Week of September 4, 2006

Tuesday, September 05, 2006

We did line juggling today. You’re probably asking yourself, “What’s line juggling?” We juggled with sponges. The sponges were pink, blue, and yellow. We’re in two straight lines of ten on each side, facing each other. We pass the sponges diagonally down the lines. At the end of the line, we send it back the opposite diagonal way. Then we add another sponge to it and see if we can do it with two at a time. Today we even did three for a while. When we had three sponges it was harder because there was so much to keep track of. It was really fun.

Wednesday, September 06, 2006

We sang songs and played a game in music. The song was called Bluebird. It goes like this:

Here comes a bluebird

In through my window

Hey diddle dumma day

Day, day.

Take a little partner

Tap him on the shoulder

Hey diddle dumma day

Day, day.

The game went with the song. Everyone sang while one person walked around the circle. When it said “Take a little partner and tap him on the shoulder, the person walking around tapped someone. The person who got tapped became the walker.

Thursday, September 07, 2006

The first graders did different math than the second graders did. The first graders got to explore using calculators, geoblocks, cubes, and pattern blocks. Then they learned the game called Compare. The second graders explored with sets of 10 cubes, and then they got to use the geoblocks, pattern blocks, and cubes too, while the first graders were doing calculators.

Friday, September 08, 2006

It was our first library day of the year. We read a librarian book called Library Lil by Suzanne Williams. It was about a strong, unusual librarian. When the power went out and the battery died on her bus, she pushed her bookmobile through 80 m.p.h. winds. She could pick up 12 motorcycles, one at a time, and throw them out of her way into the street. Since she did that, the motorcycle guys said they would read a book, and then they all became readers like Library Lil.

Week of August 28, 2006

Wednesday, August 28, 2006

Today was the first day of school. We got to meet a bunch of new kids. We talked about some birthdays in August and September. We had an assembly. We had donuts for snack. Mckayla and Savannah read some poems to us. We decorated our name cards and cut out our pigeons to show if we walked home, got picked up, or rode the bus. Then we had more donuts. It was great!

Thursday, August 31, 2006

It was our first physical education class of the year. We walked into the gym and found spots to sit all around the gym. We were spread out. Then Mrs. Smith told us what we’d be doing. The first thing was to play catch with bean bag animals. They were about as big as our hands. We each had our own. We tossed them into the air and tried to catch them. Some people tried to clap as many times as they could while it was in the air. Then she played played a music tape that told us different things to do with the animals, like put them on our heads, or backs, or necks. Then we put our bean bag friends away and ran laps around the gym until it was time to go. We got drinks and lined up to go.

Friday, September 01, 2006

We read a book called Caps for Sale. Then we acted out the story. Some of us were monkeys and the rest were peddlers. The monkeys took the peddler’s caps when he took a nap. Then he got really mad and tried to get them back. When he threw his hat on the ground, they threw all their caps down. Our favorite part was when the peddler said, “You monkeys, you. You give me back my caps.” And the monkeys shook their fingers and said, “Tsz, tsz, tsz.” After we acted out the story, we made our own monkeys and took them home.

Supply list 2006-2007

Supply list 2006-2007 / Room 302

1st grade
1 box 24 ct colored pencils
1 box 24 ct crayons
1 box 24 ct markers
3 ea large glue sticks
2 dzn #2 pencils  (not mechanical/sharpen please)
1 ea Fiskar scissors (name on, please)
1 box 1 gal. Ziploc bags
1 pkg PostIt notes
1 ea (1”) 3-ring binder (name on, please)
1 ea composition book (name on, please)
1 ea box Kleenex

2nd Grade
1 box 24 ct crayons
3 ea large glue sticks
3 ea folders w/sturdy bottom pocket
2 dzn #2 pencils (not mechanical/sharpen please)
1 ea pencil box
1 ea Fiskar scissors (name on, please)
2 bxs 1 gal. ziptop Ziploc bags
2 ea wide-ruled spiral notebooks
2 ea Sharpies (permanent black)
1 ea watercolor paints

Newsletter 24

2005-2006   Room 302—Newsletter 24   http://room302.blogspot.com

6/14/2006

Dear Families,

I have a video tape full of different things your kids have been doing this year.  It’s the one we’ve been taking turns passing around.  Sometimes people would like a copy of this.  I also have almost 600 digital pictures that I’ve take this year.  Some people have asked for a copy of these, too.  I’m more than happy to give copies to people—that was one of the reasons I took them—but I need your permission.  Basically, I just need you to sign the attached sheet saying it’s okay for your child to be in the pictures and video that we copy for everyone.  Without the permission slip signed, I cannot include your child.  As soon as we have everyone’s permission, I’ll let you know and people who want a copy can send in CD’s.  Maybe there are even people out there who could copy faster than I.  And if you choose not to have your child’s image shared, please let me know right away so that we can filter those out of the collection.  I apologize for not anticipating and getting on this sooner, but I still think we can make it happen.
Rockets…
Rocket launching was great, despite the rain.  Thanks to Mr. Bryant and Mr. Meisner for orchestrating everything, and thanks to all the family members who were here to help build and launch.
Literacy Week…
This is happening right now.  I think it’s a great way to take some time and celebrate all the learning that has happened.  And believe me, a lot has been learned.  Everyone has reason to celebrate.  My sincere hope is that as you’ve watched and listened to your child this year, you’ve noticed all kinds of learning and growth.  The report card may reflect some of that, but it certainly will not reflect all of it.  And the chances are good that you’ve noticed things that I haven’t, or that I just taken for granted.  I still believe that one of the best things that we can do for learners to point out and celebrate the good things that happen.  
In writing….
We’re writing poetry to end our year.  Poetry intimidates me a bit, because I like concrete, objective definitions, and I can’t really find one for poetry.  How do I know if something is a poem or not?  I’m still not sure.  But we’ve started building a list of some traits poems often share, and we’ve spent an enthusiastic week writing poetry.  The up side to no clear definition of poetry is that nobody can say for sure that a piece of writing isn’t a poem.  (In fact, maybe this is one)  That can be a very liberating feeling:  if nobody can say what’s right, nobody can say what’s wrong.  So, just give it a try.  And that’s what they’ve been doing, with great success.  
Let me point out another thing:  What if I said that all the parents were going to meet one night, write poems, and share them out loud with the group, including time for comments and feedback.  If you’re anything like me, you would have an unbreakable appointment that night.  I would feel very uncomfortable sharing in front of my peers.  It sort of makes me tense just to imagine it right now.  But your kids do it every single day.  
They (authors) put themselves out there, writing and sharing concerns, thoughts, feelings because they trust their classmates not to laugh or criticize.  The audience listens with empathy, celebrates with the authors and treats them with respect, while at the same time offering helpful feedback.  Is that not amazing?  
Sometimes that feedback is just laughing at the funny parts, but if an author is trying to write humor, that’s the most powerful feedback there is.  Other times the feedback can be more directed, like asking for clarification.  But it is always understood that the author is the final arbiter, and that the questions and comments are given in good faith.  I know for certain that this is a huge reason why these students have been so productive this year--they're surrounded by support.  And I know that if I were to share in front of my peers (or anyone else), I’d hope to be treated in the same way.  
I guess I’m trying to make two points:  First, your children all deserve a lot of credit for the writing they’re doing, and have done.  Second, when your child shares a piece of writing with you and you’re wondering how to comment or what to say, it may be helpful to picture yourself sharing something you’ve written, and to imagine what sort of response you’d like from an audience.
In math….
We’ve been trying to do a pretest and posttest to start and end each math book, just as a way to help gauge learning from beginning to end.  At the parent meeting, I shared the quote by Steve Peha:  There can be no significant improvement without the ability to self assess. As a piece of this, I had students look at their most recent pretests for things they did well and things they could do even better.  This was very satisfying.  You may want to try it when those papers come home, because it shows what they really understand, even when they’re still trying to make things happen consistently.    
Summer Birthdays…
We only have a few summer birthdays, but we’d love to celebrate them before the end of school.  If your child has one, let me know if/when you’d like to send in treats, etc.  
Chapter Book Read Aloud…
Mr. Popper’s Penguins by Richard and Florence Atwater.  This is a Newbery honor book published in 1938.  Someone’s grandma was here when I told the class that, and she said that was even before she was born.  I’m guessing we’ll be spending time on filling in background knowledge as we read this one.  It should be fun.
Snack…
Thanks to those people who were able to send more right away.  If you’ve not yet had a chance to send in snack, now would be a great time.
First Grade Cookout…
We’re getting a good response from people now, so thanks.  If you haven’t had a chance to contribute yet, there is still time.    This means that students won't have to bring a lunch that day, or sign up for hot lunch.  We'll eat about 12:35, which is our normal lunch time.  They have recess about 1:05, which will give us time to clean up.  
And then after recess, which ends at 1:35, I thought it would be a good time, since people will already be at school, to have students share a poem they wrote in their poetry journal, which we've been doing the past two weeks.  Finally, to end the day, I have about 600 pictures I've taken this year, so I thought the people who are interested could stick around for a slide show of those photos.  
Calendar…
June 12-June 16—Literacy Week     Sunday, June 18—Fathers’ Day
Thursday, June 15—Sports Day     Tuesday, June 20—Fun Day/Field Day (p.m. only)
Friday, June 16—Hawaiian Day     Thursday, June 22—Last Day of First; Early Release
Friday, June 16—First Grade Cookout/BBQ@12:35     Saturday, June 24—Shelby’s Birthday
Friday, June 16—Poems and photo sharing@1:35     


Sincerely,


Jeff Kurtz


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Please fill out, sign, and return this permission slip:


It is okay to include my child in on the collection of class photos to be copied and distributed to classmates.


          YES                    NO


It is okay to include my child on copies of the class video tape distributed to classmates.


          YES                    NO

Child’s Name: ________________________

Parent/Guardian’s Name: __________________________

Parent/Guardian Signature: __________________________________

Week of Monday, June 5

Monday, June 05, 2006
Tomorrow we are having a school barbeque!  The people who sign up for hot lunch will get a hamburger that was made on the grill, and they’ll eat in the cafeteria like normal.  It’s not the same as the first grade barbeque, which is when each student brings one thing to share instead of eating in the cafeteria.  For the first grade barbeque, we’ll all eat outside on the grass.  

Mrs. Laurnen, the kindergarten teacher, got wallpaper samples for us.  On Friday, we picked the wallpaper, one at a time, to make covers for our new poetry journals.  They all have crazy designs on them.  Some of the designs are flowers, and stripes, and boats, and leaves, and lines, and flannel, and spirals, and bumblebees.  We start writing poetry tomorrow.

Newsletter 23

2005-2006  Room 302—Newsletter 23  http://room302.blogspot.com

6/4/2006

Dear Families,

As I write this, we have 14 days of school left. It sure seems like there is a lot left to happen in the next 14 days.  I’ll try to keep you up to date with what I know.  The newsletters from the principal are a great source of info, too.
Rockets…
We still are waiting for delivery.  The launch date will be June 14, starting with us ASAP in the morning, about 9:05 or so.  That’s right in the middle of our big Literacy Week celebration, which is perfect.   We hope to get the rockets by next weekend, so we’ll plan to build them the following Monday afternoon, June 12, around 1:40.  Let me know if you plan to be here to help us build so that if those plans change, I can let you know.
Literacy Week…
This happens during our last full week of school, June 12-16.  We’ll have assemblies every day, and theme days.  I put them into the calendar below.
In writing….
My plan is to finish using journals this week, and spend the next two weeks exploring, writing, and sharing poetry.  We’ll be getting new journals for that.  If your child hasn’t shared his/her animal riddle with you, ask about it.  We’ll be sharing those riddles with the Kindergarten classes, too.  
In math….
A new game that you can play at home is Tens Concentration (or Memory).  Use a regular deck of playing cards.  Place the cards face down in some sort of grid.  The object is to choose two cards that total 10.  This has been very popular, and they love helping each other.  (The students in this class have been so good about helping each other all year.  You can be proud.)  Have your child demonstrate.  
Summer Birthdays…
We only have a few summer birthdays, but we’d love to celebrate them before the end of school.  If your child has one, let me know if/when you’d like to send in treats, etc.  
Chapter Book Read Aloud…
Gooney Bird Greene by Lois Lowry—we’ve just finished this.  Stay tuned for the next (last?) one.
Snack…
Thanks to those people who were able to send more right away.  If you’ve not yet had a chance to send in snack, now would be a great time.
First Grade Cookout…
Speaking of food, we would like to have a first grade barbeque/cookout on Friday, June 16 during our regular lunch time.  We ask every family to contribute something, and join us, if possible, for lunch.  Things we might need include a grill, a chef, something to cook like hot dogs or burgers, condiments, chips, napkins, drinks, cups, etc.  Contact me by email or phone to let me know what you can contribute.
Calendar…
Saturday, June 3—Rien’s Birthday     Monday, June 12—Hat Day / Rocket Building
Sunday, June 4—Walkathon/Bikeathon/Bike Rodeo     Tuesday, June 13—Wacky Hair Day
Thursday, June 8-- Volunteer Luncheon       Wednesday, June 14—Red, White, and Blue Day (Flag Day)
     ~~Rocket Launching
June 12-June 16—Literacy Week     Thursday, June 15—Sports Day
Friday, June 16—First Grade Cookout/BBQ     Friday, June 16—Hawaiian Day
Sunday, June 18—Fathers’ Day     Tuesday, June 20—Fun Day/Field Day (p.m. only)
Thursday, June 22—Last Day of First; Early Release     Saturday, June 24—Shelby’s Birthday


Sincerely,


Jeff

Newsletter 22

2005-2006                          Room 302—Newsletter 22                     http://room302.blogspot.com

5/23/2006

Dear Families,

This has been on my computer for the last two weeks, but things have been happening and interfering.  It’s just that time of year.  I’m trying to roll with it, and along those lines:  What a great week of teacher appreciation!  It was  a big help in easing stress and adding some extra fun.  Thanks so much to everyone for all they did.  It was all wonderful.
Rockets…
I’m so glad first grade was able to get in on the rocket thing.  We do not yet have the dates for putting them together—that will depend on when they arrive—but the launch date looks to be June 14, starting with us ASAP in the morning, about 9:05 or so.  My memory from last year was that having parent helpers when we put them together made things much easier—I’ll let you know when I know—and then it’s always fun to be out there and watch them launch.  If you still haven’t sent in your $8 for a rocket, I think you could still get it in under the wire.
Field Trip…
Wow!  The Seattle Children’s Theater  always does such a nice job.  This was a fabulous experience, greatly enhanced by all of the adults that came with us.  I can’t thank them enough.
In writing….
I hope everyone found much to appreciate in the Mothers’ Day gifts. A lot of heartfelt work and concentration went into creating those pieces, from writing ideas in the rough draft to creating finished product, and all the steps in between.
In math….
Our latest math book is Number Games and Story Problems.  The title pretty much says it all.  The games offer not only a way to practice math skills in an authentic context, but also the social element that is so crucial in learning.  They learn a lot from each other.  The story problems are phrased in different ways that require the reader to really pay attention and figure out what is being asked, and they are a chance for students to practice using words, pictures, and numbers to explain thinking.  Success depends on using reading, math, and writing skills all together.
Class Placement…
I hope everyone has had the chance to send back the informational form about their children to help us in placing them for next year.  We try to take all relevant information into account during the process, and you’re the ones that know the children best.  We’ll be going through that placement process Thursday afternoon.
Chapter Book Read Aloud…
Gooney Bird Greene by Lois Lowry
Snack…
We are getting pretty low, but I must say those graham crackers from the gingerbread houses sure lasted a long time.  If you’ve not yet had a chance to send in snack, now would be a great time.
PTA Carnival
This is tomorrow, on Wednesday, May 24.  They may still need volunteers.  It looks to be a lot of fun!
Calendar…
Wednesday, May 24—Justyn’s Birthday     Wednesday, May 24—PTA Carnival
Thursday, May 25—Early Release Day     Friday, May 26—No School
Monday, May 29—No School (Memorial Day)     Saturday, June 3—Rien’s Birthday


Sincerely,


Jeff

Week of Monday, May 15

Friday, May 19, 2006
We didn’t have writing today.  Amber’s dog came and surprised us instead.  Amber’s foster mom came in with the dog and let us pet it.  Amber’s dog is from China, called a Pekingese.  It was the emperor of China’s dog.  It’s 12 weeks old and fuzzy.  He’s little: he weighs about 4 lbs.  He licked us on our hands and faces.  She had to pull him on his leash every time because he wouldn’t move, and he slid on his bottom.    He wiggled a lot, and once Amber accidentally dropped him, but he was okay.  Before they got the puppy, the puppy’s mother pulled too hard on his umbilical cord when it was being born and split the puppy’s stomach, so the puppy had to get stitches.  Now the puppy has a big, long scar on his tummy.  We had so much fun with Amber’s dog, Tieckey!

Week of Monday, May 8

Wednesday, May 10, 2006
Today this person came to fix our sink.  He used a power snake.  The power snake unclogged our sink.   It went all the way down to the sewer.  The power snake pushed all the mud, dirt and grease and plaster and icky stuff into the sewer.  Some of the stuff in the pipes got stuck to the snake, because when he pulled it back out it had brown, black, and white squishy stuff stuck to it.  The power snake was noisy.  It sounded like someone screaming.  It sounded like a motorcycle going past your car.  It sounded like an air compressor.  The snake was on a square frame with a wheel inside.  The wheel looked like General Grievous' ship from Star Wars, except for no legs.  When the man was using the snake, the wheel spun like a hamster’s wheel.  He controlled the whole thing using his knee, pressing a pad on the floor.  Now our sink isn’t clogged.

Week of Monday, May 1

Tuesday, May 02, 2006
Kevin brought his frogs today.  Taylor brought his hamster last Friday.  Kevin brought three green frogs and two brown toads; Taylor brought one brown and white hamster.  The frogs were jumping around all over the classroom, like on the carpet, on Jeffrey’s shirt, in and out of people’s hands, and one even jumped up and hit Abby in the eye.  The hamster escaped from Taylor’s hand and ran across the carpet, but Taylor got him back.  All five of the frogs were in a little plastic rectangular prism with a triangular hole and a crack poked in the lid so they could breathe.  Inside there was grass, flowers, a blue wooden block, and a Tinkertoy block.  The hamster was in a cage with wood shavings, a block to chew on so his teeth wouldn’t get really long because their teeth never stop growing, food pellets to eat, and a blue water bottle with a metal part at the bottom for the hamster to get a drink.  And he was running in his wheel a lot.  He crawled out down the blue slide and when people started to talk really loud, he went back up.

Friday, May 05, 2006
We had a field trip to the Seattle Children’s Theater.  It was a long drive on the school bus there and back.  When we got into the play, the girl told us to turn off cell phones, cameras, pagers, and alarms.  When she got off stage, the show started.  Shelby’s favorite part was when Junie B. Jones said, “P. U. What a stink bomb!” about Grace’s baby.  Donna liked the beginning when everyone said their name in the first song and then Junie B. jumped out through the blue paper in the doorway upstairs in her room.  Lukas’s favorite part was when Jim was in his karate costume and he whacked his chair with his hand and said, “OW!” and he started crying.  Brandon never laughed so hard in his life.  Savannah liked how it was like the book, but not too much like the book.  Justyn’s favorite part was when the toilet was flooding, and also when the walls were going places.  There were so many good parts, it’s impossible to tell them all.  After the play we were so exhausted.  We ate our lunches on the grass by the fountain.  Then we came back.  We were so lucky to have so many chaperones come with.  It made the trip wonderful.  THANK YOU, CHAPERONES!