Thursday, March 23, 2006
We have a new student! His name is Brandon. He is really nice. He’s eight.
The toymaker came. His name is Rick. He showed us a really big book that he made. It’s about pioneers. Kylee, Aubree’s sister, got to go up and pull the covered wagon across a wooden track that was supposed to be the Oregon Trail. The pioneers were a long time ago, but the dinosaur at the end of the book popped up and said, “But not that long ago!” The toymaker will be at school again tonight for a toy-making workshop.
Shelby brought cake. It smelled good, and it was really yummy. It had French vanilla frosting and little bitty round rainbow sprinkles on it, and on the bottom it had chocolate cake. It tasted heavenly.
Thursday, March 23, 2006
Saturday, March 11, 2006
Week of Monday, March 6
Monday, March 6, 2006
Substitute Teacher
There was a substitute teacher. Her name is Mrs. W. She’s a good teacher, like Mr. Kurtz. When she was reading Charlotte’s Web at the end of the day, she said we could do a math problem or draw a picture while she read. She let a student suggest a picture book for the read aloud called Five Funny Frights. She read so it sounded kind of scary, and funny at the end.
Reading today was very wonderful and quiet. Everybody was so quiet, everybody was reading with their eyes. She didn’t have to remind anyone.
We played Math Silent Ball. We liked it. We sat on the carpet in a circle. One person had the Koosh ball. The person with the ball said an addition problem. He or she had to toss it to someone else. The person who caught the ball had to answer the problem. If they got it wrong, they had to go back to their seats and watch the clock for one minute. People also had to go to their seats if they were talking. Jordan L. was the last person sitting on the carpet. HE WON!
Thursday, March 09, 2006
Would you rather…?
Yesterday we did surveys in math. We each thought of an either/or question to ask our classmates. This is what we learned:
Shelby learned that 2 more people would rather go home than to the park. Kevin learned 4 more people would rather have chocolate milk than white milk. Jesse learned that 6 more people would choose having the force over having a light saber. Abby learned that 18 people like Spy Kids and 4 people like The Incredibles. Taylor M. learned that 13 people like caramel better than chocolate. Taylor T. learned that 13 more people chose cats than foxes. Ashley learned that 14 people wanted to move to Hawaii and 6 people would choose to stay in Washington. Cameron learned 14 people would rather go to Chuck E. Cheese’s versus 12 people that would choose to go to Hawaii. Mckayla learned that when given a choice between getting a shot from the doctor and being poisoned, only one more person chose the shot. Savannah learned that, if given a choice between living in Hawaii or the jungle, 13 chose Hawaii and 8 chose the jungle. Her mom, Kim, learned that 16 people would choose dogs over 8 people that would choose cats. Jamie learned 7 people would choose to ride bulls versus the 11 that would choose to ride horses. Jordan L. learned 12 people would choose to be heroes, while 9 would choose to be villains. Noah learned that 13 more people like chocolate milk better than white milk. Justyn learned 15 would go to Texas instead of Florida; only 9 people would go to Florida. Travis learned that 16 people would like dogs more than cats; only 7 people like cats. Lukas learned that 16 people would be heroes and 8 people want to be villains.
Saturday, March 04, 2006
Newsletter 19
2005-2006 Room 302—Newsletter 19 http://room302.blogspot.com
Thursday, January 19, 2006
Dear Families,
I have report cards on the brain. Everything I look at these days seems to go through that filter somehow. These kids are growing in all kinds of great ways, and it’s fun to watch and be a part of. I try to keep all of those things in mind when I’m doing report cards, and I try to remember that it’s not a race, but just a journey. And while we do have things we’re aiming for, I hope they’re enjoying themselves along the way. And I hope they will choose to continue that journey both in and out of school. My goal, as always, will be to use the report cards to show you my best estimate of your child in a few areas at this time: what is going well, and what some next steps might be.
In reading….
Thursday was Dr. Seuss’ birthday, so we read some books and made some certificates. We also started spending some concentrated time on beginning/middle/end. It’s on the report card for writing, and we’ve discussed it on and off, but now we’ve started breaking down the work of our published authors. One thing I find in sharing with kids and adults is that these are general terms. It can be difficult to pinpoint where one leaves off and another begins. It might be fun to have this discussion after one of your read alouds at home: do you and your child agree about what the beginning, middle and end were? And if you’re reading nonfiction, is there even a beginning, middle and end?
In writing….
I am trying to model beginning, middle, end in my work in front of the students, and we’re trying to notice it when we conference with them about their own work. It seems to help a lot, especially when they’re writing personal narratives about their own lives, to talk through the story before getting it on paper. If they know where they’re going, it’s easier to tell where they’ve arrived.
In math….
It was a lot of fun sharing our 100th Day collections. And thanks to those people who brought things in to share with others. We’ll keep talking about 100 throughout the year. If some of you have the game Chutes and Ladders, it can be a great on to work on those higher two digit numbers, including recognizing them and adding on to them. Our game at home came with a spinner, but for extra practice for my boys, we use two dice instead. First they have to add the dice, which is great fact practice. Then they have to add that amount to the number on the board.
For report cards we’re assessing if they can identify the name of the four main coins and tell the worth of each, and we’re asking them to use an analog clock to identify a few times on the hour and make a few (show me 9:00), so there are more ideas for extra practice at home.
Current Chapter Book Read Aloud…
Charlotte’s Web by E. B. White
Magic Strings
On Thursday we were visited by a group of musicians from the Magic Strings program. They played some songs on their violins and cellos, and the teacher told how kids in that group practice music as a regular part of their day. The Magic Strings classroom is composed of kids from all over the district, and the purpose of the trip was recruitment: they looking for kids to fill next year’s second grade class. Some interested students took applications to be a part of it next year, and we have more if needed. Just let me know. It seems like it could be a fantastic opportunity.
Calendar…
Sunday, March 5—Savannah’s Birthday Friday, March 17—Jasen’s Birthday
Thursday, March 16—Early Release Friday, March 17—Snow Make-up Day
Friday, March 17—Report Cards Home
Sincerely,
Jeff
Thursday, January 19, 2006
Dear Families,
I have report cards on the brain. Everything I look at these days seems to go through that filter somehow. These kids are growing in all kinds of great ways, and it’s fun to watch and be a part of. I try to keep all of those things in mind when I’m doing report cards, and I try to remember that it’s not a race, but just a journey. And while we do have things we’re aiming for, I hope they’re enjoying themselves along the way. And I hope they will choose to continue that journey both in and out of school. My goal, as always, will be to use the report cards to show you my best estimate of your child in a few areas at this time: what is going well, and what some next steps might be.
In reading….
Thursday was Dr. Seuss’ birthday, so we read some books and made some certificates. We also started spending some concentrated time on beginning/middle/end. It’s on the report card for writing, and we’ve discussed it on and off, but now we’ve started breaking down the work of our published authors. One thing I find in sharing with kids and adults is that these are general terms. It can be difficult to pinpoint where one leaves off and another begins. It might be fun to have this discussion after one of your read alouds at home: do you and your child agree about what the beginning, middle and end were? And if you’re reading nonfiction, is there even a beginning, middle and end?
In writing….
I am trying to model beginning, middle, end in my work in front of the students, and we’re trying to notice it when we conference with them about their own work. It seems to help a lot, especially when they’re writing personal narratives about their own lives, to talk through the story before getting it on paper. If they know where they’re going, it’s easier to tell where they’ve arrived.
In math….
It was a lot of fun sharing our 100th Day collections. And thanks to those people who brought things in to share with others. We’ll keep talking about 100 throughout the year. If some of you have the game Chutes and Ladders, it can be a great on to work on those higher two digit numbers, including recognizing them and adding on to them. Our game at home came with a spinner, but for extra practice for my boys, we use two dice instead. First they have to add the dice, which is great fact practice. Then they have to add that amount to the number on the board.
For report cards we’re assessing if they can identify the name of the four main coins and tell the worth of each, and we’re asking them to use an analog clock to identify a few times on the hour and make a few (show me 9:00), so there are more ideas for extra practice at home.
Current Chapter Book Read Aloud…
Charlotte’s Web by E. B. White
Magic Strings
On Thursday we were visited by a group of musicians from the Magic Strings program. They played some songs on their violins and cellos, and the teacher told how kids in that group practice music as a regular part of their day. The Magic Strings classroom is composed of kids from all over the district, and the purpose of the trip was recruitment: they looking for kids to fill next year’s second grade class. Some interested students took applications to be a part of it next year, and we have more if needed. Just let me know. It seems like it could be a fantastic opportunity.
Calendar…
Sunday, March 5—Savannah’s Birthday Friday, March 17—Jasen’s Birthday
Thursday, March 16—Early Release Friday, March 17—Snow Make-up Day
Friday, March 17—Report Cards Home
Sincerely,
Jeff
Week of Monday, January 27
Monday, February 27, 2006
This is the first day back from our mid-winter break. Aubree, Kayla, and Lukas all had birthdays while we were gone, but not all on the same day. They used to be six, but now they’re seven.
Our day was busy.
We all got new jobs.
In music today we did Cobbler, Cobbler Mend My Shoe. It goes like this:
Cobbler, cobbler mend my shoe
Let it done by half past two.
Half past two is at the door
Let it done by half past four.
While we sing it we sit in a circle and pass around a tiny shoe that used to belong to Mrs. Couch’s son. When we get to the last word of the song, the person who ends up holding the shoe gets to think of any kind of shoe they want to buy.
After that we went back to our seats to hear the next song: The Swans. It has motions. The first thing you do is put your arms up with your hands by your ears. And then move your hands down low like you’re flapping your wings.
Next we had a substitute teacher for P.E. We did 15 push-ups, 15 sit-ups, and 15 jumping jacks. And we ran around the gymnasium for 5 laps. And we jumped rope.
In the afternoon, Mckayla’s mom and brother came in to help in math. In math we had to make 27 cents. We did calendar and found out that Aubree, Savannah, and Kayla lost teeth over the break. We don’t know if they ever found them. Donna brought money for her 100th Day collection and she shared 4 cents with each kid.
Friday, March 03, 2006
Kids from Magic Strings came to visit us. They were second, third, and fourth graders. In the morning we looked at the board and we were kind of amazed. We saw that we would be going to the library and it wasn’t our usual library day; we wondered why.
When we came into the library and sat down to watch them, they played beautiful music. Some people had violins, and some people had cellos. Then the teacher called two musicians up from the group to lead the music. One of the songs they played was Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star. We liked their music because that was the only time we got the hear them, and they sounded great!
It was Dr. Seuss’ birthday. Rien made a Cat in the Hat and Dr. Seuss out of paper. Some people colored and cut out a Do Not Disturb sign for their door handle.
We celebrated Savannah’s birthday today because it will happen on the weekend. Savannah’s mom and dad brought in Krispy Kreme donuts for us. It was fun.
This is the first day back from our mid-winter break. Aubree, Kayla, and Lukas all had birthdays while we were gone, but not all on the same day. They used to be six, but now they’re seven.
Our day was busy.
We all got new jobs.
In music today we did Cobbler, Cobbler Mend My Shoe. It goes like this:
Cobbler, cobbler mend my shoe
Let it done by half past two.
Half past two is at the door
Let it done by half past four.
While we sing it we sit in a circle and pass around a tiny shoe that used to belong to Mrs. Couch’s son. When we get to the last word of the song, the person who ends up holding the shoe gets to think of any kind of shoe they want to buy.
After that we went back to our seats to hear the next song: The Swans. It has motions. The first thing you do is put your arms up with your hands by your ears. And then move your hands down low like you’re flapping your wings.
Next we had a substitute teacher for P.E. We did 15 push-ups, 15 sit-ups, and 15 jumping jacks. And we ran around the gymnasium for 5 laps. And we jumped rope.
In the afternoon, Mckayla’s mom and brother came in to help in math. In math we had to make 27 cents. We did calendar and found out that Aubree, Savannah, and Kayla lost teeth over the break. We don’t know if they ever found them. Donna brought money for her 100th Day collection and she shared 4 cents with each kid.
Friday, March 03, 2006
Kids from Magic Strings came to visit us. They were second, third, and fourth graders. In the morning we looked at the board and we were kind of amazed. We saw that we would be going to the library and it wasn’t our usual library day; we wondered why.
When we came into the library and sat down to watch them, they played beautiful music. Some people had violins, and some people had cellos. Then the teacher called two musicians up from the group to lead the music. One of the songs they played was Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star. We liked their music because that was the only time we got the hear them, and they sounded great!
It was Dr. Seuss’ birthday. Rien made a Cat in the Hat and Dr. Seuss out of paper. Some people colored and cut out a Do Not Disturb sign for their door handle.
We celebrated Savannah’s birthday today because it will happen on the weekend. Savannah’s mom and dad brought in Krispy Kreme donuts for us. It was fun.
Sunday, February 19, 2006
Newsletter 18
2005-2006 Room 302—Newsletter 18 http://room302.blogspot.com
Thursday, January 19, 2006
Dear Families,
We had indoor recess due to the cold on Friday, and I didn’t quite get this done in time. Still, I hated to waste it because it was about 99% ready, so here it is anyway, for those of you reading email or the blog. Have a great week off.
We had a great week, with lots of stuff happening. Our Valentine exchange on Tuesday was a wonderful culmination and celebration of lots and lots of dedication and hard work by this class full of writers. I think it’s hard to overestimate how great they did, making individual and personal cards for each and every classmate. They had fun doing it, and they had fun reading the messages from each other. All the wonderful treats helped make the party fun, too. Thanks so much to everyone who was able to contribute.
And now we’re looking at a week off. They might just be glad of some time to do other things that we don’t always get time to do, like build, play, draw, climb, etc. so I might not push the reading and writing too hard. On the other hand…here are some possibilities….,
In reading….
It might be the perfect time to plan a visit to the public library. Your King County library card also works at other King County libraries, which can be a lot of fun to visit and explore. And the nice thing is that you can return the materials right here in town, rather than driving them back. It also might be a good time to grab one of your favorite chapter books from when you were young and use it as your read-aloud. I recently read The Boxcar Children aloud to my kids at home, and I almost wish it hadn’t been such a hit, because now Jeremy keeps checking out others in that series and I’m growing rather tired of them. Still….
In writing….
We have paper and notebooks all over the place at my house, but when Jeremy got a new notebook for Valentine’s Day, it inspired him to write. I’m not sure how long that will last, but even if it lasts only a little while I consider the dollar well spent. The other thing my boys are into is Hangman. And sometimes they even stump Judy and I—talk about motivation! All those word games can be great ways to strengthen and extend what they know.
In math….
I’ve written before about the power of games. When my mom was in from Wisconsin, we got out a regular deck of cards and taught my boys how to play a game called 21. It’s also called Blackjack. Let me state right away that this is in no way my attempt to encourage (or discourage) gambling. Some people have strong feelings about that and some do not. But I must say that for our family, it’s a game that we as adults enjoy playing with the kids, and they with us. And the amount of math that happens during the game is tremendous—including counting, adding, subtracting, probability, noticing patterns, number combinations, and probability. They beg us to play—not because they want to practice math facts, and yet they can’t help but practice when we’re playing. And there are many more games that use math. They might be just the thing to fill some of the time during the week off.
Field Trip…
Our trip to the police station was excellent. We had fun and learned a lot. It’s so great that they are willing to take the time and trouble to show us around and talk to us. If you get the chance, you can read more about it on the blog.
Current Chapter Book Read Aloud…
Charlotte’s Web by E. B. White
Calendar…
February 20-24 –Mid-Winter Break Sunday, March 5—Savannah’s Birthday
Wednesday, February 22—Aubree’s Birthday Thursday, March 16—Early Release
Friday, February 24—Kayla’s Birthday Thursday, March 16—Report Cards Home
Sunday, February 26—Lukas’s Birthday Friday, March 17—Snow Make-up Day
Sincerely,
Jeff
Thursday, January 19, 2006
Dear Families,
We had indoor recess due to the cold on Friday, and I didn’t quite get this done in time. Still, I hated to waste it because it was about 99% ready, so here it is anyway, for those of you reading email or the blog. Have a great week off.
We had a great week, with lots of stuff happening. Our Valentine exchange on Tuesday was a wonderful culmination and celebration of lots and lots of dedication and hard work by this class full of writers. I think it’s hard to overestimate how great they did, making individual and personal cards for each and every classmate. They had fun doing it, and they had fun reading the messages from each other. All the wonderful treats helped make the party fun, too. Thanks so much to everyone who was able to contribute.
And now we’re looking at a week off. They might just be glad of some time to do other things that we don’t always get time to do, like build, play, draw, climb, etc. so I might not push the reading and writing too hard. On the other hand…here are some possibilities….,
In reading….
It might be the perfect time to plan a visit to the public library. Your King County library card also works at other King County libraries, which can be a lot of fun to visit and explore. And the nice thing is that you can return the materials right here in town, rather than driving them back. It also might be a good time to grab one of your favorite chapter books from when you were young and use it as your read-aloud. I recently read The Boxcar Children aloud to my kids at home, and I almost wish it hadn’t been such a hit, because now Jeremy keeps checking out others in that series and I’m growing rather tired of them. Still….
In writing….
We have paper and notebooks all over the place at my house, but when Jeremy got a new notebook for Valentine’s Day, it inspired him to write. I’m not sure how long that will last, but even if it lasts only a little while I consider the dollar well spent. The other thing my boys are into is Hangman. And sometimes they even stump Judy and I—talk about motivation! All those word games can be great ways to strengthen and extend what they know.
In math….
I’ve written before about the power of games. When my mom was in from Wisconsin, we got out a regular deck of cards and taught my boys how to play a game called 21. It’s also called Blackjack. Let me state right away that this is in no way my attempt to encourage (or discourage) gambling. Some people have strong feelings about that and some do not. But I must say that for our family, it’s a game that we as adults enjoy playing with the kids, and they with us. And the amount of math that happens during the game is tremendous—including counting, adding, subtracting, probability, noticing patterns, number combinations, and probability. They beg us to play—not because they want to practice math facts, and yet they can’t help but practice when we’re playing. And there are many more games that use math. They might be just the thing to fill some of the time during the week off.
Field Trip…
Our trip to the police station was excellent. We had fun and learned a lot. It’s so great that they are willing to take the time and trouble to show us around and talk to us. If you get the chance, you can read more about it on the blog.
Current Chapter Book Read Aloud…
Charlotte’s Web by E. B. White
Calendar…
February 20-24 –Mid-Winter Break Sunday, March 5—Savannah’s Birthday
Wednesday, February 22—Aubree’s Birthday Thursday, March 16—Early Release
Friday, February 24—Kayla’s Birthday Thursday, March 16—Report Cards Home
Sunday, February 26—Lukas’s Birthday Friday, March 17—Snow Make-up Day
Sincerely,
Jeff
Wednesday, February 15, 2006
Week of Monday, February 13
Wednesday, February 15, 2006
Yesterday we had a Valentine’s party with cookies from Travis and Lukas, and parents came. Lukas brought little, little cookies that didn’t have frosting or anything on them. They were shaped like butterflies and hearts. Travis’s were circles with sprinkles on them. We passed out Valentine cards and candy. It was Mrs. Brown’s birthday. We sat at our tables and started eating. We had lots of fun eating and reading our cards. Jamie brought candy. We got tattoos and airplanes from Savannah. Donna brought little zigzag heart candy and chocolate candy bars like Butterfingers. She brought stickers, too. Taylor M. brought little bags of candy. Jesse brought cupcakes that were chocolate or vanilla. They had white frosting with sprinkles. Justyn brought in pencils and erasers for everyone. The erasers were shaped like Cupid and hearts. The party was fantastic. Everyone was very happy that they made valentines for each other and did their best work.
Thursday, February 16, 2006
Tuesday was the 100th day of school, and we made and wore “100” glasses to kind of look funny. And we shared a bunch of 100 Day stuff. Taylor T. brought different colored candy hearts. Abby brought 100 Starburst. Abby and Justyn counted. First they thought there were 102, but when Mckayla double-checked she found that one of the piles only had 8, so they put the extra 2 in that pile and then there were 100. Donna brought 100 pennies. Savannah brought 100 Skittles, and the Skittles were shaped like circles; some were green, some were yellow, others were red or purple. Taylor M. brought 100 rocks. Jordan L. brought 100 straws. They were yellow, red, green, and blue with white stripes. Kevin brought 100 pieces of paper. He got them from his friend’s mom and counted them before he came to school to make sure there were 100. Then he shared them with the class. Rien brought 100 plain pencils. They were orangish-yellowish with pink erasers. Lukas brought 100 stickers and they kind of look like tattoos. Everyone started using Lukas’s stickers and Jordan L.’s straws and Abby’s Starburst and Rien’s pencils to decorate on the paper from Kevin. Cameron brought 100 robin eggs. They were candies from Safeway. They were purple, blue, yellow and green. First when you get one you have to let it kind of soak in your mouth, and then you chew it, and then you swallow it. Jamie brought 100 pieces of candy. It was really nice that so many people shared what they brought with each other.
Yesterday we had a Valentine’s party with cookies from Travis and Lukas, and parents came. Lukas brought little, little cookies that didn’t have frosting or anything on them. They were shaped like butterflies and hearts. Travis’s were circles with sprinkles on them. We passed out Valentine cards and candy. It was Mrs. Brown’s birthday. We sat at our tables and started eating. We had lots of fun eating and reading our cards. Jamie brought candy. We got tattoos and airplanes from Savannah. Donna brought little zigzag heart candy and chocolate candy bars like Butterfingers. She brought stickers, too. Taylor M. brought little bags of candy. Jesse brought cupcakes that were chocolate or vanilla. They had white frosting with sprinkles. Justyn brought in pencils and erasers for everyone. The erasers were shaped like Cupid and hearts. The party was fantastic. Everyone was very happy that they made valentines for each other and did their best work.
Thursday, February 16, 2006
Tuesday was the 100th day of school, and we made and wore “100” glasses to kind of look funny. And we shared a bunch of 100 Day stuff. Taylor T. brought different colored candy hearts. Abby brought 100 Starburst. Abby and Justyn counted. First they thought there were 102, but when Mckayla double-checked she found that one of the piles only had 8, so they put the extra 2 in that pile and then there were 100. Donna brought 100 pennies. Savannah brought 100 Skittles, and the Skittles were shaped like circles; some were green, some were yellow, others were red or purple. Taylor M. brought 100 rocks. Jordan L. brought 100 straws. They were yellow, red, green, and blue with white stripes. Kevin brought 100 pieces of paper. He got them from his friend’s mom and counted them before he came to school to make sure there were 100. Then he shared them with the class. Rien brought 100 plain pencils. They were orangish-yellowish with pink erasers. Lukas brought 100 stickers and they kind of look like tattoos. Everyone started using Lukas’s stickers and Jordan L.’s straws and Abby’s Starburst and Rien’s pencils to decorate on the paper from Kevin. Cameron brought 100 robin eggs. They were candies from Safeway. They were purple, blue, yellow and green. First when you get one you have to let it kind of soak in your mouth, and then you chew it, and then you swallow it. Jamie brought 100 pieces of candy. It was really nice that so many people shared what they brought with each other.
Friday, February 10, 2006
Week of Monday, February 6
Tuesday, February 07, 2006
We changed the rules for valentine cards. In the morning we do our writing, and in the afternoon we do our decorating. We write them for everybody in the class so nobody will get missed. We do lots of cards. Some people have done more than others and some have done less than others. For example, Savannah has done 14, Travis has done 19, Abby has done 7, Mckayla has done 8, Shelby has done 7, and Donna has done 11. We are gluing paper cut-out hearts on to the cards. Some of the decorations are string, glitter glue, stickers, traced hearts, flowers, rick rack, colored paper, straws, beads, and candy.
Thursday, February 09, 2006
We went to the police station. We walked over with the other first grade class. Jordan C.’s dad and Travis’ mom came with. Officer Jamey and Officer Kevin showed us around the police department. Officer Jamey had a black suit on, and Officer Kevin had a blue one on. Officer Kevin told us we were at the town hall.
They didn’t have a jail there. We got to see the officer’s room. We got to see the court room where the judge sits and the mayor sits. They get to sit in the middle.
We got to see the police car and we went through the back seat of it. The back seat wasn’t very comfortable and it was hard. It was made of plastic so that if the person in back threw up, the officers could just clean it up. The doors at the back of the police car didn’t have any handles so the people couldn’t get out. On the police car top they didn’t have the sirens: they had the sirens inside, but it was very loud. It was so loud that it hurt people’s ears. In the front of the car they had one little light and it kept on switching from red to blue.
They gave us stickers that say Junior Police Officer. It was fantastic!
We changed the rules for valentine cards. In the morning we do our writing, and in the afternoon we do our decorating. We write them for everybody in the class so nobody will get missed. We do lots of cards. Some people have done more than others and some have done less than others. For example, Savannah has done 14, Travis has done 19, Abby has done 7, Mckayla has done 8, Shelby has done 7, and Donna has done 11. We are gluing paper cut-out hearts on to the cards. Some of the decorations are string, glitter glue, stickers, traced hearts, flowers, rick rack, colored paper, straws, beads, and candy.
Thursday, February 09, 2006
We went to the police station. We walked over with the other first grade class. Jordan C.’s dad and Travis’ mom came with. Officer Jamey and Officer Kevin showed us around the police department. Officer Jamey had a black suit on, and Officer Kevin had a blue one on. Officer Kevin told us we were at the town hall.
They didn’t have a jail there. We got to see the officer’s room. We got to see the court room where the judge sits and the mayor sits. They get to sit in the middle.
We got to see the police car and we went through the back seat of it. The back seat wasn’t very comfortable and it was hard. It was made of plastic so that if the person in back threw up, the officers could just clean it up. The doors at the back of the police car didn’t have any handles so the people couldn’t get out. On the police car top they didn’t have the sirens: they had the sirens inside, but it was very loud. It was so loud that it hurt people’s ears. In the front of the car they had one little light and it kept on switching from red to blue.
They gave us stickers that say Junior Police Officer. It was fantastic!
Thursday, February 09, 2006
Newsletter 17
2005-2006 Room 302—Newsletter 17 http://room302.blogspot.com
Tuesday, February 7, 2006
Dear Families,
This has been a busy time. We found out Tuesday that Jasen would be moving back to Georgia with his mom. We miss him. And then I had to be out for my sick child, which is always a bit tricky. So this is the newsletter for this last week, updated to include this week. We have lots of other stuff happening, too.
In reading….
We are currently in the midst of reading the nominees for The Washington Children's Choice Award. Our librarians, Mrs. Sullivan and Mrs. Yonkers, bought the books for our school and we’re taking turns passing them around to different classrooms. We’re keeping track of what we read and how we feel about each book. When we’re done, we’ll vote, and our votes will be added to those from all over the state. For fun, ask your child what we read each day, and how he or she liked it. For more information, there is a link on the blog.
In writing….
We are fully involved in making valentines for each other. We created a list showing each class member, along with three things that person likes. The list is to help us personalize our cards. This is a wonderful opportunity to review and use some of the practical writing skills we’ve practiced all year, as well as a chance to think about purpose and audience—which can sometimes be a bit tricky to define in regular journal writing. Look for that list on the blog. I’m encouraging students to work at home, if needed, to make sure they’re all done by the 14th.
In math….
The art we did for the new February calendars was watercolor and black pen. We’ve been using illustrations from picture books as examples, and what a wonderful coincidence that a couple of this year’s Caldecott winners were done in watercolor.
Valentine’s Day…
We have gotten a great selection of decorations and treats for the party so far. All the decorations help create high motivation for this project, and it’s so cool to see the care students put into their work. On the 14th everyone is expected to be done and ready to exchange. We’ll probably have a Valentine’s Day story, exchange cards, pass out treats, and spend time reading, eating, and enjoying. If you’d like to be here for this, please join us. We’ll start around 10:05.
Field Trip…
We’re going to the police station on Thursday. Sorry about the short notice. We’d been trying to find a time, and the time sort of just happened, so we took it. How nice to be able to just walk somewhere.
Current Chapter Book Read Aloud…
Charlotte’s Web by E. B. White
Calendar…
Tuesday, February 7—Levy Vote Wednesday, February 22—Aubree’s Birthday
Tuesday, February 14—Valentine’s Day Friday, February 24—Kayla’s Birthday
February 20-24 –Mid-Winter Break Sunday, February 26—Lukas’s Birthday
Sincerely,
Jeff
Tuesday, February 7, 2006
Dear Families,
This has been a busy time. We found out Tuesday that Jasen would be moving back to Georgia with his mom. We miss him. And then I had to be out for my sick child, which is always a bit tricky. So this is the newsletter for this last week, updated to include this week. We have lots of other stuff happening, too.
In reading….
We are currently in the midst of reading the nominees for The Washington Children's Choice Award. Our librarians, Mrs. Sullivan and Mrs. Yonkers, bought the books for our school and we’re taking turns passing them around to different classrooms. We’re keeping track of what we read and how we feel about each book. When we’re done, we’ll vote, and our votes will be added to those from all over the state. For fun, ask your child what we read each day, and how he or she liked it. For more information, there is a link on the blog.
In writing….
We are fully involved in making valentines for each other. We created a list showing each class member, along with three things that person likes. The list is to help us personalize our cards. This is a wonderful opportunity to review and use some of the practical writing skills we’ve practiced all year, as well as a chance to think about purpose and audience—which can sometimes be a bit tricky to define in regular journal writing. Look for that list on the blog. I’m encouraging students to work at home, if needed, to make sure they’re all done by the 14th.
In math….
The art we did for the new February calendars was watercolor and black pen. We’ve been using illustrations from picture books as examples, and what a wonderful coincidence that a couple of this year’s Caldecott winners were done in watercolor.
Valentine’s Day…
We have gotten a great selection of decorations and treats for the party so far. All the decorations help create high motivation for this project, and it’s so cool to see the care students put into their work. On the 14th everyone is expected to be done and ready to exchange. We’ll probably have a Valentine’s Day story, exchange cards, pass out treats, and spend time reading, eating, and enjoying. If you’d like to be here for this, please join us. We’ll start around 10:05.
Field Trip…
We’re going to the police station on Thursday. Sorry about the short notice. We’d been trying to find a time, and the time sort of just happened, so we took it. How nice to be able to just walk somewhere.
Current Chapter Book Read Aloud…
Charlotte’s Web by E. B. White
Calendar…
Tuesday, February 7—Levy Vote Wednesday, February 22—Aubree’s Birthday
Tuesday, February 14—Valentine’s Day Friday, February 24—Kayla’s Birthday
February 20-24 –Mid-Winter Break Sunday, February 26—Lukas’s Birthday
Sincerely,
Jeff
Tuesday, February 07, 2006
Room 302 Valentines List
Room 302 Valentines List
We created this list so that it would be easier to personalize the valentines we’re making for each other. Use it at home to help as needed.
We created this list so that it would be easier to personalize the valentines we’re making for each other. Use it at home to help as needed.
- Lukas--box hockey, chase, freeze tag
- Justyn--football, the beach, skiing
- Noah--snowboarding, cars, cats
- Jamie--farm animals, sharks, God & Jesus
- Jordan C. --blue, video games, the park
- Kayla--purple, drawing, red
- Travis--green, bikes, video games
- Donna--ice cream, hearts, cheerleading clothes
- Jesse--skate boarding, dirt bikes, Ferris wheels
- Kaelyn--basketball, parents, friends
- Rien--motorcycles, cool cars, black
- Cameron--rainbows, dresses, macaroni and cheese
- Jasen
- Jordan L. --pumpkin pie, video games, monsters
- Taylor M. --basketball, Spiderman™, parents
- Aubree--polar bears, rabbits, drawing, parents
- Savannah--animals, purple, David Shannon
- Abigail--ballerinas, cheetahs, The Cheetah Girls
- Mckayla--purple, doges, books
- Kevin--the fair, sharks, bikes
- Ashley--pink, friends, pets
- Taylor T. --bunnies, rain forest, mac & cheese
- Shelby--mac & cheese, yogurt, horses