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Saturday, October 27, 2012

A few photos and your weekly class update...

     Hi everyone! I know it has been a while since I've posted some photos on here.  I also know that I should have sent out a form asking you for your consent to post photos of your children on the blog.  Things have definitely been a little on the busy side, but that consent form will be heading out soon.  In the meantime, I will make sure no students' names are included in any photos, and I will try to stick to photos that are not so close-up.  Hope this works for everyone! If not, please email me and I will remove any photos at your request, or place a nice grey blur in front of your child's face = )

Here are a few photos from our visit from Paramedic Jeremy:


Jeremy talking to the kids about safety.
Jeremy getting volunteers to try out the EKG monitor.

     And here are some photos of the kids on Red Ribbon Week Pajama Day- they are working with their partner for a Math Lesson. Firsties always split up their daily Math lessons with time at their desks watching Ms. Hudson teach them the lesson for that day, then, if they listened really well, they get to partner up with a friend and complete the worksheet on the floor.  We finish our Math lessons by checking our answers with Ms. Hudson on the interactive whiteboard.   

 

And here is a group photo from Career Day on Red Ribbon Week (Sorry, it is a little blurry!) 

      This week was another exciting week in First Grade- we had a special visit from Father Jim.  The kids couldn't believe that he is the oldest of 11 children in his family!  They enjoyed meeting him, and I think they were pleasantly surprised that a priest could be that funny!  
 
      Now that Red Ribbon Week is over, we move on to the week of Halloween! Hooray! I hope you all checked your child's Green folder, because inside you will find a bright orange piece of paper with a nice reminder to purchase a small pumpkin.  The pumpkin will serve two purposes: provide us with a Science experiment and an art project!  Please have those pumpkins turned in on Monday! 

     We will be working with pumpkins during a Math activity, too.  It will involve some estimation and guessing, along with a little counting.  We will definitely post pictures of all of our pumpkin activities this week!

     Wednesday is Halloween, which means our annual costume parade and school carnival is upon us!  Please send your child to school on Wednesday in their school uniforms.  They will bring their chosen costumes with them in a separate bag.  Please follow the school guidelines for costumes- a flier should have been sent home in your parent envelope earlier this week.  No makeup, masks, weapons, short skirts (w/out leggins), etc.  They will still wear their school shoes with their costumes.  A good general guideline to use with your costume: if you are afraid you will lose it or ruin it, then we suggest you leave it at home for your trick-or-treating that evening! We also highly recommend writing your child's name on all of the pieces of their costumes... just in case! = )  Siblings and paparazzi = )parents are all welcome on the playground for the parade and the carnival, but only the parents who are signed up to help the children change into their costumes are permitted in the classrooms- otherwise it will be way too crowded in our already-crowded-classrooms! Thank you!

    Halloween also marks another special occasion in First Grade- at this point in your child's year, teachers will no longer tie your child's shoes (with a few occasional exceptions).  We know that tying their own shoes was something they needed to master in order to graduate from kindergarten (they earned that ice cream sundae!).  We have been warning them for quite some time now that by Halloween they need to re-train themselves to tie their own shoes.  On the same note, they also know that it is unsafe to run around at recess with untied shoe laces. So, if Mrs. Coulter or any other teacher/supervisor sees a Firsty running around with untied shoe laces, students beware! You will be asked to sit down and tie your shoes before going back out there and playing! Please help your child become a shoe-tying wiz by promoting this same behavior in your homes.  You may also consider purchasing shoe laces of a longer length than the laces that come with your child's shoes... we've noticed some very short laces, which obviously makes it very difficult to tie.  Together, we will help your child accomplish this challenge! 
In the meantime here are some helpful websites on shoe tying ideas:   
  • Songs and poems created by teachers to help your child tie their shoes teacher hints     
  • I can't tell you if these work or not, but here is a website with something called Tie Buddies
  • And if those fail, here is a video of a lady with a lovely English accent showing you how to tie your shoes- Enjoy!  Video                                
     Now, despite all of the excitement from Halloween, there is still school on Thursday.  I know I will be there with my venti soy cinnamon dolce latte = )  Please remember that candy is not a healthy morning snack, especially after a long night of trick-or-treating!  We will be attending MASS on THURSDAY this week, since it is All Saints Day.  Please try to remember to send your child to school that day in mass attire (no shorts).  Please feel free to join us, too!

    Finally, did you know that tomorrow (SUNDAY) is the Feast Day of St. Jude?  If you are able to attend mass at St. Jude, Mrs. Schulte asks that the students wear their uniforms to show their school pride to the entire parish.  

Well, off I go now to rest up before another exciting week in First Grade! Wish us luck! 

Take care, and enjoy this gorgeous weekend!
~Ms. Hudson
    

     

Saturday, October 20, 2012

Red Ribbon Week is coming!

     Well this week seemed a teeny bit less eventful compared to  last week's excitement!  While there was no inclement weather, the students still had a great visitor on Monday (Thanks Officer Coulter!), we still have a few cases around campus of the infamous head lice (thank you for keeping an eye on your child's hair and for putting the girls' hair up!), and we had a chance to show Mrs. Schulte the fabulous Tooty Ta dance!  Mrs. Coulter and I can definitely tell that Halloween is in the air... these students have been rather talkative and keyed up full of youthful energy these days! = )  It is very exhausting refreshing!* I am sure Red Ribbon Week will be just as exciting, too! *(Hopefully you all know my sense of humor well enough by now to know I am joking and I love my job!)
         Red Ribbon Week information should have been sent home to you via the Anchor Splash, but in case you missed it, here is a list of the days and how your child can help our class earn one Non-Uniform Day by dressing up this week as much as possible!
  • Monday- Future Career Day- dress up as any career you may want to be when you grow up. Doctors, lawyers, soldiers, police, teachers, veterinarians, coaches, singer, actor, professional sports figures, you name it!
  • Tuesday- Pajama Day- please remember no slippers, no tank tops (unless a shirt is worn underneath), and no short-shorts/skirts!  We still have to go to Mass! = )
  • Wednesday- Jersey Day- Wear your favorite sports jersey. It could be your own jersey from your team, or a favorite professional or college jersey!  If the jersey is a tank top or slightly see-through, please wear something underneath.  
  • Thursday- Red Day!- Anything and everything red! Please don't die your child's hair or wear nail polish.  Shoes may be red as long as they are tennis shoes- we have PE today!
  • Friday- University Day- any university shirt... although I am partial to a few particular colleges (go Trojans!), your child can feel free to wear any university shirt today.
  • The class with the highest percentage of students wearing Red Ribbon dress all week wins a day of non-uniform dress in the future! 
     In other news...this past week your Firsties have been wrapping up several units in many different subjects.  We are graduating from reviewing consonants to practicing our vowels.  We will begin with the short vowels and move on to the long vowel sounds.  In Science we have reviewed plants and their parts/functions so many times I think I may just be a plant for Halloween!  Finally, we reviewed the parts of complete sentences, as well as the differences between telling and asking sentences (a very tough concept for these kiddos).  They will be tested on sentences and plant parts this week.  
     Your child also took their first language arts theme test.  These tests occur approximately once a month and are relatively lengthy.  They cover everything from reading comprehension, sequencing, using inference, as well as sight word recognition.  They are a great way to prepare your young student for the important state testing that occurs at the beginning of the year for students in the 2nd grade and above.  Just so you're aware, I read practically 90% of the test to the students (typically two times per question).  There are parts of the test where I cannot help them read the three choices they are given to complete a sentence (because they are being tested on their ability to read those words on their own).  Let's just say that by the end of these tests, these kids (and I) have definitely earned their big wiggle break!  
     Halloween is only about ten days away now, and that means it is time for some pumpkin experiments in our class!  As I mentioned in an earlier post, each Firsty will be required to bring in one small pumpkin (no larger than a cantaloupe) to class on Monday October 29th.  Please start looking for one, but don't bring it into class until that Monday.  
     This week we will continue having special visitors to our class with a short meet and greet with our new pastor Father Jim!  He will be coming to our class on Monday to discuss the Mass and answer any questions the kids may have regarding the Mass.  He is looking forward to meeting all of our Firsties! We will also be meeting with our school families once again to make some posters of famous Saints to decorate our campus. 

I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Take care! 
~Ms. Hudson

PS- I know I am a little behind on photos, but don't worry! They're coming!
           

Friday, October 12, 2012

Rain, thunder, lice, an ambulance, and a popcorn party!

     Wow! Another exciting week here in First Grade!  The kids had their first indoor lunch thanks to the rain and thunder on Thursday.  Mrs. Coulter and I learned that many of these Firsties have never really experienced thunder before... and we also learned that many of them would be just fine if they never heard thunder again!  We also had a lot of fun learning about safety and health with our paramedic visitor Jeremy. He brought a brand new ambulance to show the class, used an EKG monitor on one student, a neck brace on another student, and a long bandage on our Super Student.  Needless to say they had a great time!  The students had a chance to walk inside the ambulance, and sit on the gurney in groups of ten (as they let the gurney go up and down like a ride!)  Jeremy was hoping that if the kids became familiar with an ambulance and the tools paramedics need to use, our students will be less apprehensive if/when an emergency occurs.  A big thanks to our room parents who were able to help out at the last minute, as well as take some awesome photos for the year book! 
      As you have all heard by now, there have been a few instances of lice occurring around campus.  Thank you so much to the parents for donating lavender and rosemary for our classroom.  Let's hope the plants discourage any of those little buggers from entering our First Grade room!  Parents, it is a very good idea to keep your girls' hair up high in a bun or braid... apparently ponytails are not the best prevention (according to a former parent with some very wise advice thanks to some not-so-great experiences!)  Better safe than sorry!  Please note that Ms. Charlotte is not checking every single head for lice- only the siblings of anyone who has lice, or who has siblings in the classes affected.  Please help us out by checking your child's head regularly for nits and lice (even if they aren't complaining of feeling itchy).  Thank you so much! Mrs. Coulter and I really appreciate it!
     Our popcorn party was a hit! The kids enjoyed festive cupcakes or cookies (their choice) while watching It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown!  I absolutely love this classic, especially Charlie Brown's amazing ghost costume.  The kids really enjoyed it based on their endless laughter! (Or maybe that was the direct result of the sugar...)
     Monday will be a special day with another special visitor- Officer Coulter of the Simi Valley Police Department.  We will also have our first Meet the Masters art lesson.  The class will be viewing artworks by Toulouse-Lautrec, and the following week they will be recreating one of his masterpieces.
     Finally, I have finally received the official list of children whose parents have requested that their photo not be shown on the internet.  I can only assume this means that the same parents do not want their child's face to appear on my blog.  To make sure, I will be sending home a separate sheet with all of my Firsty Families to fill out sometime in the next week.  I wouldn't want a child to think their photo hasn't been put up on the blog for some other reason, and I want to respect their privacy, too.  Feel free to e-mail me ahead of time if you know you absolutely never want your child's face to appear on our blog.
    Have a fabulous weekend, and we will see you next week!      
    Take care! 
    ~ Ms. Hudson 

Saturday, October 6, 2012

Have you heard the news???

     In case your Firsty hasn't told you the big news yet, the class has hit their first big milestone in First Grade! They have filled their popcorn jar! If you could only hear them cheering when that final cup of popcorn kernels filled the jar to the brim... They are very excited! We will have their very first popcorn party this Friday, complete with a treat to eat and a short movie!  I already have a special Halloween themed movie in mind!  = ) Movies in First Grade are always rated G and we keep them in the 30 minute range.  I'm sure they will have a great time! 
     The Firsties also had a chance to visit the school library for the first time this week!  They each picked a Halloween or Clifford book.  At the beginning of the year, we like to guide the children to choose a book from special themed shelves based around that month's holiday.  Later on, after all of the Informal Reading Inventories have been completed, we will guide the children to choose books from their own reading level.  In general, when your child is trying to pick a book that's just right, we follow the five finger rule.  If there are five words within the first two pages that are too difficult to sound out or comprehend, then we put the book back and look for a different book.  This is only for independent reading.  When the children are reading books with an experienced reader available for guidance, then they can find a book that is a little bit more challenging.  
     This week the Firsties will be learning about community helpers in Social Studies.  If all goes according to plan, we will have two visitors this month that are community helpers.  This Wednesday we should be visited by Ms. Hudson's friend- Paramedic Trone and his ambulance!  He will talk to the kids about safety, staying healthy, and knowing what to do if there is ever an emergency.  Next week we should be visited by a local motorcycle police officer (who holds a special place in Mrs. Coulter's heart)... Officer Coulter!  He will bring his police motorcycle and talk to the kids about the importance of following rules and being safe.Who knows, he may even arrest a teacher or two! 
     Finally, the kids have been keeping a close eye on their seed experiments... some have grown faster than others, some have grown a little moldier than others, and some haven't grown too much at all!  The kids will be bringing these experiments home- please feel free to do whatever you'd like with them = ) Here are some photos of the final results:


Our Super Student's pinto bean on Wednesday
And on Friday! Check out those roots! I guess the lima bean is being a little shy...


    This week the students will continue learning about consonants (Phonics), addition (Math), plants and seeds (Science), and writing and identifying both telling and asking sentences (English).  They will begin learning about the way Jesus interacted with the community (Religion), the importance of community helpers (Social Studies), and they will be reading a story about pumpkins!  Speaking of pumpkins, be on the lookout for a small pumpkin- as small as you'd like, but no larger than a cantaloupe.  Each student will be bringing in their pumpkin on the last week of October to be used in a special Science experiment, and then we will be decorating them in class! Just thought you'd like a little head's up! 

Take care and have a wonderful weekend and week! 
~Ms. Hudson   

PS- I had a very fun time reading to everyone at the Barnes and Noble book fair! It was great to see such a wonderful turnout  = )   Thank you for supporting our school and promoting reading!

Monday, October 1, 2012

Quick Survey and some photos

Hi Firsty Parents!  I'm doing a quick survey to see how many First Grade parents are actually checking the blog weekly.   Please either email me directly or leave a comment on this post to let me know that you check the blog.  And, if you haven't already done so, please leave your email address in the box located in the top right corner of this blog so that all of my blog updates are emailed straight to your account!  Thanks so much! 

PS- Here are some snapshots of the "seed experiment" currently going on in our class. The seeds are laying on a damp paper towel to provide the water necessary for growth.
The bean on the left is a lima bean, while the one on the right is a pinto bean.
Here is an upclose shot of the root growing out of the pinto bean

Take care and thank you for participating in my quick survey!
~Ms. Hudson