Mawson

May 15, 2008

We have been busy this week finishing up work in progress and we also got to attend some special performances.  On Monday, we attended Reader's Theatre where teachers from Mt. Bethel performed or read literature that they enjoyed.  On Tuesday, we saw students from various schools perform a modern fairy tale with various famous characters in it like Snow White, Alice in Wonderland, and others.  On Wednesday, we attended a Cultural Arts performance.  Today, we attended a performance by the Mt. Bethel chorus.  I know the students enjoyed all of these performances.

We will receive our Yearbooks on Friday.  If your child would like to have friends sign it with a special pen, please send the pens in on Friday.

Remember the fish raffle is Tuesday.  If you want to enter,  please send in a signed note.

Field Day is Tuesday and the raindate is Wednesday.

Bill Borden, the only Georgian to participate in the Iditarod will be at our school with his dogs next Thursday.

Our Pizza Party is next Thursday at 11:00.  We are all looking forward to it.

Reading is Hot! Week is next week.  The studens wil be doing many reading activities.  Info to follow.

Today is the last time that Communication Folders will come home.  Please sign and return tomorrow.  Thank you.

May 8, 2008

The days are flying by so quickly!

Thank you so much for coming to our performance and picnic. I was so proud of the great job every single one of the students did. The students enjoyed the time we had together so much.  We have been looking forward to this day for a long time and the weather really cooperated. I really want you to know what a wonderful year it has been for me!  I am looking forward to the summer but I am not looking forward to saying goodbye to my wonderful class.  It has been my pleasure to work with each and every student and they will always stay in my heart.  It also has been a great pleasure to get to know all of their parents and have your total support and I thank you for that. 

Remember that all Media Center books are due on Friday.  Please check around and see if you might have any of my books at home as well. Thank you.

Next week, on Monday, the students will be attending Reader's Theater here at school.  It is a performance or reading by certain teachers of books they enjoy and would like to share with the students. The students always enjoy this alot.

Remember the fish raffle is on May 2ond.  Send in a signed letter giving permission for your child to be in it.

Wear Pink and Purple on Friday and bring in a dollar for cancer research.

We will be having a Pizza Party for lunch on May 22nd.  The room moms have organized pizza, vegetables, a drink and a fruit dessert for each child.  So remember your child will only need to bring a snack on that day.

Field Day is May 20th.  It is always a lot of fun for everyone involved.  Our time is from 8:30 to 10:30.  Be sure to have your child wear their red class shirt and applying suntan lotion before they leave home is recommended.  Please send in a water container that can be carried around.  Good tennis shoes are great for all the races and activities!

1

May 1, 2008

Time is flying by and we still have a lot of things to do. 

We are putting the finishing touches on our non-fiction books and they should be done by the beginning of next week.  They are really turning out to be works of art.  The students have worked so hard on them and the organization of them and the work involved is now starting to become apparent in the final draft.  The students are becoming aware of what is involved in doing a large scope project.  It is a really good experience for them.

This Friday will be the last day that we will check out books at the Media Center.  All student books need to be returned by next Friday,  May 9th.  The students can still take AR tests by borrowing one of my leveled books. While we are discussing books, please check around and see if you might possibly have any of my personal books at home that have not been returned yet.  They have my name on the top right  corner of the cover and inside too. I let the students take so many books home during the year and they are so good about returning them, but sometimes one goes astray.  I have even had books returned when students are in 3rd and 4th grade and I am just glad they found their way home.

It is hard to believe that we only have 16 days of school left!  We still have a lot of work left to do and will be working until nearly the last minute of the school year.  In May, I will not be sending home a new reading bag.  The students have done such a wonderful job with them this year and I feel that they really have been given the gift of reading by all of you, by helping them to read each night.  I know that they, not only have been given a gift. but also a wonderful life-long habit I hope they keep forever.   Thank you for your help!!!  YOU deserve a break from signing the reading log each night.  It is the kind of support that a teacher gets from wonderful parents like you that help make Mt. Bethel the wonderful school that it is.  Please know that I appreciate each and every one of your efforts with your children to help make this year a very successful.

We are looking forward to Touch HiTech about Plants next week.  It is full of activities that are done with plants and the students learn so many new science principles through experimentation.

I will not be sending home our Blast Off with Math folders this month.  Please continue to practice number facts with your child now and throughout the summer. Second grade gets off to a running start without any time for review. Remember that there are websites that are good for these and the teacher stores in the area are a good resource as well.

We will be raffling off our pet fish, Crystal on May 20th.  If you would like to be included in the raffle to be the proud owner of the most beautiful Beta there is (I am not kidding!) and get to keep him forever!!!!, just send in a paper saying that you enter your child in the raffle and sign your name.  You will get the fish and instructions on how to care for him.  He just needs a bowl, water conditioner and food and that's it.  If you have never had one, Betas are the easiest fish to have.  They require so little time and are so enjoyable.  I have had students win them and they have lived for 2-3 years!

Dates to Remember

May 7th     11:00-12:00   Our picnic in the outdoor classroom

May 9th    Return all books to the  Media Center

May 20th     Fish Raffle

May 20th     8:30-10:30   Field Day

April 24, 2008

Testing is still going on.  We did Reading on Wednesday, Language Arts/English today and we will be finishing up with Math tomorrow. The students are doing very well with the change to our regular routine.  The students are enjoying the 'Brain Food' sent in by Mrs. Riordan, Mrs. Massey, Mrs. Terlesky, Mrs. Squires, and Mrs. Hollar .  Thank you very much!  Thank you for all the on line practicing and Math packets you did with your students.  I appreciate the help.

We have been talking and reading about Earth Day.  Since we received our Green Certificate, it seems that the students are very aware of things we can do to help our planet and we continue to read about more things we can do.  We all appreciate everything you do at home to help by your good example!

To go along with Earth Day, painted lady caterpillars were delivered to our room.  We have been watching them develop.  They are already in their chrysalis stage and the students are really interested in their development. We will set them free a few days after they develop into butterflies.

April 17, 2008

I hope everyone had a restful and relaxing break!  The students came in on Monday rested and ready to go! I think some of them even got a little taller in a week!  I had such a wonderful start to my break with a wonderful celebration for my birthday.  Special thanks to Lori Riordan and Kimberley Euston for arranging special treats for that special day.

We have spent a lot of time reviewing for the CRCTs.  The schedule usually has us taking the Reading section on the first day, followed by a day of English/Language Arts, finishing up with the Math section.  The tests usually have 2 parts daily and we usually take about 1 hour to begin with and then have a break in between.  I have asked Lori Riordan to call some parents to send in 'Brain Food' for a small snack in between the sections. I have asked for string cheese sticks and grapes.  Part 2 will also be about 1 hour long.  We will be starting promptly at 8:00 am and will be finished with testing before lunch.  There was a lot of information about testing in the last Bugle.  The students have had so much exposure to the kinds of items that will be on the test, I hope that will reduce any anxiety they might feel.  I also talk to them about relaxing and doing their best, so I will do my best to have them happy and ready to go!

Please put the date for our End of the Year Picnic on your calendar.  The picnic will be on Wednesday, May 7th at 11:00 in the outdoor classroom.  More information to follow!

Don't forget that the Kickball Game for Relay for Life is Tuesday, April 22nd after school.  I will be helping with the refreshments.  If your child is staying for the game, it would be best if you send in a note for carpool and pick your child up at the front of the building at 2:20.  This is a very confusing dismissal and this would help to make keep it more organized.

We enjoyed our visit to Wheeler High School this week to see some plays written by Rudyard Kipling.  We read and watched a few of the stories before we went so the students had a better background on the author and his writing.

On Friday, we will be attending a PTA Cultural Arts performance of "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie".  We have also been doing some preparation for this performance.

April 3, 2008

I know I have said this before but I have to say it again.  Thank you for all the work you do to help make your child successful.  As I sat in the classroom today and went over all the monthly items and packets that were returned in the last few days and looked at all the fine work the students have done,  I thought of all of you and the hours that you put into going over and reinforcing learning done in school.  As I said around St. Patrick's Day, I am very luck to work with your children and have all the parents that I do that work as a team with me to do the best for your children to help make them "Be the best they can be."

The Hoffner family are the lucky ones from our drawing and they will be taking care of our Beta fish, Crystal, over the break.

We received our window decal that certifies that we are now a 'Green Classroom' for this school year.  The students are so aware of things they can do for our Earth.  They even keep me on my toes! When we compare the number of water bottles we recycled to the number we recycle now, it is astonishing.  We used to have to bring our bin down to the dining room at least once a week and now we recycle the same bin about once a month, if that.  Wow!  Thank you for your cooperation with this.  Just having your child use a reusable water bottle makes such a difference!

I want to wish everyone a wonderful Spring Break.  The students have worked very hard since our last break and everyone is really ready to have a change of pace.   I hope you all enjoy yourselves no matter what you do and take some time to relax and enjoy the time together and stay safe.  I am looking forward to a trip to England with my husband and sons to the wedding of my husband's nephew.  We will also be celebrating my birthday there and will get to see old friends and family.

Mar. 27, 2008

The students enjoyed seeing all the animals from 'Zoo To You' on Tuesday.  The guide brought in a variety of animals including a bush baby, an armadillo, a boa constrictor, an alligator, a snapping turtle, a brown skunk, and a capucine monkey.  The students received a lot of good information to go along with our standards since we will be studying living things for these final nine weeks in science.

On Wednesday, we had a visit from a representative from the Cobb Co. Water Dept.  The students heard about ways to conserve water,  as well as other things we can do to save the earth. We also did some follow-up activities to reinforce the importance of the information the students received.

We are entering the last phase of our non-fiction writing.  We begin to do our final writing of our books yesterday.  The students are so excited about copying each page from their graphic organizing web and finally adding pictures to their writing.  The students have learned so much in the process. 

Just a reminder that next Tuesday is April 1st.  Please send in fun calendars, Math Blaster folders and totaled reading bag sheets.  Thank you!

We continue to practice for the CRCT tests here in school.  We are working on the 3 areas the students will be tested on-Language Arts, Reading and Math. We are practicing our best listening skills and we are also using Senteo to help us.  Listening is so important on this test.  Many times, students miss giving a correct answer due to not listening to the directions or the question when it is being read.  Students who answer early, before the whole item is read or jump to a conclusion about the answer are also in danger of answering wrong. I really appreciate the positive response I have had from parents about the CRCT packet I sent home.  I appreciate everyone returning them on time.  The remaining packets that come home will be due every Wednesday.  Remember to also keep practicing on line. I appreciate all you do to help make our students successful on this important test! 

Our Book Fair takes place all next week here in the Media Center.  We visited the Book Fair today and filled our our Wish Lists.  There are many good books that the students would enjoy reading.

Please remember to mark you calendars for our Kickball Game for Relay for Life on Tuesday, April 22nd.  The students always enjoy this fun-filled afternoon.  I will be working at the refreshment stand.  Hope to see you there.

Please save page 11 of our Bugle to read just before CRCTs. It is an article about preparing for the CRCTs.  I feel it has some very good tips that will be useful before the test.  You can even share some of the 'Suggestions for Students' with your child the day before the test.  Sometimes if a child hears the same thing from a number of different sources,  it has more importance to them. 

I have copied an invitation from Mrs. Duvall for the Art Show next week.  If you have never attended and looked at our students' art, you are really missing something.  But also, it is a great time to purchase your child's beautifully framed art work at a very reasonable price. And remember the profit comes back to Mt. Bethel!

The ART SHOW is coming !!!!          The ART SHOW is coming !!!!

Thursday, April 3^rd

3 – 7 p.m.

In the Multi-Purpose Room

Family and friends are invited

to view the Art work

created by Mt. Bethel’s talented students !

The homeroom with the highest attendance

will receive a free Popsicle party.

See you at the ART SHOW !!!!!! 

March 20, 2008

Happy Spring!!!

Our St. Patrick's Day celebration was so special.  When we came back from lunch, the leprechauns had visited us and messed up a little and left treats!  It was wonderful.  The students enjoyed it so much.  Thanks to the 'leprechaun' for some fine work.  We had our green snacks after Specials.  The students had them as we shared our Leprechaun poems.  I put on some slow Irish music and the students ate and listened  and really enjoyed themselves.  Thank you for all the delicious snacks.  What a terrific day!  To see the delightful faces of the students was a special treat for me. 

This week we are celebrating Exceptional Children Awareness Week. The theme is 'Nobody's Perfect.'  We have had an activity every day and the students are learning so much from these.  This week is always very special for all of us as we continue to talk about the special gifts that all of us have. One of our moms, Kari Squire has been the co-chairman of this week and has done a wonderful job to make every activity appropriate and enriching!  Thank you!

Please sign the parent card  you received with the report card today and return it in the envelope it came in.  You may keep everything else that is in the envelope.

Thank you to the moms who sent in treats for the rewards jar for AR tests and the snacks for those who forget them.  We appreciate them!

Thank you for your support for Relay for Life.  Remember that tomorrow is Hat Day and a special flyer came home with information about this.

Thank you so much for sending in the cereal box for your child.   We did a fun literacy activity with it where I read a book that was covered and the students needed to make a cover for the book and name the book and write  a summary, setting, characters and connection without seeing the book.  Then I showed them the book when they were all done and they were so surprised.  They did such a great job on this that the boxes are now on display in the Media Center.

Report cards are very labor intensive for me, but it is a time to see how far we have come.  In the busy days we have, it gives me time to look back and reflect on what the students were like and where they were academically, developmentally and socially when they came to First Grade.  It is incredible to see the progress they have made in all areas.  First Grade is so special! To see the growth I do with such special students makes me a very lucky person.   I also am very lucky to have wonderful parental support.  You are all a great group of parents to work with.  On this week, when we talk so much about luck, I consider myself  lucky to work with all of you. Thank you for your support throughout the year.  I really appreciate it.

March 13, 2008

We are all looking forward to celebrating St. Patrick's Day on Monday.  Don't forget the green snack and the Leprechaun Poem that is homework.  It should be a fun time for everyone!  We will be doing this at 1:30 so please send in a morning snack anyway.

We continue to write our non-fiction books.  We are presently using graphic organizers to write our sentences before we do our actual writing and drawings for the pages of our books.

May sure you continue to practice the CRCTS that are on-line. Time is getting closer for the tests in April and we continue to practice orally in our class as well. As I have written before, we are also using Senteo to practice for these tests and the students are really enjoying this.

We are getting desperate for soft candy treats for our AR rewards.  We are getting down to the bottom of the jar.  Thanks to Mrs. Foley for the treats she sent in last week. We can also use some more snacks for the students who forget their AM snack. Thank you in advance.

Please ask your student if they need new pencils.  Some of the students have short stubs to write with at this time of the year.  Each student should have 3 sharpened pencils in their desk each morning. A full sized pencil helps a students write neatly.

Please continue to study number facts to 18.  The students are definitely slower at finishing up their timed tests in subtraction than in addition.  The last subtraction test showed this.  In first grade, addition is always easier for the students than subtraction. Working on fact families can help your child.

I would like to thank the 3 mothers who came with us on our aquarium field trip.   Lori Riordan, Laura Hollar and Lisa Jones were wonderful chaperones and enjoyed the trip.  The visit to the aquarium was outstanding.  Not only were there fantastic things to learn, but it also was organized for maximum learning experience. The students were well-prepared and really seemed to enjoy seeing everything first hand.  This trip with really enhance our standards in science as we begin to study Living Things this 4th nine weeks of first grade.

Just a reminder that there are still some tickets available for Mr. Cooper's production of  Willy Wonka.  Friday is sold out, but there are tickets available for Saturday.

Just a reminder, there will be no communication folders coming home next weeks as it is the day that report cards come home.

March 6, 2008

We have had a very busy week with Read Across America.  The students have really enjoyed all the different activities we have done with Dr. Seuss. The students especially enjoyed the rotation that we did to visit and do activities with other first grade teachers. They have also enjoyed the different kinds of reading we have done each day.  As they are reading for our 25 minutes each day, I can hear a pin drop as they are so engaged in what they are reading.  It certainly is a pleasure for me to see them so involved in reading.  We enjoyed the rotation we did with the other first grade teachers and we also enjoyed our time with our book buddies. 

The students took their 3rd Star Test on Wednesday and will be bringing home their levels today.  Some of the students increased to new levels and some stayed at the same level.  I am pleased with all the levels the students are at and feel that they are at the right place for them to be successful readers. 

Please continue to use the CRCT practice on line.  The time is flying by and before you know it we will be doing the tests.  They are at the end of April. We have just started to do some review for the tests in school.  We will continue to do more of the tests using pencil and paper, but we also have Senteo this year which the students are very excited about.  Also, please continue using Raz-Kids as the comprehension questions they have that go with the books the students are reading are excellent preparation for the kinds of questions that are on the CRCT,  These questions also help the students develop into strong, independent, thoughtful readers.

Please continue to do the Blast Off with Math folders weekly.  I have increased the sums so we add up to to 18  and subtract from 18 as well. It is very important that the students have mastered the facts in first grade.  When they get into second grade in August, there is no time for review and the teachers expect the students to have mastered all of the first grade curriculum.  The word problems that are in the Math Blaster folder are great for the students to apply their math skills. Application of math knowledge is very important for the CRCTs.

We continue to work on our non-fiction writing and our books.  The students are so excited about this as they are learning a lot about the animal  or subject they selected.  Remember to use the Internet to get more information for your child so that they will have lots of information that will make their writing easier.

You have probably seen the signs for Green School around Mt. Bethel.  That is because certain teachers have done lessons with their students on ecology.  This started last year and our class was certified as one of the classrooms that participated.  We will be participating again this year!  Soon, we will begin a rotation with other first grade teachers where the students will be doing activities concerning ecology.  We are very excited about the opportunity to make the students more aware of the needs of our earth!

An information sheet came home today about our field trip to the aquarium on Monday.  We are really looking forward to this exciting trip.

We could use some more treats for rewards for AR tests.  Soft candy treats would be appreciated.  We could also use some more treasures for our treasure boxes.  Thank you in advance.

Please take note of the St. Patrick Day sheets I sent home today.  We will be sharing the green snacks sent in on Monday, the 17th.  The students always enjoy this.  There is a fun poem that your child should write for homework.  They are due on the 17th as well.  We share them and have lots of fun with them.  You can write more than one if you like.  Some families get going on writing these and really come up with a lot of funny poems.  We look forward to reading them all.

Please take note of all the information coming home about Relay for Life. A flyer will be coming home next week. This is a big fundraiser for research to fight Cancer which is  something that has effected so many families we know.  The students enjoy all the activities connected to Relay.   The event the students love is the softball game that the teachers play in. It is after school and there is always a large turnout.  I usually sell snacks and the snack stand is always mobbed with students making purchases during the game. 

The book swap was a great success!  The school took in hundreds of books.  The students who participated were sooooo excited with their new books.  We also had a lot of books left over to donate to our sister school, Milford.