have had fun with Read Across America this week.  We spent some quality time with our book buddies on Tuesday sharing Dr. Seuss stories.  The children also had an opportunity today to visit several other first grade classrooms.  In those classes they heard three Dr. Seuss stories which were accompanied by related activities.

During computer lab this week, the class was introduced to the latest version of the Kip Pix drawing program.  They absolutely loved being able to explore the vast amount of drawing tools and options which this program offers.

I have had many requests for the CRCT website information that was sent earlier this year.  I have recopied these letters and they are coming home today in your child's Thursday packet.  Look out for a bright blue paper. Please hold onto this important information as it is necessary for your child to be able to access the practice tests. These tests are written in the same format as the CRCT and, by practicing, the children become more comfortable and confident when faced with the real tests.  It would be helpful if you reviewed the results with your child to clarify any concepts that are presenting difficulty to him/her. 

Today's math packet is Chapter 20.  We have started work on telling time.  We are focusing on the hour and the half hour. In addition to time we will also be working on reading and interpreting graphs. We have worked on this concept throughout this year.  Continued reinforcement with money and practicing telling time at home would be very beneficial to the children.

Our field trip to the Georgia Aquarium is this coming Monday. The Aquarium has very specific guidelines so please review them with your children.  The students must wear P.E. shoes.  No flip flops, heelies, boots or sandals are permitted.  Children are also not permitted to bring cameras. Chaperones, however, may do so.  Please remember to have your child wear his/her class t-shirt for this special trip. We will be eating lunch at school when we return in the afternoon. Please send in a LARGE snack for your student to eat before we leave.

Don't forget to set your clocks ahead and spring forward this weekend.

WEEK OF FEBRUARY 25 - FEBRUARY 29

We have returned to a full week of school and the children have been working hard.  We have begun doing some test preparation using our Senteo response system.  I am very appreciative of the time many of the children are spending at home on the CRCT practice site.  I am also appreciative of the time taken on the Raz-Kids site.   Just as a reminder, your child was given a starting level for Raz-Kids.  The tests can be and should be retaken until they are passed.  When all of the starting letter level books have been read, your child should be moving to the next letter in the alphabet.  In looking at their tests several children are skipping all over the place.  Please have them go in order to achieve maximum growth.  There is no reason for someone reading an H book to follow up with an A book.

I am really stressing the importance of  listening.  It is obviously very important everyday but especially in preparation for the future CRCT testing. I cannot repeat directions during the test. Therefore, listening that day, as in everyday, is key.  If your child is bringing home  papers marked,  Are you listening? that comment is written because  it is a page that we have done together in class.   If you find yourself asking your child to do something over and over again this might be a good time to hold them accountable to actively listen to you the first time you speak.  Thank you for your support with this very important life skill.

I am sending a paper today which lists activities for next week's Read Across America.  We will meet our grade level goal of reading 100 minutes throughout the week.  Please take note of daily activities.  Be sure to send your child with their favorite book on Monday.  Friday will be a day to dress in stripes to honor Dr. Seuss and The Cat in the Hat.  A school-wide Book Swap is also happening next week . That information is also coming home today. What a great way to get some new books for your child to read. 

As the month draws to an end with the 29th day on Friday, (Yeah, my leap year son gets a birthday this year!) it is time to return Math Blaster folders, Monthly Reading Logs and Family Fun Calendars.  Please look over timed tests coming home.  We will be starting addition facts to 18.  We always review the strategies we have learned and the children should be using these strategies while taking their practice timed tests.

Congratulations to Luke for being chosen by his classmates as our Character Education winner for February.  Luke won for "tolerance".  Way to go Luke!

We have moved on to Chapter 19 in math.  Please read the parent letter and take note of the math packet I have sent home today.  Chapter 19 stresses many concepts we practice daily at calendar, such as using the fewest coins to show an amount of money.  The children will also be introduced to the one, five, ten and twenty dollar bill.  Most of the children are doing quite well with counting mixed change.  I have given the children a technique to use if they are having difficulty counting mixed coins.  Please ask them to show you how to use dots to help with the process.

We continue to work on comprehension in our reading.  The children are becoming quite proficient at identifying answers in a passage, as well as inferring answers from the clues given by the author. The children have completed a Table of Contents  for their non-fiction books.  They are now in the process of  using graphic organizers to plan the layout of each of their chapters.  We have also begun an ABC handwriting poetry book. The children are quite excited about this book and their handwriting is already improving tremendously!

Tuesday, March 4th is an early release day with a 12:20 dismissal.  Smile!!!! Picture Day is next Wednesday, March 5th.