The Week of Oct. 25

Thank you to all the families who attended Parent/Teacher conferences! It was great to talk with you all :) 

Upcoming Dates

Nov. 11- No School Teacher- Inservice

Nov. 24-26- No School- Thanksgiving Break

**PLEASE BE SURE TO PACK EXTRA MASKS FOR YOUR CHILD EACH DAY ALONG WITH A WATER BOTTLE**

Readers' Workshop

In reading we are wrapping up our first unit of study on Building Good Reading Habits with a review of partner reading expectations. In the month of November, students will begin working with a new reading partner. Here is what we are working on this week:

Here are some snapshots from our Readers' Workshop this week!

Now that our small reading groups are up and underway, please ask your student about their reading groups and encourage them to read each night. The first and second graders are doing a great job bringing their bookbags back and forth each day.

 

Writers' Workshop

In writing, we are in the middle of fixing up our "small moment" stories. I am working with students 1:1 to help them use a writing checklist. Together, we decide what they did well and what they still need to work on. While students are not working with me to fix up their stories, they are enjoying a Writers' Workshop Choice Board. 

Students Can:

Write and respond to a picture prompt

Free write 

Practice letter formation

Practice their word sort/ Trick Words

Read our Small Moments mentor texts

Comfy Cozy/Crazy Hair Day

Friday was a well deserved special day for our class. Here are some pics from the half day. 

First Grade Math 

In math, we wrapped up Unit 1 and our October Number Corner activities. Over the month, we worked on identifying different polygons, and created a pictograph together. Students worked on asking and answering questions about our graph. We used all of the plane shapes collected over the month to create new composite creations. Up next, we will work on developing efficient adding and subtracting strategies! 

IMPORTANT UPCOMING DATES

  Upcoming Dates

Early Release Day- Oct. 29th @ 11:30

Parent/Teacher Conferences Oct. 29th from 12:00-6:00

***Comfy Cozy Day /Crazy Hair Day - Oct. 29th***

 We made it through a long and hard week together!

 To celebrate, we will wear our "comfy clothes" or bring a comfy, cozy stuffed animal to school tomorrow, Friday, Oct. 29th . Students are welcome to wear PJs, slippers, or any other clothes that are comfy + bring a stuffy to school.

I am also planning on bringing a few treats to share at snack time. 

Thank you to all the first and second grade families for you dedication and help from home. 

PBIS School Wide Celebration

WES has earned Crazy Hair Day as our next school wide celebration! 

Let's see some CRAZY hair on Friday, Oct. 29th 

The Week of Oct. 18

 Upcoming Dates

Early Release Day- Oct. 29th @ 11:30

Parent/Teacher Conferences Oct. 29th from 12:00-6:00

Book Order Info

Thank you to all of the families who have ordered books from Scholastic this year! Each time you order books for your student, our classroom earns points to buy new books. It looks like Scholastic is experiencing delays in their processing and delivery. As soon as books are delivered here to the school, I will send them home with your student. 

Even though we haven't received our books from the September order, you can order for October by clicking on the link below, or sending back the Scholastic flier and a check by Oct. 29th 

https://clubs.scholastic.com/ 

CLASS CODE

LDRGD

Readers' Workshop

In reading we are learning lots of good reading habits and strategies, and learning to drop those bad habits too. Students are meeting in small reading groups daily, and have really shown excellent progress! In class we are working on: checking the picture, thinking about all of the sounds in the word, and checking for meaning. We often say, "does it look right, sound right and make sense?" On Fridays we have fun and mix up our independent reading time with flashlights. We call it "FLASHLIGHT FRIDAY"

 

Writers' Workshop

In writing, the first and second graders are beginning the revising and editing stage! We have finished up writing our small moments stories, and have chosen our favorite story to fix up for publishing! Last week, we read some of our favorite mentor texts and noticed our favorite beginnings and endings.  It is incredible to see the progress these students have made from the beginning of the year to now! We can't wait to share our published books with you at home.

My Father's Dragon Read Aloud

We just finished reading our first read aloud My Father's Dragon. This is a wonderful short chapter book with predictable patterns and classic story elements. To celebrate finishing up this book, we spent time outdoors imagining our own journey to the Island of Tangerina! 

First Grade Math

Working away at math stations! 

In math, we have begun a new routine on Tuesdays and Thursdays! Students are learning to use a "math menu". This menu, has skill practice, journal writing and games students can choose from. This approach to math, offers all students activities that will challenge them, and allow them to review and practice old skills. 

We are finishing up with our Number Corner activities for the month of October. Students have been working on counting forward and backward by tens and ones, and have done a great job exploring all the different ways to make ten. 

Math Menu Journal Page Example 

Parent/Teacher Conference Sign Up

 

Parent/Teacher Conferences

Friday, Oct. 29

I will be holding parent/teacher conferences on Friday, Oct. 29 beginning at 12:00 and ending at 6:00. I am able to meet with you in person here in our classroom, or through Google Meet. We will have time to talk about your student's academic strengths and needs, as well as their social/emotional well being and development. Please contact Ms. Debbie @ 521-5550 to make an appointment. 

If you are unable to come Friday, Oct. 29th, please contact me directly and we can schedule another time. 

hmarcelino@wesvt.net or 521-5579

I am really excited to talk with you! 

Thank you! 

Minute to Win It Games!

On Tuesday, our school celebrated using our PAWS with a special school wide celebration! We wore our tie-dyed shirts to show our school spirit! There were fun games set up in our gym and students rotated around with their small group. 

 

 

Upcoming Events

School Wide Celebration- Minute to Win-it Games- Tuesday, Oct. 5

No School - Monday, Oct. 11 - Teacher In-Service

Early Release Day- Friday, Oct. 29 @ 11:30 - Parent/Teacher Conferences 

Please contact Ms. Debbie @ 521-5550 to schedule a conference

First Grade Families- please pack your child extra socks and clothing in case they get wet and muddy at recess. If possible please send rain boots with your child. 

Morning Meeting Share Time Pictures

Readers' Workshop

The first six weeks of school have been busy and productive. We have learned important routines and expectations that make our reading time fun and organized. Each day, students take part in a whole group lesson and then go off to practice during independent and partner reading. We have learned to choose a healthy balance of books to read during reading time. Here are the good reading habits we are currently working on. In the next few weeks, I will begin working with small groups of students each day.  Please talk with your child at home about the books in their book bag! First and second grade is such an amazing time in a students life and it is incredible to see the growth that happens at this time. 

Writers' Workshop 

In writing, we are working on zooming in on a small moment in time when writing. Students read a cool book called The Night of the Veggie Monster by George  McClements. We planned and wrote a new story about eating our favorite foods and visiting our favorite places. The first and second graders are learning to stretch out words as they write- listening to beginning, middle and ending sounds. We are also learning to revisit old stories, reread for understanding and add details. 

Social Emotional Learning

The first and second graders have been busy learning about their brain! Students worked together to learn the parts of the brain and their nick-names. Students created comic strips to show what each part of the brain does. We began learning about our five senses and how we can use our senses to be mindful and stay focused on learning. Learning about the parts of our brain is the foundation to regulation of the body. Teaching students to recognize emotions, feelings and how to regulate their emotions is key to interacting with others. 

Prefrontal Cortex- Wise Leader

Hippocampus- Memory Saver 

Amygdala - Security Guard 

First Grade Math/Number Corner 

In math, we are built our own number racks! This is a tool we will use all year long as we learn about adding and subtracting strategies and patterns. We told number stories about our classmates and used our number racks to solve each story. We are also learning to add onto 10, and create teen number equations. We sang a fun money song to help us learn the names and attributes of different coins, and played a fun guessing game where students had to use their sense of touch to identify different coins. 

Big/Little Buddies Leaf Man Projects 

On Tuesday afternoons we spend time with our Big Buddies in Mr. Braun's class. Our mission this year is to spend time outdoors exploring our amazing surroundings and build strong WES community relationships. In September, we read The Leaf Man by Lois Ehlert. Students worked together to collect materials, and create leaf buddies! Here are some of the finished products. These creations will be on display in our hallway, be sure to check them out!