Classroom News: Week of October 29th

Dear Barn Swallow Families,

Thank you for attending conferences last week!  I'm happy that we were able to spend some time together with your child.  I look forward to hearing how your child's goals unfold at home!

Last week we went on a colorful leaf walk.  We have a fall tradition of looking at the red and white amanita mushrooms over by the Wells Fargo bank parking lot.  If you haven't yet seen large red mushrooms with white spots, you MUST take a quick walk across the street to see the sight!  On the leaf walk, students gathered colorful leaves, as well as temporarily collected acorns, walnuts, and sweet gum fruit.  The students are going to use these natural materials for our story workshop writing time.  In the middle of the winter we are going to 'surprise' the squirrels by returning the 'stored food.'  Students used the colorful leaves to find many creative stories, as you will see in the photographs to the right.  In math, the first graders worked on counting by fives, created graphs, and used the graphs to interpret information.  The second graders practiced making symbolic representations of ones units, ten sticks, and hundreds blocks for various 3-digit numbers and continued telling time in 5 minute increments.

On Wednesday afternoon, the Barn Swallows are going to read spooky stories that they wrote during story workshop.  If you would like to donate a healthy snack for our story time, I'm sure the Barn Swallows would appreciate it.  Vegetables, dip, cut up fruit, sliced cheese, and crackers are all great snack ideas.  Thank you!  On Friday we are having another all school meeting.  The Violet Green Swallows will be presenting and the spirit theme is 'crazy hair and/or hat' day. 

We are headed to Jackson Bottom Wetland for an all day trip this Thursday from 9:00 to 2:15.  We will need one or two more parent volunteers and would love to have you join us.  If you are interested, please email me at:  S.Reuter@fgcschool.org 

Thank you families!

Sincerely,

Sherry

Classroom News: Week of October 22nd

Dear Barn Swallow Families,

We started last week with a fantastic trip to Zenger Farm in Portland.  We were given a tour of the farm, got to sample their harvest and helped feed their chickens.  We visited the turkeys, honey bees, and learned more about worm compost.  After lunch we got to help out with jobs on the farm.  The students had great questions and insights to share with the farmers.  
The students continued to meet with reading groups, as well as have some independent reading time.  We reviewed some of the things we've learned about wetlands.  (Some students even saw a red legged frog at the wetlands at Zenger Farm!)  On Wednesday afternoon we went to both school gardens to harvest tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, squash, garlic, and herbs.  We then used our ingredients to make salsa.  All students tried this wonderful vegetable mix and with the strong scent of garlic in the air, we had many happy kids! The first graders worked on writing and solving bugs picture problems, and played an attribute game to figure out which bugs were hiding in the teacher's pockets.  The second graders continued working on telling time by the hour and 5 minute increments.  
We learned about setting goals, and how goals help us to accomplish things.  The students wrote a personal goal or two that they will share with you at our goal setting conferences on Thursday or Friday. If you have not yet signed up for a conference, please stop in or call the office (503-359-4600) to schedule a time when you and your child can come in to meet.  The conferences will be a time for me to share assessment information about your child, and make a plan on how we can work together to support your child's progress.  Be on the look out for your child's PLP (Personalized Learning Plan) coming home today!  Please take a moment at home to read through it.  I'm looking forward to meeting with you and your child this Thursday or Friday.

We will be having another big Out & About to Jackson Bottom Wetlands on Thursday, November 1st.  We will need 2-3 adult volunteers to join us.  If you are interested, we would love to have you!   We will leave the school at 9:00 am and return by 2:15 pm.  Please email me (S.Reuter@fgcschool.org) to let me know if you can join us.

Thank you families!

Sincerely,

Sherry

Classroom News: Week of October 15th

Dear Barn Swallow Families,

We had a wonderful time learning at the Fern Hill Wetlands last week.  Forest Grove sure is lucky to have so many people who care about our wetlands and the life there.  There are many changes happening, from building a natural shore for shorebirds to creating waterfalls with bridges and trails.  There is a lot for families to look forward to!  The swallow classes are going to learn more about seasonal wetlands and will begin working on creating this special ecosystem in the Sunflower Garden at school.  We will need to learn a lot more about the plants and animals that live there in order to make an accurate 'seasonal wetland' here at school.

Students continued working on their various stories during story workshop and began 'finding stories' through using colored pencils and drawing.  We are meeting in reading groups and have started working on handwriting.  In math the first graders have been busy solving and creating story picture problems involving ladybugs and other beetles.  The second graders have been working on place value through counting seeds in tomatoes and are beginning to work on telling time.

Thank you for sending your child to school with rain gear.  It's important to have waterproof shoes and rain jackets at school every day, as we go outside for recess in the rain and we are now in the rainy season.  (Hooded sweatshirts and fleece jackets soak up the rain, leaving students cold and wet during class time.  Waterproof gear is so important!)  Tomorrow is picture day and student goal setting conferences are around the corner.  If you haven't signed up yet, please call the school office at: (503)359.4600.  I will let you know as soon as we have more trips scheduled and in the meantime, we will be getting to know our school gardens and prepare them for the winter.  We will also begin to build our seasonal wetland.

Thank you families!

Sincerely,

Sherry

Classroom News: Week of October 8th

Dear Barn Swallow Families,

We have enough volunteers for our trip this Wednesday to the Fern Hill Wetlands, here in Forest Grove.  We are excited to learn about some big upcoming changes that will be happening there to improve the habitats for the creatures we will be learning about!

Last week we introduced a new element to our Story Workshop, as the students began using 'movable collage' to find and tell stories.  On Friday, the class did a FANTASTIC  job presenting our farm book to the school at the all school meeting.  The students have started meeting in reading groups, as well as reading 'just-right' books independently.  On Wednesday we visited La Esperanza Farm, a local, organic, co-op farm.  The students learned the history of the farm and its significance to our community.  We learned about various ways that farmers employ organic practices and sustainable methods of irrigation.  The students were invited to sample tomatoes and beans, and to take home a marigold.  It was another great opportunity to learn about local, organic farming.

We are looking forward to our trip next Monday to Zenger Farm.  I have the list of volunteers joining us included in the 'Class Trips and Events Calendar' link above.  Picture day is on October 16th and conferences are around the corner.  More information about signing up for conferences is soon to come!

Thank you families!

Sincerely,

Sherry

Fern Hill Wetlands Volunteer Opportunities

Dear Barn Swallow Families,

We have another trip confirmed and it's coming up fast!  Next Wednesday, October 10th, from about 11:30 to 2:00, we will be learning at the Fern Hill Wetlands here in Forest Grove.  There are many exciting changes occurring there and we will learn more about what's to come as we explore Forest Grove's wetland.  We will need 1-2 adult volunteers to join us to ensure safe, supervised, and happy learners.  Would you like to come?  Please email me at S.Reuter@fgcschool.org if you are interested.

Thank you families!

Sincerely,

Sherry

Classroom News: Week of October 1st

Dear Barn Swallow Families,

We had a great time learning at Gales Meadow Organic &Heirloom Farm last week.  (Double click on the pictures to the right to enlarge.)  Students learned more about organic farming and will share what they have learned about the farm in a presentation this Friday at our all school meeting.  (Families are always welcome to attend the all school meetings.  If you are interested, we will be at the Central School in the Grove Room.  The meeting begins at about 9:45.)  Through 'writing the sounds they hear,' students have been working on writing sentences that describe photographs from our farm trip.  We hope to turn our presentation into our first farm book and are working on it this week!

This week, on Wednesday, we will walk to La Esperanza Farm to learn about small market farms.  We would like to have one more parent volunteer join us and would love to have you.  The trip will be from 1:00-3:00.  We have enough volunteers for our trip to Zenger Farm on Monday, October 15th.  (Our volunteers are:  Christina, Kacie, Limor, Becky, and Beth   We welcome additional volunteers, especially if a parent volunteer has a sick child the day of the trip and is not able to attend.  Please let me know if you are interested.)

Last week we worked on math fact families.  See if your child can figure out the four facts for the 9, 4, 5 family.  It helps to have 9 similar objects in front of your child, with 4 of them one color and 5 another color.  For example, we would use 4 yellow folders and 5 red folders.  (Here are the answers:  4+5=9, 5+4=9, 9-4=5, and 9-5=4)  You can make up more problems like this at home, making them more or less challenging to fit your child.  Students have been working on transferring stories that they 'found' using play dough into writing.  It is fun to notice the different styles of writing that students have.  Some come to story workshop with a story in mind and get to writing it right away, some work with the materials and 'find' a story and then write down pieces of it as it progresses in front of them, and some find the entire story with the materials, from beginning to end, and then write it down.  There are many ways to approach this creative writing program and I am really enjoying each student's unique process!

Please let me know if you have any questions, families.  Thank you!

Sincerely,

Sherry