Happy Fall!

     Happy Fall everyone! I know a few of my students have been particularly excited for Fall to begin, and I know I am right there with them!  I hope you all get a chance to stop by the Parish fair this weekend.  This year I won't be able to stop by; instead, I will be celebrating the marriage of two good friends, so please have fun at the fair for me!  
     This last week was a good week (and not because all of you had yesterday off!).  You can really tell that the kids are slowly but surely settling in to our class and all of its procedures.  You know things are going well when the kids are reminding the teacher about little things like coloring their behavior charts each morning! Please don't forget to look in their green folders for the behavior chart.  Green folders will always contain work that your child has completed over the week that Mrs. Coulter or myself have checked over.  By looking through this stack of completed work, you are getting a glimpse into your child's progress and the topics they are currently learning.  Please don't return any of these papers- they are yours to keep!  The only thing that needs to be returned in the green folder is the signed behavior chart.  Please look for this behavior chart in there (it will always be a yellow slip of paper), review your child's fabulous behavior for the week (remember, yellow isn't the end of the world!), sign it, and return the slip into the green folder for us to collect from your child on Monday.  Communication is key, and we hope these behavior charts effectively communicate to you how your child is doing.
     You also received a blue folder earlier this week.  Blue folders go home periodically (there is no set time) containing tests for you to sign and return.  Please feel free to leave a post-it or note of some sort in the blue folder (after you've signed the tests) with any questions you have regarding a concept covered on the test.  Additionally, teachers are not perfect and we occasionally overlook a correct answer or two.  Please feel free to leave a post-it on a test informing us of a possible mistake. 
     I have a few items to cover regarding lunches.  First of all, I am not sure most parents are aware that teachers do not receive a list of who receives hot lunches (Since this changes on a daily basis).  It is really left up to the parents to make sure their children know whether or not they have hot lunch that day.  Our sweet little Firsties often ask me if they have hot lunch or not, and I always apologize and tell them that I just don't know and they will have to check at the hot lunch table.  Maybe you can send a little note in your child's red folder reminding them that they have hot lunch that day or not. Or, if you send their morning snack in their lunchbox, perhaps you can attach a note to their morning snack.  I know your child would appreciate the reminder, as well as Mrs. Coulter and myself! Thank you!
     Also, a few parents have expressed some concerns over their child's lunchbox being outside on the hooks during this hot weather.  Mrs. Schulte has e-mailed all of the teachers to allow students to keep their lunchboxes inside the classroom until lunch.  After lunch, we will ask the students to hang their lunchboxes back on their hooks with their backpacks.  I know it is a given, but never underestimate the power of small ice-packs or frozen juice boxes/water bottles to keep your kiddo's lunches nice and cool!  Once the hot weather has subsided, we will return to keeping the lunches hanging on the hooks (since space is really limited in a classroom with 34 desks!) 
     Finally, this week marks the first week of Fall, along with Johnny Appleseed Day.  We will be celebrating this special day this Wednesday with many apple activities.  Our wonderful room mom's have sent you an email requesting particular items to help our class make homemade applesauce in a slow cooker.  Please respond to them if you are able to help donate some of those items.  Thank you! 
     Have a great weekend, and we will see everyone on Monday! 
~Ms. Hudson