Mrs. Osburn's Class Newsletter

November 11, 2009

I am writing the blog today because I will be at a Cobb County meeting tomorrow.  Mrs. McBride is a wonderful substitute and she will be here for the day.  Please make sure you don't e-mail me notes about dismissal, etc.  She won't be able to get that information. 

Don't forget the Turkey Day Centers are on Thursday, November 19 from 9:30 - 10:30.  All parents are invited.  Adults only, please!   It will be set up like our Scarecrow Day centers.  We'll assign parents to different activities around the room.  It is fine to just stop by for a few minutes even if you can't stay.  It will be lots of fun. 

This week we learned about characters, setting and relationships between characters.  We worked on /s/ blends.  The children are now working with money and fair trades with ones, fives, tens and twenties!  We are counting bills.  Today we talked more about Lewis and Clark and the children made suitcases.  They decorated one side for Lewis and Clark and the other side is a modern suitcase.  Tomorrow they will fill the suitcases for Lewis and Clark and for a vacation today.  Packing was very different for Lewis and Clark!

I want to thank you all again for all of the time and effort that you put into volunteering for our class.  The center parents are amazing.  The children look forward to mystery reader on Fridays.  The Scarecrow centers were great fun!  Thanks to those who have donated items for the class, too.  Please let Mrs. Pumpian know how you would like to be involved next semester.  You should have received an e-mail from her recently.  Thanks so much!

Have a great weekend.

October 29, 2009

 

                                                               SCARECROW DAY

Tomorrow is Scarecrow Day!  Your child should wear a simple scarecrow costume.  Centers will be held from 9:30 - 10:30.  All parents are welcome to attend!  Adult guests only, please!  We will enjoy crafts and snacks and lots of fun!  I hope you can make it for our special day.

 

Thank you for sending in the apple and the pumpkin for your child.  Check your child's folder for the "Apples and Pumpkins Booklet" today.  Enjoy going over this together.  We had a great time weighing and measuring pumpkins and apples.  The writing at the BACK of the packet is spectacular!  The children wrote yesterday about how pumpkins and apples are the same.  Today they wrote about how they are different.  I am so proud of this great writing.  You won't want to miss it.

The November reading calendar came home in your child's folder today.  Please send back the October reading calendar either tomorrow or Monday. 

We are working on counting coins to $1.00 (ask to hear the quarter cheer) and we will begin counting bills to $20 next week. 

We are learning so many reading skills that it is difficult to share all of them!  Your child should know about characters and setting.  He/she should be able to tell you about the beginning, middle, and end of a book.  The children are learning about problems and solutions in a story.

We learned about blends this week.  We have also worked on ch, sh, wh, and th. 

We are working on describing words.  You can read your child's paper about his/her scarecrow in the hallway tomorrow.  The children are really working on capital letters and punctuation, complete sentences, staying on topic, etc.  They write opening and closing sentences.  I am so pleased with their progress!

We did not have centers on Monday (field trip) or today (11 Alive Weather van) so we will continue the same centers for Mon. and Wed. of next week.  Please remember that there is no school on Tuesday!

Happy Fall!

 

                                                                                              

Please Support our Foundation!

 
Do you know about our ELMOs?  Thanks to the Foundation, we started the school year with an ELMO in every teacher's classroom! Click here to learn more!

The Mt. Bethel Foundation is funded 100% by parent donations and the Patron Program, which ends next week, is their only fundraiser. If you plan to make a donation or pledge, please send in your patron card ASAP. The superb programs and teacher grants provided by the Foundation are in jeopardy! Thank you to the families that have contributed!

Our class currently has 21% Participation!

Highest participating classes per grade level: 

• Kindergarten - Schreck
• First - Cillian
• Second - Paupeck
• Third - Bredickas
• Fourth - Sloan
• Fifth - Jones

Please view the MBESF website for more information about the Foundation and what it provides for our school. 

Keep Mt. Bethel students' thinking caps fully charged, send in your patron card before 10/30/09!

Please Support our Foundation!

 
Do you know about our ELMOs?  Thanks to the Foundation, we started the school year with an ELMO in every teacher's classroom! Click here to learn more!

The Mt. Bethel Foundation is funded 100% by parent donations and the Patron Program, which ends next week, is their only fundraiser. If you plan to make a donation or pledge, please send in your patron card ASAP. The superb programs and teacher grants provided by the Foundation are in jeopardy! Thank you to the families that have contributed!

Our class currently has 21% Participation!

Highest participating classes per grade level: 

• Kindergarten - Schreck
• First - Cillian
• Second - Paupeck
• Third - Bredickas
• Fourth - Sloan
• Fifth - Jones

Please view the MBESF website for more information about the Foundation and what it provides for our school. 

Keep Mt. Bethel students' thinking caps fully charged, send in your patron card before 10/30/09!

Please Support our Foundation!

 
Do you know about our ELMOs?  Thanks to the Foundation, we started the school year with an ELMO in every teacher's classroom! Click here to learn more!

The Mt. Bethel Foundation is funded 100% by parent donations and the Patron Program, which ends next week, is their only fundraiser. If you plan to make a donation or pledge, please send in your patron card ASAP. The superb programs and teacher grants provided by the Foundation are in jeopardy! Thank you to the families that have contributed!

Our class currently has 21% Participation!

Highest participating classes per grade level: 

• Kindergarten - Schreck
• First - Cillian
• Second - Paupeck
• Third - Bredickas
• Fourth - Sloan
• Fifth - Jones

Please view the MBESF website for more information about the Foundation and what it provides for our school. 

Keep Mt. Bethel students' thinking caps fully charged, send in your patron card before 10/30/09!

October 22 2009

SCARECROW DAY IS ON OCTOBER 30

The children should wear and simple scarecrow clothing.  Jeans and a plaid shirt would be great!  Add a few cute freckles and they are good to go.  Please do not feel that you must go buy anything.  Simple is fine.  The children who have too much straw, etc. are always itchy and uncomfortable.  

THANKS so much to those who volunteered to send in snacks,  paper goods, etc.  Please remember that all parents (adults only) are invited to our special Scarecrow Day Centers.  These will take place on Friday, Oct. 30 from 9:30 - 10:30. 

The October optional reports are due on Wednesday, Oct. 28.  These are about fall.  See details in earlier posts. 

DON'T FORGET!

Please send in the small pumpkin (grapefruit size or smaller) and an apple of any kind either tomorrow or Monday.  We are going to use these for class activities next week and then the children will decorate the pumpkins on Scarecrow Day.  The science activities will be fun for the children because they will have their own materials to compare/contrast, weigh, measure, etc

 

                                     Have a great weekend! 

                                                   

October 8, 2009

Hello!

Thanks again to all of you who are volunteering during center time.  They are going very well so far!    It is wonderful to have an entire hour with an extra set of hands.

OPTIONAL REPORTS  -  The children may complete the next report at home for extra enrichment!  I explained this to them in class.  They may create a report about fall.  As always, this can be as complicated or as simple as your child would like.  It can be typed or handwritten.  It can be illustrated or pictures can be printed from the computer.  I want this to be a fun project for your child.  It should be something that is appropriate for your child's level.  For some children, a couple of words is a big challenge and that is fine.  If your child wants to write several sentences, that is fine, too!  If the regular work is keeping your child challenged, your child doesn't have to do this at all!  The September weather reports were amazing.  The children enjoyed sharing and learning from their peers.  Great job!

These reports are due on Wednesday, Oct. 28.  We'll share them in class.  If your child brings this in early, I will save it until sharing day.

Report cards will come home on Friday, October 16.  I  spent a great deal of time working with each child in order to assess individual progress.  I will explain more about the report card on next week's blog.

SCARECROW DAY IS COMING

 Please read last week's blog for details!   There is also information about an apple and a pumpkin!  THANKS! 

                          

                                 HAPPY FALL!

October 1, 2009

Scarecrow Day is on Friday, Oct. 30!

  The children should wear simple scarecrow costumes.  We will have special Scarecrow Day Centers on Friday, October 30 in the late morning.  The time should be on your class calendar.  I want to make sure I print the same time here and I don't have the schedule at home, so I will add the time to the blog later.   

ALL PARENTS ARE INVITED!  Please remember that this is for the class and adult visitors only!  I can't wait!

I will send home an October calendar tomorrow.  I apologize that it didn't come home today.  I had an unexpected meeting during my planning time today.  If your child hasn't brought in the September calendar, please send it in right away. 

Thanks so much for my great center helpers.  The calendars have now come home for October, November and December.  I also plan to add them to the blog soon. If you can't come in on your assigned date, please try to switch with someone.  If you don't find a replacement or have a last minute emergency, please kindly let me know!  THANKS!

Please send in an apple of any type and a (grapefruit size or smaller) pumpkin for a special fall unit!  Please send these in on Friday, October 23 or Monday, October 26. 

Have a great fall weekend!

 

September 24, 2009

Wow!  I hope all of you are safe and your house is dry!   What an unbelievable few days it has been.  I feel so bad when I see so many homes and our own Cobb County school destroyed by the floods.  We were very lucky at Mt. Bethel and at my own house.  I hope all of you are doing well, too. 

Thank you to those who send back the reading folders each day!  The children are so disappointed when they can't take a new book home.  I am thrilled to be able to do reading groups.  We are getting a slow start with center parents this week, but our first couple of days went very well.  I am so excited to see the children reading in small groups!  I am able to accomplish so much in the small groups.

Thanks to all of my center volunteers!  I know the children enjoy seeing you.  It is amazing to have an entire hour to work with small groups knowing that the other children have assistance while working on centers.  It is my favorite part of the day.  I appreciate you! 

I am sending home the entire 200 sight words that the children are expected to know by the end of first grade.  Many of the children are just beginning this list and others already know the list.  I will work with your child to make sure that he/she will continue to make progress with reading skills. 

It is that time of year when the children begin to bring jackets or sweaters.  PLEASE label these with your child's first and last name.  We try to watch these, but sometimes jackets are left at P.E. or outside.  They have a much better chance of being found when they are labeled! 

Here is a word from our Mt. Bethel Elementary School Foundation!

MBESF Dream Factory
Patron Program Kick-off

Watch your backpacks... Thursday, September 24th

The Mt. Bethel Elementary School Foundation is charging the 10 billion neurons in your child's noggin and we need your help! Your youngest child will receive an information packet on the educational enrichment opportunities provided by the MBESF, as well as a personalized donor card in his/her backpack.

Visit mbesf.org or contact your Foundation Council Representative if you have any questions or if you do not receive an MBESF packet!

Have a great weekend!

September 17, 2009

Hi everybody!

We had a great week.  I really enjoyed the cute birthday cards from the children!   They were precious.  Thanks for the cute basket of goodies and for my delicious birthday lunch!

Don't forget to make sure your child keeps up with the reading calendar for the month.  You can now use the reading books that I send home for part or all of this fifteen minutes of reading.  Please send the folders and books back the very next day!  If you didn't see last week's blog, please scroll down to read about the books and folders. 

We are now studying subtraction and fact families in math.  We have been learning about Ben Franklin.  We're also discussing weather. 

CENTERS - This was our first week of guided reading groups and centers.  The book or books that come home each night are read in class during guided reading groups.  The children are in groups according  to reading levels.  The books are not supposed to be the most difficult books that your child could read.  We are learning many skills during this time.  Please make sure your child reads the book or books to you each night and please initial the reading folder!

CENTER PARENTS - Next week we will begin center parents.  I am very excited to get started!  If you are a volunteer, you will be in charge of stamping center charts as the children complete centers.  Please READ the center directions!  If a child has completed a center correctly, you will stamp the center chart.  I will show this to you when you come in for the first time.  Please ask children to complete work if they did not follow all of the directions!  You can encourage children to do their best work.  Please encourage those who are not working to get busy!

Please make sure that you are assisting all of the children.  Your own child should be working!  I will remind your child that this time is serious business.  They are welcome to hug you when you arrive and when you leave, but the rest of the time your child should be following regular center rules!  Feel free to remind children to work quietly.  It is okay for one boy and one girl at a time to be in the restrooms.  They will ask you.  The children know that they can't interrupt a reading group! 

Children should raise their hands when they need to have a chart signed.  If children come to you, please send them back to their seats.  Otherwise, you will find that you have a big line and children wasting time while they wait!

CENTER CHARTS - On Fridays, your child will bring home their center work for the week.  You will see that there is a star or a stamp in each section of the chart when work is completed.  I will initial the chart for each center after I have seen it and I consider it finished completely!  I check the centers each day after center time.  There are four days of centers each week.  Centers that are not completed on the assigned day will be highlighted on the chart.  On Friday mornings we will have time to complete centers that weren't completed during the week.  If you see that your child has several highlighted areas on his/her center chart, then you will know that he or she is not completing his work during regular center time.  This will happen at the beginning as we get used to this process.  However, it should not happen as much after we adjust to reading groups and center times.  Your child will often have one or two centers to finish up on Friday.  However, if it is more than that, then you should know that your child may not be using his/her time wisely. 

I meet with your child in a small reading group for about fifteen minutes each day from Monday - Thursday!  I love this part of our day!

The first chart will come home tomorrow!  The above information will probably make more sense to you when you see the actual chart.  I apologize if it is confusing!

Have a lovely weekend!  Stay dry!

September 10, 2009

 HELLO!

Tomorrow is the last day of testing.  It will be nice to finish up!  The children will be glad that we are finished.  They have worked very hard this week. 

BOOKS - Let's work together!  I will soon begin to send home reading books with your child on Monday - Thursday.  It is VERY important that each book is returned THE VERY NEXT DAY!  I will often use the same book the next day for another reading group.  Even if your child does not read a book or has trouble, it still must be returned right away.  Please understand that if a child does not return his/her books, then I won't be able to continue to send books with this child.  If a child forgets a book, then he or she won't get the book on the next day.  Keeping track of 20 books going home each night can be a challenge.  However, I feel that it is very worthwhile.  Please assist me in making this as easy as possible.  THANK YOU!

I have sent home math homework and math manipulatives twice in the last several days.  Some of the children have not returned the homework.  I really like to send home the math manipulatives so that the children can really show you WHY something works in math.  It is very important for a good math foundation.  However, I can't send these items home unless they are returned.  They are a part of our math curriculum and I use them in class almost daily.  They are used from one year to the next.  As you can imagine, if they don't come back to school then I can't send them home.  Please return them the following day.  THANK YOU!

We are still missing a few of the form for our room representatives.  Please send these in tomorrow.  We would like to get the class directory to you as soon as possible! 

As you can see, it is very important that you check your child's backpack each and every night!  :)  It is difficult for your child if he/she doesn't have what he needs for class.

THANK YOU for everything you do!  I really and truly appreciate it.  I couldn't do it without you.  I am very excited for centers to begin.  I believe that reading groups are the most important part of our day.  Having an hour to work with small groups without an interruption is priceless.  THANK YOU!!! 

Have a GREAT weekend!

Sept. 3, 2009

Dear Parents,

The children are really working and learning classroom routines.  I am pleased with the progress so far. We will be ready to begin parent centers in two more weeks..  I am so excited to begin to work with my small groups.  I believe that the guided reading groups are the most important part of our day! 

Please remember to send your child in sneakers on P.E. days!  This is for your child's safety.  Remember, we play outside every morning.  Your child should wear appropriate shoes for playing outside each day.

FIRST OPTIONAL REPORT

It is time to begin our very first optional report.  Each month, I will assign an optional report.  This is a way for your child to learn and share with the class.  I want this report to fit your child's learning style.  If your child is into art, a poster might be a great way to share the information.  If your child loves to write, a more traditional report or a book might be more appropriate. 

The report is OPTIONAL!  If your child is exhausted when he/she gets home and is working enough in school to keep him/her challenged, please don't worry about this report.  It is designed to be as simple or as complex as appropriate for each individual child.  The children arrive to first grade at various stages of reading/writing.  This should fit your child.

This month's report is about weather!  Your child can share something that relates to weather in some way.  Again, please do not feel that this is necessary.  I am well aware that some of the children are totally over school by 2:30 and that you might be struggling just to get in the 15 minutes of reading each night.  This is simply for those who need an extra challenge.  This report is due on Wednesday, September 30.

Friday is media center day!  If your child has a book from last week, please send it in tomorrow.  The children are always looking forward to getting a new book!

In reading this week we talked a great deal about how to choose a book.  We talked about the Five Finger Rule.  If you do not know five words on the two pages that you are looking at (one page is okay for a chapter book) then this book is too difficult!  We also learned about the "at" and the "an" families.   We did a study of several poems. 

We have almost completed the first math chapter.  We have been working on addition.  YOUR CHILD HAS MATH HOMEWORK TONIGHT!!!!  There are math counters in your child's communication folder.  There is also a sheet about the homework.  This is due tomorrow.  A couple of children will be out tomorrow.  These children should bring the work on Tuesday.

The children earned a game day.  GAME DAY IS TOMORROW!!  If your child would like to bring in a board game for this special time, he/she may bring one game from home.  The children earned "Game Day" for the Boosterthon.  :)  They also earned an ice cream treat in the lunchroom today!  THANKS AGAIN FOR YOUR SUPPORT!

Have a GREAT Labor Day Weekend!