So...we did it! We made it through that first day! The first day is always a whirlwind of activity. There are so many "new" things, so many questions, and so many procedures to learn!
I was a little frazzled because my computer wouldn't work (and still won't!!). (Mr. Mac.... I might just send it home with Ella...:) )
Our day went a little something like this...
We came into the room at 9:00 (note the new start time and that coverage on the playground does not begin until 8:50). Because it was the first day, some people needed to unpack. If your child does NOT have the following items, please help him or her to get them as soon as possible. These are the NECESSARY items:
*highlighter
*dry erase marker
*2 pencil boxes
*a deck of cards
*Pink pearl eraser
*Spiral bound notebook
*3 composition books
*scissors
*2 1-inch 3 ring binders
*plastic magazine holder
We have enough of all the other items that we can share but we really need to have those things as soon as you can. If you are unable to get them, let me know and I will help you out!
We practiced our "mad minute" routine. Each morning when the students enter the room, they will start work on the practice side. After the practice, we take a one minute timed test on the test side. Six students passed the first test on the first day! Wow!
After our practice, we played a little name game. It was great to be able to make a big circle so we could see everyone's faces. I have typically arranged my room in rows but I really wanted to be able to make a circle and with rows we have NO room! I was so pleased at what great listeners the students were during the game. We found out we have 2 students in our room who have names with 4 snaps (syllables). See if your child remembers who they are...:)
We were having so much fun that I was surprised to look up and see it was time to go to our all-school assembly. I told them that if they ever wondered what 1,000 looked like...they would be able to see! We had about 1,000 people at our assembly! It was so fun to see them looking around to see what 1,000 looked like...:)
Dr. Rogien addressed the whole student body about our three guiding principles of our school:
1. Respect yourself
1. Respect yourself
2. Respect others
3. Respect property
He also emphasized that all students need to have gym shoes. The school paid $12,000 to get the gym floor redone because of grit from shoes. Be sure your child has a special pair of shoes for P.E. They may leave the shoes at school.
After the assembly, we came back and talked about how we were feeling about first grade and how some of us may have been feeling nervous. We read some cute books about the first days of school. We started learning our first poem, "Jitter Juice".
Each day for the first 26 days of school, we will review each of the letters of the alphabet. Today was A day. We learned the four sounds that "a" makes. Be sure to ask your child if they remember all 4 sounds. We also started a list of students who had names that had an "a" in them.
Lunch came next! Fun stuff!
After lunch, we made "jitter juice" after they imagined what they thought might be in the juice and what it might look like. They enjoyed it! I need to remember to try some next time!
We then had a great discussion about what math is. They were full of very smart answers. We did some work with "subitizing". Subitizing means the ability to recognize a number of items without counting them one by one. We looked at groups of shoes and the kids shared their strategies--it was great!
The students then went to music. Gotta love it!!
We had a rushed pack-up....we will change that for tomorrow.
If your child was unclear about homework, here is an explanation:
1. Your child is to practice their "mad minute". If your child had a three ring binder, I put it behind their agenda. Practice may or may not include a one minute timing. You choose the best way for your child to practice. In order to pass the mad minute, they do need to get 30 correct in one minute. Backwards numbers are considered wrong, so be sure to have them go back and correct backwards numbers.
2. Your child is to finish their handwriting sheet. I am unable to watch each child make each letter but if you could help me by looking at the correct formation and see if your child is making the correct strokes, I would be very appreciative. For example, watch to see that your child is starting at the top of the A as shown by the stroke marks.
For the first few weeks, the homework will be similar. I will be sending out more information soon!
Here's to a great second day...and the hopes that my computer will soon work!
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