Crew News May 21, 2012

Avid Readers
Last week I noticed a huddle of kids on the playground during snack time. I walked over to see what they were all doing and it turns out that they were.....reading! It was so wonderful to see but I didn't have my camera so I just enjoyed the moment. The next day I stuck my phone in my pocket on the way out to recess so that I would have a camera just in case it happened again. It did happen again. Cole was reading to a large group of kids while they all ate their snacks and it was turning into a regular event. These are the kinds of moments that teachers live for and this time I had my phone and was able to get a picture to share it with you. (I know that parents live for these moments, too.) These moments simply make my day!

Sight Words

Our last sight words for the year are: favorite, friend, over, school, were
 
Previous words include: as, if, my, be, all, like, she, has, how, put, don't, I'm, one, out, him, look, her, back, had, come, came, make, of, was, now, have, are, said, away, little, very, been, from, here, our, saw, what, your, who, after, with, there, they, because, where, could, before, two

These are great words to point out to your child when they are reading or to have them practice spelling at home, too. 

Ask your child to explain how we practice these words at school using the Look, Say, Cover, Write, Check method.
 

 Homework
Reading ~ Read a good book or two. Let's encourage our avid readers.
Math ~ Home Link 10.2 Telling Time

Crew News May 18, 2012

Climbing
We have been climbing in PE this week. Below is a Voice Thread with some photos. Enjoy. (If you get this by email, you will need to go directly to the blog to view the photos. Remember you can use the arrow to go through the photos faster.)

 

Book Donation
Doran and Darrell bought some books at the book fair and donated them to our classroom library. They knew the titles our crew would really love. Thanks boys!

Homework
No homework for the weekend. Enjoy a few good books with your child.

Crew News May 17, 2012

Bee Keeper
Today, Mr. Richard, a bee keeper came to talk to the first grade crews. He was very interesting and had several things to show us. He showed us a section of a hive and some of the flat pieces that go inside each section of a hive. He had Ms. Mary Beth scoop out a section of honey and beeswax to taste. Ask your child to tell you all about it.

Soil
The second case study of our Science Expedition, Down to Earth, is about soil. We will be taking a closer look at the dirt under our feet for these last few weeks of school. We will talk about where dirt comes from and how it looks and feels. We have several interesting experiments coming up so check in with your child each day and ask him or her for the scoop on dirt.

Library
All library books are due tomorrow.


Homework
Reading ~ Read a good book or two.
Math ~ Home Link 10.1 Graphing Birth Months

Spirit Week Activities for the rest of the week:
Friday is Hat Day - wear your favorite or wacky hat

Crew News May 16, 2012

Thank You

I am so amazed at what a fantastic group of parents you all are. I need to thank each and every one of you for stepping up and jumping in and volunteering to do so many thankless tasks this year. I have been so lucky this year to have all of your support and help that was given so cheerfully. It has made a huge impact on me and on our whole crew of students. The following list is far from complete but shows you just how much you have all done for our crew this year.

Thank you for:

• Chaperoning Voyages – which includes so many things from being responsible for kids, carrying gear, being role models, helping kids with gear, helping with meals, giving up some sleep to tend to sick kids and/or homesick kids, bonding with the kids and providing emotional support to kids, teachers and other chaperones
• Helping with the gear check at home
• Helping load gear
• Chaperoning other field work experiences
• Running classroom parties
• Sending in supplies to help make the parties a success
• Doing clerical work for me – tearing Math Home links out of their original book, cutting out math tools, sorting and organizing all of these things
• Coming in to help with students in class
• Being an audience for students during Writer’s Workshop
• Doing paperwork or other organizing jobs for me from your own home
• Belaying for the climbing wall
• Attending all of the various trainings and meetings
• Keeping up with all of the many communications sent home
• Doing homework with your child and sending them to school each day well prepared and ready to learn

I am sure that this list is not complete but I do want you to know that I am aware of how hard you all work and how much time you put in to make our crew and our school a better place. It has such a positive impact on all of the students and all of us as a crew. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Homework
Reading ~ Read a good book or two.
Math ~ Practice basic addition and subtraction facts.

Spirit Week Activities for the rest of the week: 
Thursday is Sports & Hobby Day - wear your favorite team jersey or dress up like your favorite musician or hobby
Friday is Hat Day - wear your favorite or wacky hat

Crew News May 15, 2012

Book Fair
We visited the book fair this morning. There were lots of great books. The book fair will be open Tuesday (8-6:30), Wednesday (8-4) and Thursday (8-5) this week.

Library
We do not have library anymore this year. All library books are due by Friday. Thanks.


Homework
Reading ~ Read a good book or two.
Math ~ Home Link 9.9 Unit 10: Family Letter

Spirit Week Activities for the rest of the week: 
Wednesday is Crazy Hair Day - twist it, turn it, dye it, frizz it...
Thursday is Sports & Hobby Day - wear your favorite team jersey or dress up like your favorite musician or hobby
Friday is Hat Day - wear your favorite or wacky hat

Crew News May 14, 2012

Worms
We wrote a sign to put out by the school garden explaining how the worms we put in the garden should help the garden grow (photo below). We really had to write and re-write to get the ideas across that we wanted people to know. Hopefully we will share our learning with many others as they check out the school garden.

Homework
Reading ~ Read a good book or two.
Math ~ Home Link 9.8 Solving Fraction Problems

Spirit Week Activities for the rest of the week:
Tuesday is Crazy Sock and Shoe Day - wear wild and wacky socks and/or shoes
Wednesday is Crazy Hair Day - twist it, turn it, dye it, frizz it...
Thursday is Sports & Hobby Day - wear your favorite team jersey or dress up like your favorite musician or hobby
Friday is Hat Day - wear your favorite or wacky hat

Thank You!

I just wanted to say thank you all again for the wonderful cards, notes and gifts from Teacher Appreciation week last week. I love walking into my kitchen and seeing the explosion of flowers. It makes me smile. I also have already picked out the book I want to buy with my gift card from the crew - the new Pete the Cat book, of course. You can't really see it in the photo below but I am wearing my "We Are Crew" necklace and I absolutely love it. Thank you.