Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Monday, September 24, 2012
Classroom News: Week of September 24th
Dear Barn Swallows,
We have enough volunteers for our trip this Wednesday, September 26th, to Gales Meadow organic, heirloom vegetable farm! If you are interested in joining us, you are welcome. Please remember to send your child to school that day with a full water bottle, rain gear, waterproof boots, extra warm clothing, and a healthy lunch. School lunch orders will be made into a sack lunch that day.
We are still in need of 3 to 4 more adult volunteers for our big trip to Zenger Farm on Monday, October 15th. This will be an all day trip and adult volunteers are necessary in order for us to make the trip. We will be learning more about where our food comes from and see how it's grown in a way that takes care of nature. We would love to have you join us! Please email me at: S.Reuter@fgcschool.org Thank you!
Last week students finished their self portraits. They will be hanging up soon! Early in the week, we went on a sidewalk chalk art walk. We discussed how you can 'find' stories in art. Students stopped along the way and 'found' and described imaginative stories from the chalk art. We also studied apples throughout the week. We read many books about apples and gathered apple facts together. Then students had an Out and About at my house (in Forest Grove) where they helped collect cider apples under our big apple tree. Students also learned more about chickens and eggs, as they explored my chicken coop and found an egg that Edna the hen left in the next box. Students demonstrated a lot of care as they 'earned the trust' of my four rabbits, who live with the chickens. They fed them clover, dandelion greens, grass, and apple cores. All of the students were so kind and considerate! (See photos at the top right of the page.) On Thursday Max's mom, Limor, brought a cider press to the Backyard Garden. Through teamwork and positive communication, the Barn Swallows worked together and pressed cider. We really enjoyed learning about where cider comes from and how it is made. Thank you Limor!
Students learned about the five finger rule when choosing a book. Please ask your child to explain how to use this rule as you read books together at home. We continue to build community and to get to know each other through playing many simple games, learning new greetings, and singing songs. We are off to a great year!
If you are interested in joining our classroom community, there is a garden work party this Friday, September 28th in the Backyard Garden from 1:30 to 3:00. This would be a great opportunity to meet other school families and to get your kids together, making a difference in the garden. The Backyard Garden is in need of TLC and we would love to have you join us!
Thank you families!
Sincerely,
Sherry
We have enough volunteers for our trip this Wednesday, September 26th, to Gales Meadow organic, heirloom vegetable farm! If you are interested in joining us, you are welcome. Please remember to send your child to school that day with a full water bottle, rain gear, waterproof boots, extra warm clothing, and a healthy lunch. School lunch orders will be made into a sack lunch that day.
We are still in need of 3 to 4 more adult volunteers for our big trip to Zenger Farm on Monday, October 15th. This will be an all day trip and adult volunteers are necessary in order for us to make the trip. We will be learning more about where our food comes from and see how it's grown in a way that takes care of nature. We would love to have you join us! Please email me at: S.Reuter@fgcschool.org Thank you!
Last week students finished their self portraits. They will be hanging up soon! Early in the week, we went on a sidewalk chalk art walk. We discussed how you can 'find' stories in art. Students stopped along the way and 'found' and described imaginative stories from the chalk art. We also studied apples throughout the week. We read many books about apples and gathered apple facts together. Then students had an Out and About at my house (in Forest Grove) where they helped collect cider apples under our big apple tree. Students also learned more about chickens and eggs, as they explored my chicken coop and found an egg that Edna the hen left in the next box. Students demonstrated a lot of care as they 'earned the trust' of my four rabbits, who live with the chickens. They fed them clover, dandelion greens, grass, and apple cores. All of the students were so kind and considerate! (See photos at the top right of the page.) On Thursday Max's mom, Limor, brought a cider press to the Backyard Garden. Through teamwork and positive communication, the Barn Swallows worked together and pressed cider. We really enjoyed learning about where cider comes from and how it is made. Thank you Limor!
Students learned about the five finger rule when choosing a book. Please ask your child to explain how to use this rule as you read books together at home. We continue to build community and to get to know each other through playing many simple games, learning new greetings, and singing songs. We are off to a great year!
If you are interested in joining our classroom community, there is a garden work party this Friday, September 28th in the Backyard Garden from 1:30 to 3:00. This would be a great opportunity to meet other school families and to get your kids together, making a difference in the garden. The Backyard Garden is in need of TLC and we would love to have you join us!
Thank you families!
Sincerely,
Sherry
Monday, September 17, 2012
Classroom News: Week of September 17th
Dear Barn Swallow Families,
We have a couple of trips coming up! On Thursday, September 27th we will go to Gales Meadow Farm near Gales Creek. We will be gone from 11:00-2:15. We need one extra adult to help chaperone this trip. If you are available, please let me know. As you know, on Monday, October 15th we will go to Zenger Farm. We will need four to five more adult volunteers to join us in order to make the trip and we would love for you to join us. If you are interested in either of these volunteering opportunities, please email me at: S.Reuter@fgcschool.org
Class trips are a great way to spend some time with your child, and get to know the class. Thank you!
Last week we continued working on our self-portraits. We brainstormed, discussed and established our classroom rules. They are: Take care of each other, do your best, be safe, and take care of things. Story writing workshop was introduced and students had opportunities to use Playdough to develop a story in the classroom, and natural materials to develop a story in the Backyard Garden during our Out and About. Ask your child if he or she remembers what stories were made last week. On Friday, we began recording these stories. On Thursday students began math class and in the afternoon we explored The Sunflower Garden (the smaller garden behind the school). We worked together as a class and created a garden scavenger hunt. Students found zinnias, tomatoes, peppers, oat seeds, and more. We ended the afternoon taste testing lemon summer squash and cucumbers. In our first full week together we had many moments of fun, excitement, hard-work and community building. Thank you for all you have done to prepare your children for our time together!
Sincerely,
We have a couple of trips coming up! On Thursday, September 27th we will go to Gales Meadow Farm near Gales Creek. We will be gone from 11:00-2:15. We need one extra adult to help chaperone this trip. If you are available, please let me know. As you know, on Monday, October 15th we will go to Zenger Farm. We will need four to five more adult volunteers to join us in order to make the trip and we would love for you to join us. If you are interested in either of these volunteering opportunities, please email me at: S.Reuter@fgcschool.org
Class trips are a great way to spend some time with your child, and get to know the class. Thank you!
Last week we continued working on our self-portraits. We brainstormed, discussed and established our classroom rules. They are: Take care of each other, do your best, be safe, and take care of things. Story writing workshop was introduced and students had opportunities to use Playdough to develop a story in the classroom, and natural materials to develop a story in the Backyard Garden during our Out and About. Ask your child if he or she remembers what stories were made last week. On Friday, we began recording these stories. On Thursday students began math class and in the afternoon we explored The Sunflower Garden (the smaller garden behind the school). We worked together as a class and created a garden scavenger hunt. Students found zinnias, tomatoes, peppers, oat seeds, and more. We ended the afternoon taste testing lemon summer squash and cucumbers. In our first full week together we had many moments of fun, excitement, hard-work and community building. Thank you for all you have done to prepare your children for our time together!
We will begin our homework program after goal setting conferences in October. We can talk in more detail about homework at that time. Home Bags will come home with your child every Monday, or the first day of our school week. They will contain homework ("just-right" books, math homework, a spelling activity, and handwriting practice). If your child brings finished work home it can stay at home, unless a note is attached to indicate otherwise. Please always return the bag to school on Monday morning so that our volunteers can prepare it to go home again that afternoon. If for some reason your child forgets to return the bag on Monday morning, we will send home new math, handwriting and spelling pages, and your child can continue to reread the same books from the previous week. Please help your child to develop the habit of regularly returning homework each week! When your child completes homework, it should be returned to school in the home bag. Please have your child read the "just-right" books several times throughout the week and return the books to school, so that the books may be used by another child. My hope is that these bags will be one more tool in our efforts to work together as a team in educating your children. Thank you!
In the meantime, please continue reading routines together at home. Children can read to you, you can read to them, or you can take turns. Reading for enjoyment is very important! Writing for real purposes at home, such as writing notes to family members, making lists, writing in a journal, etc. is good writing practice. Emergent writers work on 'writing the sounds they hear.' They start with phonetic writing, though working on the spelling of sight words (for example, said, the, was) is always a good idea because these words do not typically follow 'phonetic rules'. Encourage your child to stretch out words and to try to include a letter for each sound he or she hears. Encouragement and support of this stage is really important. Ask your child about our Story Workshop where students use materials to make (and find) a story. As your child plays at home, see if he or she can record part of all of their stories through writing. Cooking, measuring, telling time by the hour and possibly five minute increments, adding and subtraction single and double digit numbers, working through family story problems, and working with coins all will help support your child as a mathematician. The more these activities are incorporated into everyday home routines, for real purposes in an enjoyable context, the better connection students will have to how school can help them with 'real life'.
Please contact me with any questions you may have. Thank you families for your support at home!
Sincerely,
Sherry
Sunday, September 9, 2012
Classroom News: Week of September 10th
Dear Barn Swallow Families,
As you know, our first week together was very brief! We worked on activities, games and songs that helped us get to know each other. The students began learning routines that we will use all year. Teresa, our art teacher, invited the class to come and tour the new art room and share their hopes for this year. Our PE teacher, Rick, introduced himself to the class, and gave an overview of the year. On Friday, we had our first All-School Meeting of the year. These are once-a-month meetings, that give classes a chance to share their learning with each other and build community. I have enjoyed getting to know all of your children, and am looking forward to working with them this year. We really have a special group of kids!
As you know, our first week together was very brief! We worked on activities, games and songs that helped us get to know each other. The students began learning routines that we will use all year. Teresa, our art teacher, invited the class to come and tour the new art room and share their hopes for this year. Our PE teacher, Rick, introduced himself to the class, and gave an overview of the year. On Friday, we had our first All-School Meeting of the year. These are once-a-month meetings, that give classes a chance to share their learning with each other and build community. I have enjoyed getting to know all of your children, and am looking forward to working with them this year. We really have a special group of kids!
We will be spending the day at Zenger Farm on October 15th and will learn more about where our food comes from. (This will be an all day trip.) We will need 4 to 6 adult volunteers to join us and we would love to have you! If you are interested in being a volunteer for this trip, please email me at: S.Reuter@fgcschool.org and I will put you on the list.
Please note that I have included our class trips calendar, snack schedule, weekly schedule, birthday treats policy, and a description of this year's wetlands project on the upper right column of our blog, in case you would like to reference it throughout the year.
Please note that I have included our class trips calendar, snack schedule, weekly schedule, birthday treats policy, and a description of this year's wetlands project on the upper right column of our blog, in case you would like to reference it throughout the year.
Thank you Barn Swallow families!
Sincerely,
Sherry
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