Hi Parents ~ What a great week, finishing with our Welcome Back BBQ yesterday. I enjoyed meeting our class families and look forward to meeting the families I haven't had a chance yet to connect with. We had a busy first full week getting our routines in and we are ready to start our learning next week. Here's what we were up to:
Reading Studio
- We read every day at school. During our studio time, we have a short mini-lesson with a focus on an aspect or strategy to help us grow as a reader followed by some independent reading. This week we talked about 'IPICK' and how to choose a just-right book. During this time students are expected to be reading a novel or chapter book that they can talk about and make connections to the lesson. Next week they will be introduced to a reading log to keep track of the books they are reading as well as looking at different genres they may be interested in.
- Writing Studio happens almost every day. Like Reading Studio, we have a short mini-lesson focusing on ways to improved our writing and different types of writing, then we have some independent writing time to practise. This week we started our notebook with an authority list, a heart map, and a memory hand. These pages were filled with ideas that are important to use that we can go back to for ideas of what we could write about when we are stuck. We also talked about what writers write and will start to practise different types of writing.
Gym
- Thank goodness the weather has been great because we have been having gym outside while the construction continues. So far we have been playing a lot of team-building games and focusing on having fun while taking care of one another and getting some exercise.
Numeracy
- We haven't yet started math but talked about having a growth mindset in math and learning some phrases to say when we are feeling stuck, frustrated, etc. We also completed a math survey to show our feelings toward math.
Social Responsibility
- This week we brainstormed a list of jobs we needed to keep our class running smoothly. We sorted those ideas into 'Class Jobs' that 1-2 people will be responsible for and 'Collaborative Responsibilities' that everyone is expected to do without being asked. We came to a consensus and have 12 class jobs and a bunch of collaborative responsibilities.
We enjoyed having our first buddies with Mrs. Cavallin's class yesterday. It was Dot Day! We read the book 'The Dot' and used our creativity and got to know our buddy by trying an art activity where we turned an empty dot into something else. We saw emojis, donuts, sports balls, and lots of funny faces and bright designs. We look forward to our next buddy time!
Important Dates and/or Reminders:
- A Friday Journal is coming home today. Please take the time to read it, respond, and send it back on Monday. More information is written inside the journal.
- A lot of notices are coming home today. Please fill out and check the information carefully and send them back ASAP.
- There are a few families who need to send in $5 for the agendas. See me if you have any questions.
- Wednesday, September 21st is our student photo day.