Week 3 Recap

Week 3 was such a great week!   The kids are really getting the hang of the routines and procedures.   It is fun to see them come together as a class.   This is really a sweet bunch of kids.  We are going to have such an AWESOME year!  Hey...we already are!!!

I know some of you have kids that haven't quite make the transition from summer into all day school.   This transition is even harder for some than Kindergarten was.   Being away all day is a big step and being away all day and having to work hard all day is an even bigger one!   These sweet kids just need the gift of time.  I feel confident saying that only because I have been doing this so long...:)

We continue to trek through those Letter People.   We are already through N and plan to be finished by our break.   We use the letter people as handwriting practice during our literacy rotations.  The students are getting very good at both working independently and knowing where to go and what to do during stations.

We started our "All About Me" theme and they are working on a really cute book that will make a fun keepsake for you when they are finished.

Mrs. Taylor put together our volunteer schedule.   I meant to send it home Friday but will send it home today (Monday), please look over it to see if your day and time works.   She worked very hard trying to coordinate it all.  Thank you so much fpr all of you!   It looks like we are going to have a lot of help in the classroom this year.  I am so happy for the kids.   We are able to do so much more with additional hands in the classroom.

If you are out and about, please pick up a pink pearl eraser for your child.   That item never made it on the list and we could really use them.   The erasers on the pencils  usually are the first to go!   Also, if you can send in cap erasers for our class supply, that would be GREAT!

A few things I forgot to say about homework, I think I said Week 3 homework but it's really Week 4 homework on the portal.  Please have your child bring it FRIDAY (not early, please) labeled with their name AND number.   Again, for EVERYONE, fluency work and math work.   For those who read over 55 words per minute and those kids who WISH too, please also have your child work on the comprehension sentences.   For those kids who LOVE homework, please have him/her complete the bonus homework also.

Thank you so much for sending me your awesome, smart, and healthy kids each and every day!
Carin

Second Week of First Grade

Many of you may be wondering why I choose to use a blog to post newsletters.  I have found that when I email out information it can get lost in the shuffle.    Sometimes I know that I like to go back and see what a teacher said and can't find the particular email.   This blog is a central place for you to find information about our class.   Also last year, we had some grandparents reading our blog.  It's a fun way for your extended family to feel a part of our class.

So WEEK 2 is in the books...:)  It was a great week packed with a ton of learning.   We are getting most of our procedures and routines worked out.  We still have a few kinks in a couple of routines because it's hard to realize that school means listening more than talking (sound familiar?...:) )  It's a hard pill to swallow for some after a summer of chatting to their hearts' content.   We will keep working on being quiet and efficient when making transitions into the classroom and between activities.

We continue work on the Letter People.  You can always type in, for example, "Mr. H  letter people" on youtube and the ancient video will pop up.   This program was from a very long time ago...well, maybe not that long I was still a kid...lol.   The quality of the videos is very poor but the kids just totally dig them for some reason.   The music is snappy and the lyrics are often quite humorous.   Mr. H is an example of a funny song!   It's a fun review of the letters and a good handwriting exercise.

Speaking of handwriting, Mrs. Taylor and I have noticed that many kids have a very unusual pencil grip.  I was just reading a fun way to have kids learn to grip correctly is to take a tissue and rip it in half.  Now take that piece of tissue and roll it into a ball.    Have your child hold the tissue with their ring finger and pinkie and keep it in place when holding a pencil.  If they do this, they HAVE to hold the pencil correctly because they can't start to wrap those last two fingers around the pencil.   You may want to give it a try to see how your child grips the pencil.

We started stations this week and they have done an excellent job.   Working independently is a difficult skill and can only be learned by working independently and therein lies the difficulty.   Some kids come by it very naturally and use their time wisely during stations, others are still learning the nuances of working independently, and still others are just dipping their toes in the independent waters.   By the end of the year, my goal is to have all the kids working at a very high independent level.   Our expectations are high and kids usually always rise to the occasion.

It was so fun to see so many of you at Back to School Night.  I think we had 17 out of 30 families represented.   I know many of you had other kids' rooms to visit or other plans so I sent home the power point information home with your child.  If you did not receive a packet that had our daily schedule on it, please let me know and I'll get you one ASAP.   The information should be in your child's STAR binder.  Please check the star binders DAILY but especially on Fridays.   On Fridays, usually you will find your child's work from the week as well as any school flyers.    

The last page in the packet is the parent volunteer form.  Please try to get those back by Friday and we will begin to put together a schedule.

Also you will find our book orders for this month.  This month is a GREAT time to order books.  Kids LOVE getting books and building reading excitement is what we are all about in first grade.   Our class earns free books when you order so it's just a great program all around!   Book orders are due on September 21st.  The date is stamped on the back of the book orders.

Have a wonderful weekend!   See your sweet gems back on Monday!

Mrs. C

FIrst Week of First Grade

Well...we did it!   We made it through the first week of first grade....and what a fantastic, amazing week it was!

I can tell you already that I'm going to have so much fun with this SUPER AWESOME group!  

The first week is always filled with learning routines and procedures.   The first big routine involves entering the classroom.  At North Star, we enter the rooms without talking.   At this point, we haven't worked out all the kinks...:)     Ideally (and it will happen soon!), the kids enter without talking, they hang up their bags and they get right to work.   They work on their Mad Minutes on the practice side.  After about 10 minutes, we test on the test side.   The expectation is that they get 30 correct in a minute.   The unfortunate part is that backwards numbers are wrong numbers in first grade so some of the kids are getting 30 but their numbers are backwards.

Right now, the ONLY homework they have each evening is to practice their Mad Minute.   In order to do that, they must bring their STAR BOOK home each night.  Please encourage this responsible habit.

We will ease into homework.  I would like to give them a little break when they get home.  I remember my daughter last year being completely exhausted after a long day of first grade.   Your child may be experiencing the same phenomenon.  He/She may also be more emotional than normal.   I have seen children break into tears at the slightest misstep.  I'd like to give them another week of just coming home and recuperating from the long day without a homework obligation besides Mad Minutes.

If you have not gotten a magazine rack for your child, I encourage you to do so at your earliest convenience. They start gathering their reading materials that they will use during our reading time.  

Thank you again for sending happy and healthy children to school!
Carin

Hello Fabulous First Grader,

Can you believe it’s almost time to come back to school? I am so excited about everything we will be learning this year!   The thing I most excited about, however, is to be your teacher!  It’s going to be a year filled with a lot of learning and many fun adventures.  I am thrilled that I will get to know all about you very soon!  I’m going to tell you a few things about myself.

When I was in first grade, just like you, I moved from Honolulu, Hawaii to Idaho City, Idaho.  After I graduated from Boise High, I went to Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Oregon and received a degree in Child Psychology and a Master's in Elementary Education.  Fun stuff!   I taught for 12 years in Washington State.   My family and I moved to Boise 11 years ago.  This is my 19^th year teaching! Wow-za!

Speaking of my family, I love my kiddos!   I have a son named Connor who is going into the 9^th grade.  I also have two amazing daughters, Hannah and Emma.   Hannah is going into the 5^th grade and is so much fun!   Emma is going to be a second grader!  I was her teacher last year and I'm going to miss her!

Here are a few of my favorites:

Favorite Color:  Pink

Favorite Season:  Fall

Favorite Food:   Fruit (oh…and chocolate…:) )

Favorite Sport:  Baseball

Favorite Animal:  Puppies!

Favorite Hobby:  Reading about teaching

I hope that gives you a little bit of an idea about who I am!

Like I said before, I am so excited to get to know you.   We will be learning all about each other during the first few weeks of school. 

If you went to our awesome school last year, you may remember me if you were a morning kindergartner since my door was right by your line.     You may also have heard that we learn French.   We do!   I was lucky enough to be an exchange student in France in both high school and college for a total of two years so I love to share my love of the language with you!   Our first word we will learn is “Bonjour”!  See if you can figure out what that means and tell me on the first day.

If you or your parents have ANY questions, please feel free to write to me and ask!   I love getting e-mails from the my students and their parents. My e-mail address is cchochrek@northstarcharter.org

It's Me.  Mrs. C!!

See you soon,

Mrs. C

What a last few months!

I can't believe I have neglected my blog like this.  I am determined to get back in the swing of updating this blog regularly.   I must apologize that I've let this take a back seat with everything going on in my life outside of school.

I am feeling much more settled and ready to take this on as a regular part of my routine.   As many of you know, I had to say goodbye to three influential figures in my life in the last month.   My sweet Dad whom I miss daily,  my dear uncle, and my great dog of 15 years.   In the middle of all that, my husband was hospitalized.   Yikes!   And then in the last two weeks, I have recently moved into my own place.   Like I said, life was a bit crazy.

But through it all, the children kept me happy and motivated.  I tell everyone that the best place to be is at school.   You can't be sad or unhappy when surrounded by 30 of the most adorable and loving kids there are.  

Speaking of which, the second trimester has finished.   I can't believe we are two-thirds through this year.   Which means we are coming down to the final push.   Please review your child's report card and again if you have ANY questions, please contact me.

I have scheduled either by my request or yours conferences on Wednesday or Thursday.  If you didn't get a conference scheduled but would like one, please let me know and we will find a time that will work for you.

On Friday, if you didn't schedule a conference, I will send home the CBM sheets that show your child's growth over the trimester in a graph form.    Again, if you have any questions, please let me know.

I hope you had a great St. Patrick's Day and those tricky little leprechauns did not cause too much trouble at your house.
Carin

Science is the best!!!

Oh my...my poor blog has been forgotten since before break. I have some super exciting stuff to post though!

Raigan always says she LOVES Science.....now we know why!!!!

We had a super amazing and fun experiment shared with us...thanks to Mrs. Teeter!

Our experiment started out as a contest. Mrs. Teeter challenged me to a balloon stuffing contest. Could I stuff more balloons in a big styrofoam cooler or could she? I was able to put 25 balloons into the cooler! No one could beat that, right?

Wrong! She easily put 26 balloons in the cooler and had room for many more. How you may ask?

She had a little tub of liquid nitrogen! The liquid nitrogen was so cold that she turned the air in the balloons into a liquid...oh my!!! They were flat as pancakes!

What do you think happened when they came out of the liquid nitrogen? Now ask your child if your theory is correct.

She also "boiled" a racquet ball! What do you think happened? Ask your child if you are right!

Oh my....I think she has inspired 30 little scientists! Watch out world!

A HUGE thank you to Mrs. Teeter! IF you would like to be a science mom or dad, let me know!

P.S. Ask your child about being a marshmallow eating dragon!

What a week!

Well, the Christmas Crazies are in full effect in our room!!!   You know how time seemed soooooo slow right before Christmas when you were a kid?   I think I can relate....hahahaha!!!

Thank you so much for participating in the Secret Santa fun this year!  The kids love it so much!  I've been having kids from years past come down and say, "Are you doing Secret Santa?  I loved it!"   So it's not only a memory for this year but for years to come!   Keep sending in little things for next week and bring the big mamba-jamba present on Friday  (not too mamba-jamba...remember less than $5).

Last Friday was the end of Trimester 1, you should be able access your child's grades through PowerSchool.   I believe you will be getting information from Dr. Rogien about the details.   In addition to the report card found online, I have sent home a graph of how your child is progressing on their CBMs (curriculum-based measurements).  It's fun to see the growth your child has experienced in just the last month since the last test.   If you have ANY questions regarding either the PowerSchool report card or the CBM graphs, feel free to contact me!!

We had our first "lunch detention" for kids who forgot their homework today.   I give them Trimester 1 to get in the swing of bringing it back each week and then in Trimesters 2 and 3, we do have detention.   What it is?  It just means they stay in the room on Friday during recess to complete as much homework as they can.   It's not terribly fun so I'm hoping to have fewer and fewer students each week that have to stay.  Zero sounds like a GREAT number!


Have a wonderful weekend!   Don't forget the awesome Santa breakfast here tomorrow.   It is so much fun!  The crafts are great....and so is the food!